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Hey, Eat! Volume 59, April 21, 2005
Liberty Heights Fresh – 1300 South at 1100 East Salt Lake City – (801) 58-FRESH

The Seder Plate
The Italian Invasion: 2004 EVOOs Are Here!
The Return of the Doctor
Spring Continues
A Haroset Pantry
FRESH BLOOMS: Lilacs from Oregon
RECIPE: Open Faced Ham & Swiss Sandwich with Asparagus

Dear Flavor Lovers,
Intro.

Pass the Plate: A Passover Feast
Like many religious feasts and celebrations, the food on the table is symbolic
of many things. In observance of the Jews’ liberation and exodus from Egypt,
comes Pesach or Passover. On the seder plate, you’ll find lamb, a traditional
offering at the temple of Jerusalem during Passover, with a roasted egg.
Luckily for us, we have great local producers, Morgan Valley Lamb and
Bramblebank Farms that offer us these delicious ingredients. Roast or braise
lamb shanks until they’re fork tender and marvel at the creamy richness of a
fresh free-range egg. There are also leafy greens such as parsley, lettuce, or
even celery leaves to symbolize the feast’s correspondence with Spring, as well
as bitter herbs to symbolize the bitterness of slavery. Serving haroset, a
mixture of ground/chopped fruits and nuts, represents the mortars used by the
Jews in bondage. By partaking of this feast and spending time with family and
members of the community, you pay homage to the past while forging significant
bonds for the present. Always a good reason to break bread together.
Morgan Valley Lamb Shanks (Utah) -$/lb
Bramblebank Farms Eggs (Utah) - $/
Parsley (Italian or Curly Leaf) -$/bunch
LHF Kitchen’s Haroset - $/

Autumnal Gold: Fall 2004 Extra-Virgin Olive Oils
They’re here! All the hard work during the olive harvest and product can be
shown for in these beautiful bottles straight from Italy. We’ve received a
great selection from various regions, showcasing exciting flavor profiles for
any culinary use. The Tuscan Colle di Bellavista is made at the foothills of
the mountain that separates the cities of Pisa and Lucca. The Asciano estate
has been making olive oil since 1520 and its latest harvest. Hand-harvesting
and same-day pressing results in a glorious oil with extremely low acidity
(never over 0.3%). It’s an elegant oil with rich scents of fresh herbs,
vegetables, green almonds and white fruits. Perennial favorites from Giuseppe
Grappolini’s estate—the versatile L’Orcetto and the aptly named Florens—round
out the Tuscan line up.
Colle di Bellavista (Tuscany) - $/500 ml bottle
Grappolini Florens, L’Orcetto -$/bottle

>From the interior of Liguria comes Opera Prima. The groves are located in
Dolcedo on Pietrantica Farm. Its high elevation (900 to 1200 feet above sea
level) means that there are less pests and insects. Therefore, the taggiasche
olives rarely need to rely on pesticides and insecticides to survive the
season. It’s a golden oil with low acidity, and irresistibly buttery in with
ripe olive flavor. Expect a clean finish that’s perfect used in typical
Ligurian ways—drizzled over fish, seafood, and other delicate dishes—and taste
the flavor. You’ll the bottles wrapped in foil to protect this delicate oil
from damaging rays of sunlight. Take it home and keep it on. You’ll enjoy the
oil far into the next season.
Opera Prima (Liguria) - $/500 ml bottle

Making its debut last year, Pianogrillo has won a devoted following in the
store. This Sicilian beauty is produced in the fertile climes of eastern Sicily
by the Piccione family. They press a mixture of green and ripe olives resulting
in a low acidity (never over 0.5%). Wonderfully golden, the oil exhibits fresh
herbal notes, artichoke, and hints of a freshly cut (and lusciously ripe)
tomato. Delicious with the “apple of love” itself. Try it dressing a salad of
simple spring greens or as a component to a basic (but no less glorious) pasta
al pomodoro.
Pianogrillo (Ragusa, Sicily) -$/500 ml bottle


The Doctor Is In: An Ice Cream Prescription
That’s right. Dr. Bob’s Ice Creams are back and in full force. We’re stocking
our freezer case with everything from Tahitian Vanilla to the decadent
Scharffen Berger Works, and everything in between. This small-scale operation
began when Dr. Robert Small a professor of Cal Poly University in Pomona,
California synthesized his love of ice cream with his business acumen. The
result was countless awards (9 from the prestigious L.A. County Fair
competitions—in its first year!) and a die-hard following who cherish the high
butterfat content and intense flavors. One bite and you know that this guy
really sticks to his credo—“no expense is spared!”
Dr. Bob’s Hand-crafted Ice Creams (California) -$/pint


