I always like to preach the benefits of shopping local. When it comes to what I eat and drink, I’m the sort of person who likes to go slightly out of my way for the better things in life. Particularly when it comes to meat, the supermarkets won’t get my business. I prefer local, high welfare, preferably free range, organic meat from a passionate farmer or butcher. It’s better for the animal, it’s better for Ireland, and it’s better for me.

That’s why as soon as I saw how passionate Tipperary butcher Pat Whelan was about his offering, I just had to ask him for the lend of one of his food prep videos. This is the proper way of cooking pork belly, which makes for a seriously gorgeous alternative to the standard roast. Feel free to add additional side dishes.

The wine match

Merlot gets a hard rap these days, but I would encourage anyone who is still not convinced to keep experimenting, first with blends and then a few single variety Merlots. This slow cooked pork belly is proper Sunday food for me, so Merlot dominated Bordeaux reds spring to mind.

Again, if you’re not convinced, keep trying. Now more than ever, Bordeaux has more accessible and modern styles available at great value, the vast majority going terrifically well with food, even if it has all the trimmings in terms of root vegetables and so on.

First up, 58 Guineas Everyday Claret does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a solid everyday wine that suits any occasion, whether it involves food or not. Secondly, Château Les Deux Cèdres is one I believe is built for food as you might find it a little restrained and too dry without it. It would really come into its own with this type of food.

Lastly from Bordeaux, I can’t neglect one of our most popular wines, Château Bauduc Clos des Quinze, which has a pretty tasty price tag at the moment. The tannins are very mellow and beautifully integrated with the right balance of acidity. Enjoy with or without food.

Pat is one of the pioneers of online retailing in Ireland. Shop online: www.jameswhelanbutchers.com

This was the first week since before the summer that the heat lamp behind my desk had to be switched on. Autumn is well and truly underway and that signals the start of soup season. So here is a surefire soup recipe to heat the belly through on a cold afternoon, or to be enjoyed as a starter to any meal.

Potato & Cauliflower Soup (serves 6)

Ingredients
60g butter
2 onions, chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 large potato, peeled & chopped
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
1.25 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
100g grated cheese
fried bacon, croutons, chives to garnish
salt & pepper to taste

Method
Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the onion and leek until soft. Add the potato and stock and bring to the boil, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Blitz in a food processor until smooth and bring back onto a medium heat in the original pan. Stir in the cheese to melt through and serve up garnished with a choice of bacon, croutons and chives to garnish.

The wine match

I think autumn is the season for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. That could be something to do with the time I visited New Zealand. It was in the depth of autumn, and as that trip got me started on NZ Sauvignon, I associate the fresh acidity of the wines with the crisp, cool autumn air.

I think this soup will go well with The Ned Sauvignon Blanc or the more restrained, leaning towards Old World in style, Fairhall Cliffs Sauvignon Blanc. French Sauvignon Blanc would work well also, Grandiose Sauvignon Blanc or La Clochette Sancerre. I’d even stretch to an Old World Chardonnay on this one – some might think this would be a better match than Sauvignon – Cuvée à l’Ancienne Mâcon Charnay.

This is the basic white risotto recipe I use – but don’t be fooled into thinking just because it is basic that it doesn’t taste good. In fact, it tastes awesome. It’s great comfort food, and once you’ve mastered it (not that there is much to master), you can play about with it and add different flavours and vegetables, like mushrooms and tomato. It’s a keeper, no doubt about that.

Risotto bianco (serves 5-6)

Ingredients
2 pints of chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled & finely chopped
5 sticks of celery, trimmed & finely chopped
400g risotto
2 glasses of dry white wine
70g + a knob of butter
100g (or so) Parmesan
sea salt & pepper

Method
Heat the stock. In a separate pan add the oil, butter, onion, garlic and celery. Cook very slowly without colouring for about 15 mins. Add the rice and turn up the heat. Fry and keep stirring for a minute or so and then add the wine.

Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add a ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding some more stock as each ladle is absorbed by the rice. When about 15 minutes has past check to see if the rice has been cooked through. The grains should be firm without being chalky in the middle. Season to taste.

Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan, stirring well and leaving to sit or a few minutes. It should be thick and creamy. Serve neat, or with roasted root vegetables. And a glass of wine. Naturally.

The wine match

Back in July we did risotto with fresh mussels. It was tomato-based, so it worked well with light reds, as well as whites and rosés. Although I think risotto bianco is better with white wine, there’s no reason you can’t go for a red. The lighter the better probably, like Farnese’s Montepulciano.

A wine that will really sing with risotto bianco is the Borgo Magredo Friulano. It’s one of my favourite food wines, but even without food, it is very clean, crisp and refreshing. A super little number. For something a little different, I would recommend Ant Moore’s dry Riesling. For some, Riesling is too much of a risk, but it really shouldn’t be. This is the kind of wine should be a staple in anyone’s fridge, anytime of the year. IMHO.

I like Chinese food. On occasion. Maybe once a year. Or every two years. You see, I’m not quite sure a lot of Chinese restaurants really do Chinese food justice. Sometimes I regret eating it afterwards. It can be too sweet, too sticky, too gloopy and too stodgy. The better restaurants will do more justice. They prepare food from very fresh ingredients and seem to make it more fragrant and lighter on its feet.

This week, my wee brother (he’s actually bigger than me) @curiousdavide, did exactly that and cooked a fantastic chinese meal that had balance. It was certainly one of the best I’d ever had, if not the best. It might be worth heading to an Asian store before you get stuck into this. Like any cuisine, once you’ve acquired some of the basics, you should get good use out of them and most items will keep well.

Sichuan chicken with peanuts (serves 4)

Ingredients
4 high welfare/free range chicken breasts
6 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
(equivalent measure in ginger, thinly sliced)
6 spring onions, sliced (approx 1.5cm)
4 tbsp groundnut oil (or olive oil)
4 dried chillies, crushed (or as much as you want)
2 tsp ground Sichuan pepper (or ordinary pepper)
150g roasted peanuts (or cashew nuts)

For the marinade
1 tsp salt
4 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
3 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp water

For the sauce
1 and a half tsp cornflour
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
6 tsp black Chinese vinegar (or balsamic)
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp water

Method
Cut the chicken breasts into small cubes, place in a bowl and mix well with the marinade ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the sauce ingredients – have a sneaky taste – gorgeous!

Add 4 tbsp of the groundnut oil to a wok on a high heat and add the chillies and pepper until fragrant, but don’t burn them. Add the chicken cubes and cook until white before adding the ginger, garlic and spring onions.

When the chicken is cooked through, add the sauce until it becomes thick and then add the peanuts. Serve with steamed rice, or you could be a bit different like us and enjoy with seasoned quinoa livened up with a good grating of lemon zest.

The wine match

Chinese food goes quite well with Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer. I would go for a drier style for this dish because it’s not as sweet as a lot of the take-away Chinese food. The dry Paarl Heights Chenin Blanc is great everyday drinking wine for this kind of food. A richer style of Pinot Grigio would also not look out of place – try Ant Moore’s Pinot Gris. The small amount of residual sugar in this wine will do no harm.

If you prefer red, Pinotage will go well, even if you decide to spice it up with a few more chillies. Pinotage can handle some spice and quite complex flavours, so check out the Long Neck Pinotage. There are two Californian Pinot Noir’s, which recently landed with us and I think they would also work. Crane Lake Pinot Noir and Fat Cat Pinot Noir. Meeeeow!

Back to a classic, quick, mid-week recipe, or even a Saturday night over a bottle of red and a few beers. This is the kind of food that just makes you want to pick it up with your hands and eat like you’ve been starved for the last week. In fact, that’s the only way to eat it. Animal style.

