Wine Enthusiast |
- Three Classic Italian Chicken Dishes and the Styles of Wine to Pair
- Carmine De Falco’s Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Piccata alla Siciliana
- Chicken Saltimbocca alla Terza
- 10 Sparkling Wines That Are Perfect for Cocktails
| Three Classic Italian Chicken Dishes and the Styles of Wine to Pair Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:30 AM PDT  A major influence on winemaking the world over, Italy‘s enduring and evolving vinous culture is often the central focus. But the country’s dining traditions have no doubt been just as impactful. Learn more about the three Italian dishes that feature easy-to-find and easy to-love cuts of chicken, and have become fixtures of the American culinary canon. Between 1880 and the dawn of World War I in 1914, millions emigrated from Italy to the U.S. and forever changed the country in myriad ways—not least its wine and food. Chicken cacciatore, piccata and saltimbocca are just three examples of the many Italian dishes that have since become an enduring part of the American culinary canon. While several variations exist, read on to discover the essential components of each alongside intel to help you match them expertly with wine. Chicken CacciatoreWhat It Is: Today, cacciatore is taken to mean a wide variety of preparations. James Beard, an American chef and cookbook author, once said, “practically everything but a henna rinse has been given the chicken which goes by this name.” Technically speaking, however, cacciatore translates to “hunter.” And in the culinary world, it’s often understood as chicken or rabbit braised with tomatoes, herbs, onions and garlic, a nod to hunters’ use of garlic and strong herbs to season game. Several regions of central Italy, especially Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio, claim to be the origin of cacciatore, but it’s a dish with nearly as many versions as there are cooks. How To Pair It: Regardless of your exact preparation, a safe bet would be a young Sangiovese, like Rosso di Montalcino or Chianti. Sangiovese is a classic pairing with tomato sauces, as it often boasts flavors of roasted tomato, and it stands up well to garlic, spices and dried herbs. Another option is Primitivo. The popular Puglian pour is perfect with roasted, braised and grilled meats, especially those with powerful, concentrated flavors.  Chicken PiccataWhat It Is: Piccata essentially means “sharp” or “piquant.” In Italy, many different cuts of meat can be used, with the commonalities being the piquant addition of citrus and capers. But in the U.S., piccata most closely resembles piccata Milanese, a regional Lombardy take featuring thin pounded veal, chicken or thin-sliced swordfish cooked quickly in butter and seasoned simply with lemon and capers. As American veal consumption started to decline in the 1960s, chicken became increasingly popular. Now, it’s likely the most common piccata stateside. How To Pair It: Lemon and capers are what complicate things. The zippy pops of flavor heed a wine with enough acidity to match. However, chicken browned in copious amounts of butter or oil needs wine with some structure. While an oak-aged Chardonnay could merge well with the citrus and butter elements, a lighter-bodied red wine would contribute tannins to help cut the fat and refresh the palate. Nerello Mascalese, a dark-skinned Sicilian grape, offers a solution. It makes crisp, light-bodied wines that can be intensely aromatic and flavorful, and would lend fresh red fruit, herb and spice notes. Also try Valtellina Superiore, elegant, Nebbiolo-based wines made in the mountains of Lombardy that can be lighter-bodied alternatives to Barolo or Barbaresco. Chicken SaltimboccaWhat It Is: Saltimbocca, “jump in the mouth,” is an apt name for this lively dish made originally with veal layered with prosciutto and sage. Though many consider it a Roman classic, historians trace it to Brescia, in the Lombardy region. Regardless, it’s now beloved throughout Italy. As with piccata, the veal has been largely supplanted by chicken in the U.S., though flattened pork cutlets are also a popular variation. The chicken can be prepared flat or rolled like roulade. In some versions, sage is replaced with basil, and cheese is also a popular addition. How To Pair It: Saltimbocca has several powerful flavors. You’ll want something with some intensity and body but also with enough acid to cut through richer characters. The white blends of Collio, a region near the Slovenian border in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, can be beautiful with saltimbocca. They’re bold and structured, with elegance, refreshing acidity and complex minerality. Another interesting choice would be Timorasso, a lesser-known Piedmont white. Intense and full bodied, it shows crisp acidity among flavors of creamy stone fruit, cooked apple and wildflower honey with a savory herbal undercurrent that would pull out the sage. |
| Carmine De Falco’s Chicken Cacciatore Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:25 AM PDT  Courtesy Giovannina De Falco, Brooklyn, NY This recipe is a favorite of the De Falco family. Giovannina's father, Carmine De Falco, was born in Naples in 1898, and immigrated to Brooklyn in 1920. Over time, his cacciatore recipe was adapted to whatever ingredients were readily available. Wings make for a flavorful and fun eat-with-your-hands dish, but it can also be made with a whole chicken cut into two-inch pieces. |
