Culinaria Popup: A Foodie Paradise.

Culinaria is a fantastic new culinary event. Once a month, the good folks at the Wine School put on a food and wine pairing extravaganza.  The menu is crafted by Keith Wallace, the guy behind the Sommelier Smackdown and Corked & Forked Cookbook. Wine pairings are crafted by the brilliant sommelier Zach Morris.

This week, the menu combines classical Italian and Mexican cuisines.  The dishes are very traditional from very different cuisines, but pair up in a surprisingly harmonious way. The menu is listed below. The wine pairings will not be decided upon until Friday, so Zach can sample the dishes before coming up with the perfect pairings. Yeah, it’s a tough life working at that wine school!

Zuppa di Aragosta e Zucca.
A soup of  fresh Maine lobster and pumpkin.  Creamy and savory, it balances the richness of our favorite crustacean with the lush texture of  roasted and pureed squash.

Oaxacan Black Mole with Braised Lancaster Chicken.
This is a traditional mole using cacao nibs and a bevy of chili peppers. It’s like taking a toboggan ride on a chilies into the bitter heart of chocolate.  The chicken is slowly braised in the sauce over many hours. This is a dish has a history back to 16th century Mexico, originally named chīlmōlli.

A risotto of Carnaroli (a traditional rice variety from the  Piedmont) and white truffles.  A decadent dish, with bottles of champagne and white truffles added to the rice as it slowly is cooked.  To cap it off, a final splash of  champagne is added right before being served.

A Venetian dish with a long culinary history. In the 19th century, it was a  beloved dish in the  Austrian-Hungarian Empire, but it’s origins are much more ancient. In fact, this dish predates the Renaissance. It’s origin is Roman, possibly Etruscan.  It’s no surprise that with such an ancient origin,  the dish is both refreshingly unexpected and utterly delicious.  Cooked in a clay pot in milk and wine for an entire day, it is a worthy taste of the old old world.

Tickets for this food and wine pairing event (to be held on Friday, October 26th at 7:30pm) and many others can be purchased on the Wine Scho0ol’s website: www.vinology.com

The Wine School is located at 22nd & Sansom near Rittenhouse Square.