Tag Archives: lasagna

Alchemy Grenache

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DECEMBER WINE CLUB:

Mellow style logoAlchemy_Grenache-bottleAlchemy Premium Wines
Grenache
Colchagua Valley, Chile

MELLOW WINE STYLE

This wine is exceptionally vibrant red in color with aromas of cranberries, sage, and spice. It has firm yet mature tannins, a result of ripe fruit from this thick-skinned Grenache and the gentle care given during the winemaking process.

WINE DETAILS:

  • Appellation: Colchagua Valley, Chile
  • Varietal: 100% Grenache
  • Alcohol: 14.1%
  • pH: 3.47
  • TA: 6.3 g/L
  • Residual Sugar: 0.2 g/L
  • Barrel Aging: 12 months in French Oak, 15% new
  • Production: 500 cases
  • Aging Potential: 6-8 years
  • Pairings: Pasta with cream sauces, rich cheese and mushroom risotto

WINEMAKING:
Alchemy Grenache is made from grapes 100% harvested by hand and then 100% destemmed by hand. The grapes never touch a crusher, a de-stemmer or pumps and is bottled un-fined and unfiltered. Grapes are fermented with native yeasts in small open top vessels, then gently pressed using small hydro presses that extract the juice slowly and gently as to not extract astringent tannins. Wines are settled and then transferred using gravity in French oak barrels where they spend the next 12 months aging.

ABOUT THE WINERY:
Alchemy is a hand-made creation of winemaker Alphonse DeRose and friends. Inspired by a late night evening of music played by Chilean friends Juan Pablo and Omar, the three concocted a vision of only the best grapes being processed 100% by hand. Each berry is hand removed from every cluster one by one. The result is a robust wine with aromas of dark red fruits, spice and toast. Alchemy is only produced from exceptional years and has limited availability. 

mushroom lasagna at holiday table

Mushroom Lasagna with Parmesan Béchamel

INGREDIENTS:

  • Mushroom Ragù
  • For the Parmesan Béchamel
    • 6 tablespoons (3 ounces/ 84 rams) salted butter, cut into 6 pieces
    • ¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
    • 4 cups (1 quart) half and half
    • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • salt and pepper
    • 5 ounces (1 ½ cups) finely grated parmesan cheese
    • ½ cup, packed chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
  • For the Lasagna:
    • 12 oven ready no-boil lasagna noodles or 1 pound fresh pasta dough, rolled into sheets
    • 5 ounces (about 1 ½ cups) grated parmesan
    • ¼ cup chopped parsley, for sprinkling over the top of the lasagna

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Make the mushroom ragu. Mushroom ragu will take about an hour to prepare but can be made up to 5 days in advance.

Make the Parmesan Béchamel:

  1. Add the butter to a 3 quart or larger saucepan and set it over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the half and half gradually, whisking constantly as you slowly pour it into the saucepan. Add the nutmeg and red pepper flakes and bring the sauce to a simmer.
  3. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until the béchamel is thickened and does not taste like raw flour, about 12 minutes. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon)
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in 4.5 oz grated Parmesan, stirring until the cheese is melted.
  5. Stir the fresh parsley and the mushroom ragù into the béchamel. Add salt and pepper to taste, then cover and set aside. (Click here for notes for make-ahead instructions.)

Make the Lasagna:

  1. Heat the oven to 350° F (176 °C). If using oven ready no-boil lasagna noodles, see the notes about pre-soaking them before layering them into the lasagna. If using fresh pasta, roll the pasta dough into thin sheets and then cut the sheets to fit the pan.
  2. Layer #1: Spread a thin layer of the béchamel and mushroom mixture over the bottom of the dish. Lay 1/3 of the noodles in an even layer over the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the béchamel and mushroom mixture over the noodles and top with 1/3 of the cheese.
  3. Layer #2: Add another layer of noodles. Spread 1/3 of the béchamel and mushroom mixture over the noodles and top with 1/3 of the cheese.
  4. Layer #3: Lay the remaining noodles over the last layer, spread with the remaining béchamel and mushroom mixture, and top with the remaining cheese.
  5. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese across the top of the lasagna is melted and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan.
  6. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley before serving.

Information & Photos © Alchemy Premium Wines – All Rights Reserved.
© Recipe courtesy of A Little and A Lot.

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October Wine Club pairing recipe

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This wine loves Italian food, what can we say? Homemade pizza with mozzarella and salsiccia, or a plate of pasta piled high with meat sauce. Dark cherry, blackberry and plum aromas abound tempered with chocolate, spices and Tuscan herbs, Nesios Toscana, has the elegance of Sangiovese with the force of Cabernet and demands to be enjoyed with food like this classic lasagna.

go to lasagna dishClassic Lasagna Dish

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb. Italian sausage (sweet or hot), casings removed
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 28 oz. can whole, peeled tomatoes
  • 1 28 oz. can whole, crushed tomatoes

ASSEMBLY INGREDIENTS:

  • Kosher salt
  • 5 lbs. fresh mozzarella, grates or shredded
  • 16 oz. whole milk ricotta
  • 1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling on top
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 lb. dried lasagna noodles (avoid the no-boil variety)
  • Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

  1. For the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes until brown but not crisp.
  2. Add onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for eight to ten minutes until the onion is softened and translucent.
  3. Add tomato paste and stir for two minutes until it’s turned deep, brick red, tinting the oil and onions.
  4. Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper then let it simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the flavors come together.
  5. Make the lasagna: Heat the oven to 375°F and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
  6. Set aside one 1 cup of mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan and cream. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  7. Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water before they’re al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are sticking together, add a little olive oil to prevent further sticking.
  8. Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding heavy overlap.
  9. Top with 1 ¼ cups of sauce then dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture on top. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three times, ending with the last of the noodles and last of the sauce. Top with your reserved 1 cup of mozzarella and more Parmesan.
  10. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  11. Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling around the edges, typically 30-40 minutes.
  12. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450°F. Continue to bake for another final 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Nesios Tuscany wine bottleBold wine Style logoCorte de Medicea
Nesios
Toscana Rosso IGT
Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany is home to Italy’s most famous IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) category. Sangiovese is the all-star of Tuscany, that derives its name from Latin as ‘the blood of Jupiter (Jove)’, the most widely planted grape in Italy. The hot, dry climate in Tuscany provides an excellent home for this thin-skinned grape, producing a rich and long-standing wine. It’s known for being fruity and naturally acidic and best enjoyed with the excellent cuisine of Italy.

During the 1970s, the term ‘Super Tuscan’ emerged, as result of frustrations of winemakers towards the slow-changing wine laws in Italy which prohibited the blending of non-indigenous grapes. In 1992, IGT was finally created, allowing winemakers to be more creative. An IGT Toscana guarantees that at least 85% of the fruit was sourced from the region. Half Sangiovese and Cabernet, this Super Tuscan pairs well with Italian food, fresh cheese, grilled cheese and pizza.

Andrea Bernardini“Deep ruby red in color. Spices, chocolate blended with blackberry, plums and mature cherry on the nose. Full-bodied and harmonic, structured with enticing and velvet softness. Elegant finish.” – Andrea Bernardi, winemaker

Winemaker: Andrea Bernardini
Appellation: Tuscany, Italy
Varietal Blend:  50% Sangiovese, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Analysis: 13.5% alcohol / volume
Critical Acclaim: 96 pts The Best Italian Wines, Luca Maroni 2017/2018