Peter Gordon's nam phrik num dressing

An amazingly delicious Thai-ish sauce that I discovered a few years ago when I was researching food pairings for pinot gris and which seems especially appropriate as I'm in New Zealand currently.

It comes from Peter Gordon of London’s Providores and Kopapa who recommends it with “fish, chicken, roast sweet potatoes, cassava chips, pumpkin and lots more besides”, according to his book Cook: at home with Peter Gordon.

I tried it with salmon which was perfect. You need a blender to make it.

For 8 generous main course servings

30ml lemon juice
250ml light salad oil
2 tsp Thai fish sauce
finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes
1 very ripe mango, approximately 400g, stoned and peeled
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely grated
(I'm guessing Peter means a chunk about 2.5cm/1 in square)
1-2 chillies of medium heat, cut into quarters
1 cup coriander, washed, drained then roughly chopped
15 mint leaves.

Put all the ingredients in a blender is the same order as they are listed above, starting with the liquids. Blend for 1 minutes, scraping down the sides if necessary. This dressing will keep for 2 days in the fridge but make sure you serve it at room temperature.

Rigatoni with aubergine (eggplant), sausage and Zinfandel sauce

A really robust pasta dish from my book Cooking with Wine - perfect for cold weather eating. The wine gives a richer, more warming flavour than the usual tomato-based sauce.

Serves 4

350g Italian sausages or other coarsely ground 100% pork sausages
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium aubergine (about 250-300g) cut into cubes
1 medium onion (about 150g), peeled and finely chopped
1 medium red pepper (about 150g), de-seeded and cut into roughly 2 cm squares
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
1 level tsp dried oregano
175ml zinfandel or other full bodied fruity red wine
175ml fresh chicken or light vegetable stock made with a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder
350g dried rigatoni or penne pasta
4 heaped tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slit the sausage skins with a sharp knife, peel off the skin and chop the sausage meat roughly. In a large frying pan or wok heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and brown the sausagemeat breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add another 2 tbsp of oil to the pan and stir fry the aubergine for 3-4 minutes till it starts to brown. Add the remaining oil and chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes then add the red pepper and fry for another minute or two.

Return the sausagemeat to the pan, stir in the tomato puree and cook for a minute then add the garlic, oregano and red wine. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half then add the stock, stir, and leave over a low heat to simmer while you cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack.

When the pasta is just cooked spoon off a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water into the sauce then drain it thoroughly and tip it into the sauce along with 3 tablespoons of the parsley.

Mix well together and leave off the heat for 2-3 minutes for the flavours to amalgamate. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the pasta and sauce into warm bowls and sprinkle with a little of the remaining parsley. You could also sprinkle over some grated parmesan if you like though I’m not sure that it needs it.

Recommended wine match:
Given you've got a bottle of Zinfandel open that would be the obvious match but you could also drink a southern Italian red like a Primitivo or a Syrah.

Jolly Old-Fashioned: a great seasonal twist on this cocktail classic

I was chatting to mixologist Robbie Bargh on Twitter (as you do) and told him I was looking for a great Christmas cocktail. His team at Gorgeous Group came up with this fantastic spiced rum and apple brandy Old Fashioned which totally hits the spot.

"A perfect digestif or dessert cocktail with mince pies, Christmas pud or even cheese" reckons Robbie.

Note the rum infusion needs to be started 24 hours ahead

Spiced Rum & Apple Brandy Old-fashioned

Serves 1 but you'd no doubt make it for more.

Ingredients:

20ml 5 y.o. Somerset Cider Brandy or other apple brandy

30ml 5.y.o. Eldorado or other 5 y.o. rum infused with raisins, sultanas & orange peel (see below*)

10ml Pedro Ximenez sherry

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

A twist of orange peel to finish

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with cubed ice and stir, checking for temperature and dilution**. Strain over cubed ice in a rocks glass (tumbler).

Twist the orange peel over the glass to release the orange zest and use as garnish.

* For the infusion prick raisins and sultanas, and finely pare the rind of 1 orange making sure to remove all the pith. Then add the ingredients to kilner jar, top with rum and steep for 24 hours.

** By this Robbie means make sure the temperature and strength of the cocktail are right. In other words taste it!

Two last minute Thanksgiving cocktails

You're probably all organised for the great day but just in case, here are a couple of clever ideas for festive cocktails using storecupboard ingredients from mixologist Myles Davies.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Sour

50ml bourbon (Myles recommends Buffalo Trace)
25ml freshly squeezed, strained lemon Juice
15ml cinnamon sugar*
1 very fresh small/medium egg white
1 tsp cranberry sauce

Shake all the ingredients together and strain into an ice-filled wine glass.

* If you buy cinnamon sugar it's best to blitz it in a blender or food processor for cocktails to make the consistency finer. Make a batch while you're at it. If you're making your own mix caster sugar in the proportions of 1 - 1 1/2 tsp to 250g/9oz sugar and blitz together as described

NOTE: this recipe contains raw egg

Pilgrims Punch

50ml Plymouth gin
25ml lemon juice
15ml cinnamon sugar (see note above)
1 tsp homemade or shop-bought apple sauce
1 very fresh small/medium egg white
Appletise

Shake all the ingredients together, and strain into an ice filled highball glass. Top up with Appletise. Garnish with an apple slice and a fine dusting of sieved cinnamon powder.

NOTE: this recipe contains raw egg