This week Ruel and Anniebelle Vergel de Dios from the Philippines show us how to make pork menudo.
Chardonnay comes in many styles, from simple fruity, unoaked wines, through flinty, dry ones with understated intensity and complexity, to rich wines with underlying oak and nuttiness, the best of which are beautifully balanced. This tasting turned up all three styles.
Bordeaux varieties - merlot cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot -either singly or in blends, make medium to full bodied reds with firm finishes.
Jeannie Cho Lee, the first ethnic Asian master of wine and author of the authoritative website www.asianpalate.com, has written an intriguing book - from a Westerner's point of view - Mastering Wine for the Asian Palate (The Asset).
This unusual tasting consisted of pinot noir from Central Otago producers Rippon and Mount Edward. Like other fine winemakers, they are exploring the characters of individual blocks and vineyards, but their styles are quite different.
While Central Otago pinot noir may be internationally known and many pinots are a blend of wines from different sub-regions, many of the leading winemakers are exploring wine from different vineyards or blocks within their vineyards.
So numerous are the lushly photographed books published on Moroccan food that I sighed when rakesh: A food journey to the heart of Morocco (Hardie Grant) came across my desk.
"What's for pudding, Mum?" children used to ask their mothers, and the answer was often 'wait and see'. Now Alexa Johnston, author of Ladies, A Plate mines old cookbooks for favourite puds. Charmian Smith reports.
Always a herald of spring, new sauvignon blancs are starting to appear now. The 2011s are young and fresh and almost all will benefit from at least another 6 months in bottle. However some of the 2010s are drinking deliciously at present and are well worth seeking out.
Charmian Smith talks to Allyson Gofton about her new Country Calendar Cookbook.
Art in a gallery is most commonly accompanied by a hush. Not so Dunedin Public Art Gallery's latest exhibition, which focuses on works of art in which sound is an important element. Charmian Smith talks to gallery curator Aaron Kreisler.
Andrea Mei-wen Wang from Taiwan shows how to make yu-bin (Taiwanese oily or sticky rice).
Dr John Forrest of Forrest Estate was in Dunedin at the weekend showing his Otago wines at Castle Macadam.
More than 200 Central Otago pinot noirs were entered in the New Zealand International Wine competition this year, according to organiser Kingsley Wood. It's an indication of the huge growth of the region - and no doubt the struggles of some of the producers to continue selling grapes and wine in the current economic conditions.
Varuni Wijeyesinghe shows how to make kukul mas, a Sri Lankan-style chicken curry.
Some pinot gris can be fairly characterless, but when there's lush fruit or a textural element from barrel fermentation or lees, stirring it can be both delicious and interesting.
Many chefs pay lip service to the importance of using high-quality ingredients, but when a restaurant grows its own vegetables and fruit you can be sure they are serious about it. Charmian Smith talks to Bevan and Monique Smith about their new book, Riverstone Kitchen: recipes from a chef's garden.
Exactly when to pick grapes is always a major decision for winemakers at vintage as it can make a big difference to the wine.
Michael Van De Elzen, owner of the award-winning Molten in Mount Eden, Auckland, but perhaps more widely known for his television show, The Food Truck in which he cooks healthier versions of fast food in the back of a truck, has now put out The Molten Cookbook (Random House).
Jo Seagar's latest book, the beautifully produced Italia: Simple recipes from the Italian Cook School (Random House), starts by pointing out that Italians regard quality and freshness as paramount - "far more important than diversity and innovation".