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Make Your Own Wine Vinegars
Any bottle of wine or cider left open to the air - inside or in the fresh air - can be made into a basic vinegar for cooking or general use. White wines are best for lighter dishes, red for recipes requiring stronger flavours.
Cider and Bay Leaf Vinegar Mix one-quarter cupful of mashed bay leaves with one pint of cider vinegar and leave to stand for several weeks before straining. Bay leaves have an aromatic, almost pungent flavour and, as a wine vinegar, they complement virtually any savoury dish.
Cider and Sage Vinegar Take two tablespoonfuls of chopped sage and boil for ten minutes in a pint of cider vinegar. Remove from the heat, cool and strain. This is particularly tasty with savoury and most meat dishes, especially bacon, fowl and pork.
Garlic Vinegar Separate and peel the cloves of a large garlic bulb and combine with a quart of vinegar (cider or wine: any colour). Leave for two weeks. Remove the cloves.
Celery Vinegar Combine two cupfuls of chopped celery, a pinch of salt and one quart vinegar (cider, white or red wine vinegar, depending on preferred flavour and colour). Boil the mixture for three minutes and leave to stand for two or three weeks. Strain before using.
Onion Vinegar Peel three small onions and add them whole to one quart of vinegar (cider or white wine is best). Leave for three weeks and remove the onions. The vinegar can be used in most foods where onions would be served and also makes a delicious condiment.
Sherry Wine Vinegar Leave the remains of a bottle of sherry to stand in the open air for two weeks before re-corking and storing in a cool place. The vinegar adds flavour to most fish dishes, including shellfish and cocktail sauces used for shellfish. Different kinds of sherry give different strengths of vinegar. Try experimenting
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Make Your Own Wine Vinegars by Avril Harper |
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www.pimpernels.com |
