This is a great but simple recipe from Warren Mendes in Delicious magazine’s Daily Special series. We’ve cooked this a couple of times now, and made some small mods. Photo source: Delicious magazine September 2014

Here’s what you need:

• 4 Chicken Marylands (please get these from a real butcher and a real chicken if you can)
• 1 red capsicum, 1 green capsicum and 2 sweet chili peppers (light green yellow)
• 1 long, mild green or red chili, pips removed, or chili flakes
• 2 – 3 spring onions halved or quartered, add the chopped green ends as well
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 6- 8 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 2 field mushrooms sliced
• Tblspoon red wine vinegar
• Olive oil as needed
• Rosemary (fresh or dry)
• Oregano (fresh or dry)
• Seasoning

In the Delicious recipe, you toss the veggies into roasting pan with some of the olive oil and the vinegar, then mix the herbs with the rest of the olive oil, rub it over the chicken pieces and lay them on top. The recipe doesn’t mention seasoning so perhaps it’s taken for granted – it’s certainly needed so don’t hold back on that front (or on the dried herbs).

Roasting the dish that way for an hour, the juices from the chicken made a rich sauce that was too high in fat content for my liking. I cooked the same meal again but this time pan-fried the chicken for a few minutes on each side to brown it and seal in the juices. That worked a little better but needed a bit more liquid in the dish – olive oil or a little white wine if you prefer, or a little chicken stock. The final dish should be fairly dry but if you prefer a bit of sauce just add more wine or stock.

The flavours are terrific, and it’s dead easy to make. We had a pile of green beans with it but pasta would work well with this dish, or rice.

And now the most important question: what wine do you serve with this dish?

Here are a few suggestions:

Leo Buring Clare Valley Dry Riesling 2013 – $15 at Kemenys. Riesling is the perfect match for roast chicken, and this Leo Buring packs plenty of flavour to match the Peparonata. It’s one of the best Rieslings we saw last year.

Sons of Eden Freya Riesling 2013 – $20 at Kemenys. Corey Ryan at Sons of Eden makes one of the best in South Australia. The 2012 was a benchmark, and the 2013 is in the same class. Limes, talc, minerals, and above all terrific flavour combined with real finesse. Stunning.

Hill Smith Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay 2012 – $18 at Jim’s Cellars. A complex Chardonnay that’s had a fair bit of work done to it and is beginning to show terrific integration of flavours in a polished package.

Kim

It’s not just easy, it’s a knockout too, but it’s a casserole really

You can use several cuts of pork for this dish, as long as they have a certain amount of fat: a boned pork neck or pork shoulder, and even the cheaper end of a pork loin. The cooking time depends on the kind of cut you get and how tough or tender it is. We used a cheap piece of pork loin.

I always forget to take a photo when I’m cooking – this is courtesy of www.BBCgoodfood.com

This dish isn’t difficult but I need to explain the method a little. The idea of a pot roast is that the meat cooks in its own juices, as do the veggies you throw into the mix, and you keep it moist by spooning the juices over the roast at regular intervals. Last time I did it that way, the pork shrivelled up and dried out so this time I used a different approach.

Our piece of loin was pretty small (less than a kilo) and I didn’t want to overcook it so this is what I did: started with the veggies and added the meat later. The other thing I did was to cut the loin into four thick steaks, covered them with herbs and seasoning, fried them for a couple minutes each side, then placed them into the roasting dish with the veggies, added the wine and stock and made sure they were just above submerged.

The result was the best pork I’ve ever served: really flavoursome, tender and juicy. Here’s the rest of the story:

• 2 – 3 fennel bulbs, the tough bottom cut out, sliced but not too thin
• 3-5 spring onions, chopped in half, the green ends chopped into inch-long pieces
• You can use small Spanish onions instead, and add some think shallots
• A couple of cloves of garlic
• Green capsicum
• 2 x sweet chili peppers
• 2-3 zucchinis sliced
• Field mushrooms
• Seasoning
• Fennel seeds, coriander and thyme
• Sacla Capsicum and Eggplant stir-through – get it HERE
• Olive oil or or butter or both
• Glass or 2 of white wine
• Cup of vegetable stock

The Sacla sauce is somewhat of a secret ingredient here

Cooking the dish

1. Fry the fennel, onions, shallots, garlic, capsicum, sweet chili, zucchinis in a big pan until brown, add seasoning and herbs plus all of the wine and some of the stock
2. Pour it all into casserole dish and put it in the oven for 30 minutes before you add the mushrooms. Add more stock if needed – the sauce in this dish is not meant to be thick.
3. Cut and fry the pork as described above, and don’t forget the herbs and seasoning
4. Add to the casserole and make sure they’re mostly covered in liquid.
5. Add the Sacla stir-through sauce and mix in.
6. Put the casserole back in the oven for 20 minutes, adjusting fluid, seasoning and herbs as needed.

