Alex Strobach and O'Connell St Bistro owner Chris Upton sample some perfect winter food. Photo / Getty Images
Alex Strobach and O'Connell St Bistro owner Chris Upton sample some perfect winter food. Photo / Getty Images
Slow cooking, tamarillos and the perfect potato mash. As cold nights and wet days approach, award-winning O’Connell St Bistro’s chef Alex Strobach shares his tips for the perfect winter entertaining menu.
When we think of winter, our thoughts turn to dark nights, hearty ingredients and full bellies. Anything that comforts the soul and goes well with a glass of red is well-placed to adorn our tables as the nights draw in.
Winter is also the season of the dinner party. Summerentertaining is so much easier - throwing some meat on the barbecue and pulling together a simple leaf salad is manageable but winter dinner parties seem to require more planning.
However, with the right level of organisation, the winter dinner party can be easier to execute and require less last-minute co-ordination.
Winter is also when braising and slow cooking comes into its own. My recipe for Beef Short Rib takes a much-maligned cut of meat that responds well to slow cooking at low temperatures. It's ideal to put on after lunch and it will gently cook throughout the afternoon. Serve it with a fruity Spanish tempranillo. With its ripe red fruit flavours of cherries and plums, this full-bodied red wine is perfect for cold winter nights.
O'Connell St Bistro's winter menu takes inspiration from modern European cooking and this entree of pork, chicken liver and pistachio terrine is a classic German-French dish which would be part of many a home cook's repertoire in the harsh northern European winters.
Many of us enjoy a bounty of tamarillos at this time of year and this terrine is perfectly complemented by a warm spicy tamarillo chutney. Make extra and give it to your guests as a gift.
Winter is also the season of root vegetables and here's my secret to the perfect silken potato puree. Start by cutting the potatoes into large quarters to stop them absorbing too much water. Once thoroughly cooked, drain and leave to steam in the colander for at least five minutes. I prefer to use a sieve to mash as it pretty much guarantees lump-free mash every time. Return to the pan and mix through lashings of butter and a little milk.
We've also gone outside of the normal repertoire of winter desserts to show you what the humble pear is capable of delivering. Poached with sugar syrup, white wine and spices and left in the fridge to absorb the liquid, these will benefit from being prepared a day or two in advance. We've warmed up the dish with sultanas soaked in rum and served with ice cream.
Sparkling wines are often underused as an accompaniment to food. This dessert would be perfectly complemented by Moscato d' Asti, a sweet, low-alcohol semi-sparkling wine from northern Italy.
The following dishes are some of our customers' winter favourites and will hopefully ease the transition to the winter months. Turn on the oven, the lights down and take a deep dive into winter.
These three dishes are ideal for a three-course dinner party or on their own. The terrine and its accompaniments are best prepared a day ahead and several other components can be made ready ahead of time. You can concentrate on plating up and you won't use every kitchen utensil at the same time.
