Pinzimonio: a simple and healthy summertime treat
At the heart of Italian summertime meals is a simple staple enjoyed all over Italy with regional twists. No, it’s not pasta, but instead an easy to prepare, light, vegetable dish called Pinzimonio (pronounced pince-ih-mone-io). In fact, if you watched our farm-to-table VeroTalk with Chef Riccardo ‘Raccia’ Severi pinzimonio was the first dish he showed us: it is simply freshly cut, in-season vegetables, paired with a simple dipping sauce comprised, in its most basic version, of olive oil and salt. It is a perfect light and refreshing appetizer, a vibrant side dish, or even a full meal, especially during a merenda senoira or apericena (when happy hour in Piedmont rolls over into dinner). While traditionally enjoyed with in-season produce, its simplicity means it can be adapted year-round with whatever fresh, local vegetables you can find. Think of it like a crudite platter, but without the ranch dressing, letting the natural flavors shine. In fact, the best dip for crudite in our opinion, is that used for pinzimonio… olive oil! Our favorite part of pinzimonio lies in its versatility: grab whatever vegetables you have on hand and dip them in some of your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
So let’s explore today why it is such an important part of Italian culture, some tips to prepare your own version of pinzimonio, and what wines to sip alongside pinzimonio.
Farm to Table Food and Wines and Sovescio
When we spoke with Chef Riccardo in his garden during this VeroTalk, he showed the true meaning of back to basics. It was second nature for him and fellow Romagnolo Davide from Braschi winery to enjoy a freshly picked vegetable in the garden with a glass of sangiovese. In fact, a dish like pinzimonio could be considered a poster-child for Riccardo’s project, Sovescio. In Italian, sovescio is an agricultural philosophy. Literally, it speaks about how to fertilize gardens and orchards in a sustainable and ecologically-friendly manner. It has become an overarching set of philosophies pertaining to sustainable and biodynamic agriculture.
With his restaurant closed by the pandemic, Riccardo used his new-found time at home to enlarge his orchard and vegetable garden, going back to his family’s farm-to-table roots. Riccardo enjoys sharing his passion for, not only local traditions, but culinary traditions as well. It is obvious to see why he chose to start his cooking demonstration off with pinzimonio freshly picked at the moment from his garden on camera! There is no denying, at its heart, you cannot get more farm to table than pinzimonio: choosing fresh, local, or home-grown produce and serving it in such a raw natural form that one can truly admire and savor the delectable beauty of organic produce.
Chef Riccardo Severi tending to his farm-to-table garden in Romagna Italy
And gardeners with little land need not despair… balconies can produce surprisingly bountiful harvests! Vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, salads, and even eggplant or bell peppers can grow very well on even small inter-city balconies, giving even apartment-dwellers the opportunity to enjoy a farm-to-table harvest and create pinzimonio inspired plates and dishes in the summertime to enjoy with a good glass of wine and extra virgin olive oil.
How to Prepare Pinzimonio
Pinzimonio is one of the easiest and most versatile side dishes you can put together, and therin lies its beauty: a straightforward and versatile preparation. It can be served as as well not only a side dish, but as an antipasto or even as a full meal (we like to add in a little charcuterie for extra protein in this case!). Your pinzimonio can be as elaborate, or as simple, as the occasion demands, or your prep time allows. Start by selecting in-season vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, turnips, radishes, carrots, green onions, fennel, endive, salads, and bell peppers. The key here is freshness and quality, so extra points for picking them out at a local farmer’s market or directly from your personal garden. This is because as there are no heavy sauces or complex cooking methods to mask flavors, you want this quality, local, in-season produce that you genuinely enjoy eating. Clean and prepare the vegetables as you like; most traditional is to cut them into large pieces or strips, easy to pick up with your fingers and dip.
