Koshu Wine

 

Recent media exposure for Japanese wine made Hiroko curious about the taste of koshu wine.  The only Japanese wine she had tasted previously was sweet and mediocre at best.  Since she wanted to try koshu wine which had recently received some good reviews in the U.S., she took advantage of the opportunity when she was in Japan in late January to visit the Grace Wine winery which is located on the way to the sake brewery,  Miyasaka Shuzo in Suwa, Nagano.    

Misawa Winery is located in a hilltop of Akeno with a beautiful view of the nearby mountain range visible on a clear winter afternoon.  Winemaker Masaichi Sodeyama met us at their shop/tasting room and gave us a tour of winery. 

The vineyard was started in 2002 by Shigekazu Misawa, the managing director of Grace Wine, to expand and create a world class quality wine.  He has planted French varietals including Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, along with the indigenous Koshu. 

The Koshu grape, which came from Central Asia via China, was first cultivated in Japan about 1,300 years ago.  We tasted Koshu wine from Triibira vineyard.  It had a light and crisp taste with a lingering tartness and a very refreshing quality that Hiroko was surprised to discover. Mr. Sodeyama told us that their wine pairs well with lighter style Japanese food, and it seemed that sashimi and vegetable dishes might be a good match.  We tasted a variety of white and red wine, and were surprised to find that they were very good.  However, when considering the price, it may be a little too expensive for the simple wine that it is. 

Homemade Pizza

After discovering  pizza dough at Whole Foods this year, we had made number of pizzas last summer using heirloom tomatoes.

Our pizza is nothing fancy.  We usually make two kinds of pizza.  One is basic fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato, and sliced red onion.   The other one is a "creative" pizza, for which the toppings are fashioned from whatever ingredients are available in the refrigerator.

Pizza are quick and fun to make, and  goes great with white wine, red wine, and sake.  Here are some of our efforts...

Meat sauce and tomato and mozzarella varieties

Mushroom, broccoli, and caramelized onion;  tomato and mozzarella

Roasted fingering potatoes, portabello mushroom, red onion, and green beans;  tomato and mozzarella

Steamed broccoli, mushroom, and caramelized onion; tomato and mozzarella

Sauteed eggplant, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, caramelized red onion; tomato and mozzarella

Paella with a new Accent

Every country has its own rice dish. Italy has risotto, Middle Eastern countries have their pilafs, India has biryani, China has fried rice, Japan has takikomi gohan, and Spain has paella. Paella was traditionally considered to be a working man's dish, a way to use up leftover ingredients. The word Paella means "pan" in Valencia originating from the Latin "patella," which means "pan." Traditionally in Valencia, paella was cooked over a fire in the field and usually included chicken, duck, rabbit, and snails, not seafood a rarity in Valencia.

On recent rainy day, Hiroko wanted to make a one-pan meal and decided it was time to make her first paella. And so following the original working men's dish tradition, we used whatever remained in the refrigerator...a reflection of Hiroko's flair for economizing. Rick searched through the crowded refrigerator and found some homemade chicken stock, a chicken breast, Spanish chorizo, tomatoes, and a half dozen or so unused fresh shrimp from previous day. Hiroko consulted Mark Bittman's recipe for paella, and set to work sautéeing the chicken. Once it had browned, she added minced garlic and onion, and cooked this mix until the vegetables were soft. She then added the chorizo, along with tomato paste, saffron, smoky Spanish pimenton, and....."just a bit more" paprika (Nigerian in this case) than the recipe called for. In fact, as Hiroko shook the paprika container (accidentally using the large rather than the smaller shaker-holed opening), a huge amount of the spicy powder spilled into the pot. The saffron tinted mix had morphed into a fiery red! "Whoops!" Suddenly, it had become an entirely new dish, paella a la Lagos!

Regaining her composure, Hiroko added the arborio rice, sautéed it until shiny, then added the stock and shrimp, and stirred all to mix the combined ingredients. Next, she placed tomato wedges on top of rice and put the pan in the oven to roast for 30 minutes. When the rice was done, she turned off the oven, leaving the pan of rose-tinted paella inside to "rest" (and steam) for another 10 to15 minutes. Meanwhile, Hiroko prepared a salad while Rick selected a wine to accompany the meal. Just before serving, a sprinkling of chopped parsley was added and... it was time to eat.

The dish was wonderfully smoky and of course, spicy! The amount of Nigerian paprika didn't ruin the dish as we had feared, but it actually added a new dimension to it. The edge of the pan was nicely caramelized and resulting "burned" rice was toothsome and tasty. Rick chose a Licia 2006 Albarino from Galicia which offered a great balance of minerality, acidity and green apple fruit to compliment the acidity of the tomatoes and the smoky pimenton-influenced spicy flavor of rice.

We love spicy food and often seek it out both when we travel and at home. However, little did we expect that an "accidental overdose" of a spicy seasoning would result in the delicious discovery of a new way to make and enjoy an traditional, time-honored dish like paella!