Spicy Veal Meatballs

5 lbs. ground pork
5 lb. ground veal
1/2 c minced shallots
1/2 c minced garlic
4T dried oregano
5T fresh parsley
5T kosher salt
5 eggs
2 c bread crumbs
1t ground rosemary
1t sage
1 1/2 T cayenne

Roasted Tomato Marinara

10lb roma tomato
1 stalk celery
3 sweet yellow onions
3 medium carrots
20 cloves garlic minced

Procedure:

For sauce, quarter tomatoes, toss in half of oil, some salt & pepper, and roast in 350° F oven in single layer on sheet pan about 35-45 minutes until slightly dry. Meanwhile sweat chopped onions, celery, carrots & garlic w/ remaining seasoning & olive oil in a large heavy bottomed, non-reactive sauce pan with lid over medium heat until vegetables are softened. Add wine and reduce by 50%. Add tomatoes and stock and simmer covered for an hour or so. Blend well. For meatballs, mix well all ingredients, form 2oz balls, roast in 400°F oven on sheet pan about 10 minutes. Makes about 100 meatballs. For service, cook penne pasta in salted water, strain, and pour hot meatballs & sauce over pasta in individual bowls. Garnish with fire roasted red bell peppers & fresh Asiago cheese.

Fight Fire with Fire

Nebbiolo is a hard varietal to approach, but an even harder one to ignore. Nebbiolo has a growing demeanor that is arguably more demanding than Pinot Noir. Thin skinned, late ripening, low yields inconsistent results from different parts of the vineyard. Perhaps this is why it has yet to really catch on as a stand-alone varietal in the United States. Outside the slopes of Piedmont in northern Italy, the varietal is still ‘in the fog’, which is what the root of Nebbiolo means – obscured or foggy. The benchmark of this nebulous grape is without a doubt Barolo – a wine that can be described as a cigar box full of roses and

truffles. The best examples have a dry, fierce acidity, forbidding tannins and are fiery with alcohol. No wonder other examples of this dark varietal have devilish names like Grumello & Inferno. Wines like these can dominate most foods so a bold approach is needed to be a contender. Spicy veal meatballs w/ fire roasted chile & Asiago cheese in Roasted Tomato Marinara sauce over penne pasta will stand up to this giant, but the price you pay for the Barolo, though worth it, may burn your wallet!

--Ty Turner, Garre Winery, Livermore, California