Every Last Drop: What to do with leftover wine

Stick your slippers on, your Monday night entertainment is sorted for the next few weeks, as BBC’s Food & Drink programme is back for a second series. There’s more Michel Roux Jr cooking up a storm in the kitchen – swoon – and Kate Goodman giving us an array of wine options to check out.

Last week’s episode was all about embracing your leftovers: let’s not be wasteful, we need to be using up every last crumb. I feel as though they missed something though - what about using leftover drinks? “Leftover drinks?!” I hear you cry, but yes, bear with me.

We’ve all had one of those heavy nights - you probably didn’t need to open that last bottle of red, but you did, and you basically polished it off. The next morning, you’re greeted with a sea of glasses, empties, and that bottle that’s responsible for your fuzzy head – with a pathetic amount left in. It’s not enough for a glass, not that you could face it anyway, and it’s sacrilegious to pour it away, so what do you do with it?

Here’s my suggestion: Smoky Red Wine Chicken.

Ingredients:

• 2 x Chicken Thighs (you could use more – I was trying to be thrifty)
• 150ml (approx) Red Wine (I used Zalze 2012 – Shiraz/Mourvedre/Viognier – from South Africa, which has a seductive smokiness in itself. Available via Ocado priced at £7.99)
• 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp each of dried Rosemary and Thyme (use fresh if you’ve got it, or experiment with other herbs)
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 Medium Carrots (peeled and quartered lengthways)
• 1 Large Red Onion (peeled and cut into sixths)
• 100ml Water

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix together the wine, vinegar, tomato puree, paprika and herbs. Season with salt and pepper then add the chicken to the marinade. Make sure each piece is well coated, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the carrots and onions in a large baking dish, and then pour in the water.

3. Remove the now claret-coloured chicken from the fridge and place the pieces on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Pour over the rest of the marinade and cover with foil.

4. Roast for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and baste the chicken with the juices. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, or until the skin looks charred and crisp. Serve immediately.

5. This boozed bird cries out for carbs - choose what you like, this bit is up to you (though a hunk of bread to soak up all the winey sauce might be necessary – we don’t want it going to waste after we’ve come this far). I opted for some herby, zesty bulgar wheat, with added broad beans and currants - it’s sharpness was a nice contrast to the smokiness of the chicken, but really, I’d say anything goes.

Now, it’d be rude not to enjoy this with a drink. Open a bottle of red did I hear you say? Oh go on then...

You can catch the next episode of Food & Drink tonight at 8.30pm on BBC2.