Firstly there is a saying ‘don’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink’, and although true as you don’t want to cook with that bottle of 1811 Château d’Yquem or 1787 Château Lafite you have hidden away under the stairs, when it comes to cooking with wine you want a bottle that is straight down the middle ordinary.

That oaky Chardonnay you love is a great wine to quaff I’m sure, but those oaky overtones with come through in your dinner…not so delicious. Similarly that steely Sauvignon Blanc that is fantastic ice cold on a hot day will give a disturbing angle to your food. And definitely don’t use hock!

Try a white dry table wine. That’s right those bottles you don’t really pay attention to at the bottom of the wine rack. They are probably better than you think and are usually cheap and cheerful. Try one and if you really don’t think it will work you can always unblock the sink with it and buy another brand.

The same goes for red. Oak is out, as is something warming and smooth, better to drink and too good to waste. Get a good reasonably priced, unoaked medium bodied not too dry red and look for berry flavours. This should give you a great balanced flavour in your casserole or jus.

There is simply no substitute for red wine, but going back to white wine there is another way. In any recipe that requires white wine you can replace it Vermouth, it’s just as good. I always have a bottle in the kitchen, and contrary to common belief it seems to last indefinitely. Any brand will do, always on hand it’s a proper stalwart in my house.

I hope this helps you out if you weren’t sure what to buy for that recipe that simply askes for red or white wine.

Please do ask questions if you need to in the comments below.

Michael Robinson

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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I was lucky enough to be taken away by my partner to Mersea Island, Essex. A place well know for its oysters and award winning English wines, sounds like a perfect combination to me! The island is pretty small the west side being the village and where things “happen” and the east almost completely farming land. The island does benefit from long sand and shingle beaches gently lapped by the calm waters of the Thames estuary. Some parts of the beaches are lined with beautifully kept traditional beach huts which looked stunning in the bright early spring sunshine.

Oysters maybe the speciality here, but there’s so much more fresh fish and shellfish which rolls in off the boats I am really feeling spoilt for choice.

The first place I went for a seafood fix was at the West Mersea Oyster Bar, which was conveniently located right opposite the place I was staying, The Victory.

To start I had a mix of oysters Colchester Natives and Mersea Rocks. Both of which were delicious, I tried them “naked” first with no dressing or sauce, both were creamy and clean tasting it was hard to make a choice between them. Then I dressed some with the supplied shallot and vinegar mix and finally had the last ones with Tabasco (one of my favourite ways of eating them…as you know I love spice!).

Then it was for a bowl of their crab chowder (well the wind was a little chilly that day!) it was very good being rich, satisfying with plenty of crab and big chunks of potato. In fact it could have easily been a main course. But as I was here to try the food  I needed to carry on and move down the menu and select my next fishy delight. I need something to match those traditional beach huts, something which screams seaside.

There was only one thing to fit the bill -classic British fish ‘n’ chips. The fish I chose was skate wing over my usual chip shop choice of haddock. I haven’t had skate in a while and had almost forgotten how soft and wonderfully flavoured this fish is. It had an excellent crispy batter coating to counter the soft flesh inside. Served with a homemade tartar sauce and hand cut chips it really hit the spot.

The next day and hungry for more I went to the famous Company Shed. This is the most well known seafood bar on the island and has been well covered in the national press, so I arrived with high hopes.

Again I felt obliged to  start with oysters but unfortunately as it was near to the end of the day they only had the Natives left, which was fine but I was hoping to try there Gigas oysters. Oh well must make a note to get there early next time! The natives were again delicious but no vinegar and shallot mix was served with them this time, which I did miss. But they did have a bottle of Tabasco on the table which made mine an easy choice.

My main course was their seafood platter, which included dressed crab, prawns, crevette, both plain and  smoked mackerel, a large mussel and smoked salmon. Served with some nice fresh bread it was a bit of a feast as you can see. The prawns really stood out as they were so sweet and moreish.

In France on the opposite side of the channel I have had the equivalent dish – Fruits de Mer. From my experience the French would never pair delicate fresh seafood with strong flavoured smoked fish or indeed foreign imports. I think I prefer the version Français, but vive la difference I guess!

As The Company Shed is a “bring your own” I took a bottle of local wine I had bought earlier that day from Mersea Island Vineyard. It was a medium dry and the perfect foil for the huge plate of seafood. English wines have come on so much in recent years it’s a pleasure to be able to recommend them!

Strange that in both of these places they include non-local or imported products in their seafood platters. Even though mussel shells scatter the beach and seem to be available locally the restaurants on the island lean towards the larger green lipped variety imported from New Zealand. I does make me wonder why. I mean with all that fresh local fish why fly more in from around the world?

I had a fantastic time and my thanks go out to everyone on the island who made my stay so enjoyable. Especially to our hosts at The Victory for an amazing room, attention to detail and for spoiling me on my birthday!

