Typical Italian food: Drunk Risotto

Drunk Risotto or Risotto cooked in wine

½ cup risotto

1 onion  chopped

100 gram / 3.5 ounces sausage 

1 cup Barbera wine

Vegetable stock (use as needed)

Rosemary

Butter

Parmesean or Tuma cheese

Place some EVOO in a medium sized deep pot place the onion and cook seasoning with salt and pepper.  Then add the rice and toast with the onion for about 2/3 minutes then add the sausage.  Cook until the sausage is fully cooked.  Then add the red wine and stir until the alcohol had evaporated.  

Place the spring of Rosemary let cook together for a few minutes then remove the rosemary from the risotto.  Add some vegetable stock once cup at a time until the rice is cooked.  We want a Risotto not a pudding so don’t cook the rice too much.

Turn off the heat and add a little bit of butter and the cheese.  Taste and add salt if needed.   Mix together and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving. 

Typical Italian Food: Pasta alla Norma - Sicily

by: Amanda

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti or macaroni 

3 pounds tomatoes (San Marzano)

basil to taste

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 garlic cloves lightly smashed

2 long eggplants, medium size

EVOO

ricotta salata 

If you are planning to make your own pasta, I used 1 pound semolina flour eyeing the water, EVOO, because depending on the day you might need more or less. On a wooden surface pour the flour to make a volcano shape. Add some water and EVOO and mix with your fingers until the dough is stringy, not too much water to form a ball, you want the machine to put it together. 

Once you have reached the coarse texture of the pasta add it to the extruder machine to make the shape you choose. Today I made macaroni, it was fun!

Let the pasta dry out on the wooden board until you need them.

Meanwhile start to make the sauce.

Slice up the eggplant into long strips about 1/2 inch thick. Add them to a colander, cover with salt, and put a bowl onto to weigh them down to squeeze out any access water. To do this will make it so they do not absorb too much EVOO when frying. 

While your eggplant is squeezing, place a pan full of water on the stove till boiling and add the tomatoes for about 2 minutes or until the skin starts to split. Remove them from the water and let them cool enough that you can peel them, cutting off the tops.

In a sauce pan warm up one tablespoon of EVOO and the garlic until it becomes fragrant, coarsly chop the tomatoes then add them to the garlic, stir, lower the heat to a light simmer and add the basil, salt, sugar and let cook until it has reduced a bit and the flavors start to become equilibrated. 

While the tomatoes are reducing and your pasta is drying, take a shallow fry pan add some EVOO about 1/4 of an inch heat up the oil and lightly fry the eggplant until they are crispy. Place them on some paper towels to absorb the excess oil and set aside. 

When you are ready to serve, boil up some water for the pasta, add some salt to your pasta water, cook until slightly under al dente, slightly crunchy. Add the eggplant to the tomato sauce and cook together, remove the garlic cloves, then add the pasta to the sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, add some pasta water to the sauce to help it cover all the pasta and give it some starch to help it stick to the pasta. 

Once the pasta has been cooked to your liking, plate it and finish with the grated ricotta salata. Buon Appetito! 

Want to have a one of a kind authentic Sicilian experience, eating and drinking along the whole way? Well now you can, check out here my exclusive Sicilian experiences. Take me to Sicily My Love

A one man Barbaresco band - Ugo Lequio

by Amanda

Barbaresco is a celebrated Italian wine produced in the Piedmont region of Italy. The wine is made from the Nebbiolo grape, which is grown in the hills of the Langhe region. This area is home to some of the most famous wines in the world, such as Barolo, and Barbaresco.

Barbaresco is an elegant wine that displays aromas of ripe cherries, violets, and spices. On the palate, it has a light body with bright acidity, firm tannins, and a long, lingering finish. It pairs well with a wide variety of dishes, including red meats, game, and aged cheeses.

Barbaresco has been produced in the Langhe region for centuries, and today it is a DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) wine, meaning that it is subject to strict rules and regulations regarding its production. The wine is made from Nebbiolo grapes that are grown in the communes of Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso, and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.

Ugo was raised in Neive to a wine making family in the town of Neive, right up the road from where his today's winery is located. He grew up in a family who not only made Barbaresco wine but also some of the other favorites of the Langhe, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Moscato. Because Ugo was the younger son, in a time when you had heiracy within the birth pattern of the children, Ugo was not an heir to take over the family's estate. Thus having to move himself down the street and adjusting his home into also a winery, where he would then be able to practice his art. Ugo has been making wine in his large and comfy home "garage" for the past 40+ years. I guess we can call him one of the first Barbaresco Garagista's.

