Yay! It is officially spring. Despite the fact I am hopping over pollen puddles all over Savannah, I am excited for the produce that are in season like asparagus and leeks.
Red Wines for Spring
Yes, you can drink red wine in the spring. I asked my friend Kristen Caldecutt who works at SevenFifty to give suggestions on what to look for while shopping for red wine this spring.
There's lots of great reds from Italy, too. I love Dolcettos and Nebbiolos. Red wines from Corsica are really awesome as well- lighter in style and quite tasty.
Gamays are really great. Tempranillos can go a bit heavy, but it depends on the style of winemaking. You should be able to ask in the wine shop if it's a richer wine or lighter in style. Garnachas from the Priorat/Catalonian regions are also generally lighter too.
The Case for Cooking With Vinegar
How many oils are in your pantry? I mainly use just two: avocado oil and vegetable oil. However, I have more vinegar in my pantry. I have red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and pepper vinegar. Author Michael Harlan Turkell who wrote the book, Acid Trip, shares on Food 52 the benefits of cooking with vinegar.
Vinegar brightens otherwise bland soups, gives stews more depth, and lifts off flavorful fond in a pan (more flavor than water and easier to part with than wine) after roasting a thick piece of meat.
The Pandemic Closed Their Bars, So She Planted a Bartenders' Garden
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When the pandemic closed bars in the Atlanta area last year, one bartender started a garden. Keyatta Mincey-Parker started a community garden for bartenders called Sip of Paradise.
Does The Future Taste Like Soylent Green?
I have never seen the film Soylent Green, so it’s a reference that I am dropping here for those of you who have. Allison Robicelli ate powder for three days as if she lives in the future.
With Huel, I’m left feeling optimistic for the very first time about the alternative foods of the 21st century and beyond. If environmentally friendly gruel is low-key delicious, what other pleasant surprises might the future hold?
Take Body-shaming Off The Menu
Alejandra Ramos is a delight. When I lived in New York, I used to see her at lots of food events. You may have seen her on The Today Show doing a cooking segment. Recently she wrote a personal essay about being on tv and dealing with comments about her body.
Quick Plug
Check out my podcast on Spotify and my Bookshop list of cookbooks.
Have a delicious week,
Nichelle
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