rioja – Cook and Drink

Horn of Plenty with Sole and a Lemon Sauce

13 November 2025

In 1989 Antonio Carluccio published A Passion for Mushrooms. The book describes various mushrooms, discusses their habitat and edibility and of course offers a range of mushroom recipes. A Passion for Mushrooms includes some wonderful recipes and combinations we didn’t expect, for instance Truite aux Pied Blues and Ragout de Crevettes Rose et de Morilles. The book also includes a chapter on conservation techniques.
Earlier we prepared two dishes from the book, Sandwiched Parasol Mushrooms and Halibut with Saffron Milk Cap.
A Passion for Mushrooms is a must have for mushroom-lovers. The book is available via the usual channels and perhaps at your local second-hand bookstore. Prices will vary.

Trompette de la Mort

Horn of Plenty is a black chanterelle, also known as Trompette de la Mort, Black Trumpet, or Trumpet of the Dead. A very tasty mushroom, with just one downside: removing all the sand, small leaves and unappetizing bits is a lot of work.
Carluccio poaches sole fillets and combines these with a combination of mushrooms, butter and lemon. Inspired by his recipe we prepared Horn of Plenty with Sole and a Lemon Sauce.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of white Rioja with our Trompette de la Mort. The wine is made by Vivanco with three Spanish grapes: Viura, Tempranillo Blanco (a grape discovered in 1988) and Maturana Blanca (a grape that goes back to 1622). The result is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the flavours of the mushrooms, the sole and the acidity of the sauce.
In general, we suggest a non-oaked, fresh, dry white wine, with clear acidity.

What You Need

For the Poached Sole
- 4 fillets of Small Sole
- 5 cm of Carrot
- 5 cm of Celery Stalk
- 1 Bay Leave
- Crushed black pepper
For the Mushrooms
- 100 grams horn of plenty
- ¼ Red Bell Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Black Pepper
For the Sauce
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 20 ml Lemon Juice
- 10 ml Water
- 1 Teaspoon of Mirin
- White Pepper

What You Do

Clean the mushrooms
Finely cube the red bell pepper
Warm a pan of water until just simmering. It’s crucial not to overheat the water. The internal temperature of fish should be between 70 °C and 75 °C (or 160 °F and 165 °F).
Add sliced carrot, sliced celery, bay leave and crushed black pepper
Leave on this temperature for 10 minutes or so
Heat a heavy iron skillet and add some olive oil
Reduce heat and add cubed bell pepper
Role up the fillet: skin side on the outside and start with the smaller part of the fillet
Use a simple wooden cocktail stick to fix the role
Poach the sole until done, depending on the size, 4 minutes
Keep the sole warm in an oven at 65 °C or 150 °F
Add the mushrooms to the pan with the bell pepper
Fry gently
Add some black pepper to taste
Keep an eye on the mushrooms
Combine egg yolk, lemon juice and mirin
Make the sauce au bain marie or in the microwave
Add some white pepper to the sauce
Serve the sole on top of the mushrooms
Add the lemon sauce
Serve immediately on a warm plate

PS

The sauce is based on Japanese Kimizu. In this recipe we explain how to use a microwave.
You could also use grilled and peeled red bell pepper. That will give some smokiness to the dish, which is nice, but not necessary.

Trompette de la Mort with Sole and a Lemon Sauce, based on a recipe by Antonio Carluccio. The Sauce is basically a Kimizu with lemon juice. The sole is poached. The mushrooms fried with red bell pepper

Asparagus with Beurre Blanc

12 June 2025

Nearly the end of the asparagus season in the Netherlands so we wanted to make a very special dish. One that combines the sweetness and the bitterness of the asparagus with freshness, the structure of the al dente asparagus with a velvety, rich mouthfeel. What better sauce to make than Beurre Blanc: a remarkable light French butter sauce.

The starting point of a Beurre Blanc is similar to that of Hollandaise and Béarnaise: a reduction made with shallot, vinegar, tarragon, black pepper and white wine. Inspired by Dutch chef Erik van Loo we added some Noilly Prat to the castric.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Asparagus with a glass of white Rioja. The wine is made by Vivanco with three Spanish grapes: Viura, Tempranillo Blanco (a grape discovered in 1988) and Maturana Blanca (a local grape that goes back to 1622). The result is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the flavours of the asparagus and Beurre Blanc.
In general, we suggest a non-oaked, fresh, dry white wine, with clear acidity.

What You Need

For the Castric (25 ml)
- 5 ml White Vinegar
- 50 ml dry White Wine
- 20 ml Noilly Prat
- One coarsely crushed corn of Black Pepper
For the Beurre Blanc
- 25 ml Castric
- 60 grams of cold Butter
6 Asparagus

What You Do

Start by making the Castric
Chop the shallot
Combine all ingredients and leave to reduce by 2/3 on low heat
Pass through a sieve; try to capture the juices of the shallot
Set aside
Peel the asparagus and remove one centimetre from the bottom
Steam for 15 – 20 minutes
Remove the asparagus from the steamer and allow to rest for 5 minutes
Make the Beurre Blanc
- Warm the Castric
- Dice the butter
- Add the butter, one by one, to the Castric
- Whisk (either by hand or by using a hand blender)
- Make sure the butter has completely dissolved before you add the next dice of butter
- Whisk and repeat
Serve the asparagus with the sauce on a luke warm plate

Chicken with Fresh Oregano

21 April 2021

Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage: all powerful Mediterranean herbs. Oregano, or Wild Marjoram, is an interesting one. Probably best known as the herbal ingredient of pizza. A dried herb, one to store in a jar, forget about and then use beyond its ‘use-by date’ and be disappointed.
Such a pity because fresh oregano is aromatic, slightly bitter, pungent and perhaps chemical, depending on the variety, of course. Great to combine with lamb, a tomato salad, grilled fish and of course chicken. It’s also great to flavour olive oil with oregano. So ask your supermarket or local greengrocer for fresh oregano!

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our chicken and oregano with a glass of Rioja Paternina Reserva 2015 produced by Marques de la Concordia. Reserva means that the wine ages for a minimum of 3 years, with at least 1 year in oak barrels. The grapes are tempranillo, mazuelo and garnacha; very typical for Rioja. It’s a powerful, full-bodied red wine with aromas of black cherries and touch of vanilla and various spices. The wine goes very well with the velvety chicken and the very present flavours of the oregano.

What You Need

Chicken Thighs
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Chicken Stock
Lots of Fresh Oregano

What You Do

Halve the thighs, heat a heavy iron skillet, add olive oil and quickly fry the meat on all sides. Reduce the heat and add two third of the chopped oregano. Keep on low to medium heat for 10 minutes or so. Add some chicken stock, just to deglaze the pan. You will notice that the juices becomes green thanks to the oregano, so please coat the meat with the cooking liquid. Just before serving add the remaining oregano, some freshly ground black pepper and mix.
Serve with green beans, cooked in water with fresh garlic, wrapped in pancetta (after having grated some nutmeg over the beans) and then fried for 5 minutes in some olive oil.