Roast lamb is the essence of traditional Australian cuisine, and quince trees were once common in Australian backyards. Traditional ingredients to make an innovative dish to match with an alternative varietal wine.

This recipe is suggested by Sue Thornton of Amulet Vineyard in the Beechworth Wine Region of North Eastern Victoria. This recipe was originally published on the Food Lovers Guide to Australia in an episode featuring the Peppermint Bay Hotel in Tasmania

Ingredients: Serves 6-8 people
Preparation time: a day to marinate
Cooking time: 3-4 hours

• 1 large whole leg or whole shoulder of lamb
• 5 halved and squeezed lemons
• 5 halved heads garlic, with skin left on
• 4 quinces, skinned and cooked to a puree
• 4 cinnamon quills
• 8 whole cloves
• 200g honey
• Plus 4 quinces, peeled and halved
• Splash olive oil
• Splash red wine, Amulet’s Barbera
• Splash water
• Sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Method:
Place all the ingredients in a bowl except the halved quinces, wine, water and oil. Pour over the lamb and marinate in the fridge overnight or longer if possible. Two days is better.

Pre-heat oven to 160’C. In a large roasting tray, place the halved quinces and lay the lamb as flat as possible on top. Pour over the marinade, add a splash of the olive oil and enough wine to cover the base of the tray by about 1 cm. This method of ‘wet roasting’ allows the liquid to gently steam the meat. The liquid also stops the sugars in the marinade from burning.
Cover tray with foil as tightly as you can. Place in the oven.

After one hour, check the progress of the lamb. If there is still sufficient liquid in the tray, replace the foil and continue cooking. If not, add a little water.

After three more hours, remove the lamb from the oven. It should be a darkened caramel in colour. Rest for at least one hour as this will ensure the lamb stays moist.

When it’s cool enough to handle, gently run your fingers along the muscle to separate it from the bone. It should slide off easily. If the bone emerges clean then you know that it is cooked perfectly. Pour any excess liquid over the meat and garnish with the roasted quinces.

Gently re-heat the lamb with a little more wine and cover with foil again.

Serve with couscous tossed with roasted walnuts, tahini, yogurt and harissa (a Moroccan chilli paste)

Recommended wine: Amulet 2004 Duck Label Barbera.

Additional comments from Winemaker Sue Thornton: At Amulet” we having been considering a suitable recipe to go with our 2004 Duck Label Barbera.”

As lamb producers we have come up with this succulent lamb recipe which we found on the Food Lovers Guide to Australia website. It also features quinces and quince trees are often found in the orchards of old farm houses. So this recipe has flavours of country Australia.

This simple recipe for gnocchi uses a freshly cooked tomato sauce. It is provided by Wendy Parsons of Catherine Vale who recommends it as ideal dish to accompany Catherine Vale Dolcetto

Ingredients:
6 tomatoes peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
1 clove of garlic shopped
30 ml of olive oil
1 bouquet garni made up with parsley, thyme and 1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Packet of gnocchi - follow packet instructions

Method: (serves 4)
Heat oil in frying pan and gently fry shallot and garlic
Add tomato, bouquet garni, salt and pepper
Simmer for approximately 15 minutes
Remove bouquet garni and lace sauce in a liquidizer after removing bouquet garni
Meanwhile cook and drain gnocchi
Put Gnocchi and sauce into an ovenproof dish and top with Parmesan cheese
Brown under grill and serve

This recipe is supplied by Wendy Lawson of Catherine Vale Wines in the Hunter Valley. She suggests serving it with Catherine Vale Barbera.

These “olives” are not olives at all. They are rolled stuffed slices of veal. Maybe they resemble cigars rather than olives.

Serves 4 | Preparation Time 20 minutes | Cooking Time 25 minutes

This dish is to be served with Catherine Vale Barbera.

Ingredients:

• 4 thin veal escalopes
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 30 ml double cream
• 6 large mushrooms
• 50 g butter
• 200ml chicken stock
• 30 ml oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Trim and wash mushrooms. Dry and chop finely or in a food processor
2. Melt butter and gently sauté the shallot and the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and allow the water from the mushrooms to evaporate and then stir in the double cream
stirring constantly to prevent sticking to base of pan. Reduce a little and then set aside to cool
3. Gently flatten escalopes between 2 sheets of cling film with the flat of a large knife.
4. Remove cling film and season the veal with salt and pepper. Place mushroom cream filling down the centre of each escalope
5. Roll up and secure with kitchen string
6. Heat oil and seal the meat rolls on all sides until lightly browned all over.
7. Transfer to a medium oven to finish cooking, turning them from time to time to ensure even cooking.
8. Add chicken stock to remaining cream filling, then beat in the butter and allow it to reduce somewhat. Check and adjust seasoning and serve poured over the ‘olives’ when they are cooked through.

Enjoy this dish with a glass of Catherine Vale Barbera.

Barbera wines often have a have a high level of acidity. In this food pairing the acidity is balanced by the oil and the cheese, while the savory flavours of the wine are complemented by the exotic earthiness of the mushrooms.

This mushroom recipe is based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef.

Shop around for a for a mixture of mushroom types, the more variety the better. You could do this with common field mushrooms but try some others such as portobello mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, swiss browns, girolles, or shitake.

Use fresh tagliatelli, rather than the dry, but dry packet pasta will do at a pinch.

Ingredients
* 250g fresh tagliatelle
* 150-200g mixed mushrooms see above
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* A clove of garlic
* Pinch of chilli powder (optional)
* A lemon (lemom juice has an affinity with mushrooms)
* Salt and some pepper
* Quarter cup of grated Parmesan cheese
* handful of parsley, roughly chopped
* 50g Butter

Method
* Chop or tear the mushrooms into small pieces (Don’t wash them, brush them with a cloth if necessary)
* Using a large pan quickly fry the mushrooms in hot olive oil, tossing and turning as you go, add some salt, reserve some for the end
* Add the crushed garlic and chilli powder
* Cook for 5 minutes and add the juice of the lemon. Remove from heat
* Meanwhile cook the pasta in hot salted water until al dente.
* Toss the drained tagliatelli through the mushrooms add the cheese, butter and parsley.
* Toss throughly and serve.

This dish is an ideal accompaniment to Barbera

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Barbera is an Italian red wine variety that is the most widely planted variety in Piedmont and is popular throughout Italy. Its role has been mainly to produce everyday drinking wines. After years of being in the shadow of Nebbiolo the variety is getting more attention from growers and winemakers, and the resulting wines are much better.

The naturally high acid levels of the grape are a beneficial characteristic of the variety especially in warmer climates. There are considerable plantings elsewhere in Italy as well as in Argentina, California, and Australia. Barbera ripens at about the same time as Shiraz and so it is quite suitable for many Australian wine regions.

Barbera wines can have ripe or sour cherry flavours or they may develop rounder plummy and spicy characters. While Barbera wines are rarely described as great wines they are pleasant enough for everyday drinking.

Some general food matching ideas include roasted veal, more hearty chicken dishes, chinese beef or pork dishes, as well as the more obvious Italian favourites of pasta and pizza.

Barbera in Australia | Barbera and food pairing