A Mid-week feast - Enjoying a fine glass of Beaujolais Nouveau

In preparation for our thanksgiving feast this Thursday we needed wine (of course) so we went to the local bottle shop, which is the only good wine shop in town. We entered the store and were confronted by this delightful sight...

Beaujolais Nouveau is the first French wine of the season and historically a cause for celebration (just like most things that happen in France). It can only be open and sold after the 3rd Thursday of November, as the top of the box suggests.

The wine itself is a light red, closer to a rose than a traditional red. It was exactly what I was after to drink with the thanksgiving menu I have been planning. However I couldn't stop at the four bottles we wanted so I had to get one of the five cases in the Lafayette area. We have had the wine before, as a great celebration meal at Le Classic, our old local French restaurant with food and wine parings centered around the Beaujolais Nouveau. Anyway we couldn't wait to try this seasons bottle, so we went home and popped the cork.

The wine was beautiful, very light for a red. This is best displayed by the fact that Gemma loves it (she doesn't usually like any reds). While light in body, it makes up for it with a large fruity aroma smelling of blackberries and raspberries. Generally a great drop to have on a hot day with a light meal. OR on a really cold night (it's supposed to snow here either tonight or tomorrow night).

In order to fully appreciate the subtleties of the wine, as well as cure a hunger we had, i knocked up a quick cheesy pasta with prosciutto. It was simple and quick (fulfilling my needs) and cheesy and prosciuttoy (fulfilling Gemma's needs).

Anyway here is the recipe:

Cheesy pasta with prosciutto

2-3 slices prosciutto, sliced thin
1/2 red onion, sliced fine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
small handful baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup cheddar cheese
2 tbsp goats cheese
1 cup uncooked pasta
salt
4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (with a slight bite left). Saute the prosciutto and onion in the olive oil (no need to add salt, as there should be enough from the prosciutto). After a few minutes add the garlic and butter. Saute until melted and the garlic is fragrant. Add the flour stirring well. Cook for a few minutes stirring often. Add the milk a little at a time (there is no need to warm the milk before hand so long as you add it in installments and stir well to combine between). Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then add the cheeses. Stir to melt and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the pasta when cooked and stir to combine. Separate into bowls and grate Parmesan cheese over the top.