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

French Onion Soup: a classic recipe

This is a hearty comfort food. It is an ideal dish for a winters evening with red wine.

Red Onions

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Ingredients for 6 people

• 1 kg (2lbs) onions
• 75 g (30 oz) butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1.8 litres (8 cups) boiling water
• Salt and pepper
• French bread stick

Method

• Slice onions finely, I use a mandolin.
• Melt butter in a heavy based saucepan and brown the onions slowly over low heat. Stir often to prevent from burning. This will take 30-40 minutes.
• Add the flour and stir in well.
• Pour the boiling water over the onions, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Cut the French stick and bake in oven until they are crisp.

To Serve
Put a slice of the crisped bread into each bowl and pour the soup over.
Some people suggest serving with grilled cheese but I think the onions provide enough flavour.
Wine Suggestion
You could serve this soup with a white wine, but I think it goes better with a red, especially in winter. I would suggest a Petit Verdot. These wines have enough body and depth of flavour to match it with the onion.

Papoutsakia means “little shoes” in Greek. The finished dish resembles shoes or boats. This recipe is vegetarian, but you could use some minced lamb as well in the stuffing mixture.

Ingredients for 4.

* 2 medium eggplants
* 4 spring onions (including green tops), chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 cup chopped celery, including some leaves
* 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
* 1 green capsicum, seeded and chopped
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon dried mint
* 1 half cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 cup chicken stock, or tomato juice
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Kalamata olives (optional)
* Feta cheese (optional)

Method

Halve eggplants lengthwise. Scoop out centers to make boats. Chop scooped-out eggplant pulp.

Saute the chopped eggplant with the onions and garlic in some of the oil for a couple of minutes. Stir in the celery, tomatoes, capsicum, oregano, mint and parsley; mix well.

Stuff eggplant “shoes” with mixture. Sprinkle with a little olive oil. Place shoes into a baking dish. Pour chicken stock or tomato juice and remaining olive oil into dish, around the shoes. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated moderate oven for 45 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

This dish can be served as an entree, or as a side dish to souvlakia or greek style roast lamb.

Food pairing ideas

You could enjoy this dish with a full bodied Viognier, or perhaps a lighter style Petit Verdot.

Petit Verdot is a red wine grape variety which is used occasionally in the Bordeaux region of France. It is not highly regarded or used in that wine region, probably because as a late ripening variety it is not a consistent performer. Its value is that it can add colour structure and an added complexity of flavour to Cabernet based blends. It is only occasionally made into varietal wine in Bordeaux.

In the warmer Australian wine regions though this variety has become a star. It is planted in most of the areas where shiraz can ripen. Many winemakers believe that Petit verdot makes better wines in warmer regions than Cabernet Sauvignon.

Some consumers note the violet scent on the nose, but if you try these wines you will also be impressed by the firm tannins, good flavour and colour.

Petit verdot wine ages well. Some winemakers give it bottle age before release.

Petit verdot is quite versatile when it is paired with food. It goes well with hearty meat dishes, simple grills and cheese. Some of the less expensive lighter wines from the inland regions are ideally suited with barbecued food.

Find out more about Petit Verdot in Australia

Time for Verdot Petit

Deb Collins

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This is a classic dish worthy of any restaurant but you can do it at home. Slow cooking in a slow oven with wine, stock and vegetables is needed to get the shanks to the falling-off-the- bone stage.

This rich and flavoursome dish would go very well with a well flavoured Petit Verdot.

This recipe serves 10, scale it up or down to suit your number of guests.

You need:
10 lamb shanks
50 mls oil
50 grams butter
Half cup grams carrot, peeled and chopped
Half cup grams onion, finely chopped
Half cup celery, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tin crushed tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
Half bottle of red wine
4 cups water or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of flour

Method:
Brown the shanks on all sides in oil in a frying pan. Seal on all sides. Transfer the shanks to a baking tray with a lid.

In the same frying pan saute the finely chopped vegetables and the crushed garlic for a few minutes. Add the butter to the pan then sprinkle over the flour. Stir thoroughly to absorb the flour.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine; stir to remove any lumps of flour in the mixture. Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Pour the boiled liquid over the lamb shanks and stir.

At this stage, you could add two or three bay leaves to the lamb shanks; for a bit of extra flavour, you could try adding a cinnamon stick.

Cover the baking tray with baking paper and then foil and then cover with some aluminium foil. Place in an oven preheated to 160 degrees Celsius and cook for one and a half hours. Remove the cover for the last half hour or so.

Remove from the oven and extract the shanks; correct the seasoning of the liquid if required.

Pour the sauce over the shanks and serve with some creamed polenta or mashed potato and green vegetable.

Wine Suggestion:
This dish needs a full flavoured red. My suggestion is Petit Verdot.

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