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Basic Sponge, Hot Stuff, Sweet, Milk, Spiced Chicken Recipe and more at chefshop.com/enews |
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| Recipes | Chef's Pantries | Shop for Food & Ingredients | Food Blog |
Stuffed olives A super short history of... Ever wonder how (or why, for that matter) pimentons end up inside a little pitted olive? Some say these little cherry peppers were grown just to be stuffed into olives. The fact is that is not true. In the foggy history of food, the French were the first to stuff the olives with pimentons in the 1700s. Originally, little slivers of pimentos were manually “fingered” into the pitted olives. Then in 1962, or thereabouts, the automatic slicing, pitting and olive-stuffing machine was invented by Sadrym in Spain. And shortly thereafter anchovies, blue cheese, habanero, piquillos and lemons followed. And now some people cannot live without their stuffed olives at 4pm everyday. Even if you are not a martini drinker, these olives pair perfectly with cured meats and cheese! Or just plain by themselves. Clearly who was the first to stuff isn’t important! Just think stuffed and you will be happy! Shop now for Stuffed Olives! |
The basic Victoria Sponge Cake Easy Recipe How is a sponge different from than, well, cake? A sponge has eggs, flour, salt and sugar, and technically nothing else. Though baking powder seems to be part of a good English sponge, as well as some fat like butter. Other cakes use both baking soda and baking powder, making them different from a sponge. It just might be the technique that makes a good sponge. Click the link for the recipe to see some of the ideas to make a better cake. Click here to see the Basic Victoria Sponge Recipe! Shop now for all kinds of flour for your next sponge! Shop now for all kinds of sweetness - Sugar! |
Vanilla Paste 2X from Heilala! Heilala vanilla paste is made by reintroducing Vanilla seeds to Heilala's 2x Vanilla Extract, and adding a natural seaweed thickener to produce a paste consistency. It's a very useful, economical, and convenient product when you require both, the full flavor and appearance of the Vanilla seeds. This product eliminates the hassle of splitting and scraping! There are about 20 pods in approximately 4 oz of vanilla paste. Double fold Paste has 21% alcohol. By using a whey alcohol, this ethanol has no allergens, and is free from dairy and wheat. And has a less offensive alcohol odor. A wonderful surprise!! "I had never heard of vanilla paste but when the shop was out of my regular extract I decided to give it a try! It was a great addition to my pantry - fantastic when I want the appearance of the vanilla seeds and I think it made an amazing difference using it in my cream cheese frosting and homemade ice cream." -- katherine Shop for Heilala Vanilla Paste 2X! |
Murakami Syouten Kokuto Sugarcane from Hateruma Island Perhaps the most lovely sugar in the world available today. This sugar is from the southernmost island in the chain of over 150 islands in Okinawa Prefecture, south of the mainland of Japan. Hateruma Island is, as a crow flies, 2,006 kilometers (1,246 miles) south of Tokyo and 247 kilometers (153 miles) to the east of Taipei. This small island is just 1270 hectares (3138 acres), or 4.9 square miles. In comparison, Orcas Island is 11.69 times larger. The only way to get to the island is via a 60 minute fast boat. If the seas are too rough you can take the cargo ferry, leaving at 9, taking 2.5 hours. The island is a destination for holiday makers and is known for its relaxing island life. It is also here that this very special brown sugar is made. Unlike many brown sugars (made by mixing white sugar with molasses), Kokuto (rich black sugar) is made by slowly cooking and reducing the sugarcane juice. Sugarcane is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Antioxidant rich, it is a fighter of infections and helps strengthen your immune system. It is rich in calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins B1 & B2 and essential amino acids. Potassium helps excrete excess sodium and keeps the blood pressure balanced. Calcium is know for preventing high blood pressure, arterial sclerosis, and helping you keep calm. Kokuto can help with dehydration, infections, and can even help fight a fever. Keep in mind that processed white sugar cane is not the same and can have the opposite health benefits. Kokuto dates back to the 17th century and now is a protected process by the Okinawa Prefecture Brown Sugar Industry Council ensuring the quality and