Mother's Day Menu with Donum Estate and Chef Greg Cole

When we first dreamed up the idea of doing something fun and special for Mother’s Day here at Donum, we knew world class food and wine would have to play a role. Which is why we decided to reach out to Chef Greg Cole, the executive chef and owner of Celadon and Cole’s Chop House in downtown Napa. We have been longtime fans of these two restaurant gems on the riverfront, and Cole has been a loyal supporter and advocate for Donum Estate as well.

Greg’s been turning out fresh, fusion dishes for over 15 years at Celadon, his award-winning restaurant tucked inside a converted 19^th century warehouse and surrounded by a lush green garden. When we asked him to come up with a Mother’s Day menu appropriate for brunch of supper, complimentary to our 2009 Carneros Estate Chardonnay, and approachable for the home chef, he didn’t bat an eyelash. A few days later, Cole offered us this recipe for an oven-braised chicken sauté with linguine and Castelvetrano olives:

2009 Donum Carneros Chardonnay

Estate Grown

Oven Braised Chicken Sauté with Chardonnay

Linguine with Tomatoes, Arugula and Castelvetrano Olives

1                      Chicken

½ tsp.               Kosher Salt

pinch                Black Pepper, fresh ground

1 Tblsp             Olive Oil

1 each              Onion, medium dice

½ tsp.               Kosher Salt

¼ tsp.               Black Pepper

6 cloves                        Garlic, thinly sliced

3                      Medium Tomatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 lbs. or 2 cups)

1 Tblsp             Rosemary, fresh chopped

2 tsp.                Oregano, fresh chopped

¼ tsp.               Thyme, fresh chopped

1 cup                White Wine

½ cup               Olives, Castelvetrano variety*, Pitted

1 cup                White Wine

-cut chicken up into pieces, season with ½ tsp. salt and pinch of black pepper

-heat olive oil in a sauté pan, add chicken and cook turning until golden brown

-remove the chicken from the pan

-add the onion and cook until transparent

-while the onions are cooking, add ½ tsp. of salt and ¼ tsp. of black pepper

-add garlic, rosemary and oregano, cook for two minutes

-add the white wine,  bring to a boil and reduce by half

-add tomatoes and olives, bring to a simmer

-arrange the chicken in the pan and cover

-place in a preheated 350 F oven for approximately 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through

-while the chicken is cooking bring a large pot of salted water to a boil

-following the box instructions cook:

1 lb.                  Linguine (any desired pasta will work fine)

-remove the chicken form the pan and set aside in a warm spot to rest

-drain the pasta well, toss the cooked noodles in the tomato pan sauce

-add

1 bunch                        Arugula, rinsed, long stems removed

½ cup               Parmesan Cheese, fresh grated

-toss the pasta and arugula in the sauce to coat, arrange pasta and chicken on a serving plate

-top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy with a glass of Donum Estate Chardonnay

* Castelvetranos are harvested young and cured in lightly salted brine, which accounts for their bright green hue and meaty texture. With a mild flavored that's both salty and sweet.  Available at some gourmet stores, other olives can be substituted.

We wish you all a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.
Cheers,
Brooke and the Donum Estate Team