We love a lamb curry and this one uses lamb neck fillet which is a cut that doesn’t take too long to cook and is meltingly tender. Serve with steamed basmati rice.
Wine Suggestion: A juicy red with velvety tannins like Kilikanoon’s Covenant Shiraz which balances ripe plummy fruits with real elegance and finesse.
Lamb and Chickpea Curry – serves 4
1kg lamb neck fillet, cut into large chunks
3 tbsp veg oil
2 large onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
7.5cm piece of ginger, finely grated
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g tin chickpeas, drained
coriander leaves, to serve
Heat the oil in a a large casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for at least 10 minutes or until softened and turning deep golden brown.
Turn the heat down a bit and add the garlic and ginger. Stir for 2 minutes, then add the whole and ground spices and the salt. Cook for another 2 minutes before stirring in the the tomato purée and cooking for 2 minutes more.
Add the lamb with 250ml water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook gently for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and stir. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, stirring every 10 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and cook for another 15 minutes or until the lamb is very tender. Season to taste.
Serve with steamed rice and the coriander sprinkled over.
(Original recipe from Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024.)
Salmon is one of the most popular dishes in our house so it’s nice to find a recipe with some different flavours.
Wine Suggestion: double down on the citrussy aspect when choosing a wine so for this we headed to a Loire Sauvignon Blanc, but not from one of the “big two”, rather an under-rated Menetou Salon made by Anthony Girard at La Clef du Recit. A touch more grapefruit and orange, but with hints of lemon, the freshness really worked well with the salmon.
Salmon with Cajun spices – serves 2
2 salmon fillets, skin on
2 tsp Cajun spice blend
1-2 tbsp olive oil
30g butter
lemon wedges, to serve
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
½ tsp Cajun spice blend
150ml fish stock
150ml crème fraîche
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Score the skin of the salmon with a sharp knife, then sprinkle both sides with the Cajun spice mix and a little salt. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a frying pan.
Add the salmon to the hot oil, skin side down, pressing the fillets down with a fish slice. Cook for a few minutes on each side, then remove the pan from the heat.
Add the butter to the pan and baste the salmon with it as it melts. Transfer the salmon to a warm plate and leave to rest while you make the sauce.
Put the frying pan back over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic and Cajun spice blend and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the stock to the pan and let it bubble until reduced by half. Stir in the crème fraîche and cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Season and add the lemon juice to taste. Remove from the heat and stir through the parsley.
Spoon the sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with the salmon. Serve with lemon wedges and green beans.
(Original recipe from Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, Bloomsbury, 2024.)
This is an excellent barbecue starter. We have a number of Genevieve Taylor’s barbecue books and they are superb!
Wine Suggestion: You need a wine that loves shellfish, barbecues and salty cured meats which is a bit of a conundrum. The key is both a good amount of fruitiness alongside a minerally freshness; complimetary and contrasting characters. For tonight Pazo Señorans Albariño from Rias Baixas in north western Spain, you almost smell the salty sea air alongside crisp white peaches in the glass and so well structured on the palate. This wine ages superbly and luckily the winery also releases aged bottles so if you get the opportunity do try these too.
Prawns and mangetout on the barbecue – serves 4
300g raw peeled prawns
10 slices of prosciutto
150g mangetout
1 tbsp olive oil
FOR THE LEMONY MAYO:
125g mayonnaise
zest of 1 lemon, and juice to taste
10g chives
Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper.
Cut each slice of prosciutto into 4 pieces. Wrap each prawn in a piece of prosciutto.
Thread a prawn onto a skewer, followed by a piece of mangetout, then another prawn. Keep going until everything is used up, then brush a little oil over each skewer and season with salt and pepper. Leave them in the fridge until ready to cook.
For the lemony mayo, spoon the mayonnaise into a small bowl and stir through the lemon zest and chives. Add lemon juice to taste (start with half the lemon) and season with salt and pepper. Chill until needed.
Get the barbecue going for hot direct grilling.
