Vino Pescato

The heat has set in...the infamous summer sizzle is scorching the city and making everyone scurry for shade or hibernate inside until the sun sets. The shutters and windows get closed up tight from midmorning until evening in an attempt to keep the heat at bay.

It's too hot to cook, making cold plates de riguer. We're also clamouring for cold drinks. My local barista served us this refreshing Neapolitan speciality, learned from his father-in-law who is a true-blue Napolitano. Called vino peschato, it literally means "peached wine". Nothing could be simpler, or more refreshing, on a hot day like this.

Slice three or four fresh, ripe peaches into a pitcher. Pour a bottle of dry white wine over top. Cover and refrigerate several hours. The wine becomes infused with the fragrance and flavor of the fruit. Pour the wine into glasses, and then serve the peaches in a bowl with toothpicks to skewer them.

Buonissimo!