A Three Course Lunch with Wine

Every week since we have been staying in, Michele places an order for a grocery delivery.  If we are lucky, half of it arrives.  This Friday the delivery contained some treats.  There were Italian pork sausages, both sweet and hot, firm red bell peppers and a fresh mozzarella.  We decided to have a little appetizer of crostini topped with mozzarella and a little marinara followed by sausages roasted with onions, potatoes and red peppers.

While Michele cooked, we couldn’t help nibbling on the mozzarella. 

Then we had the mozzarella on toasted Italian bread with tomato sauce

The peppers, potatoes  and onion  were  all  red.

Here they are sliced and ready for the oven.   A  generous  drizzle  of  olive  oil  and  they  were  ready  for  the  oven.  The  sausages  went  in  about  15  minutes  later.  

On the platter.  The  vegetables  were  nice  and  brown  and  crusty.

On the plate

The Wine

Valpolicella Superiore DOC 2012 I Saltari made from 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella,10% Croatina and 10% Corvinone. The grapes are grown in the Mezzane Valley in the region of the Veneto on terraced hillside vineyards in calcareous and alkaline soil. After a careful collection of the grapes, vivification takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. After racking, the wine is transferred to different size barrels for malolactic fermentation. For 12 to 14 months, the wine goes through regular racking and topping up of the barrels until blending. The wine is unfiltered.  It has hints of small berries like currants and blackberry with hints of tobacco and leather and a touch of cherry. $29. This winery also produces an excellent Amarone.

Dessert was simple:  my favorite ciambelline, made by Michele, red wine and fennel cookies with a good cup of espresso.