Back into the swing of things….

It has been a busy couple of months, preparing for the Holidays and dealing with the Holidays, our busiest time of year! We love the Holidays for that reason, but with that said now that they are over, it’s time to get back to another part of our business that we really love and that is cooking!

Having exceptional Extra Virgin Olive Oil and decadent cheeses on hand inspires tons of culinary creativity.  We send all of our members monthly recipes in our printed and email newsletters, however we thought we should share them with those of you whom aren’t members of the Italian Olive Oil of the Month or Cheese of the Month Club.  

Our resolution for the new year is to share more so we will send you more recipes, great food tastings, and other inspirations.  Our blog is for anyone that appreciates exceptional gourmet products, loves cooking for friends and family, and believes in tradition. 

Old World vs. New World Event at Spina Restaurant

At one of our recent events in NYC, Old World vs. New World Wines, Cheeses and Olive Oils, were the main focus of the menu designed by Spina Restaurant. The eight course menu, which included: Linguine Ai Ricci di Marre (linguini finished with habanero chili oil, oven roasted tomatoes, arugula and sea urchin), Taglioni Al Frutta di Mare, Ravioli stuffed with mint and ricotta di bufala and lamb shank ragú and Saffron infused Sardinian gnochetti tossed with a veal, beef and pork ragú, was perfectly paired with wines from Italy and California, thus showing differences between Old World and New World productions.

Two fresh goat cheeses from our Goumet Cheese of the Month Club kicked off the evening: Humbolt Fog from California and Boucherondin Chevre from France, served with an apricot marmelade. 

Later to close the meal, Crafton Cheddar from Vermont and Boschetto Al Tartuffo, from Tuscany were savored.

A lesson in correct Olive Oil tasting to receive it’s fragrances and flavors delighted guests. Each course was prepared with our Magaria Limited Edition Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Sicily, or Vetrano from Campania, Italy, two new 2010 fresh harvest Olive Oils.

 Spina, located in Alphabet City, is relatively new yet has recieved praises by the Italian newspaper Oggi and and has even been awarded a spot cooking at Gracie Mansion.  They are particularly known for their home made pasta, an excellent wine list as well as a staff that go above and beyond. 

Read their excellent review fromOggi.http://www.spinarestaurant.com/press/Spina_Oggi7.pdf

Spending the last days of Summer in South Italy

Lucklily our family and business warrant us traveling to Italy often.  However,  going during the Summer, especially August, for us is the best time of year.   In Summer, the locals seem happier, the gorgeous produce is at its best, and the weather is perfect for long days at the beach and cool nights spent going for a Passeggiata (a walk) and gelato.

This trip will be spent mostly in Calabria, the most southern region before Siciliy.  It is enveloped by two gorgeous coastlines, the mediterrranean and the adriatic.  The beaches are breathtaking, not completey filled with tourists, and the landscape reminiscent of California with steep mountains overlooking the blue ocean.  

The time we spend in Italy is a perfect mix of business and pleasure, but for us everything is revolved around food, culture, and enjoying the art of living.  It’s the experiences we have that make our job so much fun, making fresh pasta and pizza in Campagnia (the country), visiting Olive Oil farms to meet with the producers, and tasting their freshest Olive Oil, eating at trattorias and pizzarias that have been there for decades, making panini’s for the beach with leftover’s  from the night before, the and all the wonderful stuff in between.  

This year we will attempt to document as much as possible, and share the experience with our friends, family and all who are interested.

Stay tuned for gastronomic updates along the way…..

The Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club and Testaccio Restaurant- May 2010

Last night, Wed. May 12th, our Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club held a dinner for our members and associates to come together for great food and to get to know one another at Testaccio Restaurant. After months of organizing this event…it finally happened, and all of our 60 guests left with smiles and full bellies. Thank you to Testaccio Restaurant, L.I.C. for hosting us, and preparing the very special menu that delighted all of our guests, and the wonderful Chiara Carfi, of CHC Public Relations, for pulling the whole event together for us.

A big Thanks to everyone that helped out with the event.

Tetaccio Restaurant provided the perfect back drop to showcase our Olive Oils.

Nazzareno giving a lesson in Olive Oil Tasting

The first of the five courses served, Crème brulee with sea urchin and Vetrano’s extra virgin olive oil

Guests smelling the 2010 Best Olive Oil.

An amazing evening of great Olive Oils, decadent cheeses, wonderful wines, and….the best people!

 With the help of our dear friends Courtney Genovese & Sabrina Semprini, Gourmet Cooking and Living, hosted an Italian Olive Oil and Cheese tasting party, on March 11th, in New York.

