In article > ,
"Jim" > wrote:

> I'm going to cook a beef stew from an Italian cookery book. After cooking
> onions, pancetta and then the meat, you add 375ml of white wine and the same
> of red wine, then "cook over a low heat till all the liquid is absorbed"
> .... with no indication of how long this might be.
>
> Does anyone have any idea of how long it might take?
>
> And would I be better using drinking type wine or cooking wine? I have to go
> out shopping, anyway, now I've found out what pancetta is.

Cooking wine is generally of very lousy quality, mostly watered down
regular wine with a lot of salt added. Use any wine for cooking that you
enjoy drinking.

As for how long to cook the stew after you add the wine, it would be
easier to tell if you included the full recipe, but my guess is to just
try ten minutes, taste, and if it doesn't taste good enough, add more
wine, cook further, and add any spices you think the dish might need.
Cook a few minutes longer if necessary, then repeat the taste test. Let
taste be your guide.