10 ways with red wine

There’s no need to let leftover red wine go to waste, writes Laura Fudim.

1.  Delicious and decadent

Create a delicious dinner party dessert by combining 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup red wine and 500g frozen berries and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Use as a topping over low-fat vanilla ice-cream or on chocolate pudding.

2.  Supreme spaghetti

Make an extra-special bolognese: add 1/2 cup red wine to a basic bolognese recipe. Simmer for 1 hour over a low heat – the wine will evaporate and leave a beautiful, rich flavour.

3.  A fair roasting

Accentuate any roast with this great marinade. Mix 3/4 cup red wine with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons rosemary. Refrigerate for 3 days for maximum flavour. Marinate meat for a few hours before cooking.

4.  Poached pears

For the perfect winter treat bring 1/3 cup sugar, 2 cups red wine, 2 whole star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 split vanilla beans to the boil in a saucepan. Add 4 ripe, peeled pears, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Cool slightly before serving.

5.  Red wine reduction

A heart-healthy red wine reduction sauce is tasty with steak or lamb shanks. Simply simmer 1 cup red wine with 2 cloves crushed garlic over a low heat, stirring. When volume has reduced by half add 1 cup salt-reduced beef stock and simmer until reduced by half again. Remove garlic before serving.

6.  Caramelised onions

Fry 4-6 sliced red onions over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup red wine to onions and stir until most of the wine has evaporated. Serve with baked chicken or sausages and mashed potato.

7.  Adults’ apple crumble

Add more depth to an apple crumble with red wine and spices. When cooking apples add 1/2 cup of a heavy red wine (like shiraz), along with a cinnamon stick, a few cloves and a pinch of ground nutmeg or allspice to the saucepan. Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes. Be sure to remove the cloves and cinnamon stick before baking.

8.  Red wine dressing

Make a simple salad dressing with 1/2 cup red wine, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon each chopped garlic and oregano and a sprig of rosemary. Combine in a jug and stand for about 1 hour before using to allow the flavours to mix.

9.  Magnificent mushrooms

In a large frying pan sauté 500g button mushrooms for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a roasting pan and drizzle with 1/2 cup wine. Top with a mixture of 1 tablespoon melted reduced-fat spread, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 3 sprigs fresh thyme. Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes. Serve over steak or pasta.

10.  Tasty tip

Only have a little bit of leftover wine but don’t want to let it go to waste? Pour what’s left into ice-cube trays and freeze. Defrost exactly what you need for your next red wine recipe.