Pasta with ‘Nduja Tomato Sauce
Nduja is a soft, spreadable fermented pork salume, spiked with fiery Calabrian chiles. Pronounced “en-DOO-ya,” It originated in Spilinga, a small Calabrian town. Ten years ago, you had to “know a guy” in order to get your hands on it or smuggle some back with you from a trip to Italy. These days, you can find ‘nduja in specialty food shops, so you no longer need to break any laws or dine at a fancy restaurant to enjoy it. Look for it in markets that carry Italian charcuterie. The rich spiciness of this would work well with the 2021 Vine Hill Pinot Noir.
Catalan Tomato Toast
This is a classic starter and considered the national dish of Catalonia. It was also a dish I prepared for the Grand Cru Club Member event featured on page 10. It’s done variously with anchovies and/or other tinned fish, cheeses and/or Spanish Jamon serrano (cured Spanish ham). Lovely with the fruit forward 2021 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.
Scallop Crudo
This easy first course depends on getting the best, freshest, and largest scallops possible. Specify to your fishmonger that you want dry pack or diver scallops. Dry-packed scallops are scallops that are shucked, packed up, and shipped on ice without chemical additives. Wet packed scallops are soaked in water and sodium tripolyphosphate, meaning the scallop becomes bloated with water and chemical additives, not good! There are several good online sources if you don’t have a good local source. Delicious as a first course with the 2022 Russian River Ranches Chardonnay.