2016 Brunello Recipe Pairing from Da Toscano

Da Toscano in New York City feels like an old friend for many reasons but in fact the restaurant just celebrated its first anniversary. By some miracle they have survived the most challenging of first years in operation and are currently open with 50% seating capacity indoors. Additionally, they have a charming outdoor dining setup for those lucky enough to take advantage. Da Toscano continues to serve some of my favorite dishes in all of New York City.

The restaurant, placed among the top ten Best New Restaurants in America by Esquire in 2020, is in the West Village on Minetta Lane, a seemingly favored street for film crews to set up shop and the next door neighbor to a beloved NY institution the Minetta Lane Theatre.

Chef Michael and Caitlin Toscano made the decision to return to NYC to the beloved space that housed a former favorite restaurant of mine, Perla, opened by Chef Michael in 2012 before the couple made the decision to begin a new chapter in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 with their young family. It is there that the Toscano family duo opened their sister restaurant Le Farfalle.

Madeline Maldonado, Beverage Director and long-time friend of Il Palazzone, placed both our Brunello and Lorenzo & Isabelle on the opening wine list for Da Toscano and helped connect us with Chef Michael to collaborate on a recipe pairing to celebrate the release and arrival in the US of our 2016 Brunello di Montalcino. For more about Madeline, check out this recent profile in Cuisine Noir.

This past weekend I decided to recreate Chef’s dish and paired it with the 2016 Brunello as well as the Rosso del Palazzone NV which I sipped on while making the Rabbit Ragu and used to cook with along with our Olive Oil. It was the most fun I have had “at work” in quite some time. Please see the photo gallery below as well as Chef Michael’s beautiful recipe in case you want to recreate for yourself and test out the pairing firsthand. An even better idea is to go visit Chef and team in NYC at Da Toscano and enjoy gorgeous food and Maddy’s beautiful wine offerings and perhaps consider a bottle of Il Palazzone Brunello while you’re there!

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Fettuccine with Rabbit Ragu & Parmigiano

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 orders 4.5oz each Fettuccine (your favorite recipe or quality dried pasta)

• One 3 pound rabbit, cut into pieces

• 1 large red onion, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 1 28oz can whole Italian tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp thyme leaves

• 1 tsp rosemary, chopped

• 1 tsp sage, chiffonade

• 1 cup red wine

• 3 cups chicken stock

• 2 tbsp EVOO

• Piece of Parmigiano Reggiano for Grating

DIRECTIONS:

Place a large, heavy-duty pot on high heat. Warm 2 tbsp of olive oil and start browning the rabbit on all sides. After the meat is brown add the onion, carrots, celery and pancetta. Cook for 20 minutes, or until vegetables begin to caramelize. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping to release the caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and chicken stock. Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer, for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bones. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and pull the meat from the bones, returning it to the sauce as you process. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

When the fettuccine are ready combine the sauce, pasta and reserved cooking liquid in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the sauce into the pasta and serve hot, with a grating of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Buon Appetito!