food/drink dep't: what are the best things you make ... and the secret(s)

[OldPhiKap]

* Good is a vague term. My definition means it came from a bottle with a cork. I never use cooking wine. If you will not drink it, do not put it in your food.

1. Always use a good wine, but not an expensive one. Preferably, of the same varietal that you plan to pair with the meal.

2. There are some excellent wines these days with screw tops, particularly whites. Many Australian reds use them as well. You could argue that there is less corkage/spoiling with modern screw tops. The days of screw top = MD 20-20 are by and large gone.

3. The only "cooking" wine I use is Marsala, but that is because it is way too sweet to really drink. But as Bob says, it should be a good quality one.

[devildeac]

I make a very good pot of chili that has earned positive comments from my co-workers this past winter as well as others in the past. Without going into all the details, here are a couple of unique things I do:

1. I add Andouille sausage to my chili in addition to beef or vinison.
2. Lots of chili recipes call for a bottle of dark beer, I use a cup of good* red wine instead.

* Good is a vague term. My definition means it came from a bottle with a cork. I never use cooking wine. If you will not drink it, do not put it in your food.

I always use three different types of beans: red kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans. Sometimes I throw in some navy beans as well, but this isn't unique as lots of chili recipes utilize three or four different type beans.

We'll be counting on a large cauldron at a tailgate sometime this season.

[Bob Green]

We'll be counting on a large cauldron at a tailgate sometime this season.

A pot of chili on a crisp November afternoon sounds like a good plan to me. With three November home games it shouldn't be a problem.

[devildeac]

A pot of chili on a crisp November afternoon sounds like a good plan to me. With three November home games it shouldn't be a problem.

I'll bring a brown ale or porter for you so I can be rationed an extra scoop/portion of that chili