Saturday Kitchen 25.4

(By Susie Barrie MW)

BBC1 Saturday KitchenI was hot-footing it around Greenwich for this week’s Saturday Kitchen wine shoot, to tie in with the 35th London marathon. Brought back memories of our Medoc Marathon adventure last September – minus the warm weather (and the claret, I suppose!) This was very much an Italian-themed show, with the lovely Stanely Tucci as studio guest.

Wine to go with ravioli two ways by Gennaro Contaldo:

  • Bardolino Naiano 2014, Italy (from £7.49, Majestic)

Susie’s comments: a richer Italian white (Fiano, Greco etc) sits very nicely alongside this dish, especially with the buttery sage ravioli. But that meatier version also works with a lighter red, so I opted for something a bit different. Juicy and fresh in style, this Bardolino is great value and can be chilled in warm weather. Lovely spring and summer drinking.

Wine to go with Italian sausage, broad beans and peas by Francesco Mazzei:

  • Grillo 2013, Italy (from £7, Marks & Spencer)

Susie’s comments: the spicy N’duja really gives this dish a kick (watch Stanley’s expression when he has his mouthful!) Although it’s softened by the cheese and greenery, it still blows almost all red wine out of the water. This soft, rich, round white is super easy drinking, great value, and a lovely accompaniment for this.

Links and details

Stanley’s heaven and hell dishes, as cooked by James Martin, were as follows:

Langoustine tortellini with fennel sauce – Les Armes de Chablis Petit Chablis 2013, France (from £9.99, Waitrose)

Passion fruit pavlova with a lemon posset filling – Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes Riesling 2013 (from £13.99, Waitrose)

Thanks to James, Stanley, Francesco and Gennaro – also to the brilliant crew at Cactus TV. You can find the recipes on the BBC Food site and the show is on iplayer. Thanks to everyone who hosted us in Greenwich and to M&S and Majestic on the wine front. Finally, thanks for tuning in!