Falanghina

Pronunciation: fa-lahn-GEE-na (That's a hard "G.")

This is probably the white wine that was most ubiquitous in my Ischia-Napoli world. It's what came in carafes as the house wines, and it's what could also be found in an average to fancy bottle. A cold condensation on a hand-painted pitcher of Falanghina next to a hot pizza, screaming of basil, milk, and tomatoes would melt that Summer sun right out the sky.

Living most of the time in Ischia, Falanghina was still the go-to white. I say this because Biancolella and Forastera are the varieties indigenous to the island, but the island just isn't that big. Not big enough to quench the thirsty, fish-eating masses anyway.

So here we are back in Texas, and my heart calls out for the real thing. My DoBianchi brought home a shiny white ball of Mozzarella di Bufala and a bottle of Cantine del Taburno Falanghina, but, alas, I am still searching for an unoaked/unmalo-ed/non-acidified yet certified stateside version. I won't give up. I can survive on the fumes of my memories just a little longer.

Until I find it, don't cry for me Falanghina, the truth is you never left me.

Text below adapted from: Del Canuto, Francesco et al., Il vino italiano, vitigni, enografia, e grastronomia regionale, Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (Bertani & C.), Milano, 2010 (2002), fourth edition.

Alternative Names: Fallanghina, Falanghina verace, Uva Falerna, Falerno Veronese, and Biancuzita

Historical Notes: This grape variety has ancient origins and was probably cultivated in Sannio going back to the Roman Era. The first documentation of this variety, however, is from 1825, even though it was frequently confused with other grapes.

Production Zone: Falanghina is most widely produced in Campania. It finds its best expression in the area of Falerno del Massico, the island of Procida, Campi Flegrei, and Sannio.

Characteristics: average to small leaves that are smooth and wedge-shaped and usually have 3 lobes, sometimes 5, with green veins and red streaks; The clusters are compact and cylindrical with one small wing. The berries are round and covered in bloom. The skins are thick with a yellow-gray hue.

Ripening: second half of September

Productivity: average

Vigor: good

Wine made from Falanghina has a straw-yellow color, tending toward golden with an intense and fruity nose. It usually has softer acid and a pleasant, persistent finish.

Irpinia DOC

As long as I lived in Campania, I was always intrigued by the areas of Irpinia and Sannio. They are rich with an ancient history of Oscans, Samnites, and Hirpini that I find fascinating. The mountains of Irpinia, set with pine trees and chestnuts are ones that I hope to have to opportunity to explore in depth sometime in the future with my DoBianchi.

Text below adapted from: Del Canuto, Francesco et al., Il vino italiano, panorama vitivinicolo attraverso le denominazioni di origine, Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (Bertani & C.), Milano, 2010 (2002), fourth edition.

DOC recognized 9/13/05

Production Zone: includes all areas adequate for grape growing in the province of Avellino.
Subzone: Campi Taurasini: includes all areas in the townships of Taurasi, Bonito, Castelfranci, Castelvetere sul Calore, Fontanarosa, Lapio, Luogosano, Mirabella Eclano, Montefalcione, Montemarano, Montemiletto, Paternopoli, Pietradifusi, Sant'Angelo all'Esca, San Magno sul Calore, Torre le Nocelle, Venticano, Gesualdo, Villamaina, Torella dei Lombardi, Grottaminarda, Melito Irpino, Nusco, and Chiusano San Domenico

Grape Varieties
WHITE: Greco 40-50%, Fiano 40-50%, others permitted up to 20%
[Varieties permitted on label are as follows]: (min 85%) Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Greco
Other types: Passito from Greco and Fiano with a minimum of 7 months aging and alcohol at 12.5%; Classic method** Spumante using Fiano and Greco with a min alcohol of 11.5% is released after 20 months from October 1st of the most recent harvest year.
RED: Aglianico min 70%, others permitted up to 30%
[Varieties permitted on label are as follows]: (min 85%) Aglianico, Sciascinoso, Piedirosso
SUBZONE Campi Taurasini: min 85% Aglianico
Other types: Rosato and novello (same as rosso); Passito and fortified made from a min 85% Aglianico, with a minimum of 7 months and 11 months aging, respectively