Cook the skewers for 1-2 minutes on each side until the ham is crispy and the prawns pink. Serve with the mayo.
(Original recipe from Scorched by Genevieve Taylor, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2024.)
Summer rolls – so simple but they look so impressive. Serve for lunch.
Summer rolls – makes 8
35g rice vermicelli noodles
16 chives
8 sprigs of coriander
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
¼ cucumber, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
50g bean sprouts
½ little gem lettuce, finely shredded
125g cooked, peeled prawns, halved lengthways
1-2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
16 mint leaves
8 rice paper wrappers
FOR THE CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE:
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp freshly grated root ginger
1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, grated
Cook the noodles by bringing a pan of water to the boil. Drop in the noodles and take the pan off the heat. Leave the noodles to soak for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and set aside.
Mix all the chilli dipping sauce ingredients together with 2 tbsp of cold water and set aside.
Make sure you have all the filling ingredients prepped and to hand.
Dip a rice paper wrapper in a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for up to a minute, then transfer to a damp tea towel.
Add the filling ingredients as follows (making sure to leave a border around the edge so you can seal the roll): arrange two chives in a X in the middle, add a sprig of coriander, then some noodles, carrot, cucumber, bean sprouts, lettuce, prawns and peanuts (careful not to overfill). Top with a couple of mint leaves.
Fold the edge closest to you over the filling, tuck the sides over to enclose then ends, then roll away from you to seal. Set aside under a folded damp tea towel to stop them drying out while you make the rest. Repeat with the remaining rice papers. Serve with the dipping sauce.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Food Stories, BBC Books, Penguin: Random House, 2024.)
A Greek chicken and rice soup with egg and lemon. Tastes delicious and can only be good for you.
Avgolemono – serves 4 to 6
125g extra virgin olive oil
2 medium white onions, diced into 1cm pieces
2 medium carrots, diced into 1cm pieces
2 ribs of celery, diced into 1cm pieces
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
3 bay leaves
500g skinless chicken breasts
125g rice
2 large eggs
75g lemon juice
3 tbsp dill, chopped
Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for about 30 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, put the chicken in a single layer in a large pan and cover with 2 litres of water. Add 2 tsp of fine sea salt, then bring to a simmer with the lid on. As soon as the water simmers, turn the heat right down and cook for 5 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave until cool enough to handle.
Remove the chicken and reserve the cooking liquid. Chop the chicken into 1cm pieces.
Add the rice, chicken and chicken cooking waterto the cooked vegetables and bring up to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together, then add a couple of ladlefuls of the hot soup to this mix, whisking constantly, before adding the mixture to the soup in a thin stream, stirring all the time.
Bring the soup back to a simmer and leave for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened slightly. Remove the bay leaves and check the seasoning. Stir in half the dill, then take off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Seve in warm bowls with the rest of the dill, some more black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil.
(Original recipe by Nick Bramham in FT Magazine, 1/2 March 2025.)
Ottolenghi potato dishes are always a big hit and these were no exception. The rice flour makes them particularly crispy.
Roast potatoes with rosemary & za’atar – serves 6 to 8
2.5kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut fairly small – about 4-5cm chunks
2 tbsp fine salt
3 large sprigs of rosemary, 1 left whole and the leaves of the other 2 finely chopped
150ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp za’atar
Put the potatoes into a large pan and cover with cold water. Add the fine salt and the whole rosemary sprig, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well and throw away the rosemary, then return the potatoes to the warm pan. Leave to dry for at least 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220C Fan.
Put the oil in a large roasting tray and put into the oven to heat for 10 minutes.
Add the rice flour to the dry potatoes and gently toss to coat.
Carefully add the potatoes to the hot oil in the tray, then roast for 50 minutes, turning halfway. Add the chopped rosemary and gently toss, then return to the oven for a further 3 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and stir in the sea salt flakes and za’atar.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort, Penguin Random House, 2024.)
We cook many versions of shakshuka on weekends and they’re all good. Here’s the latest – serve with toasted sourdough.
