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:

Soup a l'oignon pour digerer
A classic French onion soup recipe 'to aid the digestion' from Stephane Reynaud's Ripailles (Feasts). The French would drink a simple carafe wine with this such as an Aligoté (crisp white wine from Burgundy) and I don't think you can really better that.

Salt cod 'Scotch eggs' with aioli
A brilliant idea from Richard Corrigan's 'The Clatter of Forks and Spoons': eggs, wrapped with a salt cod and potato mixture rather than a sausagemeat one. It's a slightly tricky match given the salt cod and garlicky aioli - you could try sparkling wine which always goes well with deep fried food but I think I'd probably go for a modern Portuguese white or Rhone- or Languedoc-based blend of Marsanne and Roussanne.  A Reuilly from the Loire which combines a slight earthiness with crisp acidity might also work.

Crisp Belly of Pork with Lentils and Granny Smith apple purée
This delicious recipe from Anthony Demetre's Today's Special is an easy-going dish that could go with red or white wine, beer or cider. So far as red wines are concerned I'd be looking for a rustic French red such as a Marcillac or a good Côtes du Rhône Villages. You could try an Alsace riesling, an American IPA or a sparkling Normandy cider.

Moroccan meatballs
I love meatballs so this recipe from Allegra McEvedy's Leon, an original and inspiring book we gave our eldest daughter for Christmas, really appeals. The meatballs are quite mild but the sauce, which contains harissa. is spicy so I'd think in terms of an inexpensive Syrah or new wave Spanish Tempranillo  without too much obvious oak influence.

If you found this post helpful and would like to support the website which is free to use it would be great if you'd make a donation towards its running costs or sign up to my regular Substack newsletter Eat This, Drink That for extra benefits.

CONTRIBUTE HERE