Salty Pickled Things

Hi there!

As I sit here eating the most pungent salad you could dream of (the type of salad that might scare you away, should you walk in the door right now), I thought I would share a few recipes with you along with some updates.  But first let me have a mint.

So, what's going on around here?  A lot!  We have some crazy new salts, chocolates, Northern Hemisphere Olive Oils, a Walnut Oil, soon to be put out Lavender Balsamic and Blueberry Balsamic. I'll tell you a bit about each of these things in a minute.

You may have noticed that our sign outside of the store is gone.  We haven't moved or anything; the wild wind blew it away last week.  A new one will be up soon, but if you were just cruising by and didn't see it up, that's why. Also our open sign fell down and was out of commission last week.  It really did look like we were closed, but we weren't!  We're here! Except from 5:00-5:15 on Wednesdays and Fridays.  I have to go pick up my dear son from day care during that time.  If you come by and I'm not here, there is a sign in the window saying I'll be right back.  I will be! I will be right back with a small boy and his stuffed penguin in tow.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

The salts.  We have a new salt bar, so to speak.  My favorite is the Cyprus Flaked Salt, which has really large, crunchy flakes that are perfect sprinkled on the NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies and on roasted asparagus. (Disclaimer about these cookies: if you make them, you will forever be a changed person.  No other cookie can compare.  I insist that you use Kerry Gold Butter and Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Disks.  And the Cyprus Sea Salt.)  But there is also Fleur de Sel, Sel Gris, Himalayan Pink Salt, and Hawaiian Black Salt to try.  And then you can get crazy (think rimmed drinks and baked goods and meat rubs) with Espresso Brava Salt, Habanero Infused Salt, Hickory Smoked, Mesquite Smoked, Sun Ripened Tomato Infused, and Thai Ginger Infused Salt.  Check them out, they are really fun.

Don't worry, we still have the infamous Black Truffle Salt and Seasonello Salt. Those guys aren't going anywhere.  The same goes for the Theo's Chocolates.  We have a great stock of Theo's going, but now we've added on Taza Chocolate.  This chocolate is really interesting.  It is Mexican-Style stone ground, so it is fairly unrefined and minimally processed, resulting in a somewhat gritty texture that is strangely addictive.  It's also organic and fair trade.  We have it in five flavors, all of which are dark chocolate: Coffee, Chipotle Chili, Guajillo Chili, Salted Almond, and Cinnamon.

Salt?  Check.  Chocolate? Check. Now let's talk oils and vinegars.  We're at that time of year again when we have the Northern Hemisphere lineup.  From Greece, I bring you the perfectly balanced medium bodied Athinoelia. The Coratina Grand Cru and Favolosa are both medium/robust and back from Italy.  Our Spanish beauties include the Melgarejo Frantoio (robust), Melgarejo Hojiblanca (very robust), and Oro Bailen Picual (also robust), our all-time favorite.  We are also home players and have a super mild Sevillano and medium Organic Arbequina from California.  Our new, amazing!, Roasted Walnut Oil is also from California.  The Walnut Oil is so dang smooth and lightly nutty that I don't even know where to start.  Actually, I do.  I'm going to start by pairing it with our Raspberry Balsamic and it's going to be heaven.  I should have most of these guys out by Tuesday, if you can wait until then.

As for the balsamics, I'm swapping out the Vermont Maple for Lavender and the Pumpkin Pie White for a Wild Blueberry.  Those two are still on clearance for 25% off.   I'll probably switch them over on Monday, so if you NEED Maple or Pumpkin Pie Spice, speak now or wait until next fall when we get it back.  I think that's all that we have new in that department.

Okay! If you've been by lately while I'm here, you will have undoubtedly seen that there is to be a new baby here in the store sometime Mid June.  Hooray!  Well, I'm in that lovely phase of pregnancy when anything salty or pickledy is the bees knees.  Which is actually a gigantic step ahead of hating the smell of anything at all!  And I finally (finally!) want vegetables again.  So for the past week solid, we have been having some version of salad around my house.

