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Winter Stews
The Rain Persists
And, we are hunkered down to wait out the storm. We can't think of anything more rainy-day-worthy than a warming bowl of winter stew. And, we have dedicated this issue to stews from around the globe. The variety of flavors, ingredients, and techniques is enough to keep us occupied until spring!
Let's get started with some delcious product recommendations.
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BROTH AND SAUCE
Savory Choice Beef Broth and Chicken Broth Concentrates provide convenient and flavorful broths developed through a harmony of Culinary and Food Science, fine-tuning taste, texture, mouthfeel for creating perfectly balanced, superior broths.
Knorr Caldo de Camarón Shrimp Bouillon delivers flavor and efficiency. This shrimp broth base offers a distinctive and vibrant flavor for rice, fish, and seafood stews, sauces, and chowders.
Sonoma Gourmet Cioppino Sauce is for folks who want to try to make this famous stew that was invented on the fishing boats of San Fransisco. All you need to add is the seafood and maybe some crusty bread for dipping.
Stonewall Kitchen Chili Starter makes chili in minutes. Just cook up your ground meat, add a jar of chili starter and beans, and simmer for about ten minutes. And Voila! Weeknight Chili!
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SPICE AND SEASONING
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is what we reach for when we want the best results. Used by top chefs around the country, it’s chosen for its simplicity, purity, and coarse texture. Diamond Crystal is coarse enough to pick up and fragile enough to crush between your fingers for perfect seasoning.
India Tree Tellicherry Pepper is the best black pepper we have tasted. Tellicherry peppercorns are the largest, the plumpest, and the most aromatic of all black peppers.
Morton & Bassett Aleppo Pepper imparts a sweet and sharp flavor. It's perfect to sprinkle on pizza or pasta dishes. Use it in rubs for barbecued meat and fish. Sprinkle on potatoes, chicken salad, or even popcorn to spice things up.
Huy Fong's Tung Ot Sriracha hot chili sauce (with the rooster on the label) is created from sun-ripened chilies pureed into a smooth paste. They captured this traditional spicy Thai flavor.
Mc Ilhenny Co. Classic Tabasco Sauce is the hot sauce that started it all, in 1868. Endlessly versatile, it will enhance the flavor of any food with a dash of our signature sauce. Our slow, artisanal process is carefully managed from seed to sauce on Avery Island, Louisiana.
Zatarain's Pure Ground Gumbo Filé is the essential seasoning for authentic New Orleans gumbo. Shake a little on top of gumbo or soups just before serving as a delicate seasoning and thickener.
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INGREDIENTS
We fell in love with Zürsun Idaho Heirloom Beans for their tremendous variety and color. And, they make a tasty addition to your winter soups and stews. Try their French Navy Beans, the classic white beans with a pleasing flavor and creamy, smooth texture. Or their Paris Bistro Blend, a French-style blend of beans, lentils, split peas, and barley—perfect for hearty soups with fresh veggies.
If you are looking for the ease of a canned bean to add to your soups and stews, we recommend Westbrae. We carry their organic garbanzo, kidney, black, and pinto beans
Ocean's Balance Organic Whole Leaf Kombu Kelp is for making dashi, the base for miso soup and other stocks. It is also great for cooking up beans
Pistol River Dried Porcini Mushrooms have a strong earthy, nutty flavor and grow only in the wild. Porcinis are the most sought-after mushroom harvested from the will. The Porcini's robust, earthy flavor lends itself to countless dishes from savory sauces for meat or poultry to pasta, omelets, and polenta.
DeCecco slow-dried pasta is classic Italian. We carry so many shapes! And, we love the elbows, orecchiette, and shells for soups and stews.
Snow's Minced Wild Caught Clams are hearty in size and canned in their own juices to preserve their flavor and texture. Minced clams are perfect in chowders, soups, stews, sauces, or any seafood recipe. A New England favorite since 1920.
