Food and wine matching can often seem like a mysterious art, but it's not that difficult, and picking the right wine to accompany your home-cooked favourites is an often-overlooked way to improve any meal. We've asked some of our store managers to share their favourite midweek meal and wine combinations with you...
Ruth's rainbow trout stuffed with herbs
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 2 rainbow trout
- 1 lemon
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 sprigs fresh tarragon
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches each of fresh thyme, rosemary & tarragon
- 250g baby new potatoes
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 2 small courgettes
- 1/2 tsp dried herbs de Provence
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Boil half a small bag of new baby new potatoes in a pan for 15 minutes until just tender, drain, and set aside.
- Tear off two pieces of aluminium foil and place the trout in the centre of them.
- Drizzle olive oil over them and add the zest and juice of the lemon. Tear up the herbs and sprinkle on top and then season well with black pepper.
- Fold up the foil and seal top form a parcel, then put to one side.
- De-seed the peppers and cut in half. Quarter the courgettes lengthways and cut into two halves. Place onto an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Put the Rainbow Trout parcels onto the same tray and place the tray on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes.
- After the trout has been in in the oven for 15 minutes, finish the potatoes: sauté for 5 minutes in olive oil, plenty of salt and pepper, and the herbs de Provence.
- Check that the fish is cooked through before serving.
Wine match
Chablis 2009 Jean Bourguignon
I've gone for a wine with crisp acidity, to counteract the oiliness of the fish, and a lovely citrussy flavour that works well with the lemon in the dish. There's a steely minerality to this wine that keeps the finish crisp and dry.
Claire's pork and chilli stir fry
Ingredients
- Pork fillet, cut into small strips
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
- 1 small onion, sliced finely
- Sesame oil
- Dark soy sauce
- 1 red chilli
- 1 red pepper, sliced thinly
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced thinly
- 6 pak choi leaves
- 2 handfuls of beansprouts
- 2 cups of rice
- Put a couple of tablespoonfuls of sesame oil into a wok and put on a high heat.
- In a separate saucepan, start to cook the rice according to packet instructions.
- Add the garlic and pork to the wok and cook for 5 minutes, until pork turns brown.
- Add the onion, red and yellow pepper, chilli, beansprouts and the pak choi to the wok and stir all the ingredients together for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 3-4 tablespoonfuls of dark soy sauce and stir for a further minute.
- Serve the stir fry on top of a bed of rice.
Wine match
The Ned Black Label Waihopai River Pinot Grigio, Marlborough, New Zealand
When choosing a wine to go with the pork and chilli stir fry there are two very important considerations to make. Firstly you need a wine with high enough acidity to cut through the oiliness of the dish, but secondly you also need a wine with enough strength of flavour to cope with the garlic and the chilli. An absolute fantastic wine which really fits the bill is The Ned Pinot Grigio. The aroma really leaps out of the glass at you, a really high concentration of stone fruit aromas, and also a bit of spice. There's a little bit of pear drop as well.
Lydia's poached salmon salad with new potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 Scottish salmon fillets
- Handful of fresh dill
- 1 lemon
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 clove garlic
- Salad leaves (Rocket, Cos, Lollo Rosso)
- Ripe cherry tomatoes (preferably on the vine)
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 x Granny Smith apple
- 3/4 bunch spring onions
- Handful of grapes
- 1 red pepper
- Flat leaf parsley
- Coriander
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard (optional)
- 12 new potatoes (Jersey Royal if in season!)
- Salted butter
- Put salmon fillets into a pan or a roasting tin deep enough to enable the salmon to be immersed in water.
- Slice the lemon in into four even pieces, roughly crush the peppercorns by pressing them firmly under a flattened knife, tear up most of the dill (leaving a small amount to add to the salad later) and bang the garlic under a knife. Add all these flavourings to the pan.
- Cover with cold water (it is important the water is cold, as it will allow you to poach the salmon perfectly with ease), then put on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Throw in a healthy pinch of salt.
- Once the water is boiling, simmer for no longer than 1 minute and remove from the heat and allow to cool. The salmon in the water will continue to poach, so once the water has cooled the fish will be perfect and ready to serve.
- In the meantime, put a pan of water on at a medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Once boiling, add the potatoes, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender.
