The millefeuille of cotechino and fontina cheese with turnip greens is a different way of proposing cotechino that chef Francesco Passalacqua came up with. We pair it with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane Castellum Vetus 2019 Centorame.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
1 about 300 g cotechino cooked in boiling water, 300 g Fontina Dop d’Alpeggio, 500 g turnip greens, 1 shallot, 1 touch of fresh chili pepper, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,
Procedure:
Clean the turnip greens well by removing the hard cellulose parts of the leaves and tops, which will be kept aside as a garnish.
After washing the leaves well, blanch them for 2 minutes in boiling salted water.
In a saucepan, wilt shallots with a little evo oil.
Transfer the turnip greens leaves to a blender with the shallots and chili pepper. Emulsify with the tablespoon of evo oil and blend until a fine, glossy sauce is obtained. Place immediately in the refrigerator to preserve the color.
Slice the cotechino and Fontina Dop with a slicer.
Alternate slices of one and the other to obtain 4 millefeuilles.
Bake at 190 degrees for 4 minutes-the cheese will begin to string.
Serve on a serving plate and garnish with turnip greens sauce, quickly heated in a pan, and some blanched turnip greens.
Wine pairing:
(Edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane Castellum Vetus 2019 Centorame
Ruby red just tending to garnet. Dark and ethereal bouquet, with underbrush and black fruits, such as blackberry, blueberry and plum, toastiness and leather. Mouthfeel of acid-savory approach, snappy, with integrated tannins and spicy finish.
Production area: Vineyards in the municipality of Atri (TE), 200 meters above sea level, east/west exposure, clay loam soil, medium texture, with integrated viticulture.
Grape varieties: 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Type of planting Abruzzo pergola. Planting density 1600 vines per hectare. Average yield per hectare 80 quintals.
Harvest: Late manual harvest.
Processes production: Soft crushing and pressing, long maceration of the pomace (30 days) conducted with soft punching down and applications of delastage. Maturation for 15 months in barrels with mixed-origin wood from various French forests, fine-grained and medium toasted. Aged for one year in bottle.
Alcohol content: 14.5% vol.
Serving temperature: 18°C.
Recommended pairings: Lamb meat, sheep arrosticini, meats marinated with wine and spices, pasta dishes with meat sauce.
