Rionero in Vùlture, a tiny village crouched on the hem of a quiet volcano, is where Basilicata’s worthy red wine is born. Ancient gift of the Greeks were the vines called Aglianico, still flourishing, somehow, stitched up nearly three thousand feet onto the shoulders of the long-sleeping Vùlture, their black-skinned fruit nourished by the volcano’s ashes and the nearness of the sun. The yields of the rich fruit of the Aglianico is each year less, not for the nature of things but for the dearth of a new generation of vine workers. Even now, the production is sadly small. Young, the wine is untamed, full of acid and tannin and potential. After five years, an Aglianico can ripen into a wine sitting on the fringes of nobility. After an all-night rain and the next morning’s mushroom hunt in the forests above Rionero in Vùlture, this dish, with a 1992 Aglianico and a half-loaf of coarse, whole wheat bread taken, warm, from the village forno, made our lunch.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
With a mezzaluna or a sharp knife, mince the lard, parsley, and garlic together to a fine paste.
Step 2
Over a medium flame in a large sauté pan or terra-cotta casserole, warm 4 tablespoons of the oil and, in it, soften the pancetta. Add the garlic/lard paste and the crushed chile, sautéing for a minute or two. Add the prepared mushrooms to the perfumed fat, sprinkling on sea salt and grinding pepper generously, and gently sauté them, permitting them to dispel their juices for several minutes. Add the tomatoes and the wine and bring to a simmer.
Step 3
Cover the pan with a skewed lid and, over a gentle flame, allow the mushrooms to reabsorb their juices and to drink in the wine. Braise them for 20 to 30 minutes or until they are plumped and have taken on the tint of the wine.
Step 4
Over a medium flame, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small sauté pan and sauté the crumbs, tossing them about. Present the mushrooms and their juices, dusted with the crumbs, as a first course. A beautiful bread and wine are all they require. Serving them as companion to some other dish is to distract from the pleasure of them.
