Finding new ways to improve on traditional recipes can be a mouth-watering exercise. Here is a ‘improved’ pasta recipe which is sure to impress and delight your friend/ family.

 

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 3 slices bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus more, shaved, for serving
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• salt and black pepper
• 350g spaghetti
• 3 cups marinara/tomato based pasta  sauce

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. In a food processor, combine the onion, bacon, garlic, and parsley; pulse until finely chopped, 10 to 15 times. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the beef, Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and mix gently to combine.
2. Form the beef mixture into 16 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on a foil-lined broilerproof rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
4. Heat the marinara sauce in a large skillet over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes; add the meatballs and toss gently to coat. Serve over the pasta and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan.

 

Recommended wine: The versatile Welmoed Rosé will competent this dish.

 

Source: realsimple.com

 

Whether you’re a hardcore resolutionist or you defy any attempt to start fresh on January 1, there’s no denying that the New Year provides an opportunity to take stock and perhaps see where some improvement might be needed. For all of us who take wine seriously enough to think about it, talk about it and spend good money for it, it makes sense to include wine in our New Year’s planning and resolution-making.

1. Life is too short, don’t drink bad wine

Just because a wine is cheap does not mean that it’s bad but we’ve all had a bottle that few can swallow. Spit it out and open a new bottle.

2. Try a new grape varietal every month

There are 24,000 names for varieties of wine grapes, corresponding to between 5,000 and 10,000 actual varieties. However, only about 150 are commercially important. This means that you should stick your neck out and try a different varietal every month. Compare different brands to each other and see which one you preferred. Live a little!

3. Drink bubbly throughout the year, not only on New Year’s eve

Another day on earth means we’ve got a reason to celebrate! Pop open that bottle of sparkling wine where ever and whenever you feel like it. If today is your last day, enjoy every second with a glass of bubbly in hand and cheers to the legacy you’re leaving behind.

4. NEVER EVER drink wine out of a plastic cup

Just don’t! Not on the beach, not at a barbeque, never. It’s just not cool.

5. Drink more wines that support a good cause

Don’t just fill your glass, make a difference and fill other people’s hearts with your love. Look out for wines that support much needed causes. Welmoed supports many good causes including the Wines With Heart Foundation,  a project that raises funds for charities based in South Africa’s Cape Winelands, and WIETA – which is committed to the promotion of ethical trade in the South African wine industry and agriculture as a whole.

Credit: Content adapted from original post on WineTimes.co.za

 

Leg of lamb is one of the traditional South African dishes served at family gathering and Christmas is no exception. There are leg of lamb recipes which have probably been in a family for generations and is prepared and enjoyed this time every year.

Here is a mouth watering leg of lamb recipe which will be perfect for a Christmas dinner.

Ingredients

 

1 lemon, strips of zest removed with a peeler and juice squeezed

6 cloves garlic

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper

1 2.5-3kg bone-in leg of lamb

1.4 kg very small carrots, scrubbed

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup fresh mint leaves

6 scallions or onion , chopped

2 teaspoons honey

 

Directions

 -Heat oven to 200° C. In a food processor, pulse the lemon zest, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper until coarsely chopped.

-Place the lamb in a large roasting pan and rub with the lemon mixture. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

-Roast the lamb to the desired doneness, 90 to 105 minutes for medium-, adding the carrots to the pan after the lamb has cooked for 50 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

-Meanwhile, in the food processor, puree the parsley, mint, scallions, honey, lemon juice, the remaining ½ cup of oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and carrots.

Recommended wine: The well-balanced Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon will competent this dish.

 

Source: realsimple.com

 

 

Congratulations to Karien Van Rooyen.

 

She is the winner of the Welmoed Christmas Turkey competition.

Thanks to everyone who entered this competition!

Enjoy the Christmas dinner Karien.

South African wine website, wine.co.za has launched a great initiative. The campaign is calling on every South African living abroad to share a drop of sunshine with a local on 16 December.

We would love every South African out there to open up a bottle of South African wine,
and show your mates just how good our wine is – taste some sunshine, sunshine!

We have chosen the 16th December as it is a very special day for us South Africans, and it is right in the middle of the northern hemispheres winter…
just when they need a little bit of sunshine in their lives – so spread a little bit of our sunshine, sunshine!

Get a great bottle of South African wine and sit down quietly and taste it with your mates.
Let them taste some of our sunshine. And of course, you don’t have to stop there…you could even open up a second bottle and then not so quietly share some of our sunshine.

And for those ex-pats out there in the land of OZ, or down the south of America, they might not need the sunshine, but you have to agree…
they do need to taste some good wine for a change, so get them to taste what makes us shine.

Then, please take some pictures and videos, and show us all what you did by posting them on the social networks (#tastewinesunshine) and at wine.co.za

And please tell us at wine.co.za so that we can organise this again next year.

So sunshine, what great South African wine are you going to taste this year !

South Africans in The Netherlands can pour a few glasses of the popular Welmoed wine range.

 

The holiday looms, and so does Christmas. All you want to do is chill out after what’s been a hard year. But that’s not always the easiest thing to do – you know the bit about life being “the thing that happens while you’re making other plans”.

