Giro d'Italia '20 - Stage 14: Conegliano to Valdobbiadene
Today was a short 34km time trial stage for the riders, although this was no normal flat-stage. They swung into wine country, and not just any wine country...prosecco country! Today’s stage was designated a Prosecco DOCG time-trial stage to highlight a product of the specific region of Northern Italy in Valdobbiadene, located in the Veneto region. Valdobbiadene is about 50km north of Venice. So, what does DOCG mean anyway? Well, much like any bubbly white wine made outside of Champagne, France, can’t legally be called, or even considered, champagne, the same applies to prosecco. There are two labels you’ll see on food and wine products: DOC and DOCG. DOC means it comes from the general, regional area surrounding the locale that has a claim to a certain product, in this case, Valdobbiadene. DOCG means the product is strictly from Valdobbiadene and is a legitimate product controlled not only by location, but the product is even sampled by a government employee to ensure quality and authenticity before it is bottled. Talk about a great government job!
Since today was especially focussed on craft and tradition, I too wanted a dish to match up to the heritage of prosecco and traditional items that you may find if you were out up in the area surrounding the winery-stapled hills of Valdobbiadene. I decided to rotisserie some herb-rubbed guinea hens -- another day, another new tool to use! -- and serve atop some creamy, cheesy polenta covered with a rich porcini mushroom sauce and of course, along with a glass of La Marca Luminore DOCG Prosecco Superiore.
Rotisserie Guinea Hens
2 guinea or cornish hens
Italian herbs
Extra-virgin olive oil
Rotisserie attachment
Oak or other wood chips/smoker box
Butcher string
Fill a small bowl with 1.5-2 cups wood chips and cover with water and soak for 30-60 mins. Once the chips have soaked, prepare the grill for rotisserie cooking and place the drained chips into 2 smoker boxes and place them diagonally at the North-west and South-east corners of your grill. Preheat all of the burners on high for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop a handful of sage, basil, parsley and oregano, place in a bowl with enough evoo to make an herb paste. Dry your hens and carefully pull the skin away from the meat and insert the herb paste underneath the skin and using your fingers, distribute the herb mixture evenly over the meat. Rub any remaining herbs inside the cavity of the hens and outside on the skin as well. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Truss the legs and secure with butcher string. Place the hens on the rotisserie, securing with the claws.
Place into the rotisserie motor and turn the motor on. Close the lid, turn off the middle burner to cook using the indirect method, and lower the remaining burners to low. Check the temperature of the grill after about 20 minutes and adjust as necessary to maintain around 350 throughout cooking.
The hens, usually 2.5 lbs each, should be done around 70-90 minutes. Let them rest about 15 minutes, loosely covered, before serving.
Cheesy Polenta
Be sure you purchase polenta cornmeal. In a pinch, which I found myself, you can use regular grits or a mix of grits and some ground cornmeal to add the normal, natural, yellow corn color. This recipe below
3 cups whole milk
1 cup polenta
½ stick of butter
1.5 cups freshly grated parmegiano-reggiano
Combine the milk and 1 cup of water in a pot and bring to a boil, reducing to medium. Then, whisk in the polenta and bring back to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low and whisk every 10 minutes to ensure proper texture. After 30 minutes, and a whisking, determine if it needs any more tightening up or if you’re satisfied with the consistency. Once happy with the polenta, add in the butter and cheese and whisk to combine off the heat, about a minute or so.
Porcini Mushroom Sauce
.5 oz dried porcinin mushrooms
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp cornstarch (optional)
In a bowl, combine the dried mushrooms with 2 cups hot water and cover the bowl and allow the mushrooms to rehydrate for about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms using a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board and give a rough chop. Heat a tablespoon of evoo over medium-high heat and add in the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
Add soy sauce and garlic and stir until the soy sauce has nearly evaporated, then add in the wine and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in nearly all of the mushroom broth, but not letting any grit into the pot and boil for 5 minutes. If the sauce is not thick enough after 5 minutes, add ¼ cup of hot broth to the cornstarch and whisk in a small bowl. Once the cornstarch has been fully mixed, add the slurry into the pot of mushrooms and whisk for about 30 seconds. Let boil for 30 seconds to a minute to obtain your desired consistency.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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