Prosecco is known mainly for toasting and happy hours. But its origins are in Italy: where there is wine, there is food! If you have a high quality, crisp prosecco it can be enjoyed a myriad of dishes, from starters, to pastas and entrees. Let’s find out about what foods pair with Prosecco in this article.

Cuisine in the Heart of Prosecco Country

As discussed in our previous article Beyond the Bubbles: Getting to Know Prosecco, Valdobbiadene, in the North-East Veneto region of Italy, has the right conditions to make some of the best Proseccos. The cuisine of the area is highly influenced by both Venice and the Dolomite mountains. For this reason, dishes using salted cod, or baccalà, are popular, such as Baccalà alla Vicentina, and other fish dishes like sardine saor (sardines marinated in a vinegar based sauce). Other dishes are more hearty and earth-rooted, such as pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans. Several DOP foods (foods of ‘protected origin’) come from the area, such as Asiago cheese (used in our recipe below) and the Radicchio di Treviso. Meats are also popular in the area, with a variety of salami being produced. Famous from the area is carne salada, or a salty cured beef, the DOP version of Bresaola.

Many of these foods pair well with prosecco. As wine educator Mary Beth Vierra founder of Crush Course writes, “Prosecco is possibly one of the most versatile food pairing wines on the planet.  The acidity cleanses the palate of creamy rich dishes and has enough body to stand up to them; the fruit sets off salty and savory dishes to delicious effect; and its low alcohol and perception of sweetness play well with all those more ‘challenging’ dishes, such as spicy heat, bitter, sour, raw, green, Umami, sweet and even eggs.”  

She suggests, “For some heavenly matches, try with a pumpkin risotto, vegetable frittata, cream-based pastas, roasted chicken, sautéed fresh fish, guanciale-potato pizza, sausage-stuffed mushrooms, Balsamic-drizzled fig and prosciutto salad, tomato-basil bruschetta, fruit and cheese plates, and crunchy almond biscotti.”

Risotto alla Zucca con Formaggio

Pumpkin Risotto with cheese (recipe below), is one of Vero chef, Jacqueline Mitchell’s, favorite ways to enjoy a good Prosecco. She says “Pumpkin risotto is my favorite version of this classic Italian rice dish. The sweet pumpkin blends so nicely with the creamy risotto, and I love to cut through the cheese with a glass of sparkling wine, like prosecco.”

Especially in the fall months, a dish like this can let not only fresh, seasonal ingredients, like pumpkin or squash, but also a crisp sparkling wine, like a good quality Prosecco, to shine through. Using a cheese local to the Veneto/Treviso area nearby to Valdobbiadene will help give the risotto an extra boost of flavor: try to find a cheese like Asiago for your pumpkin risotto. A DOP cheese originally from this area, Asiago is a semi-soft cheese that will provide a gentle sharp flavor, but without overpowering the pumpkin.

Pumpkin in Italian translates to zucca, which covers a wide array of what in the US we call ‘squash.’ The Italians don’t have one specific word for the traditional round orange sweet pumpkin. For that reason, butternut squash is also delicious cooked up into a risotto (in fact, that is actually what Jacqueline used in her tasting-trials for this recipe).

Another crucial part of a good risotto is, after toasting the rice, to deglaze it with wine. While any white wine would work in this case… open your bottle of prosecco early and use a bit. Or, in an homage to the Italian cuisine credo of ‘waste not want not’, save any leftover sparkling wine and cook with it. Unless you have a professional sparkling wine stopper which keeps bubbles fresh for 3 days (or more).

Lastly, like so many Italian dishes, this dish has a great amount of versatility. Try different cheeses or broths, and the addition of a savory sausage or crispy fried bacon will add an extra creamy and salty component that is readily enjoyed as well. Experiment and let us know your favorite variations!

Hear Directly from Prosecco Producers

Watch our interview with Col del Balt, prepare a plate of Pumpkin Risotto, pop open a glass of prosecco and taste along with genuine prosecco producers! We talked with Fabio and Carlo of Col del Balt in Valdobbiadene, Italy during a virtual tasting and educational experience. Mary Beth Vierra, a certified wine educator and founder of Crush Course, guided us through an in-depth Prosecco learning experience along side the producer-brothers. We tasted both of Col del Balt’s sparkling wines, a traditional Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore as well as a Col Fondo made with the prosecco grape, glera.

Watch the video on our Facebook, and buy the Prosecco Explorer’s Set to taste along; shipping is included and you’ll get a free professional sparkling wine stopper!

Risotto alla Zucca e Asiago - Pumpkin Risotto with Asiago Cheese

Cooking and Prep Time: 1 hour
Portions: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 cups Fresh Pumpkin (in small cubes)
2 medium Onions (finely chopped)
280g (1 ¼ cups) Uncooked Rice
2-3 quarts Vegetable Broth
½ cup White Wine or Prosecco
1 cup Asiago Cheese (in small cubes)
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ cup Butter
Salt

Suggested Wine Pairings:
Col del Balt Sanzovo | Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut

Procedure:

1. Divide the chopped onion in two parts, one will be to cook with the rice, the other with the pumpkin. With a little oil, start to cook half of the onion in a large skillet. When soft, add the pumpkin cubes and begin to sauté, at this point, add a little salt to taste. When most of the liquid from the pumpkin has evaporated and the pumpkin is fork-tender, remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Bring the broth to a simmer, and leave it hot.  In a dutch oven or low-sided pot, begin to sauté the second half of the chopped onion. Be careful to not brown the onion, and when soft add in the rice over high-heat. Stir constantly to toast the rice. When the rice is hot to touch and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan, deglaze with the wine, stirring constantly.

3. When the wine is cooked off, begin to add the broth, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Be careful to not add too much broth at one moment: you want the rice to be sautéed, not boiled. Continue this process until the rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.

4. When the rice is cooked, add in the pumpkin (careful to not add any liquid from the pumpkin) and Asiago cheese and stir to mix well.  Lastly, add the butter and parmesan and mix quickly to create a creamy texture.  Add salt to taste to finish off.

5. Serve hot with perhaps a few reserved cubes of pumpkin and asiago on top for garnish. Enjoy with a glass of Col del Balt Valdobbiadene Prosecco!

Shop Wines from Valdobbiadene to Pair Along