Christina McElhinney is a racing producer for Racing TV who has used the 2020 Lockdown to finally give her second passion a platform in the form of The Food Waffle blog – a place where the musings of an amateur home gardener and resourceful cook result in delicious recipes and accessible tips. Here, she debuts on The Wine Tipster Blog with a pasta recipe to solve your courgette cravings and perhaps your abundance of Lockdown garden produce. Tuck in…

It’s fair to say 2020 has been a learning curve; all the things we’ve had to adjust and adapt to, plus a lot of us have had some downtime to work on things that we have perhaps meant to for some time. In my case, this was finally launching The Food Waffle in which to spread a bit of happiness, focussing on fresh produce, varieties of plants, great producers and ingredients, healthy options as well as indulgent ones, and a general love of food, wine and everything that comes with them.

Things have been very difficult for us all, but equally if you’re determined to see the positives, there are things to celebrate. Some of us have spent more – or less! – time with family. Some of us have spent more time in the garden and probably, like me, been very grateful for it. More time to cook, think about our health, seasonality, local producers. I’m certainly not trying to trivialise the overall experience and the trauma it’s caused so many, but it is important to find individual positives.

For me, the garden was a lifesaver for a couple of months. Nurturing young plants, preparing their ultimate homes, indeed enjoying giving some away to people who were trying their first season of growing vegetables like my neighbours or whoever was passing the driveway and helped themselves to a free plant…thinking of all the fresh produce I’d be cooking in the coming weeks and months was a calming mental influence and made me feel that I wasn’t wasting time spent in lockdown, but also that I was producing something that was not only good for me physically, in terms of both food and exercise, but also mentally.

But of course I over-seeded plants as I always do in case nothing germinated, and everything did. So then the courgettes arrived.

So. Many. Courgettes.

They get a bad reputation. The allotment joke every summer. For being a glut of bland, dull things that sit on the side and go to waste and that even if you do use them don’t taste of anything.

Nonsense.

First of all, there are some great varieties out there that just don’t hit the supermarkets. But secondly, treated with a bit of care, or creativity, or both, they’re delicious, they’re not exactly bad for you and they’re a celebration of good old British summer time – along with wasps and either having too much or too little rain – so they’re actually coming out on top.

And I currently have dozens of the things (there’s only so much you can offload to a neighbour), so there have been a few recipes of the more creative variety going on. Courgette fritters currently on foodwaffle.co.uk, a work-in-progress courgette bread that’s really good, but I also wanted to do something that simply, elegantly and lightly showcased the pure, good old courgette for what it can carry on its own. And the obvious plate-fellow for me had to be basil pesto (my recipe will be landing on foodwaffle.co.uk soon).

Not a huge hit of it though – and coupled with double cream to make a light sauce. Just enough of that lovely bright summery basil flavour to still let the courgettes be the star – whatever variety you end up using.

Two of the best ingredients summer throw at you, combined with the incomparable flavours you can only get with goats cheese, toasted pine nuts to enhance that light hit of pesto brought down to a mellow softness with double cream, pumpkin seeds for an earthy texture hit and carried together with a sauce-grabbing pasta. Light enough that it’ll be enough for a hot summer day but equally could be doubled up for a bigger serving on a cooler evening, this is my favourite way to celebrate these gorgeous courgettes that are currently rampaging into the kitchen.

And any meal that can do that needs some beautiful wine with it – and I’ll let Neil do the talking on that front because I’m sure he’ll come up with something ideal.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES TWO AS A LIGHT MEAL)

• 3 tbsp double cream
• 2 tbsp traditional basil pesto – ideally fresh made although store-bought would work fine
• Small squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Sea salt and olive oil to season pasta water
• 1 x medium courgette, sliced 5mm thick and cut into crescents, lightly oiled
• 200g pasta of choice – I used tortiglioni
• 50g goats cheese, sliced / crumbled
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• Grated Parmesan or Grana Padano, about ten grams
• Small basil leaves, to serve
• 20g each of pine nuts and pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted, to serve

METHOD

Gently heat the double cream over a low heat. When warmed, add the pesto and the grated cheese. Keep an eye on the mix and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to instructions depending on what you choose – something ideal for catching sauces is best here. Make sure the water is generous and well salted – if it doesn’t taste like the sea, it’s not salty enough. Remember, you’re not going to eat it – but what cooking water you reserve is going to help season your final dish. Also add generous olive oil to stop the pasta sticking.

Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Take the lightly oiled, crescented courgette slices and, when the pasta is near al dente, add to the pan in a clockwise pattern so you know when to turn each one – look for light charring, but leaving the flesh firm and fresh.

Retain a cup of pasta water, drain and add the pasta to the cream, season well with fresh black pepper, loosen with a little of the water as needed.

Serve straight away, scattering with goats cheese, basil leaves and the toasted pine nuts and seeds (lightly toast them on a low heat while the pasta is cooking to have them warm, although cooled is fine – the texture they bring is as key as their temperature and flavour).

Drizzle with a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a last hit of summer flavour and enjoy the subtle blend of just-there pesto, soft and mellow goats cheese, sweet courgettes and pungent basil against the crunch of the nuts and seeds for a beautiful and light small plate dish.

With Christina’s delicious seasonal dish The Wine Tipster has selected a couple of fabulous whites to enjoy. The Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand, £11.59 in Waitrose has the pure fruit flavours, important crisp acidity and mineral character to pair with the courgettes, goats cheese – a great pairing with Sauvignon Blanc – and the pesto too. Given, white wines work more harmousily with the pesto and the rest of the ingredients in Christina’s lovely dish The Wine Tipster has also chosen another high class white, this time from Lugana in northern Italy, with the fresh and Sauvignon Blanc like Buglioni Musa Lugana 2018, Italy £14.95. Enjoy making Christina’s dish and the wines too. Cheers!

You can find Christina on Twitter and Instagram as well as checking out The Food Waffle for more great recipes.

As the year draws to close, The Wine Tipster has reflected on some of his favourite wines and in particular those he feels would be ideal over the festive season. Here is his selection;

Champagne and Sparkling
Prosecco Masottina DOC Brut Treviso – BBR, £13.95
Masottina make a seriously fine range of Prosecco and their Brut is a crowd-pleasing Prosecco with fine bubbles and intense, fruity aromas of apple, lemon and grapefruit with a lovely hint of spice and ginger.

Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut – Waitrose, on offer at £25.49

Completely underrated Champagne house who make excellent fruity and complex bubbles that offer great value. Their fresh Authentic Brut has lovely balance  of citrus fruit, white flowers and red fruits. Look out for their Charles V11 range too, which are very refined.

Gauchezco Vineyard Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé Extra Brut– Ocado, £14.99
Gauchezco represents the traditional Gaucho culture from Argentina. This is a producer which is a name to watch and their 100% Pinot Noir sparkler is full flavoured, well balanced, stylish with attractive cherry fruit flavours and zingy acidity.

 

 

 

Whites
Zalze Chenin Blanc 2015 Vineyard Reserve – Co-op, £8.99
The Co-op have really stepped up their wine selection in the last few years and this South African Chenin Blanc from Zalze is an excellent recent recruit. This is the perfect dry easy drinking white to be enjoyed over the festive season with tropical, ripe pineapple and peach aromas, balanced fruit and crisp acidity.

Yalumba Viognier 2015 – Waitrose, £12.99
Australian producer Yalumba pioneered a renaissance of this rare, exotic and alluring variety. Devotion and hard work have seen Yalumba become internationally recognised as one of the world’s most accomplished Viognier winemakers. This is a Grade One performer made by a Grade One producer who bring this grape variety to life and capture the attractive peach and apricot flavours. Top wine.

