Roasted Cauliflower and Such

Hello, hello!

I think it is fair to say that today could be considered the first real day of autumn.  It's gray, chilly, and altogether lovely.  Speaking of lovely, did you guys see that Blood Moon/Lunar Eclipse/Shooting Stars/UFOs the other night?  Pretty wild stuff!  In honor of this truly fall day, I'm sending you a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Pasta.  It's garlicky, lemony, walnutty, and super easy.  Make it tonight with a good salad.  Because, really, fall is for roasting vegetables.  Bring on the Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, and Squash in all their charred glory!

Tomorrow night we are hosting an Art Reception/Happy Hour for David Holcomb.  You can check out his art beforehand at www.davidleeholcomb.com.  We'll be here from 5:30 until 8:00 with a rocking cheese plate, stuffed dates, and several other tasty treats along with wine to sip in David's honor.  I even decked out the store for fall.  (This is a big deal. I don't decorate.  I can cook and sew, but Martha Stewart will always have the one-up on me with her mad decorating skills.)   Be there or be square!

Fall Decor for the Store.

We have a big order coming in with some of our fall favorites.  Wild Mushroom and Sage Olive Oil as well as Whole Fruit Eureka Lemon Olive Oil are on their way.  We're also putting out our Vermont Maple Balsamic and Pumpkin Pie Spice White Balsamic, for if you're really feeling festive.  As for the Extra Virgin Olive Oils, we have 4 (four!) new ones from the Southern Hemisphere, which had an impressive harvest.  There are two mild oils from Chile, an Arbequina and a Picual (Gold Medal winner at an L.A. competition).  A medium intensity Barnea from Australia, and a robust Frantoio from Chile.  I think you'll really like this season's haul.

Roasted Cauliflower Pasta
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated Sept/Oct 2009

*Please note that you could skip the roasted garlic part and use our Garlic Infused Olive Oil, but I really, really love the complexity the roasted garlic adds to this dish.

**Also note that I have been making this recipe since 2009 and stopped measuring things around 2010, so the actual measurements given are approximations only. Proceed.

1 head garlic
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 c. (ish) olive oil, divided
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 lb. Campanelle or Orecchiette Pasta
1 c. (ish) chopped Walnuts
1 lemon, juiced (or 2, if you really like lemon)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Slice off the papery end of the garlic bulb, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap it in foil, place it on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven.  While that's getting started, chop up your cauliflower.  Put the cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with a good bit (2 Tbsp.?) of olive oil, a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper. a pinch of sugar, and a shake of red pepper flakes (optional).  

2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

3.  Remove the hot baking sheet with garlic from the oven and (quickly) put the cauliflower onto the sheet.  Return to the oven, and bake, turning once, for 30 minutes or so.  You might want to check on your garlic after 20 minutes and make sure it's still soft and not burning. Oh, and add your chopped walnuts to the baking sheet when there's 5 minutes left for the cauliflower, so they get a bit toasty.

4.   Once your water is boiling, add in pasta and cook according to package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining it.  I like the put the cooked pasta back in the same bowl that I tossed my cauliflower in, so as to use any left-over oil.

5.  Remove everything from the oven.  Put the cauliflower and walnuts in the same big bowl as the pasta.  Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted cloves (I start with half of the cloves, to make sure it's not too overpoweringly garlicky) into a medium bowl with the remaining olive oil and juice from a lemon.  Whisk it all together with some salt and pepper, until smooth.  Pour it over the pasta, adding in the reserved pasta water if it seems too dry.  Add on the Parmesan and toss well.  Voila!

Cheers, friends!

Andrea

Long Weekends Were Made For Brunch

Hi!

Happy almost Labor Day.  I don't know about you, but the 4th of July feels very far away, and that was our last long weekend.  I'm so ready.  In honor of three whole days together, I have been developing some brunch recipes that, I must say, are the best yet. I bring you Blood Orange Scones, Butter-Garlic Shrimp and Grits and a boozy drink that I'll just call "Honey."  I think I put the most actual work into the beverage (juicing a grapefruit and a lime is hard work).  The other recipes are really, really simple.  I know I've probably said that before and you've cursed my name, but this time I'm serious.

Easiest Scones in the World

Let's start with the scones.  You literally dump some flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a blade.  Then, in a large measuring cup, you beat together the oil and an egg and throw that in as well, followed by milk. [You can get fancy here and add in about 1/3 c. crystallized ginger, as I did.  Or add chocolate chips.  Or add the zest of a lemon or an orange, or that grapefruit you just juiced.  Or add in some dried cherries or something.  But you don't have to. Simplicity is the key here!] Pulse it until it all (kind of) comes together, pat it around into a (sort of) circle, cut it into eighths and put it in the oven.  Walk away.  Come back 15 minutes later and you have perfectly lovely scones! Have some tea with those and enjoy your day, or go ahead and make some Shrimp and Grits while you're at it.

