TASTE
Concords juice up granita, flatbread, pork dish
| Purple reigns |
Los Angeles Times
The first recipe is from Mark Peel, chef-owner of Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles. He recommends using beaujolais for its relatively low alcohol content.
The other two recipes are from Donna Deane, the Los Angeles Times' test kitchen director.
CONCORD GRAPE GRANITA
In a medium saucepan, combine the grapes, 1 cup of the wine, the black pepper, cloves and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining wine. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer, pressing the grapes with the back of a wooden spoon to extract any juice. Discard grapes.
Place the mixture in a wide, shallow glass baking dish and cover loosely with foil. Place the dish in the freezer, and leave it 2 to 3 hours until the granita freezes solid. Before serving, place the frozen granita in the refrigerator to soften slightly. To achieve a slushy texture, scrape the granita with a fork into serving bowls. Serve immediately.
Total time: About 12 minutes
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
CONCORD GRAPE FLATBREAD
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Stir in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
Transfer the yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of the rosemary, the orange zest and the salt. With a fork, beat in 1 cup of the flour until blended. Beat in the remaining 1 cup flour. On a lightly floured board, knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth and satiny.
Place the dough into a large bowl lightly coated with 1 teaspoon olive oil and turn to coat all sides of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and knead lightly for a minute, then pull and shape into a 16-inch- by-9-inch rectangle on a baking sheet.
In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of the chopped rosemary in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat just until warm. Brush the top of the dough with it. Let the dough rise until puffy and doubled, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the grapes and pat dry. You can either remove the seeds from the grapes or leave them intact. They can be removed quite easily without cutting the grapes in half: Insert the tip of a small knife into the stem end of the grape and lift out the seeds. Toss the grapes with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and let stand while the dough is rising.
Using your fingers, make random indentations to cover the entire surface of the bread, as with focaccia. Gently press the grapes into the indentations to keep them in place. Sprinkle the top of the bread with the remaining 1 teaspoon fennel. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until browned and the grapes have popped open. Remove from the oven to a wooden board to cut into serving-size pieces.
Total time: About 1 hour, plus rising time.
Makes 16 servings.
PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CONCORD GRAPE SAUCE
Using paper towels, pat any moisture from the surface of the pork medallions. Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
In a heavy 10-inch skillet, heat the butter and oil over high heat. Add the pork medallions to the skillet and sear until nicely browned, 2 minutes. The meat should release easily from the pan when turning. Brown the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute so the meat is still slightly underdone. Remove the pork medallions from the skillet to a plate, cover and keep warm.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the shallots to the skillet and quickly saute for 1 minute, then add the garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add the grapes and saute, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Saute the grapes for 2 minutes until they begin to collapse. Add the red wine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste.
Place the medallions back into the skillet along with any drippings and simmer, spooning the sauce over the pork medallions as they warm, 1 to 2 minutes or until just pink in the center. Remove the meat from the skillet (leave the sauce in the pan) and arrange on a platter or on serving plates.
Add the butter to the pan, tilting the pan and swirling the butter until the sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon some of the sauce with the grapes over each serving.
Total time: 30 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.