Food

From the starter via various meats to dishes with new aroma to the dessert. Learn to compose the perfect food pairing. The combination of our wine recombinations and recipees allows you to become an expert ! Depending on which dishes you`re serving you may need sparkling, white and red wine to be tempered and ready to serve. If you`re planning to serve a meal with red and white wine you may consider to use a wine fridge.

Pasta

Macaroni and cheese

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 box of macaroni
• ¼ cup of butter
• ¼ cup of flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2 cups of milk

Bring a pot of salty water to the boil and add the macaroni. Cook them according to the instructions given on the package.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth. Pour in milk slowly, while stirring. Continue to cook and stir until mixture is smooth and bubbling, making sure the milk doesn’t burn.

Add cheddar and stir until melted. Drain the macaroni and fold into the cheese sauce until well covered. An unusual but very nice dring to accompany your macaroni and cheese can be a glass of champagne. This pairing will surely be highlighted by your favorite wine expert!

Spaghetti and meat sauce or spaghetti Bolognese?

Bolognese sauce is a mixture of ground beef and/or pork, milk and sautéed with sofrito. Sofrito is composed of onion, carrot and celery (2:1:1). You can include spices like garlic, parsley, rosmary and bay leaves. The vegetables are finely chopped and heated in a generous amount of olive oil until they`re golden brown. The milk is used to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes.

Bolognese sauce has tomatoes but it’s not as saucy or tomato-forward as spaghetti and meat sauce. A traditional bolognese is more meat-forward, less tomato-heavy, richer and more delicate in flavor than most spaghetti and meat sauce recipes. The perfect choice of wine can be found here.

Preparation of the sauces

Lasagna

It brings together everything we adore in a pasta dish: cheese, noodles, tasty herbs and a delicious meat sauce. It`s a perfect match to a number of wines. A wine expert would recommend a Sangiovese red wine or a Nero d`Avola.

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 1 pound Italian pork sausage (you can replace the Italian sausage by 500 g of ground pork meat)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large white onion diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 800 g (two cans) of crushed tomatoes
• 150 ml of tomato paste
• 500 ml (1 can) of tomato sauce
• 150 ml of cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 500 g of lasagna noodles
• 30 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pound thinly sliced mozzarella cheese about 24 slices or 1 pound of mozzarella to slice yourself. This gives you a larger choice of mozzarella.
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. As with the mozzarella you can grate the cheese yourself allowing for a wider range of Parmesan cheese.

Meat sauce

Add to a large pot over medium heat, add the ground sausage or minced pork meat and ground beef. Break up the meat into small pieces with a spoon. Add the chopped onion and garlic and brown the meat while stirring. Stir in sugar, fresh basil, fennel, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and white wine. You can replace the white wine by white balsamic vinegar. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a pan or a pot with a large surface. Pour hot tap water directly over the noodles, making sure the pasta is completely covered by the water. Soak for 30 minutes, then drain and discard water.

Combine ricotta cheese, egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until you assemble the lasagna.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a deep 9×13 pan or use an non stick pan.

Preparation of the lasagna

Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 4 noodle plates on top. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a quarter of mozzarella cheese slices. Spread 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat twice to create three complete layers. Finalise with a layer of pasta, topped with another cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake the lasagna in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes to brown the cheese.

Pizza and other feel good dishes

Italian Pizza

In case you don`t want to order a pizza from your local delivery service here`s a recipee which allows you to make a wonderful alternative – enjoy !

Depending on the topping of your choice a Barbera d`Asti is a good choice as a drink.

• 280 g all-purpose flour or pizza flour
• 7 g dried yeast
• 150 ml lukewarm water
• 4 tsp Sugar
• 20 ml olive oil
• 1 clove Garlic
• ½ Onion
• 250 ml puréed tomatoes (canned)
• 125 g Buffalo mozzarella
• 20 g arugula leaves
• 100 g Parma ham
• 3 figs
• salt
• pepper
• flour for work surface

Pizza dough: first mix flour, sugar, and salt. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and roughly knead with the flour mixture. Now add olive oil and work mixture into a smooth dough. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for approx. 1 – 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

Sauce: finely dice garlic and onion. Cook the garlic and onions in olive oil until translucent, pour in the tomato puree and season with salt, sugar and pepper. Reduce the sauce for 7-8 minutes on a low to medium heat.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll the dough to approx. 0,5 cm thickness and place on a lined baking tray.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly on the dough. Cut the mozzarella into slices and place them evenly on the pizza. Bake the pizza for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown.

