We have some absolute crackers in this month's ByTheBox and we thought we’d look at some simple pairings for you to try at home. Food and wine pairing can get a bit stuffy and our advice would be to try a few things and see what works and ultimately what you enjoy pairing together. Of course there are classic pairings that we know and love; Duck and pinot, riesling with spicy food and so on but we encourage you to think outside the box.

15 Minute Bottles Test Pots Riesling 2022 with Chicken Schnitzel and Asian-Style Slaw

I mean who doesn’t love a schnitzel? Almost everything is better breaded and fried and even better with this Riesling from 15 minute bottles. This schnitzel recipe is taken to the next level with Test Pots Riesling. It’s forward and generous in texture, with the zingy freshness like the squeeze of lemon juice. Feel free to sub in pork or a vegetable link cauliflower to make it vegetarian.

Slaw
½ cabbage 
1 carrot
1 fresh red chilli 
½ cup coriander
1 tablespoon fish sauce 
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbs sugar

To make the schnitzels, place one thigh at a time between two sheets of baking paper. Get a rolling pin and pound the chicken until it’s super thin. Repeat this process for the other three thighs. To bread the chicken, coat each piece with flour, then dredge into the egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Combine the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice and mix well. Thinly slice the cabbage and carrot on a mandolin and place into a large bowl. Thinly slice the chilli and coriander and mix with the rest of the salad and pour over the pre prepared dressing.

I Clivi Malvasia 2021 with Pan Roasted Whole Flounder with Brown Butter & Capers

The key to this pairing is nailing the brown butter sauce. Don’t cook the butter for long enough and you won’t get those lovely nutty flavours and cook it for too long and the butter will burn. That said, this dish is as simple as they come and an impressive for date night or if you have people coming over. Serve with simply steamed green beans, boiled potatoes and a wedge of lemon. The citrus and nutty flavours are a match made in heaven with the clean, mineral drive of this Malvasia. If you can’t get your hands on flounder, substitute any other white fish. 

1 whole Flounder
100g butter
2 tbsp capers
1 lemon 
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Heat 50ml oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the flounder and cook, turning once, until just golden (2-3 minutes), then transfer to a roasting pan and cook in a 180 degree for for 8 - 10 minutes. While the flounder is in the oven make your brown butter. For brown butter, cook butter in a saucepan over high heat until foaming and nut-brown (4-5 minutes). Remove your flounder from the oven and top with your brown butter mixture, a good squeeze of lemon and scatter with parsley.

Kenzie Smokestack Lightning with Caramelised Pork Belly and Daikon Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing 

The pretty, floral, lifted aromatics of Gewürztraminer, balanced with a firm, textural, super dry palate lend itself to a dish with punchy flavours. Enter this delicious pork belly with Daikon and sesame salad. 

Salad
2 carrots
1 cucumber 
Half a Daikon
 ½ cup mayonnaise
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs roasted sesame seeds, ground
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil 

Marinate your pork belly in a bowl and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. (Marinate overnight if you have the time). Take the pork out of the fridge and pan fry for 10 - 12 minutes or until cooked through. Cut (or Julienne) your carrot, cucumber and daikon into matchsticks. Set aside. To make your sesame dressing, mix mayonnaise in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame seeds, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Just before serving , mix your salad and dressing and top with pork.

Lammidia Panda Moscato Montepulciano with Casarecce with Pork Sausage, Tomato, Chilli and Garlic 

1 packet of dried pasta
3 pork sausages, removed from casings and torn into 1cm pieces
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Small handful of fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 can of tomatoes 
200ml chicken stock

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and fry the sausages until brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant but not browned. Add the remaining ingredients and slowly simmer for 20 - 30 minutes (adding more stock as necessary). Cook your pasta until al dente and add to your sauce.
Top with Parmesan.

Deep Down Pinot Noir 2021 with Portobello mushroom & halloumi burgers

A simple burger for a quick mid week meal with the vibrant Marlborough Pinot from Deep Down. The savoury umami flavours from the mushrooms pair well with the fine tannic grip and juicy texture of this organic Pinot.

An incredibly simple dish to make but incredibly satisfying. Trust us, you want to make these burgers time and time again. Drizzle a little olive oil over your mushrooms and bake whole in a 180 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes until cooked through. While they're cooking, fry your halloumi until golden. Assemble with other ingredients and devour. 

Domaine Fond Croze Confidence Côtes du Rhône 2020 with Spiced Lamb Koftas and a tomato & mint salad

What’s not to love? The black fruit, spice and silky tannin in the Côtes du Rhône  is a perfect match and helps cut through the fat with the rich and meaty Kofta. There’s a few ingredients in this dish but it comes together in under half an hour and is a go-to mid week meal. 

Koftas
500g Lamb mince
1 cup parsley
1/4 cup milk 
1 tsp ground allspice
⅓ cup fresh oregano leaves
2 garlic cloves crushed

Tomato Salad
5 Tomatoes roughly chopped
100g Feta 
1 red onion thinly sliced
Handful of mint leaves roughly torn
Juice of half a lemon

Place the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and let it stand for 2 minutes. Add in the remaining Kofta ingredients, season with salt and pepper and mix well with your hands. Divide the mixture into 12 Kofta shaped balls and thread on to metal skewers. Cook on the bbq or hot grill for 5 - 7 minutes or until brown.  For the salad place all ingredients into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Crumble feta over the top and drizzle with good olive oil. Serve with garlic yoghurt and Kofta.