Hmm...Shrimp and Grits.  I feel like these are the Green Eggs and Ham of the South.  "I don't like grits," says someone.  "Have you ever tried them?"  "No, they just sound gross."  Well phooey! Give these a go. You'll love them.  These guys are buttery, cheesy (but not too cheesy), with just the right amount of lemon and garlic tossed together with the shrimp.  Now, I'll do you a favor here and tell you to buy the UNCOOKED shrimp, as it will taste worlds better.  Frozen shrimp is fine.  You don't have to impress anyone around here, but make sure it's the uncooked grey kind.  Also, I'll have you know that these Shrimp and Grits were so good all by themselves that I didn't even add Tabasco to them.  Did you hear that?  Not even Tabasco could improve upon these simple beauties. Scroll on down to find the recipes, but I'm going to hit you with some store news next.

Mark your calendars!  We are having another art reception on October 1 from around 5:30-8:00.  That's also First Thursday on the Square, which should coincide nicely.  You can check out David Holcomb's amazing art here while you grab a drink or two and some hors d'oeuvres, then mosey on to check out more art at the Fayetteville Underground.  Parking might be tricky, but I highly recommend you come out anyway.

If you haven't been in to the store in a while, you should come see what all we have new.  We have spice blends!  Ten of them!  Including a truly fantastic Adobo Spice that makes a killer rub and a Montreal Steak Seasoning that will make you weak kneed.  Also there is an Apple Pie Spice just in time for apple pie baking season. (I am lined up to make approximately 5 apple pies in the upcoming month. I'll fill you in on that next time.)

It has been a while, so I'm attaching an updated list of everything we are currently carrying in the store.  You'll notice that many of the usual suspects are still here, but we have swapped out the Lavender Balsamic for Dark Chocolate Balsamic and that the Black Mission Fig Balsamic is back.  Soon we'll rotate out the Cilantro & Roasted Onion Olive Oil for Wild Mushroom & Sage because I am ready for Fall and all its baking and roasting glory. The Extra Virgin Olive Oils are always changing with the season, so here are some new Southern Hemisphere Oils that will make you very happy.

And now, the recipes...

Blood Orange Scones

Adapted from Nigella Lawson

2 c. all-purpose flour 

3 tsp. baking powder (not a typo...3 tsp!)

1 pinch salt

1/3 c. Blood Orange Olive Oil

1 egg

1/3 c. milk

(1/3 c. crystallized ginger or chocolate chips or whatever, optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade (or just a big bowl, if you're doing this by hand), dump in the flour, baking powder and salt.  Give it a quick pulse or whisk.  In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the egg and olive oil until well blended.  Pour that on top of the flour mixture.  Next add in the milk.  Pulse it all together until it forms into a shaggy ball and then throw in your optional add ins and pulse it again once or twice. Or mix it together with a pastry cutter, if you're old fashioned.  

3.  Put the shaggy ball onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 8 inch-ish? circle (of whatever your desired thickness, but remember that it will rise).  Don't over work your dough.  It shouldn't be nice and smooth.  Scones and craggy and flaky and the more you work it, the less of both it will be.  Take a sharp knife and cut it like a pizza, into 8 triangles.  You can brush them with milk or butter, but I didn't and they were just fine.  Place them gently on your prepared baking sheet.

4.  Pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes, turning once, if you have a hot spot in your oven, as I do.  Take them out, let them cool (a little) and enjoy!  I like mine with strawberry jam. 

Butter-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

Adapted from Food Network

Grits:

3 c. water

3/4 c. instant or quick-cooking grits

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese (I suppose you could use cheddar instead) (or smoked gouda!)

1 Tbsp. Butter Infused Olive Oil

Shrimp:

2 Tbsp. Butter Infused Olive Oil

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 large cloves garlic, minced

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. water

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Heaven

1.  Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a medium sauce pan.  Whisk in grits, salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened (about 5 minutes).  Stir in parmesan cheese and Butter Olive Oil.  Turn off heat, but cover to keep warm.

2.  Pour 2 Tbsp. Butter Olive Oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne to the pan and cook, tossing every now and then, until the shrimp are pink (5 minutes?).  Add 2 Tbsp. water, the lemon juice and parsley and give them another quick toss.  Season with salt and pepper  Turn off the heat. 

3.  Divide the grits into shallow bowls and top with shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Honey Boozy Drink

Adapted, only slightly from Serious Eats

1.5 oz. gold tequila (vodka might be an acceptable alternative)

1 oz. fresh lime juice (2 limes)

2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice (1 grapefruit)

1 oz.  Serrano Honey Vinegar

1.  In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients (taste to make sure you got the ratios right).

2.  Fill shaker with ice and shake until well chilled (20 seconds).  Strain into a small glass and enjoy.

Happy Labor Day Weekend and Woo Pig Sooie and all that! 

Cheers,

Andrea

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!