Chorizo & red onion tacos (serves 2-3)

4 tbsp olive oil
tacos, enough for 2-3 people
butternut squash, deseeded & cut into 2cm cubes
1 clove of garlic
1 chilli, finely chopped
250g chorizo
2 shallots
1 small red onion, finely chopped
small tub of tomato salsa
Small block of Pecorino cheese
1 tbsp oregano, chopped
salt & pepper

Method
Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Crush the garlic and rub in half a tsp of salt. Mix together in a small bowl with 3 tsbp of the olive oil. Glaze the squash in the mixture and toss on a roasting tray. Bake for 20 minutes or so until soft and starting to blacken.

In a frying pan over a low-medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and fry the chorizo and shallots. When the shallots have softened, add the squash and oregano, stir and season with salt and pepper. Serve up with the tacos and dive in. Sprinkle the raw red onion over the top with some salsa and grated Pecorino cheese.

The wine match

Without chilli I’d be happy enough to go New World Cabernet Sauvignon on this one, although maybe not too much of a hard-hitter, like some Barossa Valley Cabernet can be. The Santa Alicia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon would do well, or even Woodstock’s McLaren Vale Cabernet, which has quite a youthful style, but still medium bodied with tremendous poise and structure.

Leave the chilli in, and I might be looking for a little more restraint again. The Cabernet Merlot blend from Fonty’s Pool in Western Australia is more what I’m thinking. And a couple of nice, light and inexpensive options, the Gassac Classic Rouge or the Santa Gloria Merlot.

Although hailing from Greece, this is like Lamb Moussaka with an Italian twist. The picture below just doesn’t do it justice unfortunately. If you’re a dab hand at the white sauce bit, your preping time should be minimal, but give yourself a few hours, including baking time, from start to finish.

Greek Pastitsio (serves 6)

450g rigatoni pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
900g ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
small handful of parsley, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped
225g passata
half tsp ground cinnamon
small glass of wine red
60g butter
3 eggs, beaten
100g grated Parmesan
750ml white sauce (easy to follow recipe here)
Side salad (to serve)

Method
Put the olive oil into a deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry until they begin to soften. Add the lamb and brown whilst breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and then throw in the parsley, cinnamon, tomato sauce and wine. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. In a separate pot, boil some water, add salt to season and cook the pasta until it is almost al dente little. Transfer to a large bowl. Add butter, eggs and half the Parmesan. Toss well. Prepare your white sauce.

Place half the pasta in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Top with the meat sauce, then place the remaining pasta on top and pour the white sauce over the top before sprinkling over the rest of the Parmesan. Bang in the oven to bake over almost an hour and the top is golden. Serve up with a simple salad.

The wine match

Pastitsio, like Moussaka, goes well with Sangiovese, a traditional Italian red grape variety. It’s got the big acidity we all love Italian wines for, and when enjoyed with food like this, it should work well with the richness of the sauces. Check out the Farnese Sangiovese and the Gregorina Sangiovese.

Staying with Italy, an earthy Barbera is worth considering. We’ve only had BBQ Barbera and Barbera da Vine for a few weeks now and they’re flying for us. If you’d prefer New World, the Squid’s Fist would be a super match also.

It was the New Zealand green lip mussels that I grew to adore on my trip around the world a few years ago, but I think the mussels farmed off our own shores are superior. Smaller, yes, but they have a better flavour. This risotto with mussels dish was enjoyed a few months ago after a trip to Cork’s English market.

Risotto with fresh mussels (serves 5-6)

900g fresh mussels
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
2/3 tin of chopped tomatoes
120ml white wine
200g shallots, finely chopped
400g risotto rice
1 litre of vegetable stock (homemade if possible)
4-5 tbsp olive oil
sea salt

Method
First off, clean and prepare the mussels. In a pot, heat two tbsp olive oil over a medium-high heat and add the garlic. When it starts to colour add the tomatoes and season with sea salt. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce down before adding the wine and mussels. Cover and cook until the mussels open. This should only take a few minutes. Take off the heat, remove the mussels from the pot, leaving aside 10-12 in their shells and discard the shells of the remaining.

