Pasta with Sausage and Eggplant in a Zinfandel Wine Sauce #WinePW

Julia Child is credited with saying that she loved to cook with wine and that sometimes she even added it to the food.  I have a plaque hanging in my kitchen with that quote.  It always makes me smile.  

The recipe I'm sharing with you today does contain wine, Zinfandel wine to be exact.......

Primitivo and Pasta from Puglia #ItalianFWT #BudgetMeals

So last month I told you all about a new wine group that I joined, Italian Food Wine and Travel, and shared a recipe for Orecchiette with a Pork Ragu that I made in my Instant Pot.  I had not gotten to the store to pick up a bottle of Italian wine with which to pair it so I paired it with a California wine.

Little did I know, when I wrote that first post, that this month we were exploring the area of Puglia.

As you can see the Puglia area is located in the heel of the boot and is surrounded by water.  Cuisine plays an important role in this area.  Indeed, as it does throughout all of Italy.  This area is known for growing olive oil, artichokes, eggplant and tomatoes.  It is also where the "little ear" pasta, orecchiette, was developed.

Half of Italy's olive oil comes from this area but it also is becoming known for it's wine making, as it's location, surrounded by water, makes the perfect location for vineyards.  

I learned that most wine from this region is red, full bodied and pairs wonderfully with any number of dishes.  The most popular of these wines are Salice Salentino and Primitivo according to the article by Wine Folly.

I live in a pretty rural area and my local grocer does carry some decent wines but the selection is not huge and is pretty much limited to the popular labels that are well known by all.

We do, however, have a wonderful Italian Marketplace about an hour's drive into the City.  We were heading to my brother in law's on New Year's Day and left a few minutes early so we would have time to stop and see if they carried a wine from this area.

Imagine my delight when I found a bottle of Primitivo from Layer Cake for less than $15.  Primitivo is known here in the USA as the varietal, Zinfandel.  This made me very happy because I love Zinfandels that I find are normally peppery and dry.  I couldn't wait to try this one.

I was not disappointed.  It is dry and fruity with hints of pepper and chocolate.  I enjoyed a glass while preparing dinner.

I love that this wine is, according to the label, "One hundred percent hand crafted".  I also loved this tribute to Jayson Woodbridge's grandfather;

"My old grandfather made and enjoyed wine for 80 years.  He told me the soil in which the vines lived were a layer cake.  He said the wine, if properly made, was like a great layer cake, fruit, mocha, and chocolate, hints of spice and rich, always rich.  'Never pass up a layer cake', he would say.  I have always loved those words."

Of course, being the pasta lovers we are....I was going to go with the Oreccehiette even though I had just posted a recipe with it for this group.  Pasta is so versatile and wonderful that we can all use more recipes.

This recipe I am sharing today is adapted from one I found on my friend Sarah's blog over at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes.  I don't know how authentic it is to one you would find in Puglia but it does contain tomatoes, olive oil and orecchiette so I went with it.

And I am so glad that I did because it is not only scrumptious but it paired wonderfully with the wine.  That, my friends, is a very good start to this New Year.

This month's theme was chosen by Katarina of Grapevine Adventures.  You can read her preview post here.  Please join us for twitter chat today at 11 am ET following #ItalianFWT.

We are also sharing Budget Meals today in our Festive Foodies group.  This pasta dish is perfect for those on a budget.  You can feed an entire family for less than $10 (less than $30 if you include the wine)!

Orecchiette with Roasted Tomato Sauce

adapted from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

1 pt. cherry tomatoes

1 t. olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

12 oz. orecchiette pasta, cooked per package directions, 1/2 cup cooking water retained

2 T. olive oil

8 oz. Italian Sausage, casings removed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1/4 c. dry red wine

1/2 c. chicken broth

2-3 oz. field greens

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese + more for serving

Toss cherry tomatoes with 1 t. olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place onto a baking pan lined with a silicone mat and roast in a preheated 400* oven for 10-12 minutes, until they burst.

While tomatoes are roasting, heat the 2 T. of oil in a large skillet over med high heat.  Add the sausage, and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until crumbled and brown.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook and stir until fragrant and softened.  Add the wine.  Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, for 3-4 minutes, until the wine evaporates and pan is deglazed.  Add the chicken broth, roasted tomatoes and field greens.  Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tomatoes are heated through.  Stir in the cheese and the cooked pasta.  Cook and stir until pasta is warmed and coated with the sauce, adding the reserved pasta cooking water, if needed.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.

