Rooftop Gourmet

Piedmont is my favorite region of Italy, and two years ago I visited this northern region for the first time. I love everything about it; the wine, the food, the historic cities with modern flair. The region is known for the Nebbiolo grape which is used to create Barbaresco and Barolo, and their younger brother, Barbera. Tonight I had a bottle of De Forville Barbera d’Alba, which instantly trasported me back to the city of Alba. Unlike most Barbera I have had recently, this one was brick red in color, earthy, tons of fresh bing cherry juice, and a smoky liccorice finish which lasted forever. Some Barbera is just thrown into stainless steel tanks and pumped out too soon, resembling a Pinot Noir more than a northern Italian red. De Forville does it right, and it shows.

A few weeks back, I had made a braised lamb ragout and frozen it, so I decided to defrost this hearty sauce to pair with the Barbera. After toasting some thinly sliced garlic and sauteeing some fresh fava beans, I added the ragout and the fresh linguini. The gamey lamb was tender and rich, and the faint fruit essense of the bold red I braised it in was still apparent. The tannins in the wine helped cut through the richness of the ragout and the sweet toasted garlic and favas were a nice touch. I always have a freezer packed with rich sauces that I make ahead of time for nights like this when I don’t feel like going all out.

 Fresh pasta can also be bought at most supermarkets or farmers’ markets nowadays and is always a treat. My friend, Leigh Foster started her own fresh pasta company called Nella Pasta and sells all of her wonderful homemade pasta at local farmers markets. Find out what fresh ingredients she will be filling her ravioli with this week and where to find them at www.nellapasta.com.

After a 4 mile run in the heat and humidity, a light lunch, rain clouds forming, and Red Sox vs. Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball, all I could think about was comfort food for dinner. My girlfriend and I immediatley thought about spaghetti and meatballs with homemade red sauce but I wanted to spice things up a bit and try something different. I wanted to stick with the Italian theme since I had a bottle of 2005 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti waiting for us at home, which is relatively inexpensive considering it hit Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2008. I noticed that after dousing my herb garden with Miracle Grow the past week, the fresh oregano was spewing onto the deck and just begging to be used so I snipped off a bunch and smelled it. It was so fresh and pungent; it screamed Mediterranean flavors like lamb and olives. After deciding to stick within the spaghetti and meatball framework, we went to the supermarket.

I bought some ground lamb, green olives, ricotta cheese, sweet 100′s (baby cherry tomatoes), garlic, and meatball staple items. Rushing home to get all the prep work done before the first pitch of the game was challenging but exciting. I wanted to get my sauce going first, which was pretty simple. I preheated my oven to 400 degrees and roasted sweet 100 baby cherry tomatoes, with a diced yellow onion and 8 whole cloves of garlic for about an hour until all the baby tomatoes were wilted and the garlic was sweet and pungent. Probably one of the easiest and most simple sauces I have ever made.

While the tomatoes were roasting, my girlfriend got the meatballs going by soaking diced up white bread in milk (this trick combined with the dried breadcrumbs keeps your meatballs extremely moist), chopping the fresh oregano, and seasoning the lamb. I have realized at this point that I either need to start inviting more friends over for dinner, or stop buying way more food than I need because I always end up with enough food to feed an army. In this case, it isn’t so bad because leftover comfort food always taste better the next night. I flavored the ricotta cheese with some lemon zest, more chopped fresh oregano, parmesan cheese, and tons of chopped green olives, and crammed the mixture into a ziploc bag.

I decided to make the transition from spaghetti to manicotti because I didn’t want to miss any of the game because of constant fork twirling. One snip of the ziploc bag and I was piping the ricotta mixture into the al dente manicotti shells, which were then placed in a baking dish and covered with the roasted garlic/baby tomato sauce. The Spaulding Baseball-sized lamb meatballs were then seared off in a pan and roasted in the 400 degree oven until they were cooked throughout, just in time for the National Anthem. There is nothing like pulling the coffee table in about a foot on a Sunday night and eating comfort food infront of the television (even though the Sox looked pathetic).

The wine was a perfect compliment to the Mediterranean flavors in the dish. The tannins and acidity in the Chianti were balanced nicely with the creamy ricotta. The ripe, cherry flavors of the Sangiovese grape played off of the fresh pop of sweetness in the tomatoes and the roasted garlic, and the earthy terroir in the nose and in the wine was a delightful compliment to the gamey lamb with oregano. A southern Rhone red or a red from Provence would also be a great choice for a wine pairing with this dish. Overall, it was a great Sunday night classic comfort food dish with a twist worth making a second time; hopefully next time the wind at Fenway is blowing in.

Wednesday night I made such a quick and simple dinner that could easily be done on a larger scale for summer BBQ parties. Keep this trick in mind!! It will allow you to spend more time with your guests and less time infront of the smoky grill, not to mention it tastes and looks gourmet. I picked up a few baby lamb chops (lamb lollipops) and a log of goat cheese from the supermarket…. and that’s it!! I knew that I had a few packages of leftover herbs in my fridge and a brand new herb garden packed with overflowing herbs on my deck, so I was all set. A handfull of mint, fresh oregano, rosemary, leftover thyme, and some parsley got a fine chop before I spread it out on my cutting board. Sprinkle the herbs with salt and fresh ground pepper and simply roll the log of goat cheese in the herb mixture until it is completely coated. Place the log of home made herbed goat cheese in the freezer for the time being (this can be done ahead of time). Fire up the grill and season the lamb chops with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill the chops on both sides over high heat for about 2 minutes per side and remove and let rest. Arrange the chops on a serving platter, slice the log of goat cheese into discs, and adorn each chop with a wafer of herbed goat cheese. The heat from the grill will warm the cheese just the right amount and they are so easy for your guests to eat standing up. Here are three wines that I feel would be a perfect match for not only the lamb but great value for entertaining purposes…

1) Chateau de Pennautier ‘Cabardes’ Languedoc, France: Both Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. Great fruit intensity and solid tannin structure. One of our top 10 BBQ picks for this summer.

2) Evodia: 100% Garnacha, Spain: This is a relatively new item for us and was featured as a Wine of the Month back in May. This inexpensive Spanish red is 100% Grenache bursting with young, fresh fruit, with a spicy, somewhat earthy finish. The tannins are very soft, and it makes this wine very easy to drink on a warm day; throw a slight chill on it if you want. Pinot Noir lovers will go crazy for this summer red.

3) 2007 Kunin Pape Star, Central Coast, California: This wine is a hidden gem in our store which tends to fly under the radar. Whenever someone is looking for a wine to pair with lamb I lead them to the California aisle. Kunin’s Pape Star is California’s take on a Rhone-style blend. 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre, and 15% Syrah. To me, this wine tastes like a ‘baby Chateauneuf du Pape’! There is no oak used in the aging of this wine focusing on the freshness and richness of the terroir and the natural flavors and character of the grapes.