As soon as the pizza is finished, cover with arugula leaves and Parma ham. Quarter figs and distribute over the pizza

Poutine

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 l of oil for frying
• 1 can of beef gravy (290-300 g)
• 5 medium potatoes cut into fries 2 cups of cheddar cheese curds

Heat the oil in the deep fryer to 190 °C (365 F). Heat your gravy while the oil is heating up.

Place the fries in the oil and cook them until they`re golden brown. If necessary, cook the fries in several batches to allow for some room between the fries. Remove the cooked fries to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Place the fries on a serving platter, and sprinkle the cheese over them. Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese, and serve immediately. Similar to macaroni & cheese a glass of champagne pairs well with this hearty dish.

Falafel sandwich

Falafel is traditionally made from chickpeas. It can be fried in an air frier or baked for a lighter version. You can serve falafel as a platter, over a bed of rice, but stuffed into pita bread is the more popular and easy version.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 pita bread loaves
• 18 cooked falafel balls, from homemade or store-bought falafel mix
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium cucumber, unpeeled and diced
• 1 medium white or red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 3 sandwich pickles, sliced, optional
• Tahini sauce, homemade or store-bought, to refine
• Yoghurt sauce, to refine

Preparing the pita bread

Heat a large nonstick pan to medium-high heat. Coat with olive oil and heat a pita round for 2 minutes on each side. The pita may begin to brown a little. Repeat with the remaining pita rounds, making sure to cut the top part to reveal the pocket after heating. Alternatively you can bake the pita bread in an oven at 140-160°C according to the instructions given on the package.

Stuff each pita round with 3 or more falafel balls and a spoonful each of diced tomatoes and cucumber. Top each with sliced onion, chopped parsley, the optional pickles, and a generous drizzle of tahini sauce. Instead of the tahini sauce you can use the yoghurt sauce to refine the falafel.

You can also add crumbled feta to your sandwich to add some creaminess into the sandwich.

Sauces

The yoghurt sauce is a welcome replacement to the tahini sauce. You can easily make it out of yogurt, drained cucumber, olive oil, fresh herbs (usually mint or dill), garlic, lemon juice and salt.

Fortunately, tzatziki is super easy to whip together. The only trick is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt. Otherwise, cucumber waters down the sauce too much. Salting the grated cucumber and letting the excess moisture drip out takes a while.

To get rid of the excess moisture of the cucumber is to lightly squeeze the grated cucumber over the sink. Let the tzatziki rest for five minutes after you mix it all together, to let the flavors diffuse into the yoghurt. You can serve it right away or chill it for later.

You may enjoy the falafel sandwich with a glass of Blanc de Noirs champagne.

Tacos

Ingredients (serves 10-12):

Meat and spices

• Olive oil to fry the beef
• 500 g of lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup of water

Preparation of the tacos

• 6-8 corn flour tacos
• finely chopped lettuce
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend or shredded cheddar
• Diced tomatos
• Chopped red onions

Heat the oil in a pan and add the ground beef. Cook until the beef is browned. This takes 5-8 minutes. Drain any fat. You need to count 2-3 table spoons of beef per taco. A pound of ground beef will serve 10-12 people. Add the chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste and water to the browed beef. Stir to combine and continue cooking over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened. This takes about 3-5 minutes. Serve warm over tortillas. Add salad, guacamole, olives, sour cream, red onions or cooked red onions to give the meat a more intense flavor.

For a great vegetarian variant of the beef tacos replace the beef with a can of kidney beans and black beans. Rinse the beans and stir fry them until tender. You will need more guacamole as the beans may be drier than the beef. If you prefer fish over beef we recommend to use 500 g of sliced smoked salmon. Just replace the beef by the smoked salmon which you can use uncooked. Sour cream and horseradish will go perfectly with the salmon

Generally red wine goes well with meaty tacos whereas white and rose pair perfectly with fish or chicken tacos

Jambalaya / Gumbo

The two wonderful dishes differ mainly how the rice is cooked. This sounds like a minor difference but as the rice is an integral part of both dishes it`s very important. Gumbo is served with rice that is cooked separately. In a jambalaya the rice is cooked with the other ingredients. – It`s easy to make and it tastes wonderful !