Reds
If you’re looking for a perfect pairing for your Christmas turkey, then Jackson Estate ‘Vintage Widow’ Pinot Noir 2013 from Marlborough, New Zealand would be ideal. Currently on offer at £16.99 at Majestic when bought as a case of 6 bottles or save 25% at Ocado(RRP £19.49 – available from Majestic Wine & Ocado). ‘Vintage Widow’ is named in recognition of the partners and families of those who are overlooked during vintage. This 2013 is a wonderful and delicious combination of cherries, plums. spice and herbaceous character and ‘Vintage Widow’ 2013 will benefit from decanting a couple of hours before serving.

Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Villages 2015 – Waitrose, down to £6.74 from £8.00
This popular and versatile Rhône is a must for the Christmas basket. Great with lamb or ideal if you like a glass of red with character. For the fuller style to match with beef then try their Les Dauphins Vinsobres 2013 Côtes du Rhône which is great value at £11.99 from Waitrose.

 

 

 

 

Sweet
Elysium, Black Muscat 2014, Andrew Quady, Majestic – £9.99 per half bottle
Elysium is Greek for Heaven, a fitting association for this excellent wine made by Andrew Quady. Virtually black in colour, with a rose-like aroma, very intense on the palate and full of fantastic rich velvety fruit, yet has great balance and is not too cloying.One of the few wines that can stand up to chocolate puddings. Or try it poured over ice cream for the ultimate after-dinner treat!

Fortified
Sandeman 20 year old Tawny Port, Waitrose, £29.99 down from £37.40
Sandeman are globally recognised for the quality of their tawny ports and the 20-year-old should be part of the cast of any Christmas lunch. A wonderful rich and elegant combination of flavours of dried apricots, honey, nuts, spices, vanilla creates an endlessly complex wine that has a brilliant length of finish which goes on and on. Great with nuts, mince pies and hard cheeses like Grana Padano. The Wine Tipster features Sandeman Tawny Port on a regular basis because they are so versatile and not just a port for Christmas!

 

Here are a couple of good reads for the Festive period.

For those of planning your trip to Venice then The Wine Tipster can highly recommend this excellent guide; Venice an entire world by Mario Anton Orefice published by Marcianum Press at £9.35

Corkscrew by Peter Stafford-Bow, published by I_AM Self Publishing, 2016,£9.99 from all good bookshops.

Settle down, grab a glass of fizz and have a good laugh at an improbable tale of a professional wine buyer. Mark my words, you will enjoy!

Cheers to a Happy Christmas and New Year.

The Wine Tipster was in action at the Ideal Home Christmas Show recently presenting the wines of Jackson Estate from Marlborough, New Zealand. He enjoyed taking to the stage again in the Food & Drink theatre.
The Jackson family arrived in New Zealand in 1842 and in 1855 Adam Jackson bought the first blocks of land in the heart of the Marlborough region, along what was to become known as Jacksons Road. John Stichbury is the fifth generation of the Jackson Family to farm the land. In 1987 John and Jo planted the first vines and the first wines were released in 1991 under the Jackson Estate label. Jackson Estate believes in a few very simple principles – the best modern winemaking techniques; a respect for vineyard sites; and unerring pursuit of varietal integrity; and through this a strong, identifiable and much admired style.

Four wines were tasted; Named after owner and Founder John Stichbury, Jackson Estate ‘Stich’ Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is distinctly aromatic and intensely flavoured finishing with refreshingly crisp acidity. It has won many awards and received critical acclaim. This would be a perfect accompaniment to fish and chips. It is also a special wine for The Wine Tipster as it was the first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc he bought in Waitrose so he will always have a soft spot for it.
RRP £13.29 – available from Waitrose, Majestic, Ocado & Tesco.com. Many seasonal offers available.

