A spring lunch for 4

Although the blossom is out it still feels a bit nippy at night so here's a light lunch to enjoy with a couple of friends that has a touch of spring about it but still includes a warming stew.

The centrepiece is a simple but very delicious lamb stew from my book Meat and Two Veg that many people have told me they’ve enjoyed. It’s followed by a luxurious spin on lemon meringue pie which contains the delectable lemon liqueur limoncello. (That makes the meal quite lemony, I realise, but you’ll find it tastes quite different in each course.)

If you want to save time you could serve a simple selection of smoked fish patés or smoked fish to start with and finish with a shop-bought tarte au citron (lemon tart).

Smoked mackerel brandade

Think of a brandade as a silky-smooth, slightly sloppy pt and you’ll get the idea. It’s normally made with salt cod (brandade de morue) but I think the less salty, smokier mackerel works equally well.

Serves 4

250g pack smoked mackerel fillets
1 large clove of garlic, peeled, roughly chopped and crushed with a pinch of salt
50ml (2 fl oz) warm fragrant olive oil
50-75 ml (2-3 fl oz) warm creamy milk
About 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets and flake the flesh, removing any bones. Tip into a food processor with the garlic and whiz for a minute. Pour in the warm olive oil and milk alternately until you have a velvety smooth, slightly sloppy pate. Season to taste with lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper. Pour into a bowl and chill for 15-30 minutes to let the flavours infuse. Serve with roast piquillo peppers and toasted sourdough.

To drink: a chilled dry fino or manzanilla sherry would go very well with this or a Sauvignon Blanc.

Roast piquillo peppers

2-3 large red piquillo peppers or other ordinary red peppers (sweet bell peppers)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced (optional)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Quarter the peppers and remove the seeds and lay them in a baking dish, cut side upwards. Scatter over the garlic, season with salt and pepper and drizzle the peppers with olive oil. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until the peppers are soft and caramelised. Cool in the dish before serving

Alternative cheat’s method: take a jar of piquillo peppers, drain and slice them. Gently heat a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil in a pan, add 1 clove of garlic finely sliced and infuse on a very low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the peppers and warm through.

Spring lamb stew with herbs and lemon

This easy and delicious stew comes from my cookbook Meat and Two Veg.

Serves 4

500g lean lamb steaks, cubed
3 tbsp light olive or sunflower oil
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
Grated rind of 1/2 a lemon
1 rounded tbsp plain flour
350ml (12 fl oz) chicken stock or stock made with 1/2 an organic chicken stock cube
125g (4 1/2 oz - podded weight) small fresh or frozen broad beans
75g (3 oz) fresh or frozen peas
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp crme frache or double cream
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice to season

Trim any excess fat off the lamb. Heat a frying pan over a high heat for 2–3 minutes, add 1 tbsp of the oil and fry the meat quickly on all sides until lightly browned. Transfer to a casserole or saucepan. Turn the heat down, add the remaining oil and tip in the chopped onion and carrot and cook gently for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the lemon rind and flour, stir for a minute then add the stock and bring to the boil. Pour the stock and vegetables over the meat, cover and simmer over a low heat for about 45 minutes until the meat is just tender. Add the broad beans and peas, bring back to simmering point and continue to cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are ready. Turn off the heat and stir in the dill, parsley and crme frache or cream. Season with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon. Serve with buttered new potatoes or rice.

To drink: This stew is lighter than most lamb dishes so I suggest drinking a light red burgundy or Pinot Noir.

Limoncello meringue pie

Limoncello - a luscious lemon liqueur from Italy - gives this traditional favourite a stylish new twist.

Serves 6

1 x 375g pack fresh dessert shortcrust pastry )+ a little plain flour for dusting
75ml (3 fl oz) Limoncello liqueur
225g (8 oz) caster sugar
40g (1 1/2 oz) cornflour
The rind and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
3 large eggs, separated
You will need a 23cm (9 in) tart tin with a removable base

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Take the pastry out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you need it then roll it out on a floured board or work surface to fit the tin. Roll the pastry loosely round your rolling pin then carefully lower it into place without stretching it, pressing it gently against the sides of the tin. Cut the excess pastry off the top with a sharp knife. Prick the bottom of the pastry case with a fork. Take a large sheet of aluminium foil and press it into the pastry case so that it covers the base and sides then chill the flan tin for about 30 minutes. Place the tin on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully pull away the foil then return the pastry case to the oven for another 5 minutes until it is lightly browned. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.

Meanwhile measure the Limoncello into a jug and top up with water to the 275ml (10 fl oz) mark. Put the cornflour and 75g (3 oz) of the sugar into a saucepan then gradually add the lemon liquid, stirring until it is smooth. Add the lemon rind then bring to the boil over a moderate heat, stirring until the mixture thickens and becomes transparent. Turn the heat down and cook for another minute then take the pan off the heat and strain in the lemon juice and beat in the eggs. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then spread over the base of the flan case.

Put the egg whites in a large clean bowl and whisk until they just hold their shape. Gradually add the caster sugar, a dessertspoon at a time, whisking hard between each addition until you have a glossy, stiff, shiny meringue. Spoon the meringue over the lemon filling taking care to cover the whole of the top of the tart and swirl it into peaks. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the meringue is crisp and pale brown. Leave the pie to cool for at least 15 minutes then serve warm or cold with cream.

To drink: A slightly tricky dish to match with wine. A Moscato d’Asti is probably the most appropriate choice but given the pie already contains some alcohol it doesn’t really need to be accompanied by a dessert wine.

