CHIANTI BUTTER

Take a slice of grilled Tuscan bread, spread with a bit of this "gift from God", let it sweat for a moment, then bite (the bread, that is).

Your taste buds will go wild.
The smooth flavour of fresh pork fat is set off with a dash of vinegar, the penetrating flavours of rosemary and garlic, and the contrast in tone between sea salt and sumptuous black pepper. This should be more than enough to remind us of the importance, now and ever, of a glass of red wine that harmonizes an ensemble, like a symphony whose conductor is the hand of the artisan that prepares and caresses the food.

A food as divine as it is simple, genuine and ingenious which has for centuries kept hunger at bay with next to nothing.

Could this be why we have such a feeling for poetry?

Chianti "butter" is excellent on potatoes wrapped in foil and baked in the oven or the embers of the grill. It is great as well, in the preparation of what we call "patriotic spaghetti". Mix some Burro del Chianti with fresh chili peppers, tomatoes and basil in a large bowl and toss with just-drained, piping hot spaghetti.


PH Jennifer McIlvaine