Ortolana garden salad

A classic mixed salad enriched with chicken and cheese to be served with warm focaccia and a glass of Vette di San Leonardo 2018.

Ingredients:

Fresh, mixed garden salad greens, a spring of basil, a spring of celery, several cabbage leaves, 4-5 Pacchino tomatoes, 150g Emmental cheese, ½ a boiled chicken, 150g homemade mayonnaise (see below) and a pinch of paprika.

For the mayonnaise (all the ingredients have to be room temperature and not refrigerator cold): 1 egg yolk, 125ml extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, juice from ½ lemon and a teaspoon of vinegar.

Directions:

Preparing the mayonnaise: Put the egg yolk in a fairly deep bowl and add a pinch of salt, pepper and the vinegar. 

Blend the yolk using a hand whip (or an electric mixer at a low speed) and always in the same direction.

After a few minutes of working the yolks begin to trickle in the EVOO. This is the most delicate stage of the preparation because the EVOO has to be mixed in very slowly, better if drop by drop while blending.

Once the oil has been fully mixed in, add the lemon juice that has been well filtered and do this without every stopping to blend the mayonnaise that at this point should have solidified.

Should the mayonnaise become too dense you can add some EVOO to obtain the desired consistency while, vice versa, if it is too thin, add another egg yolk.

Cover the mayonnaise bowl with plastic wrap before putting it in the refrigerator to sit, adding more salt or pepper if necessary.

Cut and mix the salad, cabbage leaves, basil and celery and mix in the tomatoes that have been cut in half, the chicken that has been chopped into small pieces and the Emmantal that has also been cut into small pieces.

Mix the mayonnaise into the salad, salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of paprika.

Wine to pair:

Vette di San Leonardo 2018 Tenuta San Leonardo

Light greenish yellow color. Classic and varietal aromas of tomato leaf and delicate exotic fruits, then hints of flint. Agile taste, fresh, tense and pleasant. Softer than other versions yet delicious drinkability.

Production area: High vineyards in the Northern part of Trento province.

Grape variety: Sauvignon Blanc with e yield per hectare of 9 tons. 

Harvest: The grapes are picked strictly by hand on reaching perfect ripeness in the month of September.

Winemaking: After crushing and destemming, the grapes are vinified without the skins; they then undergo pre-fermentative cold maceration, and soft pressing under the protection of nitrogen. Cold fermentation at 12˚C for 12 days. Maturation 5 months on the yeasts in stainless steel, with frequent bâtonnage, cold-stabilization, clarification, filtration and bottling.

Alcoholic content: 12,5% vol.

Serving temperature: 7°C.

Suggested food pairing: Pleasing and intriguing as an aperitif, it is an ideal partner for fish dishes (both grilled and smoked), white meats, charcuterie and soft cheeses.

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