There was a time when cooking with wine, for me, meant literally cooking with a glass of wine in hand, trying to relax while preparing dinner. Every so often, I'd splash a bit of whatever was in my glass into the pot or pan to liven up a dish. The result was surprisingly luxurious.
Now, in my kitchen, wine is as essential a part of flavoring foods as salt and pepper. An infusion of wine can add depth of flavor and "gourmetize" an otherwise ordinary dish.
Even my husband has gotten into the act. His favorite dish is a creation he invented and calls "Drunken Chicken" (no relation to the Chinese recipe made with rice wine). It consists of a dozen thighs cooked in an ocean of inexpensive red wine with plums, pears, prunes, olives and garlic.
Once one gets the hang of it, cooking with wine, or any alcoholic beverage for that matter, can become as routine as seasoning a dish to taste. It can be as simple as an afterthought - pouring in a cup of Rosemount Australian Shiraz to deglaze the juices and residue of a roasted pork tenderloin, or adding a splash of Mirassou Pinot Blanc to finish pan-sauteed tilapia. With a little forethought, an acidic red can be used in a marinade to tenderize tougher cuts of meats, or reduced to a dark rich concentrate as part of the cooking liquid in braised beef or oxtail stew.
Some chefs simply use wine in place of water, not only adding it to stocks and sauces, as you might when making rack of lamb (see accompanying recipe), but also using it to poach fish or steam vegetables or shellfish (try steaming mussels with an inexpensive Spanish sparkling wine), which absorb the vapors. I've even heard of using a thick-needled syringe to inject wine directly into meat or poultry to infuse it with flavor.
Reducing wine, by cooking it down to roughly one-third of its liquid volume, further concentrates its flavor. To save time, many chefs reduce a whole bottle in advance and freeze the wine syrup in ice cube trays for future stocks and sauces.
Cooking with wine can actually simplify some tasks. For instance, roasting potatoes with a touch of herbs, olive oil and wine takes a lot less time than peeling and boiling potatoes.
Any way it's used, wine can add zest and verve and elevate everyday meals to haute cuisine. And the beauty of it is that the wine doesn't even have to be expensive.
