Any great wine recipes?

Try these Steve Szabo recipes from

Steve is currently exec chef at

Martin Steve Szabo's Vinaigrette

In a food processor, lightly mix together: one finely chopped shallot, half a clove of garlic crushed with a little salt, half a teaspoon of grain mustard, one tablespoon of champagne vinegar, one teaspoon of honey, two tablespoons of boiling water, freshly ground white pepper to taste and a pinch of sea salt flakes. While continuing to mix, slowly trickle in: two tablespoons of walnut oil and two tablespoons of grapeseed oil (or substitute four tablespoons of light olive oil) and one tablespoon of boiling water. Steve says the vinaigrette will keep well in the fridge and to try it with a quail salad. For a wine accompaniment I recommend a Sauvignon Blanc at the herbaceous end of the scale - a Cloudy Bay, for instance.

Noble Sticky Pudding a la Szabo:

A dish that combines sticky date pudding with a botrytised white wine-based sauce. You will need: 200 gms pitted dates,

200 ml boiled water, 150 gms unsalted butter, 200 gms demerara (or dark brown) sugar, 200 gms self-raising flour, two large eggs and a half teaspoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda). For the sauce: one cup of chilled thickened cream, one third of a cup of "sticky", ie. botrytised, white wine - Chateau d'Yquem will do - a teaspoon of caster sugar and half a vanilla bean. Method: Roughly chop dates, dissolve bicarbonate of soda in boiled water and soak dates in this for five minutes. Cream sugar and softened butter together then beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in the dates and water, then fold in the flour. Place mixture in greased 25 cm baking dish (the pudding will double in height) cook in pre-heated (180 C) oven for 35 minutes or until firm but moist in the centre. Remove from oven and leave for at least 15 minutes before serving. For the sauce: slice vanilla bean lengthways, scrape centre with sharp knife, combine scrapings with chilled cream, sugar, and noble wine and beat briskly to thick pouring consistency. Drizzle noble sauce over pudding portions. I recommend the De Bortoli Noble One 1994 to accompany.

That's quite funny- cooking with Cloudy Bay and Chateau d'Yquem (with all due respect to the late Julia Child, who said one should never cook with a wine they wouldn't enjoy drinking) e.

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Never mind the organic eggs, this one is orgasmic!

Scaloppine di vitello al Marsala is a reliable standard, and I like to use a little Marsala stirred into the pan juices of Saltimbocca alla Romana to flavour the sauce. Risotto al Maso Scari is a delight too, although I've never been able to do it with the genuine article. Come to think of it, I've never seen Maso Scari (aka Teroldego Rotaliano). I guess this is the place to ask if anyone knows anything about its availability. I have not attempted to list the above, as I am basically idle, and all are Italian "standards" that can be found on the Internet.

Good luck,

Ian