production methods are used. Just seven of the islands grow sugar cane. To taste Kokuto is nothing like a spoonful of sugar or a cube of table sugar. To taste Kokuto is like an awakening! It is not sweet like you expect from sugar. It is almost savory, with hints of molasses, earthy tones, and even a rich subtle touch of tobacco on the top of the edge of the back of the tongue. It is full of complexities with many flavor hits and hints. It is most often used for savory dishes like noodle soups, stir-fry, hot pots and sushi rice. And of course straight up, like a health pill of sugar. How great is this? Pop some sugar and get healthy! Delicious, Unique Specialized Sugar "I've not yet tried to cook with this sugar - specifically in savory dishes. However, straight out of the bag it is a special experience - very gratifying and refined in its flavors. Sometimes I'll pick out a small "pebble" of the sugar to have a treat. Yes, the flavors are complex and surprising - just as the description says. It's a bit pricey, but considering how labor intensive and specialized it is to make, well worth the cost." -- maryanne Shop here for Kokuto Murakami Syouten Crushed Brown Sugar from Hateruma Island! |
San Giacomo Agro di Mosto! This balsamic-like vinegar is balsamic in it's early stages. Not viscously thin like young balsamics that are 6 years old, but much richer, thicker, and sweeter than its early age would have you think. A hint of what lies ahead, this is a treat on its own and as a wonderful everyday vinegar that is pulled before it is certified as a thick balsamic vinegar. Priced to be used liberally, per ml, this is the lowest priced balsamic vinegar we have! Don't be fooled, this is one place where price is not a reflection of quality, but a mirror of quality extracted from that for which all of San Giacomo products are. Extracted early in the balsamic-making process, Agro di Mosto is only 2-3 years old. It is truly amazing how sophisticated this bottle is given it's early age. This is filled from the same battery of barrels on its way to becoming San Giacomo Balsamic, and then Essenza, a truly sophisticated Balsamic, and finally a Tradizionale. This is the sleeper of quality "I can't stress enough that this is one spectacular Balsamic Vinegar. Not only is the price the lowest per milliliter, it can be used for everything! Though it's young in age, its roots are long and thus making a wonderful flavor and sophistication that you don't see normally until a barrel aged balsamic gets until it is 9 years old. You won't find something equivalent, age, size, price per ml, for the taste from any other producer we know of." -- cte Shop now for San Giacomo Agro di Mosto! |
Curried Carrot Soup Recipe! Shauna Ahern, The Gluten-Free Girl, is an amazing person, an amazing writer, and an amazing cook. Add to that, a very talented husband chef, and you have a winning combination, and a great book. Adapted from A Gluten-Free Girl, by Shauna James Ahern. Check out the Curried Carrot Soup Recipe! |
Buy 2 cans For the price of 1. It always sounds good, buy one get one free. Or get 2 cans for the price of 1. A fruit or drupe, this nut is not a nut and not nearly as dangerous as one is led to believe. Contrary to popular belief, these nuts are not deadly. As the common saying goes “If the fall doesn't hurt you, you'll be better for it.“ Just a few hundred people a year die from coconuts falling on their head worldwide, so one is reasonably safe unless there's a coconut tree nearby. Coconut milk and water, on the other hand, have been touted recently as exponentially, unbelievably very fabulous for you. We don't know about that, but we do know that the Ayam coconut milk that we use is indeed fabulous! Consisting of just two ingredients: coconut kernel extract and water. That's it. Filled with lots of B vitamins and other good stuff, coconut milk is a versatile and surprisingly useful ingredient to have in your pantry. Not only is Ayam coconut milk useful for desserts such as coconut cream pie, coconut cupcakes, coconut hot white chocolate, and of course coconut ice cream. It’s also a wonderful ingredient in savory dishes. Think of a Thai Curry for your shrimp or a coconut rice (use coconut milk to cook the rice) or a wonderful curry garlic pepper milk sauce for your fresh fish! We taste-tested all the coconut milks we could find at the grocery store, and this one is by far the best of the bunch. Not a solid paste, real coconut flavor, and no guar gum or sugar added. The next best thing to shredding and squeezing your own. From the brand that Thai cooks depend on - Ayam. Shop now for this super Coconut Milk that's like a cream! |
