By Morgan Brockington

Every December, Erica’s blind wine tasting group gathers for a spectacular holiday party. The group is comprised of some of Portland’s best sommeliers that represent many of the city’s finest restaurants. Each guest is tasked with bringing a dish and wine to share. I attended last year’s gathering, and between Kelly Nelson from Evo Kitchen + Bar’s homemade chicken pot pie, Tessa Boepple from Solo Italiano’s braised lamb wellingtons, and Coco O’Neil from Central Provisions and Tipo’s baked macaroni and cheese, I knew the pressure was on to deliver an exceptional wine and food pairing.

A brainstorming session with Erica at the Solo Italiano bar following our Italian Wine & Food Walk led to the fantastic idea of collaborating with a local Italian chef to learn a homemade meatball recipe.

Of course, Solo Italiano Chef/Owner Paolo Laboa graciously obliged and welcomed me with open arms to his kitchen. The afternoon of the holiday party, I met Paolo at Solo Italiano for my personal meatball-making lesson.

For the meatballs, we mixed equal parts local beef and pork with Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil, egg, and focaccia paste. After forming the mixture into balls, we let them rest in the fridge for 20 minutes and then cooked them in extra virgin olive oil until browned.

For the sauce, Chef Paolo uses fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and his secret ingredient—pancetta! If you don’t have pancetta, you can also substitute bacon for his signature smokey flavor. Once the sauce is ready and simmering, the meatballs finish cooking on low for 40-50 minutes. They’re best served with fresh focaccia.

If you’d like to try Chef Paolo’s famous meatballs, you can get them for $1 each every day during Aperitivo Hour from 4:30-6:00 pm.

Meatballs

Equal parts beef and pork
Parmigiano Reggiano
Fresh parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
Egg
Focaccia soaked in water and strained

Tomato Sauce:

Tomatoes
Basil
Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Pancetta or bacon, cut into cubes

The perfect wine pairing: Collecapretta, Rosso da Tavola 2016

Estate: The Mattioli family has lived in the tiny village of Collecapretta [hill of the goats] since the 1100s. Located outside of Spoleto in southern Umbria, central Italy, the family has been cultivating grapes in the hills for generations. Vittorio Mattioli, his wife Anna, and their daughter Annalisa farm the 8-hectare property; 4 hectares of indigenous old vines, 2 hectares of olive trees and 2 hectares of farro and ancient grains. The land provides all the family’s and animal’s needs. All farming and cultivation is organic, low intervention along with some biodynamic methods. About 8 cuvees are produced, although with a total production of only 8000 bottles. Vines are 500+ meters in elevation, soils are a “mixture of calcium and iron-rich clay with outcroppings of tufo and travertine limestone”.

Winemaking: Fermented 6 days on the skins with native yeasts, aged in glass and cement, no added sulphites, unfined, unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Dark garnet in color with aromas of campfire, ripe cherry, strawberry, a trace of wildflowers and soft spice. Ripe, juicy morello cherry, black cherry and pomegranate, along with earth and bitter almond glide atop tangy acidity and black tea tannins. Cherry, red currant, salty minerality, a savory streak, and peppery spice saturate the plush finish. The elegant and smoky flavors, medium body, ample acidity, and silky and vibrant finish went beautifully with the meatballs and the smokiness that the pancetta brought to this beautifully simple red sauce.

100% Sangiovese
Vino Rosso, Italy
Estate Bottled by Azienda Agricola Collecapretta
13.5% Alcohol

Source: https://caravino.net/2019/12/18/collecapretta-il-rosso-da-tavola-nv/

Making Meatballs with Solo Italiano’s Chef Paolo Laboa