Sushi and Genmaicha (Japanese green tea with roasted rice)

To the incomprehension of my husband who can’t see the point in raw fish, I adore sushi and try to eat it at least once a week - usually with one of my daughters who are both big sushi fans.

Normally I accompany it with green tea but I’ve just discovered this totally addictive organic roasted rice tea called Genmaicha made by Clearspring which matches even better - the faint sesame nuttiness of the rice offsetting the slight fattiness of the fish and the delicate sweetness of the rice.

It needs to be served cooler than we typically drink tea in Britain but don’t let it steep or you’ll lose its delicate flavours. I make it double the strength and then take out the teabags after a minute and let the tea cool for about 10 minutes.

Another good pairing, which I enjoyed at the weekend with daughter no. 2, is a crisp Japanese lager such as Kirin which also pairs brilliantly with tempura. Beer and batter being great bedfellows.

Cheese fondue and Chasselas

I was beginning to think we’d managed to skip winter this year before last week’s icy blasts and snow came as a timely reminder we’ve got a good few weeks to go yet. So there’s still time to enjoy one of winter’s great favourites - a Swiss cheese fondue.

Fondue is one of the very few dishes where your choice of drink is critical. The worst thing you can do, according to a Swiss restaurateur I once interviewed, is to down several glasses of iced water which solidifies the cheese in your stomach and makes it indigestible. Red wine also doesn’t match well at all (the warm, slightly acid cheese accentuates its tannins).

Crisp dry fruity whites such as Chasselas from Switzerland or Chignin from Savoie are the best pairings - a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of the cheese though if you don’t have access to either of these you could pick a dry Pinot Grigio. Artisanal cider can also work very well particularly if the fondue is made from cider rather than the usual white wine. And a glass of chilled kirsch or other white eau de vie or grappa makes a welcome digestif at the end of the meal.

Aubergine (eggplant) and Zinfandel

This coming weekend sees the 16th annual festival of the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) in San Francisco. I went one year and it was an absolute blast - two great sheds filled with hundreds of enthusiasts enjoying this great belter of a red.

Zinfandel is believed to come originally from Croatia but is essentially the same variety as southern Italy’s Primitivo. And it does pair very well with the strong flavours of southern Italian food especially cooked tomatoes and aubergine/eggplant. It’s a great wine to drink with an aubergine bake or with pasta dishes like the Rigatoni with Aubergine, Sausage and Zinfandel sauce in Winelovers Kitchen. And I love matching it with a good moussaka or a lamb and aubergine stew

At the time of writing there were still tickets available for Thursday’s Good Eats and Zinfandel Pairing event which takes place from 6-9pm at the Fort Mason Center at the Herbst Pavilion where a selection of the 300 wineries that are exhibiting offer a dish to go with their wines. Click on the name of the event for details - featured dishes include Zinfandel braised wild boar with truffled polenta, mussels with chorizo and black beans, braised buffalo osso buco and BBQ ribs.

Image © Николай Григорьев - Fotolia.com

Manzanilla and tapas

I was reminded just how enjoyable this combination is the other day when I dropped by London’s latest tapas bar Barrafina and enjoyed a pre-dinner pick-up of a glass of Hidalgo with some al-i-oli and toast. The sharp tangy sherry was the perfect foil for the crisp toast and silky, garlic-flavoured mayo that accompanied it.

Manzanilla is the driest of Spain’s sherries. It’s made right on the coast in the small town of Sanlucar de Barrameda which gives it an almost salty flavour. It should be served freshly opened and well chilled. (It’s better to buy in half bottles than full size ones so you can finish it within a couple of days) It will go with any kind of tapa - roasted almonds, olives, slices of chorizo, wedges of tortilla and any kind of crisply fried fish as well as the more ambitious creations that they serve at Barrafina such as Tuna Tartar and Grilled Chicken with Romesco Sauce.

Barrafina, which is at 54 Frith Street in Soho, is the latest enterprise from brothers Sam and Eddie Hart who opened the very successful Fino a couple of years ago. It’s a tiny place, as many authentic tapas bars are - just a counter (if a very posh counter) with seating and standing along the side. There’s no booking which is a refreshing change in these days of 2 month waiting lists. Good for a pre-theatre drink.

Image © stockcreations - Fotolia.com