Tag Archives: Olive Oil

January 7, 2013 · 10:00 am

Do This!: Italian Cooking Classes in Tuscany. Jet-Set to Villa Life: Eat, Drink and Be Italian!

6-Day All-Inclusive Tuscan Getaway at Villa Campestri

6-Day All-Inclusive Tuscan Getaway at Villa Campestri

Have you ever dreamed of jetting off to Italy, lounging in a Tuscan villa, inhaling the perfume of olive groves, all while sipping on a nice glass of chianti? Oh, and spending your days learning the art of Tuscan cooking and then eating your accomplishments under the Tuscan sun. Well, dream no longer. Writer, Historian and Food Authority Nancy Harmon Jenkins has planned two great trips this Spring.

Immerse Yourself in a 6-Day All-Inclusive Tuscan Cooking and Tasting Experience
March 25-31: with Chef Michele Forgione
(Montreal’s Osteria Venti)
or
April 22-28: with Chef Sara Jenkins
(NYC’s Porchetta, Porsena)
and World Famous Butcher, Dario Cecchini

Dario Cecchini Video

Learn to make pasta, focaccie and other Tuscan Specialties

Learn to make pasta, focaccie and other Tuscan Specialties

The All-Inclusive Scoop:

  • 6 nights accommodation at Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort
  • Week-long olive oil immersion focused on learning how to choose and use olive oil, harvest, production and cooking techniques, and the creation of flavor profiles
  • 3 structured extra-virgin olive oil tastings based on both excellent and defective olive oils
  • 4 cooking classes, focused on using olive oils in cooking and traditional, seasonal Tuscan cuisine with Nancy Harmon Jenkins and the Villa Campestri chef
  • Special demo and cooking class with Chef Michele Forgione (March) or Chef Sara Jenkins (April)
  • Visits to: Tuscan farmers market, cheese producer, grist mill, winery, and other related activities
  • Tuscan wine tasting with noted wine authority Burton Anderson
  • 5 lunches and 6 dinners (with vino), including two lunches at select local restaurants, one at a noted winery, and a final gala dinner at Villa Campestri
  • Transfer services within the tour itinerary
  • Guided visit to Scarperia, a town reknown for its handmade knives (its twin town is Laguiole, France!)

See Photos of Food52’s October Trip to Villa Campestri

All you need to do is get there! Pack your bags and buon viaggio!

Book March 25-31: with Chef Michele Forgione 
or
Book April 22-28: with Chef Sara Jenkins 

This Could Be All Yours!

This Could Be All Yours!…and a Nice Glass of Chianti

Or Bring Italy Home:
Homemade Fresh Mozzarella
Homemade Ricotta
Secret DiLaura Family Frittata with Sweet Italian Sausage
Homemade Gnocchi and Sauce: Channeling My Italian Grandmother
Grandma’s Italian Wedding Chicken Soup

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October 8, 2012 · 11:00 am

Fall in Love with Sardines, Save Dinner

Bela Sardines. Photo by James Ransom for Food52

Bela Sardines. Photo by James Ransom for Food52

When I was a wee little one, I remember my dad coming in from an afternoon tending to his garden and popping open a can of sardines for lunch. Curious about these little guys, I was not. Usually his offer to share a bite was met with a prompt and firm “ewwwww, no.”

It’s taken me 30 years to question why these cans of conveniently packed, flavorful little fiddies get such a bum rap. I don’t think twice when cranking a can of tuna open to save the day when I have nothing in the fridge for lunch. I recently read an article by Nicholas Day on Food52 speaking the praises of sardines — in his case because it conveniently saves dinner in a pinch for his own children. He feeds his kids sardines? This made me take pause. Well why not.

And then I was contacted by BELA Sardines to see if their cans of fresh-packed {within 8 hours of being caught and never frozen} Portuguese sardines would be something we would be interested in selling in the Food52 shop. We popped a few cans open at the office, broke out the crackers and started snacking. They were good — really, really good. Each is slightly smoked and packed in either Portuguese extra virgin olive oil or tomato sauce {4 flavors to choose from}. Beyond just the flavor, there are other reasons to love these little guys — they’re low-mercury, sustainably caught, and full of healthy fats. They are a pantry staple everyone should pile high.

I’m a convert. To be perfectly honest, I would be happy opening a can of these, pouring a nice glass of wine and calling that alone a mid-week meal. But it doesn’t take much to use them in a slightly more creative way, with still minimal effort, and have a dish to be proud of. Go ahead, give sardines a chance — you may be surprised by a new love.

