Back to School

Hi there!

I hope you're doing well and not succumbing to the back to school scramble.  This includes, but is not limited to, fist-fights in the aisles of Wal-Mart over the last Frozen Trapper Keeper, tirelessly trolling Pinterest for creative lunch ideas in the form of Bento Boxes and sandwich artwork, and reinstating the dreaded "bedtime".  Good luck with all of that and, don't worry, I'll be there in a few years. Many people have commented, "I don't know how you find time to cook/work/write/whatever, especially with a toddler around!" And I'll tell you how.  Nap time.  I cook dinner at 1:00 in the afternoon and then re-heat it at 6.  I don't know what I'll do when he gives up naps.  Hopefully that won't happen until he's 22 and off to med school.

When life gets a little crazy, I like to fall back into my comfort zone in the biggest way I know how:  cooking.  Don't get me wrong, I love trying out new recipes and shaking things up a bit (thank you, cooking blogs!), but there is one cookbook that I come back to time and time again.  A real, live, hefty cookbook that has food stains and torn, dog-eared pages and has traveled with me across the country and has a broken-in spine that keeps the book open, no matter which page I'm on.  I got this cookbook at Powell's Bookstore when I first moved to Oregon and it stood out to me immediately, saying, "take me home, you need me!"  It's called Cooking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America.  I'm telling you, the CIA knows their stuff.  It's like a cooking class in book form.  There is not a recipe in this book that I've been disappointed by, and it has tons of technique walk-throughs.  I'll share with you two of my favorites:  Fettuccine with Puttanesca Sauce and Mole Poblano de Pollo.

First the Puttanesca.  "Puttanesca" literally means, "in the whore's style,"  which I like to interpret as "quick, cheap and easy."   It is ridiculously simple, yet fabulously ribald. It is salty and pungent, with the help of anchovies, olives and capers.  Side note: if you are an adult and are still squeamish about using anchovies, you must get over this immediately.  Anchovies are my secret ingredient love affair.  They make just about any Italian dish (panzanella, eggplant parmesan, etc.) phenomenally better.  Rinse them, chop them, hold your nose if you have to, and start adding them to everything.  That's all I'm going to say on the matter.  The tomatoes add a bit of sweetness and the red pepper flakes some heat.  It's amazing. This dish is done in a flash, with no real prep to speak of.  I suppose you could substitute quinoa for the pasta, if you're G-free.  I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it would be just as tasty.  Add a green salad and a hunk of crusty bread, and you have a weeknight dinner.

The Chicken Mole requires a bit more work, but none of it is hard.  I would have used the Baklouti Green Chili Oil in this recipe, except that my toddler would have been very mad at me.  When else is he able to combine his three great loves (chicken, almond butter, and chocolate) in one sitting?  Mole is fun and there is a ton of wiggle room with experimenting.  Can't find poblanos?  Use just about any other pepper.  Don't feel like chopping tomatoes?  Whatever, use canned ones.  Don't have chocolate lying around the house?  Who are you and how can we still be friends?  For the chicken, though, I would recommend using something with skin-on.  It doesn't matter if it's breasts or thighs (I thought we moved on from the Puttensca, tee hee), or even a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, just do me a favor and don't use boneless, skinless somethings.  Oh!  And the Dark Chocolate Balsamic is not 100% necessary, but it does give it a little extra something and a 60 ml bottle is all you'll need.

 Speaking of Dark Chocolate Balsamic, that is one of the new things around here, along with a Gravenstein Apple White Balsamic.  They are so very, very nice.  The Dark Chocolate Balsamic is smooth and flavorful.  I like it with the Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil the best.  The Gravenstein Apple White Balsamic is sweet and tangy.  It pairs very well with vodka and soda water, as well as with the Persian Lime Fused Olive Oil.  And what a great back to school gift for teachers! Who doesn't love apples? It may or may not be appropriate to give said teacher vodka to go with the vinegar.  I suppose it depends on your kid.

We have just overhauled our EVOOs.  Remember that 1/2 off sale?  That was to make room for these guys.  First, a mild Hojiblanca from Australia.  This one is cool.  It is green with a capital G.  It has a much milder than usual beginning, but then the grassy green-tomatoey middle and slightly bitter finish that somehow still makes you cough. Then there's the medium Koroneiki from Greece which is much different from our last Koroneiki.  It has major green-apple and banana notes and a green-almond/grassy finish.  Next is the robust Picholine also from Australia (they just crushed at the end of May), which packs a wallop.  This guy is pretty much peppery from the get-go and it extremely flavorful.  I have to say that it's my favorite.  Finally we have the robust "Grand Cru" Coratina from Italy.  This one is unique.  It has an incredibly floral, almost honey scent to it, so you expect it to be mild, but then it hits you with this herbaceous and peppery middle that makes you do a double take. Yeah...so...welcome to my world of olive oil.  

Also, you'll find that we have some fun new things coming to the store.  We just had a lovely cabinet built by the talented Skip Beaton to house 10 different custom spice blends.  Yep, all of you fine people who are addicted to our Black Truffle Sea Salt will now have more little spice packets to grab and go.  They should be here in the next week or so!  Hooray!

And now the recipes.  Thanks for spending time with me in the email world.  Come in to try all our new goodies soon.  Oh!  And happy back to school month!

Fettuccine with Puttanesca Sauce
Serves 4
Adapted slightly from Cooking at Home

1 lb. dried fettuccine
1/4 c. Robust EVOO (I used Picholine)
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 quart (ish) cherry tomatoes, halved if you want to do that
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. pitted, chopped Kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan, optional

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and boil until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Saute, stirring frequently, until the anchovies and garlic are lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.

3.  Add the tomatoes and cook until they are slightly blistered, about 3 minutes.  Toss in the parsley, olives and capers and simmer until thoroughly heated, 2 minutes.  Taste (it may already be salty enough, with the capers and anchovies), and season with salt and pepper.