Shakshuka with feta & coriander – serves 2-3
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
4 eggs
100g feta
a large handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a high heat. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the peppers and garlic and cook for another 4 minutes. If the pan looks dry just add a splash of water rather than more oil.
Add the cumin, cinnamon, paprika and some flaky sea salt and stir briefly until the spices smell good. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the sauce thicken a bit.
Make 4 wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Place a lid over the frying pan and leave the eggs to cook for 5 minutes or until the whites are just set.
Crumble the feta over the top, sprinkle with the coriander and season with black pepper.
Serve with toasted sourdough.
(Original recipe from Lose Weight for Good by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2017.)
This makes a big batch and it freezes well. Serve with rice, tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado and lime wedges.
Wine Suggestion: We like the textures and juiciness of a good Côtes du Rhône, like Domaine Romain Roche’s Cairanne which is a blend of Grenache and Syrah plus a herbal, earthy touch of Carignan that works well with the earthy beans
Bean chilli – serves 6 to 8
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 roasted peppers from a jar, drained and roughly chopped
15g coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves kept to serve
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp light brown soft sugar
1-2 tbsp chipotle paste
400g tin of black beans
400g tin of kidney beans
400g tin of cannellini beans
400g tin chopped tomatoes
300ml vegetable stock
Heat the oil in a large casserole or a deep pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Stir in the coriander stalks, spices, oregano, sugar and chipotle paste. Cook for 5 minutes more, then pour in the beans with their liquid, the tomatoes and the stock. Season well and bring to a simmer.
Leave the chilli on a gentle simmer for about an hour or until it has thickened and reduced. Taste for seasoning before serving with rice, tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges, and the coriander leaves.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine, January 2024.)
This is baked in the oven and couldn’t be easier to make. Serve with naan breads.
Butter Paneer – serves 4
FOR THE PANEER:
rapeseed oil
600g hard paneer, cut into large cubes
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2cm x 2cm ginger, finely grated
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
½ tbsp lemon juice
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground turmeric
5 tbsp Greek yoghurt
FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE:
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cardamom
¾ tsp salt
2 tbsp runny honey
2 x 400g tins finely chopped tomatoes
150ml double cream
1½ tbsp kasoori methi
a slab of butter
Preheat the oven to 200C fan/ 220C/ gas 7.
Line a large, deep baking tray with non-stick baking paper and brush it lightly with oil.
Put the panneer cubes into a large bowl and add half the garlic, half the ginger, the chilli powder, lemon, salt, turmeric and yoghurt. Mix well to coat the paneer, then tip into the lined tray.
Bake the panner in the oven for 25 minutes or until it’s starting to blacken at the edges.
Take the tray out of the oven and stir in 3 tbsp of oil and the rest of the garlic and ginger, then add the spices for the sauce, the salt and the honey. Stir to mix well, then add the tomatoes, making sure the paneer is completely covered. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven and stir through the cream, crumble over the kasoori methi, then stir again and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and stir in the butter. Serve with hot naan breads.
(Original recipe from Dinner by Meera Sodha, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2024.)
There is one person in our household of 3 who has decided to be a vegetarian for January. We’re not all joining in as there was far too much other stuff in the freezer but we’re trying to batch cook things like this to keep her going for the month and to avoid her living on koka noodles. This is a simple and lovely dahl. Serve with rice and naan or flatbreads. It is also suitable for those doing veganuary.
Wine Suggestion: We quite like an earthy dahl with a beer and chose a local brew, the Barrelhead Hopsburgh Helles, a creamy pale golden German style lager that’s lovely and smooth.
Cauliflower, lentil & coconut dahl – serves 4 to 6
4 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
½ to 1 tsp chilli flakes, to taste
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
180g dried red lentils
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
400ml tomato passata
600ml water
75g baby spinach
2 tbsp chopped coriander
juice of 1 lemon
Melt the coconut oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop.
