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Mediterranean Summer Part 1

With lake season starting in just a few short weeks, its time to start dusting off the grill and planning your summer kick-off weekend! Of all of Europe, the Mediterranean coast is my favorite place to spend the last month of spring. The food is fresh, the water is warm, and the people treat you like family. Barcelona, Nice, Monaco, Sorrento, Malta, Santorini, Dubrovnik, you name it, and it has something unique and different to offer. Now, I’m not suggesting that we all hop on a plane, but wouldn’t that be fantastic? I am suggesting we bring a little bit of the Mediterranean to our home. Join me for a Mediterranean summer, as we travel back through some of our favorite places along the Mediterranean coast. To kick it off, we’ll start with Sorrento.

Sorrento Coastline

Sorrento is a charming cliffside village situated on the south-east coast of Italy, located under Naples, just a few miles from Mt. Vesuvius and around the corner from Almafi. It’s origins date back to around 90 B.C. and has been owned, occupied, or controlled by several countries and influential families. It is a special little place where time stands still, and for a moment, you can get lost in the centuries past. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of modern conveniences. Cars, running water, 5-star Hotels, even an elevator that will take you from the top of the cliff down to the beach below. There are tight winding alleys packed with shops and buildings painted in a melody of light colors. A Perfect spot to sit, enjoy an espresso and gaze out across the open ocean. One of the things they are most known for is Limoncello. Limoncello being sold by the same families in the same shops, using the same recipes their families have used for over a hundred years. A sweet, refreshing liquor, it is something that can easily be made at home and is great for sipping while relaxing around the lake. While traditional recipes require several months of
aging, I will share with you a recipe I learned while in Sorrento that can be completed in a day, and while it will mellow with time, it is ready to drink from day 1!

Caprese Salad

Directly off the coast of Sorrento is the island of Capri. While there are many worthwhile things about the island; the blue grotto, upscale hotels, handmade leather product, beautiful landscape, and designer fashion, we are interested in their namesake salad, the Caprese Salad. A menu item I’m sure you have
seen before, its origins are a little vague and by best account came to the dining seen in the early 1900s. Rumor says it might have been created to honor the colors of the Italian flag and showcase some of the nations best ingredients. This salad is comprised of fresh buffalo mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, vibrant and aromatic basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this salad easily makes my list of a seasonal must for the summer.

Join me next week for another Mediterranean Adventure. I will have a few recipes up for you all shortly as well.

Have a Great Day,

Chef Ryan Grimm

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Coq au Vin

Made famous in the U.S. by Julia Childs both in her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the cooking demonstrations she did on PBS, Coq au Vin is a perfect dish to try as summer comes to an end and the weather begins to cool. This classic French dish has its origins in rustic peasant cooking. Peasants could generally only afford the cheapest meats that their ‘betters’ had no desire for. This meant that instead of fresh young chicken or ‘poulet’ they were forced to buy rooster or ‘coq’, which was generally tough and stringy. Given the toughness of the rooster, the peasants needed to find a way of tenderizing the bird, the preferred method for this was braising. At its heart, Coq au Vin is a stew and often includes onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and usually served with potatoes or pasta.

Coq au Vin
By Chef Ryan Grimm

Coq au Vin

  • 1 Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour for dusting
  • 4 slice smoked bacon – Cut into short strips or ‘lardons’
  • 6 ounces button mushroom, washed and medium diced
  • 1 cup pear onions – peeled
  • 1 cup diced – medium carrot
  • 1 cup celery – medium diced
  • 4 garlic clove – chopped
  • 4 oz brandy
  • 1 bottle dry red wine
  • 1 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 sprig fresh thyme
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

  • Dust the chicken with salt, pepper, and flour. Set to side.
  • In a heavy cast iron pot, render the bacon until crisp, remove the bacon and set aside to use later. Slowly add the chicken and cook over medium heat until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Turn chicken and continue cooking until golden brown.
  • Remove chicken from the pan and add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and mushroom; cook until lightly caramelized.
  • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and brandy and add the tomato paste, chicken, bacon and thyme. Bring to a boil than turn down to a simmer on very low heat and cover for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is tender and begins falling off the bone.
  • Gently remove the chicken and allow the sauce to reduce by half. Once the sauce has thickened, return the chicken and serve with your favorite pasta or potatoes!