Italian Culinary and Wine Experience

Last month Beth and I had the privilege to enjoy a fun night at Fezziwig's Tea & Gourmet Market in Lebanon, Illinois.  This cute shop, owned by Tim and Ellen Leaf Moore,  hosts all kinds of events including wine tastings, loose leaf tea tastings and gourmet food tastings along with various  classes on all those mentioned goodies.  That night we participated in an "Italian Bistro Night".

Tim and Ellen's dear friends Mike and Patti Awalt spent 12 years living in Italy learning all they could about the culture and foods of that wonderful country. It was great being the recipients of their delicious culinary delights!

The evening started off with a "Capri Cocktail" of Prosecco.  As with any Italian sparkling wine, that's the best way to begin an evening while mingling with friends.

Once we were seated, we enjoyed the first course of Bruschetta ( that's pronounced broos-kEHt-tuh).  To pair this for the evening I chose the 2013 Chloe Pinot Grigio which is from the Valdadige D.O.C.  It had ripe juicy flavors of fresh white peach, beautiful honeysuckle and subtle Meyer lemon.

Continuing on with the next course of tonno e fagioli, which is a tuna and white bean dish. Oh delish! I continued to enjoy the Chloe Pinot Grigio with this one too and  it was a perfect pairing.

The next course of the evening was the Pasta Bolognese Bianco.  Awesome! I've enjoyed Bolognese before but was always with a red sauce.  This version is a lighter pasta with a white or olive oil sauce.

I paired this dish with a 2012 Vesevo Beneventano Falanghina from Campania, Italy. Again, a perfect choice for it had a full, ripe palate with a hint of honey on the finish.

Our next course was Insalata verde.  It was interesting to learn that in Italy the salad is always served after the pasta to help with digestion.  After having the heavier entrees, I thought I was full and couldn't eat anything more, but the salad was perfect. It was bib lettuce with  very light EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

The dinner was topped off with fresh strawberries drizzled with Fezziwig's very own Summer Peach White Balsamic Vinegar.  Not to stop there, Patti made homemade Limoncello that was the culmination of a fantastic evening.

Now we know why Tim and Ellen wanted the Awalt's to be their first "guest presenters" of their Culinary Experience classroom. I'm so glad we were a part of it!

Cheers!

Lisa