To complement the fresh-cut veggies, traditional Italians love to dip them in extra virgin olive oil; in fact, this is what elevates pinzimonio from just raw vegetables into a true dish. Forget elaborate concoctions; authentic pinzimonio calls for just two ingredients: a really good extra virgin olive oil and salt. For the best results choose an extra virgin olive oil that is flavorful and high in polyphenols, such as Aurinia, an organic blend olive oil or Caletra, a highly rated organic mono-cultivar from Tuscan farm La Maliosa. Their bold flavors will add an extra punch of flavor. To finish, add in some large-grain salt to the extra virgin olive oil, and you are ready to start serving your pinzimonio! Some variations include adding a touch of balsamic vinegar or whole garlic cloves to the dipping oil, but we prefer honest-to-goodness simplicity of only EVOO and salt with fresh vegetables. The goal is to allow the nuanced flavors and full experience of the high-quality olive oil to be the star, and vinegar can actually detract from that pure taste. The raw vegetables provide all the necessary freshness and brightness, perfectly complemented by the richness of the oil and the savory notes of salt. A "really good" olive oil is one that's rich in flavor and high in beneficial polyphenols, like a quality Italian EVOO.
There is no right way to make a pinzimonio. Experiment with your favorite combination of vegetables and olive oils, or even other dips, and see how they pair with various wines Most importantly, take full advantage of local produce or your own garden to really dial in and enjoy your summer!
A pinzimonio layout, ready to enjoy.
Wine Pairing and Pinzimonio
Pinzimonio, with its fresh, crisp vegetables and olive oil dip, offers a delightful versatility, and that means for wine pairings too! As a light and refreshing antipasto or a vibrant side dish, it opens the door to a wide array of wine choices. However, the key to a harmonious pairing lies in avoiding highly tannic wines. The raw freshness of the vegetables and the delicate richness of the olive oil can clash with the astringency of tannins, leading to an unbalanced sensation.
Instead, opt for wines that complement the dish's bright character without overpowering it. This makes pinzimonio an ideal match for a spectrum of sparkling, white, and rosé wines. Effervescent options like a crisp Prosecco col fondo to cut through the oil with their bubbles and acidity, refreshing the palate. For still wines, a bright Famoso, a complex and herbal Trebbiano that can highlight the vegetables' natural flavors. Rosé wines, particularly those with a dry profile and notes of red berries, offer a beautiful bridge between the freshness of the vegetables and the richness of the oil, providing a versatile and pleasing accompaniment.
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What Wines Pair with Pinzimonio?
A 100% glera grape white sparkling wine made with native yeast fermentation, this natural wine vintage “prosecco” is from vineyards in the old part of Valdobbiadene, made also in the historic tradition of the ancestral style, or Pet Nat, as it is bottle fermented on the lees. A light color, giving an early hint to its bright acidity, the bouquet of citrus and lemon flowers bursts forth in the glass once it opens. When tasting this ancestral method natural wine, apricots and persistent bubbles create a sparkling wine that is enjoyable with brunch, aperitivos , get-togethers, you name it.
The circle and dot logo represents both the human existence and evolution, as well as winemaker Eros Zanon’s personal view of his vineyards, a dot of small-production boutique quality in the larger circle of large-production Proseccos.
Made from the rare Uva Tosca grape, which grows in higher altitudes in Emilia and is believed to be a descendant of Schiava Grossa, the Alto Adige red grape. Technically a rose wine, it is more like a light red, which looks and tastes like drinking cranberry juice as a sparkling wine. Refreshing and quaffable, with strawberries on the nose and a saline finish, it is great on its own or with light fare. While this grape does not impart much color, 2021 was a dry year, producing more concentrated fruit and color. It is naturally fermented and sparkling 'col fondo' ancestral, or pet nat, style wine.
A rare find, this Famoso is made with fruit from the original vineyard of the Montalti farm in Monte Sasso where the Famoso di Cesena varietal was re-discovered in 2000 when two rows of old vines were found by a local farmer.
It is semi-aromatic with has aromas of lemon and a hint of flint, it has laser-like acidity, with tangy citrus fruit flavors and herbs, great texture and a lemon mineral finish. Limited production of 5000 bottles / yr
What other sommeliers are saying about this wine:
Ruth Ryberg:
“Wow is this cool! A grape I haven’t had before called Famoso! If it was a blind tasting I would’ve called out Chablis for the searing acidity and the chalky finish. Yum! The nose is all fresh picked apricot and lemon spray, with subtle hints of honeysuckle and marzipan. A zippy zesty mineral on the finish comes right back round to apricot and lemon! Lip smacking and fresh. Just perfect.
I’ve mentioned Braschi before. It’s a small, family owned winery in Emilia Romagna, and has been under the same ownership since 1949. Everything they make is outstanding! Located along the ancient Roman road - Via Romea Germanica - just north of Tuscany, Cantina Braschi is nestled in the hills of Romagna. The wines are first class from this family owned, small producer.”