My true love lies with a Falafel Salad.  Stay with me.  This is one of my top ten meals, maybe even top five.  I could eat one of these every. single. day. and not get sick of it.  I bake my falafel instead of frying it, so I don't feel too greasy and weighed down.  I do a quick pickled red onion that I use throughout the week on unsuspecting salads like Panzanella (I'll get to that later) or on burgers and other sandwiches.  Marinate and grill chicken, so if (a toddler sized) someone in your house doesn't like falafel (heathen), they can have that instead.  Then you just add normal salad fare: tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce/greenery, feta, pepperoncini, and dressing of your choice.  If you're feeling lazy and want to go with a bottled dressing, I recommend Newman's Own Family Italian recipe. Or just a good EVOO.  Either way, you will no stop wanting to eat this salad.

But then you move on to the more adult, more pungent Panzanella.  I didn't write out the recipe, but here's a link to a decent starting point.  I use Ina's recipe for the vinaigrette, which is spot-on and can also be used for the Falafel Salad. However, I make a few changes to suit my tastes. I don't use cucumber or basil, but Arugula and anchovies instead.  And I probably use more like 1/4 c. capers.  I also throw in cubed mozzarella or the little mozzarella pearls if I'm eating the salad as a main course.  I had my Panzanella with a side of roasted asparagus and leftover grilled chicken.  It's also what I was eating when I started this email. You'll love it.  Try it this weekend.

Here are the recipes.

Baked Falafel
Adapted from Epicurious

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. baking powder
4-6 Tbsp. flour (if you are gluten free, use chickpea flour or other substitute)
1/4 c. or so EVOO, divided

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, put in the onion and garlic and pulse until well chopped.  Add in the chickpeas, salt, pepper, and cumin and process until blended, but not pureed.  Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 Tbsp. flour and pulse until it forms a ball and is no longer sticky.  Add more flour, if necessary, but make sure it doesn't get too crumbly.  Put it in a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it for an hour or so. (Start marinating the chicken and pickling onions)

Preheat oven to 425.

Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.  Form falafel into walnut sized balls, flatten slightly and place on lined baking sheet.  Continue until all the mixture is used.  Drizzle half of your 1/4 cup EVOO over the falafel.

Put them in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip your falafel, drizzle on the other half of your EVOO and stick back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown and smell heavenly.  If they are too dry, add a bit more olive oil.  Serve these guys in a falafel salad or in a pita. Falafel Salad: tender greens, tomato, cucumber, feta, falafel and/or grilled chicken, pickled onions and/or pepperoncini, vinaigrette or Greek or Italian dressing of choice.

Chicken Marinade/Grilled Chicken
3 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 c. plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. EVOO (I use Wild Fernleaf Dill Olive Oil for fun)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a gallon Ziploc bag, add the chicken and smush it around so that it all gets covered.  Stick it back in the refrigerator and marinate for about an hour, while you move on to other things (like pickling red onions and slicing tomatoes and cucumbers).

When you're ready, preheat your grill to medium flame (?).  Remove chicken from the bag and shake off excess marinade.  Place your chickens on the hot grill, close the lid, and leave them alone for about 5 minutes.  Flip them over and cook for about 5 more minutes (depending on how thin you pounded them and how hot your grill is).  When your chicken is cooked through, but not yet a dry, tough bird, remove and set aside until cool enough to slice.

Quick Pickled Red Onions
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 c. Red Wine Vinegar or Champagne Vinegar
1/2 c. cold water
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and set aside for at least one hour.  These guys gets better with time, so you can cover the container and keep it in the refrigerator to use on sandwiches, in Panzanella, and in any salad.

Roasted Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus, washed and woody ends trimmed
4? Tbsp. EVOO
1 tsp. or more sea salt (Cyprus Sea Salt, that is)

Preheat oven to 425.  Place washed asparagus on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping once.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the store soon!

Cheers,
Andrea