Marco Crigna demonstrated how to taste Olive Oil correctly, feeling the flavors in the throat, and tasting scents of red pepper, apple, and fresh grass.  Samples of five of our exclusive Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Italy were on display for tasting straight up or with bread.

Nazzareno Callipo described each of the artisinal cheeses from Italy, France, Spain, and  Holland to the guests as they came one by one to learn and taste.

The delicious Italian Wines sponsored by Sapori Italiani Inc. were a big hit. Jennifer and Sabrina made sure everyone’s glasses were always filled.

All of our guests recieved a sample of the delicious Sciauro Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Sicily.

At the end of the evening one of our lucky guests who won the raffle was awarded a FREE 6 month membership to the Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club.  Congratulations Rennie Alba!

We look foward to hosting more events like this one in the future for a fun night of food, wine, and culture!

February Cheese of the Month Club’s “Rosti” Recipe with a twist- Feb. 2010

This month for our Cheese of the Month Club, we selected two beautiful cheeses from Holland.  Beemster and Van Dyke Chevre Blanc. 

I had to try the Rosti recipe from our newsletter because the Chevre Blanc was amazing and I knew that cooking with it would only bring out all those buttery, salty flavors.

A Rosti, is a Swedish dish, consisting mainly of potatoes. Typically they are fried potatoes, with snippets of cheese.  This recipe called for pancetta, and sage leaves, so  I could not resist.  Who doesn’t love fried cheese, pancetta, and sage?  There is a healthy alternative to this as well.  All the ingredients can be placed in a baking dish or from the frying pan, directly into a hot oven at 350 degrees.  I made the original recipe :)  The results were outrageous.  Great for brunch, or to bring to a friend’s house for lunch, it is easily portable.

I’m assuming you could add a number of things to this recipe as you would a frittata and it would be as delicious, however the Van Dijk Chevre Blanc did make a star appearance in this dish.

Recipe from: Feb. 2010 Newsletter

Goat’s cheese & Pancetta Rosti (a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes)

Ingredients :

Serves 4

2 ½ pounds of medium-sized potatoes

1 onion, finely chopped

½ cup cubed good quality bacon or pancetta

8 fresh sage leaves

½ cup  chèvre blanc

Procedure:

Boil the potatoes in skins for 20-25 minutes, until just tender. Leave to cool, peel, and then coarsely grate into a bowl.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium non-stick frying pan, add the onion and bacon and fry for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and lightly tinged with brown. Stir in the sage leaves and remove from the heat. Stir the onion, bacon and any juices left in the pan into the grated potato. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the frying pan, add half the potato mixture and spread over the pan. Crumble the goat’s cheese into small pieces, then sprinkle evenly over the potatoes. Spread the remaining potato over the top to seal in the cheese and press down lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the Rösti over a moderate heat for 8 minutes until the underside is nicely browned then put a large plate on top and invert the Rösti onto it. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if you need to, then slide the Rösti back into the pan and cook the other side for 8 minutes. Serve the Rösti straight from the pan, cut into wedges, with green vegetables or a big green leaf salad.

On a cold February day…why not try something new- Crema Di Fagioli E Orzo, Feb. 2010

Crema Di Fagioli E Orzo

On cold snowy days like the ones we have been having in NY, to me the ultimate comfort food is a delicious, savory soup, with some type of crunchy hot bread, a glass of wine, and WA-LA…instant comfort.  Of course, if you have a fire place this creates helps with creating the “moment”.   So on this particular day a recipe that I had recently read in my Jan/Feb issue of  ”La Cucina Italiana Magazine, came to mind.

There was an article all about soups, called “Vellutate”…that just made me we want to get out my  food processor and Le Crousset,  and start making soups.  I will make them all, one by one because they look so great in the photos. Ok….I will at least attempt to make them all.

This soup was relatively easy to make and took about 3 hours, a little longer than the recipe called for, but I love well cooked barley.  It was filling and lasted in the fridge up to 2 days later, for a light lunch.  It’s even elegant enough to serve for a dinner party, the creamy texture of the pureed beans, and the seasoned barley is a great alternative to pasta. I added red pepper flakes instead of marjoram, and drizzled our Magaria Limited Edition Olive Oil for an extra  kick of flavor over the finshed soup. 

My husband and my 11 month son really enjoyed this soup and the best part is that it’s healthy!

See the full recipe at http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/cannellini-bean-puree-with-barley-

Buon Appetito!