Aging Potential: whites 1-2 years; rosato, spumante, and novello 1 year; reds, passitos, and fortified 2-5 years

Campania has been awarded with a new DOC, the 17th in the region and the only DOC in the province of Avellino. Irpinia has always been a land rich in vineyards. The appellation is divided by the Apennine mountain range that runs from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adratic Sea. Its land possesses a unique, mineral-rich volcanic soil. Because of this, and the climate which varies from one zone to the next, from its origins this appellation has been capable of producing the great wines long exalted by historians and poets alike.

Irpinia DOC, beyond having the task of raising awareness of the viticultural value of the appellation, also serves as an umbrella DOC for the three already recognized DOCGs of Taurasi, Greco di Tufo, and Fiano di Avellino.

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**Classic/Traditional Method (Metodo Classico, in Italian) or Methode Champenoise is the process by which fermented wine is placed in a bottle with added yeasts and sugar to induce a second fermentation. As the wine ferments, carbon dioxide is created. It is dissolved throughout the bottle and escapes, creating bubbles when the bottle is opened. This is quite labor intensive and results in a wine with much more complexity than one created using the Charmat Method (wherin 2nd fermentation takes place in large vats).

Taurasi DOCG

Even though I lived in Campania for nearly four and a half years, I didn't get to drink a ton of Taurasi. It was relatively expensive and I lived a pauper-ish existence. I'm sure that I've had more than even your average Northern Italian, but still, I am far from an expert. I did drink lots of Aglianico (Sannio DOC, Irpinia DOC, Taburno DOC, many IGTs) and Piedirosso though, but we'll get to that soon.

Here's what my DoBianchi said about the origins of the name Taurasi:
Btw, the toponym Taurasi is believed to be derived from the pre-Roman (probably Etruscan) taur[o] meaning mountain. One of the earliest documents mentioning the ancient village of Taurasi dates back to the 14th-century and there is also a mention inscribed in the sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatus (died 280 B.C.E.). The village sits above the valley of the Calore river at 398 meters a.s.l., hence the name.

That's so hot.

Text below translated from: Del Canuto, Francesco et al., Il vino italiano, panorama vitivinicolo attraverso le denominazioni di origine, Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (Bertani & C.), Milano, 2010 (2002), fourth edition.

DOCG recognized 3/11/93


Production Zone: including the townships of (only the the hilly areas with adequate sun exposure, and with the absolute exclusion of humid valley floors and shaded portions of land) Bonito, Castelfranci, Castelvetere sul Calore, Fontanarosa, Lapio, Luogosano, Mirabella Eclano, Montefalcione, Montemarano, Montemiletto, Paternopoli, Pietradefusi, Sant'Angelo all'Esca, San Mango sul Calore, Taurasi, Torre le Nocelle and Venticano, all in the province of Avellino.

Yield: Max 10 tons per hectare

Grape Variety: Aglianico**, min 85% [It does not list others permitted for the balance, but with a little research I've found that any non-aromatic red variety "permitted and recommended by the province of Avellino" is allowed. I imagine that there is Piedirosso, Barbera, maybe some Sciascinoso and probably others, but it can be 100% Aglianico.]

Minimum alcohol: 12%

Required Aging: minimum 37 months

Aging potential: on average 8-10 years***

Other types: Reserve--with a minimum alcohol content of 12.5% and required aging of 49 months

Excellent wine production in this area is a result of the perfect balance between climate, grape variety, and volcanic soil. Low yields and high-density planting along with attention in the vineyards and use of barrel aging guarantee a high-quality product. Most importantly, there are some emergent winemakers who, with a great deal of professionalism, are exploiting the great potential of Aglianico in this appellation.