4.  Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and toss to coat evenly.

Mole Poblano de Pollo
Serves 4-6
Also adapted slightly from Cooking at Home

3 Tbsp. EVOO (Try Chipotle or Baklouti Green Chili Oil in this one)
4 bone-in chicken breast halves or chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 jalapeno or poblano, finely chopped (I used poblano)
1/4 c. chopped almonds*
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 tomatoes, chopped (No reason you couldn't use canned diced tomatoes, drained)
2 Tbsp. Dark Chocolate Balsamic
1 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. Almond Butter
2 oz. Mexican Chocolate (or any chocolate), chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

*If you're a "different textures freak me out" type person, just add a bit more almond butter, as the chopped almonds are crunchy and add depth to the otherwise smooth sauce.

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Sear the chicken until browned on all sides.  10 minutes? Remove from pan and set aside.

3.  Add the onion to the hot pan and brown slightly, 10 minutes.

4.  Add the bell pepper, jalapeno or poblano, almonds and garlic to the pan and saute until aromatic, 3-4 minutes.

5.  Add the chili powder, ginger, oregano, and cinnamon and saute for 30 seconds or so.  Add the tomatoes and Dark Chocolate Balsamic.

6.  Pour in 1 c. chicken broth and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.  Whisk in the almond butter, return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil.  Cover the pan and transfer to the oven.  Braise the chicken until tender, about 1 hour.

7.  Add the chocolate to the sauce, stirring until melted.  Taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with rice or tortillas.

Cheers!
Andrea

A Feast

Hello, friends!

What was that? The weather! Very peculiar, don't you think?  Since it decided to rain non-stop, I decided to cook along with it and made a feast.  In July.  I roasted a chicken, in Arkansas, in July.  I don't regret a thing, and neither will you.  You could butterfly the chicken and grill it using the exact same ingredients, juicing the lemon, instead of stuffing it in the cavity, and you would still be very happy.  I highly recommend this chicken, any way you cook her.  I used our new Herbes de Provence Infused Olive Oil and, let me tell you, I love it.  I love it with the Black Mission Fig Balsamic, with the Lavender Balsamic, with the Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic.  I love it all by itself. (I feel like Sam-I-Am here).  Even my two year old was licking it off of a spoon.  That's love.

Next up are these Caramelized Onions in Black Mission Fig Balsamic.  If you ever need to impress someone, make these.  They are really easy and so delicious.  I challenge anyone who says, "I don't like onions," to try these sweet and sour bundles of joy.  They are not your run of the mill onions.  They are heavenly.

The Dilly Green Bean Salad is fresh, green and tastes like summer.  And it's about the easiest thing in the world to put together.  The only thing that may be easier is the Macerated Berries in Balsamic that goes over vanilla ice cream.  This turned out to be a very remarkable dinner party, indeed! Give all of these recipes a try!

Also, let me know if you would prefer fewer recipes at once, and more emails.  Or if you like things the way they are, that's great, too!  Don't be shy about using our store for private party tastings or events, either.  Would anyone be interested in a "Build Your Own Salad" class? Just let us know! Oh, and check out our new fancy website.

Mark your calendars! Our July Happy Hour is going to be on Tuesday, July 21 from 5-7:30.  Come by for snacks, drinks and fun. I'm thinking we should probably give the Ripe Peach Whisky Drink a try.  It's tasty.

We are about to get in all new Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils around here.  Australia had a great season with many Best In Class awards for the oils we are going to carry.  Also, our Baklouti Fused Olive Oil won a Gold Medal at the 2015 Los Angeles International Olive Oil competition! Our distributors really do find the most world-class products on the market. We are so glad to share them with you!  As always, our products contain no artificial flavors, no thickeners, no added sugar, and no dyes. Enjoy, dear friends.
 
Herbes de Provence Roasted Chicken
Adapted from Molly...again.

1 2-3 lb. chicken, rested at room temperature for an hour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt or Fleur de Sel (any big-flaked salt will do), divided
Freshly ground pepper (optional)
1-2 lemons, quartered
1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence Infused Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450.

Pat chicken dry, inside and out, with paper towels.  Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken cavity, stuff it with the quartered lemons, and truss up the legs with some twine (if you want to).  Rub down the chicken with the Herbes de Provence Olive Oil and then sprinkle it all over with the remaining salt and pepper.

Place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan and stick her in the oven.  Leave it alone.  Don't peek at it, mess with it, baste it, or anything for 45-60 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165 degrees, when placed in the meatiest part of the thigh.

Remove from the oven, drizzle on a bit more Olive Oil, if you want.  Spoon pan juices over the chicken and let it rest for 15 minutes.  Remove the twine, carve your chicken in whichever method works for you, and serve.

Serves 2-4 people.

Caramelized Onion in Black Mission Fig Balsamic
Adapted from Deb...again.

2 lbs. small, sweet onions or shallots (Candy or Cippoline work great)
4 Tbsp. UP EVOO
3 Tbsp. sweet cream butter (Kerrygold all the way!)
1 c. Black Mission Fig Balsamic
1/2 c. tomato sauce (canned or left over marinara)
1 c. water

Blanche the onions in boiling water for one minute (use the same boiling water the blanche the green beans in the next recipe) and then let them cool for easy peeling.

In a 12-14 inch saute pan over medium heat, bring the oil to the point where it is shimmering.  Add the butter and cook until foam subsides.  Add onions, cover!, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the balsamic, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, cover!, and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. If you find that the sauce is not thickening properly, uncover the pan and let it cook on low heat for 5-10 more minutes.

Serve with an antipasto plate, along side a roast (chicken or beef), or over a bed of greens.

Dilly Green Bean Salad
Adapted from Food Network 

*I have made this exact same salad with cucumbers instead of green beans.  Obviously, don't blanche the cucumbers, if you decide to go that route.

