The Aristologist

The Aristologist New Zealand home cook, writer, researcher publishes a food history journal “The Aristologist.”

Pork and fennel stuffed chicken wings, fettuccine. Campania Fiano. IGT. Terredora.🌞An interesting way of doing the fettu...
12/01/2026

Pork and fennel stuffed chicken wings, fettuccine. Campania Fiano. IGT. Terredora.
🌞
An interesting way of doing the fettuccine. Removed the first bone from a dozen chicken wings and stuffed with a pork and fennel mince. Set 4 of these to roast in an air frier 30min at 180C. (Others frozen for another day).
Pan fried the leftover bones with a tsp of fennel seeds and 3 cloves garlic in butter. Added a tsp of tomato paste and covered in chicken stock. Simmered for 30min. Removed bones. Added fettuccine (5min cook) stirring continuously until pasta cooked and liquid sauce- like. Plated. Excellent - pasta perfectly cooked. Cooking liquid for the pasta far less than the usual boiling brine, (hence stirring to prevent sticking) and salt addition only enough to correctly season the reduced stock/sauce and obviously requires a bit of timing getting the pasta cooked and sauce correct. But worth having a go. Could have been luck but delicious.
🍷
Campania Fiano - and - interesting Fiano - complex winey with a slight Seville bitterness - mineral and nice acidity - a good match to the pasta / chicken. Some wines have a “wineyness” for which there is no better description (I think).
All up a very nice little dinner.

Hodge podge of stuff - Duck breast with peas and turnip; Beardsley’s fan club; vines shooting beyond the posts; one of m...
11/01/2026

Hodge podge of stuff - Duck breast with peas and turnip; Beardsley’s fan club; vines shooting beyond the posts; one of many lovely sunsets at Mangatahi (time lapse); Clawdia, not sure whether she approves of the new arrival.

Four wines that brightened the week. Two Sauvignon blanc for those who dislike the Newzild generic version, a super Chen...
06/01/2026

Four wines that brightened the week. Two Sauvignon blanc for those who dislike the Newzild generic version, a super Chenin Blanc and a slightly funky, skinny kid of a Prosecco. The first two drunk after an inspection of the vineyard by viticultural mentors - Ian and Linda Quinn (a clean bill of health thankfully).
🌞
2024 Three Fates Chenin Blanc - Gordon Russel. From the trio plus grandmaster (father) Gordon Russel. Deliciously crunchy, fruity, refreshing, long in the mouth, crisp and stand out delicious. One to cellar or imbibe with relish.
🍇
Famille Gueguen Saint-Bris, Bourgogne Sauvignon Blanc. A wow of a wine! Complex, maybe tropical and nothing like the green herbaceous local Sav. Lingering, lovely acidity and a wine that doesn’t need food to be pleasurable. Certainly a wonderful “curiosité of Bourgogne”. Highly recommended.
🍇
From a wine tasting at Unison a few km from us - this was the standout wine for me - Two barrels Sauvignon Blanc - barrel fermented sav and again a lovely complex version, fruit yes but not simplistic - racy acidity and I do wonder how it will be in a few years - I suspect brilliant. Bought two bottles and that is a recommendation.
🍇
Casa costa piane Valdobbiadene Prosecco. uncaged cork closure but definitely frizante and with a hazy naturalmente. A slightly “natural” funkiness of pear, on a thin and dry body / much more interesting than the average Prosecco and, to my mind, far preferable. Refreshing and delicious, but I accept this may not entirely please those brought up on the standard commercial fizz. For those into more natural wines this is highly recommended.

Latest addition to our whanau - “Beardsley” - a very slinky, dapper, purry little chap. Can’t have too many four legged,...
05/01/2026

Latest addition to our whanau - “Beardsley” - a very slinky, dapper, purry little chap. Can’t have too many four legged, furry friends.

