Curry – great kongo style

During this month – the month of christmas – we have been trying to bring down the intake of calories in various ways and with various luck. It is hard work – temptations are numerous and hard to resist. Today we want spice and heat instead of animal fat. We can't quite agree on the origin of this curry. It is neither really north African nor eastern but we finally agree on great kongo curry.

Curry

1 spoonful cumin

1 spoonful coriander seed

black pepper

all burned on a hot pan

mortared with turmeric, chili, lemon zest, 2 cm ginger

350 gr cubed beef

3 carrots of various color

1 onion

1 bell pepper

1 fennel

1 leak

1 can of chick peas

1 can of tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

1 green chili + 1 pepporoncini

Brown meat and vegetables, add curry and salt.
Found a bottle with some left over white wine (what, really???!!) and put in a small glassful of that.
Perhaps not authentic but good.
Then the tomatoes, a bit of soy, a squint of syrup.
lid on and low heat for about an hour.

After about 45 minutes the basmati rice were started – cooked with cardamom and at the same time the chick peas were put in the curry.

For once we could not finish it all. There was plenty left over. Enough for two and a half meals for K over the next days. And no calorie drawbacks. 9/10

With this we tried a very good Vacqueras, Dauvergne Ranvier 2009, which was rich in fruit, but already well balanced 9/10 and it was even quite good with the curry. so that was another 9/10

girls night out – Enomania

Pips – a very good friend of K who also shares a deep passion for food and wine – and K had one of their rare evenings. Too much time had gone and now we would make up for it. And we chose to go to K's favorite restaurant in CPH. Enomania. (Admittedly it is also T's favorite, but he had his gender against him on this occasion...).

Damiano is a chef and sommelier with a long history in Denmark. Originally he is from the far nothern Italy but during his years in DK he has worked his way through some very good places and left his mark. Damiano has now opened a great little place with his wife Charlotte who is also a chef. They serve very good Italian food; one set menu + cheese – if you like – and we did. Everything is made with great love for the tradition. The wine cellar is exquisite, not only Italian wines but burgundies, German, American, Spanish and others have found way to the cellar.

We started with a glass of champagne made from pinot noir (blanc de noir). Should have taken a note of the name – it was excellent – but now gone from memory in the haze from the vapors that has been left.

To that a plate of speck, sausage and cured ham. Olive oil and bread.

Risotto alla Mantova con astice
The first of two primi's was risotto with pumpkin and lobster.
The risotto you get at Enomania is always absolutely wonderful. The texture, the taste – just perfect!
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva 2007 Panizzi. Full, buttery and gooooood

Ravioli di vitello con tartufo estivo
Second primo: Ravioli with veal and slices of summer truffle.
Little cubes of zucchini and butter on top

At this point Damiano came with the first glass to taste blind. And we were way off. The wine was very rich and fruity with nice tanins... for some reason K thought Toscana... and a cabernet/sangiovese mix....
And it was a La Gallina, Barbera d'Alba, La Spinetta 2007. K had even had it before...
No mouse hole was small enough... felt like hiding and never coming out but the expectations for the rest of the evening kept K on her chair....

Controfiletto di manzo con peperonata al balsamico
The secondo was sirloin with a ratatouille of peperonata and balsamico and roasted new potatoes.

In came two glasses. This time we were closer.
No doubt it was Barolo.
The first one seemed aged. Yellowish in the edges and with lots of finesse, strawberry, tannins, even a hint of dairy.
The other was more aggressive. A powerful, fruity and rich.
K preferred the first, P the second.

Pio Cesare, Barolo 2006. The traditional.











Fratelli Revello, Barolo 2005. The modernista



















Formaggio
Then came the cheese.
And the last blind taste. Again we were so off.
Guessed Merlot... it was:

Monastrell-Syrah. Perelada 2008.

.... mouse hole ....













Zuppa di albicocche e pesche con gelato all’amaretto
Dessert. Peaches and abricots with amaretto icecream. Delicious and not too sweet.


















and to drink a Gewurtztraminer Spätlese, Joseph from Hofstätter
.... Again a perfect match; not too sweet but straight and added nicely to the apricots.

















If you are ever in doubt about where to go eat in CPH, go to Enomania.
And ... It is not even expensive!
(Unless you can't control yourself in the wine cellar)

Damiano, Thank you!!!