Recipes for Shabbat

Cooking with Wine

By Eileen Goltz

In order for wine to be considered kosher every step of the winemaking process from the picking of the grapes to the bottling of the wine is done under strict rabbinic supervision. Otherwise a kosher wine is essentially no different from any other wine. There are actually two kinds of kosher wine.

The first includes the restrictions included in the previous few sentences, while the second, AKA "mevushal" utilizes an additional process. This is important process since Jewish law stipulates that in order for a wine to retain its 'kosherness' once opened and poured by a non-Jew, (such as a waiter, for instance) the wine must be "mevushal." Mevushal wine is simply a wine that has been "flash pasteurized". A wine that is produced in this manner retains its religious purity, regardless of who opens or pours it. A case study that was done at UC Davis concluded there was no consistent taste difference between non- mevushal and mevushal wine.

No matter how much or little wine I open at any given meal there always seems to be some left over. Rather than pour it out I use it for cooking. So, what happens to wine when you cook with it? Like cooking with any other liquid, some parts of it boil off, leaving behind a thicker, more concentrated substance. Water boils at 212 but alcohol boils at 172. When it hits the 172 degree mark it starts to cook off the alcohol. You're left with the flavor of the wine, and a small amount of sugar (if it was a sweeter wine) and definitely the acidic sharpness. This is why you should cook with a relatively good wine - if you start with a not so good wine, you'll end up with that not so good wine being the core flavor of your dish!

The most common uses for wine in cooking are to use it in a sauce, or to marinade in it. Red sauces appear to work best with a red-blend wine in them. The following recipes use wine in fun and unusual ways and they are special enough to fit right in to any holiday meal.

TURKEY MEATBALLS IN CAPER AND LEMON SAUCE (Meat)

In a large bowl mix together the eggs, onions, capers, turkey and bread crumbs and form into balls that are 1 inch in diameter. In a saucepan mix 1 cup of the wine, the chicken broth, bay leaves, lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil and drop turkey meatballs in. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes until meat is cooked. Remove meatballs, lemon zest and bay leaves. Mix cornstarch and the remaining cup wine, whisk into broth and cook until thickened. Stir in sour cream and whole capers along with meatballs and reheat, being careful not to boil. Serve on pasta or rice, and garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve with your favorite Sauvignon Blanc.

RED-WINE MARINATED FRIED CHICKEN WITH ONIONS (meat)

Make the marinade:
In a large shallow dish whisk together the wine, the vinegar, the garlic paste, the mustard, and pepper to taste.

Arrange the chicken, pricked in several places with a fork, in one layer in the dish, let it marinate, covered and chilled, turning it once, for at least 3 hours or, preferably, overnight. and drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the marinade and discarding the rest.

In a shallow dish whisk together the egg and the reserved marinade. In another shallow dish stir together the flour, the salt, the thyme, and pepper to taste. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and dredge it twice in the flour mixture to make a thick coating, shaking off the excess each time. Reserve the remaining flour mixture. Let the chicken stand in one layer on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

In a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, heat 1 inch of the oil to 375°F. and in it fry half the chicken for 1 minute on each side. Reduce the heat to moderate so that the temperature of the oil is reduced to 300°F., fry the chicken, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is cooked through, and transfer it with tongs to paper towels to drain. Keep the chicken warm while frying the remaining chicken in the same manner. Dredge the onions in the reserved flour mixture, shaking off the excess, and in the skillet fry them in 375°F. oil, turning them carefully, for 5 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. Transfer the onions with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and sprinkle them with salt to taste. Mound the onions in the middle of a large platter and arrange the chicken around them. Serves 4 to 8.

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH RED WINE, GARLIC AND HONEY GLAZE (meat)
The honey does not sweeten the chops-it just helps them brown.

Mix the red wine, oil, oregano, garlic vinegar salt and pepper in large glass baking dish. Arrange lamb chops in single layer in dish; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning and basting often. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Transfer lamb to plate. Mix honey into marinade. Grill lamb to desired doneness, turning and basting with marinade often, about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Serves 4. This recipe can be doubled or tripled and made ahead of time and reheated just before serving.

ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM-AND-WINE SAUCE (meat)

Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 chicken breasts, skin side down; sauté until skin is brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken, skin side up, to 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Repeat with remaining chicken. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions and bell pepper. Sauté until vegetables are tender and mushrooms begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Add wine; boil 2 minutes. Add broth and seasoning mix and bring to boil. Pour sauce over chicken. Cover dish with foil. Bake chicken 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens, about 15 minutes longer. Makes 6 servings.

RED WINE-MACERATED WINTER FRUIT (pareve)

Remove zest from lemon with a vegetable peeler and squeeze juice from lemon. In a saucepan bring water to a boil with zest, lemon juice, wine, sugar, and cinnamon stick, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer mixture 15 minutes.

While mixture is simmering, peel and core pineapple and cut into bite-size pieces. Halve figs if using. Pour hot syrup through a sieve into a bowl. Stir pineapple and dried fruit into syrup and cool. Chill fruit, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Serve with mandlebroit. Serves 6.

POACHED PEARS WITH SWEET WINE AND FRUIT CONFETTI (pareve)

Using melon baller, remove core from bottom end of pears. Combine wine, pear nectar and cinnamon stick in large pot. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Add pears (liquid should cover pears halfway). Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until pears are tender, about 10 minutes, turning pears halfway through. Transfer pears and cooking liquid to large bowl. Cool completely.

Drain poaching liquid back into pot. Mix 2 tablespoons liquid with arrowroot in small bowl; return to pot. Boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to 2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Cool sauce to room temperature. (Pears and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Spoon sauce into 6 shallow bowls. Place pears atop sauce. Sprinkle kiwi, cantaloupe and strawberries around pears. Garnish with mint and serve. Serves 6.

After sautéing the halibut, the fish is removed from the pan, which is then deglazed with white wine and fresh lemon juice. Butter is swirled in gradually to yield a rich, flavorful sauce - punctuated by scallions, capers, and diced tomato - that is simply poured over the fish; its pleasing citric acidity and buttery richness make it a perfect foil for the halibut.

In a pot of boiling salted water set over high heat, cook the haricots verts for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Drain and place them in the center of a large, warm serving platter. Cover and keep warm.

Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn, reduce the heat to medium, and cook about 4 minutes longer, until the fish is opaque in the center and browned on both sides. Put the fish on the platter with the beans and cover to keep warm.

Pour off any oil in the pan and add the wine and lemon juice. Raise the heat to high and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the sauce reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the butter, a piece at a time, to enrich and flavor the sauce. Add the scallions, capers, and tomato. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over the fish on the platter. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings
From Gourmet Magazine

WINE-BAKED ONIONS WITH HERBED CRUMB TOPPING (pareve)
Serve these onions with pan-browned veal rib chops or roast chicken.

Preheat oven to 350. Trim ends of onions to level. Place onions, flat side up, in small baking dish. Season onions with salt and pepper. Add wine to baking dish. Cover with foil and bake until onions are tender, basting with wine occasionally, about 55 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt margarine in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs, parsley and thyme and sauté until breadcrumbs are light golden brown, about 4 minutes.

Remove onions from pan. Spoon breadcrumbs mixture evenly onto onions. Press breadcrumbs lightly to adhere. Continue baking onions, uncovered, until breadcrumbs are crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm onions in 350. oven until topping is crisp, about 15 minutes. Serves 4.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.