Cooking time will depend on the cut of pork you’re using – shoulder and neck will take a bit longer so add these earlier. You can serve the dish on its own, or with with rice, potatoes or pasta.

Once More with Feeling!

We had dinner with good friends last weekend. The food and wine were really enjoyable but would’ve been more so with more careful matching. A lovely rich 2007 Chardonnay overpowered  the Sydney rock oyster served with just lemon; a terrific Margaret River Shiraz fought with the main course which had pork at its centre; a five year old but crisp Roussanne refused to talk to the rich dessert.

A simple switch would’ve fixed 2 out of 3 mismatches: The Chardonnay would’ve been great with the pork, and the Roussane fine with the oysters.

Yes, I know this is a boring subject so we’ll keep this really simple.

• Dry champagne works well with plain oysters
• Riesling is made for (roast) chicken – MORE
• Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon/ SB (dry, flinty, tangy style)are made for seafood
• Chardonnay – rich & ripe goes with pork, more elegant style goes with veal
• Pinot Gris (the rich, ripe kind) and Gewurztraminer are made for pork
• Viognier in the richer styleis flexible– from richer seafood to pork dishes
• Semillon – goes with seafood when very young; old Semillon goes with crumbly cheeses

• Pinot Noir is made for Duck
• Sangiovese and Nebbiolo (Aussie made) work well with pizza or pasta dishes
• Cabernet Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends (fine, elegant style) are good with lamb
• Cabernet and Shiraz and blends of the two are great with beef / steak
• Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre works well with rich lamb or beef casseroles
• Dessert wines go well with desserts – balance the richness of both
• Ports, Muscats and Tokays go well with nuts and raisins

That’s the basic list. If you want more detail, Wine Folly has a marvellous map you can download from the Wine Folly.

Kim

This dish serves up plenty of flavour without fancy ingredients

Ingredients

3 chicken Marylands (free range or organic for more flavour)

2-3 chorizo sausages

2-3 garlic cloves

3-4 Spring onions, or small Spanish onions and shallots

Swiss brown or field mushrooms

2 sweet bullhorn chili (green) or capsicum

2 baby eggplant (optional)

Olive oil

Can of crushed or chopped tomatoes

1 cup of white wine

1 cup of chicken stock

Half a jar of Tomato pesto

Half a cup of sour cream

Bunch of fresh parsley

Teaspoon of paprika

Oregano, fresh or dried

small pinch of chili flakes

seasoning, generous

Add the chicken pieces (cut in two if easier), chopped up garlic, onions (cut in half) and chorizo (chopped in sections) to a big frypan. If the chicken pieces are pretty big, put them on a tray in the oven for half an hour first at 175/375 degrees.

1.       Dust the chicken pieces with paprika and brown on both sides in olive oil for 5 -8 minutes. Turn the heat down, remove excess fat and add the white wine and can of tomatoes. Combine everything and let simmer for 15 minutes.

2.       Add the sliced chili/paprika (and optional eggplant), mushrooms and chopped up shallots (or green bits from the spring onions).

3.       Add tomato pesto, oregano, chili flakes and seasoning. TASTE TEST. Add more if needed.

4.       Gently simmer for 10 – 15 more minutes. Add some chicken stock if more fluid is needed.

5.       Add the sour cream and fold it gentle into the sauce.

6.       Add finely chopped parsley.

7.       Serve with basmati rice or pasta.

When you succeed in matching the right wines with these dishes, you end up with a 1+1= 3 kind of result. Some simple examples are:

·         Roast Chicken and Riesling (not chicken and Chablis)

·         Schnitzel and Chardonnay

·         Seafood and Sauvignon Blanc

·         Pork and (rich, ripe) Pinot Gris

·         Duck and Pinot Noir

·         Lamb and (elegant Cabernet Merlot)

·         Steak and Cabernet Shiraz

·         Beef casserole and robust red (Barossa/McLaren Vale Shiraz or GSM)

·         Rich desserts go well with stickies

With Pizza and Pasta, match the wine to the main ingredient, i.e. seafood or salami, white or red. Beyond that, things get a bit fuzzy. Bubbly is best on its own, old Semillon is good with sharp cheeses, and Ports, Muscats or Tokays are great with nuts and raisins and sultanas. It’s best not to make these rules too rigid, keep an open mind and experiment a little.