Ingredients:

• 75 ml / 3 table spoons olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts (remove bones an skin). Cut into bite-sized pieces.
• 1 pound andouille sausage (smoked pork sausage), slice into thin rounds
• 3 small bell peppers, cored and diced. Take a yellow, red and green pepper to have a colourful jambalaya
• 2 sticks of celery, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic. Peel and mince the cloves.
• 1 can (500 ml) crushed tomatoes
• 3–4 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning. You can take an off the shelf variant or make it yourself by mixing paprika powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and oregano.
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound / 250 g raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup thinly-sliced okra
• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• Garnish with: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce

Frying rice and peppers

Heat 1 tablespoon / 25 ml oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the finely diced chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned.  Transfer to a separate plate and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons / 50 ml oil to the pot.  Add peppers, celery, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Fry for 6 minutes, stir from time to time until the onions are softened.

Tomatoes and spices

Put the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf in the pot and stir to mix.  Continue to cook until the mixture starts to simmer. Reduce heat, cover the pot and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Check occasionally if the rice is cooked through and stir to avoid that the rice burns.

Add the shrimp, okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Stir in the chicken and sausage, and remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste season the jambalaya with salt, pepper, and additional Cajun seasoning if needed.  (I typically add about 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.)  Remove from heat.

Serve warm with your desired garnishes.  Or refrigerate and store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Seafood

Ceviche

Ceviche is a Peruvian dish that is usually served as an appetizer. You can make it from raw fresh fish or shrimp, that’s marinated in lemon or lime citrus juices. The acid in the citrus juice cures the fish causing it to denature the proteins. They become firm and opaque while absorbing flavor. The other ingredients are tossed in such as onions, cilantro, peppers and tomatoes. Shrimp: Use medium shrimp and dice it small so everything is more uniform in size. It’s especially best to cut small if serving as a dip.

Ingredients:

• 3 limes (juice)
• 2 lemons (juice)
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 1-2 red onions
• 1 Cilantro
• 1 Jalapeno
• Salt and pepper: Add to taste.
• 1 Cucumber, cut into small dice Avocado, cut into small dice

Preparing the shrimp

Boil water in pot and prepare a bowl of ice water. Add shrimp to boiling water and let cook just until pink and opaque, about 1 minute.
Drain, chill and chop shrimp: Drain shrimp in a colander then transfer it to the ice water to cool for a few minutes. Drain well then chop shrimp into small pieces (about 1/2-inch).
In a medium bowl combine shrimp, lime juice, lemon juice, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste
Transfer the mixture to refrigerator and let rest 1 hour. Add diced cucumber and avocado and serve.

In case you want to reduce any risk of pathogens and food borne illness you can shortly cook the shrimp in boiling water. In the most authentic version you can skip pre-cooking the shrimp and just soak in the marinade instead.
Soak the raw shrimp in the 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup lime juice for 30 – 60 minutes in the fridge, then add tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and pepper and marinate 30 minutes longer. Finish the ceviche by adding avocado and cucumber. To add a fruity taste to your ceviche garnish it with rasberries

Charred octopus

Ingredients:

• 1,5 kg pounds cleaned octopus
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 thyme branches
• 20 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus to taste
• 1 head garlic, cut in half along its equator
• 3 lemons
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Fresh, minced parsley for garnish

You can prepare this first step 1 day before you finalise the charred octopus. Combine octopus, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic and 1 lemon, cut in half, in saucepan along with water to cover. Bring to boil over medium heat and adjust so that liquid simmers slowly. Cook until octopus is tender which takes 30 to 90 minutes. It depends on whether you’re using smaller octopuses or 1 larger one. You need to check for doneness with the point of a sharp knife. Drain and discard everything but the cooked octopus. If you prepare the octopus in advance you need to refrigerate it overnight. Otherwise set it aside and continue to heat your grill. The grill rack should be very hot.

Cut the octopus into large pieces brush with olive oil and sprinkle it with pepper and salt. Keep half of the olive oil for later. Grill it quickly until the outside turns brown but the inside must not dry out. Cut the last lemon into wedges.

