Cooking with wine: tips from Candice Kother
Cooking with wine dates back to ancient times, when marinades were already used to preserve meat. The alcohol disappears during cooking, even children can appreciate it. In addition, the tannins and glycerin in wine aid digestion. Do not we say “A good glass of wine takes away a crown from the doctor”? Do not use wines that are too light or ordinary for your recipes. Reduction will not give them back what they lack. Prefer wines that are ample and robust, without fault. Do you realize you're out of white wine for a sauce? Dilute a little white wine vinegar in a little water and add two sugar cubes.
Some foods don't mix well with wine. Vinegar and mustard exclude it. This is why you should never drink wine with a salad, but rather water. Four vegetables break the roundness of red wine: artichokes, asparagus, spinach and fennel. The potato, on the contrary, is an ideal vegetable for wine. It is not too typical and its consistency is suitable, especially since it accompanies meat and sauce whose proteins erase the tannic bitterness and flatter the wine.
But beware of the risks… The first is obviously the taste of cork. Blame it on a microscopic parasite that infected the bark of the tree. In a similar vein, some white wines tend to give you headaches, which will not go away in cooking. The reason? They contain too much sulfur. Winegrowers use sulfur to keep wine fresh, prevent oxidation and the development of micro-organisms. It is therefore, at a reduced dose, a miracle remedy that protects the wine. But it is also a toxic product whose use is highly regulated. Attempts have been made to replace sulfur with other products, without success so far. Some organic winegrowers don't use it, but they take risks: their wine can age much too quickly, taste like bad Madeira, or not be able to travel. Finally, a defect that is not one. Some wines have whitish crystals that look like sugar, concentrated on the cork or in the bottom of the bottle. It is in fact potassium bitartrate, without any taste, which formed when the bottle was exposed to cold. It's safe and it doesn't stop you from drinking it and cooking it.
In the oven
Make a chicken with almonds and hazelnuts on a base of white wine. Brown pieces of chicken in a little oil, add 200 g of bacon bits, garlic and shallots before deglazing with 300 ml of white wine. Cover and cook for 45 minutes over low heat. Add 100 g of almonds and 100 g of coarsely crushed and lightly toasted hazelnuts in the oven or in a pan 10 minutes from the end of cooking. Play the carrot fritter card. Peel and grate a bunch of carrots before sautéing them in a pan with 200 ml of white wine. Let reduce for 10 minutes.
Prepare a donut batter: separate the yolk and white of an egg. Beat the egg white. Mix 150 g of flour and 250 ml of milk, whisk well to avoid lumps. Add the egg yolk. Mix. Leave the dough to rest for 1 hour and then incorporate the egg white. Dip the carrots in the batter, cover them well, then shape into small donuts. Brown them in hot frying.
Warm up with a red wine pumpkin soup. Peel and cut 1 pumpkin into large cubes. In a saucepan, sauté 1 onion and 1 whole clove of garlic in a little oil. Add 150 g of smoked bacon and continue cooking over high heat for 4 minutes. Pour 200 ml of red wine over the bacon bits, and remove the juices from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Throw the pumpkin cubes into the pan, mix and cook for 3 minutes. Add 500 ml of water and pepper well. Place a lid on the pan and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Then finely blend the soup.
Dare the German red wine, chocolate and cinnamon cake. Preheat the oven to 180° (th. 6). Whip 200 g of butter with 125 g of sugar. Add 5 eggs and beat. Add 250 ml of red wine and 100 g of chocolate (in callets or mini-pieces), 2 tbsp. c. of cinnamon and 10 g of pure unsweetened cocoa. Finally, add 150 g of flour and 1 sachet of baking powder with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes.
Terre-mer of braised lamb and anchovies in white wine, garlic and chilli
For 5 people – Preparation: 10 mins – Cooking: 75 mins 1.250 kg of lamb meat (neck, shoulder) in 8 cm chunks I 10 flat anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and thinly sliced I 250 ml dry white wine I ½ tsp. c. of dry red pepper I 60 ml of good red wine vinegar I 3 cloves of garlic, minced I 1 tbsp. c. of oregano I 2 sprigs of rosemary I 1 tbsp. c. flour I 3 tbsp. at s. olive oil I salt and freshly ground pepper
. In a large casserole dish with a lid, sauté 5 anchovy fillets with half the chilli powder for 2 minutes in a little olive oil. Add the pieces of meat and brown them. Season. Add wine, vinegar and garlic. Cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for an hour. Remove the meat and place it on a hot dish. Cover with foil. Keep sauce over low heat. Mix the oregano, rosemary, flour, remaining chilli and anchovy fillets in a bowl. Add 3 tbsp. at s. of sauce and mix well.. Add the contents of the bowl to the saucepan, whisking over very low heat for 2 minutes.. Serve the meat coated with sauce on hot plates.
