Another cat gone and cooking with wine

Did I continue the deceased cat update? Because if not here is one who has departed only recently. One of 3 cats at my mom's, she was found several weeks back by the neighbors feeding the cats in a departed condition. She was not my favorite cat. This picture really captures her personality in my opinion but she was nice to my mom -as long as my mom stayed put in bed and gave her a place to sleep (on top of her). Bernie tried to bring the other two back here but the cuts are healing nicely now and the neighbors have agreed to keep feeding them.

Now, as for the wine in cooking. I heard some tv chef say you should never use a wine you don't like in cooking -and this is nonsense. That is exactly what you should do with a wine you don't like* -cook with it. But alot recipes suggest replacing wine with vinegar if you have no wine and I don't drink vinegar. Also what else do you do with wine you don't like (or you did two days ago, but left it open)?. On the other handed really corked wine is no better than vinegar, possibly worse, so that goes down the drain in any case. Meanwhile there's not much that isn't helped along by some wine. Especially soup, but it takes alot of wine and there's no point in using some subtle reserve/vintage stuff when it will be boiled and fried and roasted and grilled away- yet for all that torture it still adds something good. I keep boxed wines on hand for all chicken soup (white) and spaghetti sauces (red -if anyone is watching).

So today's recipe is radish top soup (thanks to the lady running the local (and I do mean local)farmer's market for the basic approach):
Get some radishes with the leafy stuff still attached
Remove radishes and stems
Saute the greens in butter and some onion
When everything is at least softened run through the food processor of choice
Add some potato if you have a leftover one handy (I never bake the right number) -skinned and cooked
Return to pan (if you took it out for the "processing" (i.e. grinding, shredding etc))
Simmer with more butter and add white wine now and some water to a creamy but thick consistency
Add chicken boullion (2 cubes for a small pan)
Simmer for a while
When almost ready to serve blend in some milk and or half and half.
Serve with freshly ground white pepper -this may sound like one of those fussy steps but it makes an enormous difference. The final product tates almost oyster-y -but in a good way.
Final step -feel virtuous for not wasting any (well not much) of that radish plant.


* there are exceptions to this like everything else in life, say poached pears.