Ensure the hot vegetable stock is prepared and ready to use. Separately, in a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil over a medium heat and add the onion. When soft, add the rice and cook for about two minutes. Add the tomato sauce from the other pot and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.

Start adding a ladleful of the hot broth, just enough to cover the rice each time. The risotto should be bubbling with the heat. The rice should become al dente around 20 minutes. The grains should be firm without being chalky in the centre. The overall texture should be creamy, not stiff or like soup. Taste to see if it needs more salt, and then add the chopped parsley and return the shelled and unshelled mussels to the pot. Serve straight up in bowls.

The wine match

Whether you love red, white or rosé, you’re in luck because there’s a lot of wine you could pair with this. If it is to be red, go for something light and fruity that isn’t overly tannic. The new Solonio Fontanapiana is made from the Montepulciano grape and has a very fresh, youthful style.

Take your pick with the white. Keeping with the Italian theme, another couple of new additions that would work well are the Borgo Magredo Pinot Grigio and the Goccia Lison Classico. For rosé, keep it pale, clean, crisp and dry – Château Bauduc Bordeaux Rosé.

As one of my regulars, I’m now managing to get this served up in well under the half hour mark. You can chop and change what you like. Pesto is a simple, yet tasty dish on its own, or you could serve the trout with some baby potatoes and the salad, or the salad only, again, all easily put together in a very short time. Trout is a great fish because it’s inexpensive, incredibly easy to cook, healthy, and darn right delicious! Get the food processor at the ready…

Pesto and trout with watercress & rocket salad (serves 4)

Ingredients
(Make-your-own Pesto)
400g dried pasta
100g pinenuts
half a clove of garlic
75g parmesan, grated
large bunch of basil
extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt & pepper

(Trout)
Four trout fillets, de-boned & skin on
seasoning

(Salad)
Bag of rocket
Bag of watercress
Feta cheese, diced
Sun dried or semi-sun dried tomatoes
Dollop of natural yogurt
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
seasoning

Method
Boil a kettle of water to cook the pasta with. Open the bags of rocket and watercress into a salad bowl. In an empty jam jar, shake up around 100ml of olive oil with a dollop of yogurt and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

Bring a pan of water to boil and add plenty of salt followed by the pasta, remembering to keep an eye on it so as not to overcook. In a food processor, blend the pinenuts, parmesan, garlic, basil and drizzle in the olive oil (around 100ml) until you get the right consistency. Season to taste.

Heat some oil in a frying pan to medium-high. Season the trout fillets. The pasta should be done by now. Drain and set aside. On the flesh side, fry the trout for about 20-30 seconds and then cook on the skin side. This will only take a few short minutes to crisp up. Use the lid of a saucepan to cover and stop it spitting out oil.

Before serving, add the pesto to the warm, drained pasta, then shake up and add the salad dressing mixture to the salad, without completely drenching it. Season and throw in some diced feta and sun dried tomatoes and bring to the table with the fish and the pasta.

The wine match

This is Sauvignon Blanc territory for me. The herbaceous pasta, the salad, the fish, all crying out for a crisp, aromatic white. The two key regions that come to mind for me are Marlborough and Loire Valley.

The Fairhall Cliffs and The Ned Sauvignon Blanc, both from Brent Marris, will absolutely sing with this food. As will La Clochette Sancerre, France’s answer to New Zealand SB. All possess racy acidity with a nettley twist. Other great alternatives include Cuvee Jean Paul Sec and Cuvee Laborie Blanc, which are both made from Ugni Blanc and Colombard, but are similar to Sauvignon for their zingy aromatics and crisp acidity.

