It’s the new year and while we crave lighter and leaner foods after the holidays, in many places it is still cold and winter. I for one, just want to hibernate in the evening with a glass of wine and some comfort food. Meatballs and Italian wine are two of my winter comfort food staples. I made a more traditional Italian meatball with beef and pork in a tomato sauce paired with Donnachiara Aglianico and Italian turkey meatballs with peperonata paired with Donnachiara Falanghina.
This month the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel group are focused on “Italian Wines for Cold Winter Nights.” Join our conversation on Twitter Saturday, January 5th at 11:00 am ET following the hashtag #ItalianFWT. For more Italian wines for those cold winter nights, check out my fellow Italian Food, Wine, and Travel writers and their posts at the end of this one.
Donnachiara is a small family-owned winery located in southern Italy in the province of Avellino, Montefalcione in the Campania region. Donnachiara was founded in 2005 by the Petitto family, a family with a long winemaking history. The winery produces wines made exclusively from Campania native grape varieties. The white wines include; Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, and Falanghina. All the red wines produced from the estate are made from the Aglianico variety.
Tasting Notes
Disclosure: The wines were provided to me as media samples, all opinions are my own.
2017 Donnachiara Falanghina Beneventano IGT
13% abv | $15.00 SRP (sample) | 100% Falanghina
Medium straw in color. Medium bodied and acidity. Notes of citrus, minerals, and apricots.
Food Pairing: The fruity and mineral notes in the Falanghina enhanced the savory flavors in the Italian turkey meatballs, and the wine’s acidity was a nice balance to the sweetness in the peperonata. (You could also serve the meatballs with a ricotta bruschetta topped with the peperonata.)
2015 Donnachiara Irpinia Aglianico DOC -DOP
13% abv | $20.00 SRP (sample) | 100% Aglianico
Medium garnet in color. Medium bodied, acidity, and tannins. Notes of dried herbs, spiced plums, pepper, and game.
Food Pairing: The Italian beef and pork meatballs in a tomato sauce are a traditional pairing with Aglianico. The tomato sauce brings out the fruitiness in the wine, and the medium fat content in the meatballs mellows the tannins in the wine – a comforting pairing for a cold winter dinner.
Italian Turkey Meatballs with Peperonata
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 lb. ground dark turkey meat
- 6 oz. day old soft bread crumbs, crust removed
- 1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 3 cups peperonata, recipe follows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind together the fennel seed and black peppercorns. Transfer spices to a small bowl and add the kosher salt, mix to combine.
- In a large wide shallow bowl add the ground turkey bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, and spices. Mix gently with your hands. Add the wine and eggs and mix gently with your hands again to incorporate the eggs into the mixture.
- Form into 1-1/2 inch balls weighing about 2 oz. each and place on baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs, rotating the baking sheet halfway through cooking, for about 20 minutes or until browned and fully cooked.
- Serve the meatballs with peperonata.
Peperonata
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 lb. mixture of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
- 1/2 cup + extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F
- In a large shallow wide bowl, combine the peppers with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss and coat them with the oil. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the peppers, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the roasting time, for 30-40 minutes, or until skins have started to blister and pull away from the flesh. Remove from the oven, place in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- When peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off the peppers. Tear the peppers into 1/2 inch wide pieces, discarding the stem, seeds, and membrane.
- In a large pot, heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Dry the capers with a paper towel and add them to the hot oil. Fry for about 1 minute or until they puff and are crispy. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the onion, fennel, chile flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then until vegetables are tender.
- Add the vinegar to the pan, deglazing any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the peppers and cook for a few minutes, adjust seasoning by adding more salt or vinegar.
- Peppers can be served warm, at room temperature or cooled completely and stored in a canning container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Italian Beef and Pork Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 oz. ground pork shoulder
- 10 oz. ground beef chuck
- 2 oz. bacon fat, frozen, finely diced
- 2 oz. prosciutto, frozen, finely diced
- 6 oz. day old soft bread crumbs, crust removed
- 1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
- 2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drain if needed
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 28 oz. your favorite tomato sauce, homemade or store bought to save time
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, bacon fat, prosciutto, bread crumbs, parsley, 1 tablespoon salt, oregano, fennel seeds, and chile flakes. Mix gently with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, and milk. Whisk until ricotta curds are broken down and mixture is blended.
- Add the ricotta mixture to the meat mixture and gently mix with your hands until just incorporated. Form into 1-1/2 inch size balls, weighing about 2 oz. each. Place the balls on the lined baking sheet. You will have about 30 meatballs.
- Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, for about 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are browned and fully cooked.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and lower the temperature to 300º F.In a shallow stoneware baker, place the meatballs and cover with the tomato sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and braise for about 1 hour.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgn olive oil.
Discover more Italian wines for the cold winter days ahead with the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel Group
- Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm gives us Pure Comfort~~Pasta with a Bottle of Aglianico.
- Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog prepares A Surf and Turf Feast with Donnachiara Wines.
- Jill of L’Occasion posts For Table And Cellar: Warm Up With Italian Wine.
- David of Cooking Chat serves up Healthy Bolognese Sauce with a Tuscan Sangiovese.
- Jane of Always Ravenous pairs Italian Meatballs with Donnachiara Wines.
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator offers 4 Montepulciano Paired with Osso Bucco Warms Up Winter Italian Style plus #ItalianFWT plans for 2019.
- Nicole of Somm’s Table is Cooking to the Wine: Fontanafredda Barolo and Braised Short Ribs with Mushrooms.
- Katarina of Grapevine Adventures encourages us to Get Cozy By The Fire With Italian Wine.
- Lynn of Savor the Harvest writes about Italian Wine To Warm Your Soul.
- Jennifer of Vino Travels is Starting the New Year with the Big Boys: Barolo and Barbaresco.
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs a 2014 Camilla Barolo + Filet Mignon in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce.
I love that you prepared two different types of meatballs. I have a killer meatball recipe which is actually part of an Italian Gravy recipe. You’ve got me thinking about putting in the work!
I need that recipe! I love meatballs.
I really enjoyed my bottles of Donnachiara recently. I’m actually prepping some meatballs tomorrow and looking forward to opening something delicious. looks great!
Yes, the Donnachiara wines were a treat and great with meatballs.
Those meatballs look so yummy…and an Aglianico from Irpinia is always a good choice. 🙂
Thanks Katarina. The Aglianico was a great pairing with the beef and pork meatballs.
Two amazing meatball recipes. Thanks for sharing. The Donnachiara wines are wonderful.
Thanks Wendy!
Those meatballs, wow Jane! It was a good #ItalianFWT Twitter chat yesterday. I’m searching for the DonnaChiara Falanghina (and Fiano) to try it with seafood as you shared you would do with it. I make peperonata often, serving it with caramelized onions and goat or some kind of cheese on crostini. Now I really need a bottle of either of the wines you shared this month!
I made bruschetta with the peperonata & ricotta. It was a nice addition with the turkey meatballs.
We always do turkey meatballs for health reasons but my sister-in-law does a pork and beef version that is heavenly. Love the idea of peperonata as an element. Trying to wrap my head around a vegetarian meatball recipe but haven’t found on that works just yet.
The Donnachiara wines were a real crowd pleaser. I’m going to stock up!
I will keep a watch for a vegetarian meatball recipe. I am thinking a veggie burger recipe could also be turned into a meatball… The Donnachiara wines are indeed a crowd pleaser here too!
My husband recently went on a meatball making rampage — you’ve given me some great ideas for how to use them and how to pair them!