Instructions: I was challenged once to create a fat-free spaghetti sauce. I couldnt imagine a decent blend of tomatoes, garlic and spices without the nip of olive oil characteristic to the dish. But I had read somewhere about sauteing in wine instead, so I pulled out a Beaujolais and began mincing my garlic.

To everyones surprise, the sauce was heavenly. The wine added as deep a flavor as oil, and as it cooked down from a liquid, it became slightly caramelized. This gave the sauce an unusual barbecued flavor, almost as if I had added roasted red peppers. My next experiment was with dry Sherry, not flavored, salted cooking Sherry, but the plain liquor-store version. I used it instead of butter to saute vegetables for a vegetarian soup. The Sherry added a sweetness different from Beaujolais, and it, too, was quite delicious.

White wine became a favorite for French onion soup. I knew that the recipe demanded very slow cooking of five or more onions, thinly sliced, and tossed with slivers of garlic. The secret to the soups intense flavor was this slow saute. I brought the wine to a simmer, dropped in the garlic and onions and cooked it all, stirring frequently, for about 25 minutes. The white wine left only a faintly sugary taste, and the onions were wonderful.

Cooking with wine is a natural alternative for those wanting to decrease the fat. After about 20 minutes, more than half the alcohol has cooked off, taking most of the calories with it.

The procedure for sauteing with wine is similar to cooking with oil: Be sure the wine is hot before adding the first saute ingredient. If you dump vegetables into cold wine, the vegetables absorb an unpleasant alcoholic taste. Ideally, wine should coat them, preventing loss of flavor and color.

If youre interested in trying wine instead of oil, heres the formula I use: For every 1 tablespoon of oil I eliminate, I substitute 1/4 cup wine or Sherry - but no more than 3/4 cup per recipe.

NOTES : Here is some useful information on sauteing with wine, which I almost always do. I want to remember the formula that she gives at the end of substituting 1/4 cup wine for each tablespoon of oil used for sauteing. Remember this is a formula for sauteing, not baking. I always enjoy Mary Carrolls Healthful Cooking column.

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