5 Kosher Dishes That Taste Better With Wine

by Kosher River Cruise Kosher Tour Operator

While some people may be surprised to learn that wine is kosher and that you can even buy kosher wine, the truth of the matter is that it's a big industry. Wine plays an important role in Jewish religious observance, and as such, you can find wine aboard kosher Europe tours, it's also a staple at Jewish holidays.

Wine has to come from a particular process to fit under the category of kosher wine. Grapes have to be crushed and fermented with equipment used only for kosher wines before being supervised by rabbis throughout the production process.

The supervisors make sure there are no non-kosher products or ingredients mixed into the wine during the fermentation process, further ensuring its kosher status when finished.

In addition to being used for celebrations, many Jews use kosher wine for religious ceremonies, like during Sabbath dinners.

To prove the importance of wine in kosher, here are some kosher dishes that taste more with wine:

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Skirt Steak With Wine Sauce

Skirt steak gets its name from the horizontal muscle running down the front of a cow's rib cage, which is why you'll typically find it in only the most luxurious of steakhouses. This steak is an extremely important part of Jewish cuisine, as it doesn't technically contain any pork or beef, making it easy to prepare and serve to observant guests. The wine sauce adds a level of sophistication that will impress even the most sophisticated dinner party guests.

Baked Chicken With Red Wine

Baked chicken with red wine is a delicious and simple dish, but it does require the use of a good red wine. You want the flavor of the alcohol to complement that of the chicken, not overpower it. When choosing which type of red wine to use, dryer varieties work better than sweeter ones.

Cooking with wine allows you to experiment with different types without having to do any extra work.

Red Wine Braised Brisket

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef. Brisket is popular in many countries and can be cooked in a variety of ways, including braising it, which involves cooking it with both wet and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid.

A brisket recipe often includes red wine as an ingredient for two main reasons: one, the wine helps tenderize the meat so that it will be easier to slice; two, the red wine adds a delicious flavor to the dish.

Chardonnay Poached Fish Fillets

Fish fillets poached in Chardonnay are a light and fragrant meal. The gentle cooking method allows you to cook delicate and flaky fish without it falling apart, while the light and fruity white wine adds a hint of sweetness that complements the delicate flavor of the fish.

To make this dish your own, you can play around with what kind of wine or other liquids you use for poaching. For example, using Champagne instead of regular white wine will give your dish a bubbly texture and an even sweeter flavor. However, because this dish is paired with Kosher wine, be sure to use a Kosher Champagne as well! If you're interested in adding some other flavors to your dish but don't want to stray from the sweetness provided by white wine, try substituting some of the liquid for lemon juice.

Chicken Provencal With White Wine

Chicken Provencal is a classic French peasant dish, and like most classic peasant dishes it only gets better the longer it cooks. In its simplest form, chicken pieces are browned, then simmered with tomatoes, garlic, onion and herbs de Provence until the meat falls off of the bone. There are many variations on this theme.

Some people add peppers or olives to their version; some use sausage as well as chicken. One thing they all have in common is that they benefit from white wine added during cooking. The beauty of this dish is that you can use whatever kind of white wine you happen to have on hand—and if you don't have any open bottles around, one cup will do the trick!

These are only some out of the countless dishes that taste even better with kosher wine. You can explore more recipes online or taste them when you're onboard Jewish heritage tours.