So much to savor
He who loves all things Italian (see 'Our Story')
Until the release of the 2010 Faraona in the fall of 2012, our dining suggestions have been intended to complement Sangiovese (solo). With your help and some experimentation, we will soon be adding menu ideas for Faraona as well.
Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese is the unusual wine that demands your attention. Once you've admired its ruby color, tasted it, and savored its fruit and balance (that famous acidity is why it ages well and pairs well with good food), you're free to get on with enjoying it. An open bottle never lasts long in the Rodeno household. Hint: the wine really opens up with 15-20 minutes in the glass. If you're in a hurry, consider decanting it.
Keeping in mind that we don't spend all day cooking, except on rare occasions, here are some Rodeno family favorites to serve with Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese:
Tomato Basil Pasta - perfect for families with little time and small children (cats like this too). Melt 3 T butter in a skillet, add one 28 oz can of plum tomatoes, tear fresh basil leaves into the sauce, and put the pasta pot on to boil (salt the water). By the time the pasta is cooked al dente, the sauce will be thickened and ready. Feeling decadent? Stir an optional 1/4 cup of crême fraîche into the sauce. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano.
Bistecca a la Fiorentina - for authenticity you should cook this on an iron grate in the fireplace, but a Viking grill will do. Or your old Weber. You'll have to convince your butcher to custom cut a 2" thick T-bone. Tuscans like to eat this extremely rare. Blue.
Grilled salmon - serve on a bed of arugula with garden-fresh summer vegetables brushed, like the salmon, with EVOL and grilled. This works well with winter vegetables, too. Healthy and delicious and oh so good with Sangiovese.
Lasagne Verde - preparing this does take all day, but it's ethereal, a perfect dish for company. Find a used copy of Foods of Italy ($7.25 on eBay) by Guiliano Bugialli and follow the directions. You'll need a pasta machine -- hand cranked is fine -- and a helper to do this by the book. There are shortcuts, but don't take them.
Bengali 5-Spice Roast Chicken - mildly spicy (flavorful, not fiery) dishes like this are wonderful with Sangiovese. Here's where to find the very easy recipe: indian chicken recipe
Ragù Bolognese - every decent Italian cookbook has a good (and different) recipe. The brightness of Sangiovese works beautifully with this rich sauce.
Spicy Sausage, Escarole & White Bean Stew - onions, garlic, hot Italian sausage, green stuff, everybody loves this quick, easy meal-in-a-bowl. Italian comfort food! white bean stew
Penne alla Vodka - this Lydia Bastianich version is a favorite, very subtle and delicious: penne alla vodka
Ribs - we wouldn't dream of mandating any particular cooking method or barbecue sauce, but know that Sangiovese is an excellent complement.
Mushrooms - grilled, marinated, sautéed, served with or on just about anything. Here's a delicious recipe to try with all sorts of different mushrooms: mushroom-shallot-ragout.
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak - marinate in 1/3 cup of soysauce, 1/3 cup of water, 2 T. dark molasses, 2 t. powdered ginger, 1/2 t. powdered mustard, 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 6 peeled and halved garlic cloves for at least an hour before grilling. Ziplocs are good for this (squeeze out all the air before sealing to make sure the marinade is in contact with the meat).
Tomato Confit - when you have more ripe tomatoes than you can eat before they rot, this is an extraordinarily delicious way to preserve them. Serve as a side dish, or over pasta. Here's a link to Alice Waters' version: tomato confit
Cheese hall of fame - see blog post dated Feb 12, 2012 for a full report, but the best matches with our Sangiovese were a Spanish goat cheese, Garrotxa, and Pecorino Toscano. Plenty to argue about, such as blue cheese and Parmigiano-regggiano... We weren't crazy about Taleggio and Fontina with VR Sangiovese, but we'd love to try your favorites. See also blog post on May 5, 2012. We've also tested and liked Midnight Moon, an aged goat cheese, and Cabot clothbound cheddar. We conclude that hard cheeses are the best choice for our Sangiovese, and have just added Mahon Reserve, a Spanish cow's milk cheese, to our list of favorites. And Noord Hollander, a Dutch aged cows milk cheese.
