This recipe can be used for any cooked meat leftovers, turkey, chicken, lamb or beef - you can even use a mixture of meats. But it is very good with turkey and you will often have more turkey than you need. You can pair it with a medium to full bodied white wine.

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 2 cups diced cold cooked turkey
• 4 spring onions
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 egg
• 300 ml milk
• 1 teaspoon garam masala*
• Oil for cooking

Method

Sift the flour and garam masala spice into a bowl adding the egg and the milk gradually beating as you do to get a smooth thin batter. You now have a spicy, runny pancake mix. Leave it to stand for half an hour or so.

Meanwhile dice the spring onions including the more tender green parts.

Mix the turkey meat and onions into the batter.

Heat oil in a pan. You need it fairly hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time to the pan and cook till the bottom is brown. Turn over and cook the other side. Remove and keep warm while you cook the rest of the mixture.

To serve

These can be served with some spicy chutney or a salsa verde as a light supper. You could also serve them with some steamed vegetables or a green salad for a more substantial meal.

Viognier or a medium bodied white wine would go well with these leftover turkey fritters.

* Garam masala is a mixture of spices used in Indian cooking. The mixture varies but often contains cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and perhaps coriander and cumin. You could use a other spice mixtures such as Vic Cherikoffs Australian Wildfire Spice

The Awards Long Lunch at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show is an occasion to celebrate the diversity of new Australian wines, accompanied by some fine regional food.

The 2008 Awards Long Lunch was held at Trentham Estate, a winery located on a superb site overlooking the Murray River.

As usual the wines presented at the lunch included were all Gold medalists from 2007. The food was provided by Trentham Estates restaurant and each course was carefully matched with the bracket of wines presented.

The menu is presented here to stimulate your interest and imagination

The Menu

Appetisers and Canapes

• Blackbilly Pinot Gris 2007
• Brown Brothers Vermentino 2007

First Course
Rabbit and chorizo terrine with chutney

• Robinvale Wines 2002 Kerner
• Matua 2006 Shingle Peak Reserve Pinot Gris

Second Course
Coulibac of Murray cod with sauteed leek and mushroom duxelle served with sauce creme and fish roe

• W Wines 2007 Viognier
• Yalumba 2006 The Virgilus Viognier
• Tahbilk 2005 Marsannne
• Tahbilk 2003 Marsanne

Third Course
Rosemary and Garlic marinated quail on spicy ratatouille with a drizzle of jus

• Cobaw Ridge 2006 Lagrein
• Mount Langi Ghiran 2006 Nut Tree Hill Sangiovese
• Freeman Vineyards 2003 Rondinella Corvina

Fourth Course
Duo of succulent Beef with truffle scented mash, vegetables and herb jus

• Tar and Roses 2006 Nebboilo
• Pizzini Wines 2002 Nebbiolo
• Tscharke 2006 Montepulciano

Fifth Course
Selection of cheese with garnishes and house pastes

• Casella Wines 2006 Yendah Vale Durif
• D’Arenberg 2005 The Sticks and Stones Tempranillo Grenache Souszao

A full list of the results for the 2007 AAWWS can be found here

Asparagus has a distinctive aroma and taste that can be hard to match with wine.

Asparagus

Fine Art Print by Peggy Turchett

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About Asparagus
Asparagus is the shoot of a perennial plant that looks like a fern, but it is unrelated to fern plants. It grows each spring from a sub-surface crown. Some cuisines use white asparagus which is produced by depriving the shoots of light. If the shoots are allowed to grow in light they turn green, or in some varieties, purple.

The plant has been used throughout recorded history in Europe and the Mediterranean lands. According to Wkipedia it is known in French and Dutch as asperge, in Italian as asparago in Portuguese as espargo hortense, in Spanish as espárrago, in German as Spargel, in Hungarian as spárga and in India as Ashadhi, Majjigegadde or Sipariberuballi.

The edible part of Asparagus is the new shoot with the buds. The stalks are picked before the leaves emerge from the buds.

Asparagus recipes

A food plant as widespread as asparagus has attracted many recipes. The basic method is to remove the tough part of the bottom of the stem, either by snapping or peeling and to plunge into boiling water for about 5 minutes. The aim is to keep the asparagus crisp. Overcooking will give you a limp grey mess.

You serve asparagus in a number of ways.

• Simply dressed with extra virgin olive oil and a splash of vinegar
• With a Hollandaise sauce
• Jamie Oliver suggests serving steamed asparagus with a lemon and anchovy butter
• Under a dressing of soy sauce with few drops of sesame oil
• In a Spanish omelet, substituting asparagusf or the potatoes
• In asparagus rolls wrapped in sliced bread with the crusts removed
• As part of an antipasta platter with smoked salmon
• Malaysian restaurants sometimes serve it with belachan sauce
• Stephanie Alexander suggests putting blanched asparagus on to the barbecue grill

Asparagus and wine

Now the tricky part. Asparagus has a strongish flavour that can overwhelm some wines. You need to take into consideration the sause as well. If you want to serve it with white, perhaps a robust Vermentino or a Viognier could be the go. Gewurztraminer wines are strongly flavoured and can be an ideal foil for asparagus. Among the red wines I would suggest a Barbera for its tartness, or perhaps a Petit Verdot

Grilled Octopus requires some preparation, but the final cooking is fairly quick.

Stephanie Alexander, in her Cook’s Companion recommends tenderizing octopus with a meat mallet until the flesh looses its bounciness.

