Molto Risotto

 

The early days of September found me crisscrossing the landscape of Northern Italy in a small bus on an Autumn Buyer’s Tour, visiting artisanal food and wine producers, in search of rare and exceptional culinary finds to share with our Sickles customers. Each producer, farmer, or family that we visited had a compelling story to tell and a unique product to introduce.

                                                                      Early in our trip, we took a drive to the magical Po Valley in the Vercelli district of the culinary mecca, Piemonte. Our little group of five buyers and two guides paused for lunch at the charming Osteria del Vecchio Asilo, in one of the many picturesque villages in the region. We dined on course after course of remarkable dishes created from the rice grown at Cascina Veneria, the largest rice producing estate in all of Europe. Fulvio, the manager of the factory, and our gracious guide for the day, walked us through all of the courses, describing each rice dish, from rice timbale to risotto and rice pudding, all made from different varieties of grains grown on the 700 hectare property that we would soon be visiting. We were even treated to the local specialties of fried lake frogs and lake frog risotto, which I somehow managed to eat with a smile. The frogs, notwithstanding, I was impressed with the simplicity and vibrant flavor of every dish, with the texture and characteristics of the grain taking center stage, elevating the dining experience to sublime.

After a visit from Al Fabione, a local celebrity race car driver who frequented the Osteria, we said our goodbyes and set off for the Cascina, flying through the valley past lush fields of green and gold, until we arrived at the impressive rice-growing estate. Cascina Veneria is a full cycle facility, which means that everything from planting the seed to packaging the superlative product is done on site and all in environmentally- friendly fashion. All of the traditional varieties of rice are grown, such as Carnaroli and Baldo, as well as rare rice varieties of scientific and gastronomic value. We toured the pristine facilities with Fulvio, and he showed us the state-of the-art equipment, including machines that separate stones from the rice, remove the film from the grain while leaving the nutritious bran, and one that identifies and removes the off-color and broken grains of rice from the bins so that only the finest grains are packaged. The rice is even stored in vaults filled with CO2 to prevent insects from surviving in that climate.

Afterwards, our group looked over the products to see what we wanted to introduce to our customers back home. The Carnaroli rice was a must, an Extra Fine variety that won the Gold Medal at the International Rice Olympic Games in Spain (2006) and known as the Supreme Performer in the kitchen. The Carnaroli grains are well-separated, have an excellent absorption capacity and are preferred by beginning cooks and great chefs alike. Carnaroli is ideal for making risotto and Martha Stewart’s Buttternut Squash Risotto is perfectly suited to this rice variety. Baldo rice is the creamiest of the rice varieties and is a relative newcomer in the Extra Fine category. It is actually derived from Arborio, and has translucent, compact grains with an excellent absorption capacity as well. It will make a creamier risotto, and is particularly suited to baked rice dishes, or as an accompaniment to fish or vegetables. Baldo rice would make this Caramelized Rice Pudding extra creamy and unctuous. I also chose Vialone Nano, a special rice from Northeastern Italy with a lovely smooth, light consistency. The small, rounded grains are very compact and work quite well in soups or in a rice salad.

I was also enamored with the Risotto Collection, which come in a variety of flavors, including Mediterranean Vegetable, Artichoke and Porcini Mushroom. When you are in the mood for a bowl of rich, creamy Italian risotto, this is the ultimo! Cascina Veneria starts with the Carnaroli rice and then expertly blends specially selected vegetables and the perfect combination of herbs and spices to create a risotto that only needs the addition of a little olive oil and water. I love this very easy, yet authentic risotto!

After a whirlwind week of meeting talented artisan producers and farmers and tasting their fine products, I returned home to await delivery of all of the treasures discovered abroad. As of this writing, the Cascina Veneria rice and all of the other Italian foods are finally here and making their way onto the shelves at Sickles Market. You’ll even find some soon in the new on-line store! Come by and try some of them for yourself!

