A dish that recalls Sicily, thanks to its nuance of pistachio, which we pair with a Sicilian wine: Sicilia DOC Ficiligno 2021 Baglio di Pianetto.
Ingredients for 4 people:
250g MSC certified shrimp, 320g spaghetti, 150g pistachios, extra-virgin olive oil as needed, salt and pepper as needed, 30g pecorino cheese, fresh mint, a piece of sweet garlic and pistachio grains.
Directions:
Sear the shrimp in a hot pan with a trickle of EVOO for a couple of minutes so they remain soft and juicy. Lightly salt and pepper.
Toast the pistachio grains making sure not to burn them.
Boil the spaghetti in ample salted water until they are al dente (under-cooked).
For the pistachio pesto: Put the untoasted pistachios in a mortar together with a pinch of salt and a trickle of EVOO. Add in as much garlic, mint and pecorino as desired. Grind everything together with a pestle to obtain a thick sauce.
Presentation: drain the spaghetti and mix them in a pan with the pistachio pesto. Add a little of the pasta water to ensure it remains soft and creamy. Put in the shrimp and a little fresh mint and garnish with the toasted pistachio grains.
Wine to pair:
(edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)
Sicilia Doc Ficiligno 2021 Baglio di Pianetto
Pale straw-yellow color with greenish highlights. Intense and persistent bouquet, with a delicate broom hints and notes of stone fruit and exotic fruit. To the palate it is fresh, direct, round, very saline and consistent. A wine of good body and harmony.
Production area: the Pianetto Estate, in the municipality of Santa Cristina Gela, province of Palermo, in a high area (about 650 meters above sea level), ventilated, with good temperature ranges between day and night. Mineral-rich, medium-textured, clay soils.
Grape varieties: blend of organically grown Viognier and Insolia.
Harvest: Between the months of August and September. The grapes are harvested by hand in three stages: the first in pre-ripeness to ensure greater acid concentration especially in the Insolia, the second in full ripeness and the third in slight over-ripeness to enhance the “exotics” of the Viognier.
Vinification: After the grapes are quality-selected and picked, the berries are gently cold-pressed and the must coolfermented in stainless-steel, temperature-controlled tanks. The wine then matures sur lie in steel for 6 months and then in the bottle for an additional 2 or more months.
Alcohol content: 13% vol.
Serving temperature: 7-8°C.
Recommended food pairings: shellfish risotto, vegetarian dishes and soft cheeses.
Trivia: despite its name, it has nothing to do with wood (“legno” in Italian): Ficiligno is the name of the striated stones of a siliceous nature that characterize the soil.
THIS PAIRING IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY BAGLIO DI PIANETTO