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
3 Tbsp.  Wild Anithos Dill Infused Olive Oil
2 Tbsp.  Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Blanche the green beans in a large pot of boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain well, pat dry, and place them in a large bowl.  Combine with feta cheese, red onion and tomatoes.

Pour on the olive oil and red wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.  Let marinate for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4-6.

Macerated Berries with Balsamic Vinegar
Adapted from Ina Garten



*I (used to) make my own Black Pepper Vanilla Ice Cream.  If the spirit moves you, make this ice cream to go with your berries.  You're welcome.

8 c. fresh strawberries or other assorted berries
5 Tbsp. Traditional Balsamic
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 pints vanilla ice cream, for serving

Combine the berries, balsamic, sugar and black pepper in a large bowl.  Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes-1 hour.

Place a serving of the berries in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream.  Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day

Hi there!

It has been a while.  Thanks for welcoming me back to your browser screen.  I have been busy cooking up some fine, fine recipes for you lovely people.  I think you'll approve.  First off we have Espresso Balsamic BBQ Sauce.  Let me go ahead and say that this is now an addiction.  I dipped my bacon in it the other morning, just trying to think of things to eat with it.  That's love.

It's thick, sweet, has a pronounced coffee flavor and requires very little effort.  I made it to go with some Baby Back Ribs, but you could use this sauce on anything.  Vegetarians, use it on Smoked Tofu.  By the way, everyone should try that smoked tofu.  It's fantastic.

Next we have Black Truffle French Fries.  Let me repeat: Black. Truffle. Fries. Our Black Truffle Oil is one that we get the most questions about. "How would I use this?"  is incredibly common.  As it's our most expensive oil, people are hesitant to try it out.  Here's some good news.  You need mere drops of this stuff to create a masterpiece.  Drops, I tell you!  A $5, 60 ml bottle is all you need to get started.  Most importantly, you use it as a finishing oil.  Make a pan of risotto and right before you put it on your plate, drizzle some Black Truffle Oil on and it becomes the talk of the town.  The same goes for the fries.  You cook the fries in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and only after you have gotten them to crispy perfection do you add the Truffle Oil, followed by Parmesan Cheese.

After all that richness, I give you two refreshing recipes.  A Prosciutto Melon Salad with Traditional Balsamic that is so easy to throw together, you'll make it a hundred times this summer.  And then a drink.  A Whiskey Drink using the Peach White Balsamic and Club Soda.  It's lovely.  Put them all together, and you might need to do a Father's Day Barbecue this weekend, if the rain will hold off.

Now what's going on in the store, you ask?  Well, we got in the Cilantro and Roasted Onion Olive Oil and the Alfoos Mango White Balsamic.  The Cilantro and Roasted Onion goes really well with the Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic for a summery combo that shakes things up a bit.  The Mango Balsamic is the mildest, subtlest balsamic we've had to date.  It is a shoe-in with the Basil as well as the Persian Lime Olive Oil.  Think fish tacos and mango salsa with this one.

We're looking forward to getting in some new UP Extra Virgin Olive Oils as soon as they finish up the Southern Hemisphere harvest.  It should be available any time now.  We can't wait to welcome back the Australian Hojiblanca.  You know, the one we sold out of completely within weeks and couldn't get any more of last year.  We'll keep you posted.

We have some new artisan charcuterie from Charlito's Cocina that is divine and a new supply of Flying Pig kitchen towels from Oh! Little Rabbit.  Come and get 'em.

It looks like June is running away from us without a Happy Hour. Sorry, friends, it has been a busy month!  We might try for a June 25 affair, but it looks like our next date is July 9.  We'll let you know.  However, you are more than welcome to come hang out with us at the store at any time!

Good chat.  Here are the recipes.
  
Espresso Balsamic BBQ Sauce

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (If you are using Garlic Infused Oil, omit this)
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. Espresso Balsamic Condimento
1/2 c. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1.  Heat oil in heavy bottomed sauce pan over low heat, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2.  Stir in everything else.  Cook over low heat, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool and use on everything (ahem, Black Truffle fries).  Will keep, refrigerated, for a week or so.

Black Truffle French Fries
(or A Lesson In Decadence)

4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper (I eyeball about 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper)
Drizzle of Black Truffle Oil
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Chopped Parsley (if you're feeling really fancy)

1.  Preheat oven to 450.

2.  Cut potatoes into matchsticks by slicing them in half, halving once more, cutting those into wedges (you can stop there if you prefer thicker home fries), then into strips.  I like to dry off my cut potatoes with either a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, but you don't have to.

3.  Divide potatoes evenly onto two (parchment lined, if you want) baking sheets and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

4.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping once.

5.  Remove from oven and immediately drizzle a small amount of Black Truffle Oil over fries.  Let cool and toss with Parmesan cheese and parsley.  Heaven.

Prosciutto Melon Salad with Balsamic
Adapted slightly from Epicurious

12 wedges of 1/4 inch thick, seeded and peeled assorted melon (Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Watermelon)
4 thin slices Prosciutto (optional)
1 cucumber, washed and very thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Traditional Balsamic Condimento
2 Tbsp.  fresh basil or mint, minced

1.  Toss it all together and chill it for about 30 minutes.  Eat right out of the bowl.

A Whiskey Drink

This is not a recipe, but more like a guide.

1 part (or a 1/2 part, if you're nervous) Peach White Balsamic
2 parts Whiskey or Bourbon
2 parts Club Soda
Ice

Or something like that. Change up your ratios if you like a stronger drink.

Enjoy, my friends.  Happy Father's Day!

Cheers,
Andrea

Oh My Oil!

Hi friends,

Happy holiday weekend!  I hope the weather doesn't keep you down.  This email was supposed to go out earlier this week and I had a completely different recipe line-up for you, but then I got hit by the stomach bug.  Stomach bugs have a funny way of changing your tastes, so here I am writing about my comfort foods.  My summer time comfort foods, actually.  I'm jumping the gun here, as the following Ratatouille recipe contains all of late summer's bounty.  But this is what I want, and I assure you that after you make it, it will be all that you want as well.  And the Focaccia! Oh, this Focaccia! Sweetly caramelized whole garlic cloves transform this bread into nothing you've had before...