Ciao!
Cheri Scolari

St. Lucia Food 1-3

When Sickles' Staffer Julie Dickerson went on vacation to St. Lucia, she decided to investigate the full cycle of food on the island. In the upcoming videos, she'll film gourmet chef and restaurant reviewer Laura Donnelly working with St. Lucian Chef Pamela to make a delicious meal from both Sickles' products and St. Lucian products.  In the third video, she captures them reviewing informally the Sickles' products used in the dinner.

John's Guide to Winter Citrus

Don't miss out on the season's best citrus tastes!

1. Honeybell Tangelos: a delectable combination of tangerines and grapefruits hailing from the state of Florida.  Taste their refreshing flavor at our sample table in the produce area.  You'll need a bib they're so juicy!

2. Pummelos: our weekly special from California, it looks even bigger than a grapefruit.  Big taste.

3. Yellow Nectarines: if you want a taste of summer, bite into these nectarines now in season from Chile.  Just as good as the Jersey grown version.

4. Satsuma Mandarin Orange: this golden treasure won John's opinion for "best tasting fruit right now".  Look for his signs to catch what's the tastiest each season.

5. Yellow Peaches: bring back those warm weather memories with these peaches from Chile.  Sometimes things are just peaches and cream...

6.  Blood Oranges: add a vibrant color to your table and your taste buds.  Treat yourself.

And don't forget our faithful standby, the California Navel Oranges in season for another 1-2 months.  They're plump, juicy, beautiful, and good for you!  Almost too good to be true.

Kids in the Kitchen



http://www.ellaskitchen.com/

I’m a culinary free agent. Unmarried and without kids, I usually don’t have to worry about cooking for anyone but myself. This doesn’t mean, however, that I blissfully ignore kids and what they eat. In fact, this is an issue that greatly concerns me.

The diminishing level of culinary literacy among kids (and their parents) has arguably led to the health crisis that we are facing today, namely childhood obesity and diabetes. Without a solid knowledge of what goes into the foods they eat--knowledge that comes from understanding the basics of cooking--kids can’t make wise dietary choices, a situation which too frequently leads to poor health. If the kids of today lack the skills to cook, the children of tomorrow will as well, and this will just compound the current health crisis.

It’s not just personal health that will be compromised, but also the welfare of the planet. Without the ability to prepare meals for themselves when they become adults, kids will have to rely on processed, packaged foods. These items may be cheap and convenient, but they have grave environmental costs. To ensure low prices, food processors demand overly efficient farming methods that consume large amounts of fossil fuels, pollute ground water, and compromise biodiversity.

And there’s also a loss of culture. Parents inculcate familial and ethnic identities in the next generation through food. For me, that meant roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for Sunday dinner. For the Italian family next door, it could be Sunday gravy. For the hippies down the street, it could be tofu and brown rice. What happens when the generations lose the knowledge of these special, identifying dishes? Are we all going to be homogenized through a shared diet of fast food?

So, what to do? How to develop culinary literacy?

First, it’s important to introduce the children in your life to healthful dietary choices, which means, for the most part, foods that are minimally processed. The journalist Michael Pollan, has clever, succinct ways to measure this in his book, Food Rules: “Avoid food products that  contain ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce” and “avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients.” Sickles can definitely help in this department with its exceptional selection of fresh produce, grains, yogurts of all kinds, artisanal cheeses, wholesome breads, preserved fruits and vegetables, etc. Even its processed foods aren’t off the mark. Take, for example, Ella’s Kitchen, which is available in the market and on Sickles’ on-line store. This brand’s baby food contains organic fruits and vegetables, “with nothing else added, not even water.”