Lamb (2 ways) - crushed zucchini and peas. Teusner “Independent” Shiraz Mataro -Barossa 2021.🌞I had a small shin of lamb...
03/01/2026

Lamb (2 ways) - crushed zucchini and peas. Teusner “Independent” Shiraz Mataro -Barossa 2021.
🌞
I had a small shin of lamb and a small lamb rump with its cap. Neither, alone, big enough for two. Two large zucchini.
🌞
Cut up shin, its bone and removed marrow, and the rump marinated in red wine, onion, carrot, garlic scapes, thyme and rosemary for 6hrs. Caramelised the shin in olive oil, added the carrots, onions and the wine marinade, and reduced by half. Covered with chicken stock. Added a little anchovy paste and tomato puree - simmered 2 hrs. Strained then reduced the liquid to sauce consistency. Added the meat and kept aside.
🌞
Rump scored fat and pan fried to render fat, browned on each side and into air frier at 200C for 12 minutes. Rested for 10mins.
🌞
Zucchini peeled and into large dice. Boiled in chicken stock and butter until liquid sauce like. Added peas and a tsp of mint sauce. S&P.
🌞
Plated and, yes, delicious.
🍇
Teusner Shiraz Mataro (50:50 blend). - Silky plums and cherries with nice gentle tannins, restrained acidity but enough to cut into the lamb. An excellent food-wine - highly recommended.

Chicken roasted on a bed of garlic scapes and marjoram with potatoes. Grava - Bl anco (Spain) 🌞Garlic scapes and marjora...
29/12/2025

Chicken roasted on a bed of garlic scapes and marjoram with potatoes. Grava - Bl anco (Spain)
🌞
Garlic scapes and marjoram on the bottom of the air frier. Brined half chicken sat snugly on top and previously boiled potatoes around. A good glug of olive oil, a good dollop of crème fraiche and a good splash of white wine over. 170C for abt 40min.
Excellent, chicken perfect, sauce from the crème fraiche, wine, garlic and chicken juices delicious.
🍷🍇Grava - 100% Godello - Made in Spain and imported by Grava of Martinborough. Deliciously fresh mineral with a bit of citrus zest - a lively sharpness that would pair well with oysters. We followed it with a French chardonnay that was made to feel, in contrast, a bit frumpy. Highly recommended. .nz

A pre-Christmas vineyard post. Two meter deep band of flowers surrounds three sides the vineyard area. Constantly buzzin...
24/12/2025

A pre-Christmas vineyard post. Two meter deep band of flowers surrounds three sides the vineyard area. Constantly buzzing with honey and bumble bees.
The vines racing upwards - Cabernet franc winning at the moment (29.47cm in 2 weeks - yes they are all measured), then Carmenere (26.97cm), with Cabernet Sauvignon at 25.67 and petit Verdot as befits its name 23.5cm). Have been experimenting with various teas to find which gives good early growth, hence exact measurements.
🧑‍🎨
A kind vigneron in Australia Michael (author of preposterously good wines) sent me a beret by Boinas Elosegui to ensure my brain was never to be influenced by conservative, boring, winemaking. (The exact antithesis of a maga cap). Created during the Spanish civil war. Not only is it working and my viticulture continues to be odd - but it is brilliant when out in the vineyard — the nor-westerlies would normally guarantee ordinary hats and caps would fly off - not so the beret! And in 30degree temperatures the air space keeps the head cool. Remarkable!

Prawns, black pudding, broad beans: Kumeu River Crément.🌞A riff on my favourite Catalan dish. Fried a chopped onion with...
20/12/2025

Prawns, black pudding, broad beans: Kumeu River Crément.
🌞A riff on my favourite Catalan dish.
Fried a chopped onion with lardons, added paprika - smoked and sweet, then about 2cm chopped black pudding, after a few mins, broad beans and chicken stock. Cooked for 5-10 mins until stock reducing to perfection. Added a handful of prawn tails. Fried thick slices of black pudding separately. All into air frier and finished off there at 180C for 5-10 mins. Plated - and despite your opinion about black pudding bloody delicious!
🍇🍷
Kumeu River Crémant. I was intrigued to know what this was like. The various Kumeu chardonnays are brilliant, but how do they go with a fizz. Well it was lovely - refreshing, quaffable, no brioche of huge note and the bubbles quite coarse. Any slight disappointment I felt was only by my placing this in contrast to the single vineyard chardonnays from Kumeu - which was dumb on my part. Something to drink on a summers day rather than intellectualise over. Don’t expect the finesse of champagne or Vilaura.

