How To Make Wine Marinade

[portfolio_slideshow]

Marinades are meant to flavor the meat, tenderize, and preserve them before cooking. Mastering the art of marinades will make you a better cook!

We distinguish 3 types of marinades:

• Raw wine-based marinades
• Cooked wine-based marinades
• Instant marinades

The first two are used for pieces of game, meat from the second and third category like steaks, some offal products and special poultry like cock. The time of maceration generally lasts longer than for foods in instant marinades. You can count on maceration time up to 12 to 48 hours depending on the nature of the meat parts and their size.

Instant marinades are generally used for small and softer meat parts. The main function of instant marinades is to flavor the flesh.

How To Make Wine Marinades

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com

Ingredients list to make wine marinades:

• Carrots
• Onions
• Shallots
• Celery
• Mushroom trimmings (optional)
• Garlic
• Parsley, thyme, bay leaf
• Red wine or white wine
• Cognac (optional)
• Oil

Remarks:
Depending on the workpiece and / or your tastes, you can add peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries …
You can also add vinegar.
The mushrooms trimmings and cognac are optional.

The raw marinade recipe

1. Remove nerves and trim if necessary. Here’s a beef cheek with its trimmings on the left.
Dress or to cut raw poultry.

Cut carrots a la paysanne.

Chop the onions and / or shallots

Slice the celery.

Slice the mushrooms.

Note:
Normally we use the mushroom stems called ornaments.

1. Crush the degermed garlic with the flat of a slicing knife.
2. Prepare the bouquet garni as shown here: the bouquet garni recipe.

3. That this is what can be considered as the basis, even if the mushrooms are optional.

4. Turn filling (aromatic (carrot, onion, celery and mushroom), in the bottom of a container.
5. Allow the piece or pieces to marinate over filling.
6. Cover with the remaining mixture.

7. Add red wine or white.
Add the brandy if you want.

Add the bouquet garni and crushed garlic.

8. Add a little oil to form a thin film on the surface.
Wrap with a plastic film and keep cool all the time of maceration.

Note:
The oil serves to protect food from the oxygen in the air.

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com

9. After 24 hours, that’s what happened to the beef cheek.

The cooked marinade recipe

You’ll use the same preparation as the raw marinade recipe. But this time we’ll make it cook before using it as a marinade.

Sweat the aromatics (carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms) with oil.
Add wine (and vinegar) and alcohol.
Add the bouquet garni, crushed garlic, herbs, spices …
Bring to a boil and simmer for about thirty minutes.
Cool completely and place the piece of meat, poultry or game to marinate as usual.