Logan Weemala Central Ranges Shiraz Viognier 2007

Lately I have had a fascination, more a hankering really, for wines produced from Orange and the Central Ranges in NSW. There are plenty of good wines coming out of these areas but you have to look for them. One thing I also have to say is do not dismiss these areas because they are not that well known; our wine drinking habits have come a long way since Mateus and ‘Man and Woman in Boat’, aka Coolabah cask wine, but I digress.

The Logan Weemala Central Ranges Shiraz Viognier 2007 is packed with wonderful layers of fruit and savoury notes. Deep garnet with a purple tinge to it, this wine throws plum and rhubarb on the nose. In the mouth there is an abundance of licorice and morello cherry with the faintest hint of apricot kernel at the end. Add in the silky smooth tannins and even acid, this is a wine that will last for at least seven more years yet is drinking absolutely fantastic now. Another great find from Blackheart and Sparrows.

Great balance and length; a real crowd pleaser this one!

Drink with roasted pork and especially the crackling!
Drink till 2015
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Screwcap 13.5%v/v $19 from Blackheart and Sparrows, Lygon St Brunswick

Summer BBQ Time! - Cookbooks Part 2: Ross Dobson's Chinatown: sweet sour spicy salty

Home from hospital – it’s a good feeling! The stay at North Park Private to try and get Henry to sleep has sort of worked, cos’ I have come home with some better strategies for him to sleep longer – fingers crossed!! Home from hospital also means no more hospital food. I can categorically say that I will not miss their cooking! Sitting down and filling out my meal orders was probably one of the hardest things I did in the last week. All I could think about was my BBQ - pork, beef, crabs and prawns sizzling away while I sip a frosty beer.

It is going to be a bit tough to get organised for a feast tonight with not much in the fridge or pantry, so it will have to wait until tomorrow night for our gourmet spectacular. So to continue my series on summer cookbooks, tomorrow I will be using Ross Dobson’s Chinatown: sweet sour spicy salty.

A couple of weeks ago I had a massive hankering for some home cooked Chinese food. My cookbook range on the subject was very thin, so instead of spending mucho $$ on some new glossy from Kylie Kwong, I borrowed one of the many cookbooks my sister has on the subject, with Ross’ definitely looking the best.

So, in no particular order of what’s going on the BBQ this summer, here are some of the dishes that will get a decent circulation; and yes, I know I have two tofu recipes here carnivores, but they are both delicious so get used to it you meat lovers out there.

Salt and Pepper Tofu – this is such an easy and cheap dish to prepare. It will only work on the BBQ if you have a side wok attachment.
• 600 grams of silken tofu, cut in cubes
• 750 mL vegetable oil
• Half a cup of cornflour
• 1-2 teaspoons of Sichuan pepper and salt mix – one tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, two teaspoons and two tbsp salt
• One lemon, cut into wedges
Cut up tofu in to cubes and carefully place onto a plate lined with paper towels. Place a couple more paper towels on top and leave for about 30 minutes so the water may be absorbed; roll in cornflour. Heat oil in wok and gently slide/place tofu cubes in wok two at a time for about a minute or golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain then toss in salt and pepper mix. Serve with Peter Lehman Barossa Semillon 2006.

Char Siu rack of Lamb - another super dish for the BBQ with fantastic sweet and spicy flavours from the marinade combining with the juices of the lamb.
• Third of a cup of Chinese BBQ sauce – Char Siu
• Two tbsp honey
• Third of a cup lemon juice
• One teaspoon sesame oil
• One tbsp peanut oil
• Rack of lamb, about 750 grams
Combine Char Siu, honey, lemon juice and sesame oil and rub marinade in to lamb rack and refrigerate for at least eight hours. Char the rack on the BBQ for about 30-45 seconds to burn a little; this gives a really good flavour hit from the Char Siu. Place in a baking dish and cook for a further 20 minutes in BBQ. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes and carve up. Serve with Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 or De Bortoli Estate Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007.

