Goulash is an ancient Hungarian dish which uses Paprika and Garlic. It’s thought that Christopher Columbus introduced Paprika to Europe having found it as a domesticated plant among the Native American people (the explorers named it ’Indian pepper’). The pepper plant adapted to the Mediterranean climate and from Spain it was introduced to Southern France and England . . . and it soon became Europe’s favourite decorative house plant!

The use of paprika as a spice was spread by the Turks who brought the ground dried fruits of these bell peppers to the Balkan Peninsula first, and later to Hungary. In Hungary it was also used for decoration, first. In 1570, it was mentioned in Margit Széchy’s garden as ’red Turkish pepper’, and in 1579, the French botanist, Clusius introduced it into the garden of Count Boldizsár Batthyányi.

Clusius is famed for the development of new garden cultures and cultivated plants, such as the tulip, potato, and chestnut, from other parts of the world. He was the director of the Holy Roman Emperor’s garden in Vienna (1573–87) and spent the later years of his life teaching in Leiden, where his cultivation of tulips in the botanic garden was the beginning of the Dutch tulip bulb industry.

Goulash was traditionally made with beef (the name originates from the Hungarian word ‘gulya’ which means ‘herd of cattle’ in Hungarian, and ‘gulyas’ means herdsman). Magyar shepherds used lamb and cooked the dish in vast iron kettles but you can also use rabbit.

Rabbit Goulash

 Serves 4

 Ingredients:

 2 tbsp Olive oil
1-2 Rabbit – approx. 700g – drawn, skinned and cut into 6 pieces. Front legs, Rear legs and saddle cut into 2
30g plain Flour
1 large Onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 green and 1 red Pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 tbsp Tomato puree
1-2 tbsp Paprika
2 large Tomatoes, peeled and diced
75ml dry White wine
300 ml Vegetable or Chicken stock (If possible made from rabbit bones boiled for an hour or so with some vegetables eg. carrot and celery)
Salt and freshly ground black Pepper
2 tbsp flat-leaf Parsley, chopped
150ml soured Cream

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C/Gas Mark 3

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a casserole dish or heavy-based saucepan. Toss the rabbit meat in the flour and then brown in the hot oil over a medium heat until browned on all sides. Leave to one side. Now add the remaining oil to the pan with the onion, garlic, green and red pepper and fry gently until softened for about 5 minutes.

Return the rabbit meat to the pan with the tomato puree and 1 or 2 tbsp of the paprika depending how spicy you like the goulash to be. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes and then add the tomatoes, wine and stock. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 and a half hours to 3 hours until the meat falls off the bones.

Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and soured cream and serve with boiled rice, saffron rice, creamed potato or crusty bread.

Wine Matching

Bordeaux Rosé is super with this dish – most wine drinkers don’t realize that Rosés, especially well-made Rosés, can be just as complex as their white or red counterparts . . . and that Bordeaux has been making this style of wine for over 1000 years. They have less tannin than red wine but these wines can be light and refreshing as well as velvety smooth and voluptuous. You’ll find that the French like to keep their hands on the Rosés they produce – in fact sales of Rosé wines in France have now overtaken those of white wine. Even the top flight Bordeaux Grand Crus Classés produce Rosés – these wines obviously come at a price and some are quite difficult to get hold of. However I have three fantastic Bordeaux Rosés that I can highly recommend:

Chateau Ballan Larquette Bordeaux Rosé 2010 (£8.99)

 A sophisticated wine with good refreshing acidity whilst being rounded, smooth and supple in the mouth and is of medium body. The colour is a deep coral pink with orange highlights and the wine has notes of earthy ripe strawberry, red cherry, orange zest, sweet hay, spice and minerality.

Chateau Lamothe Vincent Rosé 2009 (£7.99)

Fabulous dry, deep, dark pomegranate pink and is bursting with the flavours of ripe red currant, red gooseberries, raspberry, crushed strawberry and citrus. It is silky smooth, well rounded, deep and has a lovely long finish.

Chateau Roques Mauriac Rosé 2011 (£8.20)

 A wine for the epicurian – mouth wateringly, crisp, rich salmon pink rose petal colour with the flavours of redcurrant, raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate and cranberry.

Alternatively you can match a semi-sweet white with this dish: Chateau Le Rondailh 2011 is a Bordeaux Moelleux, a semi-sweet white wine that we don’t often see feted outside France. These types of wines are quite exceptional – slightly sweet, rounded and supple with mouth quenching acidity and superb balance. Le Rondailh is vibrant, fresh and lively with flavours of pear, peach, melon and lemon and delicate notes of hazelnut and crystallized pineapple.