The color of Taurasi, when released, is an intense garnet with a nose rich in red fruit preserves, black pepper, liquorice, minerality, and tobacco. Very structured with a long finish, this wine is dry and balanced with pronounced tannins. Taurasi goes well with grilled meats and roasts as along with wild game. It is particularly suited for wild boar and aged cheeses.
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In my next post I will translate the entry for aglianico from volume 2A of this series. This book lists all of the grape varieties of Italy alphabetically, with an informative entry on each. Woohoo!

**PLEASE read DoBianchi's scholarly post on the origins of the name "aglianico." Very interesting stuff. That's my man!

***I know that many a Taurasi out there can gracefully age for much longer. I believe that the authors of this book are referring to an average example of the wine and its very average potential. I am but a translator.

Coming Up Next

Il Vino Italiano: An Overview of Vineyards and Wine Through its Appellations (volume 2A)
Il Vino Italiano: Grape Varieties, Wine Descriptors, and Regional Gastronomy (volume 2B)

I have waited some time for these two books. My husband bought them for me for my birthday and I squealed like a 'tween when I opened the box from Italy.

These are the texts that accompany the 2nd level of the AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier) certification course. I took the first level in Naples in October and November of 2006, which were to be immediately followed by the 2nd course in December. In true Italian fashion, however, it was delayed. They started it up just as I was going home to Texas for my yearly extended visit in March, so I never got to finish.

I made a friend in the class, Lucia, who owned a "prodotti tipici" (local products) shop on the main street in Ischia Porto. She continued on with the course and upon my return, let me borrow the two books for a couple of months. What I discovered was a valuable reference source of all(-ish**) of the DOCGs, DOCs, and IGTs of Italy. Within each region's section was a complete list its appellations with all of the rules governing them (production zone, max yield, varieties, etc) along with a blurb about the wine. This was volume 2B.

2A had a list of all of the common grape varieties, their production zones, synonyms, historical notes and characteristics.

Fascinating, right...?

I surrendered the books to their proper owner, finished the Summer and Fall in Ischia, and returned home to Texas for good. (This is the part where I eventually met the DoBianchi of my dreams. He is practically an encyclopedia himself, wrapped in a casing of handsome, but I am determined to find something between these bindings that he doesn't know.)

I searched for the books in Italy, America, and the great wide Internets. The AIS site did not even have them for sale! Nor did anyone else for that matter.

Then one day this September, I decided I wouldn't let my grapeless search discourage me. I sat down and finally found them!! Jeremy P ordered them from an online Italian bookstore and here we are. (Jeremy is the brave one here, as I fear for the safe arrival of anything shipped from an Italian website.)

Did I mention that the entire course is in Italiano? Why wouldn't it be? But that's not a problem. I am going to translate it (mostly) for you because I NEED A PROJECT! And it will help me scour the rust off of my Italian.

So here starts my series. This is not for the easily bored, nor overly-critical. I just hope to spread the cheer that I experience by having access to this kind of information.

Buona lettura!

**So, calling any list of Italian DOCs and DOCGs "complete" can be a dubious declaration. The fact that different sources site different appellations and new ones come out all of the time lend to the confusion. To save the day, our friend, the Italian Wine Guy, has taken it as his duty to research and publish the most up-to-date and comprehensive list out there. Thanks Alfonso! That being said, the book that I am translating is in its fourth edition and was published this year (2010). Please see IWG's site for the latest news.

Breaking News: Una Vera Pizza Napoletana spotted on Congress! And a tall glass of Piedirosso...

This is cause for a celebration as far as I'm concerned. Last night, in the company of my DoBianchi, Julio, and wife Lauren, I managed to warm my heart by the fire of Quattro Gatti's beautiful wood-burning oven. (Click here for his take on the evening.)