Add the onion with a large pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, then add the ground coriander, turmeric, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for another minute.
Add the cauliflower, lentils, coconut milk, tomato passata and water. Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the lentils and cauliflower are cooked. Give it a stir occasionally to prevent it sticking.
Add the spinach, coriander and lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.
Serve with rice and daal or flatbreads.
(Original recipe from Avoca at Home, Penguin Random House, 2022.)
So simple and yet so lovely. The bit that takes time can be done earlier in the day and it’s fairly easy to finish off later. Serve with rice or whatever you fancy.
Wine Suggestion: We like how the stonefruit characters, mixed with slightly lower acidity from a southern Rhône white goes with the gentle and elegant nature of this dish. The Grapillon d’Or Vacqueyras white is a good example and it’s fleshy character and minerally/nutty textures are just perfect.
Chicken Fricassee – serves 6 to 8
2kg whole chicken
FOR THE POACHING LIQUID:
750ml chicken stock
2 banana shallots, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
8 tsp black peppercorns
½ lemon
a large bulb of garlic, cut in half horizontallly
FOR THE SAUCE:
a large knob of butter
500g banana shallots, thinly sliced
3 sticks celery, finely diced
200ml double cream
3 tbsp chopped chives
3 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
Put the whole chicken into a large, deep saucepan. Add all of the poaching liquid ingredients and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the liquid.
When the chicken is cold, take the chicken out and remove the meat from the carcass – discard the bones and skin. Tear the meat into large pieces and set aside. Strain the poaching liquid through a sieve into a large jug. Squeeze the garlic from the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Discard the poaching veg, lemon and peppercorns.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and celery and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the mashed garlic and fry for 10 seconds, then pour in the vermouth and boil to reduce by half. Add 600ml of the poaching liquid, bring to the boil and boil hard for 3 minutes.
Add 2 tbsp of the remaining poaching liquid to the cornflour and stir until smooth. Add this to the pan and cook until the sauce has thickened. Add the cream and cooked chicken and gently reheat until hot. Add the fresh herbs and season well with salt and black pepper.
(Original recipe from Mary’s Foolproof Dinners, BBC Books, 2024.)
We usually have shakshuka at breakfast time but this shakshuka-style dish works well for dinner with some steamed basmati. We did crack an extra egg into the leftover sauce the following morning though.
Egg Sambal Shakshuka – serves 4
1½ tsp fennel seeds
2 cloves
seeds from 2 cardamom pods
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1½ tbsp medium curry powder
60ml olive oil
½ tsp black mustard seeds
20 curry leaves
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
10g ginger, peeled and finely grated
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
10g coriander, stalks finely chopped and leave to serve
150g datterini or cherry tomatoes
2 tsp sambal oelek
1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
100ml tamarind concentrate
300ml water
15g palm sugar or light brown soft sugar
5 eggs
Put the fennel seeds, cloves and cardamom into a small dry frying pan and toast lightly for a couple of minutes or until fragrant, then grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Add the cinnamon and curry powder and set aside.
Put 3 tbsp of the oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and 10 curry leaves and cook for 1 minute, until the seeds start to pop. Add the onion and cook for about 7 minutes, until starting to colour. Add the ginger, garlic, coriander stalks and fresh tomatoes, cook for another 5 minutes, then add the fennel spice mix. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the sambal oelek, tinned tomatoes, tamarind, water, sugar and 1½ tsp of salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to meidum-low and cook for 20-25 mintues, until thickened.
Crack the eggs into the sambal and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked and the yolks just soft.
Meanwhile, put 3 tbsp of the oil into a small pan over a medium heat. Add the rest of the curry leaves, cook for about a minute or until very fragrant. Remove from the heat and drizzle the oil and curry leaves over the eggs and scatter over the coriander, leaves. Serve.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2024.)
Two delicious sauces combine to really highlight the fish in this North African inspired dish. We used hake but you can of course use other white fish fillets. Serve with couscous and pitta breads.
