The pandemic shelter-in-place has California families hunkered down and madly cooking at home — and wondering why they didn’t take cooking lessons to up their culinary game when they still had a chance. Turns out it’s not too late. Zoom-driven and Insta-live cooking classes and demos are popping up everywhere. Among them, Pigs & Pinot Tutorials masterminded by Wine Country chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer and some of his favorite chefs and winemakers.
For the last 15 years, Healdsburg’s annual philanthropic Pigs & Pinot has been a weekend-long celebration of all things pork and pinot noir that has raised some $1 million for charitable causes, including Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. The shelter-in-place canceled this year’s events, so Palmer, chef Scott Romano and four Sonoma winemakers have taken to Instagram to do cooking demos and wine pairings as Pigs & Pinot Tutorials.
On April 30, that pairing will include Coffee Charred Pork Tenderloin with Brussels sprout and celery salad, with a 2015 Gary Farrell Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir. Earlier this month, they did a Cavatelli and Sweet Italian Sausage dish — served with a 2018 Charlie Clay Russian River Pinot Noir from Mauritson Wines. Now they’re sharing the recipe.
Cavatelli and Sweet Italian Sausage
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
¼ pound diced smoked bacon
¾ pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound dry cavatelli (or gemelli) pasta
1 medium onion, diced finely
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons rough chopped parsley
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
¼ cup pinot noir
Directions
Fill a pot with 3 quarts of water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it starts to render. Crumble the sausage into the pan with the bacon and its fat, and continue cooking. Brown the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes.
Bring the pot of water to a boil and drop in the pasta, cooking it according to package directions.
Meanwhile, add the diced onion, dried basil and pepper flakes to the sausage pan; continue cooking for 2 minutes. Add the pinot noir to the sausage pan and turn down the heat to a simmer.
Once the pasta is al dente, drain it slightly. Add the pasta to the sausage pan, along with the butter and a bit of the pasta water to create a sauce. Cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, until incorporated.
Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Shave or sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Grab a glass of pinot to enjoy with your pasta.
— Courtesy chef Charlie Palmer, Pigs & Pinot Tutorials, https://pigsandpinot.com
