The Veneto region specialties - Carnevale
and Valpolicella wines, Braised Lamb recipe
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February flew by and we needed to get our monthly newsletter out before Lent starts next Wednesday! Which means it’s the middle of Carnevale in Venice, the oldest of pre-Lenten celebrations. The two weeks leading up to the Lenten 40 days of fasting and prayer were dedicated to eating, debauching, and drinking, with the best parties held the weekend before Ash Wednesday (March 2nd this year). Traditionally in Italy, putting a mask on gave the wearer freedom from normal social constraints and so the debauchery could be excessive. Beware, young maidens! While Venice is certainly not the only city to hold extensive Mardi Gras celebrations, it’s certainly one of the most beautiful with elaborate masks, glorious costumes and splendid fancy dress parties. For more info check out this link about Carnevale.
In case any of you are planning to uphold the Lenten tradition and give up eating meat, we thought a great recipe for braised meat would be perfect for this weekend! Lamb braised in red wine or pork shoulder braised with fresh fennel would do the trick. See below for the recipe.
While we won’t be in Venice this weekend, we are planning a reconnaissance trip in May to the Veneto region with plans of expanding our tours there next year. We’ll be visiting Verona, Padova, Vicenza and drinking our way along the famous Prosecco Road! Stay tuned for details!
Our wine news this month keeps us in the Veneto with some light reading about Valpolicella wines from the Verona area. They go perfectly with braised meats!
Stay warm and dry, spring is just around the corner!
Buon appetito!
Gina and Mary
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Agnello Brasato con Vino Rosso
(Braised lamb with red wine)
This dish can be made with any of the tougher cuts of beef as well, such as rump roast or shoulder. Use an inexpensive, full-bodied red wine.
2 lbs lamb roast, with or without bone
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp tomato concentrate, or ½ cup tomato puree
3 cups dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 sprig each of rosemary, sage & thyme
Sea salt & pepper
Salt the meat and brown well in hot olive oil in a wide, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Remove to the side, add the chopped vegetables and garlic to the pan, along with additional olive oil if necessary. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and herbs, sauté two minutes, then add back in the meat and the wine, a small amount of salt and a fresh grind of pepper. Cover and place in a 350 oven for about 2 hours. In the last half hour, remove the lid so the meat gets a nice browning.
Serve the meat with the sauce on top of a bed of polenta or with mashed potatoes.
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Veneto Region, Lake Garda |
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This month's Italian saying:
L'amicizia raddoppia le gioie e divide in due le sofferenze.
Friendship doubles our joy and cuts in half our grief.
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Valpolicella Wine from the Veneto region
For the sheer volume of prosecco and white wine it provides the world, the Veneto region jockeys for position with Puglia for quantity of wine produced. But it is also one of the top three wine making regions in Italy in terms of quality, the other two being Piedmont and Tuscany. The red wines produced in the historic vineyards north of the ancient city of Verona are worth getting to know, especially Valpolicella DOC and Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG.
These wines are a blend of several traditional grapes, mainly Corvina Veronese, Corvinone and Rondinella. Historically, the grapes were air-dried to concentrate the sugars in the grapes to produce a sweet wine, Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG. Amarone was created by accident when the occasional vat of fermenting grapes accidentally metabolized all the sugar in the must and resulted in a dry recioto. The success and quality of these wines in the 1990’s restored Valpolicella’s reputation after years of lower quality wines. In turn, the quality of basic Valpolicella was also lifted.
Traditionally, Valpolicella was light-bodied, refreshing and fruity. Drunk young it has a floral and sour cherry nose with a bitter almond finish. Since the invention of Amarone, a deeper more full-bodied Valpolicella is made by repassing the wine over the spent grape skins from making Amarone. These wines are richer and high in tannins, allowing the wine to age. Look for “Ripasso” on the label.
A number of Valpolicella are on the market so we hope you’ll search them out and try them!
Salute! Cin-Cin! Cheers!
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We are excited about our return to Italy this spring! Our small group tours are perfect to be with like minded people to explore the culture and history of Italy through its foods and wines. Join us for a week filled with delicious foods and regional wines. You'll learn a lot and have a great time, just leave the details to us!
Check out our website for tours and availability for travel this year we have a couple of spots open for our
Piedmont tours this spring (May 24 - 31 & June 1-8) and Tuscany (June 11-18, October 8- 15) and several open spots for Puglia (Sept 28-October 4). Call or email Mary with questions or to get registered.
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Plus learn a thing or two! |
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Gina Stipo and Mary Stipo Potter | Ecco La Cucina | 1-972-342-8308| Email | Website
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