How Tuesday - Making Herbed Wine

Herbed Wine is about as striking a taste as herb viengar and just as versatile.  In fact any recipe that calls for wine you can use an herbed wine instead.  And it is easy to make. 

For today's HOW TO-sday I'll show you how to make Herbed Wine-

Pairings of herbs and wine are as ancient as humans can be. I often get asked about mixing herbs with wine and years ago created a Spiced Wine blend that I sell in the winter, but recently I engaged in a bit of research and found that adding herbs to an ordinary bottle of wine can make a very drinkable savory wine that is as easy to make as an herbal vinegar.

My husband has food sensitivities which resulted in my blending of cooking herbs for our personal use when I first began growing herbs 20 years ago.  That same sensitivity keeps him from drinking wine very often, but as he becomes a self-taught chef he loves to cook with wine and blending herbs into wine certainly gives you a new flavor to cook with.

Whether you like white or red wine you can easily blend herbs into it.  You can use fresh as these recipes suggest, but dry herbs blend into wine just as well as I will show below.

Herbal Chardonnay

3 sprigs of Rosemary

2 large basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

1 ½ cups Chardonnay

Wash herbs and place in a clean pint jar. Add wine and cover.  Store in a cool, dark place for at least a week or until the flavor suits you.  Remove herbs.  Use to marinade fish or chicken, wine sauce or as part of cooking liquid for rice or beans.

Herbal Burgundy

4 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs marjoram

4 sprigs parsley

1 ½ cups burgundy

Wash herbs and place in a clean pint jar.  Add wine and store in a cool dark place for a t least 2 weeks or until flavor is full and mellow.  Use to marinade beef and ham, in making beef stew, vegetable soup and tomato sauce.

 

I made the Chardonnay wine with dried herbs this winter (I did not have all these fresh herbs, so decided to make the entire recipe with dried.)

Below the photos is a recipe we then made with the herbs which is exquisite and easy.

I used   1 tsp. dried basil, 1 to 2 tsp. rosemary and 2 tsp. minced dried garlic with a nice inexpensive Chardonnay which has been open in the refrigerator for a week or so, being saved for cooking.

I measured the herbs into a small container and add a small amount of wine allowing the wine to rehydrate the herbs.  I let them sit for about 10 minutes.

Then I added 1 ½ cups white wine to a mason jar and poured in the rehydrated herbs and liquid.

I left the jar in the corner of my kitchen counter space in the dark area near the refrigerator for about two weeks and then we made the Pasta Recipe.

If you want to try your Herbed Wine the "Recipe of the Month in June 2011" on the website is Fusilli Pasta with Herb Wine Dressing -- Check it out Here! (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Here is another to try as well--

Sauteed Mushrooms with Herbed Wine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup white wine infused with herbs  (like rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram, etc.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place mushrooms in the skillet, and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix the wine and garlic into the skillet, and continue cooking until most of the wine has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chives. Continue cooking 1 minute.