Rooftop Gourmet

After a breif stint in sunny Florida, it appears that we brought some of the nice weather back home with us. The teasing sunshine inspired me to pop open a bottle of one of my favorite Sicilian reds that I recently wrote an article about. I have always been a fan of Sicily’s melting pot cuisine with influences from all over the globe combined with local island fare. I decided to roast a chicken stuffed with tons of citrus and sprinkled with dried chili flakes. Citrus trees grow all over the island and are used frequently in the cooking.

Agrodolce translates to “sweet and sour”, which is a huge part of the cuisine as well. Balance is something that the Sicilian culture thrives on, whether it’s sweet and sour, hot and cold, or soft and crunchy. I made agrodolce onions by sauteing pearl onions in a reduction of white wine vinegar and sugar. I also tossed in some golden raisins at the end to add some texture and an extra pop of gooey sweetness. Here is the article that I submitted for our monthly wine newsletter…

Floating all alone in the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Sicily has long been the black sheep of quality Italian winemaking regions. In the past, the tradition of bulk winemaking has caused oenophiles to turn up their noses and drink their Brunello. However, in 2005, a new generation of winemakers infiltrated the vineyards and achieved the islands’ first D.O.C.G attribution. Joining the other all-stars such as Brunello  di Montalcino, Barolo, and Barbaresco, the Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the Yao Ming of Italian viticulture. It’s about time since the land is sprawled with vineyards and has a climate similar to that of Napa Valley. Sicily produces more wine than Chile and Argentina combined; and now they have the celebrity status to prove it. The Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or D.O.C.G is only applied to Italian wines which have distinctive signs of high quality, determined by vineyard and wine-making techniques (overall less than 8% of Italian wine production); not bad for a region known for their Marsala.

 As is true for every region of the country, the local wine compliments the style of the cuisine. The bold and muscular Nebbiolo from the north can stand face to face with a rich braise such as Osso Bucco. The 2008 Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria is much more versatile, which it has to be, to take on the circus-like cuisine of Sicily. The island’s crucial stop along the Mediterranean trade routes provided the cuisine and culture a matchless blend of Greek, French, Spanish, Arab and African influences. The healthy local fare is beyond unique, combining sweet and spicy flavors with the catch of the day.

The 2008 Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria is composed of 60% Nero d’Avola and 40% Frappato. Cerasuolo, meaning “cherry red”, perfectly describes the color of the wine. The aromatic Frappato fills your nose with sweet, strawberry candy and gently introduces you to the richer, earthier Nero d’Avola. This medium bodied red has silky smooth tannins and is purely seductive on the palate. The playful juiciness combined with the Burgundian sophistication makes this a unique, yet incredibly likeable wine. The natural acidity makes this a great food wine that will pair well with spicy dishes, or throw a quick chill on it in the summer and serve it with grilled seafood.

While laying out on the beach relaxing, I had plenty of time to come up with exciting new recipes for blog posts so stay tuned for some creative ideas, and always delicious wines.

One of my dad’s favorite desserts growing up was tapioca pudding but we rarely ate it because of the strange texture that turns most people away. The gooey pearls of who knows what, floating around in creamy globs of vanilla pudding. Recently, my girlfriend made a batch for herself and it intrigued me. I wondered if instead of adding sugar and vanilla extract to sweeten it, could I add savory spices?

I had a bottle of the 2006 Baileyana Firepeak Vineyards Pinot Noir which is grown on volcanic soil so I tried to play with that concept and create some ‘lava’ (smoked paprika tapioca pudding). The Baileyana is one of the most intriguing Pinot Noirs from California that I have ever tasted.

The vineyard is located at the foot of Islay Mountain, the southernmost in a chain of extinct volcanoes known as the Seven Sisters. The french winemaker creates this Pinot with a little Burgundian, old world influence, a little new world power, and a third futuristic element that comes from the soil. This is not your typical California, straightforward Pinot. The volcanic element in the soil known as “Devil’s Dirt” puts stress on the vines, forcing them to struggle, which in turn encourages the intense characteristics of Pinot Noir to shine through.

I started experimenting with the tapioca and eventually achieved the intense smoky flavor and bright magma color that I was looking for. Tapioca is actually a starch extracted from the Brazilian cassava root and is used as a thickener as well as the base for tapioca pudding.

Continuing with the healthy eating in 2010 theme, I subsituted mashed potatoes for cauliflower puree. After boiling the florets in milk, I transferred them to the blender and added some salt and lemon juice… no butter believe it or not (it was hard but I refrained).

