For 4 servings:

450 grs of sauerkraut, 200 grs dried beans,70 grs smoked bacon, 200 grs pigskin and pork meat,
1 tablespoon white meal, 2 potatoes, 1 garlic clove, 2 laurel leaves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

Soak the beans in cold water for at least 12 hours; drain and boil in a pan adding the pork meat and pigskins (previously cleaned and scraped) cut in small pieces, the diced potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil,the crushed garlic and laurel. Separately, roast brown the bacon, add the sauerkraut and let season for 10 minutes. When the beans will be cooked, take out of the pan half quantity, sieve and put the mash back into the pan. In another pan, mildly roast brown the meal in a tablespoon of oil, stirring well; add the meal to the soup, stirring. Juts before taking the pan away from fire, add the sauerkraut, stir, add pepper and salt.

The thick acidic taste of the soup (from Northeastern Italy) needs a young but coarse red wine like a Merlot del Collio or a Raboso del Piave or a Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.

Sarde in Saor (Soused pilchards)

For 4 servings:

600 grs pilchards, grated bread, 2 eggs, white wine vinegar, olive oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 30 grs raisins, 30 grs pine nuts.

Clean the pilchards, wash, dry and roll first in the beaten eggs, then in the grated bread. Fry in oil for 2 minutes, drain and take away the cooking fat; put in the pan half glass of new oil, 2 glasses of vinegar previously warmed,sugar, raisins and pine nuts. Boil for 2 minutes; line up the pilchards in a suitable tureen and spray every layer with the marinade; the last layer must be well covered. Let the preparation settle for 24 hours.

The recommended white wines must be mildly sparkling like a Prosecco di Conegliano or a Cartizze or a Cortese dei Colli di Tortona.

Crostoli (Fried sweet crusts)

For 4 servings:

350 grs white meal, 80 grs butter, 100 ml milk, 2 eggs, 1 grated lemon peel, 2 tablespoons rum, 3 tablespoons icing sugar, salt, olive oil.

Shake in a bowl the eggs with the sugar, add the lemon peel, some salt and the rum and, always stirring, the warm milk. Spread the meal in a “volcano” shape on a board and pour into the center the compound and the melted butter; knead the paste for 30 minutes keeping it soft adding, if necessary, some further warm milk. Spread the paste obtaining a foil 3-4 mm thick and, with the suitable jagging wheel, make some ribbons. Put on the fire a pan with plenty of olive oil and, when hot, fry the crostoli; when they are browned, remove with the dripper, put on blotting paper and keep warm, dusting with icing sugar.

The dessert wine to match will be a strong sweet wine like a Vinsanto or an Aleatico dell’Elba or a Malvasia delle Lipari.