Les Terroirs de Marrakech Olive Oil With three ticks of the clock, the burn sets in and three coughs later you know you have an oil. A full feel, the tip of the tongue gets this great olive taste, almost as if you are eating the olive from which it came. I love the feel of this Moroccan olive oil. Delightfully full of flavor, yet so clean the oil evaporates leaving a wonderful memory. Les Terroirs de Marrakech Olive Oil is another superior Moroccan olive oil from the Aqallal family. Pressed from 100% Picholine du Languedoc olives grown in century old groves originally planted by Baron Rothschild. The Aqallal family has been producing Moroccan olive oil in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains since 1887, winning more awards and press mentions than any other producer in the region along the way, including Travel + Leisure, Saveur, London’s Great Taste Gold, Los Angeles Olive Oil Competition Gold Medal. All the olive work is done on the estate, from cultivation and harvest to bottling and packaging. Les Terroirs de Marrakech olive oil has a very low acidity level of between 0.1 and 0.2 percent. This a very sweet and delicate style of oil with a good burst of pepper. This is an attractive and gently complex oil with a really sweet finish. Use it for general cooking, but particularly for desserts and baking. A perfect all-around oil. Perfect finishing oil "I love the smooth flavor of this oil - for any recipe where we are making a dressing or other uncooked use of oil it's the one I always reach for. The bottle is also very attractive and I've gifted it several times and always had rave reviews. Thanks to Chef Shop for educating me on the difference a good olive oil makes!" -- katherine Shop now for Les Terroirs De Marrakech Olive Oil! |
What is Chermoula?! Though there is not a lick of meat in here, the instant memories evoked are of every great smoked, grilled or BBQ protein you have ever had! What a masterpiece of delicious flavor! And as your flavor mind comes up with a zillion ideas of what to do, your confidence soars and you feel perfectly in control of your next masterpiece! To the nose, Moroccan chermoula reminds me of an olive tapenade with a twitch of tomato and a myriad of spices including cumin. And to the mouth, wow, it is not what you expect. The spices mix together, and to your palate, the cumin and the paprika stand up. On the outside of the inner walls of your mouth is the garlic. With a smoothness of a delicious sauce there is the preserved lemon that is just right, providing a little chew. Complexity revolves in your mouth, but the finish is complete & simple! Think tomato as the carrier or support, then the olive oil washes through with the olive flavor bringing with it the cumin & paprika. And topping it all, like any good herb, parsley and cilantro open up and bring the garden. The preserved lemon is identifiable, yet not overpowering at all! What a mix! As the flavor finishes, you feel like you are eating all of Morocco in one spoonful! Easy to use and spoon ready! What is Chermoula? So many things and its uses vary from a marinade, to a sauce, to a dip. Every cook, chef, home, and region has its own version in North Africa. The most common recipe in the big cookbook in the clouds will be with cilantro and parsley as the main vehicle. And along with key spices, cumin and paprika, the variations abound. Mehdi of Villa Jerarda is based around the ever perfect tomato, melding the flavors of Morocco and packing it all into one jar. With Moroccan roots, it is full of flavorful fun, not spicy and not offensive at all! One taste and it will remind you of some dish you’ve had before. Chermoula evokes the best from your fish dish, pimp up your next Pil-Pil shrimp recipe, or simply join hands with your favorite tuna fish sandwich! Add it to your favorite vegetable tangine or dip your cold veggies! It is so easy to use! Shop now for Villa Jerada Chermoula! |
Chili Flakes From Peru Do you have pepper flakes, like the ones you sprinkle at the local pizza parlor, taken the road that ground pepper already has? Ground pepper in a table shaker seems like a token gesture of something. I wonder if those who have only shaken pepper from a shaker wonder why there is such a rage about freshly ground Tellicherry peppercorns. Well, you know, although chili pepper flakes in the packet have more punch than the typical pepper shaker, those chili flakes are nothing like the good stuff! Stop and smell the chili flakes! Life is too short to just get hot! It’s worth it to take the time to take a big whiff of these chili flakes! They smell great! Fabulous heat that explodes the flavors in your mouth, without the total meltdown of your sensory system! The way hot should be! These Peruvian chili’s are picked-at-their-peak and then carefully ground into flakes to retain their exquisite flavor and pungent qualities. Shop now for Organic Aji Chili Flakes! |