Wine Suggestion: it is quite a complex challenge to balance the spices, tomatoes and creamy tahini, but we think this works great with Mediterranean inspired blends that include a bit of Tempranillo like Parker Estate Favourite Son Shiraz-Tempranillo. Despite this being a bigger red and this being a fish dish there’s a certain freshness from Coonawarra that comes through and very complimentary spices that make this work.
Fish cooked in tomato sauce with tahini – serves 4
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
5 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
a pinch of chilli flakes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 preserved lemon
4 fillets of hake (or other white fish)
fresh coriander, to serve
FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE:
1 clove of garlic
half a lemon
80g tahini
5-6 tbsp ice-cold water
a pinch of ground cumin
Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft. Add the garlic and spices and continue frying for another minute or two, then add the tomato purée and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes, then rinse the tins with a little water and add that too. Break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon and simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Quarter and deseed the preserved lemon, then chop into small pieces and add to the sauce.
Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce. Grate the garlic into a bowl, then squeeze over the juice of the half lemon, mix together and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the tahini to the garlic and lemon and whisk together, then add 1 tbsp of the cold water at a time, whisking until you have a smooth, runny sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of cumin.
Season the fish, then nestle it into the tomato sauce. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until just cooked (a thermometer will help if you have one). Serve with the tahini sauce and coriander over the top and with some couscous and pitta breads.
(Original recipe from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, Ebury Press, 2023.)
Wine Suggestion: we would keep this very easy and open an Asahi, a dry and savoury lager that quenches the thirst and makes a refreshing match for the curry.
Black pepper & bay leaf curry – serves 2
3 cloves of garlic, 2 peeled and grated
2 tbsp neutral oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 green cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 large red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp black peppercorns, finely ground
300g chicken breast, cut into 4cm pieces
5cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
250g vine cherry tomatoes, halved
100ml single cream
juice of ½ lemon
Put the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and bay and stir for 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook for 7 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile mix the turmeric, cumin, chilli, ground peppercorns and a tsp of salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Add the grated garlic and ginger to the pan, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the spiced chicken, fry for 2 minutes on each side, then add the tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes or until they’ve broken down. Add the cream, simmer for a couple of minutes, then check the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, taste for salt and serve with rice.
You can buy duck confit in tins locally but they tend to be much cheaper in France so if you’re lucky enough to go there (or know someone else who is going), stock up! You will have the prep done for many delicious dishes, like this one.
Wine Suggestion: A classic French dish needs a classic French wine. We suspect red Burgundy would be great, however we didn’t have any to hand so instead opened a bottle of Chateau Lascaux Pic St Loup “les Nobles Pierres”. A classic Syrah-Grenache blend but from prime vineyards in the Languedoc where Duck dishes reign supreme. Juicy, brambly and layered with velvety and characterful tannins.
Parmentier de Confit de Canard – serves 4 to 6
4 Confit duck legs (1 large tin – it says on the tin how many legs are inside)
4 shallots, chopped
a few fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
175ml red wine
200ml chicken stock
a handful of flatleaf parsley
800g potatoes, cut into 5cm chunks
100-125ml warm milk
150g-200g Comté cheese, grated
Warm the confit duck legs over a gentle heat to release the fat, then pour the fat into clean jam jars for future roast potatoes. You will need to keep 2 tbsp aside for this dish.
Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it with two forks, discarding any bones and gristle.
Heat 2 tbsp of the duck fat in a pan, add the shallots, thyme and plenty of black pepper. Allow the shallots to brown gently, then add the wine and stock, then bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes, then add the duck meat and chopped parsley. Stir and set aside.
Heat the oven to 210C/Fan 190C.
Boil the potatoes in salty water until tender. Drain them well, then add the warm milk and mash until smooth. Season with salt and a big pinch of black pepper.
Grease a 18 x 28cm baking dish with a little duck fat, then pile in the meat and cover with the mashed potato. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for about 25 minutes or until browned and bubbling.
Serve with carrots and greens.