The Grey Ghost is the giant gum tree planted in 1867 by John’s great grandmother, Alice and today graces all Jackson Estate wine labels. Jackson Estate ‘Grey Ghost’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013 shows fresh bright notes of elderflower blossom on the nose with white peach and citrus supported by a beautiful underlying rich farmhouse cheese character. This is an outstanding Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which is wonderful blend of barrel fermented juice and stainless steel juice, with lees ageing to add further texture and complexity. A top wine for pairing with chicken in a creamy sauce or full flavoured fish dishes including mackerel, monkfish and trout.
RRP £18.00 – available from Majestic, TheDrinkShop.com & Tesco.com. Many seasonal offers available.

Don’t forget about Chardonnay! The Jackson Estate ‘Shelter Belt’ Chardonnay 2013 shows fresh citrus and honeysuckle flavours which follow through to the palate and are enriched with hints of warm biscuity lees. An unctuous texture and fine acidity lead to a long lingering finish. ‘Shelter Belt’ has some barrel and stainless steel fermentation, with nine months ageing in oak and is a lovely of intense Chardonnay fruit and subtle oak. This wine would lend itself well to white meat dishes and lovely fish like turbot.
RRP £17.00 – available from Ocado & TheDrinkShop.com. Many seasonal offers available

If you’re looking for a perfect pairing for your Christmas turkey, then Jackson Estate ‘Vintage Widow’ Pinot Noir 2013 would be ideal. It is named in recognition of the partners and families of those who are overlooked during vintage. This wine will benefit from a couple of hours in a Decanter and is a wonderfully versatile wine for food pairing as game, roasted turkey, lamb, mushroom risotto and vegetarian tarts like stilton and celery all work.
RRP £19.49 – available from Majestic Wine & Ocado. Many seasonal offers available

Or you could splash out on their stunning Jackson Estate Gum Emperor Pinot Noir 2011, a single vineyard Pinot Noir named after the Gum Emperor Moth Opodiphthera Eucalypti that makes it home on the edge of the vineyards. Dark brooding aromatics are lifted by higher notes of violets, blackcurrants and spice. Flavours of black plums, licorice and earthy forest floor tones combine to form a truly complex wine. Big full-flavoured dishes like game, beef and a mushroom tart are all fab pairings
RRP £26.99 The Drink Shop.com, Rollings Wine Merchants (Harpenden), Christopher Piper Wines & Cheers Wine Merchants.

The winery continues to combine its advanced winemaking techniques with an old world approach. A new Pinot Noir winery is being built at the moment and is due to open next year. They are rightly proud of their winery, as such, welcome visitors by appointment to their home in Marlborough – Jackson Estate .

It was also a pleasure to catch up with charismatic winemaker, Matt Patterson-Green who has been creating these stunning wines for over a decade and to present them to the enthusiastic audience.

With Christmas round the corner, it’s time to buy your bubbly, wines, sherries, spirits and ports. Here’s my time-saving list of recommendations that will work perfectly with every Christmas occasion.

Bubbly and sparkling wines play an important role in any festivities. If you want to create a stylish way to share and enjoy bubbly at your party, then opt for a magnum. They also make great presents! For a really special occasion, buy a vintage champagne. The 10 out of 10 vintage is 2002 and I’d definitely recommend Pommery Cuvée Louise 2002, from Ocado (£109.99). Look out for their Pommery Grand Cru Vintage 2004 too, which is stunning, Ocado (£51.99),  Another lovely vintage to enjoy now is the 2006 Jacquart Blanc de Blancs which is excellent and available at Tesco (£40) . For a signature celebration champagne, go for Laurent-Perrier Brut NV, available on offer at Waitrose (£24.99) and also at Sainsbury’s. Serve with a dash of sloe gin.

Alternatively, a magnum of Prosecco, will also add a fun, celebratory feel to any yuletide party. Try the fresh, creamy style of premium Prosecco Magnum NV Masottina  from M&S (£19.99). This is also one to carry through and continue to serve with a smoked salmon starter on Christmas Day. Alternatively open a bottle of dry sherry such as Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino (£9.99) available in all major retailers. Serve this delicious, refreshing sherry chilled. Once opened, you’ll need to drink this within a couple of days. Otherwise, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, such as a good Sancerre, will also work well here like Sancerre Blanc 2013 Domaine Vacheron, at Majestic (£17.99).

