Perciatelli in Mushroom Sauce

            This is a pleasantly, full-flavored dish that's pretty quick and easy to make. It's perfect for wintertime both because of the warmth of flavor and the reliance on pantry items. I find the flavor satisfying without the addition of any spice "heat," but that would be easy to remedy for those who require it.

            Perciatelli is a type of hollow spaghetti, slightly thicker than Bucatini, which could be substituted here. Its added weight is useful for dishes with chunks of bacon, pancetta, mushrooms, etc. The hollowness also allows it to soak up sauces or melted cheeses. Both conditions are met in this dish!

            The wine to accompany could be white or red as long as it contrasts nicely with the richness of the food. I don't think I'd want a Merlot here, or a cloying California red. I've chosen a 2007 Côte-du-Rhône,  Perrin & Fils Vinsobres  Les Cornuds. This is a lovely wine with just the right amount of complexity to not overpower this food. It has a remarkable finish, mouth-satisfying and then vanishing like a well-behaved child.

          I'm using good quality canned tomatoes here, but separate the tomatoes from the liquid they're packed in, reserving it. Remove any hard parts (right where the stem was attached) and puree the solids. You'll add the liquids a little at a time as the sauce simmers, only using as much as needed for the thickness desired.

I enjoy the smokiness the Bacon gives to the dish, but if this is something you don't like, then blanch bacon for a few minutes in boiling water. A good tip for any dish.

Ingredients:

½         large, sweet Onion, diced

1          small stalk Celery, diced

2          strips Bacon, see method

3 oz     Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbs   Olive oil

2          cloves Garlic, minced

1 cup    Beef stock

28oz     can of Tomatoes

sprig     fresh Basil

⅛ tsp   Cinnamon

            Nutmeg

            Salt & Pepper to taste

3          Scallions (or 4)

3 oz     the Wine you'll serve with the meal

            Parmigiano Reggiano

            Perciatelli (just under ¼ lb. per person)

Method:

Prep all ingredients. Slice Bacon strips into 3 or 4 thinner strips lengthwise, then crosscut into pieces about 2 inches long. Prep tomatoes as described above. Chop Scallions into small tubes and reserve for the final steps.

prepping tomatoes

ingredients prepped

Sauté Bacon until its fat is rendered, then add mushrooms and cook until they color on both sides.

rendering bacon

add mushrooms

Now add Onions, Celery, and Garlic and cook until transparent.

Add Beef stock and raise heat, cooking down for a few minutes.

cooking down stock 

Add Wine and cook for a few minutes.

cook down wine

wine added

Add Puree and stir in well. When it comes to a boil, lower heat to simmer and add Cinnamon and several gratings of Nutmeg. Float the Basil in the sauce and simmer on low for about 45 minutes. 

tomatoes added

sauce simmering

As it cooks, stir occasionally and add juice, if needed,  to keep the right consistency. [Mine took just about all the juice!]

After 45 minutes, add Perciatelli to a pot of boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes fewer than the instructions on the box. Drain well and add to the sauce, submerging all the pasta, stir in about half the scallions. Let this cook for about 3 or 4 more minutes. The Perciatelli will absorb the sauce into the hole in the pasta!

perciatelli simmering

pasta drained

Plate the dish and sprinkle remaining Scallions and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve, accompanied by your wonderful wine.

Enjoy!  - Love, Dave

Zuppa di Fagioli con Salisicce

Soup with Beans and Sausage

            This Tuscan-like soup is a great meal for a cold day! It only takes 2 hrs or so from start to finish, and during much of that you can be doing something else, because the soup is just simmering. My recipe makes two bowls. Because it is so small, I chose to use canned beans instead of dried. Expand the recipe and you can use a pound of dried beans. I think the wine can be white or red, but imho it should be a fine wine to counter the rustic meal. I chose a Barbera d'Asti from Vietti (a winery that has never let me down!)

Winery at Yellow Blob

Vietti Barbera d'Asti

Castiglione Falletto

Ingredients:

1          Carrot

1          stalk     Celery

Ingredients

1          med     Shallot (1 oz)

1          Pepper (mild-medium heat)
1          link       cooked Sausage

4          cups    Beef Stock

16        oz        Cannellini Beans

8          oz        Tomato Sauce

1          small    Parmesan rind

1          sprig    fresh Basil

1½       oz        Lentils

2½       oz        Ditali pasta

1          splash  Marsala wine

1          small    Scallion

                        Olive Oil

                        Salt to taste

Method:

1    Cut the Celery into thin dice,

      Cut the Carrot into small dice,

      Slice the Shallot in half, then into very thin slices.

2    Gently sauté these in a tablespoon of Olive Oil until Celery becomes transparent.

3    While these are sautéing, clean and slice the Pepper, also thinly slice the Sausage.

4    Add these to the pot and stir until everything is heated, then add a splash of Marsala and let the alcohol burn off.

     Then add tomato sauce. Stir gently until it begins to bubble, then add the stock. Stir and bring soup to a boil.

5    Wash and pick through the Lentils. When soup is boiling, add Lentils, ½ tsp Salt and the Parmesan rind. Lower burner and stir. Let simmer, partially covered, for about an hour.

6    Strain and rinse Beans. Stir them into the soup. Float a spring of fresh basil and let simmer, uncovered, for another half-hour, stirring occasionally. 


























      While the soup cooks, slice Scallion into narrow rings, reserve.

7    Remove Basil and Parmesan (if possible) and add the pasta. Raise heat a bit. Cook until pasta is done, about 15 minutes, stirring often because soup will now thicken !!!

8    Turn off heat. Taste and correct seasoning. Stir in the Scallion rings and pour soup into bowls. Enjoy with a fine wine. This is really delicious!!

Zuppa di Fagioli con Salisicce