When it comes to great cooking, it’s the little details that count. By changing a method or adding a few simple flourishes, the same ingredients can be transformed into wildly different dishes. Here, the core ingredients are white wine, mushrooms and garlic, but with a little Mediterranean influence and Julian’s 22 years experience with Latin American cuisine, three store cupboard staples are transformed into a bold cocktail and a punchy tapas plate to provide the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer evening on the river – perhaps best enjoyed with old friends instead of on a first date, as Julian’s Portobello al Ajillo goes heavy on the garlic.

Portobello al Ajillo

Literally “mushrooms with garlic”, champinones al ajillo is a Spanish tapas staple. A little more luxurious than British garlic mushrooms and packed full of flavour, this recipe works well with any mushroom you can lay your hands on. Portobellos are a rich, meaty classic, chestnut mushrooms will add more of an earthy flavour, while oyster mushrooms lend a hint of anise. Go for what you love, what’s in season and remember, the fresher the better.

Ingredients

• 200g portobello mushrooms
• 20g garlic
• 25ml olive oil
• Mixed herbs
• 50ml white wine
• 50ml double cream
• Fresh parsley

Method

1. Slice mushrooms and dice garlic
2. Add both to a hot pan with olive oil and sear until browning
3. Add white wine to deglaze then reduce the heat to a simmer
4. Add cream and cook until golden brown
5. Add half a spoon of mixed herbs
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste
7. Plate, then sprinkle with fresh parsley to garnish

When it comes to great cooking, it’s the little details that count. By changing a method or adding a few simple flourishes, the same ingredients can be transformed into wildly different dishes. Here, the core ingredients are white wine, mushrooms and garlic, but with a little Mediterranean influence and Julian’s 22 years experience with Latin American cuisine, three store cupboard staples are transformed into a bold cocktail and a punchy tapas plate to provide the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer evening on the river – perhaps best enjoyed with old friends instead of on a first date, as Julian’s Portobello al Ajillo goes heavy on the garlic.

Sangria

There was a time when snobbery dictated that red wine was only to be drunk at room temperature, but now even the snobs and natural wine aficionados are embracing what the Spanish have known all along; that chilled red wine tastes good, and if you add fruit and a few additional spirits to it, so much the better.

Ingredients

• 1x apple
• 1x orange
• 1x lime
• 1x lemon
• 400ml red wine
• Soda water or lemonade
• 25ml brandy (Julian uses Carlos I)
• 25ml dark rum (ideally Burla Negra)
• 10ml Licor 43 (Cointreau will also do)
• Splash of vanilla

Method

1. Dice the orange, apple, lime and lemon
2. Let soak in a bowl or pitcher of red wine overnight
3. Add all of the spirits, wine and fruit into a fresh pitcher with a fistful of ice cubes
4. Add soda or lemonade to taste
5. Garnish with orange and serve in a large red wine glass or a tumbler

Rico Sabor is a tapas bar, cevicheria and cocktail lounge, bringing Spanish and Latin American cuisine to the heart of Greenwich Peninsula.

Images by Kris Humphrey's Photography