California Vines, Wines and Pioneers by Sherry Monahan

Author:Sherry Monahan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2013-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Montepulciano Winery (Simi). In 1934, Isabelle established Simi’s first tasting room, which was made from a twenty-five-thousand-gallon cask. It was placed in front of the stone cellars, and visitors walked through the doors that been cut into it. Courtesy of Simi Winery.

Isabelle Simi in the tasting room. Isabelle loved to greet visitors and enjoyed pouring wine for her guests. Courtesy of Simi Winery.

BAKED PASTA WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA

1 lb. pasta, such as fusilli, campanelle or something with

plenty of twists and turns to hold cheese

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. uncooked turkey sausage

½ large onion, diced

2 large portabella mushroom caps, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. oregano

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

½ c. Simi Cabernet Sauvignon

1 28-oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1 c. Parmesan cheese

1 15-oz. container of ricotta cheese, low moisture

½ c. parsley

½ c. pasta cooking water

½ lb. fresh mozzarella, not packed in water, sliced in ½” slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bring large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Butter a 9” x 12” casserole dish. For individual portions, use 1-cup ramekins, about a dozen. Over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a large skillet. Remove sausage from casing and cook in skillet, breaking up into tiny crumbles with a wooden spoon until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook until translucent and broken down. Do not crowd the pan. If this happens, first sauté the mushrooms and then add the onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add oregano and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper again. Add wine and allow to cook until reduced to about half. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Salt pasta water and add pasta, cooking until al dente (about one minute less than package instructions). Combine Parmesan, ricotta, parsley, sausage and pasta water with al dente pasta. Drizzle about ½ cup of tomato sauce on bottom of casserole dish and pour pasta over sauce. Cover with another layer of sauce and slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until cooked through, and for an extra crispy top, place under broiler for last minute. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve with simple salad or Italian bread. Serves 10–12. Serve with Simi Cabernet Sauvignon.

Recipe courtesy of Simi Winery.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.