Please send us your favorite Sangiovese food pairings - we'll be delighted to share them!
Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese is the unusual wine that demands your attention. Once you've admired its ruby color, tasted it, and savored its fruit and balance (that famous acidity is why it ages well and pairs well with good food), you're free to get on with enjoying it. An open bottle never lasts long in the Rodeno household. Hint: the wine really opens up with 15-20 minutes in the glass. If you're in a hurry, consider decanting it.
Keeping in mind that we don't spend all day cooking, except on rare occasions, here are some Rodeno family favorites to serve with Villa Ragazzi Sangiovese:
Tomato Basil Pasta - perfect for families with little time and small children (cats like this too). Melt 3 T butter in a skillet, add one 28 oz can of plum tomatoes, tear fresh basil leaves into the sauce, and put the pasta pot on to boil (salt the water). By the time the pasta is cooked al dente, the sauce will be thickened and ready. Feeling decadent? Stir an optional 1/4 cup of crême fraîche into the sauce. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano.
Bistecca a la Fiorentina - for authenticity you should cook this on an iron grate in the fireplace, but a Viking grill will do. Or your old Weber. You'll have to convince your butcher to custom cut a 2" thick T-bone. Tuscans like to eat this extremely rare. Blue.
Grilled salmon - serve on a bed of arugula with garden-fresh summer vegetables brushed, like the salmon, with EVOL and grilled. This works well with winter vegetables, too. Healthy and delicious and oh so good with Sangiovese.
Lasagne Verde - preparing this does take all day, but it's ethereal, a perfect dish for company. Find a used copy of Foods of Italy ($7.25 on eBay) by Guiliano Bugialli and follow the directions. You'll need a pasta machine -- hand cranked is fine -- and a helper to do this by the book. There are shortcuts, but don't take them.
Bengali 5-Spice Roast Chicken - mildly spicy (flavorful, not fiery) dishes like this are wonderful with Sangiovese. Here's where to find the very easy recipe: indian chicken recipe
Ragù Bolognese - every decent Italian cookbook has a good (and different) recipe. The brightness of Sangiovese works beautifully with this rich sauce.
Spicy Sausage, Escarole & White Bean Stew - onions, garlic, hot Italian sausage, green stuff, everybody loves this quick, easy meal-in-a-bowl. Italian comfort food! white bean stew
Penne alla Vodka - this Lydia Bastianich version is a favorite, very subtle and delicious: penne alla vodka
Ribs - we wouldn't dream of mandating any particular cooking method or barbecue sauce, but know that Sangiovese is an excellent complement.
Mushrooms - grilled, marinated, sautéed, served with or on just about anything. Here's a delicious recipe to try with all sorts of different mushrooms: mushroom-shallot-ragout.
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak - marinate in 1/3 cup of soysauce, 1/3 cup of water, 2 T. dark molasses, 2 t. powdered ginger, 1/2 t. powdered mustard, 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 6 peeled and halved garlic cloves for at least an hour before grilling. Ziplocs are good for this (squeeze out all the air before sealing to make sure the marinade is in contact with the meat).
Tomato Confit - when you have more ripe tomatoes than you can eat before they rot, this is an extraordinarily delicious way to preserve them. Serve as a side dish, or over pasta. Here's a link to Alice Waters' version: tomato confit
Cheese hall of fame - see blog post dated Feb 12, 2012 for a full report, but the best matches with our Sangiovese were a Spanish goat cheese, Garrotxa, and Pecorino Toscano. Plenty to argue about, such as blue cheese and Parmigiano-regggiano... We weren't crazy about Taleggio and Fontina with VR Sangiovese, but we'd love to try your favorites. See also blog post on May 5, 2012. We've also tested and liked Midnight Moon, an aged goat cheese, and Cabot clothbound cheddar. We conclude that hard cheeses are the best choice for our Sangiovese, and have just added Mahon Reserve, a Spanish cow's milk cheese, to our list of favorites. And Noord Hollander, a Dutch aged cows milk cheese.
Please send us your favorite Sangiovese food pairings - we'll be delighted to share them!