Cooking with wine
As a wine lover I do not only drink wine, but I also frequently cook with it.
Of course almost everyone is familiar with dishes such as "Coq au vin" or a white wine sauce for the fish, but I recommend you to be daring and to go a little further. Experiment with it and discover the world of cooking with wine. Real cooking enthusiasts always recommend using a good (cooking) wine under the guise of; "Otherwise it is a waste of the taste of the dish". However, I do not always agree with that. I believe it depends on how complex the dish is and with what kind of ingredients you work. As far as I am concerned, it is no problem to cook a hearty, strongly seasoned dish with that leftover wine from last week or with that bottle that has actually been over its top for a long time. It is of course decisive what kind of wine you add to your dish, for example; A dash of red wine through a stew does wonders and also makes the meat nice and tender too. For simple fish dishes I would opt for a Chardonnay and with chicken anything is possible.
As long as there is wine it is used for cooking. Especially in countries around the Mediterranean Sea a lot of wine is used in the kitchen. Personally, alcohol wise, I prefer the stronger wines (with a high alcohol percentage). This because the taste of the wine remains more present. You don't have to worry about adding a good sip of wine, or that the children will no longer be able to eat the dish. The alcohol evaporates fairly quickly and after about 10 minutes of cooking it has even disappeared completely. To disguise the strong or perhaps slightly sour taste of the wine for my daughter, I add a tiny scoop of sugar through her portion. It is often not recommended to cook with really sweet wine. The reason for this is that if the alcohol has evaporated and the wine thickens, too many sugars remain and this may predominate the dish. Many people are frightened by the idea of sugar in their savory bite but as always there are exceptions: Those who read my wine columns regularly may still remember the "Chorizo in sweet sherry" recipe I once wrote. A hearty chorizo sausage, baked in a generous amount of sweet sherry…and flambé with whiskey! Delicious!
I also very often use wine when making tapas, and my (cold) dipping sauces regularly are made with a good dash of red. Give it a try; Mayonnaise, a tad of ketchup, 2 cloves of garlic, basil, black pepper, a dash of fruit juice (no matter which fruit) and a splash of red wine. Stir well now, put it in the fridge, and serve with chips and a plate with raw cauliflower, cucumber and paprika. Enjoy with a good glass of red wine and enjoy! Also tasty is a considerable amount of (not too sour) white or rosé wine added to your Bolognese sauce; A little oil in a wok pan, fry minced meat (half pork / half beef) and add fresh slices of mushroom. Then add chopped onions, a lot of fresh garlic, and almost immediately afterwards half a bottle of white wine. Let the wine thicken on high heat and then lower the heat. Afterwards you add (your own fresh made) tomato paste, oregano, black pepper, paprika powder, a scoop of sugar and a pinch of salt. Then heat while stirring and serve with grated cheese (preferably old cheese) and a good glass of wine, enjoy!
I would like to state here that I am absolutely not a chef and I speak purely from my own experience so I probably make a lot of "cooking mistakes" according to a professional chef. Therefor I apologize in advance!
Cheers, have a nice meal!
Roel Peters RP-Vinos USA
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