If you are a David Sedaris loyalist you will recall one of his short stories about his brother who insists on being called the rooster and takes on a street/rap persona in the process. Reading it was one of the few moments I've had in life where I simply could not stop laughing to myself aloud as I read.
In LA there is a company, Huy Fong Foods, Inc. that makes a Hot Chili Sauce that is out of this world. I tell Lisa that after years of cooking with it I've make the transition from hot to sweet - what was once wince inducing hot is now tangy and sweet. This is like jumping the shark in a good way (although, I insist there were plenty of good Happy Days episodes after Fonzy took on the California Kid). The bottle for this condiment comes with a unique green tipped top with a rooster prominently featured on the front. So, call me the rooster as I am close to in love with this spicy mixture. There are about 5 calories per serving, no fat, and 1 gram of sugar - so you can cook with it without guilt.
Tonight Lisa made a seeded rice, a basmatti rice with cumin, black pepper, fennel, nigella, and fenugreek seeds. I mixed in some egg whites, a bit of percorino and quite a bit of the rooster. This was paired with a McGregor 2007 Red Russian wine with a beautiful purple hue. We'll give some tasting notes on this wine in another post. McGregor is perhaps the only grower and producer in the U.S. of these wines. The saperavi (Georgian: საფერავი; literally "paint, dye" - due to its intensive dark-red colour) is an acidic, teinturier-type grape variety native to Georgia and is a wonderful base for a higher-end red wine that will age nicely. This wine had pleasant blackberry aromas joined by light floral notes. It has a juicy and soft mouth feel and is a great compliment for meats and if you are willing to experience it hot foods like the rice we made tonight.
