Cooking With Wine Beer and Alcohol
 

Putting up yet a new cooking thread.
I was going to put this in the cheap eating thread but decided it needed it's own spot.
I gave a fast scan and didn't find anything dedicated to the subject so here it is.
Salt this is for you and others that would like to know what and how I do it and others ways.
I am not a trained chef so you folks can cringe if you want, it is simply what I like and how I do it.
If you guys have ideas please feel free to donate to the thread as always we must share.

This can be considered the introductory post.
Today's concoction will be a little later in the day.

Worth

I substitute beer for water whenever I can and ppl like it. I find the lighter and more in the Tecate/Budweiser end of the spectrum it is the better. I've tried cooking with microbrews and I've ended up with a brown mess with hops dominating.

Wine has many applications and can really bring out the zing in a dish, at times it is absolutely essential.

Booze is more for desserts, and I'll leave those to other people, as I'm absent a sweet tooth.

I like the idea of this thread. It is one to learn from and get to eat something different along the way.

I've had the same experience as Gerardo with the hoppy IPA's like SmuttyNose and
DogFishHead. They do muddy up if i add a bit in place of water. Fine in my BBQ sauce.
Not great in stocks or chowders.

I stock a box white and red just before the Thanksgiving holiday that lasts through the new year for cooking. Good enough to drink if needed. Even for a guest that stops by in
the afternoon and wants a sip of something.

NewYears we braised our City ham using Julia's method on the stovetop with white wine
and water for two hours, then into the over slathered in a wet rub. We used a ton of Turkish spices and maple syrup. We still had the nice crispy chewy edges. The braising drew out a ton of salt and tenderized.

Snow falling now but i doubt a power outage....decided to make a mixed seafood grill/sear, scallops, shrimp, chunk of salmon,
in the big cast iron tonight being home-bound. Over pasta using fresh frozen garden tom Heirloom slices. A packet of roasted/smoked hatch chilis. (cleaned out the freezer and found pay-dirt. Six flat-packed small packages stuffed in the back). I think i'll use a bit of vodka when i caramelize some big onions for that.

Gotta love freezer shopping....

Could really use the beer ingredient help. I do make a mustard with rich beers.
1/2 cup white or black mustard seed
cold beer to cover, about 1/4 cup, rest one hour
1/4 cup ac vinegar, rest a few hours then into fridge overnight
with spices of choice....dried or fresh chilis, cumin, garlic, savory, etc
salt pepper
blender high power to desired grainy or smooth
add maple syrup or honey to taste
-lots of variations

Sweet Sixteen.
 

Yep sweet sixteen is the name of this one.:lol:
Here are some pictures.
The name comes from the size of the kettle 16 quarts and the sweet Madeira wine.
One whole bottle of it.
The cook gets to drink another whole bottle of it while she/he is slaving away in the hot kitchen. :twisted:
More to come.
Worth
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Giant cans of tomatoes garbanzo beans sweating onions and cilantro mushrooms red potatoes carrots corn.
The beef and sweet breads were brown in olive oil as well as the onions.

Worth
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Okay lets add up the bill and see what this cost me.
It came out to $35.92 and I have some fresh carrots left over.
So lets round it up to $36.00.
Lets say we eat one quart a day.
That adds up to $2.25.
At a one pint serving it would only be $1.12 a meal.
That's cheap eaten too.:yes:
Worth

Box wins are fine and because the bag part doesn't let air in much, it doesn't oxidize as quickly. Box wines are respectable, LOL, and like I was taught, break the so called rules if it pleases your mouth.

I t is good to start with the general rules until you get some ideas, then have some fun with stuff.

Mushrooms, browned in butter and finished with either a red or white wine are good.

White wine is my favorite way to cook summer squash, especially the yellow crook-necks. I like them when they are tiny. The yellow squash in stores are always way too big for me, tough skin and big seeds.

Here it is it tastes as good as it looks.
At the end I added macaroni.
Worth
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You all are making me hungry :)

[QUOTE=Gerardo;609247] I've tried cooking with microbrews and I've ended up with a brown mess with hops dominating.[/QUOTE]

Sometimes that's exactly what you want. Hops brings out the flavor of meat, especially beef. Guiness or a hoppy bibble is my secret ingrediment in chili.

[QUOTE=Worth1;609311]Here it is it tastes as good as it looks.
At the end I added macaroni. [/QUOTE]
You sound like Garth Brooks. "Everything is better with tortellini added."

The first rule of cooking with alcoholic beverages:

[FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3]If it's not something that you would drink, then it's not something you should cook with.[/SIZE][/FONT]



For Rule 2, see Rule 1.

[QUOTE=Worth1;609311]Here it is it tastes as good as it looks.
At the end I added macaroni.
Worth
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Looks delicious! And tomorrow, you can have it with Fresh bread!