THE 'ART' OF FOOD AND WINE MATCHING is actually a relatively recent invention (1980s); before this most people unthinkingly drank local wines with local foods - and lived to tell the tale! But for whatever reason, today, it's an overly-prescribed area that can even create anxiety for some people.
Burgers, charcoal and Motilium at the ready! It's seven scrumptious barbecue recipes from seven tong-tastic, grill-focused venues dotted around Cork city and county. Many people plump for beer at these casual, unfussy events, but tons of wines can hit the spot just as well.
This recipe comes from our new South African winery, Kanu. It's a tried and tested Jane-Anne Hobbs Rayner recipe, and is sure to be the highlight of the day. The best part is that the longer in advance you prepare it, the better.
This week's recipe comes courtesy of Marisco Vineyards, who supply us with New Zealand wines fit for a king. The dish is one of those that fools people into thinking you're an amazing cook who has spent ages in the kitchen working all kinds of magic.
Here is the latest in our ‘Seasonal Recipes’ series, a simple-but-amazing pasta dish that even the most ham-fisted of cooks can have a crack at.
The stir-fry is underrated these days, but add this to your quick mid-week meals and you'll certainly go back to it again. With the right ingredients they can pack really fresh and vibrant, mouthwatering flavours, just like this one.
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.
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.
Most of us know coronation chicken as a sandwich filler. It was originally created for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, but now it is a tasty, easy to prepare everyday meal for peasants like me.
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.
Cheese is something we do very well in Ireland, and while we should support Irish produce first and foremost, we're also fortunate to have access to lots of high quality cheese from abroad.
Whether or not you make anything of Pancake Day, keep this luxury recipe in the locker for a regular Saturday morning.
I've done a cracking Mac and Cheese recipe here previously, but this is my Bronagh's (who's Bronagh?) rich, tomato and beef macaroni she likes to whizz up the odd time. She ain't too bad at the old wine matching either.
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.
An incredible tasty, easy and speedy meal to put together. If you've leftover chicken from the Sunday roast, this will solve the Monday night dinner dilemma. Make chicken stock from the chicken carcass on Sunday evening and pop it into the fridge.
Leave those jars of yellow stuff on the supermarket shelves. This recipe will save you a ton of calories and help keep those sodium levels down no end. Sometimes it's hard to beat a mild Korma.
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.
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.
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.
I like Chinese food. On occasion. Maybe once a year.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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