HB&B Blog — Red wine

Natural Wine Killers: Truffle Cheese Pasta with Camillo Donati Ribelle Rosato 2020

Claire Bullen Italy Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine Sparkling wine

Natural Wine Killers: Truffle Cheese Pasta with Camillo Donati Ribelle Rosato 2020

I’ve come around on Valentine’s Day. February is short on festive feeling; why not take the opportunity to make a special occasion out of what would otherwise be another grey Wednesday? No matter whether you’re coupled-up, seeing friends or going solo – this year, set aside time to celebrate. Just don’t do it at a restaurant. Having dinner out on Valentine’s Day is like going out on New Year’s Eve: Overcrowded, overpriced and never as good as you hope. Instead, swerve the hassle with a vibey meal at home. Turn off the big light, put on a jazz album (I’ve got...

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Wine & Food Killers: Lentil, Cavolo Nero, Chestnut and Chorizo Soup with Mersel Red Velvet 2022

Claire Bullen Lebanon Red wine

Wine & Food Killers: Lentil, Cavolo Nero, Chestnut and Chorizo Soup with Mersel Red Velvet 2022

2024 is the year of soup. Don’t just take my word for it; according to the New York Times, soup is being hailed as one of the year’s top nine food trends. NYT food correspondent Kim Severson says, “For cooks, it’s a low-risk, forgiving way to experiment with new flavours and ingredients. Soup uses up vegetables that might otherwise get tossed… And soup is yet one more way to soothe ourselves.” It’s funny to think of humble, often-overlooked soup as anything new and revelatory, but I can see where the praise is coming from. I’ve felt moved to cook soups and stews...

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Wine & Food Killers: Braised Turkey Legs with Mole Rojo and Strekov 1075 Bob 2022

Claire Bullen Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine Slovakia

Wine & Food Killers: Braised Turkey Legs with Mole Rojo and Strekov 1075 Bob 2022

For years, I thought I hated turkey, scarred by the overcooked turkeys served at childhood Thanksgivings. Who needs turkey when you can have duck or goose – or even roast chicken, half the stress and probably even more delicious? But a few years ago, I decided to give turkey another chance. Rather than roasting a whole bird, I prepared its best bits separately: breast cooked in the sous vide until silkily soft, legs confited in the oven until mid-collapse. Turkey really could be good, I discovered then – you just had to take care with it. This year, a friend mentioned he was...

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Wine & Food Killers: Merguez Sausage and Pumpkin Tagine with Couscous and Bergkloster Super Lecka 2021

Claire Bullen Germany Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine

Wine & Food Killers: Merguez Sausage and Pumpkin Tagine with Couscous and Bergkloster Super Lecka 2021

This time of year in England can be hard to love. It’s one of the biggest things I miss about living in the States, where autumn (fall) is treated like a three-month-long festival. An American fall means trick-or-treating as competitive sport, scouring farmers’ markets for apple cider donuts as an essential weekend pastime; sporting a plaid flannel jacket to go leaf-peeping or apple-picking. And it certainly isn’t fall until every single thing you eat and drink has been pumpkined. In comparison, autumn here is more damp squib than long-awaited event, and pumpkin feels both under- and over-exposed. It might be ubiquitous...

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Wine & Food Killers: Chilaquiles with Salsa Roja and La Grange Saint André Le Marmot 2022

Claire Bullen France Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine

Wine & Food Killers: Chilaquiles with Salsa Roja and La Grange  Saint André Le Marmot 2022

There are few better teachers – or creative constraints – than necessity. The best of my cooking over the past year has arisen out of leftovers that urgently needed using: wilting spinach and stale sourdough that turned into ribollita, old takeaway pulao that was reborn as fried rice. Striving to avoid food waste has become less a slogan and more a challenge – one taken up with some gusto and humility, and one that has pushed me to the outer limits of my knowledge. There are few better examples of necessity cooking than chilaquiles – stale tortillas sliced, fried into...

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