Making vinegar from wine .... and a way to use it

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Dear Lynne,I am wondering if you can make vinegar from leftover wine, and if so, how would you go about it? Molly in PittsburghDear Molly, Most wines will work, but you need a facilitator to convert the alcohol to acid. This is called a "mother."This gelatinous substance develops naturally in some unpasteurized vinegars. It's not a beauty queen. Imagine a slimy looking gray disc which in reality is a collection of bacteria, mainly one named "mycoderma aceti."Basically you put the mother in a crock or wide mouth, large glass jar and start adding wine a little at time. (Do not use plastic or metal containers).Add it every couple of days. You want to give the mother time to "digest" the wine so it can convert the liquid to vinegar. Once your crock or jar has several cups of liquid it needs a couple of weeks to ripen. Taste the budding vinegar every so often to see how it's coming along. Some vinegar makers insist you use white wine or red wine, but never mix them, others say it doesn't matter. What is essential is a dark place that ranges from 65 to 85 degrees (F).You want air to get to the vinegar so cover the top of the jar with gauze or a screen just to keep out bugs. Never add bad tasting wine, or sweet or fortified wines.Strain off the vinegar as you need it and keep adding wine to the mother. If the mother gets big enough to threaten its shelf space (this creature is most definitely alive), cut away a portion and leave the rest to continue working. Mother is a great gift to the vinegar lover, as is your home brew.One other thing -- if the vinegar seems to strong, merely cut it down with water. Letting your decanted vinegar age in a dark, cool place for a month or more will improve it, too.If your vinegar hasn't yielded a mother and none of your friends are forthcoming, you can mail order mothers for red wine, white wine and cider as well as all kinds of vinegar paraphernalia from www.beer-wine.com, www.leeners.com, or check out ebay. Whether homemade or store-bought, this vinegar-garlic chicken shows off good tasting vinegar.GARLIC VINEGAR BASTED ROAST CHICKENServes 4 to 5Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes or rice to soak up the juices.One 4 to 4-1/2 pound chicken (organic preferred), cut into 8 pieces16 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled1 large onion, coarse chopped1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper8 branches fresh thymethe zest of 1/2 an orange, peeled off in strips1/3 cup good tasting red or white wine vinegar, and more as needed1/4 cup good tasting extra-virgin olive oil1/2 cup chicken broth (College Inn is a decent canned broth)1. Preheat the oven to 450:. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Scatter the garlic and onion in a large, shallow pan (a half sheet pan is ideal) big enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer with room to spare. Arrange the chicken over them, skin side up. Sprinkle the pieces with all the remaining ingredients. Roast 20 minutes, baste the chicken with the pan juices and turn the heat down to 350:.2. Roast another 45 minutes to an hour, basting often. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar if pan juices threaten to burn. Also use a flat wood spatula to scrape up any sticky brown glaze in the pan. Spread it over the roasting chicken. You want the pan juices to be filming the pan, not burning, yet not so plentiful that the chicken is steaming instead of roasting.3. Check for doneness by inserting an instant reading thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast. When it reads 165:, the chicken is ready. Otherwise, roast another 15 minutes if necessary. If chicken needs browning, put it under the broiler 3 to 4 minutes. Rest chicken 10 minutes at room temperature as you make the pan sauce.4. Put the roasting pan over stove 2 burners and turn them to medium high. Immediately pour in the broth and with a wood spatula, scrape up all the brown glaze in the pan as the broth boils. You want an intense tasting, tart-rich sauce that is syrupy in consistency -- just enough to lightly moisten the bird. Scrape it over the chicken and serve hot.Dear Lynne,My new apartment came with a separate freezer. My freezers have never been big enough for more than a bottle of vodka and a quart of ice cream. How do you freeze foods and how long can they go? -- Jim in San Jose Dear Jim,The key is heavy packing in plastic or plastic coated paper sealing food airtight. I favor heavy freezer bags because you can see what you have. Label the bags with what going into them and the date. Then press out all the air before sealing. Here's a basic guide to timing. I am always on the conservative side with these numbers.-- Breads, Cake, Ice Cream and other frozen desserts -- 6 months-- Produce -- 6 months-- Raw poultry and meats -- 6 months-- Cooked dishes -- 3 months-- Fish -- 3 months-- Chilling down wine -- 30 minutes.(Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's weekly national show for people who love to eat. For more information, visit www.splendidtable.org or call 1-800-537-5252.)