The result was smooth as silk texture and light as air, fluffy puree; a perfect bed for my roasted chicken. I brined my chicken 12 hours ahead of time to keep the meat moist and juicy. Brining is a great way to enhance the flavor and texture of chicken or turkey. Simply soak the meat in water, salt, and sugar for up to 24 hours before cooking (keep the ratio: 1/4 cup salt to 1/4 sugar to 1 quart water).

The salt changes the muscle structure and allows it to retain more moisture throughout the cooking process; a chef’s secret to why chicken tastes better when you go out to eat.

 I removed the drumsticks and thighs from the brine and dried them off completely before I pan roasted them with some shallots and lemon. The skin got nice and crispy while the dark meat was succulent and tender on the inside. I plated the dish with some blanched broccoli rabe to add some color and a bitter component that followed the healthy trend.

The wine was bigger and fruitier than most Pinots, bursting with black raspberry jam and black cherry fruit. The tannins were stronger than normal but still smooth which made it stand up great to the dark chicken meat and the smoky ‘lava’. I would classify this as a big, powerful Pinot, which is somewhat of an oxymoron. The wine is full of spice and interesting acidity and minerality that makes you wonder what you’re drinking. The wine was superb and it was a perfect match for my tapioca experiment; kind of like the baking soda/vinegar volcano experiment I did in second grade.

Sometimes pizza take out menus can be ridiculously repetitive and boring; the same old dough, the same old sauce, and the same core toppings to choose from. Once you’ve exhausted all of your favorite combinations, it can be time for a change. The other day, a friend of mine mentioned to me that I never cook any Indian dishes so I decided to make an Indian themed pizza. I started off with some Naan bread, which is a staple in Indian cuisine.

Naan is a pita-like, flat bread that is traditionally cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven. The bread is used as a canvass for meats and vegetables, or as a spoon to scoop up curry dishes. I incorporated the curry into the sauce by combining some Yellow Madras Curry powder with lemon zest and creamy Mascarpone Cheese. I also marinated the chicken breasts in a spicy red curry sauce.

I simply grilled the chicken breasts and sliced them before making them the star of the pizza. I wanted to balance the spicy, smoky curry flavors in the sauce and the chicken with some sweet ingredients so I added some freshly diced pineapple chunks and some golden raisins.

The pineapple added a juicy acidic punch that helped cool down my taste buds, and when the golden raisins baked in the oven, they got plump and gooey. A few thin slices of Thai chile peppers added a subtle kick and some fresh cilantro topped everything off. After about 15 minutes in the oven, the Naan bread got nice and crispy on the bottom like a Tuscan thin crust pizza but remained pleasantly soft and chewy in the middle.

The combination of flavors were definitely new to me but totally worked in terms of balance. I figured that the heat in the curry and the Thai chilies were too much for a red wine, so I paired the pizza with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2008 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc is one of my all time favorites from Marlborough, New Zealand. Loaded with zesty tropical fruit and tart acidity, and finishing with a clean, refreshing crispness; this is your French Sancerre on speed.

Throw all of the grapefruit and balanced minerality out the window and get ready for a fruit-forward torpedo of flavor; a perfect match for such a bold pizza. Look for Naan flat breads in your local grocery store because Naan pizzas are the English Muffin pizza of the 21st century.

As I was taking the trash out yesterday I noticed some construction going on behind my apartment building so I wandered over to see what was going on. Someone was replacing the front steps to their building and there was a huge pile of old bricks laying in the street. Strangely enough I immediately thought about an old Tuscan cooking technique that has been around for centuries and I knew what was in store for dinner. I walked over and grabbed a handful of bricks and carried them up four flights of stairs to my kitchen where my girlfriend looked at me like I had three heads. Pollo al mattone, or chicken under a brick is classic Italian dish where, sure enough, you cook the chicken under the weight of a brick.

The idea is to basically fry the chicken skin side down in its own fat and juices. The weight of the brick presses the bird to the dry pan and while cooked slowly over medium-low heat, the fat in the skin starts to render. Soon enough the chicken will be pan frying in its own fat. The result is a golden brown, crispy, crackling skin and a tender, juicy inside. The preparation and butchering of the chicken is probably the most important part of executing perfect results. I start with a whole chicken (it’s extremely cost efficient to buy whole chickens and butcher them yourself) and with cooking shears, I snip both sides of the breast bone and remove it; splitting the entire chicken in half. I discard the wing , dislocate the leg from the thigh, and de-bone the breast making sure to leave all of the skin intact. What I end up with is a boneless breast and a leg with the skin on… a perfect portion (for me at least).

