Cooking with wine can be a pleasure and an enhancement to good food and a fine meal! When wine is heated, the alcoholic content as well as sulfites disappears, leaving only the essence imparting a subtle flavor.

Wine Selection:

The first and most important rule: Use only wines in your cooking that you would drink. Never, never use any wine that you WOULD NOT DRINK! If your do not like the taste of a wine, you will not like the dish you choose to use it in. Do not use the so-called “cooking wines!” These wine are typically salty and include other additives that my affect the taste of your chosen dish and menu. The process of cooking/reducing will bring out the worst in an inferior wine. Please promise yourself never, never to stoop to such a product! Linda’s rule of thumb is: I do not cook with something I will not drink. An expensive wine is not necessary, although a cheap wine will not bring out the best characteristics of your dish. A good quality wine, that you enjoy, will provide the same flavor to a dish as a premium wine. Save the premium wine to serve with the meal.

Using Wine in Cooking:

Wine has three main uses in the kitchen as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish. The function of wine in cooking is to intensify, enhance and accent the flavor and aroma of food - not to mask the flavor of what you are cooking but rather to fortify it. As with any seasoning used in cooking, care should be taken in the amount of wine used - too little is inconsequential and too much will be overpowering. Neither extreme is desirable. A small quantity of wine will enhance the flavor of the dish. The alcohol in the wine evaporates while the food is cooking, and only the flavor remains. Boiling down wine concentrates the flavor, including acidity and sweetness. Be careful not to use too much wine as the flavor could overpower your dish. For best results, wine should not be added to a dish just before serving. The wine should simmer with the food, or sauce, to enhance the flavor of the dish. If added late in the preparation, it could impart a harsh quality. It should simmer with the food or in the sauce while it is being cooked; as the wine cooks, it reduces and becomes an extract which flavors. Wine added too late in the preparation will give a harsh quality to the dish. A wine needs time to impart its flavor in your dish. Wait 10 minutes or more to taste before adding more wine.

Remember that wine does not belong in every dish. More than one wine-based sauce in a single meal can be monotonous. Use wine is cooking only when it has something to contribute to the finished dish.

All wines contain at least some small amount of sulfites. They are a natural result of the same fermentation process that turns grape juice into alcohol. Even wines that have not had any sulfites added during the winemaking process contain some amount of sulfites. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is used by winemakers to keep freshly pressed must from spoiling. It keeps down the activities of native yeast and bacteria and preserves the freshness of the wine. When cooking with wine containing sulfites, you do not concentrate them as you would flavor, but rather they evaporate like alcohol. The sulfite goes through a conversion in the liquid of the wine to produce sulfur dioxide. This is actually the compound that prevents the oxidation. It also is a gas, and when subjected to heat, it dissipates into the air. All that remains is some salts, but they are so minute in quantity that they have no affect on flavor. Storage of Leftover Wine Leftover table wine can be refrigerated and used for cooking if held for only one or two weeks. If you have at least a half bottle on wine left over, pour it off into a clean half bottle, cork it, and store in the refrigerator. without air space at the top, the rebottled wine will keep for up to one month.

Source

Ingredients:

1 rabbit, cut up
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup butter
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. summer savory
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper

Procedure:

Marinate rabbit in lemon juice for at least three hours in refrigerator. Melt butter in saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Grill rabbit 5 to 7 inches from coals being careful that fire is not too hot. Brush with butter mixture and grill 40-45 minutes, turning frequently until golden brown and tender. Since rabbit has so little fat in the meat, it must be cooked over low heat or it will be tough. If you can hold your hand near the grill for a count of 3-5 seconds, the fire should be about the correct temperature.

Ingredients:

1 kg. beef sirloin or other tender beef cuts preferably with fat
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt peter (salitre)
2 tb. salt
2 tsp. monosodium glutamate

Procedure:

Slice beef thinly to desired size (preferably across the grain). In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients and spread this on the meat. Allow beef to marinate for at least 24 hours in refrigerator. Fry in hot fat and serve.