Scoville Heat Units: 500 Anji Panka! The Aji Panka is the mildest of the three, I would still caution you as you take your first whiff. It might be best to let the smell drift into your nostrils. At first, it will seem like the other chili pepper flakes you've recently had, yet there is more. The aroma has layers, the first layer is familiar, perhaps it is the combination of all the smells, and there is a deep tone, a dark, rich red feel, as if it is the base and a bit earthy. And there is the middle layer, swirly, as it rotates around, the one that tickles the most and then the top layer has some nice citrusy notes. Use the Aji Panka with abandon for lots and lots of heat (as hot goes the panka is mild, 500 SHU) or use sparingly for a nice, deep flavor twist to spice it up. Shop now for Peruvian Anji Panka Chili Flakes! |
Scoville Heat Units: 15,000 to 30,000 Aji Amarillo Yellow Chili Flakes! Yellow chili flakes. Also known as Kellu Uchu in Peru (15,000 - 30,000 SHU). This yellow flake has some tingly in the top hairs of your nostrils. There is a tiny hint, a poke, of citrus if you whiff closely. Great for soups and stir-fry, it is a good way to add a little heat to any dish without it blowing your head off. The Aji Amarillo heat is good but doesn’t linger longer leaving you with a pleasant citrus feeling. Shop now for Peruvian Aji Amarillo Yellow Chili Flakes! |
Marionberry Habanero Marionberry Habanero fruit spread is just like Marionberry jam but with a spicy twist. The Habanero is hidden away amongst the fruit of the Marionberry. You know the pepper is there but it doesn’t jump out and say, "I’m here". I like that. Acting like a jam on toast, it is well suited for pairing with cheese or as a dip for your next order of egg rolls. It may be the perfect marriage as a glaze on a pork chop or a topping on a pork sandwich! Think of it as a filling in a cookie, a spread on ham, with sour cream on your next baked potato, or just a bagel and cream cheese sandwich! It’s an ingredient that’s worth spreading around! Sweet, subtle heat and lovely flavor! "I grabbed a jar of this on a whim and it is delicious! Pairs wonderfully with soft, funky cheese for charcuterie. Goes great as a filling layer with chocolate cake or swirled into my favorite orange cake batter before baking. Really yummy to make Dorie Greenspan's jammer cookies with this. I've ordered another jar for a gift and will be restocking my own pantry when I run out." -- kristin Shop now for Oregon Growers Marionberry Habanero Spread! |
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Shawarma Spiced Chicken with Tahini Sauce Recipe This is an easy chicken-based version of the Turkish street food usually cooked on a rotating spit. It's perfect served over couscous or accompanied by Toasted Millet Tabouli. A great idea for a weeknight meal, just make sure to marinade your chicken in the morning to have it ready for dinner! See the Shawarma Spiced Chicken with Tahini Sauce Recipe here! |
Shawarma Spice Blend! Shawarma is old. So old no one really knows when and where it started. Variations abound today, perhaps spread around by the Turkish-Ottoman empire. Using a spit grilling technique, a spinning combination of lamb and veal for which slices of meat are taken off as needed and cooked. Villa Jerada has created the "ambience" of the Shawarma dish thru a collection of spices. Use on grilled meats, chickpeas, or mix in with yogurt. We tested it with oil and popped popcorn. It was divine! Shop now for Shawarma Spice Blend! |
ChefShop Cocoa Powder! You can never have enough cocoa powder in your pantry! Stock up now for the fall season. Best Cocoa on the Planet! "I have been using this exclusively for years now. I have a 'secret' brownie recipe that I make with this cocoa, syrup made from the cocoa and only the best ingredients. Everyone goes ga-ga over them. Syrup - so easy to make - anything that calls for cocoa I use this. Sometimes I mix just a touch into my coffee for a treat. If you have not tried this yet you need to. You WILL NOT be disappointed!!!" -- ellie Shop now for Cocoa Powder! |
