The Marche (pronounced: mar-kay) region of Italy is located on the east coast of the country, right about where the calf of the boot lies. The area’s cuisine is heavily influenced by seafood, fresh pasta and game, as well as white wine (particularly Verdicchio), and that is exactly what was served up Sunday night by Paola and Morena Alessandroni at Girasole in The Plains, VA. Paola and Morena own Casa Martelletto in Ancona, Le Marche. Nearly all of the food they serve at their agriturismo (a bed and breakfast) is produced on or very near the property, and nearly 70 lucky diners were able to taste true Italian food imported from their home district.
The women had worked for several days in the kitchen, rolling out fresh pasta by hand (they refuse to use any sort of machinery, even if hand-cranked), carefully choosing ingredients and expertly cutting cheeses and meats. They were joined in the kitchen by Chef Lou Patierno and his nephew, Angelo, who has spent the past nine months in Italy working at Casa Martelletto and a nearby merchanderia, owned by Paola’s husband. Angelo, a CIA graduate, plans to return to Italy later this year to spend more time learning, before hopefully opening his own restaurant (perhaps in Pittsburgh, where he is from). Also lending a hand in the kitchen was Andrea, a friend of Angelo’s, originally from Le Marche, who came over to the States to work on his English and “help out,” as he said.
When I arrived (about an hour early), I visited the kitchen to see how preparations were going. Anxiety was palpable, but everything was ready and the calm before the storm had set in. I got a preview of some of the dishes (sneaking some samples here and there), and I could not wait to see the finished dishes presented in the dining room and paired with the wines. I sat with Max Evans of Downey Selections, who presented the wines, all from Azienda Santa Barbara.
The evening began with antipasti misti, comprising two types of cured meats (a slightly spicy pork sausage and a more mild, herb-filled version), prosciutto, fresh and aged pecorino (made about 30 minutes from the agriturismo), pears, walnuts and the polenta cake. The fresh pecorino was light, yeasty, buttery and featherlike. The aged pecorino, which is wrapped in hay and buried for a month, was nutty, crumbly but substantial, and had honey undertones. We were served both a white and a red with this course: the Verdicchio “Castello di Jesi” 2008 (100% Verdicchio) was light, refreshing and crisp, pairing well with the pear and fresh pecorino. The Rosso Piceno 2008, a blend of 70% Multepuciano and 30% Sangiovese, was the perfect accompaniment to the meats and the aged cheese. It is meant to be consumed young and does not see oak barrels, giving it a lighter, less complex profile.
(Please pardon the flash photography – the lighting is low, but enjoyable, in Girasole.)
The second course, paired perfectly with Verdicchio “La Vaglie” 2008, was Baccala con Salsa. Baccala, a salt cod, was mixed with a tapenade of capers, herbs, pimiento and anchovies, creating a sumptuously flavorful jerky-type fish. While the wine was 100% Verdicchio like the first, 20% is aged in oak barrels, giving it a fuller body. It was softer on the palate, with a hint of vanilla, and was perfect with the salt cod.
One of the stars of the night was the handmade pasta with pork, porcini and chestnuts. The pasta had a bite to it that is hard to find outside of Italy. When the plate was served, diners all around me couldn’t resist bending over to take in the rich aroma, and one of them proclaimed, “I love this pasta!” And for good reason: the saltiness of the pork paired with the chewiness of the differing widths of the noodles (obviously handcut), the crunchiness and sweetness of the chestnuts and the earthiness of the mushrooms was delightful. While this dish would be perfect with the previous Verdicchio, it was served with a red, “San Bartolo” 2006, that was a blend of 80% Multepuciano and 20% Cabernet, grown in the same vineyard and aged for 18 months in French oak. The depth of the wine worked well with the earthiness of the dish.
The fourth course was a seafood soup, its parts (squid, mussels, clams, shrimp and monkfish) cooked to perfection and sitting atop a tomato concasse, creating less of a soup and more of a hearty stew. One of my favorite dishes of the evening, the acidity of the tomato base held up nicely to the sweetness of the Verdicchio “Stefano Antonucci” 2007, which complemented the dish with the flavors of apple, pear and baking spices.
Next came braised, stuffed rabbit, which was extremely rich and reminded us of what an Italian Thanksgiving meal might look like. Chard cooked with potatoes sat in a rich brodo and was topped with the gorgeous medallions of meat. Immediately I noticed the aroma, and later the flavor, of fennel. Chef Lou informed me that Paola and Morena had used the flowers of the fennel plant to season the dish. The wine paired with this dish was itself rich, “PATHOS” 2006, a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah that spends two years in oak. The full-bodied wine was very complex and had more tannin than the other reds of the evening.
The final course of the evening included a wine made by the sisters, a berry tart and a ricotta tart that was absolutely splendid. For the wine, which resembled a sherry in its method, they harvest both orchard and wild cherries, mix them with sugar and leave them to ferment in the sun for three months. Then they mix the resulting juice with Barbera. The result is a very fruit forward wine with a dry finish. A nice sip to end the evening.
If you missed the dinner, you are in luck. Lydia Patierno is planning on leading trips to the Marche in May and October. The group will be limited to 16 people, and the trip will include a cooking class, winery tour, tour of a local cheese farm and much more. If you are interested, contact Lydia at Girasole at 540-253-5501.
~Grazie Mille~































