Around 68% of us will be eating turkey on Christmas Day, according to a 2014 Gallup survey in Prospect magazine. So what’s the best wine to serve with it? Many opt for a Bordeaux to complement all the rich flavours of the accompanying dishes. If you’re looking for good value, choose a Bordeaux with a Cru Bourgeois label – a mark of quality. Bordeaux wines from 2009 are considered the ‘once in a lifetime’ vintage for Bordeauxs, but the 2010 Bordeaux are also considered exceptional. Bordeaux wines do need to breathe properly, so decant 2-3 hours before serving. Within this style of wine, some of the best value Cru Bourgeois wines are available at Berry Brothers & Rudd, Fine & Rare, Lea & Sandeman and The Wine Society.

Alternatively, a Rioja works well with turkey and game, including venison. Try Campo de Viejo Gran Reserva 2007 at Sainsbury’s (£15.99) or a Louis Jadot CÔte du Beaune-Villages 2012 (£16.99 – buy 2 save 15%) at Majestic, the Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 2012 at Ocado (£19.49 to £16.49).

On Boxing Day, serve cold turkey with a fabulous Beaujolais such as the ripe and fruity, Château des Labourons Fleurie 2011, produced by Henry Fessy, and available through winedirect.com (£16.99). Or, equally good, the Brouilly Henry Fessy 2012 at Waitrose (£11.99) would also be very good here.

Now the cheeseboard. Pair a classic stilton or Alex James’ Blue Monday with Sandeman Late Bottled Vintage Port 2009 at Waitrose (£15.99 to £12.99) or Sandeman 20-year-old Tawny Port, also from Waitrose, (£32.49). Other wines that will complement cheese include a red such as such a Bordeaux with a good cheddar, while Roquefort is a good match for Sauternes.

 

Tawny port is also a good accompaniment to mince pies, Christmas pud and as an aperitif, served chilled. Other rich, fruity wines that complement intense fruit flavours include; the Gonzalez Byass Matusalem Oloroso Dulce Muy Viejo VORS – a rich, dark Oloroso sherry, available at Waitrose (£19.99 half bottle), or try Blandys 15-year old Malmsey Madeira from The Oxford Wine Company (£26.99). Alternatively, opt for the rich, luscious flavours of the perfect Christmas tipple, Californian Elysium Rutherglen Black Muscat 2012, (£11.99) available at The Oxford Wine Company.

Good all-round easy drinkers I’m very happy to offer anytime over the festive break include South Africa’s Zalze Sangiovese 2013 (£6.99), available at Co-Op. Peter Yealands’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013 from Co-op (£9.99) and Sainsbury’s (on offer £7.50) and  Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, Macon Villages 2013 (£8.99). For a Rose, try Les Dauphins Rosé 2013 at Asda, (£6.99).

Have a wonderful Christmas and make sure you watch the William Hill King George VI on Boxing Day at Kempton. Also, don’t miss the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Saturday 27th December.

Thank you to all the lovely people who came to the Tatton Park Foodies Festival and to the Drinks Theatre. One of the sessions I presented was Errazuriz: Premium Chile and here are the list of wines again with stockists:

Errazuriz Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Aconcagua, £9.99. Stockists: Budgens, Majestic, Waitrose.

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2011, Valle de Casablanca, £13.99. Stockists: Co-op, Majestic.

Errazuriz Estate Series Merlot 2012, Valle de Curicó, £9.99. Stockists: Booths, www.rhythmandbooze.co.uk, Majestic.

Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Aconcagua Valley, £13.99. Stockists: Budgens, Tesco, Waitrose.

Great to see everyone enjoying these quality wines in the session and great to see the lady who didn’t like Chardonnay loving the Wild Ferment Chardonnay! Good to see people being honest too.

 

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