Bottega - Michael Chiarello [66]
Wine Pairing: Brunello or Syrah
HERB PASTE
1 loosely packed cup fresh sage leaves
½ cup fresh rosemary leaves
½ cup fresh thyme leaves
4 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 cups fresh mint leaves
1½ cups fresh oregano leaves
6 bay leaves
8 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon butcher’s salt (see Resources) or coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups olive oil
2 cups dry white wine
One 7-pound boneless pork butt or pork shoulder
One 32-pound suckling pig (ask the butcher to semi-bone it)
4 recipes Ancient-Grain Polenta
48 fresh figs, or dried figs rehydrated in water or a combination of water and wine
Finely shredded fresh basil leaves for garnish
FOR THE HERB PASTE: In a food processor, or in a blender in batches, combine the herbs, garlic, and salts. Process to a coarse purée. With the machine running, add the oil and wine and purée until smooth.
Cut about half of the pork butt into pieces 2 inches square. You’ll use these to stuff cavities where the shoulder blade and femur were removed from the suckling pig. Cut the remaining half of the pork butt into strips about 6 inches long and 1½ inches wide. You’ll pack these strips where the spine was. The goal is to have boneless meat from neck to tail.
With your fingers or a large spoon, coat the pig with the herb marinade (as shown in the photo at upper left). Place the remaining pork butt on top of the herb-covered pig. Using kitchen twine and a trussing needle, close up the pig in even stitches. Or, if you prefer, just tie the pig closed and forget about the sewing step.
At Bottega, we roast these in restaurant-size ovens. A good option for backyard roasting is La Caja China (see Resources), which is an oversize roasting box ideal for a whole pig. Know the weight of your pig and follow the directions included with the roasting box for the correct cooking time.
Another option is to have your butcher cut the suckling pig in half and place a 3- to 4-pound pork roast inside each half. Your butcher can help you tie the animal so the roast is well wrapped within each half. Preheat two ovens to 250°F. Put each half in a standard roasting pan and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until the pig is completely tender; when done the legs will move freely when tugged on.
Cut off the head and set aside. Slice the center as shown in the top photo at near left, taking care that the pork stuffing stays in place. Spoon polenta to one side of each warmed plate, add a slice of the pig, accompany with a few figs, and top with some shredded basil.
CHEF’S NOTE: You can buy a smaller suckling pig; just reduce the size of the pork butt by the same percentage.
A Meaningful History
Before this valley was a wine destination, the Chutney Kitchen made jars of chutney to sell and was a café as well. It was the gathering place in the Napa Valley in the 1980s. If you had a farming problem, the Chutney Kitchen was our friendlier version of the Internet; you could always go there and find farmers with the answers you needed, along with some good food.
It is here, where Bottega is today, that the wine, food, and hospitality for which this valley is known first came together. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about this building’s past, with much gratitude that I get to work here and add my own stories to its history. To occupy this space infuses my food with meaning and soul.
Smoked and Braised Natural Short Ribs with Roasted Cipollini Onions and Smoky Jus
SERVES 6
Of all the dishes I made on Top Chef Masters, this one was by far the most popular. We’ve been making this dish for twenty years, and I haven’t tasted a better short rib anywhere (and I don’t say that about many of the dishes I make).
There are three steps: brine, cold-smoke, and braise. You’ll brine the ribs for 3 hours, then cold-smoke them for 30 minutes so the smoke flavor gets pulled into the middle of the meat when you braise the ribs—it’s not just a smoke jacket. Even in midwinter, it’s worth breaking out the grill for a killer cold-smoked and