2006 Craggy Range Winery Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough Te Muna Road Vineyard New Zealand. Steve Smith winemaker. http://www.craggyrange.com/ $17 at Wine Seller, Ridgewood, NJ.
Pale yellow color, clear hue, lovely, lovely aroma and very rich with limes and grapefruit flavors, mineral notes, hints of tomato, delicious and refreshing, matching beautifully with the subtle tastes of the slow cooker dal. 5*. No EGA but who cares?
Notes:
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Dal
I've been using our slow cooker for a number of different dishes, using Lynn Alley's, The Gourmet Slow Cooker. She is very good at capturing the essence of a dish from another country. This recipe is a good example -- we had dal several times in India, and making changes in the lentil color or the seasonings captures much of our Indian experience. Here is Alley's basic recipe.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups red or yellow lentils
1 TBS unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minces
4 cups water or chicken stock [see her slow cooker recipe -- a very good technique]
Cilantro-Yogurt Cream
1 cup plain yogurt
1 TBS chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced, for garnish
1. Rinse and sort the lentils thoroughly; place in slow cooker.
2. Saute the onion in the butter until browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add garlic and ginger and stir for one to two minutes without browning the garlic.
4. Transfer to slow cooker and add stock or water.
5. Cover and cook on low for three to eight hours. After three to four hours, the lentils will have some shape; after eight they will be soup like.
Cilantro cream is prepared by combining the yogurt and cilantro in a bowl and mixing well.
Ladle the lentils into bowls and garnish with cliantro and chiles. Spoon a dollop on the lentils and serve at once.
Cook's notes:
1. If you like the smoother version, use less stock or water; very little liquid is lost in a slow cooker.
Pure chicken stock
This is pure chicken stock with no vegetables or herbs, which works very well in many slow cooker meals where you want to season to the particular dish. This stock adds a rich chicken flavor. Allen "prefer[s] to use necks, backs, giblets and other unwanted chicken parts in plastic bags in the freezer until I have enough to make up a batch of stock." [I buy chicken parts from a butcher who makes up packages of chicken stock stock.]
2 1/2 chicken parts
8 cups water
Combine chicken parts and water and cook on low for 8 hours until all the meat falls off the bone. Strain the stock and refrigerate overnight, skim off the congealed fat. Use immediately, or store in fridge for three days, or freeze for up to three months.