When I first moved to St Louis, I bought an elderly woman’s condo at a good price with the condition that I move her things out. Turns out, she was a foodie. I found a treasure trove: vintage Le Creuset cookware, a VitaPrep blender, Bavarian tea sets and hundreds of recipes. Each one began with: Get a nice bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass.
The thing that struck me was the sheer enjoyment she took in cooking. To pour oneself a glass of wine says the process is a celebration, a passion, fun. One of her recipes is a vegetable stew that calls for chardonnay. So, what to use? Most chefs will tell you the same thing: Cook with wine good enough to drink. My first step was to decide how much oak would be appropriate in the wine, and my quick answer was little or none. The next question was regarding acidity; I wanted a lot in the wine because almost no other ingredients would add it.
I settled on a nice Macon-Villages level chardonnay from Chartron et Trebuchet: Bright green apple and a bracing streak of lemon zest, with just a touch of roundness from slight oak, and all at less than $17 retail.
[try this with that] >> vegetable stew
1 bottle Macon-Villages Chardonnay, or comparable
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 large each, rough-chopped: carrots, russet potatoes, Vidalia onions
4 large celery stalks
3 large garlic cloves
8-10 crimini mushrooms, sliced
8-10 Brussels sprouts, halved
1 large sweet potato
4 c. vegetable stock
4 c. water
Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
2 large bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
» Pour yourself a glass of wine.
» In a stockpot set over medium high heat, add onions, salt, oil, and 2 oz. wine, sauteing until the onions are soft and fragrant.
» Add carrots, celery and garlic, adding wine to deglaze the pot as brown bits form.
» Season each layer with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
» Add the potatoes and continue to saute, about 4 more minutes, stirring and deglazing.
» Add stock and enough water to cover vegetables.
» Add bay leaves and thyme.
» Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer 25 minutes.
» Add the Brussels sprouts and mushrooms.
» Continue to cook 15 to 20 minutes more.
» Remove from heat and remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
» The stew will be even better the next day.
[Jorie Taylor is a certified sommelier.]
