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Apricot Orange Cous Cous with Prawns and Gewurztraminer
by Christel Stiver
Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer, $25.99
Wine. It is an ultimate conundrum. Just when you think you have conquered it all by memorizing all the Grand Crus of Burgundy or the Great Growths of Bordeaux another missing link to this never ending mystical puzzle appears, just enough to stump you and set you back and remind you of your micro existence in this expansive quest for wine knowledge.
Take Gewürztraminer for instance. We all know of it. It is that sweet wine from Germany, right? Not necessarily. While this overtly aromatic varietal can be sweet and can be German, it is more commonly found and enjoyed as a dry to off-dry wine, and more typically from Alsace, France.
This grape has a bit of a complicated history, let me try and explain. The grape known as Tramin was discovered in northern Italy, in the Alto Adige region, on the border with the Alps to be exact. Taking its name from the town of Tramin, this green-skinned variety eventually mutated into a form with pink-skinned berries that then evolved into the extra-aromatic Gewürztraminer varietal that is now familiar to us--that was exhausting. Today, more than a third of the world’s plantings of Gewurzt are concentrated in Alsace from where some of the most delicious and highly-sought after Gewurztraminers are found.
Gewurztraminer is known for its low-acidity, therefore it does best in cooler climates helping to preserve its crispness, which is why it is found in the cool regions of Germany, Northern Italy and France. And now it is even breaking soil in parts of Northern California and New Zealand.
This grape may not work for everyone. The literal meaning of Gewürztraminer is actually "Perfumed Traminer”, so named for all its aromatic potential. It is a powerful, rich wine, famous for its exotic aromas of lychee, roses, sweet spices, and flavors of ripe tree and tropical fruits, sometimes intermingled with tastes of face-cream--sounds weird, I know. Because of these potent aromas and flavors and lower-acidity , it does not always pair well with food. But unlike other white wines it has the ability to pair with certain weightier dishes that other white wines will not. Food such as rich game birds, fowl or roasted goose, sausages, shellfish and even veal chops are all candidates for partners with Gewurzt.
One of my favorite Gewurztraminers is produced by Zind-Humbrecht. This wine is a bit higher priced than other Gewurztraminers, but so worth the splurge. This winery was created in 1959, by father and son team Léonard and Olivier Humbrecht and is classified as one of the greatest domaines in Alsace. Because this grape has a convoluted history and a much more misconstrued present, I recommend starting with the best. Not only are they recognized for great skill and talent as winemakers, but Zind-Humbrecht is also a pioneer in the realm of biodynamics, an extreme form of organic farming. Only good things come from this winery.
The Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer does not disappoint with its fragrant orange peel, clove and lychee aromas that lead to a creamy round fruity texture in the mouth. To showcase the citrus, spice and apricot notes of this wine, I created a cous cous that mirrors the same flavors. The cous cous has weight but to give the dish more depth, I sauteed jumbo prawns that work as a bridge between all the spice flavors. As I warned, Gewurztraminer may not be your style of wine, but I can assure you that both the wine and this cous cous carry mesmerizing tactics that will sedate your senses while cooking and drinking them together.
Apricot Orange Cous Cous with Prawns
Marinade:
6 10-20 prawns or jumbo shrimp
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon, plus segments
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Cous Cous
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow pepper, roasted
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 oz dried apricots, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon yellow curry
1 cup Israeli cous cous
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Marinade:
Place all ingredients together in a bowl. Coat the shrimp well. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Cous Cous:
Place pepper on flame of gas stove. Turn every few minutes to allow pepper to char on all sides. If you do not have a gas stove, place under the broiler on high. Again, turning the pepper every few minutes. After the pepper has been charred, wrap in plastic for about ten minutes. Once cool, unwrap from plastic and remove skin from pepper. Finely chop the pepper. Set aside.
Heat the stock in a small saucepan and keep at the simmering point. In another wide saucepan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger. Allow the onions to soften, about five minutes, making sure the onions do not turn color. Add cinnamon, cumin, curry and orange zest. Coat the onions well with the spices, allowing them to toast for 30 seconds. Add the cous cous and apricots. Again coat with the spices and onions. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and orange juice. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Put a ladleful of the stock into the cous cous and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue doing this until the cous cous is al dente. You may not need all of the stock; equally, you may need to add more stock.
When the cous cous is almost ready, add the yellow pepper. Season with salt and pepper as desired/needed. Heat through. Take the cous cous off the heat and add the pine nuts. Check seasoning.
In another sauté pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. When the pan is ready carefully add the shrimp or prawns to the pan. Cook until the shrimp turn pink and are no longer translucent.
To serve spoon the cous cous in a bowl or plate. Add the shrimp and garnish with cilantro or lemon or orange segments.
