Pairings in Paso: Dusi Zinfandel and Minestrone Soup

by Tina Swithin

With the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival right around the corner and the spirit of Zin in the air, I went straight to the Queen of Paso Robles Zinfandel, Janell Dusi for this month’s Pairings in Paso. 

The Dusi family history is a large part of the Paso Robles story, following the local zinfandel vines back over 80 years. 

Janell sums up her passion, “One thing I know for sure, winemaking is part science, part art and 100% passion”.  That statement is apparent if you’ve ever tasted a Dusi Zin.  

Janell Dusi offered up an old family recipe which is on high demand this time of year - minestrone soup straight from the Dusi’s kitchen.  This isn’t just any minestrone soup; there is passion, love, history and lots of yummy veggies packed into this soup. Let's get cooking!   

Dusi Minestrone Soup
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion (cut into thin rings and separated)
4 large carrots (thick sliced)
1 fennel bulb (chopped)
3 large potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper (diced)
3 green zucchini and 3 yellow squash (sliced thick)
1 1/2 cup green beans (cut in one inch pieces)
1 head of green cabbage (shredded thin)
8 cups of chicken stock and 4 cups of water
A few splashes of Pernod (a liqueur that tastes like anise)
1 cup of Dusi Zinfandel
3 tablespoons of Creme Fraiche
1 large can (35 oz.) plum tomatoes (chopped fine)
Oregano, Basil, fennel seed, and a dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper
2 cans of cannellini beans (drained)
1 large can of red kidney beans (drained)
1 pound cheese tortellini
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage (pan fried and drained)
Hard parmesan cheese (cut in one inch chunks)
Freshly grated Fontina cheese for the top of each bowl of soup
 
Heat oil over medium flame; add onion rings and sauté for 15 minutes.  Stir in carrots and sauté for 3 minutes, tossing occasionally.  Add fennel, potatoes, green pepper, zucchini and green beans, Sautéing each vegetable 2-3 minutes before adding the next.

After all veggies have been added, stir in the cabbage and cook five minutes more. Add the stock, water, tomatoes with their juices, oregano, basil, wine, and Pernod.

Add salt and pepper.  Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered on low heat for 2 ½ hours.

If your soup is too thick, add more water.  About 15 minutes before you want to serve the soup, add the kidney beans, tortellini, the cooked sausage, and parmesan chunks. The bubbling broth will cook the tortellini in minutes.

Serve the soup in individual bowls and sprinkle grated fontina cheese on top of each individual bowl of soup.

Recommended Pairing and Winemaker’s Notes:

2009 Zinfandel from Dante Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles

The 2009 Zinfandel opens with distinct Dusi Vineyard fruit flavors of zesty berries.  The mid-palate is heightened with spicy anise and a lasting finish.  The balance of texture and acidity produces a round silky sensation on your palate.  A multiplicity of oak barrels has lead to an old world styled Zinfandel rendering structure but holding onto great finesse.

Tina Swithin is the PR Coordinator and Blog Manager for TravelPaso.com where she writes Pairings in Paso and other blog-a-licious Paso Robles articles.  Follow the Paso Robles Insider to get the inside scoop on all the haps in Paso Robles Wine Country.