Some of you may have decide not to drink this January. For the less pious people out there, here is a wonderful vibrant wine, that will awaken the slumber of your taste buds.

Pure and clean on the nose, with well-defined aromas of mandarin orange, green apples and touches of stone fruit and floral aromas. Precise and slim on the palate, with a touch of oiliness, refreshing acidity and mouthwatering finish.

I pared this with a Thai style salad, of fried noodles and roasted butternut squash. The dressing had a lots of lime juice and chilli in. which works with the acidity of the wine.

It is available from Majestic for £9.49 or £7.59 when you buy any 2 Chilean wines.

Ingredients

1 Celeriac

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 Tablespoons natural yoghurt

Salt and black pepper

Grainy mustard or horseradish 2-3 teaspoons

Juice of half a lemon

A glug of olive oil

Method (Ideally prepare this a few hours before serving)

Peel and remove the knobbly bits and rough skin of the celeriac and then roughly grate. This can be done in a food processor.

In a large bowl mix some of the mayonnaise and yoghurt (save some back as you do not the mixture to become too wet) and add the grated celeriac.

Then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix again. Taste and correct the seasoning. I find this dish takes a lot of seasoning but taste as you go. If you have added too much salt, then put some more lemon juice in.

Let it stand for 10 mins so it absorbs the flavours. If you feel it is too dry than add more yoghurt or oil. Serve cool.

Ingredients (serves  four)

1 pork fillet

1 French Baguette

200-300gs thinly sliced Parma ham.

Olive oil

Sage

Oregano

Black pepper

Method

Roll the pork fillet in the ground black pepper and herbs, which need to be finely chopped if using fresh ones. Once the pork is coated in herbs, place it on a plate.

Now make a layer of Parma ham slices side by side, with a slight overlap, on Clingfilm as it helps rolling. Place the pork on top of the ham and roll it up. The pork should now be in a layer of ham.

Cut your baguette to the size of the pork fillet, leaving a couple of centimetres each side. Slice the baguette length ways on one side. Remove the soft middle and drizzle in plenty of olive oil, now put the pork inside the baguette firmly and close. Pour over more olive oil.

Wrap the pork filled baguette in more ham, so each slice overlaps the last. Tie the whole thing up, as best you can with some thick string  and place in a large roasting tin with a little oil on the bottom.

Roast in a pre-heated oven, at 180C for 40-45 mins. If you buy good quality pork, it is ok if it is still a little pink in the middle.

Ingredients:

2 tbs Olive oil

4-5 large cloves of garlic finely chopped.

5-6 large red onions very finely chopped.

1 red chili, optional.

8 Tomatoes that have been skinned* and chopped.

A selection of firm Atlantic fish and seafood. Such as Salmon, Sea Bass, Squid, Monkfish, King Prawns and Scallops. All the fish should have the skin off. Cut into chunks. Leave the Prawns and Scallops whole.

½ bottle of dry white wine.

Fish stock cube.

A large pinch of saffron.

Fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.

*to easily skin the tomatoes, cut a small cross in the bottom, place in a bowl and cover in freshly boiled water. After 1 minute remove one at a time with a spoon. They should now peel easily.

Method:

In a large and deep frying pan heat the olive oil, add the onions and sweat down on a medium heat until translucent. This can take up to 15 mins. Add the garlic and chili if using. Cook for a further 5 mins.

Add the chopped tomatoes, crumble in the stock cube and the saffron. Cook this out for 10 mins until the sauce turns from red to orange at the side.

Add the wine and simmer on a low heat for 20 mins or until the sauce thickens. Taste for seasoning.

Add the fish, cook for 5 mins.

Scatter over the flat leaf parsley and serve with the rice.

White
Yalumba (Y-Series) Viognier. £8.99. Morrisons.
This South Australian wine is a lovely lemon-yellow in colour, with an upfront nose of grapefruit and pear drops. The palate is full-bodied, yet very refreshing with further flavours of grapefruit, mingling with notes of Bergamot and quince.
This wine gives you a lot of flavour for the price. It stands up well to foods that are full flavoured, like a spicy chicken or fish curry.

Red
Bonterra Zinfandel £9.29 Waitrose
Good value California wines are hard to come by and one for under a tenner is a great find. This is currently on offer but even back at full price it is still good value.
The nose offers up inviting scents of sweet red fruits, plums and spice. There are even more ripe red fruit flavours on the palate, which is well balanced, with soft tannins making it medium-bodied.
This would be great with BBQ meats or with tomato sauce based dishes, like a vegetarian lasagne.

Check back in September for next months wine, after I get back from Italy and France, where I shall be sampling some fine food and hopefully some good wines.

2 Little Gem lettuces, sliced crosswise
1 mug of frozen peas
1 glass of dry vermouth or white wine
250g risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli work best)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Handful of lardons (optional)
500ml stock (chicken or vegetable)
50 g butter
Tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parmigiana cheese, grated

Method

Heat the pan ( a sauté pan is best) with the oil and half the butter on a medium heat, add the onions and lardons and sweat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic, fry for a minute and then add the rice. Stir the rice so it becomes coated in oil, then add the vermouth/wine and stir and allow the alcohol to evaporate. You will know when this is done, as the sharp smell, that burns the nose, will go. 