Need a Little Inspiration?
Linguine with Sardines, Fennel & Tomato
Sardines, Avocado and Radish Salad with Upland Cress
Sardine Butter

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April 24, 2012 · 9:00 am

Mother’s Day Gift Idea Round-Up {or Just Delicious Things for Yourself}

Get creative this year! Instead of buying mom roses from the corner bodega at the last minute, plan ahead with these spectacularly lusty deals. There’s no better way to say I love you than with something she will savor.

BELLOCQ Tea — Evocative Artisanal Teas, Beautiful Packaging — 25% off + Free Shipping
Instead of roses:  A blend of organic lemongrass, organic lemon verbena, organic chamomile, organic lavender, organic rose petals, organic mint, organic sage, natural essence.

BELLOCQ Mother's Day Special

REMEDY QUARTERLY SUBSCRIPTION — Stories of Food + Recipes — 37% Off + Get Published!
 Instead of Hallmark:  Each issue of this small, sweet magazine is chock-full of tales, interviews, recipes, lovely illustration and typography all tied together with an evocative theme like Cravings, Stealing, or Adventure.

Remedy Quarterly All Issues

JUNE TAYLOR JAMS — Handmade Jams and Candies with Unique Flavors — 25% Off
Instead of a Potted Plant:  A Plant in a Jar. Conserves, Marmalades, Sugared Candies and Syrups fit for ice cream drizzling, Sodastream spritzing or really excellent mimosas. Flavors to drool over — Silver Lime & Rosemary, Strawberry Rhubarb Rose Geranium, Lisbon Lemon and Blood Orange —  you won’t find these anywhere else!

JuneTaylor Jams

CALIFORNIA OLIVE RANCH — Award-winning Olive Oil from Cali — 36% Off
Instead of Bubble Bath: Bathe in this duo of their best-selling varietals: the lively and fruity Arbequina and the robust and peppery Miller’s Blend.

California Olive Ranch

LA BOITE A EPICES — The spice blends Eric Ripert & Daniel Boulud Uses — 31% Off + Free Shipping
Instead of a Spicy Argument: These spice blends were created for the likes of top chefs around the world and now they are available for the home cook. With interesting blends such as N.11 Cancale — Fleur de Sel, Orange, Fennel or N.33 — MISHMISH crystallized honey, saffron, lemon, you don’t have to do much more to create perfectly flavored meal than sprinkle and pull out a pan. Use these on meat, veggies, eggs, in baking — the ideas are endless.

La Boite Spice Blends

CLUB W BOUTIQUE WINE CLUB — For the Perfect Dinner Party Wines — 50% Off + Free Shipping
Instead of Overpriced Veuve: Value Wines with a Story! Each bottle comes with a QR code that will show a brief video about the wine, flavor profile and suggested food pairings when scanned. Wines are hand-selected from boutique wine producers that you won’t find at the corner shop.

Club W Boutique Wines

Leave a comment — let me know when your mom thanks you! Happy Mother’s Day to all moms ♥

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March 30, 2012 · 10:00 am

Do This!: Italian Cooking Classes in Tuscany. Jet-Set to Villa Life: Eat, Drink and Be Italian!

6-Day All-Inclusive Tuscan Getaway at Villa Campestri

6-Day All-Inclusive Tuscan Getaway at Villa Campestri

Have you ever dreamed of jetting off to Italy, lounging in a Tuscan villa, inhaling the perfume of olive groves, all while sipping on a nice glass of chianti? Oh, and spending your days learning the art of Tuscan cooking and then eating your accomplishments under the Tuscan sun. Well, dream no longer — you have two months to find a flight and book this trip. The rest awaits you…

Immerse Yourself in a 6-Day All-Inclusive Tuscan Cooking and Tasting Experience
with Writer, Historian and Food Authority
Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Learn to make pasta, focaccie and other Tuscan Specialties

Learn to make pasta, focaccie and other Tuscan Specialties

The All-Inclusive Scoop:

  • 6 nights accommodation at Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort
  • 5 Tuscan cooking classes
  • 1 Tuscan wine tasting
  • 1 Special extra-virgin olive oil tasting
  • Visit and lunch in a Chianti Rufina (DOCG) winery
  • Guided visit to local cheese producer
  • Guided visit to Scarperia, a town reknown for its handmade knives (its twin town is Laguiole, France!)
  • Price includes all meals (including wine), travel services within the tour itinerary, service charges as well as 10% VAT

All you need to do is get there! Pack your bags and buon viaggio!

This Could Be All Yours!

This Could Be All Yours!...and a Nice Glass of Chianti

Or Bring Italy Home:
Homemade Fresh Mozzarella
Homemade Ricotta
Secret DiLaura Family Frittata with Sweet Italian Sausage
Homemade Gnocchi and Sauce: Channeling My Italian Grandmother
Grandma’s Italian Wedding Chicken Soup

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