+++SCOFF! - The free email newsletter on good food and drink. - ISSUE FIFTEEN, JULY/AUGUST 2006. For a printable colour version of this newsletter, see: http://www.gastronomail.com/archive.htm . Please forward to all your friends and colleagues so they can register to receive their own copy by visiting: http://www.gastronomail.com . ++Issue Fifteen Contents: 01: An A-Z of Scoff: the alphabet of food wisdom - ‘O’ is for ‘Organic’: Hard to define? 02: Reader offer - Free wines from New Zealand: Simply email us for a chance to win a case of wine in our latest fabulous giveaway. 03: Review: Wisdom of a lifetime, expertly distilled - A Life Uncorked, by Hugh Johnson. - Reviewed by Jamie Goode. 04: Recipe: Chicken Marbella - by Geneviève Roy. 05: The drink spot: Seriously on the case The wines of New Zealand have come a long way from their unrefined past to creations of elegance and sophistication to rival anything from France. Peter Grogan struggles to keep up. 06: Titbits and Crumbs: Virtual Sam – cartoon nutrition expert; The Wine Anorak – online magazine; Slow Food UK Office – opens in Ludlow. 07: The food spot: Telling your menthi from your chow chow Sanjida O’Connell on a delicious day spent cooking up exotic Southern Indian morsels at Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School. 08: How to: Create gorgeous ice-cream - Hattie Ellis reveals the secrets of luscious flavours and endless experimentation. [Contents ends]. +01: An A-Z of Scoff: the alphabet of food wisdom - ‘O’ is for ‘Organic’. Many, if not most, people who care about what they eat feel that organic food is better than non-organic, for reasons of taste, quality and ethics. These days however it is not quite so simple, after a slew of stories suggesting organic food does not necessarily always taste better; that butchers selling organic meat may not themselves be certified as organic; that sometimes food is even mislabelled as organic to bump up the price; and that, with the supermarkets and big food conglomerates moving into organics and buying up small producers, it might now be better to buy local than simply buy anything with an organic certification. Everyone must decide for themselves how good food tastes but buying organic is usually a sign of significantly more quality and flavour than average. Organic labelling and certification can be confusing, not least because there are actually 10 UK certification bodies approved by ministers on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards. The only way to be certain something is correctly labelled is to find out a bit more about the product, by asking questions about it, or even asking to see certification – much easier to do in a local shop or farmers’ market than a supermarket. The movement by the big corporates into organics is alarming. The Food Ethics Council (www.foodethicscouncil.org) recently published an excellent article, ‘The corporate counter-revolution in organic foods’, which lamented that opposition to this trend has already been ‘pushed to the margins’. It suggested the future lies with direct selling, localism, public procurement policies, environmentalism and Fair Trade, and in the future, these policies are likely to assume a greater importance than the mere presence of an organic label. +02: Reader Offer: NZ Giveaway. To mark our feature in this issue on the fabulous and ever- developing wines of New Zealand, we have two cases of premium New Zealand wine – a mix of the country’s best styles, regions and producers – to give away to two lucky readers, courtesy of New Zealand Winegrowers. As usual – we never learn – all you have to do is email in your name and address to enter, and our randomiser will do the rest. Please email the information to: nz-offer@gastronomail.com . You can also find out about New Zealand wine tastings in your area including the London Consumer Wine Fair held on the 15th January at Lord’s Cricket Ground, by emailing: info@winzuk.com And for information on New Zealand wine in general please visit: http://www.nzwine.com . Last issue’s lucky winner of a crate of Chapoutier wine was Denise Tyler. Many congratulations to Denise, and Bonne Santé! +03: Wisdom of a lifetime, expertly distilled - A Life Uncorked, by Hugh Johnson - Reviewed by Jamie Goode. In 1965, Hugh Johnson’s first book, entitled simply Wine, marked the beginning of a career that saw him established as the world’s leading wine writer. Subsequent works, including his famous pocket books and the iconic World Atlas of Wine, have all been best-sellers that have spawned a host of imitators. Now, 40 years later, comes his autobiographical A Life Uncorked, and for me, it’s his best book yet. But don’t expect to learn too much about Hugh himself – a modest, private man, there’s actually very little about him in the book at all. Instead, wine takes the centre stage here, with each chapter covering a different wine type, beginning with Champagne and ending with Madeira. Hugh is posh, but he’s certainly not elitist. You feel he’s by your shoulder, like a benevolent schoolmaster, gently guiding rather than speaking down to you. Hugh is quite scathing of the collecting mentality that sees wine as an object in itself, and lays in to influential American critic Robert Parker for the way his 100-point scoring system is changing the way wines are made, with an emphasis on big, heavy, obvious wines at the