Although Erica Crawford is passionate about making wine, her love of food and flavours comes a close second.
"Wine enhances food and all the winemakers I know are also great cooks," she says. "I love winter for its slow-cooked meals and roasts but equally I enjoy preparing salads and accompaniments for summer barbecues."
Erica and her husband, winemaker Kim, recently launched their Loveblock wine label, named after land they own in Marlborough's Awatere Valley. Erica says she has to see an image of the dish and follow a recipe rather than experimenting. She follows Jamie Oliver's 15-Minute Meals and downloads recipes once she's watched the programme.
"I'm a fan of flavours and often think 'yes' that will go with our so-and-so wine. "Winemaking is all about flavours," says Kim.
Kim tends to experiment more and he enjoys traditional foods such as roasts. His favourite is a ground-coffee-rubbed beef fillet he cooks whole in a covered barbecue.
"So what goes with what?" I asked Erica.
"Our bone-dry riesling is one of the best and it is perfect with Japanese sushi and sashimi, especially when served with pink pickled ginger.
"I'm a great fan of Japanese cuisine. I love their pancakes,which are a perfect match for our pinot gris. Anything with a basic lemon-grass flavour will marry well with our sauvignon blanc which is a more constrained sav compared with many from the Awatere."
The Crawfords' pinot noir grows on a small pocket of land in Central Otago, near Bendigo. "The wine is rich, dark red with savoury mushroom notes. It's equally good with my 'go-to' lamb curry and Kim's ground-coffee-rubbed beef."
Loveblock wines are available online and from selected wine shops.
RECIPES
Erica's lamb curry is a tender and delicious dish.
ERICA'S GO-TO LAMB CURRY
Erica often garnishes her curry with onions fried in oil and a knob of butter.
Masala: 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped root ginger
1 tsp each: ground cumin coriander, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 large vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
Lamb: 3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions, sliced
1 tsp sea salt
1kg lamb shoulder chops
3 whole cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 & 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup cream
Extra sea salt
Masala: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
Lamb: Heat oil in a large casserole and cook onions seasoned with salt for eight minutes or until tender and golden. Add masala paste and cook for four minutes, until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Cut each lamb chop into two long pieces through the natural join. Add to pan, stirring to coat in the spice paste.
Lightly crush cardamom and add to lamb with remaining ingredients. Season with salt, mix well, cover and cook over a very low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lamb is very tender and sauce reduced. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serves 4 to 6
COFFEE-RUBBED BEEF KEBABS
Here's my favourite coffee rub for grills but it could also be used to rub over a roast of beef before cooking.
1/4 cup very finely ground espresso beans
2 tbsp each: freshly ground rock salt, black pepper, dark brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated root ginger
500g grilling beef, cut into 2.5cm cubes
spray cooking oil
Combine all ingredients except beef and oil. Rub into beef cubes. refrigerate for at least three hours.
Preheat a grill. Thread cubes of beef on skewers. Spray with oil.
Grill for about three to four minutes each side, or until cooked to your preference.
- Serves 4
OYSTERS WITH PINK PICKLED GINGER
24 oysters
1/2 small avocado, peeled, stoned and diced
4-5 tbsp pink pickled ginger, drained and slivered
2-3 tsp prepared wasabi
8 lemon wedges
Dipping Sauce: 1/2 cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
If oysters are in their shells ensure they are detached before serving.
Place oysters in their shells or on soup spoons on four serving plates. Top with avocado and ginger. Form wasabi into balls and place on side with lemon wedges.
Combine ingredients for dipping sauce and place in small containers on serving plates. The wasabi can be mixed into dipping sauce, if preferred.
Perfect served with Loveblock Bone Dry Riesling.
- Serves 4 as a starter
OKONOMIYAKI
Japanese pancakes. You could make smaller ones and serve two or three a person.
4 cups (250g) very thinly sliced cabbage
1 each: medium carrot, courgette, grated,
4 spring onions, diced
200g diced cooked meat, poultry, seafood or bacon, optional
2 large eggs
1/2 cup each: cold water, plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
Sauce: 2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp each: ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, prepared smooth mustard
Place vegetables and meat (if using any) in a large bowl and mix well.
Whisk eggs and cold water in a bowl. Add flour and salt. Whisk until smooth and then pour over vegetables. Stir until well combined.
Divide oil between two 23cm frying pans. Heat on medium, until shimmering. Divide vegetable mixture between the two pans, making two pancakes. Pile mixture high then flatten out top.
Reduce heat to low. Cover and steam for about 15 minutes.
Check under pancake to see if it is brown, then flip.
Press down to compress the vegetables.
Cook, uncovered, until the second side is browned and centre cooked.
Combine sauce ingredients.
Transfer okonomiyaki to plates and drizzle with sauce.
- Serves 2