Next, get kids cooking. There are plenty of ways you can do this. First, show by example by making as many of your own meals as possible, with minimally processed foods. Next, get kids in the kitchen. If you yourself are uncomfortable cooking, there are plenty of kid-friendly programs that will show the way. For instance the first Kids Food Fest is happening this weekend (January 21-22). Co-founded by a pal of mine from NYU’s master’s program in food studies, this impressive and fun two-day event at Bryant Park will have plenty of hands-on events and cooking demos, with some big NYC-based chefs, that are geared to promote sensible food choices and generate demand for wholesome and balanced food options. A percentage of the proceeds raised will go to Share Our Strength. Keep an eye on the Monmouth County Library’s Web site; on Sunday, March 4, they are organizing a day-long program about food that is geared for whole families.

I know that this soapbox may be an inappropriate place for me to stand since I myself don’t have kids. I don’t know what it’s like to have kids screaming for food and then rejecting the wholesome meal that you have conscientiously prepared or bought, but I do know that if we don’t get kids cooking or thinking about what they are eating, we are in for crisis.

Get kids cooking!

Diana the cheesemonger

The Year of the Fig

Being a California gal, my heart still leaps when I watch the most cherished of California traditions:  The New Year’s Day Rose Bowl Parade. When I see the intricately designed floats and festooned performers winding their way through the streets of Pasadena, I know that the old has passed away and the New Year has officially arrived in full fanfare.  Other things remind me of my earlier days in California as well:   The heady, herbal scent of eucalyptus trees, golden fields of mustard on the rolling hills, and gnarled fig trees offering their plump, ripe fruit on bony finger-like branches.  Figs are about as California as you can get.  They were brought to San Diego in 1769 by the Franciscan missionaries and soon migrated up the coast until they were growing as far north as Sonoma by the turn of the century.  The dark purple Mission Fig is the most common variety grown in California and it gets its name from this historical past.

Figs not only remind me of my California birthplace, they are a very significant fruit in my Armenian heritage as well.  Although it is supposed that figs originated in ancient southern Arabia, the edible fig was first cultivated extensively in Mesopotamia, Persia and Armenia.  My grand-parents had an old fig tree on their farm and a plate of dried figs could often be found on the coffee table along with walnuts and raisins.  To this day, my mother makes the best fig jam I have ever tasted. Figs find their way into many recipes in the Mediterranean part of the world and have been appreciated for all of their healthful benefits.  In early writings of the historical author Pliny the Younger (61-112AD), it was noted: “Figs are restorative.  They increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles.”  I am not convinced about the power to reduce wrinkles but figs are very high in dietary fiber and rich in antioxidants, more than red wine or tea.

Bob Sickles shares my love for figs, so when he and Leslie visited Southern Italy on a buying trip this past September he made it a priority to stop in Cosenza, in the region of Calabria.  Some of the sweetest, highest quality figs in the world are found in the hills of Cosenza.   Here they met the Rao brothers, Franco and Antonio, who carry on a family tradition of more than 50 years, turning the local Dotatto or White Kadota figs into mouth-watering delicacies.  Bob and Leslie toured the factory, the Dolci Pensieri di Calabria, where they watched the step-by-step production of the Rao brothers’ signature specialty:  A unique fig ball.  The fresh figs are initially dried on mats, roasted for 6 hours until caramelized, hand pressed into balls and then finally wrapped in fresh fig leaves.  To eat, you just unfurl the leaves to reveal the dark, gleaming, caramelized figs.  We sell these unusual fig balls in Sickles Market Cheese Department where I have served the figs with aged pecorino cheese and almonds, but they would also pair beautifully with gorgonzola and a drizzle of honey.

Another very enjoyable way to eat the prized Dotatto figs is in the form of “salami.”  At the Dolci Pensieri, the brothers mix the dried figs with spices, nuts and rum (and plenty of it!), mold the figs into a salami shape, dip the fig “salami” in dark chocolate and finally cover the finished product with netting like real salami. Served in slices, this confection is a rich accompaniment to cheese or delicious on its own with a glass of sweet moscato wine.

