Category Archives: Blog Wine

I know that my readers from CoffeeCrew.Com think I am a swarthy tough guy that catches bullets with his teeth, busts international drug cartels completely alone and roams the mean streets of Victoria at night, in an annoying scratchy man-outfit from Lululemon maintaining law and order…

But no. I am just like you. and you. and you and you.
Except for one minor detail.
This is the first time I have cooked with truely live ingredients.
Mussels. From Saltspring Island – a Gulf Island near Victoria.

Sure, I work with coffee all the time and I think of coffee as a truely living entity… but that is not the point. This is live food.
I bought them. I cleaned them (re-cleaned them actually) and prepared them for their glorious moment.

As I held each mussel in my hand, checking their integrity (liveliness I guess…) and bathing them in a soothing and cool final bath of water, I apologized and thanked each one for the briny goodness to follow…

Mussels with Marinara Sauce
A warming dish to serve on a dreary winter day.

Makes: 3 to 4 servings

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium purple onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine
14 oz can diced tomatoes and 2 tsp. tomato paste
pinch dried oregano and sugar
pinch chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs fresh mussels*
chopped chinese parsley (cilantro)

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add wine, tomatoes, oregano, sugar, salt, chili flakes and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high and simmer sauce 5 minutes. Add mussels, cover and cook until mussels open (discard any that do not). Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve as is with lots of warm crusty bread. Serves 3 to 4, depending on appetite.

Note: Rinse mussels in cold water before cooking, removing any beard-like material from their sides. Discard any that do not close when tapped.

This dish goes down extra-well with a very tall glass of Red Wine.
It helps ease the guilt…

In 1986, a buddy of mine and I helped a gal (a UBC medical school graduate) move to Regina, Saskatchewan to do her internship.

Lauren was her name. Nice gal.

For the sake of your stomach

Her Dad came along for the ride. The extra help was appreciated.

Seems Dad is something of a diehard Christian… at least one that believes in some odd things.

One of them pertains to alcohol… like Wine.

Apparently Jesus, and his disciples did not drink wine.
They drank grape juice. Good old welches grape juice.

Why, you ask?

Well. One drop of wine across your lips is alcoholism.
Not 2 drops. One drop.

Whokay. Grape juice. Whatever.

To make my point, I took a picture of Lauren at Expo 86 taking a big gulp from a Labatts Blue sleeve.
Here Dad. Your GP Doctor daughter is a drunk. What do you think of that?

Anyway. This weekend we bottled 90 bottles of wine in 54 minutes.
This wine will be shared between 3 families.
Our 30 bottles will easily last a year.

Am I a drunk? (apologies to those that are… it is, after all, a sickness or disease)
I have not been under the influence of drink in over 15 years.
That is, to say… Impaired in any way.
One glass is ok for me. Two glasses very rare.

My other point: Life is not always about coffee.

In 1986, a buddy of mine and I helped a gal (a UBC medical school graduate) move to Regina, Saskatchewan to do her internship.

Lauren was her name. Nice gal.

For the sake of your stomach

Her Dad came along for the ride. The extra help was appreciated.

Seems Dad is something of a diehard Christian… at least one that believes in some odd things.

One of them pertains to alcohol… like Wine.

Apparently Jesus, and his disciples did not drink wine.
They drank grape juice. Good old welches grape juice.

Why, you ask?

Well. One drop of wine across your lips is alcoholism.
Not 2 drops. One drop.

Whokay. Grape juice. Whatever.

To make my point, I took a picture of Lauren at Expo 86 taking a big gulp from a Labatts Blue sleeve.
Here Dad. Your GP Doctor daughter is a drunk. What do you think of that?

Anyway. This weekend we bottled 90 bottles of wine in 54 minutes.
This wine will be shared between 3 families.
Our 30 bottles will easily last a year.

Am I a drunk? (apologies to those that are… it is, after all, a sickness or disease)
I have not been under the influence of drink in over 15 years.
That is, to say… Impaired in any way.
One glass is ok for me. Two glasses very rare.

My other point: Life is not always about coffee.

In 1986, a buddy of mine and I helped a gal (a UBC medical school graduate) move to Regina, Saskatchewan to do her internship.

Lauren was her name. Nice gal.

For the sake of your stomach

Her Dad came along for the ride. The extra help was appreciated.

Seems Dad is something of a diehard Christian… at least one that believes in some odd things.

One of them pertains to alcohol… like Wine.

Apparently Jesus, and his disciples did not drink wine.
They drank grape juice. Good old welches grape juice.

Why, you ask?

Well. One drop of wine across your lips is alcoholism.
Not 2 drops. One drop.

Whokay. Grape juice. Whatever.

To make my point, I took a picture of Lauren at Expo 86 taking a big gulp from a Labatts Blue sleeve.
Here Dad. Your GP Doctor daughter is a drunk. What do you think of that?

Anyway. This weekend we bottled 90 bottles of wine in 54 minutes.
This wine will be shared between 3 families.
Our 30 bottles will easily last a year.

Am I a drunk? (apologies to those that are… it is, after all, a sickness or disease)
I have not been under the influence of drink in over 15 years.
That is, to say… Impaired in any way.
One glass is ok for me. Two glasses very rare.

My other point: Life is not always about coffee.

In 1986, a buddy of mine and I helped a gal (a UBC medical school graduate) move to Regina, Saskatchewan to do her internship.

Lauren was her name. Nice gal.

For the sake of your stomach

Her Dad came along for the ride. The extra help was appreciated.

Seems Dad is something of a diehard Christian… at least one that believes in some odd things.

One of them pertains to alcohol… like Wine.

Apparently Jesus, and his disciples did not drink wine.
They drank grape juice. Good old welches grape juice.

Why, you ask?

Well. One drop of wine across your lips is alcoholism.
Not 2 drops. One drop.

Whokay. Grape juice. Whatever.

To make my point, I took a picture of Lauren at Expo 86 taking a big gulp from a Labatts Blue sleeve.
Here Dad. Your GP Doctor daughter is a drunk. What do you think of that?

Anyway. This weekend we bottled 90 bottles of wine in 54 minutes.
This wine will be shared between 3 families.
Our 30 bottles will easily last a year.

Am I a drunk? (apologies to those that are… it is, after all, a sickness or disease)
I have not been under the influence of drink in over 15 years.
That is, to say… Impaired in any way.
One glass is ok for me. Two glasses very rare.

My other point: Life is not always about coffee.