Wine Recipes
We all know that cooking with wine can produce splendid results, but perfecting the desired taste can be easier said than done.
Wine, when used in cooking can dramatically change the taste and consistency of the food, so tasting the wine first may lead to some surprising results!
Red wine
Red wine is great in a variety of sauces, particularly those that are tomato based.
Combine a dry red wine with tomato paste, garlic, mushrooms, onions and herbs to produce a wonderfully versatile sauce that makes a great addition to dishes such as fish or pasta.
As a general rule, red wine is a useful addition to any sauce that is being served with food that would normally be drunk with red wine. For example, lamb recipes that have a tomato-based sauce almost invariably benefit from a spalsh of red wine!
White wine
Most recipes that include wine, tend to suggest white wine; not surprisingly, many of theses recipes also involve fish or seafood.
For example, clams taste great with either a plain white wine sauce, combined with butter, garlic and herbs or with a heavier tomato-based sauce that also has a dash of wine to give it that extra kick! If you're cooking heavier, tomato-based sauce, you will have to add more wine to the mixture to ensure that its taste is fully appreciated.
White wine is often used in cream sauces that are served with chicken and salmon. These are generally lighter sauces, and any wine that is added should be equally light and dry to ensure that the taste is not over-powering.
There is a common mistaken belief that wine when used for cooking does not retain any of the alcohol as this is 'cooked off'. Research has shown that this is not the case. For example, alcohol in a sauce that is simmered for 15 minutes retains 40% of its original alcohol content. In addition, alcohol that is simply added to a boiling mixture and then removed from the heat retains a whopping 85% of its potency!