Cooking With the Wines of Washington

IntroductionWashington State is recognized throughout the world as a leading producer of award-winning, high-quality wine. From the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound through the bustling metropolis of Seattle, across the desert plateaus east of the majestic Cascade Mountains, past dormant volcanoes to the sunny slopes of the Yakima Valley, over fertile hills to the Walla Walla Valley and down to the scenic shores of Lake Chelan, vineyards are bursting with grapes that will be made into glorious wines.This book pays tribute to the wineries of Washington with a collection of 100 recipes for cooking with wine. Many of the recipes come directly from the numerous wineries located throughout Washington. Some of the recipes are family secrets being published here for the first time. Others are adaptations of old classics, and some have been created by world-renowned chefs especially for this book. All the recipes have been tried and tested, and we're sure you'll enjoy them.Cooking with wine can make the difference between a good meal and a great meal. But don't forget the golden rule: you must never cook with a wine that you wouldn't drink. This means you shouldn't use anything labeled "cooking wine," as these awful concoctions are full of vinegar or salt and can ruin a perfectly good meal.You may be surprised to learn that cooking with wine also has certain health benefits. Studies show not only that wine is beneficial for the heart, but also that cooking with wine helps reduce salt intake by increasing the flavor of food. Do your health a favor and include a little wine in your cooking!Don't worry too much about the alcohol content of wine when you're cooking. When wine is heated, the alcohol in the wine is significantly reduced. However, it would require a lot of cooking time to completely remove the alcohol, so if someone cannot consume any alcohol, then it's safer not to serve him or her food cooked with wine. As you work your way through the recipes in this book you'll discover that cooking with wine is not only easy, it's also a fun, rewarding and social experience.We're often asked about pairing the right wine with the right food. Cooking with wine can be the answer to all your "pairing" problems. When we match wines with foods, we're trying to find flavors in the food that complement the flavors in the wine. Cooking with wine infuses the food with the flavors of the wine. If you serve the same wine with your meal, you'll have a perfect match nearly every time.Washington is abundant in magnificent fresh produce. We wholeheartedly believe in using local ingredients when preparing your meals, and a trip to Pike Place Market in Seattle lays out all the raw delectable treasures the state has to offer right before your eyes. It's mouth-watering to see fat globe artichokes from the Skagit Valley next to bright red, juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes; huge bushels of sweet corn; earthy wild mushrooms; tender shoots of asparagus; baskets of baby red potatoes and those huge, sweet Walla Walla onions. There are orchard fruits aplenty and polished apples, juicy apricots, nectarines, peaches and pears sit beside cherries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.While shopping at the market, a fat silver Puget Sound salmon may fly past your face as the fishmongers show off their skill and dexterity while entertaining shoppers. But the real stars are the live Dungeness crab, Salish Sea scallops, rock cod, halibut, Olympia oysters, locally smoked albacore tuna, bay shrimp and massive geoduck clams. The butchers are stocked with San Juan Island's lamb, organic beef, free-range chicken, and farm-raised rabbit and quail. Washington is one big larder stocked full of ingredients that chefs around the world can only fantasize about.With so much high-quaTownsin, Troy is the author of 'Cooking With the Wines of Washington ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781552858493 and ISBN 1552858499.