“If you cant drink it, dont cook with it”
As a well seasoned foodie I often hear people state they use cheap wines for cooking. But, truth be told, this is not my personal mantra. For me, there is little point in cooking with a wine which is, by all accounts, totally undrinkable. A poor quality wine, especially one which tastes awful, will result in equally poor quality dishes and sauces!
That said, I do not believe that the price of a wine is in any way indicative of its drinkability! Whilst in Spain I have had some perfectly drinkable wines which cost as little as 50 cents a bottle. Whilst on the flip side I have had wines costing as must as £20 or £30 which would have been better served on my chips!
My basic rule of thumb has always been to have a little tipple from the bottle before cooking – purely for quality checking I assure you! Check how best to approach wine tasting and what to look for if you are unsure or not a regular wine drinker.
So, spread your wings and experiment with some red wines – always remember if you cant drink it, dont cook with it. Follow this and you are almost guaranteed success! In the meantime here is my recipe for red wine sauce!
Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
- 250g Onion , finely diced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove , lightly crushed
- sprig rosemary
- 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400ml red wine
- 400ml chicken stock
- knob of butter
Method:
- Sauté the onion in a saucepan with the olive oil until lightly browned, stirring often. Season with ground black pepper, add the garlic and rosemary. Continue cooking for 3 mins, stirring often to prevent the onion burning.
- Pour in the vinegar and cook until evaporated away to a syrup, then pour in the wine and cook until reduced by two thirds.
- Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until reduced by two-thirds again, to around 250ml. Remove the garlic and rosemary. Add a little salt to taste and finally whisk in a knob of butter.