POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

Merlot is a red wine grape that is used both to blend wines and in varietal grape wines (varietal wines are produced from a single grape variety). Wines made with the Merlot grapes are typically medium-bodies wines with hints of berry, plum or currant. These grapes have a softness and fleshiness that blends well with the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which ripen later in the season.

The Merlot name is derived from a French word meaning ‘young blackbirds’, but it is not known whether these grapes are named because of their dark-blue color (resembling the dark birds) or for the blackbirds’ fondness for the grapes. The Merlot grape is the third most planted red grape in France, where the Merlot wine is primarily produced. It is the 5^th most planted grape in Italy, but it is also planted in California and Romania, and on in lesser amounts in Australia, Argentina, the Niagara Peninsula in Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Slovenia and in other parts of the United States. Merlot grapes are typically planted in the cooler growing areas because they tend to ripen too early in areas that are too warm.

The Merlot grapes’ role in traditional wine blends is to add body and softness to the wines. Typical blends include Bordeaux, Graves, Medoc, Chateau Petrus, Sangiovense, Kekfrankos, Kekoporto and Kadarka.

Merlot wines have a flavor that is similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, but Merlot seems less distinctive and slightly more herbaceous in both taste and aroma. It has a plusher, slightly more velvety mouth-feel than Cabernet and has a lower natural acidity level. Merlot is a wine drinkers favorite, rather than a wine collectors, with many a wine drinker ordering this pleasant wine.

The plumy, fruity richness of the Merlot wines complement beef dishes well. Below is a recipe for Crock-Pot Pot Roast beef that would go pleasantly with a serving of a glass of Merlot wine. The robust, hearty meat would be complemented by the richness of the Merlot wine.

Crock-Pot Pot Roast

• 3-4 lb. chuck roast
• 2 TBSP. olive oil
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can beef bouillon
• 3 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 4 large potatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 large onions, cut into wedges
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 2 dashes soy sauce
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika

Season roast with spices and sear meat in hot oil in large skillet.

Add to crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients and season with spices again.

Cook over low heat for 4-5 hours.

Mix together 2 TBSP. corn starch with small amount of water.

Add to crock pot and cook for another 15 minutes to thicken gravy.

We are all looking for ways to make our money go further in today’s difficult economic climate.  Food is  a large and constant part of every family’s budget.

Buying cheaper cuts of meat is one obvious way to save. When coming home from work dead tired though, one wants something quick and easy to cook.  Grilling or frying a steak is one easy solution, but can be expensive.  And frying up a lower priced cut of meat does not a happy meal make.

Cooking with a crockpot is one good solution.  Crockpots use low heat and cook over a longer time than other types of cooking.  Cheaper cuts of meat can be best for crock pot cooking as they often have rich flavor and are tenderized by the long slow cooking.

Crockpots can also be very convenient as you can put the meat and vegetables into the pot in the morning before you go to work and come home to a meal mostly ready to eat. Often there is less cleanup time when you prepare your meal with a crockpot.  Crockpot cooking can also help keep the temperature down in the kitchen on those hot summer days.

You can adapt many recipes to the crockpot if you follow a few basic guidelines:

Vegetables
Root vegetables such as carrots and other dense vegetables such as potatoes should be cut into pieces that are one inch or smaller in size.  Since they take longer to cook, they should be placed in the bottom of the pot.

Beans
Beans should usually be soaked overnight before going into your crockpot.  Beans should be precooked enough to soften them before adding sugar or acidic ingredients such as tomatoes.

Liquids
Generally speaking, you can use about half as much liquid for crock pot cooking as you would if you were preparing the same recipe by another method.  One cup of liquid is usually enough unless the dish contains pasta or rice.

Rice and Pasta
Cook pasta just enough to make it slightly tender before adding to the crockpot if your recipe calls for adding cooked pasta.  For uncooked rice, add 1/4 cup extra liquid per 1/4 cup of rice.  Long grain converted rice works best.  You can add cooked rice shortly before servings if your recipe requires a long time in the crockpot.

Herbs and Spices
Whole herbs work well for crockpot cooking as they release their flavor over time.  The flavor of ground spices and herbs tends to dissipate with long cooking times, so it is better to add them towards the end of cooking.

Milk and Cheese
Milk, cheese, cream and sour cream don’t do well when cooking over long periods of time, so it is best to add these ingredients in the last hour of cooking.  For milk based soups, use 1 or 2 cups of water and then add your milk or cream in the last hour.

Try not to open your crockpot’s lid while cooking, as this will let the heat and water vapor escape, adding to your cooking time as well as drying out the contents.