This orecchiette recipe is very easy and quick to prepare and the result is tasty. We pair it with Montecucco Vermentino Irisse 2023 ColleMassari, which cleanses the creaminess of the mascarpone, holds the smoky and savory part of the salmon and enhances the lemon scent (which is a perfect aromatic bridge with Vermentino).
Ingredients for 4:
- 400g. dried orecchiette pasta
- 250 gr. Scottish smoked salmon
- 100 gr. mascarpone (if you prefer a lighter cheese, you can opt for ricotta or do half and half)
- 1 untreated lemon
- 5 tablespoons of oil
Procedure:
Cook orecchiette pasta in plenty of boiling salted water.
In large frying pan put oil and add 100 g of the salmon previously chopped with a knife, heat a few minutes and add mascarpone cheese, melted with a ladle of pasta cooking water.
Stir-fry the orecchiette in this sauce and serve on preheated flat plates, gently grating lemon zest on top and scattering the rest of the sliced salmon on top.
Decorate with a lemon peel and serve warm.
In the goblet, chosen by Stefania Vinciguerra
Montecucco Vermentino Irisse 2023 ColleMassari
Straw yellow. The nose has excellent intensity, with notes of yellow fruit and citrus, Mediterranean scrub and hints of spice. The taste is fresh, saline and balanced, good structure, for an enveloping, deep and persistent whole.
Production area: the oldest Vermentino vines on the estate, located at 300 meters above sea level, facing West and caressed by the sea winds that blow up the Ombrone valley. The Grechetto also comes from an older vineyard facing northwest that has slower ripening and sees later harvests.
Grape varieties: 85% Vermentino and 15% Grechetto, which elegantly participates in structure and maintaining freshness.
2023 trend: rainy winter with mild temperatures continued with a spring characterized by frequent precipitation. The summer season often saw pleasant temperatures. Heat peaks occurred from mid-August to mid-September, favoring temperature swings crucial to the full ripening of the grapes.
Harvest: Vermentino was harvested in mid-September, followed a few days later by Grechetto.
Production processes: vinification took place in 40 hl oak barrels where it was then aged on the noble lees for 9 months. It was bottled on November 15, 2024.
Alcohol content: 13% vol.
Serving temperature: 8-10°C.
Recommended pairings: Seafood dishes such as octopus salads with potatoes, spaghetti with clams, linguine allo scoglio “in bianco,” mussel peppery, fried paranza; fish couscous or with vegetables and light spices, savory pie with zucchini, ricotta and herbs; turkey or chicken with lemon or herbs, rabbit in bianco.
