Food & Drink: Weekend Cook

In the third and final part of our guide to Christmas wines, the spotlight is turned on New World reds.

16: VEGETABLE SAUTEE WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Serves two. Total time: 15 mins

PREPARED VEGETABLES for stir-frying are one of my betes noires. While the idea is laudable, they are never fresh enough, and you can guarantee you will find tough pieces of stalk and other unwanted bits hidden in the pack.

Instead, gather together your own, they don't have to be shredded either. I find a wok by far the best medium for cooking them, the speed with which they fry prevents them from drooping as they are wont to do after five minutes or so in a frying-pan.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp finely chopped, fresh ginger

1/2 tsp finely chopped, medium-hot red chilli

1 leek, trimmed and sliced

150 g/5 oz broccoli, cut into small florets

75 g/3 oz mangetouts, topped and tailed

75 g/3 oz cherry tomatoes

50 g/2 oz wild mushrooms, picked over and sliced if necessary

sea salt, black pepper

This takes just five minutes to cook, so have all your vegetables at the ready. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, stir and then straightaway add the leek and the broccoli and stir-fry for one minute. Add the mangetouts, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms and stir-fry for another two minutes until the vegetables are just soft, seasoning them halfway through. Pile on to plates and serve straight away.