Chilli Blue Swimmer Crab or Singapore Chilli Mud Crab - this will get messy so don’t forget finger bowls and not your children’s wading pool!
• Four blue swimmer crabs/mud crabs
• Three tbsp Chinese chilli sauce
• Three good glugs of tomato sauce, not ketchup – we are in Australia people!
• 200mL chicken stock
• One teaspoon castor sugar
• Half a cup of vegetable oil
• Two garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• One tbsp grated ginger
• Two spring onions, white bit chopped and green bit sliced diagonally
• Two large red chillies, not birds-eye, thinly sliced diagonally
• One egg, lightly beaten
Combine chilli sauce, tomato sauce, stock and sugar in a mixing bowl and dissolve the sugar; set aside. If the crabs are still alive, put them in the freezer for about an hour. Using a cleaver or a heavy bladed knife, make and incision through the head of the crab, put the crabs on their back and lift the tail apron and using your thumb, lever off the top of the shell. Remove the spongy grey gunk and rinse. Cut the crab in half and half again and refrigerate until ready.

Heat the oil in the wok to very high heat. When it reaches smoking point, toss half of the crab contents in and give a good toss for about 3-4 minutes or until coloured. Remove from wok.

Drain almost all of the oil from the wok and add garlic, ginger, spring onion whites and half of the chillies and cook for about 7 seconds then toss in crab and sauce mixture and bring to the boil – keep the kids away at this time cos’ it gets really hot! Keep tossing for a while then slowly pour the egg in as you keep stirring. Cook for another minute. Serve with green spring onion and remaining chilli as garnish. Serve with Provenance Geelong Pinot Noir 2007 or Pepper Tree Hunter Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008 – this has a lovely tang to it!

Tofu with soy and ginger – this is a great appetiser for something like the last recipe.
• 600 grams of silken tofu, cut in cubes
• 750 mL vegetable oil
• Two tbsp light soy sauce
• One tbsp fish sauce
• Two teaspoons grated ginger
• 40 grams tapioca flour
• Half a teaspoon of fine ground white pepper
• Two spring onions, green part only thinly sliced, diagonally
Prepare the tofu the same way as the first recipe. Simmer fish sauce and ginger in a small bowl to soften ginger. Remove from heat. Heat the oil in the wok to very high. Toss the tofu in flour and cook until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Reheat the sauce mix and pour over tofu with spring onions to garnish. Serve with Bloodwood Orange Riesling 2009.

Cumulus 'Rolling' Central Ranges/Orange Shiraz 2007

Sometimes I am prone to fidgeting. This is generally due to too much something something happening in my head; this is obvious. Recently I heard of a something called ‘Mindfulness’, whereby I, or you, just think of what is now and the stuff that licks your twin-pole – icy pole that is. So there are two things right now that are licking my icy-pole, ‘The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife album, in particular ‘The Crane Wife 1&2’ track – just love anything with a bit of Hammond organ - and a little ripper from Orange NSW, the Cumulus 'Rolling' Central Ranges/Orange Shiraz 2007; the orange isn’t rolling cos’ that’s where the wine is from!

A fantastic wine coming from the Phillip Shaw stable, this is all good, good and good. In the glass the wine has a deep red crimson with a pinkish hue. The nose is all black pepper to start with, but with decanting you get a little whack of chocolate. In the mouth you get a great whack of, yes another ‘whack of’, black pepper with a heap of red fruit and red liquorice with a great balance of acid and savoury tannins. Super stuff this one.

Great balance, plenty of length with a wonderful cool climate appeal and....

‘It was a cold night and the snow lay low

I pulled my coat tight against the falling down

And the sun was all

And the sun was all down

And the sun was all

And the sun was all down

I am a poor man
I haven't wealth nor fame

I have my two hands and a house to my name

And the winter's so

And the winter's so long

And the winter's so

And the winter's so long

And all the stars were crashing 'round

As I laid eyes on what I'd found

It was a white crane

It was a helpless thing

Upon a red stain
With an arrow through its wing
And it called and cried

And it called and cried so

And it called and cried

And it called and cried so

And all the stars were crashing 'round

As I laid eyes on what I'd found

My crane wife, my crane wifeMy crane wife, my crane wife.......’

It’s a long song already!

Drink till 2012
Drink with BBQ Sichuan beef
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Screwcap 13.5%v/v $16 Brunswick IGA