I'm here to tell you that real Napoletana pizza (La Vera Pizza Napoletana) finally found its way to Austin and I could not be happier. I've now tasted 3 of the offerings and the crust is consistently tender but chewy, the toppings appropriately light for the foundation, and the mozzarella provides coverage at intervals, just like in Naples.

This is the Quattro Stagioni, or Four Seasons--DoBianchi's pick. IWG, you're going to love it!

The texture of the crust is, I think, the most important component in creating an authentic pizza. This is also the most difficult thing to find in the market 'round here. They got it right, alright.

Mine was the Montanara--a pizza "bianca" (no salsa) with fontina, prosciutto, arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano.

The prices on the wine list are more than fair, and if you want to pair that perfect pizza with another indigenous export, try the Mastroberardino Lacyrma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso DOC**. While the debate rages on about whether or not Italians pair wines or beer with pizza, I'll steal away and stick my nose in this glass of Vesuvio. It's 100% Piedirosso (Per'e'palummo in local dialect) and thankfully vinified with no oak to mask its freshness.

*Wine Digression*

The first time I smelled this wine at a trade tasting, I was immediately yanked back to Campania via sensory recall. I smelled that trademark pepper that dances about with whimsical bursts of strawberry and raspberry, against a background of something savory that I can never quite put my finger on, but it's ALWAYS there in this varietal. In my four and a half years between Naples and Ischia, Piedirosso was always around, and never disappointed me. This is the first time that I've seen such an authentic version, this side of the Atlantic and OMG, you have to try it. I feel a blog post comin' on about the Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio DOC, but the star of this post is Quattro Gatti's pizza, so stay tuned.

Owner Gianfranco Mastrangelo has done a mitzvah (as my DoBianchi would say) by showing the huddled masses of Austin what it's about. And it's about time.

L-R: The Pizzaiolo, server, and owner Gianfranco Mastrangelo.

Quattro Gatti
908 Congress Ave
Austin, Tx 78701

**In the DOC rosso, there's also an allowance for Sciascinoso and up to 20% of Aglianico. Will post with geekish enthusiasm on this DOC (as well as the bianco) soon.

Love Born in the Blogosphere, or How I met my DoBianchi

Here's a story of two people who somehow managed to find each other in this big wide world (as Alice said) with a little help from Blogger and Wordpress. Read his version here.

Recently returned from my 4 and a half year stay in Italy, I started a new life in my old town, Austin. On March 17, 2008, I began my job in wine sales and was enjoying the ease with which one can "do things" in this country.

I spent a few months reconnecting with family and friends, helping me ease back into the different rhythm of life here. It was good! I was home! And happy.

And then it got better.

*cue going-back-in-time harp*

Over the previous year, I had visited a blog called DoBianchi, written by a musician-wine-guy-writer-Dr. Jeremy Parzen...who was this guy? I couldn't understand exactly what he did, or more specifically, how he did all of those things, but I liked his blog.

Last June, I had a conversation with my friend, mentor, and fellow wine blogger Alfonso Cevola (a.k.a. "Italian Wine Guy" whom I also met via blogging) about Jeremy. Alfonso had met him in January, becoming fast friends. I was intrigued, I asked, "What does he do? What is he like? People seem to hold him in such high esteem...WHAT IS HIS STORY, ALFONSO?!"

Actually, I was a little more discreet, but inside I was curious! Very.

After some not-so-gentle nudging at the hands of IWG, I joined Facebook (end of June, '08). Two weeks later, on July 15th, 2008, I got a very fateful friend request from Jeremy. I accepted right away and noticed that it was the day after his birthday. I wished him happy birthday and went straight to his blog. Read here what I found.

There was a post about his bday dinner, the wines they opened, and a very lonely comment section. I wished him happy birthday again, on the blog, the first to do so, thank you very much!

And then, it happened. Jeremy sent me an email. "Thanks for the comment at DoBianchi. Tracie B, I'm intrigued...what made you come back from Italy?"

