Match of the week

Chicken, lemon and olive tagine with Rioja reserva

Friends came round the other night and I cooked one of my favourite new recipes - a chicken, lemon and olive tagine (which appears in my forthcoming book Food, Wine and Friends, she adds, unable to resist a cheap plug!). One of the reasons it’s slightly different from the authentic Moroccan version is that I remove the chicken skin which makes the dish a lot lighter.

You might be surprised at the idea of pairing it with a Rioja but I’ve found in the past that red wines are better than white with this dish. Whites tend to be too similar, too lemony. Reds offer a pleasing contrast of colour and flavour.

A chicken tagine contains two bitter ingredients, preserved lemons and green olives that bring out the sweet fruit in a red wine so I wouldn’t choose a wine that was very ripe and sweet-tasting already like a new world Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz. An aged Rioja, with its soft, mellow cooked-strawberry fruit fits the bill perfectly. Ours was a Contino Rioja Reserva 2002, which came, surprisingly, from Marks and Spencer. Or not so surprisingly. M & S has some decent wines these days.

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Liza on November 24 2012 at 18:211353781265

Hello Whitemist, Is your comment in reagdrs to the Fez? Can you share a bit of info?When I was recently at The Fez I met the manager, chef and some of the staff and found them pleasurable, and interesting. Specifically, in reagdrs to the manager, I found him extremely professional and knowledgeable with years of experience. In fact, I was surprised to discover that he was the restaurant consultant that redesigned the food and beverage menus at a French Bistro in Providence that I frequently visited. His efforts made a big impact; the Bistro was my first choice when I was in Providence. My experience at The Fez was positive, the Manager was delightful and I'll go back when I'm in the area as well as, strongly recommend The Fez too!