Whenever I read about recipes for using "leftover wine," I always ask myself if that's a real thing. Not a problem I usually spend much time pondering over a glass.
But lately I've been looking around for ways to go through some bottles of wine that I've decided I no longer really like. I don't hate it; obviously one shouldn't cook with wine one wouldn't drink. It's wine we used to buy by the case as the non-company red; fine enough for the occasional weeknight but you probably wouldn't bring it along as a hostess gift. You know, that wine. But either the wine changed drastically from vintage to vintage, or my tastes changed. And I really don't want to squander precious wine calories on wine that's not working for me anymore.
So I've been spending more time than usual cooking with red wine, and these are two ways to make fast inroads in the supply so I can restock with something more enjoyable during the spring Surdyk's sale.
Beef Bourguignon in a crockpot
Adapted from "Slow Cooker Cooking" by Lora Brody
Ingredients
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced about 3/8-inch thick
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups dry red wine
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 pounds boneless chuck, cut into 1½-inch cubes
Vegetable oil for browning meat
4 ounces pancetta chunks for thickly cut bacon, cubed
8 ounces mushrooms, clean and sliced
16 pearl onions, trimmed and peeled
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons flour
Method
Put carrot and 3 crushed garlic cloves in a large bowl or large sealable plastic bag.
Wrap bay leaves, parsley and thyme in cheesecloth. Add to bowl. Add meat chunks. (And yes, you want them that big or they'll cook down into tiny hockey pucks.) Pour in wine on top, arranging to cover meat. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.
Drain the meat and vegetables, retaining marinade and herb bundle. Remove meat chunks from vegetables and pat dry.
In a large skillet, brown pancetta or bacon lightly. Place in slow cooker. Brown vegetables in pancetta fat, adding vegetable oil as needed to prevent sticking. Add browned vegetables to pot.
Add more oil to skillet and brown meat lightly in stages. You're trying to avoid cooking the meat through, and avoiding overcrowding in the pan will let you stay on top of things. Add browned meat to crockpot as you go.
Add herb bundle, mushrooms, onions and 2 minced garlic cloves to the crockpot. Sprinkle flour over the top. Add a bit of the marinade to the skillet to deglaze the pan and pour that into the crockpot along with the remaining marinade.
Cover and cook on low for 12 hours or on high for 6 to 8 hours until vegetables are tender.
Rating: Now mind you, this isn't the full-blown beef bourguignon, which is sublime. It's the slow cooker compromise method. So like that wine, I probably wouldn't pull it out to impress guests, but it's a perfectly delightful stay-at-home supper that I've made several times. It makes a nice rich sauce that you'll want to make potatoes or wide noodles to slurp up. Or just serve it as stew with some thick crusty bread and a bottle of wine you actually like.
Rosemary-red wine marinated braised chicken
Adapted from Eating Well
Ingredients
6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
1½ cups red wine
½ red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
1 tablespoon flour, optional
Method
Combine red wine, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a glass container or sealable plastic bag. Add chicken and coat well. Marinate at least a half hour or overnight. (I've also frozen chicken in the marinade and let it marinate as it thaws. Keep in mind that it takes longer to freeze things with alcohol; I kept it in my chest freezer which keeps things colder than my refrigerator freezer.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving liquid. Pat chicken dry. Heat oil in an oven-safe saucepan that has a lid. Brown chicken, skin-side down, until golden brown. Flip to other side and brown lightly. Pour marinade over the top. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Heat liquid on stove. If you want a thicker sauce, whisk in flour and cook over medium heat until thickened. Or skip the flour and cook over medium high heat until it reduces.
Rating: A tasty way to cook chicken that requires very little attention on the part of the cook. Served over some couscous or quinoa, it's a fairly fuss-free weeknight meal, although it does require a certain amount of elapsed time to bake.
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