- Whilst these are cooking, prepare your salad. Roughly tear the lettuce leaves and add to a large mixing bowl. Slice the cherry tomatoes and the grapes in half, thinly slice the cucumber, spring onions and red pepper, de-core the apple and cut into small chunks and add everything to the large mixing bowl.
- Chop the parsley, coriander and the remaining dill and add to bowl (keep a sprinkle of the parsley aside for later).
- For a simple dressing, generously drizzle the salad mix with some good quality extra virgin olive oil and squeeze in the remaining half lemon. Add the wholegrain mustard for some extra flavour if you like, and add a decent amount of cracked black pepper. Toss the salad vigorously and divide between two large bowls.
- Check the potatoes are nicely cooked (tender, but still firm) with a sharp knife, drain and remove from heat.
- Place the potatoes back in the pan (off the heat) and add the butter, season and add the sprinkling of chopped parsley. Gently shake and ensure each potato is nicely coated, then place them round the edge of the salad in the bowls.
- Remove the salmon fillets from the water and pat dry with kitchen towel to remove any excess water or froth. The fillet should be slightly underdone in the middle and perfectly poached.
Wine match
Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc, Chile
The reason I've chosen Sauvignon Blanc is because has a really vibrant, punchy fruit flavour, yet it's light in body. Also, Sauvignon Blanc has high acidity, so this goes with the apple and the lemon in the salad and cuts through the oiliness of the dressing. On the nose you can really smell some pungent gooseberry, guava and some herbaceous notes, and then on the palate it's got that really nice acidity that goes well with the salad and really refreshes your mouth.
Jonny's Roasted pork fillet with warm butter bean, chorizo and tomato salad
Ingredients (serves 2)
- Lean tenderloin fillet 300g
- 1 small red onion
- 1 clove of garlic clove
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 can of butter beans
- 4-5 inches of good quality chorizo
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- Flat leaf parsley
- Chives
- 1 lemon (for juice)
- Dried chilli flakes (to taste)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Gently brown the pork fillet in an oiled pan and then oven cook for 20 minutes.
- In a separate pan, add the onion, celery and garlic to a dash of olive oil and gently sweat over a low heat for five minutes.
- Once softened, add the butter beans, dried chilli flakes followed by the chopped chorizo and whole cherry tomatoes.
- Add half of the chopped flat leaf parsley and a dash of lemon juice.
- To serve, cut the pork fillet into three to four diagonal sliced pieces with the warm salad on top garnished with the remaining parsley and a sprinkle of chives.
Wine match
Domaine de l'Aigle Pinot Noir 2009 Gerard Bertrand, PGI Pays d'Oc, France
The ripe strawberry and mineral characters, firm tannins and soft spice of this Pinot Noir from former French rugby international Gerard Bertrand perfectly compliment the white meat and smoky chorizo.
Al's pesto pasta with oven-dried tomatoes, bacon and peas
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 6 vine tomatoes
- 1 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 50g fresh basil
- 30g pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 30g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 clove of garlic, whole
- 85ml olive oil
- Penne pasta (50g per person)
- 100g dry cured smoked streaky bacon or pancetta
- 75g frozen peas
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To prepare the tomatoes, cut them in to wedges and arrange on a non-stick roasting tin. Sprinkle over the chopped garlic, season generously, then drizzle with olive oil.
- Place in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius and roast for 45 mins. (Once cooked these tomatoes can be stored in a jar, covered with olive oil).
- In a frying pan over a medium heat, toast the pine nuts until they just begin to colour.
- Place the pine nuts in a blender with the basil, garlic clove and parmesan, and season well with salt and pepper, then blitz.
- With the blender still running, slowly add the olive oil and continue to blend until a smooth texture is achieved.
- Now cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions.
- In the meantime, fry the bacon or pancetta until crispy, then add the peas and roasted tomatoes to the pan and heat through.
- To serve, add the pesto sauce to the pan and combine with the pasta. Sprinkle over some grated parmesan and garnish with torn basil leaves.
Wine match
Rioja 'Single Vineyard' 2008 Ramon Bilbao
This wine has absolutely beautiful brambly fruit and a touch of spice which works well with the pesto, but what's key is it's also relatively high in acidity which also works with the tomatoes. Although quite full-bodied, it's still really soft and easy drinking, so is ideal with a mid-week meal.