A cynic would say that marinara is one of those things that has been bastardised to the last. Most likely invented by Neapolitan mariners during the 16th century, there are tons of variations out there – and it is very popular as a base sauce on pizza. As with this recipe, you’ll not see seafood in a traditional marinara, but then I can hardly call this wholly traditional either, as I reach for the can opener. Delicious nonetheless.

Red wine marinara pasta (serves 4)

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
100g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano
2-3 tsp capers
400g tinned tomato sauce or passata
200-250g tomato paste
1 tbsp worchester sauce
125ml dry red wine
400g cooked pasta
seasoning
side salad to serve

Method
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions for two minutes and then stir in the mushrooms, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano and capers. Cook for a further 4-5 minutes and add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, worchester sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Season to taste. Drain the cooked pasta and mix in the sauce. Serve with a side salad.

The wine match

By all means use any of the following recommendations for the 125ml of red wine you’ll need for the sauce. A glass of red in the sauce and a glass of red for yourself. It’s fun to drink and cook.

My first suggestion is one of our newbies in from Grave del Friuli. Stylish bottles, but the wines make for very good partners to food. The Borgo Magredo Pinot Nero is one of my top bargains at the moment. Another wine which I regularly feature is Doricum’s Nero d’Avola. Match with most tomato based pasta dishes and you’ll not go too far wrong. If you’re looking at the higher-end, The Squids Fist is fantastic value at the moment, and it’s just got that little herbaceous edge to carry the flavours from the dried herbs.

For a good white wine match, we have the Dignité Viognier open for tasting in the shop this weekend and it has reminded of how good it is. It’s quite full and rich, and the acidity has been tempered, but simply sensational for a four-year-old Viognier. Great by itself or with food.

Our little brother, Curious Davide, is back with another whopping recipe. I’m sharing an apartment with him now in Cork City, so whilst I have to put up with his smelly feet, he’s a dab hand in the kitchen, which more than makes up for it. This is another one of my picks from his repertoire. Please don’t confuse this with school dinner mac & cheese, or that from a tin.

Curious Davide’s Mac & Cheese (serves 6)

Ingredients
500g macaroni or rigatoni pasta
1 pint of cheese sauce (I’ll be using Delia’s recipe again for this)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
5-6 bacon rashers, sliced
two good handfuls of mature cheddar cheese, grated
handful of breadcrumbs
small amount of finely chopped rosemary
side salad to serve

Method
Mix the chopped rosemary into the breadcrumbs and set aside. Turn the oven to 190 degrees C. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, season generously with salt and add the pasta. Get started immediately on the cheese sauce and fry the bacon in a separate pan. When it starts to crisp, add the onions and fry for two minutes.

Drain the pasta and then pour as much cheese sauce as you like over the pasta. You’ll most likely use less than the full pint. Remove from the heat and add the bacon and onions. Put everything into an ovenproof dish and cover the top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bang into the oven until the top is golden and crisp. Bring to the table and enjoy with salad.

The wine match

For me this dish is wine heaven. I found myself craving a glass of wine as soon as I got started, but I only had red open from the night before and no white wine chilling (I know, very bad form for a wine merchant). Fortunately, the open red wine was a sample of a new Barbera we are bringing in shortly. It was actually a really beautiful match. Barbera has good acidity and is not too weighty, so it didn’t smother the dish. The Bricco dei Guazzi Barbera del Monferrato would also do a superb job.

I suppose the natural white wine match would be Italian Pinot Grigio. Our new PG from Borgo Magredo fits that bill perfectly. It’s got enough body and richness to carry the cheese sauce. The Goccia Pinot Grigio would be another good choice, but you could also go with a Chardonnay, my preference being one with restrained oak, or that is unwooded. The Spring Seed Chardonnay is unoaked, yet it retains body and a creamy texture from malolactic fermentation, a process winemakers use to help soften acidity and bring an extra richness to the wine.