(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Secret France, BBC Books, 2019.)
Prawns actually pair very well with feta, which is always a bit suprising to us. It’s nice to have a lighter dish amongst all the winter soups and stews.
Wine Suggestion: we think this suits a white grown somehwere around the Mediterranean, like tonight’s choice of the Hatzidakis Santorini Cuvée 15, a wonderfully fresh and complex Assyrtiko with honeysuckle and herbs on the nose followed by a textured, almost salty palate.
Prawn & feta pilaf – serves 4
225g basmati rice
15g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra to
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
275g tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
a big bunch of dill, chopped
a big bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped
a handful of mint leaves, chopped
400ml fish stock or light chicken stock
350g raw prawns, shelled and deveined
juice of ½ lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve
55g black kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
75g feta cheese, crumbled
Rince the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. Leave to soak for an hour if you have the time, then rinse again.
Heat the butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is cooked and the tomatoes have softened. Stir in the rice and half the herbs, season well, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Boil hard until the rice starts to look pitted, with little holes in the service and it seems like the liquid has disapeared.
Wrap a clean tea towel around the lid of the pan and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and leave to cook for 20 minutes.
When the rice is almost ready, dry the prawns on kitchen paper and quickly sauté in a little olive oil over a high heat. Squeeze over the lemon juice and season with black pepper and salt.
When the rice is cooked, fork through the olives, remaining herbs and lemon juice with a good glug of your best extra virgin olive oil. Transfer to a serving platter, then scatter over the feta and mound the prawns on top. Drizzle again with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.
(Original recipe from Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons by Diana Henry, Aster*, 2024.)
This is delicious and goes perfectly with a bowl of warm couscous. It’s better to ask for the meat in one piece so you can cut it into big chunks yourself – the pre-cubed stuff is usually cut too small and will disappear into the sauce.
Wine Suggestion: If you’d like to keep to the theme a good, dry Oloroso sherry works well, but if you’d rather a red like we did tonight, something from a warm vineyard region may hit the mark … just make sure it’s balanced and not too hot from alcohol. Our choice was a treasured bottle brought from OZ many years ago of Hanging Rock’s Heathcote Shiraz. Dense and textured in youth this opens up and retains a freshness and layered velvetiness over many years of cellar aging too.
Spanish lamb with sherry – serves 4
1kg lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, then cubed
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
½ tsp paprika
250ml medium sherry
250ml lamb stock
generous pinch of saffron threads
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1½ tbsp honey
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
couscous, to serve
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large casserole and brown the lamb in batches, then set aside.
Add the ½ tbsp of oil to the casserole, then add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are golden and the peppers have softened. Add the garlic and paprika and stir for a minutes, then add the sherry and bring to a simmer.
Return the lamb to the casserole, along with the stock, saffron, sherry vinegar and honey. Season and bring to just under the boil. Turn the heat down, cover the pan with a lid and cook very gently for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid from the casserole and continue to cook for another 30 minutes to reduce the liquid to a gravy-like consistency and the lamb should be very tender.
Serve with some warm couscous.
(Original recipe by Diana Henry in BBC Good Food Magazine, October, 2017.)
Such a lovely recipe, and you can of course use smoked salmon. We like smoked trout from Goatsbridge which is a local supplier. Recipe inspiration from the new Ottolenghi book – Comfort. You must have a green salad and a glass of white wine to serve. If you have a mandolin it will cut the potatoes and fennel just right.
Wine Suggestion: Weserved an oddity/one-off from Chateau Hureau from Saumur in the Loire. They grew a low quantity of Chenin Blanc grapes in 2022 due to frost so decided to make a Blanc de Noirs from Cabernet Franc for a bit of fun. Only available at cellar door it’s both crisp and fresh, but significantly has bags of texture which this dish needs. Look for whites with a touch of skin contact, or aged on lees as a substitute.
