Who loves risotto?

I was a good girl yesterday. I got up early, did some homework (which isn't due for 2 weeks) and cleaned the apartment. Then, I took some time for myself. Not that I don't still have schoolwork to do, but that never goes away. You already heard about the debacle with the energy-efficient light bulb. But I also got some other things done, with much happier results.

I went and bought a box of Chardonnay. I don't drink, so what on earth am I going to do with 5 litres of white wine? Well, I have a whole bunch of recipes I want to experiment with in the near future, soups (slow-cooker and otherwise) and risottos especially. Moocow sent me an article, and I read on Cook's Illustrated, that you don't have to cook with wines that you would be happy to drink; you're still likely to end up with similar, delicious results cooking with an inexpensive wine.

That's good news for me, because I don't drink in general, and definitely have been unable to acquire a taste for wine the times I've tried. So, I'm never likely to invest in a really good bottle of wine. Cook's Illustrated also tested boxed wines, and found them to be great for cooking with. Not to mention that they keep a lot longer without refrigeration, especially the white wines. Again, ideal for my cooking purposes. I share the fridge with my roommate, and there just isn't room to refrigerate a bottle of wine. And, as I mentioned before, I haven't particularly liked the taste of red wine in my food, so I probably won't cook with it as much. The red, I will buy by the bottle, as and when needed.

Why does boxed wine last longer? It's because it's vacuum packed, and the inner plastic bag collapses as you draw the wine out, so that what is left is not exposed to bacteria in the air. You draw the wine out of the handy spigot that takes only a minute to pull out and set up.
And last night's dinner, made with the Chardonnay, was risotto with leeks, yellow capsicums and sun-dried tomatoes. It looks a little dry in the picture because I didn't eat it right away, as I should have (I was washing up my pan), but it was exactly what I had been craving.

Let me gush a teeny bit...

Recently I've been taking a wine certification course through the WSET (an English organization that bestows certificates and diplomas upon people who are serious about their vino), and have consequently been drinking a lot more wine lately. I love wine, don't get me wrong, but I'm the type of person who doesn't drink fast enough to get through a bottle before it "goes," and so hardly ever drink bottles above $10 when by myself. Still, in class we've been tasting wines that range from $12 to $85.


A few weeks ago though, I happened to be on the Upper West Side and saw a new wine shop, Pour, that one of my classmates works at. Curious of course, I went in and decided to buy a bottle of wine from the region we were studying that week - the Loire Valley. There were only two white Loires (I was in a white mood) in the shop, and only one under $20, from Touraine. It was a 2005 Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine Bellevue that cost $12, and it came home with me. With so much wine to bring home every week from tastings, it sat in a corner for a month before I cracked it open, and....well, all I can say is Oh, My, Goodness.
I've been drinking it for five days, and it's held up pretty darned well. Although it's definitely oaky, the aroma of white flowers, sweet pineapple and crisp minerals seduces you every time you come within three feet of it, seriously. I sat next to an empty glass last night for an hour and just enjoyed its perfume wafting over me. On the palate it was just as brisk and dry, the hint of residual sugar nicely balanced with a not-too-aggressive acidity, with an elegantly loooong finish. It's the loveliest wine I've tasted in a while. Ahhhhh.....this is my ideal Sauvignon Blanc!