But! Business first.  Oh my oil! We are having a summer blowout sale on all of our Southern Hemisphere oils.  That means 50% off our Arbosana and Picual (mild), Coratina and Leccino (medium), and Koroneiki and Pendolino (Robust).  The recipes below use a good bit of olive oil and any one of these guys would be fantastic.  They are all Ultra Premium and this price is too good to pass up. Come and get them!

The reason for the above sale is that the next round of olive harvests is about to occur beginning of June, so we will get in all new oils this summer.  Woohoo!  Also, we just ordered a new Alfoos Mango White Balsamic that will be here next week.  We're pretty excited.  And (drum roll, please) we now have two new Charlito's salamis for you! There's an amazing Trufa Seca (Dry Truffle Sausage) and a Campo Seco (Dry Cured Country Style Sausage).  Flavor explosions all over the place around here.

As you may have noticed, we do not yet have a working website.  That's my fault.  I thought I could do it all by myself.  ("You think you can do these things, but you can't, Nemo!") I almost had it finished and something somewhere crashed and I lost it all, and I've been too disheartened to try again.  So if any of you fine people know of someone savvier than myself who can build a website, send them my way.  I will say that I took the crash much better than I would have expected (pat, pat on the back).  That may have been because my mind went comically blank and I couldn't even think of witty curses at the time.  Eh.  On to the food.  Please forgive my lack of photos this go-round.  There is not really a good way to make Ratatouille beautiful.

Ratatouille.  It sounds terrible and the Disney movie was only okay. But this dish is so simple, some homely, so perfect that you can't help but to nod your head to those French peasants.  They knew what to do with vegetables.  You can absolutely use fresh tomatoes, if you've got them, when they're in season.  But canned does very well.  I like to eat this dish by the big bowlful.  You can add a little shaved Parmesan on top if you'd like and eat it with a side of risotto.  Or eat it along with this super oily, salty, spongy Focaccia.

The Focaccia you have tried from a grocery store has nothing on this bread.  It is an incredible experience to dip this Focaccia in a dish of Traditional Balsamic and eat an entire pan of it by yourself.  It feels like you've mastered the universe somehow.  It takes some planning ahead, but the ingredients are very simple.  Flour, yeast, water, pinch of salt and sugar, olive oil, and rosemary have never been so delicious.  Add in the Caramelized Garlic and it's heaven.  That Caramelized Garlic came into my life when I opened the February issue of Bon Appetit and it was featured in a cheddar and kale quiche.  Make this garlic and put it in everything, especially the Focaccia.   And come get your Half-Priced oil from us because high quality olive oils make these dishes into something amazing.
   
Caramelized Garlic Focaccia
Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible

Mixing time: 25 minutes
Rising time: 5-6 hours
Oven Temp: 475 degrees
Baking time: 13 minutes

2 3/4 c. (13.6 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp. instant yeast
2 c. minus 2 Tbsp. (15.5 oz) water, room temp.
3/4 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp., divided, olive oil
1 batch caramelized garlic, recipe below
2 tsp. fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. sea salt

1. In a mixer bowl, using the paddle attachment, combine the flour and yeast.  With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the water, mixing just until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes.  It will be very soupy.  Increase the speed to medium and beat the living daylights out of this dough, until it is a smooth, shiny ball, about 20 minutes.  No kidding. 20 minutes.  Add the sugar and salt and beat until they are well incorporated, about 3 minutes.

2.  Using an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl.  The dough will look like melted mozzarella.  Lightly oil the top of the dough.  Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rise for about 4 hours, or at least until doubled.

3.  Coat a sheet pan with a heaping Tbsp. of olive oil.  Pour the dough onto it - it will be thin enough to pour but very stretchy.  Coat your hands with olive oil and spread the dough as thin as possible without tearing it.  Let it relax for 10 minutes, then spread it to fill almost the entire sheet, trying to maintain the bubbles in the dough. (If adding the garlic, make about 32 evenly spaced depressions in the dough with your fingertips and gently press a garlic clove into each one.  The dough will rise and enclose the garlic to prevent excess browning during baking. Cover the dough with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled its original volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4.  Preheat the oven to 475 one hour before baking.  Have an oven rack at the lowest level and put a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.

5.  Uncover the dough and evenly drizzle the remaining olive oil on top of it.  With oiled fingers, deeply dimple the dough.  Sprinkle on the rosemary (optional) and salt.  Place the pan directly on the hot stone or hot baking sheet and bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and drizzle on a bit more oil, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Caramelized Garlic
Adapted from Bon Appetit Feb. 2015 issue

3 heads garlic, cloves peeled
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Traditional balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1.  Cook the garlic in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes.  Drain.

2.  Wipe saucepan dry and heat olive oil over medium-high.  Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until cloves start to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes.

3.  Add balsamic and 1 c, water and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is very tender, 10-12 minutes.  Add maple syrup, rosemary and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and coats garlic, about 5 minutes.

Use in focaccia, quiches, pizza, or paninis. Or this next Ratatouille

Ratatouille
Adapted from Saveur

1/2 c. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 large yellow onions, quartered
2 medium zucchini, cut into 2" pieces
1 medium eggplant, cut into 2" pieces
1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat oil in a large Dutch oven add oregano, basil, garlic, bay leaf, garlic and onions; cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

 2.  Stir in zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes and salt and pepper.  Turn off burner, transfer pot to oven, and bake uncovered for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Jess Gallegos' fine photos.

3.  Stir in basil and parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Oh yeah! And our last Happy Hour/Art Reception was great.  Thanks to all who came out to and to Kyya Chocolates for doing a tasting with us.  We'll let you know when the next one is coming up.