Which wine to choose for Thanksgiving

The first thing to bear in mind about Thanksgiving - and for that matter Christmas - is that it’s as much about mood as food. Who you’re inviting, what age they are and how big your party is are factors every bit as important as what you’re eating.

I say this particularly because the main Thanksgiving meal and the meals around it are hard ones to match: what you need is a wine that is going to cope with a whole battery of delicious flavours.

Personally I always like to start a celebratory meal like this with a glass of sparkling wine which gets everyone into the festive spirit. It doesn’t have to be Champagne (though in our house it usually is!) - there are many good substitutes available from cut price cava (good for parties) and crémants to Champagne lookalikes that come from premium sparkling wine-producing areas such as California and New Zealand.

If you’re starting with a soup such as a pumpkin soup or a creamy chowder as you may well be I’d suggest a smooth dry unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay or a Chenin Blanc. That might sound like a bit of a cop-out - everyone drinks Chardonnay but that’s because everyone likes Chardonnay - and for festive family meals what you’re looking for are crowd pleasers. Smooth dry whites are also just about the best available match for soup.

If you’re planning some kind of seafood starter Sauvignon Blanc is generally a safe bet though if it incorporates Asian flavours you could serve a dry or off-dry Riesling.

For the turkey itself I would offer a choice of white or red - a full-bodied Chardonnay or Viognier for the more adventurous and a ripe fruity red - something like a Zinfandel, Merlot, Carmenère, Shiraz or a full bodied Pinot Noir (lighter styles may get swamped by the big flavours of typical turkey accompaniments). These wines will work with a Thanksgiving ham too.

Your instinct may well be to bring out a much treasured old bottle you’ve been saving for a special occasion but I would save it for a smaller gathering and a simpler menu. What you need with turkey and its trimmings is a wine that is vibrantly fruity not one that’s faded and delicate. If you don’t already have a favourite bottle in mind it’s a good idea to visit a local wine shop or merchant that has regular tastings so you can try a selection of different wines before you buy.

Desserts again can be a bit of a minefield for wine, particularly if you’re serving more than one. Pumpkin pie, I’ve found is particularly good with a southern French Muscat or Spanish Moscatel, wines which would also work with a traditional apple pie.

If you’re serving a chocolate dessert however I’d suggest a sweet red wine such as a sweet Shiraz. or, again for adventurous guests, iced shots of a raspberry-flavoured liqueur or a cherry brandy. The basic rule to bear in mind is that your wine should be sweeter than your dessert - and served well chilled.

You may also find this post useful on the difference between the Thanksgiving turkey and a Christmas turkey when it comes to choosing wine and this longer post on drink matches for pumpkin pie.

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

A perfect vineyard lunch

As I mentioned in my last post our last lunch of the Oregon trip was at Cristom where sales director (no less!) John D'Anna cooked us a great meal. Here's how he did it and - where I have a link to them - the recipes he used. Try it!

Panzanella
The perfect recipe to make at this time of year, especially if you have access - as John did - to heirloom tomatoes. I don't think any of Cristom's wines were perfectly suited to it - the Pinot Gris fared best - but I'd have gone for a Sauvignon Blanc, dry Italian white or a rosé. John got his recipe from the Saveur Italian cookbook. I would guess it's probably this one. The toasting of the bread definitely added to the texture.

Hot smoked salmon salad with corncakes
A star recipe originally from Alfred Portale's Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook. Basically an assembly of warm hot smoked salmon, spring (green onion), finely sliced peppers, chives and sour cream on a corncake made with fresh wine corn I would guess. Just delicious and the perfect foil for both the 2008 Cristom Pinot Gris and ’08 Germaine Vineyard Chardonnay. (Chardonnay loves corn!)

Spoon lamb with pomegranate and white beans
At first sight this looks like more of a winter dish but lamb is lighter than beef, especially when sauced this exotic way. (The recipe comes from Anna Sorton of Oleana restaurant in Boston) The touch of pomegranate provided the ideal bridging ingredient to winemaker Steve Doerner’s glorious 2007 Sommers Reserve Pinot Noir and white beans are always a great textural foil for a medium or full-bodied red.

Oregon - and British - cheeseboard
I love the presentation of this cheeseboard with its casually scattered cherries. The local cheeses were Adelle (bottom left) a rich bloomy rinded cow and sheeps' cheese from Ancient Heritage Dairy, Sunset Bay (bottom right) a goats cheese with a line of smoked pimenton from Rivers Edge Farm, Boerenkaas, a hard Dutch-style cheese from the Willamette Valley dairy (top left) and - rather improbably - Cornish Yarg (top right). A well chosen selection to show off the older Pinot Noirs.

Raspberry buttermilk cake
I have to confess I didn't get round to tasting this as we had to shoot off for our next appointment but it looked lovely and was perfectly in balance with the rest of this delectably summery meal. It would be a good foil for a light lemony dessert wine too. Here's the recipe which comes from the late lamented Gourmet magazine.

What to drink at a wedding . . .

Q I am the best man at a wedding and agreed to provide the wine for the head table. The couple is serving a soy, ginger salmon and chicken dish (i assume you get a choice). Any thoughts?

A The soy and ginger salmon would probably go best with an aromatic white such as a riesling or riesling blend but that may not be the best choice for the chicken. Probably the easiest solution would be to have an unoaked chardonnay and a pinot noir - both versatile grapes that would go with most flavours and also be familiar to most of the guests at the wedding. A medium bodied merlot - i.e. without extended oak ageing - should also work.