02/23/06 Food and wines - Mushrooms

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran and today is food and wine pairing day. I really enjoy cooking with mushrooms. They seem to be a natural with wine and that makes it easier to pick a wine to go with them. On today's program we'll look at a couple of my favorite recipes with Mushrooms and of course the wine that goes with it. Although, the fancy mushrooms all have wonderful flavors and textures even an everyday crimini mushroom can become a fabulous soup or sauce. With the addition of a little wine it can be even more interesting. Mushrooms aren't picky, they shine in a bath of white wine or red wine. I make a soup in which I carmelize yellow onions and then I add some mushrooms to the pan and let it cook down. Just when all of the liquid has evaporated, add some white wine and deglaze the pan. I do this a few times until I have used about a ½ to ¾ of a cup of wine. I then add some chicken stock, fresh grated ginger and cilantro. It is fabulous. If you have a nice beef tenderloin or a thick veal chop, they are sublime with a mushroom cabernet sauce to top it off. That same mushroom sauce atop a slice of polenta with a sprinkle of cheese cooked under a broiler can be a fabulous entrée. You can stuff mushrooms with cheese or seafood and bake them in white wine. Or you can stuff them with herb bread crumbs and cheese and bake them in red wine. To me mushrooms are not a fungus they are a sponge for great wine! Visit our website at vine to wine dot net to find the mushroom soup and polenta mushroom recipes and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.