Wine with me?

It's pretty obvious, the blog hasn't been a huge priority for me in 2008. But I'll tell you why. I've been working in a wine shop in my evenings and weekends since January! This is all in addition to my full-time job, so it's been pretty hectic balancing my time, and priorities.

The wine shop is called Domasoteca, and is part of the restaurant Domaso, in the Hotel Palomar, located in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, VA. It's been great working there and I'm learning a lot about wine. If there's a way to expand your wine knowledge without breaking the bank, working in a wine shop is the way to do it. My colleagues at the shop are great, and everyone's very glad to share their knowledge as well. Since the restaurant Domaso is northern Italian cuisine, about 40% of the wines in the shop are Italian. (Learning about all these wines makes me want to visit Italy even more!)

The shop doesn't just sell wine of course! We have a selection of artisanal cheeses, along with a wide array of gourmet chocolates (including world renowned Amedei and Valrhona chocolates), olive oils, and honeys. We also sell Italian breads baked daily from the restaurant. With all these goodies in the shop, now you know why I don't mind working here in my spare time. For me it's fun to be around all this goodness!

I am still very much a beginner in wine, and my wine working vocabulary could use some work, so until I feel confident enough, I don't feel comfortable keeping a 'wine blog'. Perhaps in due time. But of course I haven't stopped cooking through all of this. I just don't have as much time to write as detailed summaries. I think I'll be sticking to the bullet-point style updates here for a while. Thanks for checking up on me, I haven't forgotten you readers!

Domasoteca
1121 N. 19th Street
Arlington, VA 22209
703-894-5104
Open daily, 11AM to 9PM

Prickly Pear Cactus Mojito

As I had mentioned a few weeks ago, Kevin and I went to Tucson and while we were there I brought back a souvenir ingredient to try out. Here it is, we made a southwestern twist on the classic mojito. Instead of simple syrup, we used prickly pear cactus syrup! The syrup gives the drink a wonderful magenta and a mild fruity background. It's a very nice, refreshing combination, you should try it!

1 1/2 tablespoon prickly pear cactus syrup
6 to 8 spearmint leaves
juice of 1 lime (about 2 ounces)
2 ounces rum
1 to 1/2 cups cubed or crushed ice
2 ounces club soda

In a tall glass, place the mint leaves, lime juice and the cactus syrup.
Muddle the leaves for 20 seconds to release the mint oils using either a muddler or a wooden spoon.
Add the rum, and stir.
Fill the glass until 3/4 full with ice.
Top off with the club soda club soda.

Makes 1 mojito.

Sweet Lassi

Usually we go for the mango lassi when we dine at Indian restaurants, and it's always so tasty we never think to try anything else. On a whim, I tried the sweet lassi, and wow! With a hint of rosewater, this lassi soon became my favorite. Just 4 ingredients, it's super easy and very refreshing! Goes great with Dal Stuffed Parathas.

1 1/2 cups lowfat plain yogurt
1 cup ice water
1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar (or to taste, use less if using regular sugar)
5 drops rosewater (or to taste)

Process all ingredients together in a blender. This makes about 3 cups of lassi.