Cheers, guys!
Andrea

Flavors are Friends

Jess took this photo of my son, age 1

Hello!

I'm going to go ahead and put the bug in your ear for our Wine and Cheese Happy Hour on May 14 from 5-8.  Jess Gallegos from Artefact Image Co.  is going to hang some of her fantastic prints in our store and we would love for you all to come check out her work and share some libations with us. I realize we didn't have a happy hour in April.  Things got a little crazy around here, but I'm hoping t
o make up for it with our May event.  I'll send out a reminder once we get a little closer.

We had a blast at the Ozark Folkways mobile tasting.  If you've never been out that way, it is a really neat spot.  It's about a 30 minute drive south on 71-B with just stunning Ozark views. The store is pretty spectacular, with lots of handmade pottery, art, baskets and generally cool things.  Big thanks to those guys for hosting us.  Don't forget, we can come to you if you ever want a private, mobile tasting.  Or we would be glad to keep the store open late for you and a group of friends!  Just give us a shout and we'll work out the details.

Behold! Sale Table!

We are very nearly out of the Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil, so if you want it for your incredibly tasty egg salad sandwiches, come get it while you can.  We are about to switch out our Spanish Arbequina for a California Arbequina.  I think it will be really fun to see how the same kind of olive can make such different tasting olive oil.  We'll have to get out the good old tasting wheel to compare them.

As soon as we sell the tail end of our Pendolino, Arbosana and Leccino stock (all 20% off!) we will order the new Italian and Greek oils we've been coveting.  New balsamics will be coming in soon, too.  We will switch out some of the "wintery" balsamics for nice, light ones.  I'm not sure exactly which ones we're going to order yet.  What do you think of Tangerine Dark Balsamic, Alfoos Mango White or Coconut White Balsamic?  They all sound pretty fantastic to me.

I don't know about you guys, but I have been fairly uninspired with my recipe repertoire lately. The reason is partially due to cooking for a toddler, but it's mostly because of the gray, dark period called Spring.  "That's ridiculous!" you say, "Spring is all things green and bright."  Not if you think about it.  I've just emerged from my comfort food loving Winter, where everything swims in butter and it doesn't matter since I really only wear sweats anyway to "holy crap, I have to wear a bathing suit in 3 months, what have I been doing with my life?" Totally the dark days.  The problem is that Spring produce, to me, is the least fun.  I love all things fruit or veggie in the Summer and Fall.  Even in the winter, who doesn't love potatoes for every meal and a little citrus here and there to brighten things up?  Spring is  also tricky because the weather isn't consistent enough to either fire up the grill (oh, look at that - rain!), or run the oven for extended periods of time (why is the house suddenly 80 degrees and the air conditioner kicking on?).  You see?  Uninspiring.

That is why there are great food writers out there.  What did we do before the internet?  And I'm not saying I don't have favorite cook books.  I do!  You should see my bookshelves! But these ladies (whom I've never met, but I pretend that we're best friends and on a first name basis) give me something to look forward to cooking.  Even in Spring.  They embrace flavors.  Molly Wizenberg just won a James Beard award for her blog Orangette.  I have been following her for about 6 years.  Now that's love.  Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman is my other blog haunt.  If you ever need inspiration, look at these two fantastic blogs. They make me think of stepping out of my box and trying Asian-fusion food and Middle Eastern Carrot Salads.  I hope I'm giving you ideas, because here are a few of my favorite recipes.

Easy Asian Noodles
Adapted from Orangette

I love these noodles.  So much.  I love them right as I make them, and maybe even more the next day, cold, straight from the fridge. No shame.  You can make the whole recipe for a large group or cut it in half.  Either way it will get eaten.  You can add grilled chicken or shrimp, if you're into that.  You can substitute the Roasted Red Peppers for Grilled Eggplant or the Bean Sprouts for Shiitakes.  Or just throw it all in together, because the more the merrier!  The list of ingredients looks daunting, but chances are you have nearly all of these things lying around in the back of your refrigerator.

For Dressing & Noodles
7 Tbsp. Japanese Toasted Sesame Oil
7 Tbsp.  Soy Sauce or Tamari
3 Tbsp. Traditional Balsamic
3 Tbsp.  Honey, Maple Syrup or Sugar
1 Tbsp. Chili Paste or Sriracha
6 scallions, green parts thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, Thai basil or mint (I prefer mint)
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted if you'd like
1 lb. spaghetti, or rice noodles or soba noodles

For veggies
3  Red, Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers (look at the Aldi ad for the week, they are frequently on sale)
1 c. snow peas
1 carrot, grated
1/2 lb. mung bean sprouts (or shiitakes!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While oven is preheating and water is warming, mix everything for the dressing together in a very large bowl (all your noodles and veggies will get tossed in this bowl together later).

Once water comes to a boil, add noodles and cook until al dente.  Before you drain the noodles, throw in your snow peas and boil for another 30 seconds.  Drain the noodles and snow peas, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process.  Put your well drained noodles and snow peas in the large bowl of dressing and toss well.  Set aside to meld those flavors while you move on to roasting the peppers.

Place cored and halved red bell peppers on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping once (or use our lovely roasted red peppers here at the store!) .  Once they are cool enough to handle, cut them into strips and throw them in the bowl of noodles along with the grated carrot and bean sprouts.  Taste and adjust for seasoning.  If you used low-sodium soy sauce you might want to add 1 tsp. of salt.  If you like the spice, add some more chili paste.

Eat up!

My Go-To Granola
Also adapted from Orangette

I am not a breakfast person.  At least not until 10-11 a.m.  But this granola is a great breakfast food.  I eat it with a little yogurt (either plain or honey-vanilla) and some fruit and it completes me.  I have made a lot of granola and I truly love this Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola from David Lebovitz, but Molly's granola is the bees-knees.  And! It features a ton of olive oil! I know a place that has a lot of olive oil!  But seriously, this is a great snack to have around the house.  It requires one large bowl, two baking sheets and some parchment paper.  No excuses not to make this one.

