How to Recreate Flavours of the World At Home
Food and wine are among the great joys of travel, so why not recreate your dream dining destinations at home? We spoke to the experts at Qantas Wine to find locally produced Australian wines inspired by the best drops from France, Spain and New Zealand, while the fresh food people at Woolworths found the perfect recipes to take you there. Enjoy!
The inspiration: France
All roads for the true wine-lover lead to France. After all, it’s home to the globe’s benchmark drops and a place where a lazy glass at lunchtime is one of life’s non-negotiable pleasures. A patchwork land of vineyards dating back to the Middle Ages, this is where the notion of terroir was born. The endless variety of its regional traditions is intoxicating – in the best possible sense. Few things can compare to enjoying a rich, garnet-red shiraz amid the mellow warmth of the Rhône Valley or a silken, fruit-driven pinot gris amid the crisp, German-inflected beauty of Alsace. And with cabernet merlot, an expression of Bordeaux in liquid form, even the most exalted grand cru doesn’t demand the finery of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Order classic steak frites in a village bistro and call it a perfect match. As any Francophile knows, life’s simplest indulgences can be the very essence of sophistication.
What to drink
Taste the world while supporting local with these French-inspired Australian drops from Qantas Wine.
What to cook
Mozzarella Croquettes
These crisp, golden croquettes with tangy red capsicum sauce make an ideal Mediterranean snack or starter.
Serves: 6 • Prep: 25 minutes • Cook: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plain flour
- 3 free-range eggs, lightly whisked
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan, finely grated
- ¼ cup continental parsley, finely chopped
- 350g mozzarella ball, cut into 2cm-thick sticks
- Olive oil, to deep-fry
Red capsicum sauce
- 330g whole roasted capsicums, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup garlic aïoli
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
Method
- To make the red capsicum sauce, process all of the ingredients in a small food processor until smooth. Season and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Place flour and eggs in separate bowls. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley in a third bowl. Lightly toss mozzarella sticks in flour, dip in egg and coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a tray. Re-coat mozzarella sticks with egg and breadcrumbs. Freeze for 20 minutes.
- Add enough oil in a medium saucepan to reach a depth of 10 centimetres. Place saucepan over medium-high heat. To test when oil is ready, add a cube of bread to oil – it should turn golden brown in 30 seconds.
- Cook croquettes, in batches, for two minutes or until brown all over. Drain well on a tray lined with paper towel. Serve croquettes with sauce.
Tip: Deep-fry the croquettes in small batches, lowering them carefully into the oil with long-handled tongs or a slotted spoon. Cook them just before serving so they're hot and crisp.
The inspiration: Spain
In the immortal words of a Spanish proverb, it is better to have bread left over than to run short of wine. Luckily, there is little chance of that happening on the sun-soaked Iberian Peninsula, where wine-making dates back to antiquity and excursions to tapas bars are a ritual for young and old. The grapes indigenous to this part of the world are as lively and beguiling as those who tend them, with a food friendliness that is unsurpassed. The tannin-driven red grape tempranillo is the star of any road trip around the hardscrabble beauty of Basque country and the spiritual twin of any chorizo dish. There’s garnacha (grenache), paler and sweeter, perfect with a classic paella. Or take the vinous road less travelled with the rising-star red wine monastrell (mataro or mouvèdre), which takes its name from a Catalan town close to the endless diversions of spirited Barcelona. It’s just as well the siesta remains a time-honoured ritual in these ancient lands.
What to drink
Taste the world while supporting local with these Australian-made Spanish varietals from Qantas Wine.
What to cook
Chicken & Prawn Paella
One of the classics of Spanish cuisine, this hearty rice dish combines chicken, prawns and chorizo in a delicious medley.
The inspiration: New Zealand
Serves: 4 • Prep: 10 minutes • Cook: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tsp saffron threads (optional)
- 2 packets 250g ready-cooked microwave basmati rice
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 650g imported green prawn cutlets
- 1 chorizo, sliced
- 4 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 4cm pieces
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 4 green shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 400g can diced Italian tomatoes
- ⅓ cup continental parsley leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
Method
- Combine saffron and 1 tablespoon of hot water in a small bowl. Stand for 5 minutes. Cook rice in microwave following packet instructions.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes or until just turning white. Transfer to a large plate.
- Cook chorizo for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Cook chicken pieces for 4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to plate with prawns.
- Add capsicum to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Add shallots and paprika. Cook for 1 minute.
- Return prawns, chorizo and chicken to pan. Stir in rice, tomatoes, saffron mixture and ¾ cup of water. Cook for 2 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Tip: You don’t need a paella pan – use your widest-base frying pan or skillet so you don’t fill the pan too deeply.
A radical experiment turned world leader, New Zealand’s wine industry has gone from apprentice to master in a dizzyingly short period of time. Its powerful sense of vinous place and fresh New World elan have taken on the storied producers of Europe, just as its epic mountain backdrops inevitably captivate the senses of awestruck visitors. Sauvignon blanc is New Zealand in grape form and the lifeblood of the South Island’s Marlborough region; to enjoy its aromatic, saline beauty in situ with a pile of oysters plucked that morning from the crystalline waters of the Marlborough Sounds verges on sensory overload. Always geared up for a party, New Zealand’s typically biscuity méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine demands an accompaniment from the nation’s artisan cheesemakers. And if you head to the south and the snow-capped mountains and sinuous braided rivers of Otago, you can do no better than marry a trademark full-bodied pinot noir with butterflied lamb in a celebration of Kiwi alchemy. Choice, indeed.
What to drink
Taste the world while supporting local with these New Zealand inspired varietals from Qantas Wine.
What to cook
Mixed Seafood Parcels
The isles of NZ are surrounded by sparkling ocean and its bounty pairs beautifully with pasta, tomato and fresh lemons
Serves: 4 • Prep: 20 minutes • Cook: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 200g spaghetti
- 400g can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup continental parsley, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 12 oysters
- 8 mussels, cleaned
- 8 large green prawns
- 300g white fish fillets, cut into 5cm pieces
- ⅓ cup crème fraîche
- 2 tbs finely chopped dill
- Olive oil, to drizzle
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pasta in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain.
- Meanwhile, place four large pieces of foil onto a flat surface. Top each foil sheet with a large sheet of baking paper. Add tomatoes, parsley, garlic and lemon juice to pasta. Toss well to combine.
- Divide pasta mixture evenly between baking paper-lined foil sheets. Top with oysters, mussels, prawns and fish. Fold to enclose and place on a baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
- Transfer parcels to serving plates. Open, top with a dollop of crème fraiche and scatter over dill. Serve with lemon wedges.
Tip: If you can’t find fresh mussels, pick up Woolworths Greenshell Mussels from the freezer cabinet – just be sure to thaw them completely before using.