I was flattered by his curiosity...I responded, and thus began our story.

One email a day quickly turned into 20. Twenty emails a day quickly turned into song dedications and mixed CDs in the mail and that turned into Jeremy flying from San Diego to Austin to meet me for the first time.

His visit was brief, but quite enough for me to know that I had found what I had always wanted. If you don't know, my Jeremy P is a kind, handsome, creative, intelligent, dynamic, interesting, musical, devoted guy.

AND he speaks Italian! Yes, we certainly share "an acute case of Italophilia," as he wrote in his first email.

After that initial visit at the end of August of last year, he went away for 5 weeks. I was under the impression that 5 weeks consisted of 35 days, always. But this 5 weeks lasted exactly an eternity.

The end of September came and his visit lasted a week--a week that lasted .073 seconds.

There was pining, pining, and more pining between trips, but he came back again every month. I went to visit San Diego once too. (F.Y.I.--Crying on a Southwest flight back home gets you a free drink from sympathetic attendants.)

Every time we had to part, my heart broke right down the middle, then into a million pieces. But on December 15th, 2008 my sweet DoBianchi drove his old Volvo across the country with all of his belongings. He came to Austin to live. He moved across the country for this country girl, can you believe that?

*back to the present*

That's the short version...it has now been a year and here are some of our special memories:

Me and 2B at Ginny's, his first time. We brought Premier Cru Chablis there that night!

Surprise tickets to the Willie concert in October for my birthday!

Lisini Riserva, Tracie vintage ('75)

Borgogno Riserva, Jeremy vintage

Xmas with my family

New Year's Eve

France! Nous Non Plus (Jeremy's Band) mini-tour

My first trip to San Francisco (with Kermit Lynch!)

Last weekend, having fun with my (our) family :) Isn't he handsome?

So you see, it's been a good year. Our story doesn't end, but now begins...on Saturday May 9th, this fairytale became even sweeter when that Jeremy P asked this Tracie B to marry him.

I said CERTO! Of course I will...it has been a stellar vintage, after all. He has made me the happiest Texana this world has ever seen and in January of next year, we will celebrate the best pairing yet.**

Here's to my DoBianchi! You jumped out of the computer screen and into my life with courage and purpose. So glad for the internet, and so glad that we were both just crazy enough to believe that love could happen, even in wine blogging.

**Sorry for the cringe-inducing wine-analogy cheesiness, but that's what love does to a girl.

31 Days of Natural Wine, Day6

A new post every day for a WHOLE MONTH! It can happen...

Please check out Cory's blog Saignee where he is doing a Series of 31 posts on natural wine. Today he is actually featuring the post I did on our February visit to the Joly winery.

Cory comes highly recommended by my DoBianchi (read his guest post here), who was so excited about Saignee that they met at Terroir in San Francisco during the Nous Non Plus California tour.

Tomorrow, the absolutely fabulous Alice Feiring (hi Alice!) will post, so make sure you tune in for that too.

Maybe the Mr. and Mrs. Saignee could come to Austin soon for a little Chablis and Chickens*#t Bingo? As DoBianchi likes to say, that would be blog-o-licious.

My Guest Blogger: DoBianchi's Take on Fresh Pasta

To complete my pasta series with style (you can see part 1 here and part 2 here) I enlisted the help of my own resident smarty pants, Jeremy Parzen. In addition to having spent a number of years in Northern Italy, he has a doctorate in Italian Literature. His authoritative voice on all things pasta and Petrachan will impress you for sure...worked for me!

Take it away, DoBianchi...

I cannot conceal that when Tracie B asked me to guest blog at My Life Italian, I was thrilled. I mean, after all, who wouldn't be honored to contribute to the blog of the woman who wrote a line I wish I wrote, about happy vines she saw in Ischia: If I were a vine, I would grow here. Her innate gifts as a writer, her humor, honesty, and honed palate, and — above all — her insights and perspective into the "garden of Europe" — the bel paease — the fair country are what made me fall for her in the first place. The title of her blog alone still makes me melt. Hey, Tracie B, you had me at hello… Or should I say, ciao?