Brush the charred octopus with the remaining olive oil. Serve hot or at room temperature with the lemon wedges and garnish with the freshly chopped parsley. – Enjoy with a glass of semi dry champagne

Lobster Thermidor

In the classic lobster thermidor you stuff gently cooked lobster meat with a wine based sauce and some cheese. The sweetness of lobster still comes through the rich mushroom and sherry sauce. If you want to add warmth to the dish take some cayenne pepper to brighten the lobster thermidor.

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

• 2 whole (about 1 1/2 pounds each) live lobsters. You can use pre-cooked lobsters, too. In this case skip step 1
• 100 g of unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot finely chopped
• 2 finely chopped medium garlic cloves
• 180 g of finely chopped cremini mushrooms
• 100g of whipping cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 50 ml of dry sherry
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 100 g of grated parmesan plus 40 g of gratted parmesan
• finely chopped flat parsley
• lemon wedges

Boiling the lobster

Bring a large pot (at least 10 l) of water to a boil over medium-high. Add lobsters. Cover and cook, maintain a low simmer. Cook until lobster shells are bright red and you can distinctly smell cooked lobster in the air. This takes 12 -15 minutes. Transfer lobsters to a rimmed baking sheet. Let them cool until they`re cold enough to handle, about 20-25 minutes.

Twist off claws. To remove meat crack the claws. Set meat aside, and discard claw shells. Place 1 lobster on a cutting board cut the lobster in half lengthwise. You need to use a large heavy knife to do this. Carefully remove tail meat. Discard tomalley or reserve for another use. Rinse lobster shells well and dry thoroughly. Place shells, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining lobster. Chop tail and claw meat into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

Preparing the sauce and cooked lobster

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the finely chopped shallots until softened. This takes 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook, while stirring, until all liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms brown. This takes 5 to 6 minutes. Meanwhile, stirr together heavy whipping cream, egg yolks, and sherry. Add it to the mushroom mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and stir in salt, cayenne, and 100 g of the Parmesan. Fold in lobster meat, and season to taste with salt. Put the mushroom mixture evenly into lobster shells (about 100 g / 1/2 cup each). Reserve any extra filling for a snack if it doesn’t fit in the shells. Sprinkle with remaining 50 g Parmesan.

Preheat the grill in your oven with the rack 6 inches / 12-14 cm from heating element. Grill until filling is light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

A variety of white, rose, light red wines and even champagne pair well with lobster.

Pan fried salmon with spring vegetables

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 salmon filets  (150-200 g each)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• Juice of half a lemon
• Green asparagus (300-500 g)

Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Put the oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, stirr until melted and foaming, then turn up the heat. Once the butter starts bubbling, add the salmon fillets to the pan, skin-side-down, and fry for 3 mins until crisp. Flip the fillets over, lower the heat and cook for 2 mins more, then drizzle with the lemon juice. Transfer the salmon to a plate and baste with any of the buttery juices left in the pan.

At the same time take the green asparagus, cut the lower 2 cm of the stem. The advantage of the green asparagus is that you normally don`t have to peel it. Cook the green asparagus in a pan filled with 2 cm of salted water until soft on the outside but “al dente” on the inside. Drain the asparagus. Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of butter until it`s bubbling. Add the asparagus. While frying turn the asparagus and season well with salt and pepper.

Enjoy with a glass of white or red wine depending on the sauce you prefer.

Meat

Smash burger

BURGER JUICE

• 1/2 stick butter (125 g), melted
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
• a few dashes of liquid smoke

BURGERS

• 1 pound ground chuck (80 % lean beef /20 % fat blend)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Cheddar Cheese
• Brioche buns or homemade buns, buttered and toasted
• Toppings of choice, onion rings or pickles

BURGER SAUCE

• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pinch of sugar, to taste

Preparing the meat

Combine the ingredients for the burger sauce and stir until they form a homogenous mixture. Set them aside in the fridge.

Mix all the Burger Juice ingredients together in a bowl. In another medium-sized bowl, add the beef. Pour the Burger Juice into the beef, and gently break it up with a spoon and mix gently.

Form the meat into 3-4oz sized balls. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of a half hour. The meat has to be super cold.. Alternatively, you can also put them into your freezer for about 15 minutes.

Roasting the burger patty

Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat until it`s very hot. You can also use a plancha plate of your gas barbecue.  You don`t need to add any oil as there’s plenty of fat in the burger. Take your burgers from the fridge or freezer and season them with salt and pepper. Place  3 to 4 balls in the pan or on the plancha, leave room for them to be smashed down.