expense of lighter, more elegant ones that often have more to say. So if you want to learn more about wine, you could do a lot worse than placing yourself in the trusty hands of one of the world’s great experts, still at the top of his game after some 40 years. NOTE: Jamie Goode is a Glenfiddich Award-winning wine writer and creator of the leading wine website ‘The Wine Anorak’ (see ‘Titbits and crumbs’, this issue). A Life Uncorked by Hugh Johnson is published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, Price £20, ISBN 0 297 84378 8. +04: Recipe: Chicken Marbella by Geneviève Roy This is a fabulous summer recipe, adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso (1979). It is a really famous recipe in the US and Canada because it’s so easy! Eight chicken breasts For the marinade: 1 head of garlic, peeled and pureed 1/4 cup dried oregano coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup pitted prunes 1/2 cup pitted green olives 1/2 cup pitted black olives (kalamata if possible) 1/2 cup capers (with a bit of juice) 6 bay leaves To cook: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup white wine 1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander, finely chopped Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in one or two large shallow baking pans and pour over the marinade. Cover and leave to sit overnight. Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Sprinkle chicken breasts with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Sprinkle with parsley and or coriander and serve with rice. +05: The Drink Spot: Seriously on the case - by Peter Grogan. My problem with Kiwi winemakers is that they’re just too darned on-the-case and focused for befuddled British wine hacks to be able to keep up with them. I had happily pigeon-holed them as purveyors of perfectly pleasant (if somewhat “green”) Pinot Noirs which would never hold a candle to Burgundy, and along come Isabel and Southbank and Seresin (to name but a few) to put poor Johnny Frenchman to flight. I was happy when I could think of them primarily as a source of those Sauvignon Blancs that jump out of the glass, spray gooseberry essence up your nose, slap you round the face a few times and run screeching out of the door with your wallet. And then they start making wines of such poise and balance that the good folk of the Loire must be hanging their heads. This conversion was on show at the New Zealand Wine trade tasting at Lord’s Cricket Ground earlier this year where a large proportion of the NZ industry was plying its wares. How can they change so much, so fast? “People have realised that it’s a global market and that to compete, you’ve got to keep raising your game,” says Steve Smith, New Zealand’s first Master of Wine and chief winemaker at the humblingly excellent Craggy Range. Craggy’s offerings across the varietal board are terrific – my favourite was their smoky, richly complex 2004 Beaux Cailloux Chardonnay. Another Chardonnay worth writing home about is the silkily elegant Kumeu River – both around the £16 mark. Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc (£12-13) is a textbook example of how ‘new-wave’ New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs have left their delinquent ways behind them and traded in their ASBOs for a place at finishing school. The product of high-density planting, this has complexity, minerality and even a little lick of honey at the end. That Pinot Noir of theirs (£15-£16) gives anything from Burgundy at the price a run for its money, with coffee and chocolate notes to embellish the lush strawberry fruit. Montana is the biggest wine producer in New Zealand – almost twice as big as its nearest rival – and the tasting had officially closed when I started in on their 30 wines. I was nearly done when their International Operations Manager Jim Robertson came up. “What did you think of the Reserve Chardonnay?” he asked. I fumbled through my notes: “Tropical, v. typical, rich,” was all I had come up with. “But I think ‘typical’ probably means a bit old-fashioned, compared to a lot of what I’ve tasted here today,” I continued. “Yeah, there’s 30% of it been in new oak,” said Jim. “And it’s, like, we’ve been there before, done that. There’s just no need for it. I think we’ll take it down to 10% or 15% at most next year. What do you think?” Yep, these guys are seriously on the case. +06: Titbits and Crumbs. Virtual Sam: ‘Virtual Sam’ is the animated cartoon version of real-life online nutrition expert Sam Montel. Aimed at teenagers and older children, the site is produced by the Food Standards Agency: http://www.flyonthewall.com/FlyBroadcast/FSA/VirtualSam/ The Wine Anorak: Online wine magazine for novices and serious wine nuts, created by award-winning wine writer Jamie Goode (see his book review on page one). Includes tasting notes, arranged geographically; book reviews; and a useful UK wine buyer’s guide: http://www.wineanorak.com Slow Food UK Office: Slow Food UK has selected Ludlow as the location for its new headquarters. The office is due to open in November and will initially be located in space provided by South Shropshire District Council, before transferring to Ludlow’s Eco Business Park: http://www.slowfood.com +07: The food spot: Telling your menthi from your chow chow - by Sanjida O’Connell. I’ve seen them before in Asian supermarkets, but never knew what to do