Hot and spicy,Recipes, cooking classes, foodie tours and more . . .,heading,HEADING

Shared Kitchen is a collaboration between longtime New Zealand food personality Julie Biuso and her daughter food blogger Ilaria Biuso.

“It’s a recipe and knowledge-based site, full of great seasonal recipes with all the tips alongside to make sure you have success in your own kitchen,”says Julie.

“We send out a newsletter each Wednesday with new recipes and foodie bits and bobs.

“I also run cooking classes at my home on Waiheke Island where I now live. We have great fun on these classes — many people have attended several of them and we become friends as we bond over food and wine and learning. You’ll learn some great recipes, and heaps of tips, too, and of course you eat everything I make.

“I am also starting a new venture on Waiheke, taking small foodie tours around the island. These tours are for two to four people only, so are very intimate, and include foraging for food (we’ve got some amazing secret places), tasting local specialties.

“The tour includes a cooking class, lunch at my place and wine tastings.

— Julie@sharedkitchen.co.nz

You can make mulled wine ahead and transfer it to a preheated slow cooker and keep it hottish, but not boiling, on a low setting. Leftover mulled wine will keep in the fridge for a day or two.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bottle full-bodied red wine

3 tbsp white or brown sugar

1 orange

12 cloves

Small piece cinnamon bark

2 tbsp brandy

METHOD:

• Put the wine and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Slice orange, cut slices in half and add to wine, squeezing them a little (and add any juice on the board). Add spices then let it ‘mull’ over a gentle heat (don’t let it boil) for 10 minutes.

• The mulled wine can be served immediately, or it can be left to steep for several hours, then reheated when required. Add brandy just before serving.

Recipe Notes:

• To make mulled wine less alcoholic, add ½ cup water and omit the brandy, or add a cup or two of cranberry juice in place of some of the wine (you might need to cut back on the sugar or leave it out entirely if using sweetened cranberry juice).

Mulled wine is the perfect drink to pack into a thermos to take on a winter picnic. If you are worried about the alcohol content, bubble it up and let it evaporate.

— Recipe courtesy of Shared Kitchen sharedkitchen.co.nz/