Pork scotch fillet, turnips and caramelised fig: Gustave Lorentz Crémant de Alsace. 🌞I had bought the pork before going ...
20/12/2025

Pork scotch fillet, turnips and caramelised fig: Gustave Lorentz Crémant de Alsace.
🌞
I had bought the pork before going to but seeing the white orby turnips with perfect tops I thought why not pork and turnips. But then seeing the most enormous figs of local origin (from a Greek or Italian gentleman’s garden) I thought why not again - so bought them too.
🌞
Turnips boiled in chicken stock and butter reducing until a thin sauce-like buttery juice remained.
🌞
Pork pan fried until almost done and set aside in a warm air fryer. Put a tbs of sugar and another of butter into the pork pan and made a caramel. Fig halved and fried in the caramel on both sides. Removed to warm plates. Added the turnip juices and the pork and reduced until a good sauce-like consistency. Plated - complex mix of flavours that were in whole and part delicious.
🍇
Lorentz Crémant de Alsace - fizz. Lovely fine mousse, creamy and refreshing and not overly assertive in the pH department. No bitterness. Worked nicely with the pork and turnips.
🌞
Lovely sun drenched dinner.

Exploring the wild grapevines of the Ngaruroro river with their discoverer Nicholas Drinnan, along with ampelographer Ra...
18/12/2025

Exploring the wild grapevines of the Ngaruroro river with their discoverer Nicholas Drinnan, along with ampelographer Raquel Kallas of
🍇
With temperatures nudging 29C and trampling through blackberry thorns and cyclone slash the intrepid explorers mapped out a dozen or more vines of dubious parentage. Almost certainly the grape seeds carried by birds, from nearby vineyards settled in fertile soil and grew, and grew, and grew! Some vines are sufficiently old to be surrounded by their own seedlings. Each potentially a new variety, and each potentially a new wine. An exciting departure from the conservative Hawkes Bay Chard and Syrah ethos.
🌞
Despite the heat and thorns a brilliantly inspiring day!

NWA (Napier wine association) Christmas dinner at the weekend - a medley of delicious plates and booze, in good company....
17/12/2025

NWA (Napier wine association) Christmas dinner at the weekend - a medley of delicious plates and booze, in good company. Monthly (-ish) meetings for the last 18months - this one hosted by and -
Charcuterie, delectable arancini balls of immense dimensions, lamb balls by Ollie, perfect savoury and sweet tarts, beef fillet with horseradish, lovely home made dips with Pita, and (remarkably good) truffle infused sous vide cheerios.
Too many wines to describe - enjoyed the tart French Picpoul, a minerally rather than tropical Portuguese Albariño ( ), a particularly good Chardonnay from the far north , the ever good chard from , the Lanvin of course - and an intriguing Block 1 Craggy Pinot Noir from Te Muna Road.
🌞
Until next month …..

Fillet, potato and cucumber. Maison Sichel (Bordeaux) 1889. 🌞Well peppered fillet of beef, quickly pan fried and basted ...
12/12/2025

Fillet, potato and cucumber. Maison Sichel (Bordeaux) 1889.
🌞
Well peppered fillet of beef, quickly pan fried and basted in thyme butter. Potato scored, oiled and into air frier at 200C for about 20mins (until ready). Little cucumbers halved, sauteed in butter with thyme, garlic scape, pepper, and a smidge of maple syrup and cider vinegar.
🍷
Sichel 1889. 100% Merlot, (no sulphites - but tbh I don’t care). A classic Merlot - mercurial textured, plums, cherries with fine, ripe, gentle, tannins and unassertive acidity. Not a rocket scientist but would please any palate about to devour a piece of boeuf. Really quite delicious in a simple sort of way.
🌞
Lovely summer evening dinner, beef excellent ( ), cucumber, perfectly delicious with an agrodulce edge, all in good company with the Merlot ( ).

Address

Napier

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Aristologist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Aristologist:

Shortcuts

Share

Category