Actually, it turns out that wining is an important aspect of Purim. Not the kind you do when you complain that your Hamentaschen fell apart or a Monn seed got caught in your teeth, but the kind of wining that involves uncorking, unbridled imbibing. It is almost mandated that celebrators of the Purim feast indulge in too much wine.  It harkens back to the notion that King Ahasuerus was more than a little tipsy when he sent away his wife Vashti and began searching for a new member for his harem. That's how Esther got the gig and well the rest is history.

So, in honor of Purim, I will leave the ubiquitous Hamentaschen recipe to someone else. Because I am the resident carnivore, I will ply you with three recipes that pair meat and wine. The rules of cooking with wine are fairly simple and they all begin with the same mantra; Never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink.  That means that the bottle of cooking wine you bought in the supermarket, which is nothing more than a salty, additive laden bottle of liquid, should immediately be tossed.  Any wine that shares real estate with mustard and ketchup is definitely not good enough to drink (and probably not kosher).  The alcohol content is too low to impart any flavor and the saltiness will ruin your dish. I'm not saying you need to invest in a Rothschild bottle, but ask your wine merchant for a moderately priced ($10