Today Ugo with the help of his Golden Retriever puppy Joy, he oversees 5 hecare of vineyards in the town of Neive, located inside of one of Barbareso's important geographic mentions Gallina. Many sommelier from all over world who have had the chance to taste his wines would consider Ugo's expression of Barbaresco Gallina one of the purest. He also makes a Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbera d'Alba all coming from his Gallina Vineyard. He is one I highly recommend to keep an eye out for.

Typical Italian food: Ricotta Gnocchi with Nettles

Nettles and Ricotta Gnocchi

If you cannot find Nettles you can use spinach

500 grams / 17.6 ounces Nettles

50 grams / 1.7 ounces Ricotta

1 cup of flour

1 onion

¼ cup butter

1 egg

parmesan 

sage

salt/pepper

nutmeg

From the Nettles take just the leaves, wash and make sure to use gloves because they do pinch.

Then blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then remove from the water and squeeze the remaining liquid from the Nettles.  Finely chop the nettles. 

Place the butter in a pan with one chopped onion.  Sauté the onions for one minute then add the nettles to the pan.  After a couple of minutes place in a bowl and add the flour, ricotta, and parmesan cheese with the egg, salt, and nutmeg.  Let this mixture rest for a half and hour and then you are ready to make the gnocchi by hand.

Once you have shaped your gnocchi place in a pan of boiling water and cook until they float to the top of the pan.

For the Sauce

1/3 cup unsalted mountain butter

10 fresh sage leaves

Place butter in a large sauté pan and melt, then add the sage and cook for 1 minute just enough to get the scent of the sage in the butter.

Once the gnocchi has been cooked then add to the butter sage sauce and sauté for a few minutes adding some of the pasta water to the butter sage sauce. 

Serve immediately and season with parmesan. 

Ressia - the beginning of a Classic!

Fabrizio is humble and passionate Barbaresco producer, and anyone who has the chance to meet him in his winery walks away with an unforgettable experience. Working only 5 hectars in the vineyard Canova located in the village of Neive, he grows Moscato, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. Ressia has owned and farmed their land for 3 generations since 1913 and it was when Fabrizio’s time to take over he decided to build a winery and start to make wine. Little by little Fabrizio started to buy equipment, and expand the family’s farmhouse for the winery. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BFYxvKqIdWZ/?taken-by=amandaswineadventures[/embed]

2015 Evien Bianco: a white wine from Moscato that undergoes a maceration of 2 days before fermentation starts, then 70% is aged in Austrian acacia while the rest remains in steel. Fresh, floral, aromatic, light body and great acidity.

2013 Evien Serie Oro: This wine is Moscato taken from a special selection in the vineyard that will then be aged in barrel for 2 years. Much bigger on the pallet, orange peel, floral, tropical fruits. Has the potential to age.

2013 Barbera d’Alba Superiore: 2 years in Botticella (the staves are French oak, and the heads are Slavonian oak). The Slavonian oak helps the fruit, more cherry notes raspberry, where the French helps to make the wine more round.

2012 Barbera d’Alba Superiore: round, sweet, red fruits, floral

2010 Barbera d’Albal Superiore: complex, red fruits, full on the pallet a really beautiful wine

2008 Barbera d’Alba Superiore: black fruit, vanilla, very smooth, rich

2004 Barbera d’Alba Canova: this wine is only aged in stainless steel. Typically when made this way the fruit and acidity is bright and lively. Typically a wine not for aging too long. Here the wine showed notes of cocoa, chestnut honey, bright acidity and a long finish. I am always impressed to see a Barbera of this style age so wonderfully.

2013 Barbaresco Canova: for Ressia’s Barbaresco will stay 26 months in Botticelle before it will be bottled. Fresh fruit, elegant, floral, Strawberries, smooth elegant tannins, rich and velvety.

2012 Barbaresco Canova: classic Nebbiolo, cherries, dried rose, fennel, and currants

2010 Barbareco Canova: red fruits, wild sage, herbs, and absolutely beautiful, long finish with silky tannins.

2009 Barbaresco Canova: great example of 2009, nervous tannins.

2008 Barbaresco Canova: classic fruit, fresh, sweeter tannin

2006 Barbaresco Canova: cherry Jell-o, chocolate, tannins are still hard

2005 Barbersco Canova Riserva Oro: this was the first vintage a Riserva for this house was made. Tobacco, chocolate, tea, blackberries, a full mouth feel, wonderful long finish.

