Ragù di pietrastornina
Nominative determinism is the grand-sounding term for people who live up to their names – like Mr Watt the electrician or Mrs Green the florist. With people these names may be amusingly coincidental, but wine names are often chosen with deliberate intention – thus Weltevrede strives for “wellsatisfied” drinkers and Buitenverwachting aims “beyond expectations”.
Another is Emineo, which is Latin for ‘I stand out’. This wine producer, which sources its grapes from Durbanville, focuses on red blends and the Latin theme is consistently (some might say pretentiously) followed by dubbing each blend an ‘edition’ – hence its second offering is the Liber II JLS 2007.
A hefty bottle and expensive cork announce a big, upmarket wine – an impression resoundingly confirmed by its huge nose, almost Port-like in both intensity and alcohol (a whopping 15%). Deeply textured layers of blackcurrant and chocolate flavour (from two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon plus some Merlot and Pinotage) are assertively accompanied by immense extract from new oak.
Right now, Liber II comes across as a highly cerebral creation. It seems consciously designed, packing in every desirable element. If any terroir is expressed, the natural concert is subordinated by the baton of a strong-willed conductor in the cellar. It’s undeniably a right-brain wine.
Pairing such forceful character with food is not easy. It needs red meat, obviously, but what meat will best hold its own? Pretoria’s pre-eminent Italian chef Fortunato Mazzone’s standout answer to this conundrum was to get a whole group of nature’s critters together to gang up on the wine.
“You bring me a muscular wine that speaks Latin with the authority of an emperor? Well,” muses Mazzone, “I’d thaw its formality with my favourite dish in the whole world, a hearty down-to-earth, visceral ragù from my home town, Pietrastornina, near Naples, whose simple wisdom is rooted in 3 000 years of history.”
The ragù embraces a fair selection of animals from Noah’s Ark and has the added advantage of producing two courses from one session in the kitchen. He let the Emineo breathe for an hour, then served it with both primi and secondi. By the end of the meal, it had stopped trying to impress us and was starting to behave like our friend.
Ragù di pietrastornina
SERVES SIX
4 x 400g tins peeled tomatoes from southern Italy, pulped by hand
2 large tablespoons tomato paste
½ bottle good hearty red wine (no boxed garbage, please)
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1kg whole sirloin
8 Italian salsicce (or good pork sausages), thickly sliced
1 small chicken on the bone cut into coarse chunks
1 rack of lamb on the bone (4-5 ribs)
2 joints rabbit, carefully trimmed of all fat (if available) good virgin olive oil fresh basil leaves
1. In a large pot, braise the diced carrots, onions, garlic and celery at moderate heat until glossy. Do not burn.
2. Add all the meats. Cook slowly turning over until lightly browned.
3. Slowly add wine into pan juices, stirring and reducing till the alcohol has evaporated, creating a good sauce. Stir in the tomato paste. Cook for a further five minutes stirring continuously to prevent burning.
4. Add the tomato pulp and basil and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer slowly for two to three hours. The sauce should now be thick and a reddish maroon brown.
5. With a fork, remove the remaining meat, rabbit and chicken pieces and set aside in a casserole in a warming drawer or low oven.
As first course, serve the sauce (now replete with huge flavours from small chunks of half-melted meat) over a bowl of al dente rigatoni or paccheri (the traditional pasta shapes served with this sauce). Serve the meat as main course, beside sautéed Italian broccoli with garlic and a tart, vinegary green salad.
PREPARED BY: Fortunato Mazzone of
RITROVO RISTORANTE
Club Avenue, Waterkloof Heights, Pretoria
TEL: 012 460 4367
www.ritrovo.co.za