6 c. old fashioned rolled oats
2-3 c. unsweetened coconut chips (found at ONF in bulk or the baking aisle at Wal-Mart)
3-4 c. chopped nuts of your choice or a dried fruit/nut combo
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. pure maple syrup
2/3 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or try the Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil!!)


Preheat oven to 300.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Dump everything into a large bowl (I seem to use the same bowl for this granola as for the above mentioned noodles) and mix well.

Bake for 40 minutes, flipping the granola every 15 minutes, so that it doesn't burn.  It should be lovely and fragrant and nicely golden when it is finished.  Let it cool before putting it in an air-tight container.

This will keep at room temperature for a couple weeks.  However, I freeze mine and grab handfuls out of the freezer bag in the morning.  Which ever you prefer!


Carrot Salad with Harissa
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

So, this is a great spring salad, in my opinion.  The carrots are sweet, the Harissa is spicy, and it is so good.  Eat it on a sandwich, or a pita pocket with either of these Lamb Meatball recipes (Deb's Meatballs or Molly's Meatballs adapted from Deb's).  Personally I prefer Molly's version, because I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day (won't cost much, just your voice) and she omits a step.  Back to the carrot salad: try it.  You will love it and never think of carrots in the same way again.

3/4 lb. carrots, peeled, trimmed and grated
4 Tbsp. Harissa Infused Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground coriander (The original recipe calls for ground caraway seeds)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
Feta, as much as you'd like

In a small frying pan, over medium heat, cook olive oil, garlic, coriander (or caraway), cumin, paprika and sugar until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat, add lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  Pour over your grated carrots that are eagerly awaiting in a medium bowl.  Add herbs and mix well.  Let marinate for 1 hour, add the feta and enjoy!

Happy Dark Days of Spring, my friends!

Dill-icious Edition

Hi friends,

I feel like it has been a while since I've given you any new material, so here I am about to overload you to make up for lost time.  Are you ready? Okay.  I realize that on my previous posts I give you three to four recipes that often feature a variety of oils and vinegars and you may think, "well that sounds great, but I'm not going to buy 15 things to make these fantastic-sounding foods."  I'm here to help.  This post is just going to feature one (1!) of our olive oils: the Wild Anthos Dill Olive Oil to be exact (hereafter called WADOO.).  I have been using this oil shamelessly for the past couple of weeks.  Partially I've been using it to give you some good recipes, but mostly I just really love it and I hope you do, too!  It all started with this http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/02/spaghetti-pangrattato-with-fried-eggs/#more-14209.  I used the WADOO to fry the eggs and toss the pasta, added fresh chopped dill and omitted the parsley and rosemary.  Holy Moly.  I went nuts after that, as you will soon see.  But! I'm going to go mullet on you and do business in the front, party in the back.

Business: Next week we are doing our second mobile tasting.  This time we'll be going to Ozark Folkways in Winslow on April 16 from 6:30-8:30.  Here are the event details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1573496369587690.  Join us if you can!  We would love to see your friendly faces.

Image courtesy of Justin Rucker

If you happen to come by our store and it sounds like a herd of badly behaved elephants are jumping on the ceiling, we apologize.  Construction has begun on the apartment upstairs and I don't think it is humanly possible to destroy walls quietly.  So, my apologies if we get cut off mid-sentence by a loud bang.

But, do come by!  We are now selling our Wild Mushroom & Sage Infused Olive Oil for 20% off.  Why, you might ask, are we discounting such a lovely oil?  Well, I'll tell you.  We just got in a Cilantro & Roasted Onion Infused Olive Oil that we are really excited about.  Think summer grilling, salsas, Asian Fusion food, etc.  And now you're thinking, "I want this!"  We would love to give it to you, but we have no room.  So, the Wild Mushroom & Sage is going to give up its slot until the fall/winter.  We'll pull the old switcheroo and have our rotating seasonal oil, so stop in and grab a bottle at a great discount.

Also, our Spanish Oro Bailen Arbequina is nearly out!  We will have another Arbequina to take its place, but it is a from California and has a very different profile.  You'll still like it just as well, but if you're in love with the Oro Bailen Arbequina, better safe than sorry.  Come refill while you can!

Many people ask us, "what can I do with this flavored oil (or balsamic) besides put it on a salad?"  I agree that the infused/fused oils lose their potency when you cook with them over high heat, so I roast with one of our Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils and use the infused oil as a finisher.  I drizzle it over hummus, pasta, roasted veggies, popcorn, fruit salads (strawberries tossed with our Traditional Balsamic is heavenly).  Use it in pancake or waffle batter (think Butter or Blood Orange for sweet and Baklouti, Chipotle or Harissa for potato pancakes or savory waffles).  Bake a sweet potato and drizzle our Butter Infused Olive Oil and Cinnamon-Pear Balsamic over it.  And, really, give the Balsamic a try in your cocktail.  You won't be disappointed! Don't be afraid to experiment.  There are lots of things you can do with the oils and vinegars besides "just" using them on a bed of greens.  Although that is quite wonderful as well.

If you are ever stumped as to what you can do with any of our products, shoot me an email or call us up at the store.  I also take requests. That's right, if you want me to develop a recipe just for you, I can do that! Or if you would like me to write about something on one of the next blog/email posts, let me know.

And now, the party:

Epic Failure

First, let me say, that I am an extremely stubborn person.  I do not accept defeat graciously.  The first time I attempted this Aioli, it was a disaster.  A disaster.  Ina Garten says, "homemade Aioli is so easy! You should always make your own mayo because it takes only minutes."  Do not listen to this woman.  Her kitchen is far too beautiful for her to be considered trustworthy.

See Exhibit A.  I even tried to cook the dang thing over low heat, as if making homemade ice cream (after 30 minutes to zizzing it to death in the food processor, then blender, then immersion blender).  It's not pretty.

