Olive Oil

Have you ever tasted something incredible, at the source, then wrinkled your nose (in recognition of, and maybe disappointment with) the mass produced version? Once you've had a fig the size of a baseball, in Umbria, you wonder what the heck is in a fig "newton." It's like comparing a homemade chocolate chip cookie to a Chip's Ahoy...which clearly has less taste, and is filled with preservatives. It's not likely that you'll NEVER eat a packaged cookie again, but you definitely know there's a DIFFERENCE.

My food senses were awakened here and there in childhood, and while working summers at a farmstand. More recently through cooking classes that I've taken at the Institute for Culinary Education in NYC (formerly Peter Kump's Cooking School) and on a less formal basis, with Chef Faye Hess, my neighbor when I lived in Long Island City, NY. One sense that needed awakening is BREATHING more deeply, something I've been working on. Subway = bad. Fresh herbs and cooking aromas = good.

Beyond her classes, Faye teaches in Tuscany and France, has a site/blog and a book called Faye Food, a blog called BacktoBetty, and has a collaborative instructional video/show called Dinner Confidential. She cooks in silver Birkenstocks but does not recommend that. Wife to Jonathan, mother to Ferdinand. Busy, fun, frazzled in a low key way, if that makes sense. Totally attuned to food--feel, sense, smell, texture, flavor---she LIVES it.

http://www.fayefood.com/

In one of Faye's classes, we did an olive oil tasting. We learned (gasp!) that many mass produced olive oils are colored oil, with other ingredients. Filipo Berio, which I like, uses a mix of oils from Italy, Greece, Spain and Tunisia. Not sure why it takes 4 countries, but at least there are no other ingredients. Good advice: read the labels, then decide.

The final 'shot' in our tasting was reserved for an olive oil that we'd seen Faye cradle like a baby, and swoon over in the kitchen. La Macchia, from Italy.

Pure, with the scent of fresh cut greens. Extra virgin, highest quality, first pressing, no preservatives or chemicals. Better advice: if you can, get olive oil directly from a grower or a small batch brand from a specialty store...whether it's from Spain, California, Italy, etc...  Taste them, test them, find one you like!

Click below for a quick primer on Olive Oil, courtesy of The Mediterranean Foods Alliance.

http://mediterraneanmark.org/documents/OliveOil101.pdf

I travelled to Tuscany for Faye's class last summer, and I've blogged about it a bit. I'll be in the Loire Valley for her class this November, and can't wait to experience the people, the chatueax, the countryside, the wine, the food, the flea markets, the, the, the...  Oh, and PARIS!

In Tuscany, one of our day trips was to Faye's friend Emilio Carlotti's olive grove, a side business of his. Now I know why she was swooning in that kitchen in New York. One tree yields one liter of olive oil, one time per year. I would like to see the 'trees' that produce the truckloads of grocery store olive oil ;-(

The dog stopped and turned around, as if to say, "Hey, a mudslide." There was a huge rainstorm the day before.

When I was a 21 yr old backpacker in Greece, I saw for the first time, gnarled gray trees with netting on the ground and old ladies shaking the silvery-leafed branches. "So THAT's where olives come from!" I had only seen them in our fridge, in jars, with or without pimentos. It only took 27 more years and a couple of farmer's markets in between to bridge that gap between groves in Greece and Italy--but I'll never tire of learning and appreciating.

Grapevines and fig trees are planted among the shimmering olive trees.

Our group's olive oil orders! I'm down to my last liter ;-(

 The olive oil Emilio presses there is named La Macchia, after his family's home, Villa Macchia. It dates from the 1300's. The farmhouse (pictured below) where I stayed and took classes is part of the property.

One night the 12 of us dined at the Villa with Emilio, his mother Countess Chiara Scarpaccini and his sister, Francesca Carlotti. Wow, is too small a word. I didn't bring my camera, because I respected their home as their home, it's not a tourist attraction. Imagine a massive stone house, big iron gates, cool dark interior, deep fireplaces, centuries old books, visible electrical wiring wrapped in fabric, worn marble stairs, huge wooden pocket doors, paintings that you'd see in a museum... The history that Chiara relayed, the dinner that Francesca made...chick pea appetizer, salad, pork swimming and marinating in Emilio's olive oil--yet not at all greasy, dessert, wine, toasts, stories, laughter, hugs, the walk home through the dark woods. And, and, and...

..I'm down to my last liter.

Roasted Tomatoes

I have a favorite summer salad, that I adapted from The Food Network. It's corn, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and avocado with a cilantro/lime vinaigrette. Simple and good, it gets raves.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/aidas-corn-tomato-and-avocado-salad-recipe/index.html

In my version, I roast the corn kernels with a drizzle of olive oil and some kosher salt. Today I decided to use plum tomatoes, and to roast them, too. The original recipe is good, but it's a little "raw." I prefer the deeper flavors that roasting reveals, and for the salad to be served only slightly chilled.

