Dine Like a Local Romagnolo
As we continue to embrace our support for the Italian region of Emilia Romagna, especially in light of the recent flood disasters for which we have been running a fundraiser campaign, we return back to Romagna, Italy.
Davide Castagnoli, a Romagnolo, native from Romagna, enjoying a meal of capretto al forno with his Sangiovese red wine at a local trattoria.
If you know anything about traditional Italian cuisine, their meals have 2 main parts:
a primo piatto, literally translated to ‘first dish,’ which is a starch dish usually made up of pasta or rice. An example of this is the fresh pasta, tortelli, a traditional ravioli like pasta dish from Romagna;
a secondo, or second dish, which is primarily made up of a protein food, usually of meat, poultry or fish.
This article is about a traditional secondo, or main course entree, shared by the Braschi Boys with the winery in Romagna. Davide and Vincenzo, natives from Romagna, are known each as ‘Romagnolo’, an adjective to describe someone from Romagna. How does a local Romangolo dine? Let’s find out!
Romagnolo Capretto al Forno
In the hills of Romagna, there are a great many farms and a lot of agriculture. These hidden areas of Romagna is a treasure fold of culture and tradition, as we wrote in our recent Love Letter to Emilia Romagna, and, unfortunately, have been hardest hid by the recent flood disasters with landslides that have closed off many remote roads. These areas are somewhat cut off anyway from more modern ways of living, so they have learned to live off their land more so. Here, in the trattorias of the Romagna countryside, you find a lot of capretto or agnello.
Agnello is lamb, called pecora when it is a fully grown sheep or mouton when a male sheep. Capretto is like the lamb version of a goat, or the young kid, with capra or caprone being the goat-based equilavants of pecora and mouton. Yet, capretto and agnello have similar tastes, hence why they are used interchangeably in Italy.
So, for the goat recipe we share below, if you prefer to use lamb instead, you will have a similar result and flavor profile. If a lamb shank is more your style (or in some places easier to find), it is a great alternative to switch up with recipe for oven roasted goat.
Of course, don’t forget with either version to finish off your dish with a pop of flavor using a drizzle of Italian olive oil, like one of our organic EVOOs.
Oven roasted capretto, or goat, a traditional dish of the countryside in Romagna.
Winemaker Vincenzo Vernocchi of Braschi winery in Romagna, with Braschi’s Sangiovese Superiore, ready to enjoy capretto al forno!
Food and Wine Pairings
Whether you stay traditional with using a goat shoulder, or you substitute with lamb, this recipe promises to be juicy and succulent with the classic goat and lamb flavors standing out strong. With a dish like that, you need a full bodied red wine to not only match the intensity of flavor, but have some tannins to pair with the juicy meat. A great option is to stay local to Romagna where this recipe is from, and try a sangiovese food pairing! We have two options for a sangiovese wine that come from Romagna winery Braschi, a Sangiovese Superiore and a Sangiovese Superiore Riserva. While both fabulous, it is worth noting that the Riserva does have extra time aging, allowing for more earthy flavors to pop up, as well as a different tannic structure than the Superiore.
Try Emilia Romagna Wines and Help Their Relief Efforts
Emilia Romagna recently had disastrous flooding, and it was the Romagna area which was particularly hard hit, especially the small towns, nooks and crannies, which are the lifeblood of the region but inaccessible due to avalanches and closed roads. To help them we are running a fundraiser campaign, encouraging donations directly to the relief efforts and to buy the Emilia Romagna Disaster Relief Fundraiser Wine Box with an assortment of artisanal wines from this hard hit region.
If you purchase the Emilia Romagna Disaster Relief Fundraiser Wine Box, since shipping included, add on a bottle of Sangiovese Superiore Riserva and try a double pairing.
Capretto al Forno - Oven Roasted Goat
Cooking and Prep Time: 2-3 Hours
Portions: 4 portions
Ingredients:
1 Goat leg or shoulder
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh sage
500ml of white wine
3-4 Potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Il Nostro Oro, Febo, Aurinia,
or Caletra)
Suggested Wine Pairings:
Braschi | Costone Sangiovese Superiore | Organic
Braschi | Costone Bertinoro Riserva Sangiovese | Organic
Procedure:
1. In a large roasting pan, place the goat (or lamb if preferred) leg or shoulder. Cut 6 or 7 cuts into the meat and insert chopped garlic, sage and rosemary into the slits, or even leave them whole. Keep a few of these herbs aside for later.
2. Place the leg in the pan, sprinkle it with salt pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bake it at 390°F for approximately 2 hours. Every 15-20 minutes or so, baste the meat with its juices or flip the meat over.
3. In the meantime, peel and cut the potatoes into large cubes and season them separately with more salt, pepper, the reserved chopped herbs, and some extra virgin olive oil. Set aside until later.
3. After about 1-1.5 hours, add the potato cubes to the pan around the meat and stir to coat potatoes. When the meat is cooked to the bone and easily pulled apart with a fork, the meat is done.
4. To serve, remove the potatoes, pull the meat off the bone, and serve both with some cooking juices served over them.
This recipe is courtesy of Braschi winery in Romagna, Italy.
What Wine to Pair?
