Welcome to Second Ferment! Wine pairs well with life ... and food, travel, people, work and play. Grab a glass and join me as I explore the wine scene in Ottawa, Canada, and beyond. Love hearing from my readers, so please leave a comment. Cheers! - Bethany

Friday, June 04, 2010

When all else fails, cook up something tasty

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying past. (Douglas Adams)

The doctor-designated due date (June 1) has come and gone. I had a brief moment of triumphant smugness in saying "I TOLD YOU SO!" to my OB. Then we laughed. I'm not laughing so much anymore.  Between the pseudo-contractions, the swollen hobbit feet and endless enquiries of "haven't you had that baby YET?", I'm reaching my limit of rational thought. OUT. NOW.

Today, I decided to cheer myself up with a semi-fancypants dish I've done once before: herbed pasta with grilled shrimp, scallops and veg. I clipped a few sprigs of oregano, Italian parsley, basil and lemon thyme from my herb pot, tossed them with olive oil, lemon juice, ground pepper and minced garlic, and poured it all over the seafood, asparagus and portobello mushrooms, along with a quarter cup of Lenz Moser Prestige 2008 GrĂ¼ner Veltliner. Then the whole thing was dumped in my grill basket and Q'd.

While I waited, I dug out my class notes to decipher the Austrian label: Qualitatswein = quality wine. Trocken = dry. Neiderosterreich = Lower Austria. That's what I love about wine: with each bottle, you get a primer in some foreign language, a quick geography quiz and future fodder for trivia games. The GV started off with an herbaceous, mineral nose, followed by plenty of spritz on the tongue. An interesting balance between citrus and earthy flavours carried on well with the grilled asparagus and thyme in the dish. The high acidity stuck around through a clean, crisp finish.

Of course, by the time the prep and cooking were done, I had lost my appetite; common for me this late in the game. But Hubby and the Doodle ate their helpings with gusto, and I got to sip on a winner and enjoy a break from waiting. Now I'll go brew some raspberry tea and do a few lunges in the living room.

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