Italian Wine Club
July Italian Wine Club Allocations and Recipe
Vivi l'Estate!
This month, we travel to Umbria, a region in Central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. This region is mostly hilly or mountainous, with topography dominated by the Apennines to the east and the Tiber valley basin. It's best known villages are Assisi (famous for its churches), Spoleto (home of a great summer music festival, Orvieto (home of a fragrant white wine), Gubbio (a lovely Medieval hillside town) and Perugia (home of Baci chocolates!!).
Although crushed between Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, and Lazio, this region has managed to conserve its original simplicity founded on certain basic ingredients: olive oil, among the best in Italy, black truffles, the hog, the lamb, durham wheat pasta of the best quality and the colombaccio, the wood-pigeon that Umbrians love.
As per usual, we have a red and a white wine , typical of the region.
First off is a Grechetto ($24), Poggio della Costa, from Sergio Mottura.
This is a great example of Grechetto - dry, with a lovely pale yellow color, good clarity, and a lovely nose reminiscent of the Italian hills that is full of aromatics, herbs, and minerals on the palate.
The wine comes from a single vineyard - the Poggio della Costa, located in the commune of Civitella d'Agliano.
Surprisingly, this wine goes well with big savory dishes such as lasagne, spaghetti alla carbonara and bucatini alla amatriciana, beans and cheek-pea soup; and of course fish dishes.
Our red wine this month is Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso ($22), a Sangiovese-based wine that's blended with the local Sagrantino and Merlot. This wine shows ample and intense varietal notes on the nose, with black cherries, plums, and violets all front and center, good power and depth on the palate and a long, lingering finish.
According to the ancient winemaking tradition of the Montefalco zone, after selecting the grapes for the production of their massive Sagrantino, additional fruit is harvested for the production of a fresh, friendly wine, ideally drunk with all the rich and tasty dishes for which Umbria is known. Added to this are grapes of varied origin from other regions, which make for a more complex and interesting wine. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and aged for one year in large Slavonian oak foudres. The result is a fresh and fruity red with cherry aromas and flavors and a rather rich and long finish.
Recipes:
For the Grechetto: Tortino with Dandelion Greens or Chicory (tortino con la cicoria)
4 people as an appetizer or 2 as a meal
An interesting variation on the theme of the frittata is this tortino, made with wild dandelion greens. The main difference between a frittata and a tortino is that the first contains only eggs and the ingredients that are being bound together with the eggs, usually vegetables, while the tortino includes cream in some regions and, in this case, flour. This addition causes the tortino to have a somewhat browned, cakelike appearance, echoing the fact that torta means cake. Flour also helps to bind the eggs with the greens, which have a high water content. If you do not have access to wild dandelion greens, chicory or curly endive may be substituted with excellent results. Enjoy this Tortoni with this months grecchetto from Sergio Mottura.
In a skillet with a tight-fitting lid, combine the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and warm over medium low heat until the garlic is softened and lightly colored but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add the greens and toss to coat in the oil. Raise the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally and always returning the cover to the pan, until the greens are wilted and sweet, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Preheat a broiler. Add the cooled greens to the egg mixture and mix well. In a 10- or 12-inch heavy-bottomed, flameproof skillet or omelet pan, warm the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot enough to make the eggs sizzle, pour the mixture into the pan, and use the back of a wooden spoon to even out the mixture in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook very gently on the bottom, moving the pan around on the surface of the burner to ensure even cooking. It is important that the heat not be too high, or the tortino will dry out on the bottom and remain raw in the center. When it is set and cooked on the bottom, after 5 to 7 minutes, remove it from the stove top. Slide the pan onto a rack about 9 inches from the broiler element. Leave the oven door ajar and remain with the tortino, watching over it until it is cooked through and golden on the surface, about 5 to 7 minutes, depending upon the width of the pan. To test for doneness, press a finger in the center of the tortino to see if it is firm. If it is runny, slide it back onto the rack to continue cooking, always watching over it.
Remove the tortino from the broiler and let it cool somewhat, then carefully transfer it to a platter. Allow it to cool to room temperature before serving.
For the Montefalco Rosso: Garganelli Pasta with Lamb, Saffron and Wild Fennel
Here is a fairly simple pasta preparation. Taste as you cook, and add more seasoning to your taste.
Serves 4
1. Chop the onion and fry in olive oil in a pan.
2. Once the onion has softened, add the ground lamb. Brown everything, season and add the rosemary and the fennel seeds. Mix thoroughly.
3. Add the Marsala and cook for 15-20 minutes for it to evaporate. In the meantime, cook the pasta with a pinch of saffron.
4. When the sauce is ready, add the pasta and a touch of water to the pan, put a knob of butter in and mix the pasta and sauce together over medium heat. (This step will link the pasta and sauce together as the butter, water, and starch emulsify.) Serve with the grated Parmesan.
