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Women in the Wine Industry - Rosie Menzies

Winemaker | Carrick | Central OtagoGrowing up in Central Hawke’s Bay, Rosie wanted to work with animals and become a Veterinarian. After not getting into the required programme at University, Rosie defaulted into a Science Degree while still trying to figure out what to do with it. After fondly reflecting on a wine making project she did in her high school chemistry class under wine lover and teacher Marty Marshall, Rosie was led to spending a summer helping out at Lime Rock in Centr...

OF THE ESSENCE

Vanilla can add umami (Japanese for savoury deliciousness — the fifth basic taste alongside sweet, sour, bitter and salty) to many dishes. It is produced from a variety of orchid that flourishes in the tropics. In 2002, Bay of Plenty family Jennifer and Garth Boggis together with Jennifer's father John Ross, launched an aid programme to help Tonga recover from cyclone Waka. A small vanilla plantation was established in the remote Vava'u Islands. Twenty years on Heilala Vanilla has won nume...

MEXICAN ON THE MENU

They are meals with real family appeal. Finger lickin’ good, fill-your-own fun south of the border style. Flour tortillas are the bread of Mexico and are perfect for wrapping around fillings. If they tend to stick together, pop them in the microwave on high power for 20-30 seconds and they can be peeled apart. Tacos are corn tortillas that have been bent in half and fried until crisp. Pork carnitas are popular street food in Mexico where the pork is submerged in lard and slow-cooked to juicy t...

CHEERS TO COOKING

Wine is the elixir that can remedy many a cooking problem — besides providing a pleasurable sip while you’re preparing dinner. As a marinade, wine softens the tissue of tougher cuts of meat. Wine can add liquid pizzaz to casseroles and some cakes and desserts. And it adds flavour to a variety of dishes enhancing but not overpowering them. To make the most of the flavour, ensure the alcohol is burnt off. It evaporates at about 78 degrees Celsius. When it is included in a casserole it will...

LOAFING ABOUT

Apparently, many Kiwis decided to accept lockdown — albeit reluctantly — and simply ‘loaf about’. The increase in loaf pan sales indicates a new found taste around the country for making bread and other loaves to satisfy comfort-food needs. Sweet or savoury loaves — whether yeast, culture or baking powder-risen — their popularity soared.  There are a many different types of loaf pans available including traditional metal, heat-proof glass, fancy designer cardboar...

THINK TOMATOES

‘In this world of uncertainty and woe, one thing remains unchanged: Fresh, canned, puréed, dried, salted, sliced, and served with sugar and cream, or pressed into juice, the tomato is reliable, friendly, and delicious. We would be nothing without it.’ Laurie Colwin (American author) And she is right. Tomatoes are extremely versatile. They’re also a great source of vitamin C and a good source of fibre, and the vitamins A and B. Plus, when tomatoes are cooked, lycopene — an antioxidan...

STIR IT UP

We have the Chinese to thank for creating one of the world’s most popular methods of cookery — stir-frying. With fuel expensive and living conditions cramped, Chinese cooks sliced vegetables, meats and fish into thin strips so they could be cooked quickly in one pan. Distinctive halfmoon-shaped pans — woks — were designed to channel the heat up the sides of the pan as it nestled on the burning wood or coal. Special flat-based woks have been developed for electric hobs. Howeve...

LUNCHBOX BETS

I’ve often thought that coming up with a winning school lunchbox can be a bit like picking the winner of a horse race. Today’s sure bet is often tomorrow’s also-ran. But your kids’ sometimes fickle tastes mean you have to provide a variety of different treats. And it’s important to provide a balanced diet to energise them through the day. Fruits and vegetables hit the vitamin and mineral trifecta when it comes to nutrition. And if you can include a good selection, your kids will benefi...

WINNING FIVES

Summer is still with us and easy meals created with just five ingredients are welcome. Salads are excellent — and healthy — but many of us enjoy warmer dinner treats. Planning the week’s menu and a one-stop supermarket shop avoids the temptation to purchase instant meals. Keep a good supply of veg in the fridge. They’re not only super salad ingredients but can be diced and combined with eggs and flour to make fritters — courgette and feta; corn and ham; carrot, cumin seeds ...

RICE REWARDS

As the Chinese proverb goes ‘The smartest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice.’ And over half the world’s population agree — rice is their staple food and an essential meal maker. In China, Japan and the Philippines, for instance, a meal without rice is usually regarded as simply not a proper meal. Economical and versatile, rice makes a great base for a huge variety of meals— everything from a budget stir-fry to a hauté cuisine risotto. Rice is now cultivated in ove...

VERSATILE VEG

They can be a main, a side or a salad. Vegetables are an appetising source of enjoyment — the variety, the combinations, colours and flavours.  One of my favourite Kiwi chefs — Peter Gordon — authored a cookbook in 2006: Vegetables — The New Food Heroes. In it he recognises that vegetables are the unsung heroes of a meal. My tatty copy has bookmarks at various intervals including: Roast Baby Beetroot & Red Onions: Creamy Peas, Shallots & Mint; and Romano Peppers Stuf...

Hello Agaricus Bisporus

There's not 'mushroom' for argument when is comes to the popularity of this fungi.  ...

Hunter's MiruMiru™ A Winner

Two of my favourite bubbles keep on winning. Awards and Accolades MiruMiru™ Reserve 2016GOLD – Champagne Sparkling Wine World Championships, October 2021GOLD – The Marlborough Wine Show, October 2021GOLD & CHAMPION SPARKLING – Aotearoa Regional Wine Competition, October 2021GOLD – Winestate Annual Champagne & Sparkling Wine Show, September 2021 MIRUMIRU™ NVGOLD – The Marlborough Wine S...

