All About Foods, Drinks etc.

New and exciting varieties of peppercorns are becoming available to chefs everywhere. Pre-ground pepper out of the tin no longer provides the complex flavors and versatility that great cooks everywhere are looking for. A small collection of different types of peppercorns provides fine cooks with just the right pepper flavors and colors to create perfect culinary creations. Peppercorns crusts, rubs, marinades, dressings, and sauces are just a few of the creative ways these unique flavors and colors can be utilized.

Peppercorn sauces are a great way to present distinct and unique flavors to the pallet while providing a splash of brilliant colors. A rainbow of spicy flavors such as white, green, and pink can easily create an impressive dish.

Green peppercorns are a lively green color with a sharp, fresh flavor. These immature peppercorns are hard to find but well worth the search. Their fresh flavor is a perfect for making meat sauces for pork and beef. Green peppercorns are also a good match with salad dressings and vegetables.

Pink peppercorns are the rarest of the peppercorn varieties but provide an exquisitely unique flavor. These exotic peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor. Pink peppercorns also add a lovely dash of color to all kinds of cuisine. They go especially well in fruit sauces, vinaigrettes, and desserts.

White peppercorns are preferred in much of the world because freshly ground white pepper doesn’t leave dark, unappealing specks in food. It’s white color is especially important in light colored sauces and foods such as mashed potatoes.

Black peppercorns are the high quality equivalent of the stuff you used to get out of those little tin cans. Black pepper starts loosing its potency as soon as it is ground, and its flavor is significantly degraded after only a few months. Whole peppercorns retain their flavor for several years as long as they remain un-ground.

A blend of all these colors makes a beautiful and flavorful mix of pepper perfect for any pepper mill or stunning enough to place on display.

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The Jacobs Creek Brand of wines have taken the world by storm. And so they should. They are excellent Australian wines which are consistently good. They have clearly won the battle for everyday wines at their particular price range.

But they are a made from classical French grape varieties, Chardonnay, Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. As such they represent the successes of Australian winemaking in the 1980s and 1990s.

What will be the wines of the new century? As the wine boom of the 1990s in Australia unfolded, a quiet revolution was taking place. The area planted to grapes expanded rapidly to underpin massive increases in production and exports of Australian wine. But a large number of vignerons and winemakers were also planting alternative grape varieties.

The profile of the Australian wine scene has changed as dramatically as the scale of production. During 2003 a new winery was opened in Australia every day. About half of these new enterprises were growing or using varieties other than the classics mentioned above.

As well as the less common French varieties, growers and winemakers have been pioneering with Italian varieties such as Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Arneis. We have also the Spanish stalwart Tempranillo being increasingly favoured. Even the Russian red grape variety Saperavi is being used. There are probably one hundred wine grape varieties now being produced for commercial wine production. These new varieties are being planted in traditional areas as well as in new wine regions.

Australia, like other new world wine producers is less inhibited to the strong ties of tradition that permeate the European wine industry. Since the start of the 1990s a strong predisposition for experimentation has permeated the wine industry. Australian wine consumers are now adopting this ethic.

It is safe to say that Chardonnay and Shiraz will continue to dominate wine production in Australia for many years to come. But consumers will have a much wider choice, and they are willing to be just a little adventurous. 

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The easiest way to make rice well every time is to use a rice cooker. If you don’t have one, or don’t want one, though, here’s a no-fail recipefor rice that one of my grandmothers taught my mother, who taught me. This one, I use mainly for seasoned rice dishes because things can beadded to it before boiling, or broth (a plain soup) can be used in place of water.

This is for 4 substantial servings (4 rice bowls).

You will need:

1 large saucepan, or a short pot.

2 cups of white rice, preferably persian, glutinous, or converted, depending on how sticky you like it.

2 tablespoons of butter, margarine, rendered fat, or vegetable oil.

water or broth as needed (usually 3 to 3.5 cups)

salt to taste

Directions:

1.Put the rice in the bottom of the saucepan, and wash it thoroughly by rinsing, and then pouring off the cloudy water. Repeat until you

can recognize grains of rice through the water, and then pour this last rinse out.

2.Put your middle finger in the saucepan until it touches the bottom, and put in water or broth until the level reaches the second line of

your finger.

3.Add your salt and oil.

4.Place on the stove, and cover loosely, which means there should be a centimeter of space between the side of the cover and the edge

of the pot or saucepan.

5.Turn on the stove at medium/low heat, and leave it alone for about 20 minutes.

6.Check to see if it’s done, and if not, come back every 5 minutes.

7.If you need to check, and can’t tell from looking at the top, stick a spoon in the middle, and push gently to the side to see if there is any

water left. If there is, then move the rice back to cover the hole. Try not to touch it too much.

8.If you run out of water before the rice is the level of softness you want, in the well you make in it for checking, just pour a quarter cup

of hot water to the middle, and move the rice back over to cover the water.

9.When it’s done, turn off the heat, and cover the rice completely, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

10.Stir, and then serve.

Then, there is the other absolute sure-fire way that my other grandmother taught me. This is how I cook rice when I want it somewhat plain.

You will need:

However much rice you want up to 5 cups.

A pot of water, salted, with about a tablespoon of oil

A strainer

A large bowl

Directions:

1.Set the pot of oiled and salted water on high heat.

2.In a large bowl, rinse the rice repeatedly, until the water is somewhat clear.

3.Drain as much water as you can from the rice, and then wait ’til your water on the stove boils.

4.When the water reaches a fast, rolling boil, gently pour in the rice.

5.Stir to make sure the rice doesn’t stick together, and then wait.

6.Occasionally stir the rice, and after 10 minutes, check to see if it’s done.

