Sure, winter in Australia doesn’t necessarily mean freezing cold – some are probably enjoying it on the beach as we speak (don’t rub it in). But when you’re one of the unlucky few shivering at home, it’s hard to resist digging into hearty food. And since we’re hunkered down at home, it’s the perfect time to entertain – ideally over a plate of something warming and a good bottle of wine.
Whether you’re looking to impress a date or just your group of friends, you can give your homestyle cooking a boost by taking your cues from some of Australia’s best. Below, we’ve put together a selection of winter-worthy recipes from our favourite chefs, cooks and restaurants that’ll impress your lucky guests and pair beautifully with your favourite Earthworks wines.
A Tavola’s pappardelle con ragu paired with shiraz
Nothing grabs guests’ attention quite like the aroma of ragu gently simmering on the stove. This recipe from Eugenio Maiale – owner of Darlinghurst and Bondi’s now-shuttered Italian spot, A Tavola – is a classic ragu, with rich flavours from a blend of different proteins (here it’s chicken, pork and veal), red wine and time. Best served with a flat and wide pasta like pappardelle and, to complement the ragu’s richness, a ripe and full-bodied Barossa shiraz.
Stalactites’s oven-baked lamb and potatoes lemonato paired with cabernet sauvignon
Late-night Greek institution Stalactites has built a mighty reputation on the back of its giros – tender, intensely flavoured lamb (or chicken) cooked on the spit. Spit-roasting is not an option for most home cooks but, fortified with a healthy dose of lemon, spices and potatoes, owner Nicole Konstandakopoulos’s recipe for oven-baked lamb is the perfect at-home alternative. Pair with a glass or two of a rich, fruit-laden Barossa cabernet sauvignon for the full winter warming experience.
Lumen People's shishito peppers and pimenton paired with tempranillo
As day turns to night, North Melbourne cafe Lumen People swaps coffee and brunch for wine and snacks. For a dinner party starter plate, try chef and owner Marichi Clarke’s wine-friendly recipe for shishito peppers and pimenton. Here, herbaceous shishito peppers make a surprisingly perfect match for fragrant pimenton oil, rounded out with crunchy spiced almonds and cooling crème fraîche. Clarke opts for a crisp white wine but we’d lean towards the aromatic spice and dark fruit flavours of tempranillo.
Adam Liaw’s tomato and prawn risotto with chilli butter paired with riesling
It’s the chilli-infused butter that elevates Adam Liaw’s tomato and prawn risotto. Liaw intensifies the prawn flavour by simmering the shells with vegetable stock before adding it in batches to carnaroli rice, alongside passata and saffron. Stirred through with prawns and topped with a few spoons of that intensely flavoured butter, this is a guest-impressing dish that’s only improved when served with a cleansing, citrusy riesling.
Rosheen Kaul’s burnt spring onion oil Noodles with rosé
With her 2022 cookbook Chinese-ish, Rosheen Kaul walked a perfect line between authenticity and reinterpretation, sharing a batch of flavour-packed Chinese and Southeast Asian dishes that have fast become home kitchen staples around Australia. The former Etta chef’s recipe for burnt spring onion oil noodles is one of the simpler dishes in the book but the technique – bringing the spring onions just to the verge of burning before adding soy and vinegar – results in deep, umami-packed flavour. From start to finish, this should only take 15 minutes, making it an ideal dish when you’d rather be making chit-chat with your guests. A dry-and-delicate rosé should seal the deal, refreshing the palate between bites.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Earthworks.
