Cooking with Malbec: A Recipe You Cannot Miss

In just 5 steps you’ll have a delicious meal cooked with Malbec!

Don’t give up midway, I know some brave ones will not, and I swear your senses will be rewarded.

Cooking can be therapeutic. It is a precise and relaxing method, a place I personally believe we should all inhabit from time to time.

You control all your weekly activities, but just for one meal, take a leap of faith and let me be your guide. In a simple and organized way I will let you obtain, a stimulating meal, a night of real sensorial pleasure, a small fresh ritual that we all deserve.

So, I have broken down these five steps to make it easy and simple for everyone to follow including someone who just knows how to turn a burner on.  

This meal serves two with leftovers for the next day or four if you serve some snacks before the pièce de résistance.

All the involved elements are simple to get, manipulate, access and prepare. Without much ado, let’s begin!

1st step: Ingredients (serves 4)

Go to the nearest supermarket, and buy the list of ingredients below. If you can’t find something, don’t be disheartened since I have listed some alternatives. We all know that there is nothing more frustrating than not getting what you need and thinking that the story ended before even getting started.

• 3.3 Lbs Meat: Any decent cut of beef will work. We will slow cook the meat which will tenderize it and make it soft. The important thing is to make sure that it has a lot of flesh but not excessively fatty. 
• ½ Garlic and 2 onions: the most important and fundamental ingredients. You can add shallots and scallions if you want to give more complexity to the preparation. Half a head of garlic and two big onions will be enough.
• 14 oz Mushrooms: Champignon or Portabella or both (both will be the best option). 
• Assorted vegetables:  You can select anything you like, (if it cooks well in a pan, even better). I personally like broccoli, leek and potato. But there are many other options that will work well: carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, pumpkin, Andean potatoes, Brussels sprouts and almost every vegetable.
• We recommend having at least 4 of these.
• Herbs: You can be basic here. Rosemary, thyme and parsley. However, you can add whichever you prefer. Bay leaves make a good ally. Also, fresh oregano can work. Feel free to experiment!
• Spices: Salt and pepper as the foundation with paprika and sweet pepper as complements and a pinch of curry powder.
• Broth: You will need two vegetable bouillon cubes and wine (which will be described in the following steps).

And now comes the hero of the preparation: Wine, Malbec for cooking.

I recommend getting the simplest Malbec you can find. One of around USD 3. Wineries like Trapiche and Zuccardi always have good options. Any entry-level Malbec will play an outstanding role.

Malbec for your dinner, OF COURSE!

This is a never-ending story of excellent alternatives. If I had to shoot without aiming, this recipe goes consummately with the sublime Pachamama: a wine with character, earthy mouth and great unctuosity.

The Gran Corte by De Angeles is another of my favorite choices for this occasion. A deep and elegant wine that awakens your fantasies.

And finally, the wine of a good friend and a great man of the earth: Diego Rosso Malbec is an option of average price that will exceptionally match this preparation.

 Anyway, in this journey, there is no chance to fail. Choose based on your own taste beyond any recommendation. But stick to Malbec.

Cream and cheese (optional). To finish the preparation and add a touch of unctuosity and flavor.

2nd step. Music.

Before getting started, make sure to be in an agreeable environment that helps you forget all our worries and gets you in the mood.

My suggestions-. Tony Bennet, Ella Fitzgerald or Miles Davis are very good suggestions as well as Elvis Presley. I usually choose Sinatra and sing duets while I cook. But once again, the choice is yours and that’s what matters.

3rd step. Mise en place.

Mise en place is the term we use in gastronomy and restaurants to define the list of activities to organize and arrange the ingredients that any cook or chef will require for the elements of the menu they need to prepare.

This means to add order and clarity to the future preparation. Even though it may seem too much, the truth is that when you cook comfortably, you cook much better and enjoy the process a lot more.

Clean the cooking area, separate the utensils and tools you will use (knives, peeler, big pan, ladle, etc.), wash the vegetables carefully.

These are the previous activities that will grant not only a better performance but a much more enjoyable process.

Don´t you dare to cook with these Malbecs 😉

4th Step. Slice, chop and toss everything into the pan!

The first task we need to do is to chop the garlic and the onions.

We will chop them at our own will. There are those who prefer to chop them into small and neat pieces and those who like bigger and irregular fragments. Feel free to follow your own style.

My suggestion is to chop them into small cubes (2 to 3 mm).

With the rest of the products, the idea is to have small-size pieces that represent one bite: the meat (cubes of 1 x 1 inches), full mushrooms, the vegetables must also have the size of one bite and they should be identifiable individually.

Put the chopped pieces in different bowls so that its to introduce them into the pan.

5th Step. Cooking

Even though this is the last step, there is no doubt that it’s one of the most important. Key points? Patience and long-term vision.

The process will take about 3 hours, therefore it is important to take the time into account because when you are starving, the goal and the development of it changes your focus. The good thing is that most of the time, your only job will be a matter of supervision.

First, put some olive oil into the pan (1 or 2 oz.) and turn the burner to medium to high level. Then wait for 45 to 60 seconds and throw in the garlic and the onions. Sauté them till they are brown. 

Now incorporate the diced meat. As soon as it turns brown on the outside, add the rest of the elements and add the broth. It is important that it does not overflow but just covers the surface of the pan.

This is show-time for Malbec! Start to add the wine slowly, and when it evaporates, add more among the whole cooking experience.

Then turn the burner to minimum, stir a little and finally cover the pot.

Stir every 20 minutes to let the flavour integrate.

Then add the herbs and spices within the last 30 minutes of cooking.

When the indicated time has passed our braised beef al Malbec will be unique, delicious and full of flavour. You won’t be able to resist it!

Some cheese, butter and fresh herbs to finish.

Set the table, serve your Malbec and enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!