Tuesday's Menu and Wine Paring

Crispy Chicken Under A Brick with Sauteed Lemony Garlic Spinach

Wine Expert, Douglas Nevins of Osetra Oyster Bar & Fish Restaurant in South Norwalk, CT suggests these wines to perfectly complement the menu:
White - Peitan 'Albarino' - Rias Baixas, Spain 2008 $12.95

Red -The Crusher 'Merlot' - Clarksburg, CA 2008 $14.95

If you find yourselves in the area, I definitely implore you to stop by their restaurant for an unforgettable culinary experience! Learn more about Osetra at http://www.osetrasono.com/. Let them know you heard it here!
Crispy Chicken Under A Brick

What you'll need:
-split chicken breasts - skin on

-buttermilk

-Italian herb seasoning

-Goya Adobo seasoning

-fresh tarragon, chopped

-fresh thyme, chopped

-dried oregano

-olive oil

-a brick wrapped in foil

-salt and pepper

-dried minced onion

-minced garlic

How you'll do it:
-in a zip lock bag add your chicken, enough buttermilk to coat the chicken and add your seasonings, except for the olive oil and marinate for at least one hour

-in a large cast iron pan or large skillet coat the bottom with a bit of olive oil and heat the oil on the stove top

-preheat the oven to 400

-once the oil heats up add your chicken, skin side down in the pan; take another skillet and set the skillet on top of the chicken, then place your brick on the inside of the top skillet as to allow the pressure hit the chicken

-sear stove top for 7-10 minutes on high heat

-remove from the stove top and finish in the oven

-season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle the tops with a bit of fresh chopped parsley to serve

Sauteed Lemony Garlic Spinach:

What you'll need:
-2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

-1 lemon, juiced

-salt and pepper

-1-2 lbs of fresh spinach, shredded - do not use canned or frozen!

-olive oil

-grated or shredded Romano cheese

How you'll do it:
-in a large saute pan heat the olive oil over high heat

-add the garlic and spinach to the pan to cook and make sure you are stirring constantly until the spinach cooks down and is soft in consistency, also being careful not to burn the spinach

-to serve, add the spinach to your serving dish/ bowl and sprinkle with the fresh squeezed lemon juice

-season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the Romano cheese over the dish

I hope you enjoy tonight's menu with one of Doug's excellent wine recommendations!

Cheers!