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Food, Cooking and Wine 101
Wine expert Howard Milstein and his wife Ruth - author of the Gourmand Award-winning recipe book ‘Cooking with Love: Ventures into the New Israeli Cuisine,' share some simple basics for food and wine pairings, plus Ruth's recipe for Beef Chunk Roasted in Red Wine!

Howard's Tips for Wine and Food Pairing

While matching fine wine to food is always a fun thing, ultimately, it is always up to the individuals own enjoyment, taste and the combinations that work best for you. You don't want the food to completely overpower the wine, so you cannot taste it at all. Conversely, you don't want the wine to be so strong that you can't taste the meal. Some sort of balance is the best compromise.

Generally speaking, red wines go with most cheeses, meat dishes and rich poultry whereas you would be more likely to drink white wine with salads, all kinds of fish and lighter, chicken dishes. One exception is Pinot Noir or Burgundy. (The area in France called Burgundy produces ONLY Pinot Noir). The medium body, structure and balance of the Pinot Noir grape seems to bridge the best of both of these worlds; it can be as delicious with a steak or a fine seafood meal. Sweet wines are of course great after a meal whereas a semi-dry Riesling can be used as an aperitif or desert wine, and is particularly good with Asian food.

My wife Ruth enjoys using wine in her dishes. It gives food lots of flavor and can be a great substitute for salt. Her wonderfully delicious chunk of beef with red wine recipe listed below is a typical example of a beautifully juicy piece of steak that is not only cooked in wine but would go extremely well with a rich, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, or Bordeaux (the latter usually consisting of the aforementioned grape varietals as well as Petite Verdot). This dish would also complement any of the Northern or Southern Rhone Blends from the Rhone Valley or Chateaunueff du Pape.

You'll find that some people have created "hard and fast rules" about what always goes well with what. Learn for yourself what combinations of tastes YOU enjoy the most. Feel free to experiment, and write down which wines go especially well with certain foods. You'll find that the person who knows the most about what you should have together is yourself!

Ruth's Recipe: Beef Chunk Roasted in Red Wine

Here is a meal that uses many interesting ingredients. Although it may take a little time to prepare, ultimately, the results will be supremely rewarding. You may prepare it one or two days in advance and cook it before serving. Use any root vegetables that please your taste. For 3 pounds of beef, roast it for 40 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

Ingredients:
5 pound beef tied with butcher's twine in the shape of a roll

3 fresh thyme stems

3 fresh rosemary stems

3 bay leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 garlic cloves; peeled

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

4 red potatoes   peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

4 medium size carrots, sliced to 1/2 inch horizontally

1 cup red wine

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 425◦

Weave into the twine that wraps the beef the thyme stems, rosamary stems and bay leaf. Sprinkle pepper on the beef. Warm up the oil in a large pot that will comfortably hold the beef.

When the oil is hot, put the beef in the pot carefully and sear it all over for 10 minutes until it becomes brown.  

Take beef out of the pot and put it in a large baking pan.

With a sharp knife make 10 punctures in beef and stick in the garlic cloves.        

Smear the soy sauce over and around beef and let sit aside.

Put the cut-up vegetables into the pot and gently cook them for about 3 minutes. You can add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil if needed.

Transfer the vegetables to the baking pan and surrounding the beef. Then pour the wine on the top of the beef and rub it all around.

Put the pan into the oven and roast for 1 hour for a medium cooked beef.

During this time, baste the beef and the vegetables at least 3 times in the sauce that has been accumulated in the pan.

Take beef out of the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut and remove the twine and discard the thyme stems, rosemary stems and the bay leaves.

Transfer beef to a large serving platter surrounding it with vegetables and serve.

Ruth Milstein is the author of the award-winning recipe book 'Cooking with Love: Ventures into the New Israeli Cuisine.' Little is known about the wide array of exotic yet comfortable and easy-to-make food associated with Mediterranean and Israeli cuisine, and in 'Cooking with Love', Ruth explores this expansive gourmets heaven with recipes that are eye openers for the experienced chef, as well as the novice cook. Learn more at www.RuthMilstein.com