Cooking with Wine

by Wendy Gordon

Once, while eating with my family in a rural Oregon café, the waitress recommended an exotic dish: coq au vin. When we didn't leap to order it, she came back a few minutes later and whispered in my ear "It's got wine, you know." Several more minutes elapsed and she returned, this time whispering "Don't worry, it evaporates!" Alcohol does evaporate when cooked, losing its intoxicating properties, but leaving behind subtle flavor compounds and those healthful polyphenols.

Pappardelle with Red Wine and Meat Ragu

• 1 lb. dried pappardelle or other long flat pasta
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 slices lean bacon, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 lbs. either lean ground beef or ground turkey (or a mixture of the two)
• 1 cup white or crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 28 oz. can pureed tomatoes
• 1 T. dried thyme or 3 healthy sprigs fresh
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. marjoram
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add the bacon, celery, carrots and onions, cooking until the mixture is fragrant and softened, around five minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add meat and cook until no pink remains. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Add the red wine and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree and spices. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and flavorful.
3. Cook the pasta, drain and place in large serving bowl. Toss in the meat ragu. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Clams with Oregano, Garlic & White Wine

• 4 lbs. fresh clams
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh oregano (substitute fresh basil if no oregano is available)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
• Dash black pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium hot (clams can also be cooked in a 425 degree oven).
2. Meanwhile, soak clams in a large bowl of cool water plus 2 T. salt for 30 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly.
3. Combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, wine, tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut heavy-duty aluminum foil into four 12-inch squares. Place shiny side up on a work surface.
5. Put one quarter of the clams on one end of each sheet of aluminum foil, topped with one quarter of the sauce. Fold the free side of the foil over to enclose the mixture, pinching together the short sides of the packet first, then the long side. Seal the edges well!
6. Place the foil packets seam side up on the hot grill and cook for eight minutes or until the clams fully open. Provide bowls for each person and let them open the packets themselves. This dish tastes great with crusty bread or over linguine.

Simple Sangria

• 2 bottles dry red wine
• 1 bottle lemon soda (I like the not-so-sweet Italian variety)
• Fruit in season, diced (stone fruits such as nectarines, apricots and peaches work well, so do oranges)
• 1 lemon, sliced
• Sugar to taste
• Mint sprigs

1. Combine ingredients, tasting and adding sugar as desired. Chill in refrigerator.
2. Serve, topping pitcher with mint sprigs.