I assembled the ingredients, with the dressing and a few lime slices for the garnish on the side. I tossed it when I got to the BBQ, so the salad would not be sodden. I was flattered that the hostess asked to keep the leftover salad, while she returned my bowl. Heck, yeah. Pay it forward!

Here's the tomato(e) how-to:

I learned this simple recipe in Tuscany last summer. Preheat the oven to 275 F. Slice the tomatoes in half, cut off the woody stem end, including the little white piece inside. Use your thumb to remove the seeds.

Parchment paper on the baking sheet makes clean up easier, and the tomatoes won't stick. Drizzle tomatoes with your favorite extra virgin olive oil (I had this La Macchia shipped from Italy after I visited the olive grove), and sprinkle with kosher salt. No pepper; it's bitter, and what you want here is to coax the pure good taste from the tomatoes.

Roast for 2 hours. Go play, write a poem, do some laundry, take a walk, wash your car or see a movie--the key here is to roast "low and slow." I flipped these over and sprinkled a little kosher salt on top for the last 30 mins. Peel off the skin, and there you have it--roasty, tasty plum tomatoes. Serve them as a side, put them on a panini, or slice and use them in a salad, such as the one pictured below, and to which I've linked above.

Ready for the BBQ.  Off I go!

Waxhaw, NC

Charlotte, like many cities, has "First Fridays" events at the beginning of the month. I've been to the ones in the historic South End and to NoDa, known for the gallery crawl. Loads of people come out to sip wine, have some cheese, gather on the sidewalks, have dinner, listen to live bands, and peruse the galleries and shops. It can be hard to find a parking spot!

There's a little town called Waxhaw, about 25 miles south of the city center. It's been hit hard by the recession, and many of it's stores, restaurants and pubs have closed down. I went to Waxhaw's First Friday and the locals were giving it their all, but I was in and out in less than 2 hours.

The band was pretty good--playing rock 'n roll covers.

When the sun went down, a movie was projected on the side wall of "The Furry Godmother" pet store. It's such a cool idea and if they showed a classic film it would have been a perfect setting on a really nice night. Grab a blanket or a chair and settle in with some vino and snacks. But, they played an animated Pixar flick, and it wasn't well attended. Skipped that!

There's a guy named Mark who started making brooms about 15 yrs ago, using a wooden, pedal driven 'Kick 'n Stitch' machine from the 1880's. The shop was small, and it's set up like a museum. It smelled like fresh cut hay and Mark was there making brooms and whisks. It takes an hour to finish each one, including handsewing and wrapping the top in leather.

I bought one, with leather woven through the straw, for $34. I appreciate the artistry, and it's something that I'll definitely use. Mark's tag line is "Han Dun."

The website is partially under construction, but you can call him to order this little piece of history. http://www.handuntrades.com/

I'll go back to Waxhaw on a weekend day, to check out the other shops and to try Rippington's Cafe. It's important to support the local economy!

No Tipping, Please

I put some new office furniture together, and though the floor is level, the piece is sitting on new carpeting, and I wanted to make 100% sure that the hutch won't topple off the double file cabinet.

Tools you'll need:

Mending brackets/screws
Phillips head screwdriver
Threaded screw starter
Marker to mark the hole placement

Hold a mending bracket up, and mark the top and bottom holes. Turn the screw starter clockwise about 10 turns, then carefully remove it counterclockwise. You have now prepped the holes, and the threads will "take" the screws more easily.

I spaced 4 mending brackets along the back, the top hole is in the hutch, and the bottom hole is in the file cabinet. Don't overload the hutch, or it will be top-heavy. If you have small children or pets who could climb onto or knock over furniture, then you'll want to secure the piece to the WALL as well, and you can also place "shims" under the front of the piece at the floor level, to tilt it back slightly.  It's just me here, so the brackets will do the job.

Ready for business!

Preserving Preserves

Whether you go to farmer's markets or can your own fruits and veggies, the end of the summer is a great time to stock up on homemade canned ketchup, jams 'n jellies, and pickled peppers, kimchi, etc...

Canning jars...the jars are glass, not metal cans! Canning refers to the process.

The jars are reusable, but the metal bands and lids, once sterilized and boiled, are NOT reusable.

While you're still enjoying what's in the jar, sometimes the lid gets a little sticky, it may come apart from the band, and it's tricky to pry off.

Once I've opened a jar, I throw out the lid and band and replace them with a plastic lid, which is reusable. The lids come in small or wide, 8 to a box and you can get them at a hardware store, or a big box store like Target.  I'll include a lid with the canning gifts I give, I think it will be appreciated!

