Day 2: Washing Down Mother’s Cooking
… A large spread lay before us: Mother Dearest having, unaided, orchestrated yet another culinary sensation from scratch. The feast included freshly made chapatis with chicken that was slowly cooked in a clay pot over a jiko (a charcoal powered stove) and a side of some “bitter” greens. Having never heard of them before this dinner, I shall merely repeat them verbatim as I was educated; they were Saaga, Terere [Amaranth], Managu [Black Nightshade] and Cacila greens. (My sister and brother didn’t take to them at all, whereas the rest of us enjoyed them.) Everything tasted remarkable! Just as I remembered mother’s cooking. However, as I was still getting used to the considerable texture that meat which hasn’t been pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones has, it took me a good hundred extra bites to get it all down… There’s something about fighting with the bone even after the animal is slain that adds a fifth dimension to the dining experience!
Being the first time in a couple of months that the dining table was this crowded, there was naturally a need to celebrate, and ensure that the stem-ware remained fully functional… Bring on the wine!
Two bottles were required to quench the thirst of those assembled. Tonight, I decided to go red and out of the continent, while focusing on one particular vintage; 2008 to be specific. To make it even more interesting, I chose to pair up old versus the new world: that is Bordeaux vs Mendoza respectively. Offering everyone a chance to select what wine they wanted to start off with, Mother dearest was the only one to choose the Argentinian. The rest of us went with the Chateau Le Moulin de la Jaumarde that was predominantly Merlot based, followed by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. I enjoyed its structure and rounded mouth-fill. It was reserved in that the flavours were subtle, which gave it a notable elegance. The red fruit it showed was integrated with its acidity and lingered in the mouth long after you swallowed it. Delicious!
The Angaro that followed was similarly a blend but of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. The two wines, nonetheless, proved to be worlds apart. This was bold and upfront; meaty and loaded with spices such as cloves. It also showed discernible oak influence, riper fruit, as well as an unknown character that leaned more towards vegetal. I struggled to finish a second glass of it because of how big the palate was; driving me back to the Frenchy!
In honesty, neither wine went particularly well with the meal,… unfortunately. Le Moulin was easily over powered, whereas the Angaro obliterated all that stood before. Having known what was for dinner beforehand and still selecting the wines I did, it was purely my fault: a fault I’d happily make again in my never-ending quest to fathom international wines…
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Those greens are so nutritious. I love Kenyan cuisine.
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