Victory is Mine!

And then I watched a YouTube video.  Apparently all I had to do was SLOWLY (as in a few drops at a time) add in the olive oil until it just barely started to thicken.  Then, and only then, can you continue adding the oil in a SLOW and steady stream.  Well then.  I suppose patience really is a virtue.

Exhibit B. My lovely jar of Aioli.

Also, I was mad at my food processor because it had never failed me before, so I decided to whisk the second batch using my whisk attachment for my immersion blender. It turned out great!  I think it would have done just as well in the food processor, but don't tell it I said so.  We're still a bit sore over the whole Aioli debacle.

Dill Aioli
Adapted from Savor The Best

*This recipe uses raw egg yolk.  Be warned! Salmonella, death, etc. You can substitute in pasteurized egg yolks such as Safe Eggs if you're worried. But it's lovely and can be used as a condiment for your grilled salmon, the Dill-viled Eggs, and the Dilly Chicken Salad (or a quick Tuna Salad). This makes about 1.5 cups and can keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for up to a week.

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
2 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill, optional
1 c. Wild Anthos Dill Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste

Place the garlic, dijon, egg yolks and fresh dill in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend it together until smooth, about 10 seconds. (Or whisk it the old fashioned way).

With the motor running, slowly (SLOWLY!) add in the WADOO, in a steady stream until completely emulsified, about 3-4 minutes.  Add in the lemon juice and salt and give it a few pulses.  Scrape down the sides and give it a few more pulses.  Your Aioli should be nice and thick.  Let sit for 30 minutes before serving.  Put the remainder in a container and refrigerate.

Dill-viled Eggs
Adapted from Serious Eats
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/09/great-deviled-eggs-recipe.html

*Use your left over Easter Eggs that you never got around to dying (slacker).  Older eggs are actually easier to peel than fresh eggs.

12 large eggs
2 Tbsp. Dill Aioli or Mayo
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
up to 1 Tbsp. Red or White Wine Vinegar
Dash of hot sauce, optional
1/4 c. Wild Anthos Dill Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. sliced Chives
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Dill-viled Eggs

Prepare an ice bath (lots of ice cubes in a bowl of cold water) and set aside.

Fill a large pot with an inch or two of water.  Place steamer insert into pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add eggs to steamer basket, cover, and continue to cook over high heat for 12 minutes.  Immediately transfer eggs to the ice bath and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel your eggs under cold running water.  (My husband says don't let the egg shells go down the garbage disposal.)

Slice each egg in half.  Scoop out the egg yolks and put them in the bowl of a food processor (if you're smarter than I am, you would make the Aioli and then these deviled eggs so that you would only have to wash your food processor once.)  Add Aioli or mayo, Dijon, half of the vinegar, and a dash of hot sauce to the egg yolks.  Process until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.  With machine running, drizzle in 2 Tbsp. of the WADOO.  Taste your concoction.  Add more vinegar, if you want to.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pick out the best-looking 16 egg whites, put them on a fancy platter and set them aside.  Add the remaining egg whites to your chicken or tuna salad.

Transfer mixture to a plastic Ziploc bag or pastry bag, snip a hole in the corner and pipe into your egg whites.  Drizzle with remaining WADOO, sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and chives.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grilled Simple Salmon with Orzo
*This is not a "real" recipe, it is just an outline for you to wing it as you'd like

Fresh Salmon (as much as you need to feed the number of people you're cooking for)
1 or 2 lemons, washed and sliced into medium-thickness circles
Wild Anthos Dill Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Dill, optional

Pat your salmon dry with paper towels, brush on a bit of WADOO, and season with salt and pepper.  Lay down your sliced lemon on your grill rack, in roughly the shape of your fish.  The lemon is going to act as a tasty barrier between your salmon and the grill.  I cried the first time I lost half my salmon because it stuck to my grill. This will ensure that it never happens to you!

Light your grill, set it to medium flame and lay the salmon, skin side down, on top of the lemons. Close your grill and cook your orzo.  Fish cooks fairly quickly, so be sure to peek at it every 5 minutes or so to make sure it isn't going to dry out on you.

When your fish is grilled to your preferred level of firmness (15 minutes or so, depending on the size), remove from grill, set on a platter and drizzle on a healthy dose of WADOO, more salt, pepper and dill, to taste. Serve with the dill Aioli and orzo.

Orzo:
1 lb. orzo (or any short pasta)
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
Red onion, chopped
Cucumber, peeled and chopped
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Salt
Pepper
Wild Anthos Dill Olive Oil

While salmon is grilling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook orzo, per package directions.  Drain, put it in a large bowl and throw in your chopped veggies and cheese, toss with a few glugs of WADOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Easy Peasy!

Dilly Chicken Salad

*I feel like chicken salad, as well as tuna salad, is a very personal affair. I am not a mayo fan, so I like a lighter (1/4 c.) Greek Yogurt version.  My husband loves mayo more than life itself, but hates raw onion.  So make it however you like.  But use the WADOO.  You won't regret it.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, baked at 350 for 25 minutes or grilled (Don't boil it, for heaven's sake! Unless you like boiled chicken, then by all means, carry on.)
1/4 c. to 1/2 c. Greek Yogurt or Mayo or Aioli
1/4 c. Wild Anthos Dill Olive Oil
1/4 c. Red Onion, chopped fine (you can cook them, if you don't do the raw onion, or substitute in sliced Scallions)
Handful of Grapes, halved (optional)
Handful of Walnuts, toasted (optional)
A few strips of Roasted Red Peppers (optional)
Chopped fresh Dill, to taste

Chop up your cooked, cooled chicken and toss everything together in a medium bowl.  Serve on toasty bread, over a bed of greens, on a spoon, in a picnic lunch, etc.  Enjoy!

Meet my best friend, Dill.

Happy Spring

Happy Spring, everybody! While this was by no means the worst winter we've ever had, I am still greatly relieved to see it end.  I'm sure I'll change my tune come August, but for now I say, "bring on the sunshine!" 