This month, we travel to Umbria, a region in Central Italy, bordered by Tuscany to the west, the Marche to the east and Lazio to the south. This region is mostly hilly or mountainous, with topography dominated by the Apennines to the east and the Tiber valley basin. It's best known villages are Assisi (famous for its churches), Spoleto (home of a great summer music festival, Orvieto (home of a fragrant white wine), Gubbio (a lovely Medieval hillside town) and Perugia (home of Baci chocolates!!).
Although crushed between Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, and Lazio, this region has managed to conserve its original simplicity founded on certain basic ingredients: olive oil, among the best in Italy, black truffles, the hog, the lamb, durham wheat pasta of the best quality and the colombaccio, the wood-pigeon that Umbrians love.
As per usual, we have a red and a white wine , typical of the region.
First off is a Grechetto ($24), Poggio della Costa, from Sergio Mottura.
This is a great example of Grechetto - dry, with a lovely pale yellow color, good clarity, and a lovely nose reminiscent of the Italian hills that is full of aromatics, herbs, and minerals on the palate.
The wine comes from a single vineyard - the Poggio della Costa, located in the commune of Civitella d'Agliano.
Surprisingly, this wine goes well with big savory dishes such as lasagne, spaghetti alla carbonara and bucatini alla amatriciana, beans and cheek-pea soup; and of course fish dishes.
Our red wine this month is Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Rosso ($22), a Sangiovese-based wine that's blended with the local Sagrantino and Merlot. This wine shows ample and intense varietal notes on the nose, with black cherries, plums, and violets all front and center, good power and depth on the palate and a long, lingering finish.According to the ancient winemaking tradition of the Montefalco zone, after selecting the grapes for the production of their massive Sagrantino, additional fruit is harvested for the production of a fresh, friendly wine, ideally drunk with all the rich and tasty dishes for which Umbria is known. Added to this are grapes of varied origin from other regions, which make for a more complex and interesting wine. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and aged for one year in large Slavonian oak foudres. The result is a fresh and fruity red with cherry aromas and flavors and a rather rich and long finish.
Recipes:
For the Grechetto: Tortino with Dandelion Greens or Chicory (tortino con la cicoria)
4 people as an appetizer or 2 as a meal
An interesting variation on the theme of the frittata is this tortino, made with wild dandelion greens. The main difference between a frittata and a tortino is that the first contains only eggs and the ingredients that are being bound together with the eggs, usually vegetables, while the tortino includes cream in some regions and, in this case, flour. This addition causes the tortino to have a somewhat browned, cakelike appearance, echoing the fact that torta means cake. Flour also helps to bind the eggs with the greens, which have a high water content. If you do not have access to wild dandelion greens, chicory or curly endive may be substituted with excellent results. Enjoy this Tortoni with this months grecchetto from Sergio Mottura.
- 1 pound young wild dandelion greens, escarole, or curly endive
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons unbleached flour
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced lengthwise
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
In a skillet with a tight-fitting lid, combine the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and warm over medium low heat until the garlic is softened and lightly colored but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add the greens and toss to coat in the oil. Raise the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally and always returning the cover to the pan, until the greens are wilted and sweet, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Preheat a broiler. Add the cooled greens to the egg mixture and mix well. In a 10- or 12-inch heavy-bottomed, flameproof skillet or omelet pan, warm the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot enough to make the eggs sizzle, pour the mixture into the pan, and use the back of a wooden spoon to even out the mixture in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook very gently on the bottom, moving the pan around on the surface of the burner to ensure even cooking. It is important that the heat not be too high, or the tortino will dry out on the bottom and remain raw in the center. When it is set and cooked on the bottom, after 5 to 7 minutes, remove it from the stove top. Slide the pan onto a rack about 9 inches from the broiler element. Leave the oven door ajar and remain with the tortino, watching over it until it is cooked through and golden on the surface, about 5 to 7 minutes, depending upon the width of the pan. To test for doneness, press a finger in the center of the tortino to see if it is firm. If it is runny, slide it back onto the rack to continue cooking, always watching over it.
Remove the tortino from the broiler and let it cool somewhat, then carefully transfer it to a platter. Allow it to cool to room temperature before serving.
For the Montefalco Rosso: Garganelli Pasta with Lamb, Saffron and Wild Fennel
Here is a fairly simple pasta preparation. Taste as you cook, and add more seasoning to your taste.
Serves 4
- 12oz ground lamb
- 1 small onion
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsb fennel seeds, pound a little in a motar to release flavor
- ½ glass dry Marsala
- 1lb garganelli pasta
- pinch saffron
- knob of butter
- grated Parmesan
1. Chop the onion and fry in olive oil in a pan.
2. Once the onion has softened, add the ground lamb. Brown everything, season and add the rosemary and the fennel seeds. Mix thoroughly.
3. Add the Marsala and cook for 15-20 minutes for it to evaporate. In the meantime, cook the pasta with a pinch of saffron.
4. When the sauce is ready, add the pasta and a touch of water to the pan, put a knob of butter in and mix the pasta and sauce together over medium heat. (This step will link the pasta and sauce together as the butter, water, and starch emulsify.) Serve with the grated Parmesan.