Our first dinner at the Casale Di Valle was memorable in so many ways.  All of the Storytellers were together around a single table for the first time.  We were familiar faces, familiar voices, but we didn’t know each other at all {a frequent feeling in the blogging world}.  And over the course of our first dinner, a home cooked meal by Chef Ana and an array of DaVinci Wines, we’d skip straight past acquaintance to friendship.

The meal consisted of a variety of grilled meat and veggies and a grain salad I would never forget: farro with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and a simple seasoning of salt and pepper.  Such an ordinary list of ingredients may leave you wondering why this dish was so memorable.  But its simplicity allowed the flavor of each ingredient to shine. And it was the first time I had ever noticeably appreciated the taste of olive oil.  I’d be sure to bring a few bottles of Chef Ana’s olive oil of choice home with me.

Oh and the wine!  The wine allowed us to enjoy each other’s company long past the point of jet lag exhaustion.  We started with Pinot Grigio and, from there, moved to Chianti and Chianti Riserva.  This meal would also be the the first of many meals where all three wines {and occasionally the Brunello} would be passed across the table, from friend to friend, to complement our meal.

My version of Chef Ana’s recipe below pairs wonderfully with DaVinci Chianti.

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