Enhance Summer Veggies with a Splash

 

These dog days of summer are filled with a market basket of the freshest and most flavorful vegetables that deserve a splash of the best vinegars and oils.

Take advantage of our anniversary 20% off special oils and vinegars many of which are in the store and not on the web.

Our customers tell us that Kiwi Mint Fruit Vinegar is delicious on delicate greens and enhances the flavors of the garden. Cucumber White Balsamic is also a winner.
Lambrusco Red Wine Vinegar is a favorite as is Champagne Mimosa Fruit Vinegar.

Tomatoes deserve only the best olive oils and our customers love Koroneiki Private Reserve from Greece, Picual from Spain, and the lightly smoked Arbequina from Spain too.

We have the most special oil from Italy, just outside of Rome from my friend Claire. Silver Award Winner from the New York Best Olive Oils Competition in the world, it is a blend of olives from her family estate. “Like fine wine, every vintage of extra virgin olive oil has its own unique flavors and characteristics. The October 2015 Raccoltaproduced approximately 1500 Liters of oil from 728 trees with several varieties of olives including Carboncella, Rosciola, Venina and the Tuscan Leccino. Our olives are milled locally, immediately after harvesting and no chemicals, additives or olives from elsewhere are used in the milling process.”

Comes in a beautiful tin, so perfect for traveling in checked luggage. Limited supply. You can rent out her villa too…Casale Sonnino Villa is the link. Anyone game for a trip?

We have other favorite balsamics.  The kids come into the store and love Strawberry.  Great on yogurt with fruit.  I have Blackberry in my smoothie every morning, and Blueberry is a standard as well is Peach.

For a quick dessert that everyone enjoys, we serve Elderberry Balsamic on ice cream with raspberries.  I guarantee you will love it.

I’m making this today, a recipe from the Cuisinart Food Processor Cookbook by James Beard 1976 Barbara Kafka’s Gazpacho 

1/2 sweet onion, 2 cucumbers peeled, 2 sweet green peppers seeded, 6 large tomatoes peeled, 5 garlic cloves, 1 cup tomato juice, 1/2 cup light olive oil, (like the one we sell from Lebanon) 3/4 tsp chili powder or 1 fresh chili pepper, 1 T kosher salt

With metal blade process each vegetable separately.  Transfer to a bowl and mix.  This keeps the texture each vegetable.  Process one tomato with the garlic, tomato juice, oils oil, and chili powder. Add salt to taste.  Let sit for a few hours to let the flavors meld together. Yummy!

You might think it is weird to put a picture of our oven in a blog, but we are so excited about the possibilities.  Last week Rose (from Sweet Rose Bakes) made granola and flatbreads using our oils and our customers love them.  Granola is a perfect snack to take on a plane or on the boat, and flatbread crisp with just chopped tomatoes and basil on top for a quick lunch.

We’re so thankful of the abundance we have to choose from locally…and have a few more weeks to enjoy the fruits and vegetables that have the most flavor.  Happy and healthy feasting!

Keep in touch and have fun in the sun!  And stop in or call…617-879-9980.