Serve with additional cheese for sprinkling.  Print Recipe

More Wining and Dining in Puglia

• Tracy at The Traveling Somm will talk about A Taste of Puglia with “Little Ear” Pasta and Affordable Wine.
• Wendy Klik at A Day in the Life on the Farm gives us a wine and food pairing tip with Primitivo and Pasta from Puglia.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Homemade Orecchiette e Tormaresca Neprica.
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish shares Traveling to Puglia via South Florida: My Adopted Italian Grandparents.
• Susannah at Avvinare shares Puglia – A Land of Abundance.
• Jill at L’Occasion shares Vineyards of Puglia. 
• Katarina at Grapevine Adventures will share the article Let’s Talk Nero di Troia and Primitivo in Puglia.

More Budget Friendly Meals

Enjoy these tasty, easy on your budget meal ideas from Festive Foodies!

• Chicken Sloppy Joes from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings.
• Chocolate Orange Marble Mug Cake from Family Around the Table.
• Primitivo and Pasta from Puglia from A Day in the Life on the Farm.

A New Wine for A New Year

Our friend, David, over at Cooking Chat has invited us to try and share a New Wine for a New Year. So I did and I am.  And so did many more of us who belong to this fun little group we call Wine Pairing Weekend.   I will be linking to all the others at the end of this post, so stop by and learn of some new, wonderful wines to try in 2017.

I also belong to a group called The French Winophiles.  This month we are discovering the Savoie region and I wasn't having any luck finding wines from that area in my part of the Country.  I had a trip planned to California that was starting in San Francisco.  My friends, Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog and LM of binNotes, both recommended I go to K&L Wine Merchants while in San Francisco.

I went into the store and was immediately helped by wonderful staff who finally turned me over to John who helped me not only find the wines from the Savoie region of France but also set me up with a nice bottle to give my cousin's daughter who was providing a room for us while we were in San Francisco.  John also said one of his favorite wines in the store right now was Valravn from Banshee Wines.  John told me that this wine is hand made locally on a very small scale and that their store was lucky enough to get some.  John went on to tell me that Banshee Winery was trying to showcase the Zinfandel grape and that they, in his opinion, had nailed it.  He convinced me so I bought a bottle and took it with me to my brother's house.

We got up early the next morning and drove south.  When we got to my brother's and settled in, his wife, Mary, took us to the Madonna Inn for lunch after which we went into San Luis Obispo for shopping.  When we got home, Mary put together a counter full of goodies.  We had brie cheese with blackberry jam, fresh fruit, veggies and sausage platters and I opened up the wine.  

I thought the wine was lovely.  It was smooth and much lighter than most zinfandels I have had.  It had a slight peppery finish to it, which I loved.  Good wine, Good food, Good company. Time spent with family....how much more perfect can life be?

Here are the New Wines being shared today

• Wine Predator wrote about New Year, New Wine: New Jersey?
• A Day in the Life on the Farm tried a New Wine for a New Year
• Grape Experiences shared Try Something New: Moroccan Wine with Lamb Tagine
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla posted Young Nation, Ancient Vines in Croatia: Pairing Crni Rižoto + Dingac Vinarija’s Peljesac
• A Palatable Pastime served Duck Ragout with Creamy Polenta
• L'occasion shared about The Wines of Red Mountain
• ENOFYLZ Wine Blog served Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa and Mencía
• foodwineclick tried Something Old, Something New - Flank Steak & Douro Red
• Rockin Red Blog is Journeying into a Glass of the Unknown
• Pull That Cork posted Loire Valley Red Meets Onion and Bacon Tart: When Old Becomes New
• The Swirling Dervish paired Lacrima di Morro d'Alba and Broccoli Rabe Lasagna
• Tasting Pour served up Lamb Stew and Wine from Lebanon
• Vino Travels shared Journey to Trentino with Teroldego and Spaghetti Carbonara
• Cooking Chat paired Pork Tenderloin with Onions and Canary Island Wine

Please join the conversation about new wine and food pairings to go with it! Our live #winePW Twitter Chat will take place today, January 14, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. Just tune into the #winePW hashtag between 11 and noon ET that day. Check out past and upcoming Wine Pairing Weekend events here.