An organic & vegan natural wine made from 100% trebbiano abruzzese, a white wine grape which the New York Times cites a grape “worth knowing better”. It has an inviting straw yellow color and an exotic nose (look for the saffron!) and an intriguing fruity and herbal taste.
This white wine is age-worthy too! Fermented and refined in grandfather Febo’s concrete vessels.
Region: Italy > Abruzzo > Chieti
Tastes Like: Peaches and Saffron
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Vegan | Single vineyard | Old Vine | Organic | Natural Wine
Fun Facts: This wine is named from the single vineyard from which it comes, Parella in Chieti.
While made as a rosé wine, this Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is actually more like a light red wine thanks to the dark pigments of the Montepulciano grapes used, farmed on Febo family’s estate vineyards in Abruzzo.
The minimal intervention approach of this natural wine producer results in a lot of vintage variation year after year. For example, the 2021 Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo has a cherry taste with a salty finish, and is considered a “serious” rosé wine while the 2024 is a Rosorange color that bursts with blood orange flavors mixed with cherry.
Region: Italy > Abruzzo > Spoltore & Chieti
Tastes Like: 2021 - Cherries | 2024 - Tart cherries and blood orange
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Vegan | Organic | Natural Wine
Fun Facts: Both vintages are fermented with native yeast and refined in the winegrower's grandparents' concrete vessels. Great chilled and a good pairing is eggplant parmesan.
With an inviting golden yellow color, this fresh and softly balanced sweet wine made from the historic Albana grape from the Romagna area of Italy has intriguing saffron and apricot notes. As a sommelier pointed out when tasting the wine for the first time: ‘It’s a dessert wine that is sort of a dry wine.. Wow, this whispers, not shouts!’
From the hills of Abruzzo near the Adriatic Coast of Italy, comes this Organic EVOO, or Extra Virgin Olive Oil, farmed and made by the Febo family. Farmed sustainably and organic, this natural extra virgin olive oil is also vegan and, like all evoos, a first run - cold press olive oil, the best kind of olive oil for you.
The 2024 harvest is still made from a blend of olives like leccino and 500 year old trees, but now it is mostly the dritta cultivar.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic
Fun Facts: The dritta cultivar is a rare one being saved by Davide Febo who is trying to save and rehabilitate it.
This is an olive oil, super food for super foodies. This is small production organic & vegan extra virgin olive oil made primarily from a rare local cultivar from the area of Macerata Italy called Piantone de Mogliano. The buttery flavors and taste of this organic EVOO so inspired the family behind Quercia Scarlatta farm and winery in Le Marche Italy to name it ‘our gold’, or Il Nostro Oro.
Hand harvested and milled at the family’s farm, a first run, cold press evoo, this olive oil’s aromas remind you of stepping into a garden full of fresh green beans with a whiff of black pepper. Likewise, tasting it is like having fresh green beans with black pepper and butter, thanks to its buttery texture. Black pepper continues on the finish.
This organic extra virgin olive oil comes in a 3 liter container, made for following the Mediterranean diet to a tee!
A prestigious first cold press monocultivar organic extra virgin olive oil from the Maremma hils of Tuscany which has won best organic extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany! Its polyphenols which are used to determine how good an olive oil is, are exceptionally high!
Top awards include extra gold, as best Tuscan organic EVOO by Biol Novello which evaluates the best olive oils in the world. In the past this olive oil has also won Best in Italy, as well as Gambero Rosso 3 leaves (their highest rating).
Its aromas of grass, green pepper and mint lead to an intense hot pepper taste and a long finish with black pepper lingering in your mouth. Even just a little drizzled over a simple lettuce salad will bring it to life with flavor.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino
Fun Facts: The natural farming method that produced this extra virgin olive oil, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
This is a woman made, limited production first cold press organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Maremma hills of Tuscany made from a blend of four Tuscan cultivars. Buttery deliciousness with a bitter kick at the end, thanks to its polyphenols. It has won gold medals in a competition which judges the best extra virgin organic olive oils from around the world.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino
Fun Facts: The natural farming method that produced this extra virgin olive oil, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
A vegetable garden on a balcony in Alba, Italy.
