Winter 2022
Winter 2022
A Trip through Abruzzo
A Trip through Abruzzo
In honor of our heritage
Winter 2022
A Trip through Abruzzo
We are celebrating the holiday season with a tribute to my family roots in Abruzzo. We were fortunate to travel to Abruzzo for the first time this summer and were blown away by the unique cuisine. There was no question that we would share these incredible flavors with our members!
Winter 2022
MIke's Playlist
According to Mike, the only way to prepare a meal or sip a glass of wine is with music playing in the background. So each season he curates a collection of his favorite songs for enjoying your Tavola and Tavola + Vino specialties.
Peperoncino Composta
Every table in Abruzzo has a small bowl of pepper composta to add spice to anitpasto and pasta dishes. This Mirogallo Pepper Composta is the perfect combination of red and green peppers that are cored, seeded and chopped by hand. Once pressed and dried, the peppers are packed with parsley, fennel, and olive oil from the Mirogallo farm. Enjoy on flatbread crackers with spicy anchovies or add to the Sugo al Vino Rosso for some extra spice, like a true Abruzzese.
Ingredients: Sweet peppers, fennel seeds, fresh parsley, white wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil
Pane Rustico
For use every day with cheeses, soups, or spreads, this paper-thin Italian flatbread is toasted to a perfect golden brown with olive oil and Sicilian sea salt. Wonderful on their own, heated with a little savory salt, or used as a vessel for enjoying composta and anchovies.
Want to pair it with Abruzzese cheese? Look for a soft pecorino or smoked scamorza.
Bella Cucina Artful Food is an all natural, artisan product line that searches the globe for beautiful essentials for the kitchen and home.
Acciughette Piccanti
Don’t be scared – try the anchovies! Abruzzo sits on the Adriatic Sea and small fish are a mainstay of their cuisine. IASA’s whole, salt-cured anchovies are plucked directly from the east coast of Italy and marinated in olive oil and chili peppers to create the perfect marriage of heat and sharp brininess of the fish.
Ittica Alimentare Salerno (IASA) and was among the first companies to preserve the bounty of tuna and anchovies brought in by the local fishermen, and they have developed great techniques for preserving local traditions – while preserving these beautiful products in glass jars.
Ingredients: Hand-processed and hand-packed anchovies, placed in olive oil with hot red chili pepper and tomatoes.
Chitarra Pasta
Zaccagni pastas are made using bronze dies that are over 100 years old, then gently slow dried at low temperatures to produce the classic bronze cut texture that soaks up any sauce. The chitarra pasta shape and process is unique to the Abruzzo region, getting its name from the metal guitar-like strings that cut the pasta into its notable square shape.
Zaccagni takes their time to produce the best artisan pasta through an ancient slow drying method. The benefits of this process can be seen in the fine dust of flour that remains on the surface of the pasta, creating an incredible texture.
Ingredients: durum wheat semolina, water
Sugo al Vino Rosso
Casina Rossa is a family-run business based in Abruzzo specializing in the production of local delicacies, including tomato sauces. Their newest addition captures a true regional flavor: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo red wine. This sauce tastes almost meaty due to the richness of red wine, herbs, and extra virgin olive oil and pairs perfectly with Zaccagni’s chitarra pasta.
Ingredients: Tomato pulp, cherry tomato puree, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo red wine, onion, carrot, celery, sea salt, rosemary, and pepper
Olivewood Spaghetti Measure
The Italian Table is known for its food as much as its accessories. This season we tucked in one of our favorites – the spaghetti measure. With this handy tool, you will no longer have to guess how much spaghetti to cook for each person.
Crafted from beautifully grained, sustainably sourced Italian olive wood in the province of Umbria, artisans use centuries-old tradition to craft heirloom-quality kitchen utensils and tabletop items that are as beautiful as they are functional.
Care: Hand wash only, occasionally coat with olive oil to keep wood looking its best
Anisetti Biscotti
One of our favorite flavors of Abruzzo was the anise included in baked goods – especially the biscotti! Marella has captured those flavors perfectly in these handmade anise biscuits thats that boast the unmistakable licorice flavor.
These biscuits are a smaller version of Taralli, an Italian version of a pretzel. Resembling crispy breadsticks, these oval snacks hail from the country’s southern peninsular region, Apulia, also known as Puglia. With its recipe dating back to at least the early 15th century, legends state that this traditional Italian snack was created by a mother who had to devise a way to feed hungry children
Ingredients: 00 flour, olive oil, aniseed, wine, yeast, sugar
Pelino Confetti
Pelino Candy Factory in Sulmona is the creator of the world-famous confetti, Sicilian almonds covered in a white candy shell. Today there is a wide selection of classic confetti, traditionally associated with the oldest and best-loved family ceremonies. These old favourites have been updated using a variety of different ‘souls’ (the almond, hazelnut, pistachio or chocolate centres) and a range of available colours.
During Italian celebrations, guests are given five of these sugar-coated almonds to represent health, wealth, cheerfulness, fertility and a long life. This holiday season we are sending the same good wishes in your own bag of confetti.
This Season’s Vino
Torre Raone is an organic, DOC winery in the heart of Abruzzo that produces one of the most iconic wines from central Italy, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We enjoyed this particular wine at dinner in the heart of Sulmona’s old town and are thrilled to share it with our Tavola + Vino members.