Julia Child's ability to make the home chef comfortable was partly due to her lack of cooking snobbery.  She once said that the only mistake in cooking that can't be fixed is a fallen soufflé. This column is a tribute to more of her practical advice, as I quote from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. "We have found that a good, dry white vermouth is an excellent substitute (for white wine), and much better than the wrong kind of white wine. While most of us know vermouth as a cocktail ingredient, you should also learn to regard it as a cooking staple."

Why substitute dry vermouth for white wine? An open bottle keeps almost forever, so you can add whatever amount the recipe calls for without needing to consume the rest of the bottle. Its botanicals add interesting taste elements to a dish, whereas white wine's subtler flavors can get lost when heated. Vermouth is effective at cutting odors, especially with seafood. Vermouth also cuts fat absorption. Finally, it's inexpensive.

When substituting vermouth for white wine, use white dry vermouth. Red vermouth is sweet, about 14% sugar, and is not a good substitute. It can, however, be added to dishes for its own unique flavor. To see what vermouth can do for a classic dish, see the recipe below for steamed mussels. Using the vermouth eliminates the need to add a variety of fresh herbs.

All vermouth is white wine flavored with a combination of up to 200 different botanicals, e.g. herbs, spices, fruits, flowers. Caramel is added to make sweet, red vermouth. These additives are infused, macerated, or distilled in a base white wine.

Vermouth is inexpensive as the base wine needs to be neutral and can be mass-produced. The liquid is filtered, pasteurized, and fortified, i.e. additional alcohol is added. Vermouth's alcohol level is 16% for dry vermouth and 18% for sweet vermouth. Because it's fortified, vermouth stores well even after opening.  

Vermouth was invented to be used medicinally.  Its original primary ingredient was wormwood - the name vermouth is derived from vermut which is German for wormwood. Wormwood is a plant with powerful medicinal and psychoactive qualities and was used to cure stomach problems, including intestinal worms. Wormwood, however, is a very bitter plant. Wormwood as an ingredient was eventually outlawed due to its mind-bending properties, but vermouth today is still characterized by a bitter undertone moderated by the botanicals.

Apart from its use as medicines, the Italians developed a taste for vermouth as an aperitif, i.e. a drink consumed before a meal to stimulate the appetite. The first aperitif formulation, sweet red vermouth, was created in Turin in the 1700s. The French were not far behind, developing a dry version later that century.

Traditionally, Italian vermouth is supposed to be sweet and French vermouth to be dry; however this distinction is no longer valid as both countries produce both sweet and dry. The three most common categories are white (dry), bianco (white and slightly sweet), and red (sweet) vermouth.

Each manufacturer uses a proprietary formula, so brand tastes differ considerably. Generally, Italian vermouths tend to be stronger, e.g. more bitter and spicy, and their sweet vermouths have strong caramel overtones. French vermouths are subtler, and rely as much on aroma as taste for their flavor impact. Some specific vermouth formulas are also no longer sold under the name vermouth, but rather under special names, e.g. DuBonnet, Lillet, Campari, Punt e Mes, and Cynar.

To start using vermouth in cooking, conduct a taste test to see which brand you prefer. Three manufacturers produce most available vermouth; each produces all varieties but is noted for a certain specialty. Martini & Rossi is famous for its extra dry vermouth, which is the bartender's standard when making a martini. Cinzano invented the bianco and rose variations, both slightly sweet. Noilly Prat in Marseilles is credited for inventing dry vermouth; its flavor is subtler and is rated more highly as an aperitif rather than a cocktail mixer. Two other manufacturing names that you may find are Stock which is the most popular brand in Italy - and Vya. Vya is a Californian manufacturer marketing a high end, gourmet Vermouth that has earned rave reviews.

Of course, no column about vermouth would be complete without noting that both dry and sweet vermouths are indispensable ingredients in many classic cocktails. The Martini and Rossi website has a wonderful little cocktail pocket guide to print out. The guide, with color photos, gives you classic proportions for the Dry Martini, Americano, Manhattan, Gibson, and Bikini cocktails, among others. See http://www.martini.com/download/recipebook/martini_recipebook_letter.pdf

.

Mussels a la Mariniere (Serves 4)

4 dozen mussels

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chopped parsley (optional)

Ground pepper to taste

1 cup dry vermouth (or more if necessary)

Scrub the mussels and pull off any beards. Discard any that do not have tightly shut shells. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan with a tight lid that can hold all the mussels. Sauté the onions until they are soft, about five minutes. Add the parsley and pepper and cook for an additional two minutes. Add enough vermouth so that there is ½ inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the mussels. Cover the pot and steam, shaking occasionally. Start to check the pot after five minutes and remove the mussels that have opened. Discard any mussels that do not eventually open.

Transfer the mussels to a bowl and spoon the liquid over them.