Recipes

[Flatbush]

Talking to a friend today who cooks Italian. She said she uses some red wine, called Merlot, from Trader Joe's in it.

I do not know much about wine, so .....

Does anyone else here use it?

[Tinkrbl44]

@Flatbush 

You can't hurt a tomato sauce by tossing in a splash or two of red wine.

This brought to mind, many years ago, a chef working in a famous Italian restaurant in WNY. 

His sauces were fabulous.

My friend said he always added a dash of cinnamon to his pasta sauces.   Most people couldn't tell what it was, but many people who were experienced cooks detected .... something.

It was cinnamon.

[Flatbush]

@Tinkrbl44 

Interesting, Never heard of this.

Did friend ever try this?

[Tinkrbl44]

---

@Flatbush wrote:

@Tinkrbl44 

Interesting, Never heard of this.

Did friend ever try this?

---

@Flatbush 

Yes, but it always depends on the amount you are cooking.  I think I started with 1/8 tsp. and liked it. 

I rarely make sauces from scratch anymore.  

[Flatbush]

@Tinkrbl44 

Well, that's a really tiny amount. Can't imagine it would be a problem, especially if it's a huge pot of sauce which I usually make and then freeze leftovers, which is most of it.

I never learned how to cook small amounts, so I always have some in the freezers.Saves a lot of time in the end.

[lovesallanimals]

Yes. I always add Merlot or a Barolo to my sauce.  Only use wine that you drink not the cooking wine in the supermarket.   Adding wine maskes the world of difference.  I do not cook much anymore so I use Yo Mama's Marinara sauce.  I love this stuff!  It takes exactly like homemade. It is all natural and has way less sodium than other sauces.  In the summer I add some fresh basil on top.

[Desertdi]

I've used a "shot" of Claret or Cabernet...in red sauce

[CalminHeart]

I don't do this but I've heard of it since the late 1960s. I had a friend from a very Italian family and they threw in a splash of red wine all the time. 

[Harpa]

DH uses Carlo Rossi Paisano (a red). 

My chef uncle who owned a restaurant made his own - wine, that is, also red.

@Tinkrbl44  Also, never heard of the cinnamon. I already use coriander and cumin in our sauce. But I would like to try the cinnamon. 

The only other unusual ingredient for cooking sauce is a raw potato, which is supposed to mellow things out, absorbing any acid. 

[Meowingkitty]

Wine is great in tomato based sauces and also in stews. My husband will put in most of the bottle in place of broth when he makes his stew. Tastes great. We're not red wine drinkers (prefer whites) so when we get a bottle of red wine we use it in meats in a crockpot and stews.