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Last week's #1 seller! Artichoke Hearts!! On a bright sunny day as I look South to Mount Rainier, I wallow in self-pity because I cannot find the words to put down on paper about my hearts. And I realized there are visual similarities to the heart and Mount Rainier. With the bottom up and the leaves splayed out it is indeed like Mount Rainier! Now I am not talking about the throbbing thing in your chest (and sometimes in your throat), I am referencing the heart of the artichoke from Puglia. Known as Romana Style Artichokes. Artichoke Heart; a heart babied in olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and spices. Almost always the "chokes" you get in the jar or tin can are a variation of these. This is where the olive oil, the wine vinegar, and the chosen spices make a difference! And the artichoke itself is also an important factor in the end result. Now, a true confession, I really do like the artichoke in a jar thing. So much that I am willing to forget that the last big jar I got from a warehouse store was not very good and I still manage to buy a two-pack every once in a while. The real trouble with getting those giant jars is that the chokes are mostly hard, the leaves often un-chewable and the oil is gross and oily...good oil is not oily. These Roman style from Puglia are none of those things. They are soft, have a wonderful flavor and are interesting and pretty much a pleasure in the mouth. Often a recipe will have you slice them up into smaller pieces or dice up, and this makes sense. On the other hand, if you’re like me, cutting them up a little bit for visual reasons works as well. Or just eat them whole right out of the jar when no one is looking. Like drinking from the milk carton. To the bite, it is soft, with just the right resistance, a gentle soft crunch. The leaves and the heart have their own bite and marry well together. The flavor is a combination of the olive oil and the choke itself which is sometime described as asparagus-like (not sure this is quite true) and with a hint of lemon or citrus. And the oil that they come in is full of artichoke flavor (keep in mind I can’t seem to describe the flavor). The oil does taste like artichoke. Perfect for a salad dressing or pasta dish. Though I am thinking it might just be right for a hearty bowl of mixed grains of emmer and lentils topped with veggies including these artichokes. Shop now for Artichoke Hearts Romana Style in Olive Oil! 
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Store Hours - Monday Thru Saturday! If your order has been confirmed as "READY FOR PICKUP" in email (or you were called) and want it brought to you in the parking lot, call us when you arrive and we will run it out to you. 206-286-9988 Monday thru Saturday 10AM to 5PM. ChefShop.com 1425 Elliott Ave W Seattle, Wa 98119 206-286-9988 Our bigger parking lot is north of the shop and next door (south of) Champions Party Supply. Easy to reach and wide open parking lot. Click here to see the map. |
| This Week's Recipes |
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Three Cheese Mac and Cheese Recipe This recipe is from Food and Wine magazine. Three types of cheese, sour cream and egg yolks make it ridiculously rich and delicious. The recipe was created by Ben Vaughn of Restaurant Grace in Memphis, Tennessee. Pluot Tart with Marzipan Crumble Recipe This recipe works well with plums or pluots. The tartness of the stone fruit does will with the sweetness of the marzipan -- sweetened almond paste. The higher the quality of the almond paste, the better. This recipe is adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Conde Naste Publications, 2008). This recipe is adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Conde Naste Publications, 2008). Grilled Avocado with Blueberry Mango Salsa Recipe Grilled avocado is so good. If you use the big Reed Avocados, then half an avocado per person is more than enough. If you use Hass avocados, then two halves per person will work. There are two keys to successfully grilling avocados. First, the fruit can not be overly ripe - if too ripe it won't hold it's shape on the grill. Second, make sure your grill is very clean. Also, make sure you have a good spatula available to gently scrap the avocado off the grill when done. This recipe was originally adopted from Epicurious.com. |
| See what you missed in previous Newsletters |
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Cracked Cacao, Amazing Hot Garlic, Recipes and More Sardinian, Fish, Mustard, Balsamic, Recipes 7 Spices of Prosperity, Whiskey Barrel Aged |
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