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Although they do not necessarily taste like Chianti wines,
they do tend to share space with them on the table when it
comes to pairing food with them. In Italy, wine and food
are almost interchangeable, the taste of the wines mirror
and complement the cuisines of the region. That being
said, obviously Valpolicella wines are a no-brainer with
Italian food.
Beef dishes, dark meats like lamb, pork and heartier
chicken recipes all make excellent bedfellows with a good
Valpolicella wine and especially pasta with tomato-based
sauces. Dark berries may also be a winning combination
with Valpolicella just as long as they are not prepared too
sweet, like in sugar-based sauce. As far as serving them
with cuisine outside of Italy, you have some options there
too! Anything spicy, like a spicy shrimp dish or a sizzling
steak fajita can result in a blissful surprise combo. You
may also count the American staple, the classic
cheeseburger as good partner with Valpolicella.
If you love Italian wines, but you are stuck in the rut of
serving Chianti with all of your favorite Italian dishes,
Valpolicella will make an outstanding alternative for you
with your meal. Besides, everyone is already familiar with
Chianti, so impress your dinner guests with something
different. The fact that Valpolicella is still relatively
inexpensive makes it an affordable choice for large dinner
parties. You may even be able to buy twice as many
bottles as you were going to serve if you had bought
something else!
Here are some quick recipe ideas courtesy of Bolla Wines
that make an outstanding pair with Valpolicella wines.
www.bolla.com
Recipes
INGREDIENTS: (makes 8 servings)
2 tablespoons Colavita® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 ounces Prosciutto di Parma
1 bay leaf
2 pounds brown lentils, rinsed, picked over
6 quarts homemade or canned chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds cotechino* sausage
1 1/2 cups finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced celery salt
freshly ground pepper
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
8 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) Colavita® tubettini or other small pasta
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. In a 12-quart pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until foaming. Add the onions and cook,
stirring, until wilted, about 6 minutes. Add the prosciutto and bay leaf and cook until the prosciutto fat
turns translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the lentils and stir well. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the
sausage, adjust the heat to simmering and cook 30 minutes.
2. Add celery, carrots, salt, pepper and basil. Cook until lentils are tender, another 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Remove the sausage and let it stand until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, cook the tubettini in a
medium pot of boiling salted water until al dente—tender but firm.
4. Dice the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and return it to the soup. Drain the tubettini thoroughly and add to
soup. Bring the soup to a boil and serve. Garnish with cheese if desired.
*Cotechino is a garlicky, well-seasoned pork sausage. If difficult to find, substitute an equal amount of
regular sausage.
Cajun Shrimp
1-1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes
Try serving these spicy shrimp with easy-to-make cheese grits. Simply stir grated cheese into any kind of
cooked grits.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal bag and shake to coat. Heat oil in a large
nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add shrimp; sauté 4 minutes or until shrimp are done.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 ounces.)
I Medaglioni di Tacchino
3/4 cup Bolla Valpolicella
1 lb. organic turkey tenderloin cut into medallions
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 small Vidalia onion chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tbsp. fruit sweetened plum preserves
2 tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch
2 tbsp. grapeseed oil or canola oil
Dredge medallions in a mixture of arrowroot, sea salt, sage and white pepper. Heat sauté pan and add oil.
Brown turkey in hot oil for 1-2 minutes. Add onions, cherries and preserves. Cook for another minute. Add
wine and cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve with mixed grains, couscous or basmati rice.
Serves 2-4
Sunday Sauce – for Pasta
INGREDIENTS: (makes 6-8 servings)
For the sauce:
1/4 cup Colavita® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 links sweet Italian sausage with fennel seeds
1 rack spareribs (about 3 1/2 pounds), cut between the bones into individual ribs
1 pound pork butt, cut into 4 pieces
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
4 whole peeled shallots
4 whole peeled garlic cloves
Three 28-ounce cans Italian whole peeled tomatoes
20 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound Colavita® Rigatoni
For the meatballs:
3-4 slices firm textured white bread
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine (about 3/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 eggs
2 ounces (about 2/3 cup) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Place 3 slices of bread in a bowl and pour enough warm water over them to moisten completely. Let
stand until softened. Crumble beef and pork into large mixing bowl, add onion and garlic. Beat eggs,
cheese, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl and add to the meats. Break up bread and add to the
meats. Working with your hands, knead the mixture lightly until evenly blended. The mixture should be
creamy and soft. If not, soak and add remaining slice of bread. Chill mixture until firm, about 1/2 hour.