Keep the stock warm in a pan over a low flame, as you do not want to add cold stock to hot rice as this would slow down the cooking. 

Now, add the stock to the rice, one ladle at a time. Stir it in and allow the rice to absorb it. Be patient! Continue this process until you are down to your last ladle of stock.

At this point taste the rice, if it is still too hard you can add the last ladle of stock; you can add more water if still too hard. (Risotto, like pasta should be “al dente”). Now add the peas and the sliced lettuce, stir gently so as not to break up the lettuce. 

Turn off the heat add the other half of the butter and cheese and cover. Allow it to stand so the butter and cheese melt, season to taste and serve with a crisp white wine. 

I hope you enjoy this. If you do then please visit my website for more ideas and recipes; http://www.cookwithreuben.co.uk/

In the summer you can replace peas with asparagus tips.

Ingredients:
300g Orecchiette
500g purple-sprouting broccoli (or any other sprouting, but not normal broccoli)
2-3 anchovy fillets
3-4 slices of pancetta or thinly sliced streaky bacon (optional), roughly sliced
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic thinly sliced
A handful of cherry tomatoes cut in halves or quarters
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1tsp Capers roughly chopped

Method

In a large pot, set your water to boil for the pasta, the water you boil pasta in should be plentiful and as salty as the Mediterranean; this allows the pasta to move freely and stops it from sticking. Cook until al-dente, so there is still some texture when you bite it, make sure not to over-cook your pasta, otherwise it will be sloppy, fall apart and you will be sneered at by all Italians.

Whilst the pasta is cooking set a large frying pan on a medium heat. Put in a good glug of olive oil, add the onions and sweat for a few minutes. Add the anchovy fillets, pancetta and garlic and turn the heat down.
Once the pancetta has started to crisp, add the capers and broccoli (which should be chopped slightly, so they can be easily forked in to the mouth). Stir everything and then throw in the cherry tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover until the pasta is ready. The above process should take between 5 and 10 mins.

Once the pasta is ready, drain it and add to the pan with the other ingredients. Do not shake off too much water from the Orecchiette and retain half a mug of the pasta water.
Pour over 2 more glugs of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar to taste (I cannot give quantities for these as everyone has different tastes. Adding the balsamic will add some sweetness and a touch of acidity). Taste and then season if you feel it needs extra. Toss everything and serve straight away.

This can also work as a warm or cold pasta dish for picnics.

Purple-sprouting broccoli with Orecchiette

This is a great Spring dish, which uses some of the first vegetables of the season. Purple-sprouting broccoli is thinner and more delicate than normal broccoli and has a great flavour and a real freshness, as well as being packed with goodness. This dish is great as a starter or as a quick mid-week supper. Leave out the pancetta for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients:
300g Orecchiette
500g purple-sprouting broccoli (or any other sprouting, but not normal broccoli)
2-3 anchovy fillets
3-4 slices of pancetta or thinly sliced streaky bacon (optional), roughly sliced
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic thinly sliced
A handful of cherry tomatoes cut in halves or quarters
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1tsp Capers roughly chopped

Method

In a large pot, set your water to boil for the pasta, the water you boil pasta in should be plentiful and as salty as the Mediterranean; this allows the pasta to move freely and stops it from sticking. Cook until al-dente, so there is still some texture when you bite it, make sure not to over-cook your pasta, otherwise it will be sloppy, fall apart and you will be sneered at by all Italians.

Whilst the pasta is cooking set a large frying pan on a medium heat. Put in a good glug of olive oil, add the onions and sweat for a few minutes. Add the anchovy fillets, pancetta and garlic and turn the heat down.
Once the pancetta has started to crisp, add the capers and broccoli (which should be chopped slightly, so they can be easily forked in to the mouth). Stir everything and then throw in the cherry tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover until the pasta is ready. The above process should take between 5 and 10 mins.

Once the pasta is ready, drain it and add to the pan with the other ingredients. Do not shake off too much water from the Orecchiette and retain half a mug of the pasta water.
Pour over 2 more glugs of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar to taste (I cannot give quantities for these as everyone has different tastes. Adding the balsamic will add some sweetness and a touch of acidity). Taste and then season if you feel it needs extra. Toss everything and serve straight away.

This can also work as a warm or cold pasta dish for picnics.

As the flowers start to tentatively bloom and the days get longer, I am inclined to go for fresher and lighter styles of wine – wines to awaken the palate after heavy winter reds – so this month’s wine is a sprightly little thing.

Hailing from the Margaret river area of Western Australia, which has a coolish, maritime climate and the breeze from the coast helps to keep temperatures down. Resulting in wines that are not overtly fruity. Made by Evans and Tate for Marks & Spencer, who make some fantastic Margaret River Wines – a producer to look out for.

A nose that is light and grassy with some notes of tropical fruits, translates itself into a fresh and crisp taste in the mouth. Flavours of green apple and nettles mingle with a touch of kiwi and a brought alive by the jumpy acidity. This is a light dry wine that has a good length of flavour and really enlivens the tongue.

This would work perfectly with light and simple fish and seafood dishes. This is the sort of wine you can see yourself sipping, under a tree somewhere, with warm Spring sun on your face, enjoying a seafood salad, with the sound of birdsong in the trees (we can but dream and maybe try to find a similar scene in our local park…)