Classical Dishes With Alcohol as a Key Component of Their Ingredient Essay

Introduction

Alcoholic beverages are used to prepare some foodstuff in some cultures. In some cultures, it is used to make staple food for example in Denmark where it is used to make rye dough porridge. Making dishes with alcohol can be in the form of using alcohol as a medium of heat through combustion or as an ingredient or even both simultaneously. Alcoholic beverages popularly used as ingredients are inclusive of wine, beer, whiskey, rum, and gin. Alcohol has been discovered to enhance the aroma, flavors, and food texture to give it a unique experience in eating it. Professionally and traditionally, Eaux de vie, liqueurs and other cooking wines have been used to stimulate foods taste (Meyer, 2007). They have been made to be ingredients in making meals and not for drinking purposes. Over the past years, they have added value to the food since they preserve food and give them longer shelf life which is economical in the long run.

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Bratwursts Boiled in Beer

Bratwursts boiled in beer are popularly known as beer brats. This dish is simple to prepare because it does not require a lot of ingredients (Conan, 1996).

Ingredients

• Enough Onion (Two Large Onions which should be diced)
• Three teaspoon red pepper flakes.
• 4 cans of bottles of beer.
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Half teaspoon of salt
• Half teaspoon of ground black pepper
• And 14 bratwurst

Preparation and Cooking

An outdoor grill is recommended and should be preheated until medium-high heat level is attained. If hot, lightly oil grate.

Put the onions and add beer in a pan or a pot for boiling purposes.

Add the bratwurst in the beer

Mix with red pepper flakes then adds garlic powder, salt followed by pepper.

The heat should be reduced to medium and cooked for another 10 to 15 minutes depending on how one needs the brats, either too brown or light brown. The bratwurst then should be taken off the beer boil and a reduction of heat follows which cooks the onions to completion (Conan, 1996).

Bratwurst should be moved to the grill and cooked for 4 to 9 minutes.

The food is then served with the beer mixture. It should be as a side or as a topping depending on one's preference.

However, some people find simmered brats better in flavor. When it comes to simmering, they are not boiled but put over a boiling beer mixture for 10 to 20 minutes. Usually, when they are boiled for long they seem to break but when simmered their texture remains consistent (Conan, 1996). They tend to get a crisp look when simmered and grilled which only depends on one's liking.

Coq au vin

Using wine as an ingredient is a mark of the French cuisines. It is quite predominant in the Burgundy. Initially, coq au vin was a simple stew of chicken made using roaster carrots, onions and sometimes celery was used as an ingredient, this followed with a bacon Burgundy. Flour is also applied to make the source thick and garnished with diced onions and some mushrooms (Pignolet, 2017). Bacon is quite imperative and salt-pork cut into lardons are used as well. The success in making a good coq au vin is in being keen on every detail. For example, marinating of onions and intense searing of chicken. Red Burgundy is recommended.

Preparation and Cooking

Chicken is cut into preferably 8 to 10 pieces. Chicken is put in a refrigerator for close to 7 hours which enhances their coloring when seared in the butter. They are then thawed at room temperature. Butter should be preheated in a casserole over a mild heat. Thereafter, seasoning of the chicken follows and browns in batches over some 8 minutes and transferred to the pot with lardons. Fat should be drained at this point and put back to casserole. To the casserole, onions, garlic, carrot, and tomatoes are mixed and simmered in a mild heat till onions become slightly tender which could take up to 7 minutes. Splash of the selected wine is then added to the pot then stir to mix smoothly. Addition of cognac is essential which should be followed by slight cooking for 2 minutes (Lapham, 1998). Bouquet garni is added then seasoned to best taste and covered for 30 minutes cooking. The left butter should be heated for frying the mushrooms until they turn golden brown. Transfer to plate with onions (chicken and lardons). Excess fat should be removed and seasoned to proper taste.

Cacciatore Meat

Cacciatore is a delicious Italian cuisine which is mostly made from chicken or rabbit meat. A simple cacciatore recipe is made from olive oil which is heated in a large pan which should be large enough for the entire meat pieces. Rabbit or chicken meat should be seasoned with red pepper and salted. Searing in the olive oil should then follow for close to 7 minutes at most for each piece ('Comfort Food Lite,' 2018). The meat should be transferred to another pan and the excess cooking oil removed. Alternatively, this oil is used to prepare onions, pepper, and other side vegetables to be served alongside. Peeled tomatoes are recommended for this process and they are added to the pan together with the chosen wine. One cup of red wine mixed with rosemary would enhance the taste a great deal. To provide extra flavor, strawberry wine or carrots can be added.

The meat is put back on pan then covered properly and simmered for close to 50 minutes at low heat status. For great experience for the first time eating cacciatore, one should serve it with pasta alongside simmered vegetables.

Beef Bourguignon

Beef bourguignon is a popular French cuisine. It is beef which is boiled in red wine and flavored in ones desire to bring to taste. Historically the meat was made together with lardons but it took quite some more time to prepare. Ingredients are as follows: A tablespoon of olive oil, smoked bacon, 3 pounds of beef cut into cubes, black pepper, kosher salt, carrots, garlic powder, one cup of cognac, one bottle of red wine, one can beef broth, 2 tablespoon of tomato paste, 5 tablespoon of butter, all purpose flour (5 tablespoon), enough onions pounded and sliced mushrooms stems (Kitsock, 2013).

For preparation, the oven is preheated to 250 degrees. Cook the beacon over preheated olive oil and remove it to a plate. Season the beef with pepper and salt then sear the beef to about 5 minutes each until they turn golden brown. Onions, carrots, and pepper should then be cooked for 10 minutes. Garlic and cognac should also be added and ignited to burn off the high levels of alcohol. Thereafter, broth beef and wine to cover the meat and then tomato paste. Add butter, stir to make a nicely mixed stew. Frozen onions and mushrooms are the last bit of the process and then brought to boil.

Veal Marsala

Veal is chicken Marsala and originally an Italian dish. Marsala wine is used in making the chicken alongside mushroom.

Flour is used to coat the chicken. It slightly sauteed on a pan with olive oil. The pan is equally utilized in making a reduction sauce with the Marsala wine. The wine is basically reduced in its alcoholic content to bring to better flavor while adding onions, mushrooms, and other recommended herbs (Kitsock, 2013). The sauce when ready is poured on the chicken and served when the chicken is ready. Some people also like the sauce served alongside.

References

'Comfort Food Lite' 2018, Good Housekeeping, 266, 1, pp. 64-70, Academic Search Premier.

Conan, K 1996, 'Brewed for food', Restaurant Business, 95, 7, p. 120, Business Source Complete.

Kitsock, G 2013, 'Waiter, there's a beer in my soup', The Washington Post, 2013.

Lapham, LH 1998, 'Coq au Vin', HARPERS, E 1774, p. 8, British Library Document Supply Centre Inside Serials & Conference Proceedings.

Meyer, J 2007, 'Drinking to success: a guide to using branded alcohol as a food ingredient', INTERNATIONAL FOOD INGREDIENTS, 4, p. 37, British Library Document Supply Centre Inside Serials & Conference Proceedings.

Pignolet, D 2017, 'Coq au vin', Australian Gourmet Traveller, 17, 7, pp. 44-45, Hospitality & Tourism Complete