Help with Wines in cooking please

[MrsRecce01]

Hi,
I am completely new to cooking but as a new wife I decided it's time to give it a try! I'm trying to make my own version of Olive Garden's Chicken Crostina from a recipe book I have. It instructs to use white wine, but I only have red wines so I would like to try and make red work. I have different reds and need some imput on which one would be best.
I have:
Merlot (Rockbrook & Fetzer)
Cabernet sauvignon (Rex-Goliath)
Zinfandel (Twisted)
and something called Citra - Montepulciano D'Abruzzo

Thanks very much for your help!

 

[Andy M.]

Hello and welcome to DC.

The first and last wines you listed will be fine to cook with.

I'd stay away from the Cab as it's tannic and oaky. That can effect the taste of the dish.

 

[mollyanne]

Red wine is going to change the color of the dish a tad and add a stronger flavor than white. You can leave it out completely or you can add a little less than the recipe calls for. Nice to meet you, MrsRecce

 

[4meandthem]

I googled the recipe and found this.

Mangia Y'all: Olive Garden's Chicken Crostini

I think I would go buy some white and drink the red with dinner.
White sauces turn purple and funky with red wine.
Chicken stack and a little lemon juice would be a good substitution.

If you buy the white you can drink the leftovers while cooking!
A dry white would be best.


"I like cooking with wine...sometimes I even put it in the food"

 

[MrsRecce01]

Thank you very much for your advice! So which do you think? The merlot or the Italian? I suppose I should try them and use which one I like the best? Based on my experience with last nights dish I think cooking is a lot of trial and error? LOL
Thank you all very much! I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!

 

[mollyanne]

You're right...you should pick the one that tastes best to you. See?...you're a natural at this...piece a cake

 

[MrsRecce01]

I can't make it to the store today as its a bit of a drive, but I'd like to try purple and funky and see how it goes. I have TV dinners on standby just in case.

 

[Linux]

Hi MrsRecce, welcome to DC.

My best advice when cooking with wine is never use plonk. Tasting rough in your mouth and then adding it to your cooking, the food will reflect it. So, if you are cooking the great French classic Boeuf Bourguignon, for example, and if it's like - forerib you are using, then you would do your fine beef the honour of pouring in a bottle of fine Burgundy, or an equally heavy red wine. And then your dinner will be memorable.

Alcohol always burns off during cooking.

Edited to add,

For your recipe, use a classic white Italian wine. Dry or medium dry, doesn't really matter. Even Frascati will do it a justice.

 

[4meandthem]

Thank you very much for your advice! So which do you think? The merlot or the Italian? I suppose I should try them and use which one I like the best? Based on my experience with last nights dish I think cooking is a lot of trial and error? LOL
Thank you all very much! I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!

It really is just a color thing.The red you choose will probably taste just fine.

 

[Andy M.]

It's an Italian dish, use the Italian wine. Besides it's tasty to drink the rest with dinner.