Sear for 30 seconds, smash them all the way down until they can’t be compressed anymore. Let them cook until the edges start to turn brown (3-4 minutes). Flip them over and immediately place a slice of cheese on top of each patty. When the cheese melts, they’re ready, Cook them for about 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Build your burger with the toppings of your choice and enjoy!

A classic choice of drink would be a cold beer but a spectacular pairing is a rose champagne !

Garlic pork chops with mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops, bone-in or boneless (about 1-inch thick)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to season
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Mushroom sauce:

• 100 g of sliced brown mushrooms
• 4-5 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs
• 1 1/2 cups of crème fraiche / heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (125ml) of chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning

For the seasoning of the pork chops mix the spices (paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper) in a small bowl. Rinse the pork chops with cold water and dry them with kitchen paper. Season generously with the spice mix. Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high until butter is melted.

Sear the pork chops on each side until well browned on both sides (3-5 minutes per side). Transfer the pork chops to a warm plate and set aside. 

Add the mushrooms to the same pan and stir fry until golden brown, scraping up any bits leftover from the chops. Put some garlic, parsley and Italian seasoning in the pan then stir fry for another 30 seconds before pouring in the broth. Add the crème fraiche and stir well to mix the ingredients. Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened and adjust seasoning if needed.

Put the pork chops and their juices back into the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked to your liking. Garnish with remaining fresh parsley and serve the pork chops while they`re hot with mashed potatoes, zucchini noodles, or pasta.

A cabernet sauvignon will go well with pork chops with a mushroom sauce.

Thai Sweet chili pork chops with chopped salad

• 4 Pork Chops (2-3 cm thick)
• 1-2 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• 1 can Chickpeas 
• 4 stalk Kale
• 2 chopped bell pepper (use multiple colours)
• 2 cups of shredded carrots
• 1 cup of coriander leaves
• 1 cup Cashews
• 1 cup Peas
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• Sesame Seed Oil
• 3 chopped spring onions / green onions

Put the pork chops into a large sealable plastic bag. Add Thai sweet chili sauce to cover the chops and massage the sauce into the chops. Set aside and let rest at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Save at least half a cup of sauce for later.

Drain the chickpeas for the salad. Toast them for 5 minutes over medium heat in a pan. Toss the chickpeas occasionally to prevent them from burning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the toasted chickpeas, chopped kale, sliced bell pepper, shredded carrots, chopped coriander leaves, chopped cashews, peas, and sliced red onion to a large bowl and add sesame oil dressing to your taste.

Heat your grill or skillet to high heat and cook the marinated pork chops for 5 minutes. Flip the chops and lightly brush the flipped side of the chop with the reserved Thai sweet chili sauce. Continue to cook over direct high heat for another 5 minutes or until they`re cooked to your likening.

Serve pork chops over rice with the salad on the side. Garnish with the chopped green onions for freshness and bite. Enjoy with a cabernet sauvignon or a semillon chardonnay depending on your preference.

Roast Turkey

This recipe is without stuffing as the turkey cooks evenly without the stuffing. Optionally you can cook the stuffing separately. You need to count one pound / 500 g (approx.) of turkey per person.

Ingredients:

• 10 – 14 lb. turkey* (fresh or frozen and fully thawed) count 1 pound per person
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into quarters
• 8 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 bunch Chopped fresh parsley

Preparing the turkey

Let the turkey rest 1 hour at room temperature for the skin to dry out slightly. This also makes it easier to spread the butter on the turkey skin as it does not solidify immediately.

Remove neck and giblets from turkey. You can find them in the cavity, inside rib area, and often the v-shaped collarbone area of the turkey underneath the skin. You can save them for gravy if that’s the type of gravy you prefer or discard them and prepare a separate gravy. Remove any pin feathers left behind.

Remove any moisture from the outside of the turkey with paper towels and dry inside as well. Tuck wings under turkey. Season cavity well with salt and pepper.

To prepare the butter herb mixture stir together lemon zest, butter thyme, rosemary and other herbs you like.

Use the rear part of a wooden spoon to loosen the skin of the turkey starting at the back end of the turkey. The next step is delicate you need to be very careful. Separate the skin from the breast but leave the skin intact between breast, front area and the sides. Avoid perforating or tearing the skin as the butter will melt out as it bakes.