7.Check every two minutes after that, and when it’s as soft as you like, turn off the heat and then pour the contents of the pot into a

strainer.

8.Shake the strainer a bit, to get out as much excess water as possible, and then return the rice to the now empty pot.

9.Season to taste, and then serve.

Rice cooked this way can also be used for rice balls, unless it is parboiled rice. Parboiled rice should never be used if you prefer it sticky on its own, but is the best to use when making the deep fried breaded rice balls.

More Rice Tips

For golden coloured rice, stir a teaspoon of turmeric into the water before the rice begins to cook.

Seasoning blocks or bouillon give a nice flavor to rice. It will need to be stirred after cooking to evenly distribute it though.

Use leftover rice to make fried rice. It can also be used to add a bit of starch to a meatloaf in place of bread crumbs.

Never let cooked rice sit out for more than a couple of hours without keeping it very hot. Rice turns very quickly. To serve it at parties that may last awhile, but keep it from burning at the bottom, put it in a pan atop a pan of water that is over a tea light or other warmer. To cool it off quickly before it turns after a meal, transfer it from the pot to smaller containers.

If you are on a salt restricted diet but don’t like your rice too sweet, use a couple of dashes of pepper and salt free chicken broth to enhancethe taste.

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Do you know your ph? By getting ph strips at a pharmacy, pool store or lab you can test your urine in the moring and see it’s range. A good range is between 6.5 and 7.2. Most of are too acidic.When we are too acidic, the body takes minerals from important organs and our bones to neutralize the acid.

These minerals can include calcium, sodium, potassium and magenesium. Though we may not notice it, an overly acidic situation can develop in time into various symptoms and problems.

In the Book Alkalize or Die , Dr. Theodore A. Baroody says ,”The countless names of illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that they all come from the same root cause…too much tissue acid waste in the body!”- Theodore A. Baroody, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.

Some problems thatcan indicate acidosis include: bladder and kidney conditions, immune deficiency, diabetes, weak brittle bones and lactic acid build up. PH is behind the bodies electrical system, intracellular activity and the way our bodies utilize enzymes, and minerals, and vitamins. That is why pH is one of the first things to be looked at if you are experiencing an imbalance in your body. Decades ago Dr. Otto Warburg, the only physician to ever win two Nobel prizes, proved that cancer can not exist in an alkaline/high pH environment.

We can eat more alkalinic foods which include brocoli, carrots, dried figs, celery, grains and many fruits. On the otherhand, the active ingredient in the soft drink Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8 and it will dissolve a nail in about four days. The phosphates in soft drinks bind to calcium and we can’t absorb it. The typical Western diet is largely composed of acidic or acidifying elements (proteins, cereals, sugars). Alkaline foods such as vegetables are eaten in much smaller quantities; their alkaline content is insufficient to neutralize surplus acids.

Stimulants like tobacco, coffee, tea, and alcohol are also extremely acidifying. When we get angry or stressed we are also making the body ph more acidic. Our ph changes not just from the foods we eat, but due to our emotional states.

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The future of the Australian wine industry will be shaped by a group of innovative grapegrowers and winemakers who are busily experimenting with new varieties in new regions.

The phenomenal success of the industry in producing quality wine at competitive prices does not need recounting here. But this success has led some critics to brand Australian wine as boring. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A pioneering spirit has been sweeping the industry and this has resulted in a much wider range of winegrape varieties being used.

There are over a hundred winegrape varieties grown in Australia. In a recent book Varietal Wines, leading Australian wine writer James Halliday uses a classification of varieties into classic, second tier and Lesser varietals for both red and white. He identifies four classic whites (chardonnay, semillon, riesling and sauvignon blanc) and five classic reds (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, shiraz and grenache).

The Australian wine industry is heavily dependent on these classic varieties. They are all French by the way; although there is merit in the argument that grenache can be regarded as a Spanish variety.

A supporting role is played by a cast thirteen white varieties and seventeen red varieties, second tier varietals in Halliday’s language.

For the rest there are about seventy varieties that are used by ten or less producers. Let’s call them the under-tens. They look like the also rans.

But this is the exciting part of the industry. These varieties are being used by people are the pioneers who are intent on leading the industry into new territory.

Some of the under-tens are survivors of an earlier age. Chasselas for example is now much less common than it was previously. Others have been introduced into Australia more recently from diverse European sources. Australians will soon be able to sample wine from such exotic varieties as Graciano (Spain), petit manseng France, lagrein (Italy) and Saperavi (Russia).

Yet another group of under-tens are of Australian origin. The Australian research body CSIRO has bred a few varieties to suit particular Australian viticultural niches. Cienna and tyrian are two such varieties

Two varieties, malian and shalistin have also emerged from a vignerons identifying and breeding from sports (mutations) of existing varieties.

Purists recoil in horror at this kaleidoscope of varietal diversity. But a closer analysis reveals that this diversity is a sign of a healthy dynamic industry. It is quite possible that the next success story in Australian wine will emerge from this group of under-tens.

If this seems a bit far-fetched, then look at what has happened to Viognier. In the late sixties the variety was virtually extinct, with just a few hectares in the Northern Rhone Valley. It is now seemingly ubiquitous, with plantings in other regions of France, California as well as in Australia. There are more a hundred winemakers using it Australia.

In November each year the diversity lovers have their day in the sun, both literally and figuratively. While Melbourne is preoccupied with horseracing the Australian Alternative Wine Varieties Show is held in Mildura, on the banks of the Murray River.

Growers and winemakers from throughout Australia and New Zealand will be showing of their products, sharing knowledge and experience as they plan to stretch the boundaries of Australian wine even further.

The end result will be an ever-widening choice for discerning winelovers.

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