Friday, August 29, 2008
Restaurants Zola: Brisket Ascendant With Virgo Rising
Posted by Nicki Wood on Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 5:00 AM
Fall’s a-brewin’ at Zola: Deb Paquette was recently ensconced on her home sofa, browsing cookbooks working up the autumn menu, just as Emile Zola is doing in this Manet portrait at the Musee d'Orsay. And she just slipped a braised dish in among the current offerings. “Chefs love autumn,” she says.
In Paquette’s meticulous hands (“lots of restaurateurs are Virgos; it’s that perfectionism”), brisket is braised for eight hours in Rioja wine with vegetables, ancho chiles and raisins, for a flavor profile she calls “sort of a middle Spain.” It’s served with a ravioli of Idiazabal (a smoked Basque cheese) and topped with corn romesco.
All together now: Mmmmmmmm.
