As the heat rises - chefshop.com/enews
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In this issue:
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Sweet Cherries
Mangalitsa Jowl
BBQ Sauce
BBQ Season
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hawkshead
spicy ketchup!
italian pasta
sgambaro capellini
heritage bean
rockwell
black rice
spectacular on the plate!
steak suace
This tasty sauce is new for the award winning Hawkshead Relish Company. It is a very, very tasty, tomato-based steak sauce - not oozing, indistinguishable brown or orange like the big boys make. It is tangy - thanks to the tomatoes, tamarind and a touch of malt vinegar - with a nice finish of sweetness - that's the molasses - and just a pinch of heat - from horseradish. It's great for burgers or chops and it will enhance any dogs, burgers or brats that come from your grill.
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Stennes Family Farm
Sweet Washington Cherries
As the heat rises, we are acutely aware that summer is just around the corner. With summer comes the heat of the grill, the coolness of green vegetables, and red cherries! Just a few short weeks after the blossoming of the cherry trees and the buds turn from little tykes to full-blown, full-grown cherries.
This time of year, it's a funny mix of weather that is best for crops. Some need rain, while for others rain is the enemy. Some need intense heat, while others are looking for a cycle of hot days and cold nights to be sweeter. Imagine if your job and success depended not just on things out of your control, but in fact on something as unpredictable and finicky as the weather! Your fate lies in the hands of Pomona to have a good year, or a bad one. Welcome to the life of a farmer.
The cherry season in Eastern Washington is in full bloom! We are just a few weeks away from the first harvest. Early Robins, an early Rainier type of cherry, will soon be in the hopper and on their way. The Stennes Family Farm will then be in full swing, harvesting cherries, and then apples, non-stop until the fall. Every morning, the family will rise before the sun and work at a feverish rate until it is too hot to safely pick fruit. Then, it’s to the modern version of a hand sort line.
Understand that most commercial cherries are not hand sorted but, in fact, the stems are then all chopped off to ensure they can work in the mechanized sorting machines that shake them until they drop through the right-sized hole to the next conveyer belt below. Not exactly good for the fruit.
The Stennes' require, as do their customers like ChefShop.com, that the cherries be hand sorted. They don't look for bad fruit, instead they sort for the best fruit, a subtle, but distinct difference in how they approach all their fruits. And then ChefShop.com sorts one more time in our warehouse before we ship.
Shop now for fabulous sweet Washington Cherries
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BBQ Sauce
Hawkshead Tomato BBQ Sauce
It's time to grill. I pulled my grill out, brushed it off, and made Maui Ribs and chicken last night. Everything was great. The best part was the cleanup! Just dishes for 9, no pots and pans! Except for the Le Creuset in which I baked the beans.
Tonight we had hamburgers topped with Hawkshead BBQ Sauce, ketchup with the flavor of a BBQ. How perfectly perfect for a warm, sunny, summer-like day in Seattle, all cooked on the grill. Another easy, delicious night. We expect rain tomorrow.
shop now for BBQ Ketchup!
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Mangalitsa back-in-stock
Jowl and Lard
We have been touting the virtues of good fat for years now. Let's face it, some types of fat can be not so good for you. But, when selected correctly, fat can be the best friend you can have in the kitchen! It turns the mundane into the insane in just a moment, and a touch can go a long, long way.
New Applewood smoked jowl of the Mangalitsa swine is perfection. These whole jowl pieces are perfect for cubing and putting into your favorite casserole. Or in my case, for the last three weeks, I have been making pots-o-beans. Taking Georgie's family recipe for Rockwell beans, and cooking up a package every couple of days. Don't think I eat them all, 'cause that would be a lot of beans! I have been sharing with friends and family with great success.
Use the jowl and the end result is a bean dish that has flavor that really helps the beans shine through. See my modified recipe here.
I don't have to tell those who know, the Mangalitsa Lard is perfection in a bucket. Almost pure white, one scoop and you can smell smoked bacon. It's the best for frying eggs, it works wonderfully to fry chicken, and it's great in many baked goods. A little goes a long way, and the transformation is a dream come true.
Fight the tyranny of the fat haters with your very own tub.
For a moment we thought this wonderful product was lost to a shift in the ownership of the Mangalitsa Pigs. It has come back full circle, so to speak. The same people who created the first tubs are still doing it and that is a good thing.
So order up and have enough to last the summer. Imagine great flavor added to almost anything you can think of.
shop now for fabulous Mangalitsa Lard!
Shop now for fabulous Mangalitsa Jowl!
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sweet early robin cherries
Cocoa Liquor Drops
One of the easiest and greatest treats to have around is brownies. That's why we served them at the Herbivoracious book signing. To share, but also with the thought of leftovers to eat the rest of the week. I have my favorite version of brownies, but I can never seem to make them the same way twice. This recipe allows me consistency and happiness. Adding the 100% chips and coffee makes them potent and gives them a mysterious crunch. They are really addictive.
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Cooking Classes are filling up! Now booking end of July and August.
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Cooking Classes with Chef Lesa - Small Plates and Appetizers - July 25th
Be prepared for any pot-luck or holiday meal, or throw an appetizer party this year -- after all, "small plates" are all the rage. Add to your repertoire with five easy recipes from Lesa's list of quick and easy, go-to hors d'ouevres. She will show you how to make some of the recipes she uses when catering for others or throwing a party at home. Five fool-proof winners that are simple to make and guaranteed to please.
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DESIGN: JODI LUBY & COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK CITY, NY; EMAIL STRATEGY: CRM Group USA, SEATTLE, WA
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