Zingerman’s
On my path to becoming an obsessive foodie, many books have made an impact. Julia Child’s My Life in France truly inspired me to pursue my dreams as a culinary professional. I’ve always feared starting a 2nd career but if she could do it at 37, I had no reasonable excuse. It’s a wonderful book and I found strength and excitement within the pages.
Another book that has made a huge impact on me is Zingerman’s Guide To Good Eating, by Ari Weinzweig. I cannot say enough about this book. It taught me the importance of quality ingredients, with detailed histories and recommendations about everything including balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pasta, bread and meat. Zingerman’s has an online store with many of these products, but it’s easy to shop around the web for the best prices.
If you don’t mind spending a bit on oils and vinegars, I have some recommendations for products I’ve absolutely fallen in love with:
Castello di Cacchiano Olive Oil has completely changed my expectations for olive oil. It’s unfiltered and bright green, with a grassy flavor that gives a kick of pepper on the back end. It’s perfect for dipping bread.
If you want something a bit lighter that’s more appropriate for salads, check out Maussane-les-Alpilles Olive Oil. It still has a strong flavor with a slight pepper kick, but it’s fruity and elegant. Lately I’ve taken to eating salads with olive oil and a bit of salt, no vinegar necessary!
However, if you are a fan of balsamic vinegar, you MUST try Cavalli Balsamico at some point. The price tag is hefty, to be sure, but it puts everything else to shame. Did you know that 99% of balsamic vinegars sold in grocery stores aren’t even real balsamic? Every foodie must taste the real thing at some point. Try it in risotto with real Parmigiano or on top of vanilla ice cream.
If you can’t stomach the price tag, Cavalli makes a cheaper version called Balsamic Condimento that gives you the experience of real balsamic flavor for a more reasonable price. Try it with brussels sprouts.
jen, what great tips! i did not know that the balsamic in stores is not the real deal. i’m annoyed.
speaking of balsamic vinegar, this past sunday i watched the newest iron chef eppy and it was chef simon vs. 3 culinary students and the ingredient was balsamic vinegar.
1. it made me think of you and how very soon you’ll be a student. :)
2. i’m now dying to make balsamic vinegar from scratch, if i can just find the damn recipe. i may have to wing it.
correction:
i meant i’m dying to make balsamic vinegar PASTA from scratch.
You simply MUST try the real deal. Next time I’m lucky enough to get some I’ll make sure to share! There’s a recipe in the Zingerman’s for balsamic risotto that is amazing. I forgot to mention in my post that the recipes in ZGTGE are delicious. I might have to post some.
Balsamic Vinegar…..you’ve crossed over to the dark side….welcome! :)
Marco Picci, an aceto tradizionale producer in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, mentioned it takes an initial volume of 26 gallons of grape must to yield just 1/2 gallon of aceto tradizionale after the 12 year process, which uses a set up very similar to the solera system used to make sherry or muscat.
Of course, the 24 year old extra vecchio product reduces the end product even more due to evaporation and wood absorption.
There was an Iron Chef America episode recently where Balsamic was the secret ingredient…..they were using 50 year old aceto tradizionale and it made me crazy with envy to see so much used in one dish!
In Italy, I most often saw the 12yr old tradizionale simply drizzled onto 24 or 36 month old chunked parmeggiano-reggiano. The only time I came across the extra vecchio in a restaurant it was offered as a small, 1 ounce shot, which was literally astounding.
Avanti Savoia has a nice selection of Aceto Tradizionale and extra vecchio:
http://www.avantisavoia.com/index.cfm/pageid/90/fuseaction/store6Catalog.oneCategory
Of course, it won’t be long until you get wound up into salt, if you haven’t already. Salt Traders is great…..dittos for the Ittica d’Or Sicilian Sea Salt, the only thing worthy of touching my pizza dough!
http://www.salttraders.com/Detail.bok?no=6
Looking with anticipation on your new balsamic influenced recipes and discoveries!
Wow, that’s an Iron Chef episode I’d love to watch