We clearly have a predisposition for Piemontese cuisine, specifically from the Langhe. From Bagna Cauda, to Eggplant Stacks, to Red Wine Risotto, Filetto and Zabaglione desserts thanks to recipes shared here on our blog over the years. Of course, knowing that our Vero Collaborator Jacqueline Mitchell has lived in the Langhe for over 10 years and worked for many of those years in a local Italian restaurant, it comes as no suprise to imagine she has shared some of her hard learned secrets, including, of course, some wine and food matching secrets.

Today, Jacqueline is sharing not one, but two pairings with one of her favorite Piemonte red wines: Dolcetto. These recipes are classic staples in piemontese cuisine, and a great way to bring a touch of authenticity to your next Italian food night!

Authentic Italian Food and Pairings

Jacqueline is actually more than just a chef, she also runs Ojai Pacific View with her mother, Patti Mitchell. In fact, at our VeroTalk with the Mother-Daughter-Winemaker-Chef duo we found them split between California and Trattoria Risorgimento in Piedmont Italy. We chatted about wine, travel and food, and Chef Jacqueline cooked away at the trattoria, which is popular even with the locals, so you know it’s good! She shared with us two delicious recipes, direct from the authentic Italian restaurant’s traditional menu: Bagnet Verd Parsley Sauce, and Tajarin Pasta.

Bagnet Verd

Made with typical ingredients from Northern Italy, the parsley based Bagnet Verd (or literally ‘green sauce’) is an ubiquitous part of Piemontese cuisine.  It is one of those recipes that have a million incarnations and every person makes it a little different, based on nonna’s family recipe.  It makes appearances in multiple dishes, as a condiment such as with Bollito Misto (or a mixture of boiled meats) or as a more integral part such as Acciughe al Verde (Anchovies in Green Sauce) where the anchovies are marinated and covered in the bagnet sauce. Bagnet verd is also very commonly served over cheeses during an aperitivo or happy hour.

Tajarin al Sugo

Tajarin Pasta with Sausage Sauce, or Tajarin al Sugo di Salsiccia as it is known in its native Piemonte, is one of the most classic pasta dishes in the region, along with Agnolotti del Plin, or small hand pinched ravioli.  These tajarin noodles show just how easy it can be to make fresh pasta at home.  The art of cutting them by hand, slicing so thin that they are finer than angel hair pasta, is something many chefs spend years practicing.  Gioele and Elisa Colonna of the Italian restaurant Trattoria Risorgimento remember first slicing the pasta as children, guided by their mother’s steady hand.  Now, as adults, they take great pride in the finely sliced pasta they serve today.  Don’t be discouraged if first attempts result in thicker Tajarin… practice makes perfect!

The Wines to Pair

So, Jacqueline decided to pair which wines with the pasta and aperitivo? For the first wine and food pairing, she thought the best wine for the pasta Tajarin al Sugo di Salsiccia would be a dolcetto wine, like Ojai Pacific View’s Dolcetto, but it would also pair well with another iteration of the dolcetto grape, Aldo Clerico’s Dogliani Dolcetto. The dolcetto grape is normally most commonly found in Piedmont, Northern Italy, and used to make Italian wine, however, there is a small amount planted and farmed outside of it, such as for California wine. In fact, you can learn a lot more about this grape, and how it moved from old world to the new world in our article “New World Old World Dolcetto”

Ready to Cook and Pair?

Grab your cutting board, pans, and a corkscrew and get ready to cook! Pick up a bottle of Aldo Clerico’s Dogliani Dolcetto and Ojai Pacific View’s California Dolcetto to cook and pair with. These two wines (and really so many more), we sell to businesses and consumers across the US:

• Interested in distributing our small production, hard-to-find wines? Reach out to us.

• We sell to wine stores and restaurants in certain states - contact us to find out where.

• For you wine lovers out there, Ojai Pacific View’s Dolcetto is available in our online shop in a Three Vintage Flight Set, with shipping included for your entire order. Add on a bottle of Aldo Clerico’s Dogliani Dolcetto to add further Italian flair to your meal;

• We also have great wine gifts, and award winning wine club for true wine explorers seeking to continually discover unique, sustainable and authentic small production wines they never had.

• We do corporate gifts & sommelier guided wine tastings. Email us and we’ll tailor unique and sustainable corporate gifts.

Bagnet Verd Parsley Sauce and Fresh Cheese

Procedure:

1. Wash and dry the parsley sprigs.  Roughly chop the leaves.  Add to a food processor with all of the other ingredients except the cheese.  Pulse and blend until a homogeneous thick sauce.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours to allow flavors to infuse.

2. Once it has sat, bring the sauce to room temperature for 5-10 minutes, and add a spoon or two of extra virgin olive oil until the sauce is pourable.

3. Slice the cheese into half inch wedges and spread them around a plate.  Dollop the bagnet onto each wedge, letting it run onto the plate.  Dress with olives and cherry tomatoes or fresh parsley leaves.

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Portions: 6 servings

Ingredients:

400g Piemontese Tuma or another Fresh Soft Cheese
100g Fresh Parsley
2 tablespoon Red Vinegar
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Hard Boiled Egg
5-6 Large Capers
30g Pickled Vegetables
3-4 anchovies
Salt and Pepper to taste

To Garnish:
Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, or parsley leaves

Suggested Wine Pairing:
Ojai Pacific View | California Dolcetto

Tajarin Pasta and Sausage Sugo

Cooking Time: 1 hour
Portions: 6 servings

Ingredients for Tajarin Pasta:
5 eggs
450g semola flour
40g all purpose flour
2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Sugo:
300g Sausage
1 medium Carrot
1 Celery Stalk
1 Small Onion
1 Garlic Clove
1 Glass Wine
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1-2 Large Tomatoes
500ml broth

To Garnish:
Freshly Grated Parmesan

Suggested Wine Pairing:
Ojai Pacific View | California Dolcetto

Procedure:

Finely chop the carrot, celery, onion, garlic and sauté until soft in a spoon of oil in a pan.  Remove the sausage from the casing, and add it to the vegetables.  Stir to break the sausage up into small pieces.  Once browned, add the wine to deglaze the pan, then add some stock to prevent it from burning.  Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and dice them, adding to the pot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, then leave it to simmer on low, stirring occasionally and checking that it has enough broth and liquid.

In a bowl, create a well with the flours, and add the eggs and salt to the well.  Using hands, mix all together.  Once amalgamated enough to stay together, begin to knead the dough on a clean surface with a sprinkling of flour.  Let rest a moment.  With a machine set on the largest level, roll out several times the pasta, then move it to a medium width, and roll out several times more.  Lastly, move it to the smallest setting and carefully roll out paper thin sheets of pasta about 12 inches in length.  Let these sheets dry for about 10 minutes.  Then, with lots of flour, lay one on top of the other, and roll them up together.  Starting at one end, slice as thinly as possible.  Gently shake the noodles to separate into a messy pile to allow them to dry.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, and heat the sauce in a skillet.  Drop the fresh Tajarin pasta into the boiling water and let cook for 2-3 minutes maximum.  Drain and mix the pasta with the heated sauce in the skillet.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan on top.