The subtleties can be important, though. Last night, we had some lamb with a rich Barossa Shiraz which was all we had handy by way of a decent red. The Pinot Noir we had would’ve been too subtle, but the 14.5% Shiraz overpowered the lamb. A 13% Cabernet blend or straight Cabernet would’ve been a better match.

Dishes like the Paella can be tricky to match because we may have seafood mixed with chicken and chorizos. Here I’d suggest a middle course: a big Chardonnay or a white Rhone style – Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier – that’s a few years old. This might also be the best option with a Salade Nicoise.

Kim

This is an Alsatian dish that will warm the cockles of your heart on a cold day. You can use pretty well any meat you like except beef. It’s usually duck in France, but you can use chicken instead. Some recipes call for breadcrumbs sprinkled over the top, and some make this a very thick dish.

I prefer the lighter style rather than thick gravy so I avoid the breadcrumbs and too many beans and add more stock or wine. You suit yourself. You can cook this on the stove (on lowish heat once the basics are in place) or in the oven.

Ingredients

duck fat or olive oil or butter or a combo
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 coarsely chopped spring onions

2-3 duck or chicken Marylands or a mix of both. If you want to use duck, it’s best to do it as a confit – baking it covered in duck fat – to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Bake it for about 1 hour 15 minutes, then add it to the Cassoulet (without the fat) . 

1 or 2 coarse pork sausages
thick pieces of speck or bacon
Half tin of diced or crushed tomatoes

2 – 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups dry white wine
2-2 tbsp tomato paste

diced baby parsnips
diced carrots

1 leek, trimmed and sliced thick

a tin of Cannelini beans 
couple of bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme

sprigs of rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. Start frying the onions and garlic in a big pan, then add the chicken pieces lightly dusted in seasoned flour. Get everything browning lightly

2. Add tomatoes, celery/parsnips, carrots, stock and wine and bring to simmer, then transfer to a casserole dish and put in the oven on 175/375. Add more stock or wine to cover most of the ingredients.

3. 45 minutes later, pull casserole out to stir, then add the bacon / speck, sausages (give them a quick browning in a fry pan first if you have time) and the leeks. Taste and add seasoning if needed. Add more stock if it’s too thick. Put back into oven for another 30 minutes.

4. Adjust liquid and seasoning to suit, add the duck (but leave the duck fat behind), beans, herbs and chopped parsley, then put it back in the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes.

5. Do a final check for taste and consistency, then put it on the stove to settle for a few minutes.

This dish can be eaten on its own, or served with potatoes or rice.

Wines to drink with this dish: Red Burgundy/Pinot Noir, a soft Merlot, a light to medium Cote-du-Rhone or (GSM) Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre. If you prefer white wine, choose an old Riesling or big buttery Chardonnay.

Kim

THIS CASSEROLE WILL WARM YOUR HEART & LIFT YOUR SPIRITS

WORKS EVEN BETTER WITH A BOTTLE OF GOOD AUSSIE RED

INGREDIENTS

4 smallish lamb shanks

4-5 spring onions

3-4 carrots

4-5 baby parsnips (or two standard ones)

1 sweet potato

Field mushrooms

Tin of tomatoes (crushed or chopped)

Flour

Paprika (mild)

Rosemary

Thyme

3-4 Bay leaves

Half a bottle of red wine (not too heavy)

Vegetable stock

Brown the shanks in a frypan (in olive oil), sprinkling them with flour and paprika, five minutes each side (more flour and paprika). Once that’s done, add the tomatoes, wine and stock (you might need up to a litre but keep some stock in reserve to add later if you need to). Then add the spring onions (uncut) and chopped up veggies (chunky). Cut standard parsnips lengthways. Stir well.