One of the fun things about our relationship and our shared Italophilia is how she lived in Southern Italy, while I lived in the North. When we talk together in Italian, it's a veritable Tower of Babel: she, the belle from Orange, Texas speaks with a rich, musical Neapolitan accent, and I, from San Diego, speak with a nasaly, sharp Veneto accent!

When she posted the other day about the preference and tradition of "dried pasta," pastasciutta, in Southern Italy, she suggested that I write something about the fresh pasta that prevails in Emilia. So, I wrote to my friend Dindo in Bologna, and asked him to take some photographs of his mother making the fresh pasta that she makes nearly every day.

It's not that people in the North don't eat dried pasta. As a matter of fact, the Emilians are very proud of their Barilla, which is based in their region. But fresh lasagne and tagliatelle reign supreme there, as do a wide variety of stuffed fresh pastas — ravioli, tortelli, tortellini, cappelletti, etc.

Historically, dried pasta has its origins in Southern Italy. In Maestro Martino's 15th-century cookbook The Art of Cooking (which I translated for University of California Press, 2005), he includes a recipe for a dried pasta that resemble today's fusilli. He calls it "Sicilian macaroni" and instructs the reader to dry it in the sun, adding that it can last for up to three years. It's very likely that the warmer temperatures of the South and the ventilation provided by the sea are among the factors that would make Gragnano near Naples the unrivalled center for the production of dried pasta by the mid-18th century.

In landlocked Emilia, humidity and colder temperatures are factors in a unique macroclimate that gives us a variety of culinary wonders, like Parmigiano Reggiano. Did you know, for example, that you can replicate the methods for making Parmigiano Reggiano elsewhere in the world, but it only gets that unique texture and consistency when made in the foggy, damp provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (where the smell of pig poop is ubiquitous)?

There are other reasons why the Emilians still favor fresh pasta but the geography and climate alone are a big part of why fresh pasta prevails in the North.

Here is Signora Corradino's method for making garganelli, with ridges of course!


After you've rolled the pasta out, you cut it into squares.


Then you roll those around a wooden rod (this is similar to Maestro Martino's technique for Sicilian macaroni).


Then you make the ridges — so important in order for the sauce to penetrate the pasta — using a specially made pasta loom.

Weekly Wino: Oh What a Night

A trip to Uncle Ace's is always a pleasure for Jeremy and me, where we are taken care of, cooked for, and forced to drink wine from the rich cellar of our mutual friend. We are more than happy to help him whittle down his supply of old wine, a worthy sacrifice for the guy who has affected such positive change in both of our lives.

After my workday was over, DoBianchi and I made the quick trek up I-35 with visions of 1968 Conterno Monfortino Riserva dancing in our heads. We were greeted by our (Galeotto) Alfonso and his SO Kim. Arriving at dinnertime, Kim had made a lovely little antipasto of herbed chevre on baby endive and paired with Loimer "Kamptal" Gruner Veltliner.

The chevre-y goodness paired perfectly with the dancing minerality of the Gruner.

The menu would be local, grass-fed T-bones and veggies to support the 1986 Mouton and star-of-the-night 1968 Barolo Monfortino by Giacomo Conterno. Despite the champion and expert effort of our very own sommy-somm Jeremy, the cork broke. I cannot imagine anyone getting that thing out intact.

No matter! There was no cork a-floatin' in my glass.

If you look at the label closely, you will see that it was aged in botti (huge neutral-wood vats) for a full decade before it was bottled. This wine was taken care of, raised with a loving hand, and left to nap peacefully in Alfonso's cellar.