For some, chilling out may mean booking a camping site 20 km from the nearest village a year in advance. Or going into a Trappist monastery until the festive season is over.

But most people will have a more sociable time – either at home, visiting relatives, or at the seaside somewhere. Who knows, you might need to get back to the office in January to get some rest. In order to get the most out of your break , women24.com suggest that you try and avoid the following festive season stressors.

Guests galore. You have a big house, and over Christmas it fills up with aunties, grannies, nieces, uncles – you name it. Instead of looking after four people, you are now looking after twelve. This is no holiday for you, as you are the unofficial entertainment committee, the caterer, the conflict resolution specialist, and the local cleaner. If you live in a popular destination, you might have to put your foot down. Or at least put together a duty roster for the cooking and the cleaning. And, for heaven’s sake, don’t feel you have to be the unofficial tour guide. Take a day or two off and let the guests entertain themselves.

Feeding frenzy. Food, food, food. It’s all over during the Christmas season and it’s lying in wait for you everywhere, and we’re not talking about celery sticks either. It’s chips, cakes, cheese snacks, chocolates, to name but a few. And, after all, you’re on holiday. So why not? That’s fine, but just don’t get into a new habit. Most people end the festive season with quite a few kilos that were not there in November. Don’t become a festive season fatty.

Booze bonanza. From the office party to friends’ homes, to family barbecues – booze is no stranger to the festive season. And often, other people are paying for it. By all means have a beer or two, if you’re not driving, but don’t binge on booze. Drinking too much is something that carries its own punishment with it, a bit like eating that second helping of hot Indian curry. And do remember, that everyone likes you to have a drink or two, but nobody likes having a social embarrassment at their parties. Fall down drunk, or insult one of the other guests, and you can be sure you’ll be off the party list. Forever.

I’m so lonely. Some people wish everything could be a little quieter. Others wish for a break from the peace and quiet and they dream of the phone ringing or a horde of guests arriving. The secret is to arrange a few things in advance. Invite people for supper, get a friend to go with you to a movie, or organise a day or two away in a different place. Don’t wait until the festive season is upon you before doing something about your social calendar. It’s not going to happen by itself.

Exercise inertia. Most people give their exercise regimes a break during the festive season. It is, after all, the end of the year. Problem is, many people overindulge completely on the food front at the same time, and coupled with a fortnight of couch-potato-ism, your waistline might be expanding at the rate of knots. Go for a walk with the family, run along the beach, play volleyball. Do anything to burn up those extra calories. And get back into it early in the new year.

Credit card crisis. The last of the Big Spenders. If that describes you in the shopping centre with your Christmas bonus and your credit card, you’re obviously a sucker for all those Christmas ads. And you’re going to be stony broke in January, and depressed in February when the credit card statements start arriving. Point is that you can probably buy just as nice a present for R100 as you can for R200, or R400. You just need to plan it well. It’s the thought that counts, not the size of the present.

Sunburn stress. The sun in the southern hemisphere is vicious , and skin cancer is a real danger. And remember that the damage is cumulative. Burning yourself to a crisp or having a whimpering and sunburnt child on your hands, is no way to spend Christmas. Speak to your pharmacist and get a high-factor sunblock before you head for the beach. And speaking of the beach – watch out for bluebottles or pieces of broken glass in the sand.

Crowd control. Think of Christmas, and what many people see are teeming masses of people in a shopping centre, all of them with a mission, and accompanied by at least two unwilling and exhausted kids. It can be avoided – do your gift shopping in November and do a bulk grocery shop before 18 December. Milling crowds can be exhausting, and elicit everything but the Christmas spirit in you. In fact, it can bring on a bout of trolley rage.

Gift of the grab. Frantic last-minute gift-buying is a killer – not only don’t you get what you are looking for, you also spend a fortune on it. Rather than give unwanted and expensive presents, go for gift vouchers – at least people will appreciate them, even if they are not the most personal of offerings.

Family fest. Family. You get them, you don’t choose them. And never is it more obvious than at Christmas time when Uncle Freddy is holding forth on all his achievements, or Aunt Doris is slurring after her third beer. Or your cousin’s kids are running around screaming, chasing your poor cats. Then there are the endless questions about when you are going to tie the knot, have babies etc. Family get-togethers seldom do much for your self-esteem. Just repeat the mantra, “It will soon be over for another year.”

Welmoed has a wide wine range that will suit any palate for all the festive season occasions.

Source: women24.com

We are running a great competition on our Facebook page where you can stand a chance to win a turkey for that perfect Christmas lunch.

To enter visit our Facebook page .

Mobi users can enter here

 

Some people perceive Viognier grapes to be relatively new to the South African wine market. Viognier became popular in South Africa in the 1990s as the reputation of this Rhône Valley grape grew for both for blending purposes and for making single varietal wines.

Viognier wines are well-known for their floral aromas, due to terpenes, which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines.