Remember to share your memories below if you have been to Mersea Island or any other place in the world that combines great local seafood and wine.

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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Salmon has long enjoyed well-deserved regard among foodies as one of life’s great delicacies. Even with the general public who usually prefer beef to fish, salmon has become very popular.

Salmon in itself is considered a healthy dish, but you can enjoy a healthier salmon meal with a leaf wrapped stuffed salmon. As the name suggest, it’s salmon stuffed with bread crumbs, almonds, and parsley, and wrapped with steamed or boiled lettuce or sorrel leaves. The stuffing can be so good you would actually want an extra batch in a separate dish or a hollowed-out lemon. Without further ado, here’s your recipe for this mouth-watering salmon presentation.

For the Wrap, You Will Need:

• 3 heads lettuce (butter type) or 1 pound fresh sorrel leaves

For the Lemon-Almond Stuffing:

• 1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
• 1 cup unblanched almond
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon or thyme leaves
• 1 cup fresh parsley sprigs
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ pound unsalted butter, softened
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Ground cayenne pepper
• 1 whole 5- to 8-pound salmon, dressed and boned
• Salmon caviar or cooked crayfish for garnish

How to Prepare

1.) Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2.) Dip the lettuce or sorrel leaves in boiling water for about 10 seconds. Remove leaves immediately and place in a bowl of ice water.  Drain and spread out on paper towel.

3.) To make the stuffing, combine almonds, bread crumbs, and parsley in  a blender or food processor. Process until coarsely chopped and well mixed. Add tarragon or thyme, lemon zest and juice, and butter. Mix thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

4.) Rinse the salmon under running water and pat dry using paper towel.

5.) Stuff the cavity of the salmon with the mixture and place the fish on a baking sheet.

6.) Drain the blanched lettuce or sorrel leaves and wrap the fish in the leaves, overlapping them as you work and covering the fish completely with several layers.

7.) Bake the salmon until the flesh is barely opaque throughout, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness

8.) Garnish with caviar or crayfish and serve immediately or at room temperature. To serve, cut the fish crosswise into 1-inch thick slices.

Serves 6 to 12.

Tips: Serve the salmon with lemon and butter. For individual servings, divide the stuffing and wrapping among six one-pound farm-raised fish.

About the Author: Stephen John is a food and wine enthusiast. He blogs about food, wine, and culture and writes wine reviews for a living. He loves pairing his salmon dish with a bottle of his favourite Penfolds Vintage

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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For 3 days this weekend part of the Southbank was turned into a mini La Boqueria!

The largest area, sponsored by Campo Viejo wines, included a restaurant, bar and wine tasting area. We were lucky enough to get into one of the wine blending classes and the wine makers there shared lots of information about the range of climates, altitudes and soils in the Rioja region. We tried unblended wine – all tempranillo – from the different areas to experience the different aromas and flavours. We also tried the same wine aged in French oak or American oak – the difference was enormous – one quite sweet and fragrant the other much bolder, a great comparison.

And then of course there was the food! One of the favourite quick snacks in La Boqueria is meat on a stick – typically 6 different meats for 1 euro. And they had that here in London – albeit 4 different meats for £1! There were lots of delicious meats, salamis, olives, cheeses, oils and chocolates. Some beautifully presented.

One of the places we ate when we were last at La Boqueria was El Quim and so I was pleased to see they had a stand and were serving tapas. One of their featured recipes, which is on their site , is this Eggs With Small Squids – a different and delicious way to have your morning eggs!

Eggs with small squids.

Recipe for one person.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs.
• 100 grs of small squids.
• 1 garlic.
• 1 chilly pepper.
• Olive oil.
• Maldon salt.
• Black pepper.

Preparation:

1. Fry the eggs in a pan with plenty olive oil.

2. Slice the garlic and deep fry it with the chilly pepper until golden brown. Then, add the small squids and saute them.

3. Serve on top of the fried eggs with Maldon salt and black pepper on top.

Is it like being there? NO!!!! But was it a fun addition for a Bank Holiday weekend? Absolutely.

Were you there too? Or have you been to La Boqueria? Do let me know, I’d love to hear your comments.

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Karen Kennaby

Karen Kennaby is the Intuitive Food Coach. She helps people, primarily women, discover the best foods & eating pattern for them so they feel & look AMAZING!
“The focus is very much on delicious, beautiful & healthy food. For the last 9 years I’ve chosen real food, moderately low carb diet & maintained my weight all that time – plus no tummy aches, no bloating etc"
I am excited to tell you about: 'Around the Table with Karen'... I believe a lot of life goes on around the table…meaningful 121 conversations, group discussions, interviews, coaching, relationships developing, preparing & sharing food, eating, and more! Around the Table with Karen covers all this.
Click here for more information on Karen.

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