Sounds Good

Eat and look good
Figs, avocados, olive oil, crab and curry are a few ingredients Celia Westberry uses in “Eat Yourself Younger Effortlessley: The Easy Way to Slow Aging, Feel Great and Look Good.” The author has ties to Trinidad and tells how she lost her father when she was 5. She learned about diabetes and how health can related to what people put in their mouths. This is a simple book with great flavor, and I can’t imagine anyone who is advised to eat in a more healthy manner to feel anything but energized about her recipes. Here is a very easy one:

Parley Pesto
2 cups closely packed fresh parsley leaves
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons pine nuts, pecans or walnuts
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Dash of hot sauce, water or chicken stock for smooth blending
Place parsley, garlic, lemon juice and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until pureed.
Add 2 tablespoons oil, nuts and cheeses and continue to puree.
Transfer to a glass jar.
Cover top with remaining olive oil. Refrigerated in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

My Rosemary secret
Rosemary does pretty well in my garden, but I’ve also liked the smell more than the little needles in my food. I ground rosemary into powder and it dissolved nicey into recipes.
Along comes Dry Spice: The Flavor Savor, a canister of drying agent that draws moisture from containers of spices. It’s like the kind one finds in medicine bottles. I can’t wait to grind my oregano, too. I’m sharing these with other spicy gardeners I know.

I’ll bet lumberjacks love it
So I’m listening to Monty Python while enjoying some Malbec on my front porch. I’m sure everyone does that, right? I happen to glance at the Redwood Creek Wines bottle at the same time their “Lumberjack” song said “Redwood.” What fun. As the sun set and the chiminea crackled with fragrant magnolia leaves, I sipped this 2009 Argentinean Malbec from Redwood Creek, now boating a portfolio of nine, “attractively priced and food-friendly wines.” I was friendly with the vintage, I served with served with pork-stuffed grape leaves, cherry tomatoes and dates.
The makers say Malbec is generally associated with the Mendoza region of Argentina, at the cusp of the Andes Mountains, an area reminiscent of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. Makers traveled there to develop their California blend, offering flavors of black cherry, blueberry and dark blackberry fruit, with hints of brown spice and maple after notes.
Enter Blaze a Better Barbecue recipe contest by July 31 by visiting RedwoodCreekWine.com to submit an original grilling recipe using one of Redwood Creek’s nine, food-friendly wines as an ingredient. Barbecue authority Steven Raichlen, host of Primal Grill® on Public Television, shares some of his signature dishes on the website, including Grilled Clams with Sauvignon Blanc, Brats in a Chardonnay “Hot Tub” and Beef Ribs with Pinot Noir Barbecue Sauce.
Enter to win the ultimate grilling vacation – an all-expenses-paid trip to Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue University® in 2011 featuring Redwood Creek wine.
ddoiron@panews.com