Wineries in the Okanagan

I spent the last few days in the Okanagan Valley. It is only 4 or 5 hours drive from Vancouver but it could not be more different, the climate is much drier and hotter in the summer and colder in the winter.  Over the last 20 years the wineries have come to rival some of the best wine growing areas in the world. Not only the wines are good, but it is a great area to wander from winery to winery tasting and enjoying the views.

view from "See Ya Later" ranch

I drove south of Penticton to go to See ya later Ranch I love their chardonnay and I think that they have one of the best views so I decided to go and have a taste.  I bought not only their chardonnay but also a very nice Pinot Noir.

See Ya Later ranch

Earlier in the week I went along the Naramata Bench to take in some of the wineries and have some lunch.  First stop was Township 7 this is not one of the most beautiful wineries but they consistently have good wines.  This year their chardonnay was excellent (OK chardonnay is really my favourite) but I also bought a bottle of 7 blanc which is a blend of white wines and is a little off dry.  I thought this would go very well with a spicy meal.

The next stop along the Naramata bench was La Frenz winery

Greek roast chicken and potatoes

When I was at Hopcott's last weekend I bought a free range chicken so I wanted to roast it for Monday dinner, but wanted to do something a little different.  I really love those lemony potatoes that come with a lot of Greek meals, so I decided to roast the chicken along with some potatoes Greek style.

One large frying chicken
1 head of garlic
8 yukon gold potatoes cut up
2 cups of chicken stock mixed with the juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Handful of fresh sage or oregano or rosemary

First I stuffed the chicken with one head of garlic cut in half and one lemon that had the juice squeezed out of it.  Then I trussed it up with some kitchen twine to keep those legs together.

I put the chicken in a large roasting tin then added the cut up potatoes and the stock combined with lemon juice.  Drizzled olive oil over the chicken and potatoes then sprinkled with cut up sage and salt.

Rhubarb and blueberry crumble

Crumble was what my Mother used to make most sundays for dinner, the fruit would vary with the season, but the topping was always the same.  She really did not like making pastry very much so this was an easy way out.

Monday night I was feeling a little lazy myself and thought crumble would be an easy way out for me too. I was stewing some rhubarb to freeze and I added some blueberries that I found in the freezer left over from last year. So while the fruit was stewing, I made the crumble topping.

1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter.

Week night dinner - Steak with mushroom sauce

This is a quick dish to make, that although it meets the criteria of a weeknight dinner, quick and easy, it is good enough to serve to company.

Serves 2

1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 steaks (I found strip loin on sale)
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic thinly sliced.
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of red wine
handful of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper the steak then cook in the olive oil in frying pan to your preferred doneness rare for me well done for my husband.

Hopcott - Local meat and produce market

After reading  Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver this Spring I have been thinking a lot about eating seasonally and eating locally.  It has spurred me on to grow my own vegetables this year for the first time in over 20 years.  Also I have been wanting to find a source of local ethically treated meat.  On Friday night at a party I was talking to someone who told me about Hopcott Meats Which is located in Pitt Meadows just about 15 or 20 minute drive away.  So Saturday, we made a field trip to Hopcott's

It was easy to find located right on the farm.  As it is only mid May (and a cool one at that) there was not much in the way of local produce, but they had a chart on the wall showing availability.

I can't wait to come in August.  Though they were not listed on this board, they did have some local rhubarb and Hungarian pepper, which can only assume were greenhouse grown.

Crock pot stew

I made this last weekend in my frenzied Sunday of cooking make ahead food for the week. But it could easily be put on before work in the morning simmering away, ready for dinner when you walk in the door.

I am going along with Jamie Oliver's theory which more and more I am believing is correct, that you do not have to brown the meat before making a stew.  This cuts the prep time and mess to the point of being able to prepare in the morning while you are eating breakfast.

2 onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 red peppers chopped
2 sticks of celery
4 carrots (except I did not have any this time)
2 lbs of stewing beef cut into fairly large chunks
One cup of red wine
1/2 cup of beef stock
1/4 cup fresh herbs chopped (basil, parsley, thyme, oregano) or equivalent dried
2 bay leaves

Sweat off the the vegetables for a minute until the onions are translucent, then add along with the remaining ingredients into a crock pot.

Sitting in the crockpot waiting to cook

Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for up to 10 hours. Of course this could be cooked in a regular pot in the oven, but somehow the crockpot is easier to leave.

Rather blurry picture of finished stew

 This made enough for 4 containers of stew in my fridge and freezer each one feeding at least two.  It could be stretched to feed more by adding some vegetables at the time of reheating like carrots, potatoes or even as my mother used to do red kidney beans.

I had this for dinner on Wednesday with peas and boiled potatoes, dinner was on the table in about 15 minutes.  How good is that.

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole

Everybody has their signature dish, I believe Nancy has found hers in this dip.  She found it on epicurious.com a couple of months ago when she taking a dish for Caribbean themed party. It was a big hit everybody loved it and she has been making it ever since.  On Friday night we were going to a get together to celebrate a friends birthday.  Friday was a beautiful day and obviously she had to make the Mango Pomegranate Guacamole to nibble on while we sat on the deck enjoying, finally, a taste of the summer to come.

2 ripe avocados
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
2 diced peeled mango
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

I just love pomegranate seeds, but they are such a pain to remove, but our local Thrifties sells little tubs of pomegranate seeds, what a joy they are to use and though it is cheating a little and rather expensive, in my opinion well worth it.

Nancy wanted me to show the cutting up of the mango so here goes.