 The next part is loud and obnoxious so make sure to warn your neighbors before they call the police. Using the bottom of a heavy skillet smash the half chicken on your cutting board until it is as flat as possible. This is extremely important because you want as much surface area of the chicken touching the pan as you can. I wrapped my bricks in tinfoil so that my chicken didn’t taste like 40 years of the bottom of my neighbors’ shoes, and got a pan on the stove with a little olive oil. I placed my chicken in the hot pan skin side down and quickly applied the pressure from the bricks.

I wanted to serve the chicken with a fresh salad with tons of acidity because I thought that something light would be nice with the crackling, salty skin. I shaved some fennel bulbs and stalks and simply tossed them with baby arugula, tangerine supremes, and shaved red onion. Just a dash of extra virgin olive oil and some freshly squeezed lemon juice and the salad was complete. The sweet tangerine was great with the faint anise flavor of the fennel and the salad in general really lightened up the whole meal.

After the skin on my chicken was nice and crisp, I finished it in the oven to cook throughout with a little rosemary, thyme and garlic. I chose to pair this dish with the 2008 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier blend from California. The wine is comprised of roughly 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Viognier, resulting in a wonderfully light, yet complex wine. The nose is very floral and citrusy, and the wine tastes like melon and pear with a slightly off-dry finish.

There was just enough acidity and lime flavors that paired nicely with the golden brown skin, and the juicy meat didn’t overpower the wine at all. I typically don’t care for Viognier but when blended with the Chenin Blanc, it was very pleasant; definitely a good choice to pair with turkey. If you’re looking to change things up this holiday season, try cooking your Thanksgiving turkey “al mattone”, or take a walk through a construction site to get inspired for dinner.

Everyone loves comfort food on a cold, wintery day and my go-to meal to whip up is usually chicken Parmesan. Aromas from a homemade tomato sauce that has been simmering on the stove top all day long fills the air. The tender chicken encrusted in crispy breadcrumbs covered with gooey, melted mozzarella cheese, and sprinkled with tangy Parmesan-Reggiano. Last night I decided to make individual baked chicken Parmesan in over-sized ramekins.

This is a great meal to assemble ahead of time in personal servings and freeze them so that they’re ready to go in short notice. If you don’t have over-sized ramekins, this would still work in a baking dish, loaf pan, or pie dish. I started off by getting my tomato sauce going with a minced yellow onion, toasted garlic, and 2 cans of milled San Marzano tomatoes, which simmered on the stove top all day long.

I brought out one of my favorite tools… the meat pounder/tenderizer and pounded the chicken breasts flat before I cut out perfect circles with a ring mold (a cookie cutter would work fine). The chicken then went through the breading station… first the flour, then egg wash, then the breadcrumbs. I wanted a little bit of extra crunch on the outside so I mixed regular breadcrumbs with panko breadcrumbs. Panko is a type of breadcrumb that is made in Japan, and it totally gives the coating an extra crunch and much more texture.

After the chicken was quickly pan fried to golden brown it was time to start assembling. I simply layered the ramekin with sauce, chicken, Parmesan cheese, slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella and repeated 3 times. I baked the chicken Parm ramekins in the oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese was melted and the Parmesan on top was nice and crispy.

Letting these things cool before digging in was the hardest part because they looked amazing but we had to show some patience so that the sauce didn’t run everywhere. After about 10 minutes resting, I flipped it upside down onto a plate and viola… a baked chicken parm tower! I paired this meal with the 2008 Seghesio Zinfandel who’s 2007 predecessor was in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year list.

This wine is full bodied and packed with gobs of jammy fruit. Zinfandel is typically high in alcohol because of its intense fruit. The natural sugars in these baby grapes shoot the alcohol level up and some can be a little over powering. The Seghesio does a great job of balancing the power with loads of plum and raspberry fruit and a hint of licorice spice.

California Zin is usually a great pairing for classic comfort food dishes such as chicken parm, beef stew, or meatloaf because of its versatility and all around crowd pleasing presence. If you’re a fan of chicken parm like I am, give this version a try and make a couple of extras to put away in the freezer for another cold, rainy day.