Fiocchetti are a pasta filled with ricotta and spinach. We cooked and tossed them with a béchamel sauce, pairing the dish with the Greco di Tufo 2013 from the emerging winery Fonzone.
Ingredients for 4 people
> Half a kilo of fiocchetti di ricotta e spinaci;
> Milk, flour, butter and a pinch of nutmeg for the béchamel;
> Salt to taste;
> Parmesan to taste.
Preparation
We cooked the fiocchetti in salted boiling water and drained them three minutes before they were fully done. At the same time, we prepared the béchamel with milk, flour, a knob of butter and a pinch of nutmeg. After draining the fiocchetti, we sautéed them for a couple of minutes with the béchamel in a pan.
We then served the fiocchetti on plates, sprinkled with grated Parmesan.
The fiocchetti ricotta e spinaci present the following gustatory and olfactory characteristics:
> pasta: perceptible sweetness, fairly perceptible savouriness;
> ricotta and spinach filling: perceptible savouriness, fairly perceptible induced succulence, as well as structure and aromaticity;
> béchamel: perceptible sweetness, spiciness, savouriness, and fairly perceptible fattiness and unctuousness.
The dish is characterised mainly by the sweetness and savouriness of the pasta and béchamel, but also by the aromaticity and succulence induced by chewing the fiocchetti filling. Also worth noting is the remarkable gustatory and olfactory persistence (GOP) of the dish, as well as the delicate spiciness given by the nutmeg.
The wine
The Greco di Tufo from Fonzone is produced from grapes grown in a well-suited vineyard located in the municipality of Santa Paolina in Irpinia. The wine ages in stainless steel and then in bottle for about a year before being released on the market.
A beautiful crystalline golden yellow colour with green glints, swirling the glass we immediately notice its fine structure from the thick legs it forms. An important nose, with aromas ranging from ripe loquat to grapefruit, from flowers such as acacia and jasmine to Mediterranean herbs and honey. Intense notes of flint. On the palate it strikes for the fresh, savoury thrust that provokes considerable salivation, despite the softness and alcohol being well present. A very long finish with mineral and menthol returns.
A truly first-class wine. It comes as no surprise that it was recently awarded by a well-known industry guide.
The pairing
Let's see how the pairing worked out. The sweetness of the dish perfectly counterbalances the acidity and savouriness of the wine. Savouriness, aromaticity and spiciness are well balanced by the wine's softness, while the alcohol pairs nicely with the induced succulence of the dish. The structure and persistence of both food and wine are absolutely comparable.
The pairing is a perfect success, leaving us after each bite accompanied by the wine with a great sense of harmony. The Greco calls for the fiocchetti, which in turn call for a sip of Greco: in this way we enhance both the wine and the dish.
What do you think?
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