My kitchen, my happy place.
I have spent a lot of the last few weeks in my kitchen. This, however, is not a problem for me. My kitchen is my comfort zone, my room of Zen, my happy place. Cooking is one of my favorite past times, along with eating, and pairing wine with my meals to make an ideal match. So spending time watching things simmer and sauté (glass of wine in hand) makes me quite happy.
Here are a couple of the tasty things I’ve been creating recently, and the lovely wine pairings that go with.
Braised Chicken Legs over Creamy Polenta
Serves 6
I love braising chicken. It’s remarkably easy, inexpensive, and full flavored. And in this recipe you can easily make substitutions with what you have on hand.
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 bone-in chicken legs, skin on, split into legs and thighs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 thyme sprigs
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
4 cups of fresh spinach
In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add half to the skillet skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, crushed red pepper and bay leaves and thyme and cook, stirring, until veggies have begun to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer over moderately low heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock and the tomatoes with their juices and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the chicken to the sauce along with any accumulated juices and simmer over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is flavorful, about an hour. At the last moment add spinach and stir in to just wilt. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Creamy Polenta
This recipe makes enough polenta for dinner and leftovers. Chill left over polenta in a flat pan and cut into desired shape and pan fry, yum!
9 cups water
1 tablespoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy pot. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and parsley. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.
Wine Pairing:
I paired this meal with a Spanish Tempranillo. The Mirabuena has notes of black raspberry, cassis, black currant, and scraps of earth. It’s lush and brambly. The palate offers a great balance, bright acidity, fine, fine tannin, and ripe fruit.
Gnocchi with Prosciutto, Sundried Tomato and Spinach
Serves up to 12
I’m including a recipe for homemade gnocchi (Mario Batali’s recipe), which I’ve made twice. The first try was not a success and honestly the second was good, but not great. Until I perfect my technique, I use the store bought stuff for convenience and if you decide to do so as well, I promise not to tell.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
10 sundried tomatoes, sliced thin
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
4 oz. prosciutto, sliced into ribbons
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, add garlic and let cook until just starting to turn golden, careful not to burn. Add sundried tomatoes and spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
Cook gnocchi according to package instructions or see recipe below.
Add gnocchi to pan, toss in prosciutto and Parmesan and toss to coat, adding a little of the gnocchi pasta water to create a bit of sauce. Serve immediately with more fresh Parmesan on top.
For gnocchi:
3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through food mill or ricer onto clean board.
Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.
Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.
Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling salted water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water.
Wine Pairing:
This meal has a lot of flavors, sweet sundried tomato, salty prosciutto, and delicately earthy potato gnocchi. I found a perfect match in the La Chiantigiane Saggio Chianti. Sangiovese from Tuscany is an ideal match with it’s bright, clean flavors. A fruity nose of fresh red cherry and strawberry with hints of something that suggests a spring garden. Bits of that gardening soil and ripe red fruit fill the mouth with bright acidity and a pristine finish.
Here are a couple of the tasty things I’ve been creating recently, and the lovely wine pairings that go with.
Braised Chicken Legs over Creamy Polenta
Serves 6
I love braising chicken. It’s remarkably easy, inexpensive, and full flavored. And in this recipe you can easily make substitutions with what you have on hand.
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 bone-in chicken legs, skin on, split into legs and thighs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 thyme sprigs
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
4 cups of fresh spinach
In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add half to the skillet skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, crushed red pepper and bay leaves and thyme and cook, stirring, until veggies have begun to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer over moderately low heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock and the tomatoes with their juices and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the chicken to the sauce along with any accumulated juices and simmer over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is flavorful, about an hour. At the last moment add spinach and stir in to just wilt. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Creamy Polenta
This recipe makes enough polenta for dinner and leftovers. Chill left over polenta in a flat pan and cut into desired shape and pan fry, yum!
9 cups water
1 tablespoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy pot. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and parsley. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the polenta to a bowl and serve.
Wine Pairing:
I paired this meal with a Spanish Tempranillo. The Mirabuena has notes of black raspberry, cassis, black currant, and scraps of earth. It’s lush and brambly. The palate offers a great balance, bright acidity, fine, fine tannin, and ripe fruit.
Gnocchi with Prosciutto, Sundried Tomato and Spinach
Serves up to 12
I’m including a recipe for homemade gnocchi (Mario Batali’s recipe), which I’ve made twice. The first try was not a success and honestly the second was good, but not great. Until I perfect my technique, I use the store bought stuff for convenience and if you decide to do so as well, I promise not to tell.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
10 sundried tomatoes, sliced thin
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
4 oz. prosciutto, sliced into ribbons
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, add garlic and let cook until just starting to turn golden, careful not to burn. Add sundried tomatoes and spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
Cook gnocchi according to package instructions or see recipe below.
Add gnocchi to pan, toss in prosciutto and Parmesan and toss to coat, adding a little of the gnocchi pasta water to create a bit of sauce. Serve immediately with more fresh Parmesan on top.
For gnocchi:
3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through food mill or ricer onto clean board.
Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.
Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.
Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling salted water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water.
Wine Pairing:
This meal has a lot of flavors, sweet sundried tomato, salty prosciutto, and delicately earthy potato gnocchi. I found a perfect match in the La Chiantigiane Saggio Chianti. Sangiovese from Tuscany is an ideal match with it’s bright, clean flavors. A fruity nose of fresh red cherry and strawberry with hints of something that suggests a spring garden. Bits of that gardening soil and ripe red fruit fill the mouth with bright acidity and a pristine finish.
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