Bring to the boil and either simmer on the stove or put the lot into a casserole dish and put it in the oven at about 350/160 degrees. Check every half hour to make sure there’s enough liquid, stir well and add more stock if needed. After 1.5 hours, add the mushrooms (chopped or whole depending on size), chopped stalks from the spring onions, herbs and bay leaves.

Cook for at least another hour, making sure the shanks and veggies are mostly covered. The sauce should be medium – between thick and thin.

ENJOY!

KIM

This salad has many variations, depending on where you look for the recipe, and that’s part of the beauty of making this one: the creative latitude it gives you.

This is one of our favourites, dead easy to cook, not expensive, just takes a couple of slow hours in the oven. Great with rich, robust reds.

Updated December 15 2023

If you ‘re looking for an easy way to cook mouth-watering meals, you’ve come to the right place. I love cooking but have no patience, and I’m bone lazy. That doesn’t mean I can’t cook, it means I cheat!

It all began at a dinner party, when my best mate Reg and I made a bet with our women that we could cook just as well as they could. We worked our way through a cordon-bleu cooking course, then a seafood and a pastry cooking course. The women were the winners in this deal, and I suspect they knew that from the beginning.

With Cordon-bleu, you create everything from scratch. You don’t buy pastry, you make it and bake it. For a dinner party, my best mate would make the fish stock from fish heads and carrots and celery and parsley and seasoning and boil the lot down very slowly all day long until there was almost nothing left. Then he’d start cooking.

That wasn’t for me. I’d buy my stock in packets and the marinara mix from the local shop, not from the fish markets. So I cheat, but who can tell the difference? My mate is a fabulous chef, and I love eating at his place, but let’s talk about how to cheat without anyone noticing.

DEAD-SIMPLE FISH STEW

The first time I had Bouillabaisse in a restaurant, I was underwhelmed. Same thing the first time I cooked it. It looks so good, those muscle shells in that red-orange liquid.

Looks are important in cooking, and flavour more so. The original Bouillabaisse is actually a soup you eat with bread, which explains the lack of authority. Here’s how you turn it into a stew that serves 3 – 4. The key ingredients here are the seafood, the stock and the pesto. Change the rest of the ingredients to your liking.

Solid ingredients

• 250g prawns – current favourites: Karumba, frozen, peeled
• 200g of calamari rings
• 500g Boston Bay Mussels, they’re cooked, just need warming up
• 1 globe of fennel, cut into 8 wedges
• 3 – 4 thick shallots, chopped into 2 cm lengths
• 1 – 2 cloves garlic, chopped, or garlic paste
• small handful of  snow peas or sugar snaps
• 1 red capsicum or chili pepper 

Liquid additions

• 2/3 tin of crushed tomatoes
• 3 -4 tbsps of green pesto (leggo’s is my fave)
• The liquid from the Boston Bay mussels (better than commercial fish stock)
• Glass of white wine or two – yes, you can have one as well
• teaspoonful of dried fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp Dried Dill
• 1/3 tsp chilli flakes (Masterfoods)
• Seasoning
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped

20 – 30 minute prep / cooking:

Thaw out the prawns – 8 hours in the fridge is best, but 40 mins on the bench works OK. make sure to discard excess waterChop fennel and capsicum into chunks and fry in olive oil or roast in the oven for 25 mins.

0.00 Chop up the shallots and destring snow peas / sugar snaps

0.05 If you’re serving pasta or rice with this dish, get that process going

0.15 Put the shallots into a big fry pan and fry them gently in olive oil for 5 mins

0.20 Add the fennel and capsicum chunks to the pan, then add clamari and the garlic.

0.23 add prawns to the pan, fry for a few mins, then add crushed tomatoes, pesto and the liquid from the Boston Bay mussels. Combine and simmer gently.

0.25 add fennel seeds, dill, chilli flakes and seasoning – gently – taste as you go; add snow peas / sugar snaps and white wine if needed, combine

0. 27. Add chopped or dried parsely and some of the the mussels (keep the remainder warm in the oven). Don’t stir or you’ll spoil the look of the dish. Suit yourself with the amount of liquid but don’t add too much. Taste the stew. If it doesn’t have enough flavour, add more seasoning, maybe more chili but we just want a hint of heat. You can be more liberal with pesto – sometimes I use most of a jar. 

There you go! 

What do you have with it?

Steamed beans or asparagus, if you fancy. Rice or pasta, or crusty bread if you prefer. 

Kim