Spring on the horizon, Riesling in my glass
While we haven’t escaped winter’s grip quite yet, a few more above zero days have me thinking about spring flavours on my plate. Spring cuisine for me is all about fresh flavours and pops of colour such as red, green and yellow that remind us of spring flowers. Spring also has me trading in my deep, earthy red wines in favour of bright, fresh and lively white wines such as good quality German Riesling. Enjoy my three-course spring menu and consider pairing each dish with a German Riesling. Match my mini fish tacos with a dry Riesling, my Thai curry with an off-dry or medium-dry version and my recipe for panna cotta with a sweeter style.
MINI CRISPY FISH TACOS
• 1 package wonton wrappers
• Vegetable oil spray
• 1 lb cod or halibut fillets, cut into 1/2-inch small chunks
• 1 cup panko
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg + 1/4 cup water
• Vegetable oil
• Guacamole, to serve
• Pico de Gallo (fresh salsa), to serve
• Pickled red onions, to serve
• Ceviche, optional* Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray mini muffin tins (24 cups) with non-stick cooking spray. Bake wonton shells for eight to 10 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile prepare your fish bites. Season breadcrumbs with spices and place in a bowl. Place flour in a separate bowl. Finally place egg and water in a third bowl and whisk. Dredge fish in flour, then egg wash and finally the seasoned Panko. Place on oiled baked sheet. Raise oven temperature to 425 F. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Place a tablespoon of guacamole in each crispy wonton shell, then a piece of fish, a teaspoon of pico de gallo and some pickled red onions.
*To make ceviche, combine 1 lb cod (cut into 1/2-inch cubes) with 1 cup lime juice in a non-reactive bowl. Refrigerate for one hour. Add 1 small red onion (diced), 1/4 cup diced red pepper and, 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro. Return to fridge for 30 minutes. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
THAI CURRY CHICKEN
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into small chunks
• 1 tbsp yellow curry paste • 1/2 cup dried fruit such as raisins or apricots
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 lime, zest, juice
• Rice, to serve
Directions: Place oil a pot set over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for another 45 seconds. Add chicken and sauté until brown on all sides. Add dried fruit and coconut milk. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked. Finish with lime zest and lime juice. Serve over rice.
WINED & DINED
With spring on the horizon, Saltwire.com has relaunched my Wined & Dined online show just in time to celebrate Germany Riesling’s birthday, on March 13. Why March
13? The first recorded evidence of Riesling dates back to March 13, 1435, or at least that’s the first evidence of its existence. An invoice was found in the cellar of a winery near the Rheingau accounting for the sales of six vines of Riesslingen. A century later, Riesslingen would be known as Riesling. While Riesling has long been mired in a reputation slightly sullied by the German wine industry’s success in the 1970s and 1980s with cheap, sweet Riesling knockoffs known as Liebfraumilch, I consider it to be perhaps one of the world’s most interesting and misunderstand grape varietals.
While many associate German Riesling with sweet wines, modern versions come in a myriad of styles ranging
from light, crisp and refreshingly dry to medium-bodied and aromatic, with sweetness levels ranging from mediumdry to sweet. This makes Riesling in my mind, and the minds of many sommeliers, perhaps the world’s most versatile varietal and very food friendly. The challenge is to determine which style of Riesling you are buying.
THREE TIPS FOR DISCOVERING A GERMAN RIESLING FOR YOU
1. Alcohol percentage – By in large, the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the wine. German Riesling often ranges from as little as eight per cent alcohol to as much as 13 per cent. Expect a Riesling at eight per cent to have ample residual sweetness and one that is 13 per cent or more to be quite dry.
2. Key words – Look for the word Qualitätswein. This indicates high quality production of Riesling from one of 13 recognized wine growing regions in Germany. Within this category of German Riesling there are some key words to look out for. Look for words such as trocken, selection or dry to indicate a dry wine. A wine with a little more sweetness might be labelled as classic, halbtrocken or deinherb, although the latter has a looser meaning but generally suggests a fresh, offdry style. Sweeter styles may be noted Liebliche or Suss, but these terms are less commonly used.
3. Classic indicators – The top tier of German wine production is known as Pradikätswein. These wines from one of the 13 classic wine regions are, unlike lower levels, not permitted to add sugar to aid fermentation and are organized according to the sweetness of their harvested grapes. While the names associated with the levels only indicate the level of natural, unfermented sugar, some generalities in styles exist.
The lowest level is known as Kabinett. Expect wines labelled with this term to be light-bodied and off-dry, although some are dry and deliver citrus-like fruit flavours. Next is Spätlese. These wines tend to be a little riper and a little sweeter and form a bridge between the citrus tones of Kabinett and the more orchard fruit notes of Auslese, the next tier of wines above Spätlese. Finally Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslee all tend to be very sweet styles.