2. While meatballs are chilling, start tomato sauce: In a heavy, large (about 8-quart) pot, heat olive oil over
medium heat. Working in batches without overcrowding the pot, brown spareribs, sausages and pork butt
well on all sides, removing as they brown. (Add small amounts of oil, if necessary, during the browning.)
When all the meat is browned, add the onion, shallots and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring, until the shallots
and onion are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Place tomatoes in a bowl and break up into small pieces
with whisk or your hands. Add tomatoes, half the fresh basil, salt, dried basil, oregano, red pepper and
black pepper to taste. Return meat to pot. Bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer until sauce is thickened
and ribs are tender, about 2 hours.
3. While the sauce is simmering, preheat the broiler. Using about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each, roll 8
meatballs with your hands, placing them on a broiler pan as you go. Broil until well browned on top, about 4
minutes. Turn them and brown the second side. Add the meatballs to the sauce about an hour into the
cooking. Once the meatballs are in the sauce, stir the sauce gently so you don’t break up the meatballs.
4. To serve: cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions.
Meanwhile, stir remaining basil into the sauce. Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Add enough of the
sauce to lightly coat the pasta and transfer it to a large platter. To serve family style, arrange the meats
around the edge of the platter and top the pasta with more sauce. Serve remaining sauce and grated
cheese separately. Like its name says, a big platter of pasta surrounded by meats simmered slowly in a
rich tomato sauce is the perfect Sunday dinner for family and friends. The sauce can be prepared
completely in advance. Just reheat gently over low heat about one hour before you plan to serve dinner.
Bucatini all'Amatriciana
1 pound bucatini, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 pound pancetta (bacon can be substituted), cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 (28 ounce) cans imported (Italy) plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon crushed hot red pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Pecorino Romano cheese, grated for topping
In a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the pancetta until it changes color (do not allow to burn). Remove
pancetta, drain pan and wipe clean. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, then raise the heat and quickly
add the tomatoes, pancetta and hot peppers. Stir immediately and bring sauce to a quick boil. Lower flame,
occasionally stirring mixture. Add black pepper and allow to cook 10 to 15 minutes; add parsley before
serving. Mix with the cooked pasta. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Spaghetti Con Aglio e Olio
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
1/4 cup olive oil
10 to 12 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
1 can flat anchovy fillets, drained
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup cooking liquid
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Pecorino Romano cheese, grated for topping
In a large pot, bring 6 to 8quarts of water to a boil. Add salt, then add the spaghetti. In a frying pan, heat
the oil. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cooking liquid, and simmer just to the point that the
garlic begins to gain color. Add the oil mixture to the cooked spaghetti, then add the cooking liquid from
the spaghetti. Toss with parsley and grated cheese.
Pasta Puttanesca
1 pound linguine, spaghetti or penne cooked al dente
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine (avoid oak-aged wines)
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoon(s) crushed hot red pepper
2/3 cup pitted, black oil-cured olives, coarsely chopped
6 to 7 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 can flat anchovy fillets, drained
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup capers
1/2 cup cooking water from pot
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese for topping
Bring an 8-quart pot of water to a boil and add pasta. In a second pot, heat the oil and add the garlic
cooking until slightly colored. Add wine and allow to slightly reduce, then add the tomatoes and cook 5
minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook over low flame for about 15 minutes. When the pasta is
approximately 2 minutes from being ready, remove and drain; then add to saucepan where sauce is
cooking and stir for about 30 seconds. Immediately serve and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Note: If the sauce is too thick, thin with some of the cooking water.
Sesame Beef Stir-Fry
1 pound lean flank steak
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups red bell pepper strips
2 cups yellow bell pepper strips
1/2 cup no-salt-added beef broth
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups thinly sliced bok choy
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups hot cooked rice
Trim fat from steak; rub surface of steak with five-spice powder. Slice steak diagonally across grain into
thin strips. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry 2
minutes. Add beef and stir-fry 4 minutes. Add bell peppers and stir-fry 2 minutes. Combine broth, soy
sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to beef mixture. Add bok choy and cook 1 minute or until bok
choy wilts and mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in toasted sesame seeds
and salt. Serve over rice.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup stir-fry and 1 cup rice)