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Recipes

Here is our small but growing library of recipes. Feel free to send us your recipes and suggested wine pairings too! We’d love to include them on the site.

Peruse all the recipes by scrolling down. Alternatively click on the links below and a printer-friendly pop-up will appear for your convenience.

 

 

Rack of Lamb with Herbes de Provence and Lavender Crust

Thanks to: Emma Bland

Course: Main

Serves: 4/6

Wine Pairing:

Masseria Pietrosa

Ingredients

2 racks of lamb, trimmed
150g breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
5 heads of lavender, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 220°C.
  2. Place lamb, meat side down, on a baking tray and cook for 10 minutes.
  3. Mix the breadcrumbs, Herbes de Provence, lavender, 1 tablespoon honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Remove lamb from oven and place on tray with ‘rack’ pointing upwards.
  5. Brush remainder of honey onto lamb and press the crumb mix over the meat.
  6. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes until medium rare.

Suggested Accompaniments

Asparagus
French Beans
Lentils

 

 

Fish Cakes with Tartar Sauce

Thanks to: Teresa Pabst

Course: Main

Serves: 4/6

Wine Pairing:

Quinta do Ameal Loureiro

Ingredients

500g salmon, skin and bones removed, diced into 1cm cubes
500g haddock, skin and bones removed, diced into 1cm cubes
150g bread crumbs
6 spring onions, white portion only, finely diced
110-220g mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dried parsley
6-8 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

16-20 large grape leaves or parchment paper
Wooden cocktail sticks

For the sauce
220g mayonnaise
1 tablespoon gherkins, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

Method

  1. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate until ready to serve.
  2. Mix fish cake ingredients together in large bowl, adding enough mayonnaise and mustard to ensure the fish will hold together.
  3. Shape into fish cakes (about 8-10cm diameter).
  4. Place fish cake in the middle of a large grape leaf (shiny side down) or parchment and wrap using multiple leaves if necessary and sealing with a cocktail stick. 
  5. Barbeque each wrapped cake over direct heat about 5 minutes on each side - until the leaves are well charred and the cakes are firm.
  6. Serve immediately with sauce. Note the leaves may be eaten.

Suggested Accompaniments

Homemade chips

 

 

Portuguese Cod

Thanks to: Emma Bland

Course: Main

Serves: 4

Wine Pairing: Quinta do Ameal Loureiro

Ingredients

4 x 200g cod fillets (thick)
1 large onion, diced
6 vine-ripened tomatoes
½ jar sun-dried tomatoes
250ml fish stock
175ml white wine
3 tablespoons fresh flat leave parsley, chopped
Butter for frying
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the cod, skin down for one minute.
  2. Place cod in a casserole dish and set aside.
  3. Fry onion and tomatoes in pan until soft. Then add stock and white wine and reduce for 10 minutes.
  4. Pour reduced sauce over the fish.
  5. Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes and olives over the top.
  6. Cover and place in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC for 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of cod.
  7. Remove from oven and if required, remove fish and heat sauce again to further reduce before serving.

Suggested Accompaniments

New potatoes
Green salad
Brown Rice
Quinoa

 

 

Braised Rabbit with Mustard and Cider

Thanks to: Emma Bland

Course: Main

Serves: 4

Wine Pairing: Grüner Veltliner Federspiel or Bourgeuil Cuvée Binette

Ingredients

2 rabbits, quartered (remove rib cages)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 pint dry cider
3 tablespoons course grain mustard
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
400mls double cream
Butter for frying

Method

  1. Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and brown the rabbit pieces.
  2. In a separate heavy-bottomed pan, melt a knob of butter and fry the garlic and onions until opaque and soft.
  3. Add rabbit pieces and cover with cider and cream.
  4. Once simmering, add rosemary and mustard and bring to the boil.
  5. Reduce heat and simmer for 1½ hours.
  6. Serve on a bed of fresh tagliatelle and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Suggested Accompaniments

Fresh tagliatelle pasta

 

 

Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb with Puy Lentils and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Thanks to: Phil Tyers

Course: Main

Serves: 4

Wine Pairing: Hochar Père et Fils Red or Secateurs Red

Ingredients

½ shoulder of lamb
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
500g Puy lentils
½ jar sun-dried tomatoes
250ml red wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven at 200ºC.
  2. Coarsely chop the onion and garlic.
  3. Place onions and garlic in the bottom of a casserole dish, put lamb shoulder on top, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
  4. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 150ºC and cook for a further 2 ½ hours.
  5. For the Puy lentils, whilst lamb is cooking, cook for 30 minutes in water or until tender.
  6. Roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes into 1/8th’s.
  7. Add lentils, tomatoes and red wine to casserole dish and cook for a further 30 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven, de-bone the lamb and remove any fat.
  9. Place the meat back into the centre of the casserole dish, separate and serve directly.

