This month we present a white wine from Campania and a red wine from Tuscany.
There is no doubt that some of the best and most distinctive whites in Italy are now made in Campania.
I flipped when I tasted the Vadiapetri Coda di Volpe. Coda di Volpe is an indigenous grape and this baby, made by Raffaele Troisi of Vadiaperti, has a straw yellow color with aromas of ripe fruit, (pineapple, white peaches), as well as delicate scents of brush and licorice. Beautiful nose, youthful, med+ intensity, melon, floral component, salty earth, mineral, lemongrass, and a soft citrus like creaminess. On the palate, dry, juicy fruit, mineral, flowers, real nice acidity, a medium body, and a nice finish. Coda di Volpe means fox tail .
Aia Vecchia Lagone IGT Bolgheri, located near the coast in Tuscany, is ground zero for Super Tuscans; it's there where Ornellaia, the first Tuscan wine to be called such was made. Super Tuscans are wines that don't rely on the traditional Tuscan mix of Sangilvese and Canaiolo; instead they are based on the traditional Bordeaux grapes (Merlot, Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon).
Aia Vecchia is the name of an old building, deep in the Tuscan countryside between Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci. This is an area where the microclimate and ideally suited soils make it possible to make great wine. The property consists of 69 hectares of open ground: 48 are vineyards, 30 of which are under the Bolgheri DOC, planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lagone IGT has sweet, well-delineated aromatics that lead to bright red fruits, spices and new leather. The wine shows impeccable balance and a long, harmonious finish underpinned by bright, focused acidity. This is easily one of the finest bottles of wine from Maremma you can find for $20!! Lagone is 60% Merlot, 35 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 12 months in small oak barrels.
Recipes:
Calamari alla Piastra with Chickpea Salad and Oilve-Pesto
"Alla piastra" means cooking on a flat griddle over a hot fire, and is popular throughout Italy and the Mediterranean. You can substitute a cast iron skillet, or even a thick piece of slate for the piastra.
Serves 6
3 pounds cleaned calamari
1/4 cup extra-virgin oilve oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 cans of chickpeas (15oz), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mustard seeds
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup black olive paste
4 jalapenos
12 basil leaves, cut into thin slivers
Cut the calamari bodies in half if large. Split the tentacles into 2 pieces each.
Combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mint, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a large bowl. Toss the calamari and stir well to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Put the chickpeas into a bowl and add the oil, vinegar, scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds, and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Combine the oil, orange zest, olive paste, jalapenos and basil in a small bowl, mixing well. Set aside.
Preheat a grill and place a piastra on the top. Wrap a clean brick in two layers of heavy duty foil and set it on top of the piastra to heat for 10 minutes.
Drain the calamari in a colander.
Carefully remove the brick from the piastra. Place a handful of the calamari on the piastra, place the brick on top, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until well charred. Lift off the brick, and carefully transfer the calamari to a clean bowl. Repeat with the remaining calamari in batches.
Pout the olive pesto over the calamari and stir well. Serve with the chickpea salad.
For the Bolgheri Rigatoni with Tuna Bolognese
The recipe is by the very talented seafood chef, David Pasternack, of NYC restaurant Esca. Kate, one of my former sous chefs is now the am sous chef at the restaurant, and was very proud to have been in charge of the kitchen all three times that Frank Bruni, food critic with the NYT, came in to review the restaurant in 2007. They were awarded 3 stars!
This very creative take on a classic recipe works incredibly well with the Lagone due to the meatiness of the tuna.
Serves 4
2 pounds fresh tuna, cut into large chunks
10 ounces pancetta, cut into medium dice
6 ounces fresh mackerel, (sub sardines), cut into large chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bottle dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
28 ounces (1 can) whole peeled plum tomatoes
1 pound dried rigatoni
1/2 pound mascarpone cheese
In a food processor, pulse the tuna, pancetta, and mackerel until coarsely ground. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground tuna mixture, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring with a fork, until all juices are dry and the bottom of the pan begins to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the red wine, bay leaf, red pepper, and cinnamon stick, and cook until dry, about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, crushing them by hand, and their juice, and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. The sauce should be moist, not wet. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and adjust the seasoning.
Cook the rigatoni in boiling salted water. Drain, and combine with the Bolognese sauce. Divide among four serving bowls. Top each with 1/4 cup of the mascarpone, and season with salt and pepper.