I am very happy that I had the opportunity to taste through this wonderful lineup of great wines. I feel that Ressia has a wonderful representation of the fruit, the vineyard and the vintage. The wines are clean and expressive and have shown wonderfully a decade of wonderful wines. Since they make a very small amount of bottles you will not find Ressia everywhere so it is my suggestion the next time you are in Piemonte to stop by for a tasting.

If you would like other things to do while in the area of Barbaresco you can visit my blog here.

Typical Italian food: Risotto with Asparagus

Risotto with Asparagus

½ cup risotto

1 onion  chopped

hand full of Asparagus

½ cup white wine

Vegetable stock (use as needed)

Mint

Butter

Salt/pepper

Parmesan cheese

Blanch the Asparagus, choosing some of the more beautiful asparagus placing those aside to be coarsely chopped.  The remaining asparagus will be creamed in a food processor with some EVOO salt and pepper.

Place some EVOO in a medium sized deep pot place the onion and cook seasoning with salt and pepper.  Then add the rice and toast with the onion for about 2/3 minutes then add the white wine and stir until the alcohol had evaporated. 

 Continue to cook with the vegetable stock once cup at a time until the rice is cooked.

After about 10 minutes put the asparagus cream and continue to cook.  Once the Risotto is cooked put off the heat and add the rest of the chopped asparagus, butter, parmesan cheese, and some finely chopped mint. Taste and add salt if

needed.   Mix together and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

La festa del Ruché – Castagnole Monferrato

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Ruché: a grape varietal found today in Piedmont, it is believed that this varietal has traveled from France but there is no written documentation of this variety.   Ruché is a varietal typically found today in Castagnole Monferrato and has a very unique and special characteristic, an aromatic red grape varietal. Like most red varietals in Piedmont this varietal was always made into a sweet wine, and it wasn’t until the town priest, Don Giacomo Cauda who in 1964 was the first to make this varietal into a dry wine. Today there are a handful of producers working with this grape making it into a dry aromatic style, and here I have listed some of my favorites from the tasting of 12 producers.

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Bosco 2015 Ruché- right off, I think the bottle was just opened because we arrived early. There were tropical fruits on the nose and pallet and at first it reminded me a lot of Gewurztraminer. After we had made the rounds went back to have a proper glass because we enjoyed it so much and at that point had opened up greatly. Did not have that sweetness at first taste but had good red fruit, floral, showed much more elegantly and a long finish. Could be a bottle my husband and I could enjoy easily.

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Francesco Borgognone 2014 “Vigna del Parroco” – Francesco Borgognone has a close connection with priest Don Giacomo Cauda and today produce their Ruche’ from the same vineyard where the priest made his first dry Ruche’. The impression I got from Francesco was he had a great passion and understanding to this grape and was able to display it in its purity. This wine showed black fruits, violets, and peppery notes. This will be a producer I will visit in the next weeks.

Gatto 2015 Ruché – Gatto is an established family run winery since the 900’s in the area of Castagnole Merferrato, and amongst other wines are producing a wonderful example of Ruche’. The 2015 vintage is going to be a promising one for many different wines here in Piedmont. It is a BIG vintage very giving and really showing off the power of some of the grapes varietals. Here we have full mouth of darker fruit, floral wild rose, violets, and spice with some nice tannins.

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I plan to visit some of these producers and will report how the tastings went, with photos of their gnarly old cellars!

Typical Italian food: Tajarin

Tajarin

100 grams / 3.5 ounces Flour 00

150 grams  / 5.2 ounces Durum wheat Flour 

1 full eggs

4 egg yolks

Evo oil, Salt

Measure out the flour and place on a wooden surface, making a whole in the middle of the flour.  Like a volcano! Add the 1 full eggs and 4 yolks to the center of the flour.  With you fingers gently break the yolks and add flour from the volcano a little bit at a time until it forms a dough.

Let the dough rest in plastic wrap in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

Cut the dough in half and with one half start to roll out with a rolling pin on the wooden surface.  Rotating between rolling either side and adding a little flour to help dry out the pasta.  You will know the pasta is ready to cut when it is so thin you can see through it.  Once the pasta is ready roll up on the rolling pin, gently slide off the pin and cut into Tajarin!