Wholemeal Fusilli Pasta in a pumpkin and Leek sauce
Suggested wine pairing: Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG by Montalbera.
Link here.
MTW customers on accompanied trips are treated to Cinzia’s legendary picnics. You can now head over to Substack to view and subscribe to Cinzia’s Recipes. There are free and paid subscriptions, and the weekly recipes include wine pairing suggestions by James.
Suggested wine pairing: Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG by Montalbera.
Link here.
Bunet is a traditional chocolate and amaretto dessert of Piemonte.
Suggested wine pairing: Marco Porello’s ‘Birbet’, a fruity, sweet, sparkling red, which should be served ice cold.
Link here.
Bava is a rich, cheesy sauce, which Cinzia makes with Fontina. The post includes a video showing how to ‘roll’ the gnocchi off the fork.
Suggest wine pairings: Blanc de Morgex, Petite Arvine, Fumin, all from Valle d’Aosta.
Link here.
A favourite picnic dish which MTW customers enjoy on our accompanied small group trips.
Suggest wine pairing: ‘Polluce’, the Lazio IGT Nero Buono (Nero Buono is the grape) made by the Cincinnato co-operative. UK customers can buy Polluce (and its sister white, Castore) from Cuculo here.
Link to the recipe here.
This rich winter soup is a favourite with skiiers. It is made with bread, cabbage and Fontina cheese and utterly delicious.
Suggest wine pairing: Côteau Barrage, a blend of Syrah and Fumin made by Lo Triolet in Valle d’Aosta.
Link to the recipe here.
Another firm favourite with family and customers alike. This tomato, tuna and vegetable starter is designed to store in your larder, so Cinzia has written a follow-up post here showing how to sterilise your jars.
Suggest wine pairing: Prosecco DOC Extra Dry or Dry, different versions of which are available from Cuculo Cheese & Wine.
Link to the recipe here.
This bread is a happy memory from Cinzia’s days running Cuculo Cheese & Wine. We received a weekly delivery of fresh bread from the Lighthouse Bakery in Bodiam, sadly no longer active, among which was challah and chocolate challah. This brioche-style bread is best known as part of Jewish tradition, versions of which can also be found throughout central and eastern Europe.
Suggested wine pairing: ‘Sese’, the Passito di Pantelleria made by Tua Rita on a volcanic island closer to Tunisia than Sicily. UK customers can buy Sese here.
Link to the recipe here.
Anchovies in green sauce, a traditional Piemontese antipasto.
This traditional antipasto from Western Piemonte is simple and very flavoursome.
The dish was born when salt cost more than anchovies. Traders from the Ligurian coast smuggled layers of salt between their anchovies – at the time a cheap commodity – to avoid duty payments on the salt.
Giovanni Vialardi, chef to the ruling Savoie family, added the green sauce (Bagnèt Vert in Piemontese dialect) in the mid 1800s. It is made with parsley, olive oil and garlic. Some people add hard-boiled egg yolk and soft breadcrumbs.
Nowadays, Acciughe al Verde accompanies most Piemontese celebration meals. Toasted bread and butter, topped with your Acchiughe al Verde and a glass of Arneis – “et voilà”, the tastiest starter is served!
MTW guests booked on any of our Piemonte trips will most certainly get the chance to taste this delicious classic.
Link to the recipe here.