And, if you are looking for something to sop up the broth, you can't do better than Starter Bakery's Cornbread or Brioche Slider Buns. Baked locally and delicious!
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THIS MONTH ON THE COCKTAIL POST | |
Mixly Cocktail Mixers
From our blog, The Cocktail Post
Mixers made simple.
If you are looking for a great way to make delicious cocktails and mocktails with ease, we are all about Mixly Cocktail Mixers! And, Mixly is mocktail-forward. Any of these mixers can be made into an immediate mocktail just by adding equal parts mixer and sparkling water.
Mixly does a fantastic job of never sacrificing freshness or quality in their inspired mixers. They are made from real fruit and freshly squeezed juices. They use honey to gently sweeten and balance the flavors for just the right degree of sweetness.
Find out what flavors we are carrying……
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Swiss Chalet Cocktail
From our blog, The Cocktail Post
What are you drinking après-ski?
Or, to stave off the cold, wet weather in the East Bay? The Swiss Chalet Cocktail is made with hot chocolate, Baileys, peppermint schnapps, and topped with whipped cream. It tastes like the best parts of winter.
At ski resorts around the world, a warm beverage like our Swiss Chalet Cocktail is just the answer. Nothing can compare to a warm, boozy cocktail to reheat your chilly bones.
Get the recipe…
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Real Stew: 300 Recipes for Authentic Home-Cooked Cassoulet, Gumbo, Chili, Curry, Minestrone, Bouillabaise, Stroganoff, Boulash, Chowder, and Much More
By Clifford A. Wright
A Cookbook Recommendation
The tradition of stew-making is as old as the invention of the first pot.
The global scope of stews and other long-simmered, richly warming dishes is vast. Clifford Wright's Real Stew offers 300 recipes for this delicious fare--everything from basic Irish stew through stroganoff, bouillabaisse, gumbo, feijoada, and much more. His insistence on authenticity makes Wright's dishes different from similar efforts. Wright's devotion to the real thing will excite most readers, and all will find the recipes clear and easy to follow.
The recipe selection is definitive. The section on lamb stews, for example, contains over 50 mouthwatering recipes, from the paprika-hot Classic Lamb Stew of Andalusia; piquant Abruzzi Lamb Stew with Egg and Lemon Custard; and Sweetly Saffroned Lamb, Onion, and Golden Raisin Stew of the Jews of Morocco; to Indian Rogan Josh and Martinique-Style Mutton Curry, among others. Other sections, like those on seafood stews and vegetable stews, are equally comprehensive--and enticing. Wright also provides inviting background material, and sidebars such as "What's a Cardoon?" and "Cuisine of the Poor," which details the birth of many stew-type dishes.
With notes on equipment and a comprehensive list of ingredient sources, the book is full of worthwhile information and wonderful cooking.
About the Author
Clifford A. Wright is a cook, food writer, and independent research scholar who won the James Beard Cookbook of the Year award and the James Beard Award for the Best Writing on Food in 2000 for A Mediterranean Feast, also a finalist for the cookbook of the year award given by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
He is the author of 18 books, sixteen of which are cookbooks. Colman Andrews, former editor of Saveur magazine called Wright 'the reigning English-speaking expert on the cuisines and culinary culture of the Mediterranean—the real Mediterranean, the whole Mediterranean.'
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THIS MONTH'S STAFF PICKS
Morton & Bassett Herbs from Provence
Morton & Bassett Herbs from Provence (herbes de Provence) is an aromatic mixture of dried chervil, basil, rosemary, tarragon, garlic, lavender, marjoram, savory, thyme, and parsley. It originated in French cuisine, though the flavors pair well with many dishes. Provence is in the southeastern region of France, where summertime herbs are plentiful and used in daily cooking.