Fig preserves are one of my favorite ways to eat figs, especially Villa Capelli’s version with a hint of vanilla and lemon.  Mitica also imports a chunky fig spread from Spain, sweetened only with lemon flower honey. I like to keep these jars handy in the cupboard to serve as a quick appetizer with a wedge of goat brie or a slice of Ossau Iraty, the Basque sheep’s milk cheese that won the 2011 World Cheese Awards.

However figs find their way onto your table, I hope that you enjoy all of their delicious and healthful benefits and have a healthy Happy New Year!

Enjoy!

Cheri The Cheesemonger

A Resolution to Embrace the Madness of the Holidays

Down in the kitchen, making a very necessary cup of coffee before setting off on a day of errands, my mother declared, “If it weren’t for Christmas, I would just stay in bed and hibernate.”

When the days become miserably short and cold, most of us would happily snuggle under the covers rather than rise and face the day. Forcing us to get out of bed, however, and race around are the winter holidays and the endless to-do list that they generate. There are gifts to be bought and wrapped, food to be prepared, cards to be sent, trees to be decorated, menorahs to be set up, living quarters to be cleaned, tablecloths to be pressed, and countless other tasks to be preformed.

Often, at the height of juggling the obligations and expectations of the holidays, we curse them, wishing for them to be over or vowing to make them more simple the following year--fewer presents, fewer people, less food, more time in pajamas.

I, however, relish the rush of the holidays, and am now sad that they have come and gone. Despite being short on sleep and patience in the days leading up to Christmas, as I try to jam everything into a busy schedule, I encourage myself to embrace the demands of the season, reminding myself that it happens but once a year. For us all, if we don’t dive right in, letting the craziness rush over us, almost drowning us, then this special time of year vanishes and we are left with the regret that we didn’t do more. Or we might still be lying in bed, awaiting spring and missing out.

The chief way by which I try to maximize the joys of the demanding holidays is to maintain a series of traditions, chiefly food based. These are not ones that my family has kept for years, but ones that I have adopted over the past decade or so to ensure that December 25 is not just another cold winter's day to suffer through.

Here is what I aim to do each year. Not until December 1, do I allow myself to replace autumnal decorations of winter squash with homemade pomanders, fresh oranges studded with cloves, and gingerbread men, hung from windows and doorways at home. During the next few weeks, I put the finishing touches on goody bags that I distribute to friends on my birthday on December 23. For the past few years, they have contained Italian mincemeat cookies, strips of candied orange peel, and a cordial or cocktail (see my blog from October 2010).  

And then the holidays begin. For the winter solstice, I take a walk at sunrise or sunset to mark the shortest day of the year and bake lussekatter, Swedish saffron buns eaten on Saint Lucy’s Day. The next day is my birthday and I bake myself a cake (this year it was chocolate stout) and distribute those goody bags. The menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas change a bit every year, but there are some constants: celery bisque with Stilton toasts or slick and garlicky vermicelli with raisins and pine nuts to start the meal on the 24th and a layered green and red polenta torta as my main vegetarian meal at Christmas. Since I come from an English family, we like to have friends over for Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. We don’t go to a great fuss with food to keep things easy, but I do make a boozy Jamaican black cake and glögg, Swedish mulled wine.

These traditions certainly do require time and effort and hours that I could be sleeping. What helps ease things a bit is keeping a binder full of the recipes that I return to each year, along with notes about how the dishes turned out the previous year. In the binder, I also insert recipes that I come across during the course of the year that I would like to try during the next round of holidays. This means that I don’t have to add extra stress, trying to find the recipes from the previous year or rack my brain thinking what to cook.

At this time of making new year's resolutions, I suggest buying a binder and printing out recipes and ideas that you would like to try in December 2012 and then allowing yourself to embrace the madness that brings a cheerful light to the dark days of winter. There's plenty of winter remaining after the holidays to hibernate! 

Happy New Year!

Diana Pittet, the sometimes organized cheesemonger