Wines are great for drinking, but they’re equally perfect for cooking. If you have some leftover wine, don’t drink it all or let it go to waste!
Sauces, brownies, and even casseroles can be enhanced with a bit of red wine you have on hand. So pop open a bottle of your favorite red wine and get cooking with one of these delicious recipes.
Poached pears in spiced red wine
- Put vanilla pods in a saucepan with the wine, sugar, cinnamon, and thyme.
- Cut the pods, add to the pan, then lower in pears. Poach them, covered, for 20-30 minutes.
- Take the pears from the pan, then boil the liquid to make it syrupy.
- Serve each pear with the cooled syrup, a strip of vanilla, a piece of cinnamon, and a small thyme sprig.
Butternut squash casserole
- Cook onion and garlic, and add cumin seeds and paprika.
- Stir in sweet potato, red pepper, and butternut squash. Toss with the onion and spices.
- Add in tomatoes, red wine, and vegetable stock, season, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in some bulgur wheat, cover with a lid, then simmer for 15 more minutes.
- Serve in bowls topped with yogurt and grated vegetarian cheddar.
Red wine sauce
- Sizzle butter and shallots in a pan for two minutes.
- Stir in some flour and cook to a sandy paste, then splash in some vinegar and simmer for a moment.
- Pour in your red wine and stir. Bring it to a boil, and whisk in mustard and then some chicken stock.
- Serve steaks on warm plates and spoon this sauce over the top.
Date & red wine sauce
- Combine chicken stock, red wine, port wine, and balsamic vinegar in a vessel.
- Then boil down the combination by two-thirds.
- Meanwhile, pour boiling water over some dates, leave them for five minutes, and then drain.
- Strain the reduced stock and return to the pan with the soaked dates.
- Simmer the sauce for about three-five minutes, then check to season and keep warm.
Mulled wine brownies
- Set the base of a brownie tin.
- Mix flour and cocoa powder together with the spices and a pinch of salt, and set aside.
- Whisk butter and sugar together, then whisk in eggs.
- Add in melted chocolate, wine, and flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 15 minutes.
