Mike and I are thrilled that our passion for Italy and its bounty of food and wine has now transformed into this physical gift that we can send out and share with so many of our fellow Italy Lovers. We hope this release connects you to our favorite country, the same way we were transported when we tasted each of these season’s selections.
When we were planning our first box, we knew we had to focus on our favorite time in Italy; Autumn. The colors, the cool breeze, and the FLAVORS of the season are connected to so many big moments in our life. Our first thoughts of Dalla Fonte took place during a late September trip to Montepulciano and our honeymoon was in October on the shores of Lake Como. When we think about Autumn in Italy, our memories are filled with love and amazing food – and that’s exactly what we want to deliver to all of our inagural club members.
And just as important as selecting our food and wine was finding wonderful producers behind the product. So many things are mass-produced these days and we strove to find specialty items created by Italians that are passionate about their craft and stay true to traditional recipes and preparations. That’s why almost everything in this Fall’s Tavola and Tavola + Vino boxes is produced by family-owned and operated companies representing four Italian regions. The wine producer, Ricasoli, is a family-run business that has been operating since the year 1141. Yes, ELEVEN forty-one. (I will be highlighting more of their stories on social media because to really know the people behind the food creates a wonderful connection to the country and culture.)
So read on! And get to eating! And may you feel that connection to Italy that we do.
How to best enjoy your piece of Italy
When we can, we love eating like they do in Italy by coursing our food into starters (antipasto), a first course (primo), an entree (secondi), and a sweet dessert to top it all off (dolci). And this season’s goodies are perfect for doing just that!
Vino and Music
First things first, music and wine! Mike believes that no meal is complete without music so he created a Fall Playlist for everyone to enjoy. It includes sounds of some of our favorite Italian and Italian-American singers: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Andrea Bocelli. Once that’s on, start sipping a glass of this season’s amazing Chianti Classico Riserva from Ricasoli….just make sure there is enough left to pair with your meal.
Antipasto
For your starter, the eggplant caponata, fennel taralli and truffle honey can all be enjoyed together. Complete your anitpasto platter with a hard-aged cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino, or castelmagno. It is perfect on top of your taralli with a drizzle of truffle honey. For those meat eaters, our go-to brand of widely-available cured Italian meats are Creminelli, especially their Finocchio and Tartufo salamis. So good!
Primi
Way before Dalla Fonte, we had been on the hunt for a nut pesto in the US. Until we started our business and had access to full catalogs of products, we had always made our own (You can see favorite recipe here). Our heads exploded the first time we tried this almond pistachio pesto. It was so nutty and so creamy – exactly as we had enjoyed it in Trebiano all those years ago.
Then came the tough decision on a pasta that would deserve the honor of housing our favorite sauce. Enter Pastificio Morelli! All of their dried products have the taste of homemade pasta and are perfect for soaking up pesto sauce.
The key to the preparation of this dish is the pasta water. For any homemade nut pestos, the salted pasta water is needed to thing the nut paste from the mortar and pestle. Here we have saved you the manual work, but you will need to reserve the pasta water and add it to your sauce (about a cup or two) to get your desired thickness.
Since we are obsessed with this flavor, we prefer a thick coating on the pasta which means we use about half a pound of pasta for one jar of sauce. Wondering what to do with the other half? Cover it with the Le Ferre EVOO and heap on a grated hard cheese. Delicious!
Secondi
If you want to “eat like an Italian”, serve your secondi (main course) after you have indulged in your pasta dish. We are a family of carnivores and Mike loves nothing more than grilling/smoking/roasting a giant piece of meat. Growing up, we both had lamb on special occasions and continue to use it as our go-to for family celebrations. This is Mike’s favorite recipe: Lemon-Rosemary Roast Leg of Lamb Recipe | Food Network Kitchen | Food Network. He does tend to quadruple any amount of salt, rosemary, and olive oil they recommend to create an extra flavorful roast. Use the Le Ferre as a finishing oil when you serve!
Dolci
We tucked in a sweet treat for this box: salted EVOO chocolates from Italian chocolate maker, Guido Gobino. They are melt-in-your-mouth amazing and best enjoyed with some espresso at the end of your meal.
For our Dalla Fonte members in states experiencing heat waves (I’m looking at you Arizona and California!), the chocolates couldn’t be shipped safely so we swapped them out for La Florentine’s Torrone, a traditional nougat candy, prepared following an original, old world recipe that blends almonds, golden honey, and fluffy egg whites with rich flavors pressed from the finest oranges, lemons, and vanilla beans.
Buon appetito!