with them. Bitter gourd is a freak of evolution, an alien cucumber covered with rubbery spikes of flesh, and chow chow is a delicate broad bean-green tennis ball-shaped vegetable. You peel it and slice it like an apple and when cooked it tastes like a cross between kohlrabi and courgette. But now I was going to find out all about such exotic morsels: I was at the Southern Indian Thali cookery course run by Rachel Demuth, owner of the legendary West Country vegetarian restaurant, Demuths. Demuth begins the course by getting us to grind our own spice mixes, garam masala, which smells extraordinarily sweet, and sambhar powder, a feisty mix from Tamil Nadu. Apparently the Tamils don’t eat much apart from lentils and there are even toasted lentils in the spice mix, as well as asafoetida. This is the resinous gum of an Afghan plant that strict Hindus cook instead of onions and garlic (since they unleash passionate feelings) and its other name is ‘devil’s dung’. You can see why when you smell it. So that the whole class doesn’t keel over with hunger as we salivate over the spices, we make our own ‘small eats’, and wolf them down hot off the chapati pan, such as idli – steamed buns made of lentils and rice – and banana puris, thick pancakes of mashed banana and chick pea flour with fresh mango chutney. The class then divides into three and each group makes a curry. Thalis are actually named after the plate on which they are served. They’re made of stainless steel with individual compartments for rice, several different curries and chutney. The class collectively voted that the Keralan chow chow and methi coconut curry is the best. “Once you’ve got the spice mix right, you can vary the vegetables,” suggests Rachel, which is lucky because neither chow chow nor menthi, which looks like overgrown clover, appear to be in this week’s organic veg box. The courses are fascinating and certainly not just for super experienced cooks. This is a fun and food-filled day for those who don’t know their curry leaves from their cumin. NOTE: Sanjida O’Connell is the author of Sugar: The Grass that Changed the World, published by Virgin Books, £8.99. For more on the Vegetarian Cookery School and Demuths restaurant see: www.vegetariancookeryschool.com +08: How to: Create gorgeous ice-cream - by Hattie Ellis. Good ice-cream is a luscious vehicle for different flavours, and once you get going there’s no end to possible experimentation. The ice-cream bible is Ices by Robin Weir and Caroline Liddell (Grub Street). You just think of a flavour – peach, say, or Dulche de leche – and there it is, in alphabetical and apple-pie order (Liddell used to test for Delia). The authors are fans of the 19th century ice-cream goddess, Mrs Marshall and her 1885 classic, The Book of Ices, which was republished in facsimile by Smith Settle in 1998. 1: For best results it is worth getting an ice-cream maker but it need not be expensive. Mine is a £30 basic model with a churning bowl that keeps in the freezer, and is an excellent kitchen buy. 2: Oomph up the flavour as much as possible. Coldness and cream dampen down tastes. To make a chocolate ice more powerful, for example, Nigella Lawson first caramelises the sugar to add an extra edge. 3: Alcohol affects the freezing capacity of ice-cream. Make use of every bottle in your booze cupboard (Campari and pink grapefruit sorbet is one favourite from Ices) but it is wise not to exceed the quantity suggested. 4: Liddle and Weir recommend whipping cream, at 36% fat, in their recipes, or else you can let down double cream with milk (3 parts double cream to one part milk). I’ve also used ricotta for a subtly flavoured and textured ice. And try clotted cream and crème fraîche. 5: While ice-cream is one of the most useful puddings to have on hand in the freezer, it is at its best when fresh. One legendary ice- cream shop in Rome, Il Gelato di San Crispino (near the Trevi Fountain at Via Panetteria 42) even throws out their ice-cream at the end of each day. No stinting on ingredients here: the lemons come from Amalfi and the zabaione ice is flavoured with a 20- year-old Marsala. One of the sorbets is made with the uva fragola grape, which tastes of strawberries: with ice-cream, the possibilities are endless. ++End Notes: +HOW TO RECEIVE YOUR REGULAR ‘SCOFF!’ To subscribe to this free monthly bulletin, Send a blank email to scoff-subscribe@gastronomail.com Please encourage your friends and colleagues to subscribe! To unsubscribe at any time, email: scoff-unsubscribe@gastronomail.com For further information on subscription see: http://www.gastronomail.com . +ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: This newsletter conforms to the accessible Text Email Newsletter (TEN) Standard, which makes email publications easier to access for people with impaired vision using text-to-speech devices. For details see: http://www.headstar.com/ten . +COPYRIGHT 2006 Gastronomail Ltd. If you would like to reproduce stories from this newsletter, we generally allow this as long as a full credit is included, with our web address and a description of our newsletter. For permission please email jo@gastronomail.com . +PERSONNEL: Food Editor - Dan Jellinek dan@gastronomail.com Drinks editor – Johnny Ray johnny@gastronomail.com Consultant Editor – Hattie Ellis hattie@gastronomail.com Marketing Director – Jo Weatherall jo@gastronomail.com [Issue ends.]