Tagged: #Foodandwinematching

My friend, the lamb burger

Ah, the glorious burger. What's not to like? Do it on the barbecue if summer ever decides to show her face. Otherwise, this is an all year round, heart warming hunk of meat between two lumps of bread to be enjoyed with a rich red, or even a good ale.

Toad in the hole & a rich onion gravy to pour

I know this is real winter grub here, but while April is refusing to behave I still have that urge to eat warm, rich, weighty food. The first time I tried toad was when Curious Davide (<-- click and scroll down to view his other recipes) made it back in January. This is more or less how he did it.

Oscar's spare ribs

One of my father's best friends is a Chinese man called Oscar who he's known since university. My parents actually went on holidays with him and his wife recently. He's a great man for the cooking, and oriental style is his forté.

Chicken & fish paella

With 20% off Spain in January and February, I thought why get a good paella recipe up and pair it with a few great value wines. For best results, use real chicken stock here. It's a handy recipe you're bound to use again and again.

Cauliflower soup to warm the belly

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.

Chorizo & red onion tacos

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.

Greek Pastitiso

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.

Risotto with fresh mussels

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.