The colour and the aroma of the wine suggest a sweet wine but Viognier wines are predominantly dry, although sweet late-harvest dessert wines have been made. It is a grape with low acidity; it is sometimes used to soften red wines. In addition to its softening qualities, the grape also adds a stabilising agent and enhanced perfume to the red wine.

 The distinctive aromas of peaches and apricots make it one of the easiest varieties to identify in blends.

South Africa has a few great single varietal and blended Viognier wines and the Welmoed Viognier is one such an example. This excellent wine as a pale straw colour. Lively tropical aromas of peach blossoms and lime with floral and perfume notes. Palate is delicately textured with a smooth, yet fresh acidity and excellent balance. Elegant, medium bodied wine with satisfying finish.

Source: food24.com

Who should be held responsible for under-age liquor purchases as the trend seems to be to point fingers at everyone else? The truth is, the responsibility lies with each and every one of us as individuals. In light of this ongoing issue and challenge, the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA) has launched their newly designed in-store sticker campaign titled RU18 to assist in increasing awareness amongst retailers and the public alike and combating the current stream of underage alcohol purchases.

“The aim is to reinforce the ARA message of responsible drinking by keeping the legal age limit top of mind for both the purchaser and the distributor as well as discouraging adults from sending underage buyers to buy alcohol for them,” says ARA spokesperson Adrian Botha.

Creating awareness regarding the role that traders play in driving a reduction of alcohol abuse in their respective communities is key to stemming the problem. Internationally published author of the LifeTalk books, Izabella Little Gates commented, “underage drinking is a real problem the world over, not just in South Africa and it is up to us as parents and communities to put a stop to the problem at the root, limiting underage children access to purchasing alcohol.

Children and teenagers are faced with a variety of difficult challenges while growing up, most importantly the effect of peer pressure and it is up to parents and communities at large to instill a sense of responsibility and awareness in their children so that they make the right choices when they are put in these situations.”

“The ARA acknowledges underage drinking as a huge problem. It is only with the assistance of the distributing outlets and by encouraging responsible behavior amongst purchasers that we can reduce the extent to which this is happening. While this campaign is targeted on the purchase of alcohol, we are continually focused on educating adults regarding awareness of the availability of alcohol within the home to underage drinkers” continues Botha.

The ARA is in the process of distributing their in-store point of sale material to various outlets over the next few months and look forward to working alongside store owners and retail employees to create greater awareness around their latest campaign.

So this festive season and on an ongoing basis, do your bit and take responsibility by alerting others to the issue of underage drinking and the extent to which children can access alcohol so that together, we may help curb this problem.

 

 

Welmoed supports the drink responsible efforts of ARA

 

 Read more…

Some call it fusion cooking others call it a meal-from-stuff-in-fridge. This minced beef chow mein looks like a great easy meal without stretching the budget.

 

Ingredients

• 1 packet of instant noodles
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) finely chopped fresh ginger, or 3 teaspoons (15 ml) dried ginger
• 1 onion, finely sliced into narrow strips
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 carrot, finely sliced into strips that are roughly 4 cm long
• ¼ cabbage, finely sliced into thin strips
• 6 mushrooms, finely sliced
• 400 gram minced beef
• 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
• Salt and black pepper, to season to taste
• ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) green Thai curry paste
• 1 cup of boiling water
• ½ cup chicken stock
• Oil for frying

Method

1. Boil water and pour over instant noodles in a bowl. After 5 minutes, pour out warm water, add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and a little oil (to prevent the noodles from sticking), and set aside to cool.
2. Place 2 tablespoons soy sauce and half of the chopped ginger in a ramekin.
3. Heat a heavy, large pan over medium heat.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons rice bran oil in the pan and pour over the soy sauce and ginger. Set aside to allow the flavours to develop.
5. Lightly stir fry onion and garlic, until the onion lost the worst of it’s bite, but is still firm. Remove from pan and set aside.
6. Add a little oil (not too much!) to the pan and lightly stir fry carrot to soften it somewhat, but remove it from the pan while still firm. Set aside.
7. Turn up the heat and stir fry the minced beef. Add curry powder, the remainder of the ginger, and a good pinch of salt. Remove from pan when cooked and set aside.
8. Add ½ teaspoon green Thai curry paste and boiling water to pan and stir briskly to deglaze the pan (this will dissolve the residue left after frying the minced beef). Pour the liquid into a ramekin, but discard the meat residue.
9. Turn pan down to medium heat again, add a little oil, and lightly stir fry the cabbage and mushrooms until softer but still firm. Remove and set aside.
10. Briefly fry noodles until smoky.
11. Add the onion and garlic, carrots, meat, cabbage and mushrooms, as well as the liquids that you’ve set aside, and the chicken stock.
12. Let the dish heat through, while stirring gently. You want to fry it just long enough to heat it through, retaining all the lovely individual colours and flavours, but not so long that it starts sticking to the pan’s bottom or turn into a mushy mass.

Serve immediately, with freshly brewed green tea and steamed baby corn.

Recommended Wine: the Welmoed Pinotage Rose will be the perfect match with dish.

 

 

 

Source: rainbowcooking.co.