Nebbiolo of my dreams
Guys! This Nebbiolo is for you! It’s a Lite Brite of white pepper and cranberry, light bodied but lingering. If life is about doing what you love, then I’m doing this: drinking wines that excite my senses, and surprise my palate as well as my bank account. Take a bottle of this to your holiday party, win over a pinotfile, and appear hella cultured all for under $25.
I picked this bottle up at The Panel in Sonoma mostly because my husband loves Nebbiolo. I’m a relative newby to this varietal, and I’m not going to lie, I was expecting a much heavier and tannic experience. Not here! I’ve since learned that the Valtellina Superiore region is known for a lighter bodied expression of Nebbiolo, as compared to a Barolo. Apparently, in order to qualify to be “superiore” the vineyards that produce the grapes must be planted on steep, south facing hillsides, and Sassella is considered to be the best vineyard of the region! This wine is a total babe!
The dish I paired this wine with could not be easier to throw together. I was inspired by this month’s Bon Appetit recipe for roast fennel with sausage (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roast-sausage-and-fennel-with-orange). Mostly because I already had most of the ingredients patiently waiting in my fridge. Sometimes I feel like the Chopped Champion of my own kitchen. Without the $10,000. But that’s okay.
Here’s my version:
· 1 head cabbage, sliced- any kind will do. I used savoy cabbage and it was great.
· 1 large or 2 small red onions, sliced
· 2 apples, sliced- any kind, I used granny smith.
· 4 sausage- again, choose your own adventure! I used botifarra, a mild garlic based sausage.
· Olive oil, salt, pepper
· Aluminum foil- for easier cleanup
· Dijon mustard- optional
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cover rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil. Arrange sliced apples, onion and cabbage on pan.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat.
4. Arrange sausages on top of cabbage mixture. Prick holes in sausage.
5. Place in oven, roast for 30 minutes or until cabbage and sausage browned. Give the cabbage mixture a stir after 15 minutes in order to spread everything out and get into a single layer.
Serve with Dijon mustard and enjoy!