This wine...aaahhhh. This wine...makes me go all wistful. It had that old Nebbiolo nose of cedar/sandalwood/suede with a hint of moist, leafy underbrush. If there were a to-do list for the expression tertiary aromas, we would have checked every one.

What no one expected was the acidity. This wine was ALIVE and not in the way that a forty year-old wine can be--explosion of taste and smell, only to burn out with an ephemeral last gasp--it HUNG OUT. It was in for the party and if we hadn't drained it in less than an hour, it would have drunk us under the table in a no-country-for-old-farts kind of way.

This Barolo had LIFE and it had umami. I don't want to give more specific tasting notes because what was special was how this wine made us feel, transcending the material and bringing us into a soulful flex of admiration. I felt surprise, appreciation, lovely yummy, in the moment, in the glass, in love, in a state of being that was...together.

Call Me Crazy

But living in the Garden of Eatin' that was Italy didn't exorcise the taco-loving Texana out of me. Even the clams couldn't eclipse the burning in my heart that was my love for Mexican (Texican) food.

I always make nachos/quesadillas/tacos at home. I have convinced myself that I can make them healthy without a hint less of flavor, which is important because my metabolism cooperates less every day closer I get to 34. What I do is make a filling/topping that is versatile and, being forced to confess, I would say damn good.

My DoBianchi has asked me to post a recipe, inspired by our ritual equation of American Idol+nachos=love. I will do no such thing, as I am too willy-nilly with my filling to be precise, but I will tell you what I do and maybe you can too:

*One pound, maybe a bit more, of ground turkey or chicken breast. (HINT: when you can find it, ground chicken breast is quite a bit cheaper.)

*4-5 T of Chili powder, not the authentic New Mexican kind, but that Americanized spice mix. I like Fiesta...it's fancy.

*1 can of drained and rinsed (rinse please!) black beans. I like Progresso and Goya.

*Handful of frozen corn, fresh if you find yourself in the midst of Summer.

*A bunch of fresh baby spinach

*As much cilantro as you can stand to wash and cut, the more the better!

*2-3 limes, depending how juicy they are

*1 minced garlic clove and maybe 1/2 cup of finely diced onion.

1. Put the onion in a heated (mediumish) pan coated with olive oil, saute 5 minutes and add garlic until it becomes fragrant.
2. Add the bulk of the chili powder and stir with onion, garlic, and oil.
3. Add spinach and cook, and this is important, until the water is gone. Add ground meat and brown, putting the balance of chili powder in the mix.
4. Now that the meat is cooked, season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more chili powder if you're not feeling it.
5. Now it's time for the corn, stir it in until it's heated and seasoned. FOLD in the black beans, letting the spices penetrate without breaking them into mush.
NOTE: At this point, you want the mix to be free of running liquid, but not totally dry.
6. Take the pan off of the heat and go crazy with the lime juice and cilantro. Crazy! The lime juice is the secret that totally takes this over the top.

If you're making nachos, top some chips with the filling, low-fat refrieds too should you choose, and a moderate amount of ColbyJack cheese. (I SO know we're not Mexican anymore, but it's "inspired.") Throw them in the oven, melt, and top them with shredded cabbage and more cilantro. The cabbage is delicious, crunchy, and much more nutritious than mere lettuce.

Jeremy and I LOVE Herdez ranchera salsa. Goes great on top of the nachos!

If you make a little more of the mix, you'll have it on hand in the fridge to make quesadillas, tacos, or tostadas at will.

Whew! For all of my hard work, Jeremy surprised me with a bottle of Tempier Rose' (seems to be another emerging pattern, next week Tempier Blanc?), and you can read his thoughts here. It was lovely, very much in the same way as its Rouge sibling that I wrote about two weeks ago, but it's his turn, so go read it please.

My poor guy has to eat this at least on a weekly basis, constantly reminded by the leftovers, but he's still hangin' around so I guess our resident DoBianchi is a sucker for punishment! Who knew?

Now go get your Mex on! And feel good about it.