My fifth post in this exciting new venture

Today, before I start to talk about wine I would like to introduce you to a free service which I have used for a number of years and which has enabled me to build up a list of friends with whom I can share my interests



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Okay, lets starts today's post with another episode in my understanding of the History of Wine

HISTORY OF WINE 3

I would like to summarise our first two sessions and maybe add some information which I think may assist to put modern day wine culture in context. Firstly let me say explicitly that the history of wine is intertwined beyond unravelling with the history of farming, food, the evolution of humankind and the society in which they lived. As I have already alluded to, there is some archaeological evidence suggesting that the earliest wine production came from sites in Georgia and Iran as early as 6000BC. However, undeniable evidence does not become available until approximately 3000 BC, where there is agreed evidence of the domestication of the grapevine, in a region encompassing Asian portion of modern Turkey, Syria, Jordon, Israel, Lebanon, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq and Egypt.

There is also strong evidence to suggest that European wine production occurred in Macedonia as early as 6500 BC. This is where the earliest evidence of crushed grapes were also found.

There is also evidence of dregs of wild wine dating from as early as 2000 BC, in China.

So rather than beginning to talk about wine making in the Dark Ages as though it were the result of a single linear process, I wanted to pull back and tell you a little about the other contributors to the complexity of good history as well as good wine.

When wine arrived in Greek territory is unknown, it was certainly known from as early as 3000 BC being referred to in many ancient Greek writings.

Many of the grapes grown in modern Greece are grown there exclusively and are similar or identical to varieties identified as being grown in ancient times

Pliny the Elder a Roman chronicler describes the ancient Greek method of using partly dehydrated gypsum before fermentation, and some type of lime after fermentation, to reduce acidity. The Greek writer Theophrastus also provides evidence of this practice.

The Greek god of revelry and wine Dionysus or Bacchus who was frequently referred to in the works of Homer and Aesop was sometimes given the epithet Acratophorus, and he was designated as the giver of unmixed wine, which resulted in frenzied behaviour. Wine in those days was served with and diluted by water and referred to as “The Juice of the Gods”.

It was Greek wine that was initially exported throughout the Mediterranean basin. Amphorae with Greek styling and art have been found throughout the area. The most likely origin of wine that appeared in ancient Egypt was when it was a Greek owned territory. It was also the Greek who first introduced the Vitis Vinifera (Common Grape) Vine and made wine in their numerous colonies in modern-day Italy, Sicily, Southern France and Spain.

MY WINE LOG

Last night I prepared Pan fried chicken thighs and pumpkin with steamed vegetables and a sauce “lak” which is translated as made from many ingredients.

We had a "Deen De Bortoli, Vat 2, Sauvignon Blanc 2007" to accompany this dish. Of all the white wines I find Sauvignon Blanc to be the most consistently appetising. Deen De Bortoli the son of the founder of De Bortoli's, has developed a range of varietals that he believes truly reflects the essence of each. De Bortoli’s Vat2 Sauvignon Blanc 2007 though still young, has strong characteristics of the best of it's kind. I especially like the long finish that tastes to me of ripe gooseberry, with a hint of pineapple, which I found very refreshing.

De Bortoli’s is a winery that was only about 8kms (5 miles) from where we used to live and we were frequent visitors to the Bilbul cellar door. Since moving away from Griffith it is much more difficult for me to pop in, but we follow the progress of the winery with interest and intend to visit the Yarra Valley vineyard in the not to distant future.

Of course for those of you into dessert wines it is also the home of the world famous Noble One, the bench mark in Australia, for dessert wine

Ingredients For the Meal

2-3 chicken thighs per person

Poppy seeds

Sesame seeds

1 egg

Two table spoons of corn flour

Broccoli two small pieces per person

Pumpkin 2 small pieces per person

Onions 1 medium per person

Spinach leaves 1 cup per person

Potatoes 2 medium per person

Butter 1-2 oz to taste

½ - 1 cup of milk

The Sauce

Small shrimp 10 per person (uncooked)

Garlic 2 cloves per person

Seed mustard 1 teaspoon per person

Ginger 2 thin slices per person

Coriander a small bunch fresh

Olive oil 2 tablespoons

Balsamic vinegar to taste

Cottage cheese 1 heaped table spoon per person

Parmesan cheese for thickening

125 mls of Chicken stock per person

Juice from pan in which the chicken was cooked

Preparing The Chicken

The Thighs should be skin free

Cut each thigh so that it lies flat on a shallow plate

Roll each piece of chicken in the cornflour and the egg which has been whisked

Then lie in the poppy seed

Preparing The Vegetables

Ensure that the broccoli pieces are about the same size

Finely dice the onions

Preparing The Sauce

Ensure that the garlic and ginger are cut into fine slivers

Cooking The Chicken And Pumpkin

Place the pumpkin in into a preheated pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook on one side until beginning to turn brown and softening, then turn over,

Place the chicken pieces poppy seed side down in the pan with a drizzle of olive.

Cook for 5-10 minutes on medium heat, then sprinkle the top side the sesame seed and turn the fillets over.

Add ¾ of the onion per person and add more olive oil cooking until the onion is glazed

Cooking The Vegetables

Place broccoli in steamer and cook until it turns bright green, then add the spinach leaves until they start to shrivel in the steam.

Boil the potatoes in their jackets in a separate pot. Use a potato suitable for mashing such as Desiree, Nicola, Pink Eye or Purple Congo. Try mixing potatoes to get different textures. When the potatoes are soft all the way through, drain the water off and put the potatoes back over a medium heat, shaking the pan for 2-3 seconds.

Always mash the potatoes using butter to begin with; when the butter has melted, then add milk to cream the potatoes, then add the remainder of the onion, to add zest and texture.

Cooking The Sauce

Cook the sauce in the pan used to cook the chicken and pumpkin, keeping any liquid remaining.

Add olive oil

Add the Garlic, Ginger and Mustard seed

Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil stirring continuously until garlic and ginger are soft.

Take off the boil and add the coriander and shrimp, simmer for five minutes.

Then add the cottage and parmesan cheeses

Taste test and add balsamic vinegar for a bit of zing factor.

Serving The Meal

Serve the mash in the middle of the plate and the pumpkin and broccoli alongside.

Put the spinach leaves over the mash and place the chicken on top of that.

Pour the sauce over the vegetables

Bon Apetit!

In this day of cosmopolitan dining a meal is often differentiated by the sauces and gravies that the meat and/or vegetables are served with. For those of you who would like to expand your repertoire of sauces and gravies I've included some links to pages that specialise in them.

http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/sauce.html

http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/sauce.html

http://busycooks.about.com/od/saucesandgravies/Sauce_Recipes_and_Gravy_Recipes.htm

http://www.real-restaurant-recipes.com/Sauce.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/get_cooking/cooks_guide/sauces.shtml

http://www.cancerproject.org/resources/handbook/sauces.pdf

http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Category:Gravy_Recipes

http://saraskitchen.faithweb.com/sauce.html

http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/sauces/