5 Decadent Ways To Cook With Your Leftover Red Wine

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Sometimes you’re overly ambitious and you open more bottles of wine than you can  drink in one sitting. We’ve all been there. There’s no reason though you should let that vino go to waste. Red wine is excellent for cooking and it adds an unrivaled rich and complex layer of flavor to dishes. Here are five ways to spice up your recipes with leftover red wine.

1. Wine-Poached Pears

Poaching is a fancy word for submerging. For a simple dessert, soak a bunch of ripe pears in red wine. Here’s a recipe for spiced red wine poached pears that bring together orange zest, cinnamon, cloves and a rich Cabernet. You’re letting those pears drink up all that deep red wine and those aromatic spices. This recipe for wine-poached pears calls for a Merlot or Zinfandel along with lemon juice. As long as you have a sweet component, a spice component and an acidic component, you’ll have success in the world of poached pears.

2. Roasted Pork

Acidic ingredients can help to tenderize tougher cuts of meat. You’ll want to stick to a low-acid wine so the meat doesn’t become too mushy. Try this braised pork with red wine. Italian red wines like Pinot Noir and Chianti pair well with pork dishes. This tender Italian-style pork roast is made with thyme, marjoram and basil.

3. Pasta Sauce

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Red wine and tomato sauce are best friends. Any time you’re in the mood for pasta or eggplant parm and you need a flavorful tomato sauce, pour out a few glugs of a dry red wine into the pot and watch how the flavor changes. You’ll notice a richness that you wouldn’t get from simmering your tomatoes alone. Try this one-pot red wine pasta made with fettucini, parmesan, bay leaf and basil, or this chicken with a red wine cream sauce.

4. Sautéed Mushrooms

For a quick side dish, mushrooms and red wine are a foolproof duo. Mushroom and red wine sauce can go on top of a plate of spaghetti, a bowl of risotto, a plate of mashed potatoes or a bowl of farro. Mix it around with caramelized Brussels sprouts for a vegetarian side dish. The earthy notes from both the mushrooms and the red wine come together in the best way. A splash of cream helps to balance out the acidity and the earthiness.

5. Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce

When red wine and chocolate come together they can do no wrong. For a rich homemade ice cream topping, make a red wine hot fudge sauce. You won’t regret it. Here’s a recipe for a merlot hot fudge sauce that knocks it out of the park. If you’re more of a pinot noir person, this red wine hot fudge sauce is made with a little bit of heavy cream and brown sugar. Your ice cream sundae time just got a boozy upgrade.

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