Tag Archives: Verdicchio

Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, finger-licking good

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Tracie P, Georgia P, and I are in Maiolati Spontini (Province of Ancona), a small village in the heart of Verdicchio country and just a stone’s throw up the road from Morro d’Alba.

On the final leg of our trip, we stayed last night at the humble but sturdy and friendly Hotel La Torre, where we found refuge from the heavy rain and filled our bellies with warm crescia (above), the half-baked and then grill-fired flat bread, a standby of the Marches (Le Marche) and Umbria.

The olive oil-based dish was a perfect pairing for a wonderfully juicy 2010 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba by Lucchetti. A classic expression of this grape, poppy with acidity and fruit, light in body but delightfully chewy.

The bottle — the winery’s upper-tier Guardegno label — was more than reasonably priced and recommended to me by the proprietor, who told me — as she winced at the thought of it — that she doesn’t allow barriqued wines on her list.

We LOVED this wine. And I’m happy to report that it’s available in the U.S. (in at least a handful of states).

We have just one more meeting and tasting before we head to Venice this evening and back to Texas tomorrow.

It’s been an incredible trip for us, the first with our daughter, who taught us that mozzarella and paccheri ai frutti di mare (and pasta in general) are among her favorite foods.

Thanks to everyone for following along with us and sharing the joy of our trip.

Maybe it’s the way she grates her cheese

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Maybe it’s the way she grates her cheese,
Or just the freckles on her knees.
Maybe it’s the scallions. Maybe she’s Italian.
I can’t reveal her name but Eggplant is her game.

When my baby cooks her Eggplant,
She don’t read no book.
She’s got a Gioconda kinda of dirty look.

—Michael Franks, “Eggplant,” The Art of Tea, 1976

jeremy parzen

Lately, life has been brimming over, teeming with some wonderful “firsts.” Our first dance as a wedded couple, our first trip to Italy together, our first Saturday night at home together, our first meals cooked in our new kitchen — whether a quesadilla, a tuna fish sandwich or Tracie P’s killer chicken and dumplings (a wonderful new recipe she clipped from a magazine), every meal feels special and all-the-more flavorful if only because with every meal we christen another piece in our new flatware, dishware, and cookware. Can you see how much my super-fine lady likes her new Cuisinart sauté pan? Perfect for one of her signature dishes, sautéed broccoli raab.

Last night, although exhausted after a weekend of unpacking and hanging photographs and art work (and finally setting up my little home studio), we threw our first dinner party and Tracie P made her first ragù in our new home. Beyond the fact that it is unbelievably delicious, Tracie P’s ragù holds a special place in my heart because when we first started writing each other, in the very early times of our relationship when we were just pen pals, we traded a lot of notes on our respective ragù philosophies… As many of you know, ragù can be a deal-breaker in any love affair! ;-)

She served the ragù, which she made in our new Le Creuset, over penne rigate by Rustichella d’Abruzzo, one of our favorite dried pasta brands. The whole penne rigate (ridged penne) vs. penne lisce (smooth penne) could have also been a deal-breaker but luckily my gorgeous Tracie P and I are of “one mind” on this issue. ;-)

When choosing the colors for our table setting, Tracie P went with our wedding colors: robin egg blue and pomegranate red.

(Btw, some super fun wines were served as well, including the 2007 Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Iesi, paired with appetizers, and a wonderful 2006 Vin de Paille by Vins de Vienne, 100% Marsanne, that we paired with a cheese course for dessert.)

Maybe it’s the way she grates her cheese… I’m just crazy about her… :-)