Cooking
- Savory Yogurt Recipes
I enjoy Greek yogurt and have been eating a lot of it lately. But I’ve also been cutting back on sugar. While fruit, granola, jam or honey are classic toppings for yogurt, I’ve been wanting to take yogurt in another direction. Since I tend to favor...
- Pomora Adopt An Olive Tree, Carnivore Club + Giveaway!
Mother's Day and Father's Day are coming up and if your parents are anything like mine, they don’t need more “stuff.” I’m not saying you should skip giving them presents, but you might want to consider focusing on something consumable....
- Finishing Oils
There are cooking oils, and then there are finishing oils. Finishing oils are used as a condiment, to finish a dish. They add flavor and texture and generally a little goes a long way. Use finishing oils on salads, pasta, pesto, vegetables and grilled...
- Cinco Jotas Jamon Iberico
One of the most iconic and exceptional specialty foods of Spain is jamon de bellota, Iberian cured ham from acorn fed pure bred pigs, pata negra. It's intensely flavored and served in thin slices that are glossy, deep red, silky tender and...
- Food Events At Cody's
Upcoming food book events at Cody's bookstore in Berkeley. Friday, November 1 JUDY RODGERS talks about THE ZUNI CAFÉ COOKBOOK. Subtitled “A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved...
Cooking
Olive Oil from Spain
Next week I'll be in Spain, tasting the gourmet food and wines of the Basque region, then heading out into the country to visit wineries, a cheese maker and a fish cannery, finally ending in Madrid. But while I'll be indulging in all things Spanish, you can get a taste too.
Olive Oil from Spain is highlighting different olive oil varietals during Olive OIl from Spain Restaurant Week from November 12 -18, 2012 here in San Francisco. Of course Spanish olive oils are not just used in Spanish cooking so in addition to Contigo and Canela, Atelier Crenn is also creating special dishes, inspired by the four most popular Spanish olive oil varietals, picual, hojiblanca, arbequina and cornicabra.
I highly recommend dining at Contigo, I've loved it since day one. I celebrated a birthday at Atelier Crenn earlier this year and was really wowed by the experience, from the food through the service and wines. I've only been to Canela once, and it was right after it opened. It was a bit hit or miss, but it was early days. You can also find Spanish olive oils at local Draegers, Mollie Stone's or Whole Foods.
I got a chance to try each of the varietals, which are often featured in blends so I really didn't know what each tasted like on it's own. Here are my tasting notes:
Arbequina
- Buttery, mild, with a bite on the finish
Drizzle on raw or cooked vegetables and grilled dish, not recommended for cooking
Cornicabra
- Pungent and bright, fruity
Use with warm salads, cooked vegetables and sauces such as mayonnaise
Hojiblanca
- Mild, sweet, creamy and smooth
Recommended for frying and in making bread, pasta and pastries
Picual
- Grassy, notes of hay
Best used for frying also it was suggested paired with orange and chocolate
I also got a sneak peek at the dishes that will be served at Atelier Crenn. As you might expect the dishes that chef Dominique Crenn created were wildly creative, beautiful and exciting.
Clockwise: Hamachi, caviar, beet gelee and celery sorbet, Tomato, olive rock and chèvre, Squab, sunchoke and huckleberry, Fallen olive dessert
Courtesy of Olive Oil from Spain, here are some very cool ideas for ways to use olive oil you might not have considered:
* For a fast appetizer, pour it over fresh chevre or feta cheese with some pepper flakes and chopped herbs.
* Use instead of mayonnaise in your egg salad sandwich or deviled eggs.
* Dress up chocolate ice cream by scooping into small rounds and placing them atop a small pool of olive oil. Sprinkle with Maldon salt.
* Mix with honey and orange juice. Serve over chilled orange slices with julienned mint.
* Toss on popcorn with a little salt and hot or sweet pimentón for Spanish-style popcorn. Goes especially well with Almodóvar films.
- Savory Yogurt Recipes
I enjoy Greek yogurt and have been eating a lot of it lately. But I’ve also been cutting back on sugar. While fruit, granola, jam or honey are classic toppings for yogurt, I’ve been wanting to take yogurt in another direction. Since I tend to favor...
- Pomora Adopt An Olive Tree, Carnivore Club + Giveaway!
Mother's Day and Father's Day are coming up and if your parents are anything like mine, they don’t need more “stuff.” I’m not saying you should skip giving them presents, but you might want to consider focusing on something consumable....
- Finishing Oils
There are cooking oils, and then there are finishing oils. Finishing oils are used as a condiment, to finish a dish. They add flavor and texture and generally a little goes a long way. Use finishing oils on salads, pasta, pesto, vegetables and grilled...
- Cinco Jotas Jamon Iberico
One of the most iconic and exceptional specialty foods of Spain is jamon de bellota, Iberian cured ham from acorn fed pure bred pigs, pata negra. It's intensely flavored and served in thin slices that are glossy, deep red, silky tender and...
- Food Events At Cody's
Upcoming food book events at Cody's bookstore in Berkeley. Friday, November 1 JUDY RODGERS talks about THE ZUNI CAFÉ COOKBOOK. Subtitled “A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco’s Beloved...