2 minute read
What Wine to Pair with the Villani & Co. Grilled Cheshire Pork Chop
VILLANI & CO. | GRILLED CHESHIRE PORK CHOP + CLINE EIGHT SPUR ZINFANDEL
Chef Michael Leopold is always making magic at Villani & Co. and the brined and grilled pork chop meal from the special menu is his latest trick. “With this dish in particular we start with a super high-quality product,” Leopold says.
“It’s Cheshire pork from North Carolina that has been sustainably raised with no steroids, hormones or artificial ingredients. I buy the whole rack of pork and we break it down ourselves.”
For this dish, Leopold utilizes the pork rib chop. He starts by brining the chops for 24 hours in a brown sugar and kosher-salt-based brine that is packed with fragrant ingredients like garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Pork is a lean meat, so brining it imparts moisture, while the aromatics infuse it with flavor. The brined chop is seared in a cast iron skillet until it develops a golden crust, and then basted with whole butter with the same herbs from the brining liquid. The pork is served on top of a creamy polenta made from stone-ground cornmeal, and then topped with a red-wine-based gorgonzola cream sauce with shallots and fresh thyme. The dish gets a pop of sweetness from bourbon-soaked dried cranberries, while the addition of peppery arugula helps cut through the richness of the gorgonzola sauce.
The dish is a symphony of flavors, textures and colors, but everything comes together in perfect harmony. Pork can be paired with either red or white wine depending on the cut of meat and how it’s prepared. This dish has a lot of strong flavors, so Leopold feels it pairs best with a wine that can hold its own against it. His recommendation is the Cline Eight Spur Zinfandel from Dry Valley Creek in California. Bold and fruit-forward, this red wine is bright enough to hold up against the assertive gorgonzola and helps pick up the sweetness of the bourbon-soaked berries.
Villani & Co., 19790 Wellen Park Boulevard, Venice, 941-584-4434, villaniandcowellenpark.com