| Chicken Piccata alla Siciliana Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:20 AM PDT  Courtesy Giuseppe Clementi, winemaker, Cantine Ermes (@cantineermes) In the U.S., piccata usually refers to thin pounded veal, chicken or even swordfish that's cooked quickly in butter and seasoned simply with lemon and capers. In fact, the dish can feature many pieces or thicknesses of meat in Italy and elsewhere. The version here is made with bone-in chicken thighs and uses ingredients typical of Sicily. It finds brightness not just in lemon and capers, but from olives, tomatoes, hot chilies, rosé and pungent fresh herbs. |
| Chicken Saltimbocca alla Terza Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:15 AM PDT  Courtesy Cesarina Mezzoni, chef/owner, Cesarina, San Diego (@cesarinapasta) Opened in 2019, San Diego's Cesarina serves food inspired by the home cooking of Mezzoni's native Rome. Her take on this dish includes a Pecorino-pepper butter and a garnish of figs, a classic match for prosciutto. Alla terza means "to the third," which Mezzoni says describes her version because "it combines three of my favorite Roman dishes: saltimbocca, cacio e pepe and prosciutto e fichi." She likes to serve it with gnocchi alla Romana, which are like baked disks of cheesy semolina dumplings, but it's hearty enough to stand on its own. |
| 10 Sparkling Wines That Are Perfect for Cocktails Posted: 30 Jul 2021 04:00 AM PDT  Many cocktails use sparkling wine as a key ingredient, but the quality of sparkler used is often an afterthought. Oftentimes, it might be tempting to grab the cheapest bottle around, but nothing ruins a cocktail like bad ingredients. Prosecco is popular for sparkling wine cocktails because the crisp acidity and light citrus flavors play well with the other ingredients like fruit juices and bitters, but any high-quality sparkling wine will do—and is essential—for a stellar, spritz-worthy cocktail. Saracco 2019 Moscato d’Asti; $17, 95 points. From the producer that put Moscato d’Asti on the map, this exhilarating, fragrant wine offers heady aromas of citrus blossom, yellow stone fruit, lemon and botanical herb. Reflecting the nose, the savory, vibrant palate doles out juicy apricot and yellow peach while notes of sage and rosemary add depth. Crisp acidity balances the sweetness and gives it a pristine, tangy finish while a foaming mousse lends finesse. WinesU. Editors' Choice. —Kerin O'Keefe Soul Squeeze 2017 The Pearl Sparkling Rosé (Old Mission Peninsula); $28, 91 points. Scented with strawberry and green apple, this wine is a beautiful salmon pink color in the glass. The palate doles out ripe Macintosh apple and Valencia orange, with a fine mousse and tart acidity. Juicy and bright, this is really easy and enjoyable, ending on a pithy lemon note. —Fiona Adams Domaine Rolet NV Blanc Brut Sparkling (Crémant de Jura); $25, 90 points. Apart from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in this blend, everything else is uniquely Jurassien. This Crémant has touches of yeastiness and tight, tangy acidity along with orange-blossom fragrance. It is ready to drink. Skurnik Wines, Inc. —Roger Voss Ruggeri & C. 2020 Argeo Rosé (Prosecco); $15, 90 points. This light-hearted, savory sparkler has delicate, inviting aromas of green apple, red berry and tropical fruit. Dry and crisp, the delightful palate offers crushed pomegranate, pear and citrus alongside tangy acidity and a foaming mousse. WinesU. Best Buy. —K.O. Sella & Mosca NV Torbato (Vino Spumante); $25, 90 points. Fresh and refined, this lovely, easygoing sparkler opens with heady scents of white spring wildflower, white stone fruit and a whiff of Mediterranean brush. Savory and crisp, the vibrant palate doles out ripe white peach, green apple and lemon drop alongside small, continuous bubbles. Taub Family Selections. —K.O. Angels & Cowboys NV Brut Rosé (California); $25, 89 points. A sense of elegance and gracefulness singles this wine out. Light floral and cinnamon aromas merge into crisp but rather ripe cherry and raspberry flavors in this light-bodied, well-balanced wine. —Jim Gordon Fritz Müller NV Perlwein Rosa Trocken Secco Sparkling (Rheinhessen); $18, 89 points. A flurry of nose tingling sparkles invigorate this delicately sweet, easy-drinking sparkler. Packed with juicy raspberry and red-cherry flavors, it’s a juicy blend of Portugieser and Pinot Noir braced by zippy acidity and just a hint of crushed stone. This is a delightfully cheerful semisparkling wine best enjoyed young. The German Wine Collection. —Anna Lee C. Iijima Gruet NV Brut Rosé Sparkling (America); $18, 89 points. The color of Versilia Peach roses, this sparkler offers quiet aromas of strawberry, plum and saltine cracker. The palate is delicate, showing strawberry, apple, biscuits and lemon juice flavors on a soft, fine mousse. It finishes on a squeeze of lemon and baguette, with a hint of watermelon. —F.A. Alki NV Sparkling (Columbia Valley); $20, 88 points. Fresh, clean aromas of apple and pear lead to a palate that carries a lot of sugar. There are good things happening, but it needs a bit more acidity to tie them all together. —Sean P. Sullivan Domaine du Petit Coteau NV Brut (Vouvray); $20, 88 points. A crisp wine with baked-apple and taut fruitiness, this is light, poised and delicious. The acidity, lightly tracing around the fruit, is well in balance. Drink now. Organic. Taub Family Selections. —R.V. |
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