Read more…
Mezzetta Golden Greek Peperoncini
Mezzetta Golden Greek Peperoncini have a mildly piquant, fruity flavor and are imported from the sun-drenched pepper farms in the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. These yellowish-green, pickled peppers are relatively mild and often used to add flavor and crunch to sandwiches, salads, pizzas, braised or barbecued meats, and other Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
Mezzetta Golden Greek Peperoncini have a tart and tangy, vinegar-forward flavor. They add a nice accent to your dishes. And, folks even like to add a bit of the pickling juice to pasta sauces and stews. Read more…
Don Chilio Chile Crisp
For spicy foods enthusiasts. Don Chilio Chile Crisp is satisfyingly tasty and crunchy. Made with fresh peppers that have been crisped in seasoned olive oil. This method preserves both the chiles and the olive oil and makes the chiles crispy.
Add it to chicken, meats, fruit, salad, and eggs. They’re wonderful with cheeses and crackers. We like to keep a jar on the table to add some heat to whatever dish you want to enhance. There is a smokey flavor. And, be forewarned…a little goes a long way. Read more…
Snapdragon Pho Bowls
Your new favorite instant noodles. This slurpable treat is delicious for any on-the-go meal, even breakfast. For an instant soup, Snapdragon Pho Bowls exceed expectations and are filled with the best stuff. (They taste expensive!) These light but filling bowls are wonderful as they are or add ingredients to make a complete meal. And, your easy-to-prepare soup is ready in three minutes.
This instant Pho is perfect for days when there simply isn’t time to make your own. They are for packing lunches. We like to keep several in the pantry. Read more…
| THIS MONTH ON THE KITCHEN TABLE | |
Chicken Stoup Provencal
The first thing I made after holiday indulgences was this Chicken Stoup Provencal. Every time I make it, it's a hit. She calls it a stoup, a cross between a soup and a stew since there is less liquid than in a soup but more than in a traditional stew.
The use of Herbs de Provence is what makes this recipe. And it is non-negotiable. The stoup comes together quickly for a weeknight meal to warm your bones.
Read the post and get the recipe…
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Garlicky Turkish Lamb Shank Stew
This recipe is intriguing. The addition of pepperoncini should add some nice acid and flavor to what can normally be a rather rich dish. Not to mention the Aleppo pepper for some zip…
Not only does this recipe fall into the weekend project category, but this recipe also makes quite a lot. So, feel free to half it or freeze some for an easy home-cooked meal another night.
Read the post and get the recipe…
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Pork Tonkotsu Broth
The best ramen places take the time to make good broth. And, this Tonkotsu Broth I made was great. The flavor was spot on. Was it that much better than what I would get from takeout? No. Is it nice to have some in the freezer for later when you have an emergency ramen craving? Absolutely. Would I make it again? Maybe.
It is a time-consuming all-day thing that I would encourage you to try on a weekend when the weather outside is frightful and it’s looking like a movie marathon is in your future. Instead of feeling like you did nothing all day, at the end, you would have dinner!
Read the post and get the recipe…
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Kimchi Sundubo Jjigae
(Korean Silken Tofu Stew)
Kimchi Sundubo Jjigae is spicy, velvety, bubbling hot nirvana. I have been craving it lately probably because it’s been cold. This quick-to-prepare and hearty stew is made with thinly sliced meat and kimchi. If you wish, you can add an egg to the nearly boiling broth at the time of serving.
Read the post and get the recipe…
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California Olive Ranch
Vendor of the Month
Fall in love with olive oil again.
California Olive Ranch is consistently mentioned in lists of best olive oil. The flavor is fantastic—probably why it has become a go-to for home cooks and chefs. Plus, it is affordable. You won't find many top-shelf oils in this price range.
We love having a good selection of olive oil on hand in the kitchen. All types of dishes from the everyday to special occasions can be elevated with the right choice of olive oil.
Learn more and find out what we carry…
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Store Hours
Monday through Saturday from
9 AM to 8 PM & Sunday from
9 AM to 7 PM.
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Free Parking
4038 Piedmont Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 653-8181
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