Archives

August 2009

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Next Vino Kitchen The Italian Table @ Pebblebed Tasting Cellar Wed August 26th 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. 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.

September 23rd "American Table"

October 14th "Italian Table"

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 August Italian Table

An Italian summer meal

La Panzanella
Tuscan summer 'bread' salad

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La Porchetta
Roast loin and belly of free-range Kenniford pork, stuffed with fennel, garlic and chilli

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Pesche al Moscato (optional)
Peaches in Moscato wine

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

La Panzanella - Tuscan summer 'bread' salad

Panzanella is a Tuscan classic, making use of stale bread, the freshest seasonal summer vegetables, and the best quality Tuscan extra virgin olive oil to create a summer salad that is out of this world. The bread and the oil are the keys to success: seek out and use only the best.

(Serves 6-8 as a starter)

1 large sourdough loaf, 3-4 days old, torn into chunks (use ciabatta if sourdough not available - the bread must be resistant and not go mushy when moistened)
1.5kg ripe tomatoes, roughly cut into chunks
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp capers, rinsed if necessary
1 tin anchovies, finely chopped
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
50 ml red wine vinegar
2 cucumbers, diced
1 mild red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 peppers (red, yellow and orange), roasted and sliced
1 celery heart, thinly sliced
Large handful of basil, roughly torn

Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander set over a large bowl, season liberally with salt and allow the juice to drain into the bowl for about an hour. Add the capers and the chopped anchovies to the tomato juice.

In another bowl or a shallow tray, add the chunks of stale bread. Add the drained chopped tomatoes, the diced cucumber, the thinly sliced onion and celery, the sliced, roasted peppers, and the torn basil leaves

Make a dressing from the tomato juice, adding the olive oil and vinegar and seasoning to taste. Pour this over the bread and vegetable mixture, mix well with the hands, and leave at room temperature to allow the flavours to blend for an hour or so. If the dish seems too dry, then adjust the oil and vinegar. There should be some sharpness in the flavour, so be judicious in your use of vinegar (not too much, though, or it will kill the wine).

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