Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Red Wine from grapes

As per the Syrian Orthodox calendar, we are one week past into the holy fasting period. We follow typically 50 day period of fasting. Fasting implies no non vegetarian dishes allowed. Fasting not only implies in diet, but also in living a life sans worldly pleasures. This includes no movies, no extravagant shopping, living modestly and with prayerful days.
This Easter, we decided to ferment grapes and extract some grape wine. And now is the right time to do it. Here goes the recipe for the same.

Ingredients:
1 kilo grapes
1 kilo sugar
3 bottles of boiled and cooled water (1 bottle = 750 ml)
1 tsp yeast
1 egg white
100 gm of broken wheat

Preparation:
1) Place water to boil
2) Wash grapes thoroughly.
3) Place water in a bowl and microwave it for 10-20 seconds. Add yeast and allow it to ferment for 10 minutes.
4) Once the water is boiled, allow it to cool. Meanwhile, wash the broken wheat.
5) In a earthenware pot, add in the grapes, sugar, broken wheat, fermented yeast, egg white and boiled and cooled water.
6) Stir nicely using a wooden spoon.
7) Cover the earthenware with a cloth and fasten it tightly with a rubberband or thick thread.
8) After every alternate day, stir the mixture using wooden spoon. Cover it and store in a cool and dark place.

More to come in the coming days...

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