Potato, fennel & smoked trout bake – serves 4
200ml milk
425ml double cream
2 anchovies, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed with skin on
1 lemon, skin finely shaved into strips
2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground
850g Yukon gold or red potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ cm thick slices
1-2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
4 egg yolks
10g dill fronds, roughly chopped
20g chives, finely chopped
20g parsley leaves, finely chopped
1½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened
200g smoked trout (or smoked salmon) slices, roughly torn
for the lemon butter sauce:
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp capers, roughly chopped
40g unsalted butter, fridge cold and roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 170C fan.
Put the milk, cream, anchovies, garlic, lemon strips and ground fennel into a small saucepan. Place over a low heat and warm for 10 minutes, making sure it never comes to the boil. Give it a stir now and then and press on the solids to get plenty of flavour out of them. Remove from the heat.
Put the potato and fennel slices into a saucepan and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks with ¾ tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper in a large bowl. Strain the infused milk into the eggs, pressing on the solids against the sieve. Whisk to combine.
Combine all the herbs in bowl. Measure out 2 tbsp and reserve for the butter sauce.
Grease an ovenproof dish with ½ tbsp of the butter. Spoon a third of the potato and fennel over the base and grind over some pepper. Sprinkle over half the herbs and lay half the smoked trout over the top. Repeat with half the remaining potatoes and fennel, season with pepper, then add all the remanining trout and the rest of the herbs. Arrange a final layer of potato and fennel on top and carefully pour over the egg mixture. Grind over some more pepper and dot over the remaining butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until set and just golden. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make the lemon butter sauce. Put the lemon juice into a small saucepan on a medium-high heat and bring to a bubble. Allow to bubble for 1 minute, then add the capers and butter, a few pieces at a time. Whisk until smooth and creamy, then remove from the heat and stir in the reserved herbs and some more pepper. Spoon over the dish and serve warm with a green salad.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller & Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2024.)
This has lovely flavours and best cooked a couple of days in advance. Make sure to cook the lamb until it is really soft and tender.
Wine Suggestion: this dish works great with Aussie Shiraz, like Kilikanoon’s excellent Killerman’s Run which has the obligatory pluminess over a very refined and fresh backbone with gentle pepper spices.
Lamb Rogan Josh – serves 4
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
700g lamb neck, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 whole cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
5cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tbsp of ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground cardamom
15g bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
200ml thick Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
100g red lentils
300ml chicken stock
steamed rice, to serve
mango chutney, to serve
extra fresh coriander, to serve
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pan. Add the lamb in batches and fry until well browned, then set aside.
Add another 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan, then fry the cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves for a few seconds. Add the onions and stir-fry for 6-7 minutes, until browned. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for 2 minutes, then add the ground spices with the fresh coriander and fry for another minute, stirring.
Add the yoghurt, 1 tbsp at a time, frying for about 30 seconds between each addition and stirring constantly.
Tip the lamb back into the pan and stir in the tomatoes with the lentils and stock. Season to taste, then cover and simmer gently for 2 hours or until very soft and tender. The sauce should have reduced and thickened.
Serve the lamb with steamed rice, mango chutney and some fresh coriander.
(Original recipe from Neven Maguire’s Comple Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)
A tasty side dish that is similar to Spanish Patatas Bravas but with the flavours changed up. Usefully you can make the sauce in advance and re-heat just before serving.
a handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, to serve
crumbled feta, to serve
FOR THE SAUCE:
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, bashed and thinly sliced
250g (drained weight) roasted red peppers from a jar, roughly chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 heaped tbsp rose harissa
1 tbsp caster sugar
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas 7.
Line a baking tray with paper. Mix the spices with the garlic oil. Put the potatoes into a large bowl, pour over the spice mixture and toss to coat. Spread them out evenly on the tray, season with some salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.
To make the sauce, drizzle some olive oil into a saucpean, add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers, tomatoes and harissa and season well with salt. Cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in the sugar and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and whizz until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve the potatoes on a platter with the sauce poured over and feta and coriander scattered over the top.
(Original recipe from Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster*, 2023.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 