Taming my ravenous appetite is always a work in progress, but a chance glance at my profile in the hallway mirror made it clear to me that something must be done to reconfigure my …figure. Last time in this space, I mentioned my plan to switch from the heavier foods of winter to less hearty fare, and to accompany these meals with lighter styled wines.
So, rather than go cold turkey (I’m not a fan of turkey anyway), I’ve decided to gradually introduce lighter and more healthy foods into my daily meal regimen. I’ll also select less intense wines to accompany these meals. But hey, that doesn’t mean I can’t eat and drink well. As a matter of fact, the recipe I’m suggesting you try below is a perfect example. And either of the two white wines I’m recommending to accompany the meal will make the food and wine experience something special.
It may be surprising to you, but there are pasta dishes that are light, healthy and packed with delicious flavors too. Today’s recipe combines asparagus, lemon, parmigiano, bread crumbs, olive oil and white wine to sauce a light and filling penne rigate (pronounced Pen-neh Ree-gah-tay) pasta dish. Penne rigate has a tubular shape and is about one inch long with ridges while pasta simply called penne has a smooth surface. The advantage of penne rigate is that the ridges allow the sauce to adhere to it better.
And either of these two wines I’ve chosen to accompany the recipe can also serve as the bottle you sip with the meal.
2023 Fillaboa Albarino ( $28) From the Rias Baixas region in northern Spain, this crisp white has flavors of stone fruit with hints of citrus and herbs. It is refreshing and clean, with excellent acidity to balance the piquant notes of the lemony penne dish.
2024 Bisci Verdicchio de Matelica ($22) – This golden wine from central Italy has ripe green apple flavors with a mineral quality that also features light, tropical fruit nuances. Its subtle richness enhances and rounds out this citrusy pasta dish.
Albarino or Verdicchio pair perfectly with this dish
Lemon Penne Rigate
Ingredients:
One
pound
of
penne
rigate
One
pound
of
asparagus
trimmed
and
sliced
about
¼-inch
thick
Three
ounces
of
extra
virgin
olive
oil
Four
ounces
of
white
wine
One
quarter
cup
of
chopped
Italian
parsley
One
teaspoon
lemon
zest
and
3
tablespoons
of
lemon
juice
One
cup
of
grated
Parmigiano
Reggiano
cheese
One
half
cup
of
panko
or
bread
crumbs
Salt
and
pepper
to
taste
One
teaspoon
of
red
pepper
flakes
(optional)
One-half
cup
of
reserved
pasta
water
Preparation:
Cook
one
pound
of
penne
rigate
in
salted
water
until
al
dente
(save
one
cup
of
pasta
water)
Add
the
asparagus
to
the
pasta
water
two
minutes
before
the
penne
is
done
Transfer
the
cooked
pasta
and
asparagus
to
a
sauté
pan
Mix
the
olive
oil,
lemon
juice
and
zest,
garlic
and
wine
in
a
bowl
and
whisk
Add
the
mixture
to
the
pan
with
the
pasta
and
add
the
reserved
pasta
water
Mix
the
ingredients
together
in
the
sauté
pan
and
cook
at
medium
heat
Add
half
the
parmesan
along
with
the
panko
or
bread
crumbs
and
mix
Sprinkle
salt
and
pepper
to
taste
and
serve,
adding
more
cheese
to
each
plate
*To honor the season of Ramson, I plan to garnish my lemon penne rigate with a few ramp leaves!
John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine – has just been released and is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com
