We seem to get lots of visitors from Google looking for information about Red Wine Sauce so here is an article to help out with that request.
Have you cooked with wine before? Wine can add an incredible dimension to food, red wines in particular. Red wines add a smoky, sultry, earthy taste to the food you’re cooking. Don’t worry about the alcohol content of red wine – it’s burned off during the cooking process, leaving you with all the taste and none of the consequences.
Basic Red Wine Sauce
A basic roux can be the perfect beginning for a red wine sauce. For those of you who don’t know what a roux is, it’s a basic combination of melted butter and flour, which creates a thick paste that is a great beginning to most sauces. Here’s a basic red wine sauce based off the roux:
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup red wine, such as Bordeaux, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon
Salt and pepper
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add flour and stir for one minute. Cooking for a minute or more will obviate the raw taste of the flour. Gradually add the red wine and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
Red wine is a great additive when you’re creating a reduction sauce. When you’re cooking either meat or vegetables and begin to notice a black build-up beginning at the bottom of the pan, you may think that you’ve ruined your cookery. Not at all. This is a great opportunity for you to create a reduction sauce, and using red wine is one of the finest ways to accomplish this.
When you’re cooking vegetables or meat, and there is a dry build-up in the pan, add a few tablespoons of wine. You’ll notice an instant sizzle. Keep stirring. Once the proper thickness has been achieved, add salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken Marsala
One of the most popular ways to cook with red wine is incorporated in the recipe for Chicken Marsala. The wine used in this recipe is called Marsala Wine, a rich and distinctive wine from Italy. Italians enjoy this wine as an aperitif, but I must warn you that it is singularly powerful in taste and takes some getting used to.
When cooking with this wine you must be careful to use a small measure. The taste is so powerful that a little goes a long way. Overdoing it will create an overwhelming flavour. When used correctly, however, it creates the distinctive and irreplaceable element of Chicken Marsala.
The basic recipe is as follows:
Two or three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
Two tablespoons olive oil
One red onion, sliced
One head of garlic
One cup beef broth
¼ cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Marsala wine
Angel hair or fettuccini, cooked al dente
Heat olive oil over in a deep sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute for three to five minutes. Dredge chicken breast strips in flour and add to olive oil. Brown on both sides. Add beef broth and stir until mixture is thick. Stir in Marsala wine and continue until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked pasta.
Enjoy experimenting with red wine. It will add great taste to your food and make you feel like a chef extraordinaire.
