Recipes

[Boehm Collector]

Flatbushh    I do use both red and white wine in some cooking.  I use white wine in my Bolognese Sauce and  an artichoke & prosciutto sauce....usually a pinot grigio.  I am Italian.  Both my parents were born and raised in Italy.

[tampalady]

My Mother in law always used wine in sauce.  She was from Italy.  When I buy the store brand now, I always doctor it up with wine, basil, bay leaves etc.   It always taste home made.  My choice of sauce Rio.

[house_cat]

I always use red wine in my tomato sauce... nothing special, any type of red that is available. We otherwise have an alcohol-free home, but I buy the small bottles in the grocery store, they come in a four pack and they're about 3/4 cup each.  I'll use a whole bottle if I'm making a large pot of sauce with three 28 oz cans of tomatoes.

Bonus comment... last time I purchased the wine I was "carded" by the teenaged cashier.  I'm 67!

[Still Raining]

Ah, the jokes write themselves 🤪  Let's open a new bottle and put a splash in.....shucks now we have to drink it!

[jlkz]

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@Harpa wrote:

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. 

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@Harpa @Tinkrbl44

Becare with the cinnamon...it is a strong spice.

My friend, Italian, and her deceased husband, Palestinian, always fought over the sauce.  When he made it, it was very Middle Eastern in flavor.  She claimed he ruined the sauce and she had to make it her style.

[wagirl]

Oh sure--I splash a little wine in my sauces and Merlot is one of them. Also I use white wine too, depending on the recipe. but don't buy the grocry store cooking wine--full of salt and just gross. I use a cheaper wine, not the cheapest but something I would drink--if I was a wine drinker. 

[RespectLife]

@Flatbush 

In NYS, grocery stores can NOT sell real wine....can't speak to other states, but if she was getting it here at a TJ, it would NOT be real wine.

I would Never use any cooking wine that a grocery store sells.  Real wines only.

I have always added red wine to my spag sauce....what ever is open!  Cav, Merlot, doesn't matter to me.

I go against the 'only use what you would drink'.  I have never liked any red wine, but always cook with it.

[Carmie]

I sometimes use red wine for cooking.  I especially like it for making French onion soup.

It is good in tomato dishes as well as with beef.  It gives food great flavor.

[PA Mom-mom]

@Flatbush 

I totally agree with buying small bottles per @house_cat 

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@house_cat wrote:

I always use red wine in my tomato sauce... nothing special, any type of red that is available. We otherwise have an alcohol-free home, but I buy the small bottles in the grocery store, they come in a four pack and they're about 3/4 cup each.  I'll use a whole bottle if I'm making a large pot of sauce with three 28 oz cans of tomatoes.

Bonus comment... last time I purchased the wine I was "carded" by the teenaged cashier.  I'm 67!

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I keep a 4-pack of red and a 4-pack of Chardonnay in my pantry just for cooking. If you are not a wine drinker, it doesn't make sense to open a big bottle. I have made my sauce with and without wine. The wine adds a richer flavor. I often use the white when I'm cooking fish or chicken. 

PS: At my ShopRite in PA, they scan your driver's license when you purchase wine.

[house_cat]

@PA Mom-mom 

Agreed. I also add red to my beef stew and pot roast recipes and I keep white on hand for lighter recipes.