How do you eat and drink in true Emilia-Romagna style? Recently Poderi dal Nespoli and Michelin-starred chef Marco Cavalucci visited Tennent’s Training Academy in Glasgow to give a hands-on demonstration.
Poderi dal Nespoli is a family-owned winery situated south-east of Bologna in the heart of Romagna’s Sangiovese territory. One of the food epicentres of the world, Emilia-Romagna boasts famous food towns such as Parma, Modena and Bologna (that’s some of the world’s best cheese, ham, balsamic vinegar and pasta - right there!).
After an apero of white wine Le Coste with antipasti of Parmigiano Reggiano and salame it was time to get to work.
Time to make pasta!
Gathered together around a table with eggs, flour, wooden boards for rolling out the pasta, and rolling pins, Carla, the pastry chef, speaking in her local dialect of sfoglina, demonstrated how to make traditional pastas of Romanga – cappelletti, tortelli, strozzapreti and garganelli.
In the UK, pasta is often the main meal; in Italy, pasta is just the starters.
After two delicious first courses, the second course of lamb and thyme was paired with the Sangiovese Prugneto. The herbs in the lamb perfectly matched this delicious savoury red. Prugneto has a distinctive “hand-drawn” label was first inspired by a visit to Brigitte Bardot during a trip to the Cote d’Azure in the 1960s and looked great on the table.
The day was rounded off with dessert of cream and sprinkled chocolate with a sweet wine called a passito, a 100% Sangiovese di Romagna called Teluccio.
Together in the kitchen, cooking and sharing a glass of Sangiovese, and generally, having a good laugh – Nicole from Poderi dal Nespoli confessed, “It feels just like home!”
Bottles empty and stomachs full, it was time to end the day well satisfied after experiencing a little bit of Emilia Romagna in Glasgow – cooking pasta, drinking wine and eating well. Thanks to Poderi dal Nespoli and Tennent’s Training Academy for showing the true spirit of Emilia-Romagna, sharing their wines and way of life with us in this great cooking and training space.
Now you try!
Recipe: Strozzapreti with traditional ragù
Ingredients for 4 people
for strozzapreti:
500 g flour
3 white egg
salt
water
for ragù:
200 g ripe tomatoes
100 g minced beef meat
50 g minced pork meat
30 g parmesan cheese
20 g onion
20 g carrots
20 g celery
1 dl dry white wine
2 shallots
1 bay leaf
2 basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Make the strozzapreti mixing flour, white egg, salt and water till obtaining an homogeneous dough, take little pieces of dough and rubbing them obtaining the strozzapreti. Mince the vegetables and brown them with olive oil and bay leaf. Add the minced meat and slowly brown it. Soak it with wine and let it evaporate. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces without skin and seed, pour half of the meat, salt, pepper and add a touch of water. Cook till the ragù is reduced. Take the shallot off the skin, thinly slice them and keep them in cold water for few minutes. Brown shallot in a touch of olive oil, add the left over tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, add the ragù and let boiling. Deep fried the left over shallot, salt them and dry them out with kitchen paper. Cook the strozzpreti in salted water and dress them with the ragù. Place them in the middle of the plate with deep fried shallot all around.
Recipe by Chef Marco Cavallucci – Ristorante La Frasca http://lafrasca.it
Poderi dal Nespoli blog and facebook
Pictures – Copyright © Luca di Filippo www.lucadifilippo.com - see more pictures of the event on flickr.
It did so! Romagna came to Scotland for sure! Thanks to let us deliver our Winemaking & Lifestyle!