Ingredients:

2-4 halibut steaks, preferably fresh (if using frozen, thaw complete before cooking)
MARINADE/SAUCE:
1/2 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (available by the bottle at most large grocery stores, and all Asian/Chinese food stores)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
6 tbsp. (or 3/8 cup) soy sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4-6 cloves garlic, OR 1 Tbsp. bottled pureed garlic
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. brown sugar (or 1/2 Tbsp. white sugar)

Procedure:

Combine all marinade/sauce ingredients together in a bowl, stirring well to dissolve the sugar.
Rinse the halibut steaks and pat dry. Place in a flat baking dish (like a glass lasagna-type casserole dish), and pour 1/3 of the marinade/sauce over. Reserve the rest for later.Turn the steaks several times, making sure all surfaces are covered in sauce. Allow to marinate at least 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours in advance (covered and refrigerated) if preparing for a dinner party.Prepare the grill by brushing on a little oil this will help prevent the steaks from sticking. If using a fish cage to barbecue, be sure to also oil the interior surfaces of the cage.
Grilling Tip: Grill the steaks for at least 5 minutes per side before attempting to turn them- this will also prevent sticking.
Halibut steaks take longer to cook than fillets, as the meat is thicker and denser - 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is.To check whether your fish is cooked: Insert a fork into the thickest part of the steak and gently pull the meat apart. If the inner flesh is still translucent and dense (not flaky), the fish still requires a few more minutes of cooking time. When done, the inner flesh will be opaque and will flake easily.To serve, warm up the extra marinade/sauce you reserved earlier. You needn’t boil it - just warm it up (5 minutes over medium heat is enough). Serve the steaks as they are, with the extra sauce as a dip on the side. Or, plate up the halibut and spoon the sauce over. If desired, garnish with a sprinkling of fresh coriander and serve with jasmine-scented rice. Makes 2-4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 (6 to 7 ounces each) chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

Procedure:

Working with one chicken breast at a time, place each between two pieces of plastic wrap with the smooth side down (where the skin used to be). Working from the center to the edges, gently pound each chicken breast with a meat mallet to 1/4-inch thick. You want the smooth side to remain intact while the ragged side receives the impact of the mallet. And since chicken has little connective tissue, it’s important to use gentle strokes when pounding—the meat can tear easily. In a shallow pie plate, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Roll chicken in flour mixture to coat all sides. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat butter and vegetable oil. Add chicken and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side or until fully cooked and tender. Pour lemon juice and white wine over chicken. Add capers and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat and transfer chicken onto a serving platter. Reduce liquid left in frying pan by boiling an additional 2 to 3 minutes; pour over the chicken and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 medium squids or 3-4 squid stakes, cut into strips
4 tbsp goochoojang (Korean chili paste)
2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp minced garlic,
1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sesame seeds
2-3 hot chilies
1/2 onion, cut into bite size
3-4 shitki mushrooms, rehydrated, squeezed, cut in half

Procedure:

Prepare squids. Marinade in goo choo jang (Korean chili paste), sugar, minced garlic, sesame oil and sesame seeds for 30 minutes. At the last minute, add mushrooms, chilies and onion. In a frying-pan, add a bit of oil, grill the squids. Try to grill on a relatively high heat so the squid does not release the moisture. Serve with rice.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
large onion, finely chopped
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
1/3 cup milk
1 3/4 lbs lean ground beef (round)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup ice water
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 eggs, hard cooked, finely chopped
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped, greens only
4tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2tablespoons mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain fine dry breadcrumbs (or more as needed)
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika

Procedure:

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and fry until lightly colored, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk for 10 minutes. Squeeze the bread to remove any excess milk and crumble into a large bowl. Discard the milk. Add the beef to the bread along with the onions with the butter used to cook them in, eggs, ice water, sour cream, and salt and pepper. Knead until thoroughly blended. Set the meat loaf mixture aside. In a second bowl, combine the hard cooked eggs, scallions, and melted butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper and mix. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the meat loaf mixture out on a large piece of waxed paper into a 12 X 10 inch rectangle. Spread the stuffing over the meat mixture, leaving a 1 inch border on all sides. Roll up like a kelly roll, starting on one long side. Peel back the waxed paper as you roll. Place the roll, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mayonnaise on the roll, using a rubber spatula, and sprinkle generously with bread crumbs and with the sweet and hot paprika. Bake 1 hour. Cut into thick slices and serve at once.