A staple in our rich heritage, wines of today have become studied, dissected, and perfected. For those of us who aren’t wine drinkers, there are many other ways of incorporating its robust flavor profiles into our cooking. Here are the ways we love to use it, both on Pesach and year round.

Wine Not

Wine-Phobic

A fear of wine is called “oenophobia.”

From the Depths

The oldest known wine cellar is on the Titanic. When divers went down to the wreckage, they found, surprisingly, that most of the bottles were still intact.

Antioxidant-Rich

To get the same amount of antioxidants you find in wine, you would need to drink 20 glasses of apple juice or seven glasses of orange juice.

Savory Gourmet Flanken with Red Wine

Recipe by Chavi Feldman

This gourmet flanken makes an amazing addition to your Yom Tov table! It’s so soft and juicy that it literally melts in your mouth!

SERVES 8

• 4 pieces gourmet bone-in flanken (about 1 lb/450 g each)
• salt, black pepper, and paprika, to taste
• Montreal steak spice, for seasoning (omit if unavailable)
• ½ tsp dried rosemary (optional)
• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large Spanish onion, quartered
• 6–7 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• ⅓ cup red cooking wine
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup chicken soup (or water)
• ½ cup freshly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Wash flanken and pat dry. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and steak spice, rubbing spices into the meat.

Heat oil in an 8-quart pot. Sear meat on a medium-high flame, two pieces at a time, for 3–4 minutes on each side. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the parsley, sprinkling some additional Montreal steak spice over the meat.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and braise meat for 6–8 hours. The liquid should be simmering very slightly while cooking. Check every once in a while to make sure the flame is not too high and the liquid is not evaporating.

To serve, arrange meat on platter. Drizzle with gravy and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.