Produce: Raspberry Rhapsody and Spring Greens
It’s your last chance to enjoy the ripe red raspberries we have in from Chile.
Take advantage of their bright intense flavor in your favorite jams or straight
out of hand. Intensely flavored, these ripe berries are packaged in long and
shallow containers. This ensures storage in a single layer through the journey
to your table, meaning less bruising and less molding.
Red Raspberries (Chile) -$/

When we’re figuring out how sweet fruit is, of course, there’s always taste. But
for folks in the produce industry, there’s the Brix scale. Using a handy gadget
that reads the juice of a fruit, it can tell the percentage of sugar in the
water, and thus, how sweet the fruit actually is. The higher the number, the
sweeter the fruit. Sweet Muscat grapes have been popular this season. The
softly hued pink and tan fruit look almost translucent in the sunlight. They’re
picture perfect. But its the flavor—at 23%-25% Brix sugar level with delicate
floral notes—that makes people addicts of this charming variety.
Muscat Grapes (??) - $/

For salad-lovers, we’ve got plenty of greens to make even Peter Rabbit happy.
There’s the old stand-by Romaine, with its sturdy and crunchy green leaves.
There’s also the delicate butter (or Boston) lettuce in red and green, that
make a great companion to other greens or as a sophisticated solo act in the
salad bowl. Red leaf lettuce with its lovely fringed edges spruce up your usual
salad mix. And for those who desire a little more of a kick, Bell Organic’s
Spring Arugula is perfect fresh or tossed with your favorite pasta, olive oil,
toasted pinenuts, and ricotta salata for an easy dish.
Romaine (???) -$/head
Butter Lettuce, Red & Green (???) - $/head
Red Leaf (???) - $/head
Bell Organics Arugula (Draper) - $6.00/1/4 bag


Heavenly Scented—Fresh Lilacs for the Weekend!
Even if the weather is still gray and a bit chilly, grab a bunch that’ll surely
remind you of Spring. Straight from Forest Grove, Oregon, we’ve got lovely
lilacs in two shades of lavender, a white bloom, a pinkish white bloom, and
some lovely dark purples with white edges. It’s trademark scent, lovely shape,
and color will brighten up even the grayest of Spring showers.
Fresh Lilacs (White, Pink, Lavender, and Dark Purple) -$18.00/growers bunch







Haroset 101
What is haroset? It’s a vital component to the seder. Texturally, it may
resemble a chutney. But in our research for great haroset, we’ve found that for
nearly every Jewish community around the world, there is a recipe for haroset.
In the Sephardic tradition (Mediterranean), even every village and city will
have its own variation. You’ll find pomegranates and dates in Persian and
Yemeni recipes (the latter even adding coriander and chopped fresh chiles), the
addition of an orange in Turkey, chestnut paste and apricots in Venetian
communities, and dried fruit (including coconut) in the tropical reaches of
Suriname (see recipe below). As part of a spiritual feast, every ingredient
used in haroset is heavy with symbolism. Fruit and nuts have biblical links to
Spring. Some scholars speculate that the sweet flavor of these mixtures is to
balance out the consumption of bitter herbs during Passover. Practically
speaking, that idea warrants a big “DUH”, since haroset, no matter the recipe,
is cherished alone as a food stuff. Though traditionally eaten spread on matzo
and dipped in horseradish, folks can easily adapt it to any meal of the day.

Marcona Almonds (Spain) -$/
Royal Raisin Mix (California) -$/
Soft-Dried Apricots -$/

RECIPE: Haroset from Surinam
This recipe from the coastal South American country plays a significant role in
the seder meal. But as delicious as it is, there’s no need to wait until
Passover to enjoy it. You can vary the types of dried fruit, depending on what
you have available and what you prefer. Kosher wine generally tends to be
sweeter, but you can substitute a young and fruity Cotes du Rhone if you can’t
easily find a bottle. Makes 4 cups.

½ pound sweetened dried coconut
½ pound chopped Marcona almonds OR chopped walnuts
¼ cup brown sugar
½ pound EACH royal raisins, dried pears, cherries, and soft-dried apricots
¼ cup cherry jam
up to 2 cups sweet red wine

1.    Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Add enough water to
cover and simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of water to
prevent sticking. Cook at least one hour. When it is cohesive, stir in the jam
and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet wine to be absorbed by the haroset
and chill until ready to serve.

Hey, Eat!
Steven



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© Liberty Heights Fresh 2005