THE GRAPE AND THE OLIVE - Chicken al Mattone

Honest, beautifully prepared Tuscan cuisine has won the North Beach Restaurant in San Francisco, CA (1512 Stockton Street, 415.392.1700) an enduring reputation as one of that city's culinary gems. Founded in 1970 by Bruno Orsi and Lorenzo Petroni, the restaurant now also offers Lorenzo's outstanding olive oil, made in the Tuscan style from olives grown in California's Sonoma Valley. Lorenzo's daughter, Lora, suggests pairing Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' 2001 FAY Cabernet Sauvignon with "brick chicken" made with flavorful Petroni oil. "Don't cook the chicken too long, or it tastes like a hockey puck," she cautions. "But cooked properly, this very simple dish is delicious with a rich Cabernet. Fresh ingredients, simple concepts, love, and a bottle of FAY will make you very happy."

Chicken al Mattone (Serves 4)

two 3-pound free-range chickens
1 pinch each salt and pepper
1/2 cup Petroni 2003 Extra-Virgin Olive Oil*
4 sprigs rosemary
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Cut the chickens in half. Using a sharp knife, remove the wing tips. Partially cut through the hip joint, without cutting the skin, just so that the chicken half will lie flat. Using a flat-sided meat tenderizer or a hammer, pound the chicken halves to flatten them further. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine with the oil, garlic, and rosemary and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two cast-iron pans with a little of the oil from the marinade and heat over a high flame. When the pans are hot, remove the chicken halves from the marinade. Discard the remaining oil and the garlic and rosemary.

Place the chicken halves in the hot pans, skin side down, pressing the meat flat.Weigh them down with foil-wrapped bricks or other heavy weights, so that they remain flat as they cook. Move the pans to the oven. After 12 minutes, remove the weights. Turn the chicken halves over and cook for an additional 12 minutes. Be sure not to overcook! Serve immediately.