Kate's Global Kitchen: Cooking with Wine

Cooking with Wine

This weekend, cozy up at home with a good book, your favorite mate and some simple but richly flavored meals—all made with wine. This cookbook, John Sarich at Chateau Ste. Michelle, will inspire you with its innovative recipes and lush photographs. Perhaps you'll want to try his Tuscan Chicken with Fresh Rosemary, or tender Braised Lamb Shanks. Surely you'll want some skillfully blended Red Meritage or a velvety Merlot with dinner as well.

Who is John Sarich? He's the culinary director for the premium wine producer Chateau Ste. Michelle. After cooking all day at the winery, where he has served such notables as Julia Child, the Swedish Culinary Olympics Team, and members of Congress, John goes home and faces the same dilemma we all do: What to make for dinner?

His unpretentious recipes are perfectly seasoned, whether you're serving a major dignitary or your own family. The best way to sample his book is in his recipes, three of which we present here.

Kate Heyhoe
The Global Gourmet

Recipe: Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet Sauce

Serves 6

During the chilly months of fall and winter, I love cooking dishes that simmer for a long time, filling the house with fragrant aromas. In this recipe—my father's all-time favorite—beef ribs cook slowly with wine and other aromatic elements, producing a succulent, full-flavored dish that blends wonderfully with Cabernet Sauvignon. The brisk tannins of a young Cabernet balance the rich, meaty ribs, keeping the palate refreshed.

3 pounds beef short ribs, separated
Flour for dredging
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 slices bacon, diced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 clove
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of grated orange zest
1-1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
Salt and freshly ground
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dredge the short ribs in flour. Heat a Dutch oven or large heavy pot with a fitted lid over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When hot, add the short ribs and brown on all sides. Remove the short ribs and. set aside. Add the bacon onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are tender and the bacon is golden on the edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and grated carrot; cook until softened. Stir in the tomato paste, celery leaves, parsley, rosemary, thyme, dry mustard, clove, sugar, orange zest, Cabernet Sauvignon, salt and pepper, mixing well. Put the short ribs back in the pot; cover and place in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender. Distribute the ribs among serving bowls or plates. Ladle sauce generously over the ribs.

From:
John Sarich at Chateau Ste. Michelle
For Cooks Who Love Wine
by John Sarich
Sasquatch Books, 1997
$21.95/hardcover
Reprinted by permission