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Wines to match recipes from Mark Hix' cookbooks of 2008
In the Independent today cookery writer Mark Hix features four recipes from his favourite cookbooks of 2008. Here are my drink suggestions to pair with them:
The extraordinary food and wine of Georgia
There's no tradition of wine & food pairing in Georgia because, "we're permanently in the process of eating and drinking, so everyone is continuously matching for themselves," firmly declared Georgia's 'wine queen', Tina Kezeli, my host for a week's tour of eastern Georgia's Kakheti wine region. Georgian meals are lavish affairs with tables laden with dishes appearing in regular sequence but without regard for timing or harmonious wine pairing. Some guidance is needed.
Wines to match Mark Hix's alternative Christmas feast
As regular visitors to this site may have gathered, I'm a big fan of the Independent's cookery writer, Mark Hix. This is exactly the kind of meal I would cook if I didn't have to dish up the turkey and Christmas pudding for a family who would be outraged at any departure from tradition. And this is what I would drink with it:
Wines to match Valentine Warner's Christmas recipes
With his rugged good looks and easy charm, Valentine Warner has been the upcoming celebrity chef this year. Here are wine suggestions for three of his recipes in the Telegraph today:
Wine hits and misses at Corrigan's
As was the case with his previous restaurants, Corrigan’s, which I reviewed yesterday, has a fascinating and idiosyncratic list put together with the help of the ingenious Douglas Wregg of Caves de Pyrne, the company which is also behind the excellent new Terroirs ‘natural’ wine bar* just off Trafalgar Square.
A perfect starter for credit crunch entertaining
In London the trend was started by Rowley Leigh and picked up on by Paul Merrony of the Giaconda Dining Room*. The return of hors d’oeuvres, that tasty little selection of small dishes that preceded tapas but which had fallen from favour along with many other elements of French bistro cuisine.
A surprisingly good pairing for air-dried ham
Think of an air-dried ham such as serrano and you probably think of tapas and therefore fino or manzanilla sherry. But I’ve experienced two recent wine matches which opened my eyes to another option that even those on a diet could enjoy!
An insider's guide to the Slow Food 'Salone'
Far from slow, and much more than a food salon, the biennial grand congress of the Slow Food movement has the stern old city of Turin abuzz, with world gastro-activists mingling with crowds of locals of all ages. The second biggest employer in its nearby HQ town of Bra, Slow is a heavyweight in Italy. Prince Charles sent a video message for the opening ceremony two weeks ago, and the Italian Foreign Minister a much longer one, booed by the crowd, for the closing.
Wines - and other drinks - to match Trina Hahnemann's Scandinavian menu
I’ve thought for a while that Scandinavian food is on the way up so am not surprised to find another new cookbook on the subject from Trina Hahnemann who Telegraph cookery writer Xanthe Clay dubs ‘Denmark’s answer to Nigella’ in the paper today.
What to drink with Mark Hix's budget feast
I’m torn about what to drink with Mark's recipes in The Independent today. Although they’re based on humble ingredients they’re classy recipes, most of which will take some time to prepare. An excuse for bringing out a good bottle from the cellar (or cupboard under the stairs) or finding an equally good value bottle? Here’s some alternative ways to play it.
Wines to match Mark Hix's Italian-inspired recipes
Mark had some particularly tempting dishes in the Independent yesterday which would, as he suggests, make a fantastic dinner party menu. Personally though, I never attempt a whole menu of new dishes on guests and prefer to try them out one by one. Here’s what I would drink with them:
What to drink with foraged food?
Mark Hix, a great forager himself, concentrates on recipes you can make from the hedgerow this week in The Independent (now is a good time to go to his new restaurant, I suggest . . . ) so I’m thinking a little outside the box as to what to pair with them. Country wines, made with hedgerow fruits, seem the perfect answer. I don’t know why we don’t see more of them.
Wines to match Skye Gyngell's seasonal recipes
I love Skye Gyngell’s simple food - great ingredients cooked with flair but never over-fussed. She cooks, as you may know, at the Petersham Caf in Richmond where available tables are as rare as hens teeth but happily her recipes crop up each week in the Independent on Sunday and today in the Telegraph.
Wines to match wild salmon
Forget for the moment my often-advocated match of chilled red wine with salmon, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a wild fish it deserves one of your best whites. Here are my suggested matches for Mark Hix’ recipes in the Independent today:
Wines to pair with fennel
Fennel is one of the handful of vegetables that can influence a main course pairing - almost always for the better. Its aniseed flavour seems to have a pronounced affinity with many wines, especially whites. Here are some suggested matches with recipes that two British chefs have published this weekend - Gordon Ramsay in the Times and Skye Gyngell in the Independent on Sunday.
Wines to match Mark Hix's favourite summer main courses and puddings
Seems to be food week for the broadsheets. The Guardian has a food supplement with menus from Britain’s top chefs (matched with wines by their wine columnist Victoria Moore) while the Indy has an extra-long selection of summer main courses and puds from their cookery writer Mark Hix. Since you can find Victoria’s matches online I’m tackling Mark’s dishes today:
Wines to match three very nice simple recipes from cookery writer Ken Hom
I was interested to read in the Telegraph this weekend that Ken Hom is planning to move from his French base in Cahors to spend more time in Italy and Thailand.
Wine and pepper
Like salt, pepper has a pronounced effect on wine, often making reds taste softer and lusher than they otherwise would. Unlike salt though, you also find peppery flavours in wines such as Northern Rhône Syrah and Austrian Grüner Veltliner.
Wines to match Skye Gyngell's al fresco menu
The problem with the old media is that their lead times are too long. Skye Gyngell, the Independent on Sunday’s food writer and chef at the heavenly Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Richmond probably wrote her al fresco menu in today’s edition a couple of weeks ago when the sun was blazing. Today the wind is howling and the rain lashing against the windows.No matter. It’s only May and summer will (hopefully) return. Here’s what I would suggest drinking with it.
Wines for some tricky Chinese dishes
When I read Mark Hix recipes in The Independent today they were so challenging that I nearly gave up but as everyone else seems to be writing about asparagus today and I’ve done a lot on asparagus recently there was no other option . . .
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