Snippets from the Italian Scene
Replacing Wine in a Dish
Also got a note from a person who asks"I would like to delve deeper than mac & cheese into Italian cooking, but most of the recipes I've seen call for wine of one type or another. Since I don't drink and have no real desire to stock a wine shelf to cook Italian food, is there a list of possible wine substitutions?"
To be honest, the answer is no. Wine imparts distinctive flavors to a dish, and nothing else will really match well. This as a general observation. Getting down to specifics, if it is to provide acidity, say in a marinade, I'd substitute it with wine vinegar if the marinade involves a little wine and other liquids as well. If it's a wine marinade I'd either change recipe or buy a bottle for the occasion, figuring that it will all go into the pot. If it's a dish that calls for a bit of wine, leave it out and increase the other liquids proportionately. The results won't be quite the same, but they will still be good. And you'll be in good company. For example, Gianfranco Vissani, the rising luminary on the Italian culinary scene who has taken Gualtiero Marchesi's place as top chef, has fits if people suggest putting wine into risotto. He won't hear of it, unless the wine is the only flavoring agent, as in Risotto al Barolo.
A presto,
Kyle Phillips
Webweaver, About Italian Cuisine
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