Spices

Is your spice rack/cabinet/drawer a random collection of bottles, jars, tins and bags? Have you purged your spices lately? Are you still using "Italian Seasoning" from the '90's? Ground spices lose their potency, so buy smaller amounts from a bulk spice purveyor, or use whole spices when possible. You can use a microplane to grate fresh nutmeg, and a small Krups coffee grinder (labeled for spices only) to whiz up mixed spices or dry rubs for meat, etc...  It can be less expensive to buy spices in the "international foods" aisle, for example Badia brand or bagged spices from World Market versus well known McCormick.

Love Penzey's, too.  http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html

I purged, replenished and replaced over the past year. Still, my spices have been a big jumble of sizes and containers. I'd have to take 10 jars out to get to the sesame seeds or the wasabi powder, way in the back. I always kept them semi-organized though, by separating cooking and baking onto different shelves.

As I set up my new kitchen, there was one big drawer left over. Prime real estate. I didn't want it to become the catch-all, junk drawer. I have enough space here, and I will endeavor to have everything stowed logically.

I unpacked the big tub of spices, and I set up the assembly line. I found clear glass spice jars $3.99 for a set of 3 at World Market...same price for small or large. 

http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3597572


...and these nifty preprinted labels at Ace Hardware. (Who keeps a whole jar of M.S.G.??) I have a label maker for the odd spice that they don't list. The jar lids swivel around to reveal 3 sizes of sprinkling holes, and they twist off easily so I can get in there for a pinch, or use a measuring spoon.

The labels can go on the side, or top.

I'm splitting the drawer in half--one side for cooking spices and one for baking. It's great to have everything within reach, and on one level!

A Street By Any Other Name

In New York, the City is broken down into Boroughs and the outlying suburbs are broken down into Towns, or Villages. Within those neighborhoods, there are streets, parkways, avenues, lanes, etc... Sometimes homes are named, as an additional identifier to their address. In the heyday, one might have directed one's driver to drive one to "Utopia" for a white tie dinner. The location was just known. (Does anyone actually know the street address for "San Simeon" in Los Angeles, CA or "Biltmore Castle" in Asheville, NC? ) The mail's gonna get there. Sometimes the name is humorous, like "Casa Collapso" for a too-big money pit.

There are also subdivisions with names, and they evoke real or imagined levels of success, inclusion or exclusion. "The Enclave." What sign for "Nob Hill" doesn't have some kid's spraypainted "S" as a preface?

Here in Charlotte NC, acres upon acres of former farmland and mill houses are being bought up, razed and built up into subdivisions. Within them are massive homes, apartment homes and patio homes or condos and apartments. There's a bit of a glut (buyer's market!), and you wonder if the tag lines in real estate magazines and on the signs might seem a tad desperate.

*Close to Work. Close to Play. Close to Perfect.
*Experience Life in the Circle (Circle at South End)
*New Management, New Attitude. (What about the first buyers? Old Management, Bad Attitude?)
*Hip To Be Square (Elizabeth Square)
*Your Invitation to the Exceptional
*A Country Feel With Big City Convenience
*You'll Feel Right at Home in Unparalleled Elegance
*Designed With You In Mind (Me? Really?)
*We're Unique To Meet Your Needs
*Real People. Real Living.
*Discover a Lifestyle Full of Options
*Dedicated to Exceeding Your Expectations
*The Links at Citiside (Um, there is no golf at this location.)
*Living Right Just Got Easier
*Just Blocks From the YWCA Without the High Prices!
*Start Living Your Legacy Today!
*Lease It! Live It! Love It!
*Where Your Journey Ends and Your Dreams Begin.

I thought of one...
"Wheelchair Run at Colostomy Bay...You've Got Life in the Bag!"

I found my home, no fanfare, no signs or slogans, no balloons...in a subdivision that was built 8 years ago. Nice and quiet, no salesman telling me, "Well, Dale, what you're gonna love here Dale, is the clubhouse slated to be built in 2013, and Dale, the Olympic size swimming pool with a Lazy River and 2 story slide!"  I stopped listening when he told me my name three times.

And gimme a regular Road, Avenue or Lane! The street names all end in Acres, Cove, Creek, Run, Trace, Terrace, Circle, Square, Meadows, Hills, Loop, Path, Alley...  I would personally draw the line at GULCH.

I love my home, and my little neighborhood, but I do wonder why my street is called a Boulevard! It's a weighty moniker for a normal sized tree lined street, with sidewalks on either side. Boulevards are wide, multilane arterial thoroughfares with medians containing above average quality landscaping and scenery, according to Wikipedia.

In France, frequenters of Boulevards were knows as boulevardiers. I haven't seen anyone in a top hat jog past my house, but I'll keep a look out.