How to stock your wine pantry

Sauvignon blanc:This crisp and dry white pairs with fish,light chicken dishes,salad and even fruity desserts. Our pick: Carey cellars sauvignon blanc 2000

Pinot noir: A red that works with grilled chicken breasts yet still stands up to lasagna? Perfect! Our pick: andrew's hopr pinotage 2000

Shiraz: This intense, more full bodied red is just right fit with game, roasts and duck. Our pick: Red dawn high.wood Shiraz 1999

Flavour Enhancers

Used to make pickles, reduce bitterness and add tang to sauces, vinegars are a versatile addition to any pantry.

* Balsamic vinegar
 - This dark brown vinegar is made from whote Trebbiano grapes grown in Modena, Italy.Prized for its distinct and aromatic flavour, it is ideal for marinades and drizzling over grilled meat and seafood.

* Red wine vinegar
- This is amde from matured red wine, and has a strong and rich flavour. It is often used in French cooking, particularly in vinaigrettes, marinades, stews and sauces.

* White wine
- This moderately tangy vinegar is also used in French cooking. It is great for making vinaigrette, mayonnaise, Bearnaise sauce and marinades.

* Malt Vinegar
- Obtained from malted barley, this is usually served with fish and chips, and used to make pickles and chutneys.

* Cider
- This fruity gold vineger os made feom fermented apples. It is ideal for chutneys, pickles, and dishes with apples and marinades.

* Xeres
- Also called Sherry vinegar, Xeres is a Spanish version of balsamic vinegar. Rich and smooth, it is usually added to sauces, stews amd marinades.

* Raspberry
- This pinkness vinegar has a light and fruity flavour that is ideal for salad dressings.

* Rice vineger
- Popular in Asian cooking, this vinegar has a mild and sweer taste and is less acidic than western vinegars.

Brewer's delight

Appreciate the purity of Asian Teas and drink them unsweetened.

Iron Goddess of mercy (Tie guan yin) - This is premium variety Oolong tea mainly produced in China_Fujian province. When brewed, the rolled tea leaves releases a frangrant floral aroma and sweer after taste.

Osmanthus Tea ( gui hua cha) ~ This tea is combined of dried yellow osmanthus flowers and black or green tea leaves. The flowers lend a sweet fragrance to the tea.

Roasted Barley tea  - Known as Korean as bori cha, or in Japan as Mugicha, this tea has a pleasant, roasted and mildly bitter flavours.It is usually served cold.

Corn tea ~ Known as oksusu cha in Korean, this grain tea is made from roasted corn kernels.As it has a sweet taste, it is usually combined with roasted barley tea for a balance of flavours.

Dragon well ( long jin cha) ~ The leaves in this high quality green tea from Hangzhou, China are pan-fried to stop the fermentation process. When brewwd, they produce a yellow-green color, pleasant aroma and rich taste.

Jasmine tea ( Mo li hua cha) This tea makes use of delicate white jasmine flowers to perfume green tea or Oolong tea tea base.

Oolong (wu long cha) ` This tea is partially fermented and dried. Taste wise, oolong has green tea's delicacy and black tea's depth.

Japanese Green tea( Sencha) ~ Like other green tea, this one is also unfermented.The leaves are simply allow to wither and dry. It is a fresh, delicate and grassy and is pale grren in color.

Household tips

Easy Slide ~~ Wooden drawers tend to become stiff and creak over time. Worse, they sometimes get stuck. The solution? Lubricate the runners with soap or candle wax. If your drawers have metal slides, use a little spray oil.

Wipe out Burnt smells
~ Overcooked a meal again? Remove all the traces of burnt smells in the kitchen with the skin of orange. Simply place the skin in a shallow saucepan filled with water and simmer. Your kitchen will be filled with such a refreshing aroma that your family wont even know you just had a cooking disaster.

Recipe ~ Tuna and Potato Croquttes

Prep - 25 mins      Cook- 10 mins     makes 8 pcs

Ingredient :
4 large russet potatoes
2 tbsps oil
2 medium sized onions
4 cloves
250g tuna- drained
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 thsp curry powder
salt & pepper to taste
2 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups breadcrumbs- to coat
1 cup white sesames seeds
1 cup oil for deep frying

Methods:
Boil the potato. When soft, remove skin and mash.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium fire. Stir-fry onion and garlic. Add tuna. chili powder, curry powder and salt/pepper. Mix in mashed potato.
Roll the tuna misture inti patties.Dip each patty into the beaten egg and coat breadcrumb and sesame seeds.
Heat Oil in a wok over medium fire.When hot, deep-fry them till golden. Drain them on paper towel.

Serve hot.

Easy guide on Kitchen rescue

Lemon Juice ~~ Its Citric acid has mild bleaching and anti-bacterial properties. To polish copper or brassware, add a little juice with salt and wipe off with a dry cloth. To clean coffee or tea stains, soak the mugs in a mixture of lemon juice and water. Leave for half an hour before rinsing.

Baking Soda~~ To banish bad smells, sprinkle a generous amount into kitchen non before pitting in a new bag. To eliminate carpet odours, sprinkle onto the carpet, leave for a few hours and then vacuum.Also mix one part of baking soda with four part of water to clean the bathtub, sink and shower area.

Malt Vinegar~~ De-scale your kettle by pouring in a litre of vinger and leaving it for about 2 hours to dissolve the limescale. Mix with three parts of water to make a windows cleaning solution. Apple onto the windows with scrunched up newspapper and wipe clean with a clean,dry cloth.

Tea Tree Oil ~~ add a few drops of tea tree oil to water and spray onto mouldy bathroom surfaces or areas prone to mildew. The oil's fungicidal properties kill mould spores. To revive musty-smelling rugs, add a drop of tea tree oil to a cup of watrer and use as a spray.

Olive oil ~~ Pour a small amt onto a soft dust cloth and use it to polish wooden furniture. Apply it on stickers on glass or plastic surfaces, then gently scrub off with an abrasive sponge.

Perfect Pasta



Fusilli



Shaped  Pasta ~ The twirly Fusilli, with its grooves, is ideal for baked dishes and salads as it wont sink. Chunks aslo "hold on" to the grooves, so this pasta is best with thick sauces like the matriciana, which is made with tomato, bacon and onion. To keep its shape, cook it al dente. The butterfly-shaped farfalle is suitable for decorative salads and simple kid's dishes.



Tubular Pasta/Penne

Tubular Pasta ~ The classic recipe for Cannelloni tubes is to stuf them with chooped spinach and ricotta, and then bake in the oven with tomato sauce and Parmesan on top. The narrower penne is great for baking, and ideal with meat sauce or a thick sauce like puttanesca, which is a tomato sauce wit olives, capers and anchovies.

Spaghetti/Angel hair

 Strand Pasta ~ One of the most versatile, spaghetti goes well with Bolognese, vongole or carbonara. The finer angel hair is good for pesto and light oil- baesd sauces.

Fettucine

Ribbon Pasta ~ The ribbons of fettucine cling well to creamy sauces. Due to its thickness, ribbon pasta goes well with meaty sauces and meatballs. To show off the colored variety, serve it with a pale oil-based sauce.

Stuffed Pasta ~ Ravioli and tortellini are best eaten with a butter based oil and Parmesan sauce. Strong fillings can be tones down with a light tomato sauce.