Cut the tentacles away from the body. If the head is not too large, say more than 20cm in diameter, you can use it as well. Turn it inside out and remove the beak and internal organs. Remove the suckers from the tentacles and skin them under running water. If you are using the head score it well or cut into strips similar in size to the tentacles.

Marinate the octopus for a few hours or preferably overnight in olive oil along with some garlic, dried oregano and bay leaves.

To cook drain off the olive oil and grill for a few minutes on a hot barbecue plate or under your kitchen grill. Don’t bother about a dipping sauce, just serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Grilled octopus can be served as a tapas dish (just add toothpicks) as part of a seafood platter, or as a dish in its own right.

A crisp aromatic white wine can be served with octopus. Why not try an albarino

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Imma’s Stuffed Mussels - Mejillones Rellenos [Tigres]

My friend Imma is a Tapas freak. She runs the Tapas recipes website which is full of authentic recipes for the most delicous little Spanish snacks.

Imma says In Bilbao, these stuffed mussels are called Tigres because of their fieriness. I fondly remember the crowded little bars in the old part of Bilbao, where orders of tigres would emerge by the dozens from the tiny kitchens. We devoured these mussels and everyone dropped the empty shells right onto the floor, where periodically they would be raked up. This tapa is not as popular today in the bars as it once was, but I like it so much that I make it whenever I find fresh mussels.

* Servings: Makes 18 pieces

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 dozen mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
* 3 tablespoon water
* 2 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced onion
* 2 tablespoon flour
* 3 tablespoon white wine
* 1/2 cup mussel liquid
* 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
* 4 tablespoon fine dry breadcrumbs
* Olive oil for frying

Preparation

Steam open the mussels. Put them in a deep pan with the water. Cover the pan and put over a high heat, shaking the pan, until the shells open. Remove from heat and discard any mussels that do not open.

Mussels can also be opened in a microwave. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl, partially covered, and microwave at full power for one minute. Stir and microwave one minute more. Remove any mussels that have opened and microwave one minute more. Again remove open ones. Repeat twice more. Discard any mussels that have not opened.

When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the empty half shells. Loosen the mussel meat from the bottom shell and arrange the mussels in their shells on a tray in a single layer. Strain the mussel liquid and reserve it.

Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and sauté the minced onion until it is softened, without letting it brown. Stir in the flour, cook for a minute, stirring, then whisk in the wine and the mussel liquid. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Put a spoonful of this white sauce onto each mussel and smooth it level with the top of the shell.

Refrigerate until the sauce is firmly set, at least one hour. Place the beaten egg in one dish and the bread crumbs in another. Dip the mussels, open face down, first into egg, then bread crumbs. Arrange them on the tray in a single layer. (The mussels can be prepared up to this point, then frozen. Freeze them in one layer, then pack them carefully in a freezer bag or plastic container. Let them thaw at least one hour before continuing with the preparation.)

To fry the mussels, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan. Fry them in two or three batches, breaded side down, until golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

Food Pairing with Mussels

These mussels would be an ideal dish to serve with a bottle of Albarino, or if they are part of a larger platter of tapas perhaps with a bottle of Tempranillo

If you enjoy these mussels you can find more Tapas recipes on Imma’s Tapas site

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Marinated Mushrooms

These mushrooms can be served as a first course on their own but are better as part of an antipasto platter. The drained mushrooms can also be tossed through a green salad. They need at least a few hours to marinate, but are best after a day or two in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Serves 2 as entree, 4-6 as part of a platter

• 250g small button mushrooms
• Half cup of good olive oil
• Juice of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon or parsley are great)
• 2 cloves garlic
• A couple of peppercorns or other spices

Method

Heat oil gently and infuse with the garlic. Meanwhile halve or quarter the mushrooms according to size. If they are small and you are doing them a day ahead you can leave them whole.
Remove oil from heat and add the mushrooms. Mix well and allow to cool. Add lemon juice, herbs, and spices. Allow to marinate in a glass bowl, preferably for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

You can store these for up to a week in a glass jar in the fridge. In this case don’t put the fresh herbs in until you are ready to serve the mushrooms.

Wine suggestion

I love a crisp Arneis wine with antipasto. In this food pairing the wine often has enough oomph to go with the varied flavours from the various ingredients.

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Here is a simple idea for serving Chorizo, those lovely spicy Spanish sausages.

You can adjust the amount depending on how many people you wish to serve. The recipe is suitable as a tapa on its own or can be just one of many dishes for larger antipasto spread.

Green Tomato Chutney is a versatile addition to any pantry or fridge. You can buy it at supermarkets, but I like to buy these type of condiments in country farmers markets or at cellar doors; you get a wider variety of flavour and combinations and are often supporting some local microbusiness as well.

This recipe is suggested by Jamie Andrews of Hamiltons Bluff in the Cowra wine region. He suggests this food pairing for Hamiltons Bluff Sangiovese.

The recipe

Method

Thinly slice chorizo sausage and pan fry.

Place small amount of green tomato chutney on top.

Serve on platter as finger food.

Jamie says

The flavours are simple but perfectly matched to Sangiovese. Gamey, meaty, spice characters of the sausage, with acidic fruity tartness of the chutney, wrapped in oil from the sausage.

This combination is rustic, simple and devastatingly effective. We use it when we do tastings in the cellar door.

See how you can get a free cookbook “10 dishes for Sangiovese”