wine sooth

Gołąbki

My homeland is famous for bread, sausage and vodka. But those do not make for a cuisine of world renown.

A signature Polish food is (or more correctly, “are“) Gołąbki (go-WOHMB-kee). It literally means “little pigeons”. A good synopsis of the history of these little cabbage rolls is found here.

This sturdy farm food is both satisfying and very tasty. The variations are mostly in the stuffing but consist of a grain (typically barley, but also rice) and a meat or mushrooms. The sauces are either tomato- or mushroom based. In either case, the cabbage is a prominent component in the dish. (more…)

Wine and Food

Out of an exchange with Tyler Colman of drvino.com comes an idea that may help us all gain a better understanding of food and wine pairings. The idea is simple: every third Friday of every month, a recipe will be offered for bloggers to try with a wine of their choice. The task for individual bloggers will be to describe how the wine of their choice pairs and interacts with the dish of the month.

I will propose a simple recipe and all willing bloggers will pick the wine they think will do best with the dish. Participants are welcome to try more than one wine with the dish. The only thing I ask is that participating bloggers think about the interaction of flavors, aromas and textures of the food and wine. The idea here is to seek out pairings that create great synergy. (more…)