Here at the store, we are growing right along with our fig and olive trees.  This week I attempted our very first mobile tasting up in Bentonville and it was a smashing success!  My audience was eager to learn the ins and outs of olive oil and they came armed with great questions and enthusiasm for trying new things.  Hooray! If you think that you'd like to set up a mobile tasting, just shoot us an email.  It was a lot of fun, and free for you!  

I want to thank all of you who came to our first Happy Hour last month.  I hope you're ready for another one, because we are doing it again.  Join us next Thursday, March 26 from 5-8:00 at our lovely store front, 28 E. Center St., for wine, snacks and good company.  And while you're here, you can check out the awesome write up on C & G in the latest edition of the Idle Class Magazine. If you've never read it, The Idle Class is an excellent local magazine that covers all the arts, music, food, nightlife, etc. happening in NWA.  

And now, the recipes.  I'm giving you guys two very Springy dishes to make here.  These are not quick, but neither are they difficult to make.  The first is a Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Roll that is packed full of flavor. There is very little "cooking" involved, so those of you who claim to not be able to cook, this one's for you.  The only thing that takes time and (tons of) patience, is rolling these little buggers.  But! It is really kind of fun and relaxing, as long as you know that it is not something to do in a rush.   

The second dish I am giving you is a great centerpiece for Easter or Passover, coming up in two weeks.  Slow Braised Lamb Shanks using our Coratina EVOO and a nice Malbec wine. Six hours of lamb simmering in lovely, shimmery olive oil and a nice rich red wine? Wow. Lamb is not too hard to find in these parts.  I know Richard's Meat Market has some and there are quite a few local farms that you can order lamb from.  You can find these fine people at the Jefferson Center Indoor Farmer's Market.  The doors open at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, for the next two Saturdays and then (and then!!) Market on the Square begins April 4! 

Enjoy, friends! I hope to see you on Thursday!

Vietnamese Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls
1 package clear edible rice paper sheets
1/2 lb. shrimp (cooked, peeled, de-veined, halved)
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried
1 bunch or bag of fresh baby spinach leaves (washed and dried)
1 cucumber peeled and cut into very thin strips
1 carrot peeled and cut into very thin strips
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 package vermicelli rice noodles
4 Tbsp. good quality soy sauce
4 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Honey Ginger White Balsamic Condimento
2 tsp. Japanese Roasted Sesame Seed Oil

Dipping Sauce
Hoisin Sauce, to taste
chopped roasted peanuts
or spicy Vietnamese fish sauce

Directions:
In a small bowl, toss the thinly sliced carrot and cucumber with 2 Tbsp. of Honey Ginger White Balsamic and set aside.

Heat 3 quarts of water to a gentle simmer. Remove the pot from heat and immediately stir in 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and 2 Tbsp. Honey Ginger White Balsamic. Add the vermicelli rice noodles to the seasoned water and allow to sit for 10 minutes until tender. Drain well and toss with an additional 1/2 tsp. of sesame oil blended with 1/2 tsp. soy sauce, and 1 tsp. Honey Ginger White Balsamic and set aside

Drain the carrot and cucumbers and make sure all other veggies and herbs are cleaned, dried, and set out before you start. (I just put them on separate paper towels or on a few clean dish towels.)

In a shallow dish such as a pie plate, mix together 1 c. of warm water with 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. of Honey Ginger White Balsamic. Dip a sheet of rice paper wrapper into the seasoned water very quickly, no longer than a second or two (or they will get too soggy) and lay flat on a work surface.

On one edge of the rice paper, lay a small handful of noodles, two shrimp halves, some cilantro, a few baby spinach leaves, some cucumber strips, a few pieces of shaved carrot, and a sprinkle of green onions, being careful to not over stuff the roll. Carefully start to roll them up eggroll style, tucking in the sides, then continue to roll up (but not too tightly or the spring roll will split).

Combine a few spoon-fulls of hoisin sauce with some chopped peanuts to use as a dipping sauce (or serve with prepared spicy fish sauce dip called Nuoc Mam, available at Asian markets).

Serve immediately- these do not keep well and will harden up in the fridge (sometimes you can prolong their life by covering them with a damp paper towel), so it is best to make just as many as you plan to serve (store any extra unassembled fillings in fridge and roll later).

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks With Coratina and Malbec Wine Reduction



Four lamb shanks
1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
4 inch sprig of rosemary, woody stems discarded
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 onion, minced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1/3 c. UP Coratina Olive Oil
3 c. robust red wine such as Malbec
1 c. water

*This recipe can be made in a dutch oven or crock pot, but plan on starting this at least 6 hours before you plan on serving it.

Directions: 

If using the oven, preheat to 300. In a wide shallow dish or a gallon size Ziplock bag, mix the flour, salt and pepper. Rinse and pat the lamb shanks dry and dredge in the flour. In a large heavy bottom pan or the Dutch oven, heat the Coratina over medium-high heat, and brown the lamb shanks until golden brown on all sides, taking care not to overcrowd the pan, cooking for about 5 mins per side, then set aside.

In the same pan, add all of the vegetables and saute over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits, until the onions are translucent, approximately 8 mins. Pour in the wine and simmer for 5 more minutes and then add 1 cup of hot water. Add the fresh rosemary to the crock pot or Dutch oven and arrange the shanks on top. Pour the wine and vegetables over the top. Cook, covered for 6 hours in the oven or in a crock pot set on low.

After 6 hours, carefully remove the shanks from from the liquid, taking care not to allow the meat to slip off the bones. Cover to keep warm. Strain and de-fat the braising liquid. Place in a small saucepan and reduce by half. Adjust the seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper. Pour the reduction over the lamb shank placed atop a bed of mashed potatoes made with Ultra fresh UP Arbequina (or Butter Infused or Garlic!) extra virgin olive oil.