Roasting the turkey

Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan with a roasting rack. Take the end of the spoon you`ve just used to loosen the skin to stuff 1/3 of the butter herb mixture under the loosened skin. Rub the remaining butter all over the turkey but leave the underside untouched. Season with pepper and salt.

You can truss the turkey if you want to have a better presentation but it will cook more evenly if you don`t do it.

Bake in the preheated oven until the thickest center portion of the thigh reaches 72 °C / 165 F. This will take 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours depending on the size of your turkey. You need to count at an oven temperature of 176°C / 350 F 15 minutes per pound of turkey (stuffed) or 13 minutes (unstuffed).

Keep the top of your turkey covered with aluminum foil to avoid excessive browning. To avoid the turkey to dry out don`t cook the turkey higher than 72 °C / 165 F breast temperature.

Once you`ve finished cooking the turkey let it rest 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature before carving. Serve with one of the wines we recommend here.

Roast chicken

Ingredients – Stuffing:

• 40-50 g (2 ½ tablespoons) of unsalted butter
• 80 g of finely diced carrot (1 medium sized carrot)
• 1 finely diced medium sized onion
• 1-2 finely diced celery stalks
• Celery leaves of the stalks
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or mixed dried herbs or 1-2 twigs of fresh thyme
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6-8 parsley stems
• 6 half centimeter thick lemon slices (1 lemon in total as you need the remainder for lemon juice (see below))

Ingredients – chicken:

• 1 chicken (1,5 kg / 3 ½ pound to 2 kg / 4 pound)
• 1-2 onions (100 g), sliced
• 1-2 carrots (100 g), sliced
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (you can use the remainder of the lemon you sliced for the stuffing)
• 170 ml of chicken stock / broth

Preparing the chicken

Preheat the oven to 220 °C / 425 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan. Add diced carrots, onion and celery for the stuffing and cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the herbs.

Cut out the chicken and discard wishbone. Pull neck skin up over chicken breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper cavity and fill with the stuffing, parsley stems and celery leaves and lemon slices. Massage chicken all over with 1 tablespoon butter. You can truss it or tie drumstick ends together and tuck wings under body.

Take a heat resistant roasting pan that is about 1 inch larger than the chicken and place a rack inside. The pan needs to be larger than the chicken as you`re going to put the sliced onions and carrots around it. Salt chicken all over and set it breast-side up on rack. Clean all surfaces and kitchen equipment thoroughly that have been in contact with the chicken.

Roasting the chicken

Roast chicken for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, brush chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter. Put sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce oven temperature to 176 °C / 350°F.

After roasting the chicken for 45 minutes, brush lemon juice over chicken. You can add 1/2 cup of water to prevent the vegetables from burning.

After 60 minutes separate the pan juices. Pour them carefully over the chicken. You can check the chicken for doneness. The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets and their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If the chicken is not done yet, continue roasting, and drizzle the pan juices over the chicken and test for doneness every 7 to 8 minutes, until a roasting thermometer instant-read thermometer registers 74 °C / 165 degrees inside the meat.

Spear chicken through shoulders to lift to drain. You can use two forks for this. If the juices run clear yellow the chicken is done. Let it rest on a carving board for 15 minutes and remove the string.

Take the ingredients from the pan and filter them through a finely meshed metal sieve. Use a spoon to press remaining juices out of the vegetables. Add the chicken stock and reduce until lightly syrupy. You will have enough to pour over each serving with a fragrant spoonful. Enjoy with a full bodied chardonnay or a pinot noir depending on the degree of roasting. The best way to serve the Pinot Noir is at 14-16°C.

Dessert

Churros

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup of water2,5 tablespoons white sugar
• 0,5 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup of flour
• 1-2 l of frying oil depending on the size of your fryer. In case you use an air fryer you don`t need the oil.
• 0,5 cup of white sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Combine the water, 2 1/2 table spoons of sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.

Heat oil for frying in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pipe 5- to 6-inch strips of dough into the hot oil using a sturdy pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Do not overcrowd the oil. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels.

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Churros go well with a glass of extra dry champagne.

Conclusion

Now that you know very special wine pairings you have not thought about before you`re close to become a wine expert. Enjoy your wine and meal!