Suggested Accompaniments

Roasted butternut squash
Mashed sweet potato
French beans
Black olive mash

 

 

Aubergine Caponata

Thanks to: Natasha Hughes

Course: Side

Serves: 2

Wine Pairing: Mauricio Lorca, Malbrontés or Secateurs Red

Ingredients

1 aubergine, cut into 2.5 cm cubes
Olive oil for cooking
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded, chopped
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon raisins
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
A handful of basil leaves, torn with your fingers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Place the aubergine chunks in a colander, salt generously and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry before frying the cubes in batches in the olive oil until lightly brown. Drain on paper towels and place to one side.
  2. Drizzle olive oil into your pan or heavy-bottomed pot and gently sauté the onions until softly translucent, then add the garlic and fry for a further 30 seconds. Add the celery and sauté until soft, then stir in the chopped tomato and cook for a further few minutes, until the liquid released from the tomato has evaporated.
  3. Stir in the aubergine, pine nuts and raisins, then sprinkle with sugar and vinegar and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Season generously then taste. Adjust sugar or vinegar to balance flavours, if necessary, cooking for a further few minutes if you add either. Hint – while doing this, take a little taste of the wine you’re about to serve – when the two are in harmony, stop tinkering!
  4. Place to one side and allow the dish to cool until needed. Reheat and briefly stir in the basil leaves, until just wilted, serve and enjoy.

Suggested Accompaniments

Rosemary garlic lamb cutlets
Warm chickpeas roughly mashed with olive oil

 

 

Beef and Prune Tagine

Thanks to: Natasha Hughes

Course: Main

Serves: 2

Wine Pairing: Les Clos Perdus Prioundo, Badenhorst Red Shiraz-Mourvedre-Cinsault or Mauricio Lorca, Malbrontés

Ingredients

400g steak, cut into 4 cm cubes
1 onion, coarsely grated
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon each ground ginger, cumin, paprika
A pinch of saffron
Olive oil
400g can chopped tomatoes
A strip of orange peel, pith removed
1 cinnamon stick
8-12 Agen prunes, stone removed
1-2 tablespoons runny honey
30g toasted blanched whole almonds
A bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Put the beef in a bowl and add the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, saffron and a generous twist of pepper. Mix well, cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
  2. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Heat some oil in a heavy-bottom casserole and brown the meat in batches.
  3. When all the beef has been browned, place it back in the casserole and scrape over any remaining marinade. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes, orange rind and cinnamon. Season well.
  4. Place a lid on the casserole and put it into the oven. Gently cook until the meat is very tender, between 2 and 2½ hours.
  5. Place the prunes in a small saucepan with the honey and just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the prunes and their cooking juices, along with the toasted almonds, to the meat and cook gently on the stove for another 10-15 minutes (this can be done as you’re reheating the tagine).
  6. Stir in the coriander. Serve and enjoy.

Suggested Accompaniments

Couscous - mix in a few saffron threads as you’re re-hydrating the grains for an exotic twist

 

 

Chicken Liver Paté

Thanks to: Natasha Hughes

Course: Starter

Serves: 2

Wine Pairing: Lagrein Dunkel Trentino or Bourgeuil Cuvée Binette

Ingredients

100g chicken livers (if you can get hold of them, duck livers would be a delicious substitute)
100g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Madeira or brandy
A small clove garlic, crushed
A pinch of ground mace
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Clean the livers.
  2. Melt about 10-15g of the butter in a frying pan.
  3. Fry the livers over a gentle heat, turning frequently, until just cooked through. Don’t overcook or they’ll turn leathery, but make sure they’re not still pink in the middle. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor.
  4. Deglaze the pan with the alcohol. This should ensure you make the most of those yummy cooking juices.
  5. Stir in the garlic and cook gently for a few seconds. Add to the livers with the thyme, mace and most of the remaining butter. Season and blend until smooth.
  6. Spoon the paté out into individual ramekins or one larger bowl.
  7. Melt the remaining butter, then pour over the top of the paté to seal.

Suggested Accompaniments

Crusty French bread
An assortment of charcuterie and dips (baba ganoush, hummous enlivened with a sprinkling of hot paprika and a drizzle of olive oil and some marinated feta)