Enjoy!

Pigeon seems to be experiencing a renaissance – the days of Pigeon Pie are long gone and pan fried Pigeon Breast is all the rage. I’m not surprised – it’s an easy dish to prepare and is better than duck in my opinion. Pigeon meat is dark and has very little fat. If you haven’t tried it before it is a dense meat with a slight accent of game. Wild Woodpigeon is usually available in the markets but Squab (young domestic pigeon) is more tender – and plump.

Woodpigeon Breast on Black Pudding Bruscetta

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3cm piece Cucumber
1 medium Carrot
1 medium cooked beetroot
2 teasps white wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Walnut oil
a small handful, chopped walnuts
Seasoning
1 clove Garlic
2 good slices French Stick (diagonally cut)
2 tbsps Olive oil
5cm piece Black Pudding
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 Woodpigeon breasts
1 Shallot, finely chopped
175 ml red wine

Method:

Finely grate the cucumber and leave in a sieve over a bowl so that the liquid drains out. Grate the carrot and beetroot keeping them in separate bowls so that the beetroot juice does not leak into the other vegetables at this stage. Combine the vinegar and oil with some salt and freshly ground black pepper for the dressing.

Cut the end off the garlic and rub over the bread, retaining the remainder for later. Sprinkle the oil over the bread and place on a baking sheet into a hot oven – 200 degrees C, Gas Mark 6 for a few minutes until golden brown. Remove the toasted bread from the oven and spread on the black pudding thinly and evenly, returning it to the oven for a further few minutes to warm through. Remove from the oven and keep in a warm place.

Heat the sunflower oil in a small frying pan and place the pigeon breasts skin side down first (if not skinned) and fry over a medium heat for about 1½ minutes on each side. Transfer to a hot oven 200 degrees C, Gas mark 6 for 3 – 5 minutes depending how well done you like the meat to be cooked.

Remove the pigeon breasts from the pan and rest in a warm place whilst making the sauce: crush the remainder of the garlic clove and add to the frying pan with the shallot, fry until soft and then add wine, bring to the boil and simmer to reduce for a few minutes. Taste the sauce, adding a teaspoonful of sugar if it is too tart.

Now slice the pigeon breasts and lay on top of the Bruscetta. Assemble the salad by combining the sliced vegetables with the dressing and walnuts and lightly season.

Serve the Bruscetta with a little sauce poured over and the salad along side.

Wine Matching

Jean Baptiste Audy Merlot 2009 - £6.55 – A super 100% Merlot from the Negociant House of Jean Baptiste Audy who own several chateaux in Pomerol and Saint Emilion. A very fruity, supple and rounded wine, pleasant to drink young with lots of rich fruit aromas. With notes of soft ripe black cherries, damsons, blackberries and a hint of violets this is a wine with mellow tannins and an old world charm.

Cuvée de Jean Baptiste Audy - £6.99 – A captivating wine that is full of character, being made as an Old Style Claret with a little Syrah in the blend. Cuvée is a dark garnet colour with intense aromas. In the mouth the wine has a good backbone with smooth tannins and good fruit. With notes of blackberry jam, ripe dark plums and black pepper with a hint of smoke

Chateau Les Petits Moines 2009 – £9.40 – The red wines from the Côtes de Blaye are well worth seeking out and are often powerful, aromatic wines that develop notes of spice as they age. Les Petits Moines is no exception – the 2009 was awarded a gold medal in the Bordeaux Challenge International du Vin in May 2011. A deep, dense garnet red wine, well balanced, silky and very well structured with layers of blackcurrant, rich red fruits and oak followed by hints of cloves, rosemary and spice.

Chateau Sansonnet 2006 – £19.00 – Sansonnet has recently received Grand Cru Classé status in the recent Saint Emilion reclassification which is justly deserved. The 2006 is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. It is a deep crimson purple in colour with notes of raspberries, minerals, cherries, smoke, violets, blackberries and coffee. It is a medium to full bodied wine which is complex, intense and well balanced.

Chateau Meyney 2006 - £24.40 – Chateau Meyney is a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur from Saint Estephe and has long been an insider’s choice. A deep, dark and concentrated wine with plenty of ripe blackcurrant fruit and a distinctive aroma of smoke, prunes, truffles, coffee and cherries. Well structured, velvety smooth and weighty.

Enjoy!