Looking back at 2016 most of us will feel the same way: it hasn’t necessarily been a great year in many aspects. Keeping that in mind, it is the time of the year when we need to take a moment to hold still and reflect on all the things in life we take for granted but should be most grateful for: good health, our loved ones around us, a home, a warm meal every day… And if you are really lucky, a glass of heart-warming soul-soothing taste-buds-pleasing wine. Continue reading 2016 in Review & Cheers to a Magnificent 2017!
Tag Archives: Christmas
Festive Greetings & Sneak Preview
Dear Friends,
It has been exciting few months since the launch of SweervyWine. I would like to thank all my readers for your continued interest. As much as I enjoy writing for my blog, I very much hope that it will become a valuable yet fun source of information for you wine and food lovers out there. A special thank you to those who supported me throughout the creation process and provided the incredibly important feedback and comments after the launch – you know who you are!
And last but not least, a little spoiler of what is coming up in the new year… SweervyWine will be offering consultancy services to help you build your very own wine collection – no matter how big or small – along with sourcing the best value on the market for you. So stay tuned and sign up for updates if you haven’t done that already!
In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas with your beloved ones and a fun & fizzy New Years celebration!
With warm wishes,
Your SweervyWine
No guilt no pleasure at Christmas
The well known fact is that Christmas is a time to indulge. To indulge into all sorts of guilty pleasures – the more the merrier – until the January blues kicks in with all the detoxes, dry Januaries and other kinds of depressing New Years resolutions. But until then, we enjoy stuffing our bellies with hearty filling delicious things (solid and liquid) in company of our beloved family and friends and we do it without any hard feelings.
Therefore, in the spirit of Christmas indulgence, here is a dish I made for dinner today, inspired by Fiona Beckett’s Instagram post. It is ridiculously easy to make and even if you happen to be one of those people who wishes sprouts to become extinct – worry not, you can simply replace them with a veg you enjoy. And here how it’s made:
Toss your sprouts (or baby potatoes or any other veg of your choice) with sea salt and a bit of olive oil and roast on a baking tray in the oven until tender. Get your Camembert out of the package and put either into its own wooden box or into a little ovenproof dish and using a sharp knife score a large cross in the top of the cheese. You can add some rosemary or other herb to taste if you wish (I left it plain). Roast in the oven together with the sprouts so they are ready at the same time.
Arrange on a wooden board or serving tray with crispy rind bread (baguette, ciabatta or similar) and serve with beetroot & red onion chutney (mine was out of the jar and delicious). You can go with cranberry jam or any sweet component you prefer with cheese.
This can serve as a delicious starter on your Christmas dinner or maybe as a main for vegetarians. Enjoy and let me know what you think about it!
Recommended wine pairing: full bodied creamy Chardonnay from Burgundy, Australia or California to match the weight and creaminess of the cheese. A more adventurous alternative, especially if you are having a sweet chutney or jam with it, would be a sweet red wine.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Quick & easy green veggie bake
I have to admit it’s a rather rare occasion that a meal coming out of my kitchen doesn’t contain a representative of the world fauna. But there are days when your fridge happens to have 5 different veg, all with best before date being yesterday while the chicken is enjoying its deep winter sleep in the freezer. A girl needs to eat after all and the outcome of my vegetarian mission turned out surprisingly delicious! Here’s how I did it:
Ingredients:
Pack of Brussels sprouts
Pack of broccoli florets
Pack of baby courgettes
2 tbsp of low fat crème fraîche
2 tbsp of low fat mayo
1 tbsp of low fat cream cheese
1/2 pack of low fat grated cheddar cheese
Seasoning: salt, white pepper, nutmeg, thyme
Preparation:
Boil the veg in salted water – my Brussels sprouts were quite big in size so I put them into the water first, followed by the broccoli and courgettes cut in bite size pieces a few minutes after. While the veg is boiling mix the crème fraîche, mayo and cream cheese in a bowl. Drain the vegetables as soon as they are almost done but still have a bit of crunch to them, transfer into a backing dish and pour the dairy mix over, season with pepper, nutmeg and bit of thyme and more salt if needed (just taste a piece of veg for salt first). I also added half a handful of grated cheese before mixing everything thoroughly so that all vegetables are evenly coated with the the creamy mixture and seasoning. Top with the remaining grated cheese and put this baby into preheated oven (~180C) for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Et voila, surprisingly yummy and healthy meal where even the biggest meat and poultry fans wouldn’t notice it is vegetarian (I think that’s thanks to all the cheese ;-))
This dish is perfect as a meal on its own but can also be enjoyed as a side dish to meat or poultry of your choice. And YES, you are right thinking of Christmas dinner! It will be a wonderful accompaniment to your turkey or any other roast you decide to make.
Variations: to transform this innocent dish into a filling guilty pleasure use full fat dairy products – this will certainly enhance the flavours even though it’s going to feel more heavy in your stomach. To make it even more evil add chopped pieces of bacon or pancetta. Whatever variation you choose, add flaked toasted almonds for a special twist – the crunch will add texture to the dish and match wonderfully with the creamy vegetables.
SweervyWine 