I was opening a new box of foil wrap last night, and it
occurred to me that perhaps not everyone is aware of a little feature that many
tube-type kitchen papers have. At each end of the carton, some will have a
push-in dot or X. Push it in, and the box holds the roll so that it doesn’t
come out when you pull on the paper! If there are none provided, you can easily
use a paring knife to cut two slits into an X on each end of the carton. Push
them into the hollow ends of the tube, and there you have it – no more popping
out of the box when you tug on the paper!
Another cool idea is circulating the Internet right now.
Use a pants hangar to hold magazines or print-outs of recipes! Clip the paper
onto the hangar and hook it over a cupboard door pull so that it’s hanging
right in front of you while you work. Brilliant. Even better than an acrylic
holder that sits on the counter since it’s easier to read at eye level.
Since I’m not affiliated with any brand of anything, I
don’t mind mentioning products from time to time. So here goes: Some of my
favorite things:
Balsamic vinegar. We all know what it’s like these days.
Used to be you would be hard put to find a bottle of balsamic vinegar in the
supermarket. If they carried it, there were usually only a couple of
brands…often imported and quite expensive. Then the fad for balsamic arrived
with the realization that the stuff can be really, really good; and now the
supermarket displays shelves and shelves of it in a confusing and dismaying
array. There are all kinds of prices, claims, ages, flavors and it’s up to you
to find a favorite.
For everyday cooking I use a fairly inexpensive type – Costco
has a decent one, plus they have nice Light and Extra Virgin olive oils at good
prices. But for dipping and exceptional salad dressings or other “gourmet”
level applications, there is but one fantastic balsamic. It’s called OMG (a
fairly recent change when the proprietor realized that “Oh My God” really
described his products) and the favored flavor is a classic aged product that
the website describes thus:
“True balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of
pressed Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes. The resulting thick syrup, called
mosto cotto in Italian, is subsequently aged for a minimum of 12 years in a
battery of seven barrels of successively smaller sizes. The casks are made of
different woods like chestnut, acacia, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash, and, in the
past, juniper. True balsamic vinegar is rich, glossy, deep brown in color and
has a complex flavor that balances the natural sweet and sour elements of the
cooked grape juice with hints of wood from the casks.”
I usually buy it when the company sets up at the local
home shows (often enough that I’m recognized.) But you can order it online if
you have no other source. At the home show, they set up a tasting bar with
their various vinegars and oils, so if you do find them in a booth you can
sample all of their offerings. (You can email to find out about their schedule
for shows.)
Thick syrup it is…thick and sweet and finger-lickin’
good. The perfect vinegar for dipping Italian Pugliese bread with its crispy
crust and dense, moist interior. (If you
can find a take-and-bake loaf, or make your own, it’s even better – nothing
beats hot crusty bread!) This is not “cheap” – expect to pay around $24 per bottle.
But it doesn’t take much to flavor anything.
Of course you want good olive oil with that. OMG makes
nice flavored olive oils, but my
favorite, and by no means expensive, is
Martini’s Extra Virgin Kalamata olive oil. It has a rich fruity earthy flavor
and heavy body and is perfect for dishes where you want that olive flavor to
come through. I use it as seasoning oil in salad dressings, sauces, pasta
dishes, and of course for dipping. You can spend a lot of money for a bottle
(and you don’t really need the private reserve) or, if you search, you can find
it at bargain prices. I just spotted a couple of listings online - $5.99 per
bottle, or $23.99 for four. I usually buy 4-6 at a time to minimize shipping
costs (there is none available locally). This makes nice gifts, too.
Now, you make a dipping bowl with the olive oil and a
puddle of vinegar in it, some hot Pugliese bread, and you have a dish fit for
royalty – or your favorite people. I like to add a bit of salt and pepper,
Italian seasoning optional as well.
For a quickie salad dressing: toss your greens and
ingredients in the olive oil, add a splash of balsamic, some salt and pepper
and a little raw sugar, and toss again to coat. (The sugar gives the oil and
vinegar a wonderful piquancy.)
A favorite salad is caprese:
Traditional recipe: Layer slices of ripe tomato, fresh
mozzarella, top with fresh basil leaves (tear larger ones), sprinkle with olive
oil, salt and pepper.
My favorite variation: Lay down a bed of torn butter
lettuce leaves or baby spinach. Add tomato slices (I like the small sweet
“compare” tomatoes, quartered),
marinated mozzarella (Costco has tubs of wonderful large-marble-sized
balls of marinated mozzarella – cut in half or so), thin-sliced pieces of sweet
onion, fresh basil leaves, then sprinkle with the Kalamata olive oil, balsamic
vinegar, salt and pepper and a little of that raw sugar for piquancy.
Mama mia! That is soooo good!
