Archives

July 2009

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Next Vino Kitchen The Italian Table @ Pebblebed Tasting Cellar Wed July 15th 7-ish for 7.30pm

Once a month, the Vino Kitchen, in conjunction with the Pebblebed Tasting Cellar, offers “The Italian Table”, a family-style, homecooked meal prepared by food and wine writers Marc and Kim Millon. Dishes are freshly prepared using the best locally sourced ingredients to regional Italian recipes based on our researches, and accompanied by a selection of Vino’s own range of outstanding Italian wines.

Everyone sits together at trestle tables in the atmospheric Pebblebed Tasting Cellar, there is no choice, and the meal is served at just one single sitting. Recently, an Italian Table menu included sgombro in saor – marinated mackerel, Venetian style, followed by Tuscan sausages specially made to our recipe by Jason Wise of Ark, served with cannellini beans with tomato, garlic and sage. As an optional extra course there was pecorino cheese sent over direct from the Valdera, a Tuscan zone that has established strong links with Slow Food Devon.

Places are by reservation only, and the evening meals usually cost £10 for two courses for Club Vino and Friends of Pebblebed members (£12.50 for non-members), with an optional course available for an additional £3.50.

In August we are currently planning an "American Table" on Wednesday August 26th. Watch this space for further details and the menu!

To reserve your place or to find out more, call Kim or Marc on 01392 873778 or email marc@vino.co.uk.

(Here's a review of our first Italian Table evening by Fiona Beckett on her excellent web site Matching Food and Wine.)

The menu for July Italian Table

Risotto al limone e zucchini
Lemon and courgette risotto

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Pollo al limone
Ark chicken quarters roasted with lemon and herbs

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Torta al limone (optional)
Lemon cake

The Vino Kitchen is by reservation only - to reserve your place, please email marc@vino.co.uk or telephone 01392 873778.

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Vino recipe of the month

Sgombro in saor - Mackerel Venetian style

In Venice, the classic agrodolce – sweet and sour – preparation would be used with sfogi  – flatfish or sole from the Venetian lagoon. The same preparation is also delicious with our own fresh local Exmouth mackerel, which is so superb at this time of year.

(Serves 4 as a light main course or 8 as a starter)

4 large mackerel, filleted and pin-boned
Seasoned flour
200 ml extra virgin olive oil plus olive oil for frying
1 mild onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup currants, soaked in red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup toasted pinenuts
250 ml red wine vinegar
1 orange – zest and juice
Mixed salad leaves

Season the mackerel fillets with salt and pepper, dust in the seasoned flour, and fry in hot olive oil until golden brown. Remove and pat dry on paper towel.

Heat the remaining olive oil over a medium heat, add the sliced onion and cook until soft and just slightly coloured, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the currants, sugar, pinenuts, vinegar and bring to simmer. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until the currants are soft, then allow to cool.  Add the orange juice and zest. When all the ingredients are cool, place the fish in an earthenware dish and top with the agrodolce  mixture. Refrigerate for 24 hours, occasionally spooning the marinade over the fish. To serve, bring fish to room temperature. Arrange the salad leaves on a plate and add the fish fillets, spooning the marinade over the fish and the salad

Wine: Loretello Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2007

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Hope you are enjoying the summer and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Best to all,

Marc and Kim