NOURISH HEALTH + TASTE + STYLE

The Little Things…

Sometimes it's the little things that make you appreciate life a bit more.  When favorite foods come to mind, I've got a decently long list running, much of which is inherently healthy, but of course there are a few indulgences sprinkled in there as well.  Among others on the list...a small plate of thinly sliced, artisanally-cured Italian meat with a touch of heat when it hits your tongue.  Pair that with a glass or two of vino and I'm a very blissful gal.  Even better when the meat, in this case soppressata, is home-cured.  You know a lot of time and care went into it.  Someone was kind enough to drop this tasty little gift off to me last week and it made a gray, snowy weekend much, much brighter.     

Crushing On :: Occhipinti Wines

I'm not sure if it was ironic or simply good timing, but I don't really care either way.  I was plotting a post just last week about one of my absolute favorite winemakers (I'm slightly obsessed), and then who turns up on my doorstep Saturday morning smack in the middle of the New York Times Style Magazine.  Say "bongiorno" to Arianna Occhipinti and Occhipinti wines.  Many thanks to the fantastic Mr. Todd Selby who photoraphed Occhipinti in his NYT feature column, Edible Selby - appropriately titled "Natural Woman."  I discovered Occhipinti's wines - the SP68 Vittoria Rosso to be exact - at L'Artusi (a great Italian spot in the WV) a few years back and I've been hooked ever since.  At 29, Occhipinti is producing some of the most striking wines I've tasted - she's producing in southern Sicily where she's from...and she's doing it using natural biodynamic methods to farm the grapes (read: zero chemicals).  She's a woman with a mission, and I'm fully on board.  

Here's her recipe for grape marmalade as published in T Magazine (insert Italian accent).

1 kg grape moscato

.3 kg sugar

Remove the seeds from the grape and discard it.  After, put the grape in a pot with the sugar and mix by a wood spoon until the fruit changes thanks to the caramelization of the sugar.  When it is dense, put everything into a glass jar when it is hot.  Close and seal.  It is ready.

You'll find Occhipinti wines online and at Astor Wines.  Oh, and of course at L'Artusi thanks to Joey Campanale, owner, beverage director and wine slueth.