A Nice Tuscan Dinner

When our niece and her boyfriend visited us from Ontario in January, my nice and I prepared a mostly Tuscan dinner for them and our family. The reason I chose Tuscan is because she accompanied my wife and me on a trip to Tuscany and Umbria several years ago. In addition to sharing our love for food and wine, she has a sparkling, exuberant personality which made our trip a fun, unforgettable experience.

During her visits, she and I love to cook dinner together.

Four of the five dishes were Tuscan, but the dessert was a cheesecake gift from a family member. the wines were also Tuscan. I'll post each of the recipes separately, but thought it would be useful to post the menu:

- Crostini with Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, Fig Jam
- Three types of Tuscan pecorino cheese from Pienza
- Carabaccia (Florentine onion soup - I have previously posted this terrific dish.)
- Pork Chops with Apples - Costolette di Maiale alle Mele
- Potatoes Braised in White Wine - Patate all'Umido

When many Americans think of pecorino, they think of Pecorino Romano, which is used for grating in many dishes. However, pecorino simply refers to cheese from sheep milk. There are many types of Tuscan pecorino, aged with a variety of flavors. Pienza, Tuscany produces terrific pecorinos. Our niece, my wife and I stopped at a small restaurant in Pienza and had a fantastic lunch with an assortment of pecorinos.

Tuscan pecorinos are generally not easy to find. However, I found these at the terrific cheese department in Mazzaro's Italian Market, St. Petersburg, FL.

The wines were:
- 2012 Vecchia Cantina Chianti with the appetizer and pre-dinner chatting
- 2007 Poggio Antico Madre, 50% Sangiovese & 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

I chose wines from these two wineries not only because they worked perfectly with the meal, but because we visited both wineries during our trip with our niece. Both wineries treated us wonderfully. I have been to Poggio Antico three times. They produce some of the very best Brunello, which is one of my favorite Italian wines.

For those looking for a reliably good everyday red wine, the Vecchia Cantina Chianti sells for about $7.99. Vecchia Cantina, which is a coop in Montepulciano, produces a nice variety of quality wines.