Recipes

Do you want the secret to making your sauces, marinades, stews and soups out of this world delicious? Do you want your friends to give you that look after the first bite when they know something is special about the meal you made? Do you want to make homemade dishes taste like ones from your favorite restaurant? Just add wine. Wine will make a simple recipe into a rich and luxurious experience. I think I’ve been watching too many shows on the Food Network channel.

Recently I made my typical marinara sauce and also added a 1/2 cup of red wine. Wow! What a difference! The sauce, which I had made many times before was already delicious. It consisted of several Italian herbs, chopped onion, diced garlic, sliced mushrooms, diced bell peppers and minced carrots for a little sweetness. Lastly, I added a pound of grass fed ground beef (browned in olive oil), which has so much flavor in itself. By adding the wine, however, the sauce was bolder, brighter, richer and, if I can use the word, elegant. It gave the sauce a smoother mouthfeel too for all you foodies out there. Even my boys noticed a difference in the sauce. A good difference when they said how delicious dinner was. Or maybe they were just hungry.

The great thing was that the opened bottle of red wine was over a month old. No longer able to enjoy it in a wine glass but not quite at the vinegar stage either. I have added “old” red wine to spaghetti sauces, soups and on hot summer nights, sangria. Older red wine is an excellent substitute to red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar. If you’re worried about red wine getting too old, just remember what my mom told me last week. “Wine doesn’t go bad, Eric. I’ve had a bottle of opened red wine in the pantry for six months.”

Want a healthy and easy-to-prepare red wine recipe? Try my Inside Out Ravioli Casserole.
Want more? Check out these Red Wine Recipes by Bon Appetit.

Eric, you never mentioned the health benefits of red wine. The antioxidants? Flavonoids? Then read this excellent Article by Mayo Clinic.

I often call my mom to get her take on certain recipes and to help with culinary conundrums. She’ll often respond with a question like “Do you have an open bottle of red wine? White wine will do fine too.” Or “You can put that into a turkey chowder.” She always has incredible insight. Recently, I was attempting to recreate a dish from a Chinese restaurant when I got stumped. So I picked up the phone and called Mom. Calling Mom is pretty much the solution for most things, right? Anyhow, I asked her if she remembered “that eggplant dish” from China Wok Buffet in Middleton (now China Wok). She said. “Yes” and without hesitation asked if I had red pepper flakes on hand. Ah, yes, that was the missing ingredient. Mom to the rescue again. It’s become a tradition that we order out from them when she visits, and that is one of her favorite dishes. So we put our heads together and I tried to replicate the dish. For a first run, it turned out good. It could have been a little spicier, and the sauce could have been a little thicker. But as Mom would say, “That’s splitting hairs.” Otherwise, for not working off a recipe, I was happy with the outcome. So here you go!

Ingredients
1 eggplant, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp plum sauce (add more to make dish sweeter)
1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (use less or more based on preference)
2 tbsp peanut oil

Directions
In a large skillet, add peanut oil and set heat on HI. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir for two minutes until onions start to become translucent. Lower heat to medium/hi, then add eggplant, mushrooms, red pepper flakes and plum sauce. Be sure to stir occasionally so the food does not stick and burn. Total cooking time will depend on the size of the mushroom and eggplant pieces. I like my vegetables to have a little “chew” to them so I do not cook them down for too long. And remember that moisture will come out of the vegetables so that will add liquid to the skillet and soften the veggies. If the sauce becomes too liquidity, you can add a little cornstarch and water to thicken it.

Voila! Dinner is served.

Recently we tried a polenta carnitas recipe from Trader Joe’s. It’s a combination of Italian and Mexican cuisine. The polenta, marinara sauce and cheese blend (75% of the ingredients) make up the Italian part. Polenta is a traditional Italian dish made when cornmeal is boiled in water. It makes for a nice substitute for pasta or rice. The Mexican part (25%) comes from carnitas, which is braised or simmered pork that is cooked with cumin, Mexican oregano, thyme, chili and other spices. It’s often served with salsa, rice, guacamole, tortillas and refried beans. Are you hungry yet?

So try out this recipe and let me know what you think. Italian with hints of Mexican flavors? Enjoy!

Ingredients
Trader Joe’s Organic Polenta (one or two 16-oz tubes)
Trader Joe’s Traditional Carnitas (12 oz package)
Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato Basil Marinara (25-oz jar)
Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio Shredded Cheese Blend (12-oz)

Directions
Since all of the ingredients are cooked, it’s just a matter of assembling them in a 13 x 9 baking dish and heating them up. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Slice or crumble the polenta on the bottom of the casserole dish. Spread the carnitas on top of the polenta. Pour the jar of marinara sauce over carnitas. Liberally cover with shredded cheese. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes.

*For a Mexican slant, we garnished with sliced avocado and tortilla chips.

Yesterday I was in the mood for beef. And something spicy. And something substantial. And something that I could toss in the crock pot, set on “Low” and not worry about it. I was having a hankering for veggies too like carrots, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes. So voila . . . Italian Beef.

As with many crock pot recipes, prep time for this Italian Beef Recipe is under 15 minutes. Then it’s low and slow for about 8 hours. We served the meat and veggies over pasta, but it can easily be served plain or over rice, or shredded and enveloped by a hoagie bun. Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients
3-4 pound beef roast
4 carrots, cut into large chunks
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 yellow onions, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
3-4 tablespoons Italian seasonings (blend of oregano, thyme, basil, parsley and rosemary)
2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

*olives and pepperoncini for garnish

Directions
Place vegetables in crock pot first. Then set meat on top of vegetables. Cover with tomatoes, Italian seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Set on “Low” for 8 hours. Vegetables will be very tender, and the meat will pull apart easily. Plate over pasta, rice or plain and garnish with olives and mild pepperoncini. Yum!