Marabissi Italian Panforte, Not too Sweet Ingredient Treats, Ideas for the Cook and more at chefshop.com/enews EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER 5% OFF CODE panforte  Recipes | Chef's Pantries | Shop for Food & Ingredients | Food Blog A short history of Panforte A made up holiday story The quest for the Holy Grail is legendary, tied to King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, and the knights of the Rectangular Table. And though many stories abound, after extensive research on Twitter and Facebook, it seems clear that what was really happening in this famous story was in fact about food. It starts with The Traveling Nights, a singing group of the 12th century made up of, yes knights, including Lancelot. As they traveled from gig to gig, they had to have food with them to endure the long rides in the hard wheeled wagons pulled by oxen. When they arrived in Siena, they found much happiness and a round food maven, known as Guinevere, that served them a spiced bread known as Panforte, which was often eaten in a wedge as a dessert along with a hot cup of cappuccino. This special food changed two important events in history. One Italian knight changed his name and became a hermit. The other returned to the table at home and insisted on changing the long rectangular table to a round one. This action created a wedge between the King, who loved Fruitcake made in a rectangular pan, and the Knight who had fallen for his new found love, the round Panforte. This, dense, fabulous, sometimes rich spiced “bread” is sought by many the world over. The recipes are kept a secret by the Siena bakers and each one is different, yet all share the same hard to resist wonderful flavor-filled chewy “spiced” bite. Gorgeous to share and eat, like the Panettone, once you try it, it says the holidays are here! This is one of my "look forward to" holiday treats. It is not like fruitcake or panettone. It is more like the best powerbar you have ever had! With different flavors to choose from you can slice and dice to your heart's content. Satisfying and special for you and your everyone! Shop now for Panforte and get a slice of the holidays Not too Sweet Great ingredient gifts for the Chef in your life! There is a lot of sweetness in the air and on the “table” these days. But not all of us are sweet people! And sometimes a good vinegar or salt is what one needs. What we have here are some old friends and some new ones from this year. Shop now for some great ingredients not too sweet for the holidays! Flake Salt You can't go wrong with giving salt for the holidays! If I could afford it, I would use Fossil River flake salt for almost everything. It has a nice crunch for topping and finishing a plate. And you don’t need much; a pinch will give you just the right amount of salty crunch. And I love the porcelain crock! The lid lifts off as easy as pie, the mouth is wide for easy pinching and then, when you run out, you can get the refill at half the price (though the more crocks in your life the better is what they say). Shop now for Flake Sea Salt Porcelain Crock! Vinegar can be a sweet gift Kitty never lets us down. When she shows up in person or virtually (that’s figuratively in the olde days) with some food or ingredient, it always blows our minds! Our palate after a visit is never the same and is left with a wonderful everlasting memory. And this Espelt Vinagre from Kitty is mind blowing! This warm, light colored vinegar is first sweet and, as it moves to the back of the mouth, the throat gets a jolt of acid! If you are to “taste” with a little lip and tongue, there is a sweetness and a wonderful grape and peach flavor, and the acid is subtle and later. You can use it for some things or add it to everything. What a wonderful treat it is to anyone who likes to cook. What Fun! Shop now for Espelt Moscatel Wine Vinegar! My Favorite tuna - not just one, but three I live on 3 different tunas. For 3 different reasons. 1) Ortiz Tuna in the oval tin for snacks, emergency in the car starving moment, travel in the luggage, the always ready can. I don’t know how many times I have been in a “strange” location and where good food is hard to find. This flip-top can fits the bill, easy to open and not too much oil to spill. The ultimate protein snack. (on back order) 2) As Do Mar tuna is a bigger can, with firmer flesh that’s great to share with friends over pasta, in a dish or just with a fork. I love the oil and well, truth be told, it was my first great tuna that came in a can. Nostalgia. 3) Sacred Sea Albacore tuna “cooked in its own juices” with nothing added. I like to add lots of stuff when I make my tuna fish salad and this tuna is is just right. its firm flesh with no extra moisture creates perfection. And the fact that it has been found to have 60% less mercury than other canned tuna doesn’t hurt! Shop now for Tuna for the holidays! A romantic gift of garlic! Black Garlic Ketchup, it’s new and it is awesome! Every taste is fun! Even if you think you know what it is going to be like, it sure seems like every time has a new twist. This dark, very dark gourmet ketchup is nothing like the red stuff we have used our whole lives. In fact, it does not resemble anything we have had before. Though, I am thinking that the next burger I make will have this as the condiment of excellence. It is all the rage (black garlic) and is popping up everywhere. Finding the gems amongst the clutter is the key. This one from Mark is a ruby. Give the gift of garlic love with Black Garlic Ketchup! Marwanjee Poonjiajee & Sons Private LTD est 1876 We have used this curry powder forever and my Mom for even longer (98 years). Today, every time we make quinoa we add a teaspoon. Curry powder is good for so many things like rice, stews, eggs, veggies and marinades. It’s a great salt substitute since it adds so much flavorful punch. Use a little to make a change or a lot to make a statement. It should be an almost everyday addition to your meals. Sun