Red Wine

Red Wine is a staple part of my diet... not just because I enjoy a glass whilst writing essays in the evening (it helps), or with a meal, but because I add it to a lot of recipes.

So here's a few meals that I make quite often; they're sort of studentified, and a lot of ad libbing goes on, but they're pretty nice :)

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My version of Beef Stroganoff

-However much beef you want to use- I tend to use half a steak per person. You can use chicken if you'd prefer- follow the same instructions.
-Red wine
-Olive oil
-An onion
-However many mushrooms you want to use
-Flour
-Butter/margerine
-Milk
-Beef OXO stock cubes
-Salt and pepper

You'll need: a deep frying pan, a saucepan, a whisk, a sharp knife, teaspoon & wooden spoon.

1. (about 20 minutes before you start cooking) Cut the beef up into bite sized pieces & place in a small bowl. Pour in a quantity of olive oil and red wine- enough to allow the beef to soak, although not be completely covered! Mix up so the beef is coated. Add salt and pepper, and mix again. Cover with clingfilm.

2. Dice the onions and cut the mushrooms into slices- and fry until soft and slightly brown.

3. Add the beef to the frying pan, including all of the liquid in the bowl, and cook a bit more slowly to make sure the veg don't burn. Also, step 4 requires concentration.

4. This is how to make a generic sauce base: melt a pat of butter in a saucepan. Basically, the more butter you use, the easier step it will be, but not so much that the sauce tastes weird. Turn the heat off/totally down and add a teaspoon of flour. Stir into a smooth paste, making sure all the flour lumps have gone. Using the whisk, stir in a splash of milk. Keep whisking at a low heat. It should look like white sauce (that's what it is hah)

5. Make a stock using hot water and the oxo cube. Whisk this into the white sauce. The more watery the stock, the more watery the stroganoff sauce will be. However, sauce thickness can be sorted out later.

6. When all of the lumps have been whisked out, pour the beef sauce into the frying pan containing the meat, mushrooms and onions. Stir well.

7. Add as much or as little red wine as you want. I'd recommend at least a splash, but I often find myself pouring in quite a bit (it makes it taste richer).

8. As for the sauce: if you think it's not tasty enough, add another half, or whole, oxo cube. If it tastes a little bland, add more red wine. If it's too thin, add more flour. If it's too thick, add more water (or milk).

Keep cooking the stroganoff until it reaches the consistency you want it to. Remember, on cooling the sauce will thicken.

Serve with rice & enjoy :D


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Stir Fry

Mushrooms
Peppers
Beansprouts
Onions
(whatever you want- courgette, carrot, cabbage etc.)
Soy Sauce
Red Wine
Olive Oil
Egg noodles
Salt

Pretty simple:

1. Fry the onions and mushrooms until softened & a little brown
2. Then add peppers
3. Then add beansprouts
4. Add whatever other veg you want
5. When pretty much cooked, add soy sauce to the pan
6. Add however much red wine you would like to the pan
7. Fry until the liquid mostly evaporated (although this is non-crunchy stir fry).
8. Add your egg noodles and a little more olive oil.
9. Fry until cooked, stirring a lot to make sure the noodles don't burn.
10. Serve straight away with a little salt

Of course- this is the veggie option; if you want meat in the stir fry, add it after the peppers, but before the beansprouts & make sure it is fully cooked. If you want, use the olive oil & wine marinating method in the beef stroganoff recipe, but don't add the liquid to the stir fry, otherwise it will be too soggy!



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Red wine and onion thick gravy

Flour
Butter
Milk
Onions
Red wine
Bisto gravy granules
Beef oxo

This goes brilliantly with buttery mashed potato.. mm.. also it can be refrigerated and heated up the next day.

1. Fry some chopped onion pieces in olive oil and a little red wine. Soften them, but not browned. The onions should take on a pink-purple tinge from the wine. When they have cooked, put the onions and any remaining liquid (there shouldn't be much, if any) into a small bowl.

2. Make the white sauce base mentioned above

3. Make a beef oxo stock, but only use one cube. Add a few heaped teaspoons of bisto gravy granules to the stock.

4. Whisk in the oxo/bisto stock until there are no lumps

5. Add the cooked onions.

6. Serve when ready. If it is too thick/thin, use the methods above to sort it out. Remember- the more flour you add, the more floury it will taste! You can always add more liquid, but can't take it away, so be careful with the consistency of the stock before you add it.


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Coming up next- I'll put the recipe for my risotto, which my housemates seem to like.

Katie