Grazie Mille: Veg-Forward Sides and Villa Dora's 'Vigna del Vulcano' Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco #ItalianFWT

This month the combined wine writers are sharing Italian wines to be poured at an American Thanksgiving. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting.

Here's the line-up of #ItalianFWT pairings for the event...

• Wine Predator... Gwendolyn Alley serves up 4 Italian Wines for Thanksgiving: Prosecco, Chardonnay, Barolo, Passito with a coursed meal 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm is Celebrating an American Thanksgiving with an Italian Antipasti Platter and a Sparkling Wine from Italy that is not Prosecco 

• Culinary Cam says Grazie Mille: Veg-Forward Sides and Villa Dora's 'Vigna del Vulcano' Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco (you're here)

• Our Good Life shares Wine pairings and Pumpkin Pie

• Vino Travels is having a Thanksgiving Feast with Umbrian Madrevite Gamay del Trasimeno 

• Wineivore is serving an Italian Thanksgiving with Coppo Wines

I love this theme for several reasons. Obviously the food and wine. However, Thanksgiving in Italy - 1997 - was very special to me. I was newly in Rome and ended up at a Thanksgiving feast hosted by two other American au pairs. That is where I met a Danish au pair, Rikke, who became my anchor during a crazy year. She and I were the only ones who had school-age charges. So, after we dropped the kids off at school, we met up. Every. Day. We vowed to see something new and beautiful everyday. Even after ten months and a parade of historic churches and amazing museums, we still didn't exhaust all of Rome's treasures! I guess that means we'll have to go back to my favorite city in the world.

In the Glass

I was introduced to this wine at a wine tasting hosted at my favorite local Italian restaurant, La Balena Carmel. Anna, one of the owners, led us through a tasting of five different wines and this was one of them. Villa Dora's 'Vigna del Vulcano' Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco.

I almost forgot to share the ancient tale that I mention in my post title. This wine’s name - Lacryma Christi - means 'Tears of Christ' and comes from an ancient tale. There are many variations on it, but in the Italian version, Lucifer was cast out of heaven. As he fell towards earth, he desperately flailed and grabbed a chunk of heaven. When he reached the ground, he hurled it at the base of Vesuvius. When Jesus saw this, he wept. Those tears ran down the mountains and were made visible to humans in the streaks of lava flows down the sides of Vesuvius. Where Christ’s tears hit the Earth, vineyards grew at those spots.

Villa Dora was the passion project of Vincenzo Ambrosio; now his nephew Vincenzo Orabona is at its helm. All of the vineyards of Villa Dora lie on the lower Southern slopes of Mt. Vesuvius, within the national park, and are farmed organically. Besides the rich minerals of the volcanic soil, it is also inhospitable to Phylloxera, tiny louses that decimated Europe's vineyards around the turn of the 20th century. So Villa Dora's vines are ungrafted, unlike most of the other vineyards on the continent. I don't know if you can discern the difference. Some people say 'yes.' I will just say that this wine is delicious.

This wine is a blend of 80% Caprettone and 20% Falanghina grapes. Caprettone, a grape native to Vesuvius, is thought to be identical to Coda di Volpe. Falanghina grows throughout the region and used in many regional blends. It is thought to be an ancient transplant from Greece; its name is derived from the Greek word, phalanga, meaning stake or pole, which refers to the Greek method of training vines to single stakes.

The fruit was pressed after macerating for an hour, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with select yeasts. After fermentation, the wine is aged on the lees for 8 months and, then, aged in the tank for another year before bottling.

This wine screams 'yellow.' It poured a beautiful yellow hue with gold on the rim. On the nose, there are aromas of yellow peach, preserved lemon, and daffodils. See! All yellow. On the palate the wine is rife with minerality, herb-heavy, and has a lengthy finish. It was a delicious match to an array of veg-forward side dishes. I can't wait to try more of their wines. Stay tuned.

On the Plates

If you follow me, or know me in real life, you'll know that I love vegetables and "force them" onto anyone at my table. Seriously, veg-heavy is a way of life at Caffè Camilla.

Burrata is one of my favorite cheese. If you can still get your hands on late season tomatoes, slice up those babies, top them with torn burrata, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and an aged balsamic.

Delicata Rings

If you follow me at all, you'll know how much joy pumpkin season brings to me. But delicata is probably my real favorite squash. And I really love that this is three ingredients beyond the squash and about thirty minutes in the oven.

Ingredients

• delicata squash

• olive oil

• freshly ground sea salt

• freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the delicata and scoop out the seeds to form rings. Lay out the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash is softened and beginning to caramelize. Serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The secret to Brussels sprouts: It's all about high temperature, low time. The longer Brussels cook, the more bitter and sulphury they become.

Ingredients

• Brussels sprouts (enough that lay in a single layer in your baking dish)

• olive oil

• minced garlic

• freshly ground sea salt

• freshly ground pepper

• freshly squeezed lemon juice or aged balsamic vinegar

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the Brussels sprouts in a mixing bowl. You can slice the larger ones in half, but you can leave the little ones whole. Drizzle them with enough olive oil to coat them and make them glisten. Toss them with minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 10 minutes. Move the sprouts around in the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes. When cooked and slightly browned, season with more salt and pepper and drizzle with more oil and lemon juice or aged balsamic vinegar. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Baked Okra Fries

This simple dish comes together quickly and tastes amazing.

Ingredients

• 1 pound okra, rinsed and dried

• 1 Tablespoon corn meal

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Procedure

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Trim the end off the okra and slice them in half lengthwise. Place okra in a large mixing bowl. Add in the corn meal, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Place okra on a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

The okra fries should be browned and nicely crisped. Serve immediately as they will get less crisp as they cool.

Beurre Noisette-Braised Radishes

Beurre Noisette [bur nwah-zet] noun, French Cookery. Literally 'butter the color of a hazelnut.'

Browned butter is one of those magical ingredients that transforms the flavor of just about anything be it sweet or savory. Its nutty taste and aroma are out of this world. And it can add a creative twist to any recipe that includes butter.

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons beurre noisette*

• 1 bunch radishes, cleaned and greens removed (I reserve mine for plating sometimes)

• freshly ground black pepper

• freshly ground sea salt

• 1 Tablespoon honey (I used a local pine honey)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs, thinly sliced (I used fresh mint and fresh parsley)

• olive oil

Procedure

*To make beurre noisette: place butter in a pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will foam and begin to darken. The color will progress from a pale lemon yellow to golden straw hue and, finally, to a hazelnut brown. Once you achieve the color and aroma you want, pour the beurre noisette into a glass container. The milk solids will continue to brown - and eventually burn - if you leave it in the pan.

Use a pan large enough to hold the radishes without crowding. Pour your beurre noisette into the pan. Add the radishes, honey, and water. Stir to combine. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes or so. Uncover, increase the heat to high and bring back to a boil. Cook for another few minutes, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Toss with chopped herbs, a splash of olive oil, and a bit more salt and pepper if you wish.

That's a wrap on my November #ItalianFWT offering. The combined wine writers' group will return in December with Bubbles from Around the World with Small Bites. You can read my invitation to the group.