Brand Madras Curry powder from India crosses the oceans and the borders. A great gift to someone who loves to travel with their mouth. Shop Now to spice up the holidays with Madras Curry Powder! * Kozliks Hot Traditional mustard powder Mustard powder makes that hot and nostril opening yellow mustard you get to dip your Char Siu (BBQ pork) in along with a few sesame seeds. Mix it with water and a (little) really good vinegar and you get a nice hot mustard. Though for me it is what I add to baked beans. Easy to do it adds a bite and a flavor that you don’t know is there. Take it out and the beans are flat and one dimensional. I used to think just a little goes a long way, now I think you can’t add enough and you can never have enough on hand. It's a great pantry item to always have standing by for you and yours. (I think it is Colonel Mustard in the Kitchen with the whisk.) Cut up the Mustard with Powder for almost anything. * Grinding is the best! Tellicherry Peppercorns are one of the best ways to make up for a low or no salt diet. Pepper is one of the easiest spices to add to any dish to get a little spunk on. Its punch opens up the sensors and breathes life into every bite! If you have been shaking those little flakes you get at the diner then you will be blown away by the aroma and taste of these Tellicherry Peppercorns! Grind away for real pepper! This is my all time favorite go to pepper grinder, the Pepperstick. Made on Nantucket Island. (no we don't make any money with this link) Shop here for the great Spice, Tellicherry Peppercorns! * Grate and make Along with a zyliss grater you can make every dish this holiday season festive with freshly ground Nutmeg. Add it to every drink you have (well probably not), to every bread you bake (well probably not), really any fruit, veggie and dessert you can add a sprinkle of nutmeg! (well not really) But it is really wonderful when you grate your own. It smells like Christmas! (Or at least winter.) Click here for a little bit of holiday cheer - Nutmeg * Golden Quinoa It’s so simple to make. Wash it, add to boiling water, then simmer covered, (add flavors like salt and curry powder) rest for 5 and fluff. Make enough to eat right away and more for the next couple of days. Like lentils, rice and beans, it’s good for you for so many reasons, it just takes less time and effort to make. Add your favorite flavors, like curry, lemon, garlic and onion. Really anything works, the sky is the limit! (Like rice and beans, quality, origin and type does matter.) Shop now for Easy to make Great Quinoa! * Smoked Habanero BBQ Sauce It is the hands down favorite at the shop. Try it once and the smoky BBQ hops out bringing the Habañero along with it. It’s tasty and complex with all the spices together creating ideas on how you will use it next. This Haute Sauce blends and works so nicely with others. It brings its own personality, gives some heat and opens up your thoughts (and your palate). Give or keep you can’t go wrong with this one! Shop Now for Marshall's Haute Sauces! New foods in the store to try. Open Sundays for the Holidays! Dried Harissa! For when dry is better than wet Kitchen imp Harissa Dried Spice Blend...ok so we haven’t told you about it yet, and we don’t even have a picture of it yet. But I have been using it for months now and loving it. When you want to add the essence of Harissa without the moisture then this is the ingredient you want! In fact, once you use it, you start thinking of places you never considered before! Add a little, get a lot! Shop now for Kitchen Imp spices and more! Cooking Classes for the New Year Check out the classes and grab your seat now! Give the best Gift of food! Cooking Class Gift Certificates are available. Let them choose the class and the food! ChefShop Cooking Class Store Hours - Now Open Sundays for the Holidays!! Monday thru Saturday 10AM to 6PM. Sunday Noon to 4 ChefShop.com 1425 Elliott Ave W Seattle, Wa 98119 206-286-9988 Our parking lot is north of the shop and next door (south of) Champions Party Supply. Easy open parking lot. Click here to see the map. This Week's Recipes Rice & Vegetable Salad Recipe Any short grain rice will work -- but Tamaki Haiga works especially well as it has a little extra flavor. However, you can also use a medium or long grain rice -- just remember to let the rice salad come to room temperature before serving. Hazelnut Pesto with Trofie Recipe In most pestos, although olive oil is the main ingredient, the flavor is derived mostly from the nuts. In this case, hazelnuts. For more hazelnut flavor, you can add a few drops of hazelnut oil. Nut pestos are common in the parts of Italy where nuts are grown, mainly in the north and in Sicily. This pesto is great on pasta - especially Trofie. (Use about 3/4 cup for 1 pound pasta - thin the pesto with some of the pasta cooking water if you like.) It is also good on grilled fish and meats, vegetables and especially vegetable-based soups. Ligurian Zucchini & Carrot Pasta Sauce Recipe Marcella is always where I look first for any traditional pasta recipes. Her cookbook covers most of the traditional recipes -- and always has a good story to go with. This is a great fall pleaser -- taking advantage of the early fall harvest of zucchini and carrots. Marcella recommends using spaghetti -- but we had great success with strangozzi -- another great long pasta. You will need about 1 pound of uncooked pasta for this recipe. See what you missed in previous Newsletters Eggs Sugar Almonds, Fruitcake, Bomba is Back 12 Holiday Ideas - Simple Beaufort D'Alpage, A French Cheese You Should Know ChefShop.com Toll-free: 1-800-596-0885 You've received this email because you have purchased from us or subscribed. We respect your privacy online, and will never share your email address. Help | Contact | About | Terms | Privacy Policy | Search | My Account DESIGN: JODI LUBY & COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK CITY, NY; EMAIL STRATEGY: CRM Group USA, SEATTLE, WA