Food & Drinks

You do this with the last sip of wine

So I'm a weekend drinker. On Friday night I like to open a nice bottle of Chardo and on Sunday afternoon when it's pouring rain, the candles are lit and there's a fragrant dish of lasagna in the oven, I like to pour myself a good red open. And then it sometimes happens that the bottle manages to survive the evening. Unfortunately, that half bottle often ends up sitting sadly in a corner on the countertop for a few days, because I don't drink during the week. Luckily, there are recipes for which you can use that last sip perfectly. You might even almost open an extra bottle for it. I mean, now that autumn is showing itself a bit earlier than expected, a good hearty stew with Malbec…

1. Stew with chicken, pumpkin, and red wine

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 onion
  • 1 leek
  • 1 bottle of pumpkin
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • can of anchovies
  • handful of black olives
  • 2 cans of peeled tomatoes
  • rosemary
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 full glass of red wine
  1. Clean the pumpkin and cut it into pieces.
  2. Slice the leek into rings and chop the onion finely.
  3. Place a large ovenproof pot on the heat, heat with a tablespoon of olive oil.
  4. Sauté the onion and leek until translucent, then add the pumpkin, rosemary, and bay leaves.
  5. Sear the chicken for a few minutes and then add all the other ingredients.
  6. Let it simmer for half an hour and in the meantime preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  7. Place the pot in the hot oven for another hour.
  8. Serve with bread and sautéed cannellini beans.

2. The tastiest bolognese sauce

  • 300 grams of lean ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • tsp smoked paprika powder
  • tsp cinnamon
  • 1 handful of Italian herbs (preferably fresh, otherwise a tablespoon from a jar)
  • 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (yes, really)
  • 1 glass of red wine
  • 1 can of peeled tomatoes
  • 1 pack of sieved tomatoes
  • splash of balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  1. Chop the onion and garlic finely.
  2. Heat a large pan and add a good swirl of olive oil.
  3. Sauté the onion with the garlic until translucent, then add the ground beef.
  4. Add the herbs to the ground beef.
  5. Add the red wine, cocoa powder, balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes to the meat mixture.
  6. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for at least three hours.

3. Mussels with fennel and white wine

  • 2 kilos of mussels
  • glass of white wine
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • bunch of parsley
  1. Heat a large pan and add a good chunk of butter.
  2. Chop the garlic finely and slice the fennel into thin slices.
  3. Add the mussels and wine and cook the mussels until done.
  4. At the end, add the parsley and serve the mussels with a sauce of Greek yogurt, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.

4. Poached pears

  • ½ tbsp cardamom pods
  • 2 glasses of white wine
  • 100 g cane sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 pears, peeled with the stem still attached
  • Greek yogurt
  • pistachios
  1. Gently crush the cardamom pods and place them with the wine, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a pot.
  2. Slowly bring the wine with the spices to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Add the pears to the wine. If they are not submerged, add some water.
  4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook the pears for about 30 minutes until soft, but still firm enough to hold their shape.
  5. Remove the pears from the cooking liquid and place them on a plate. Reduce the liquid for 10-15 minutes until it becomes a syrup.
  6. Serve the pears warm with the warm syrup, Greek yogurt, and garnish with some chopped pistachios.

5. Ice cubes

Freeze your wine so you always have wine on hand to use in the above recipes.

6. Risotto

  • no risotto without good wine. And a generous handful of parmesan cheese, of course...
  •  2.5 liters of vegetable broth, preferably organic
  • olive oil
  • ½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 150 grams of risotto rice
  • 2 glasses of white wine
  • a knob of butter
  • a generous handful of grated parmesan cheese from the block
  1. Place the broth in a pot over low heat.
  2. Put a deep pan with a generous splash of olive oil over low heat and add the chopped onion. Let it sauté gently for 10 minutes while stirring regularly.
  3. Turn the heat up slightly, add the rice and a pinch of salt, and keep stirring for 2 minutes so that the grains absorb all the flavors and develop a nutty taste.
  4. Pour in the wine and keep stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.
  5. Scoop a ladle of broth into the rice, keep stirring, and wait until it is fully absorbed before adding the next ladle.
  6. Let the risotto cook for at least 10 minutes while adding broth approximately every minute and stirring until it is nice and al dente.
  7. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter and parmesan cheese, and add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Dressing

Add a splash of wine to your (white/red) wine vinegar, mix with half a tablespoon of mustard, a tablespoon of maple syrup, and a finely chopped shallot. Delicious in a salad with grilled vegetables or smoked chicken and avocado.