SEAFOOD SAVVY

I’m looking forward to dangling a fishing line over the back of a boat this summer. It's years since I’ve enjoyed fish straight from the sea. My only fresh ‘catch’ in recent times has been a trout — given to me by a neighbour.  Do salt-water fish taste saltier than the freshwater variety? No. Fish have a special physiological mechanism that prevents them from becoming as salty as the water in which they live. They are, in fact, low in sodium. A 100g portion of raw fish contain...

FRUITY FLARE

Peaches and their copycat cousin, nectarines, are two of the tastiest delights of summer. Juice running down your chin is joy – but not, of course when it hits your T-shirt! Prunus persica — the botanical name for the peach — had its origins in China where the blossoms are thought to ward off evil spirits and provide vitality and the tree symbolises longevity. It’s one of China’s most popular fruits and the country is the world’s largest producer of peaches — about...

CELEBRATION NIBBLES

We may ring in the New Year like it’s going out of fashion — but it isn’t and it won’t.  Celebrations to mark the beginning of the New Year began several millennia ago. The first were recorded about 2000 BC in the city of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia. Festivities in other regions of the world were often connected to the land or astronomical events. For example, in Egypt the beginning of the year coincided with the flooding of the River Nile, which usually happened when the sta...

EASY ANSWERS

Those festive leftovers are easy, economical mealmakers after day or so of hectic entertaining and eating. There’s nothing easier than to pull the ham from the fridge and serve it sliced with a salad and some crusty bread. But it’s on the third or fourth day we start to think, “Not ham again.”  Here are some tips for ‘hamming it up’ with leftovers:• Croquettes: Combine minced ham with mashed spuds and mustard, roll into small logs, dip in beaten egg to coat then in crisp ...

ASIDE FROM MAINS

Magnificent main course meat dishes might be the centrepiece of your festive table but side dishes also need to live up to expectation.  Sides and accompaniments should complement and showcase the mains — they are the bridesmaids in this celebration. But if some veggie dishes can act as a substitute bride then this makes it easier for menu planning — especially when there are vegetarians at your get-together. Veggie dishes that can be prepared ahead are a cook’s best friend. T...

YULE BE SWEET

“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” Miles Kington, British journalist. Fabulous, flavoursome, healthy, versatile — summer stone fruits and berries take centre stage just in time for festive feasting.  Traditionally enjoyed piled on pavs or cheesecakes or served as combos in an attractive glass bowl, summer fruits can also enhance ice creams, smoothies and sauces. Enjoy: puréed strawberries drizzled over raspberries; or blueberrie...

TASTEFUL GIFTS

For me, giving gifts to friends reinforces our connection and their unique relationship to me. And Christmas is the perfect opportunity to cement this bond. It’s a way of expressing appreciation, and home-made cookies, candies and cakes say, ‘you’re sweet’! My mother was always making and giving bakes and at Christmas would make a huge traditional festive cake, cut it into eight pieces, cover each with almond icing and then butter icing. Wrapped in cellophane it was her way of thanking n...

CHEERS TO HAPPY HOUR

Having drinks and nibbles with friends after work came into its own during the Prohibition years in America (1920-1933) when the production, transportation and sale of liquor was banned. People would host secret ‘cocktail hours’ at home or a speakeasy then visit a restaurant where alcohol was not served. The term ‘Happy Hour’ can be traced back to the early 20th century when the United States Navy offered personnel a weekly entertainment programme to alleviate boredom. This ‘Happy Hour...

DELICIOUS DELI DELIGHTS

Delis are one of my favourite haunts whether it be our local stand-alone or the deli section of the supermarket. There’s always some new delight worth checking or old favourites to savour again. I’m amazed at the selection of pastas. A new variety for me is a gluten-free winner from Italy. The home of traditional durum wheat pastas is changing with the times to cater for international dietary preferences. I chose a gluten-free, vegan pappardelle prepared from corn and rice flour. It takes le...

WEEKEND WINNERS

My weekends are a time for relaxation. If I can cook one big dish that will provide two dinners and a lunch — such as my Rolled & Roasted Meatloaf that follows — then I’m happy. This tasty treat is also sophisticated enough to serve to friends who might normally think meatloaf is passe. So where did meatloaf originate? One theory is that it was first concocted around the fifth century in Europe — a Mediterranean dish of finely diced meat scraps combined with fruits, nuts and ...

VIVA VIETNAM

The unique blend of cultural influences in Vietnam has created a light cuisine with its own distinctive characteristics. Although related to Chinese cuisine, Vietnamese food could never be mistaken for that of its northern neighbour.  At the heart of Vietnamese cuisine is a salty, pale brown, fermented fish sauce called nuoc mam. Prepared by layering fresh anchovies with salt in huge wooden barrels, it is more pungent than the fish sauce from Thailand (nam pla) and other Southeast Asian cou...

SPRING REWARDS

Cheers for spring! And the fresh tastes it brings — like asparagus and strawberries. And although the weather has not been at all spring-like, I was still able to raid a friend’s asparagus patch to find enough stalks for a recipe this week. Interestingly, some of the lower stem ends were white.  Completely white asparagus is considered a special treat in New Zealand as it’s not readily available. It is produced by growing the green or purple varieties in total darkness. White aspa...