Guanciale in Arrabiata Sauce on Penne with a Cal-Sangiovese

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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Tonight’s light supper, after last night’s anniversary indulgence, was half a jowl of guanciale diced and crisped, then the rendered fat was drained off and half a jar of Rao’s Arrabiata added. No additional seasonings were added. The spicy sauce was placed on Rustichella Penne and topped with a generous portion of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. The pasta dish was enjoyed with a 2001 Vino Noceto Sangiovese ‘Misto’ bright, clear ruby in color, with a very narrow clear edge; bright, crisp nose and flavor of spicy cherries; spicy fruity mid-palate, with good acidity; and a medium long, spicy fruit finish.

I found it interesting that the sauce tonight was hotter feeling, than the first half of the arrabiata that we had with shrimp a week ago or so. With the shrimp I’d added more spicy seasonings. Somehow the shrimp mitigated the spiciness a lot more than the guanciale.

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Then for dessert, while watching Paris-Roubaix (via TiVo), we finished some leftover cheeses with pear and black currant fruit pastes, fresh mixed nuts from Whole Foods, and a 1994 Grgich Hills Zinfandel - fill just below the capsule; cork lightly colored on just the bottom; color a rich ruby garnet with a very thin light edge; briary nose and flavors of blackberries, raspberries, and currants; a rich berry mid-palate with ok acidity and mostly resolved tannins; and a long berry fruit finish. With the fruit pastes and nuts the Zin was a good match.