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Mangiate Bene, Sgambaro Our Favorite Pasta! Citrus, Puttanesca, Anchovy, Parmigiano-Reggiano and more at chefshop.com/enews |
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Buttate la Pasta! Wonderful pasta is back! In the Northwest it’s getting cold and rainy, so we’re hunkering down and eating pasta. A successful pasta dish is only as good as its ingredients, and we’ve found some simply extraordinary pasta, made in Italy the old-fashioned way. This pasta, topped with sauces made with our wonderful olive oils, anchovies, sardines, olives and nuts, will make a simple, easy-to-prepare meal special. You might be surprised to learn that most of the pasta producers in Italy use wheat imported from the US and Canada. Pastificio Sgambaro, on the other hand, has gone to great lengths to preserve a centuries-old tradition of pasta- making. They use only superior durum wheat, grown exclusively on Italian farms, which they then mill and store themselves. “Bigoli” is a traditional pasta from the Veneto, their region of Italy. It’s the size and shape of spaghetti and takes its name from the extrusion press used to make it, called a “bigolare”. Sgambaro Bigoli Nobili Mori pasta is slightly darker than some (thus the label “mori”, meaning dark) with a rougher texture and bolder flavor. This bronze-drawn pasta was given the name “Nobili” to honor a grand tradition of Italian agriculture and cuisine. A classic Venetian way to enjoy bigoli is in a dish called Bigoli in Salsa; “salsa” refers to a very simple sauce made with anchovies. The robust flavor of the pasta holds its own against the pungent anchovies, and the bigoli hang on to every bit of that delicious sauce. Try it with Pasta Puttanesca, allegedly named for the ‘working girls” of Naples, an easy preparation that is elevated to new heights by using the very best ingredients. Capers, olives and tomatoes come together in a bright, tasty sauce that is as healthy as it is delicious. For a very different, yet equally delicious dish, try Spaghetti with Cauliflower, Green Olives & Almonds. Wonderful Cerignola olives from Sardinia, warm and buttery toasted almonds, and crisp-tender cauliflower are a winning combination. This is a healthy pasta dish you can enjoy year-round, and you’ll feel good about the fiber and heart-healthy fats you’re getting with every bite. There are countless versions of Pasta Primavera. It has become extremely popular in the US, where it originated, and there’s some controversy about who introduced it. Ed Giobbi and Sirio Maccioni – of le Cirque fame - both claim to have done so, but certainly once it appeared on the menu at le Cirque, it was a hit. The first published recipe for Pasta Primavera appeared in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times cookbook in the 1970s. It’s a delicious way to eat your vegetables; you can make some now while fresh asparagus is still available and improvise with other fresh vegetables as they come into season. Try making Primavera with Bigoli Nobili Mori pasta. Most Pasta Primavera recipes call for cream and butter – as did the “original” - and it’s certainly delicious made that way. But if you’re willing to abandon the notion that there is a “real” recipe, you can happily enjoy our lighter version and lose the fat and extra calories of a creamy sauce. We’ve included a recipe in each style, so you’re free to choose for yourself. We invite you to spend the weeks ahead cooking and eating these wonderful pasta dishes, while you dream about the bounty of delicious holiday treats that will be available soon. You will discover that some of these preparations are so good and so easy that you’ll want to make them all year long. Mangiate Bene! Shop now for the Shape of Pasta! |
Bigoli in salsa recipe Pasta with anchovies and onions This classic recipe is simple, fast and easy. Capers, tuna are often added as well. Click here to try the Bigoli in salsa recipe! |
Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe The origins of this easy, classic Italian pasta sauce are being constantly debated. I think of it as being classically Sicilian dish which uses salted anchovies, which are always available at the local food market there. You can prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking - and both will be ready at about the same time. Click here to see the easy Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe! |
Sgambaro Molino E Pastificio and Bigoli Nobili Italian Pasta! Our relationship with pasta has been a long one. For me it started with a local pasta called Prince. Growing up in Boston it was the best, though I am not sure I had anything but. More recently, in the last 15 years, we have had many different Italian Pastas. And our favorite remains Pastificio Sgambaro and its fancy cousin, Bigoli Nobili. Eliza has spent the last few years working hard to bring this pasta back in! Well, here it is! Taste first is why we like it, but for the price it is the best deal! Shop now for Pastificio Sgambaro and Bigoli Nobili! |
Preorder Now Panettone! FYI - before we do a big blowout announcement about the arrival of the Panettone, if you know what you want, preorder now! Presales have been brisk and we hope we don't sell out too soon. BEST EVER!!!! "Do NOT hesitate to purchase this Lemon Panettone!!! I LOVE Lemon Panettone and Sorrento Lemon Panettone-Albertengo is THE BEST!! The luscious flavor is so lemony, the texture is soft and moist and the candied fruit is soft and chewey. I will buy no other Lemon Panettone as I've found the best! I've ordered 4 this year... I intended to give a couple as hostess gifts but I'm re-thinking that idea, ha ha ha. Oh, they freeze well too!! Pre-order NOW, do not hesitate or it will be too late and you'll have to wait another year!" -- nancy Preorder now your favorite Panettone! |
Unique Black Ginger with Hebesu Citrus! Like all good stories it started with the taste of a magical potion. An elixir guaranteed to induce love. (Merriam Webster, 1843). This Ginger syrup is indeed full of love. And like much love, it is more complex than what’s on the surface or in a name. First, Ginger draws you in because you know she is so good for your core (protects and heals the gut, hastens movement in your gastrointestinal tract, increase your defenses against the flu and common cold), and because she turns on the spirit in your taste buds. The sweet smell is sugary ginger, recognizable, yet not. A large sample has a sweet syrup gulp that has a drying feel in the upper cheeks. A gulp like this finishes with tangy, tingly feel on the tip of the tongue and burns like a fresh Italian olive oil in the upper back of the throat. And because of that memory you expect a cough to ensue. It does not. Maybe an “uh hum” might be extrapolated from your voice box. Though, this elixir really likes to be sipped and not gulped. A large sipping spoon seems to the best way to savor this aperitif. When sipping and swirling in your mouth cavity you get a feeling of, “Oh, that is really good”. The combination of the Hebesu, Ginger sugar syrup and the Black Ginger blends into magic! You want more, though a little is all you need. This is really, really good stuff!! Your mouth tingles in a delightful way as you sit back in your chair and close your eyes and remember the last time you were in a crowd. About making Hebesu Black Ginger Syrup. First they start with premium Miyazaki raw ginger from local farmers and cooked at a simmer with Okinawa cane sugar. This removes the typical ginger kick and creates a full-flavored ginger syrup. This handmade syrup is an all day process yielding a small batch of bottles per day. Considered a local delicacy, Hebesu Citrus is a unique citrus from Miyazaki Prefecture. With a bright, rich, green color known for its vitamin C and citric acid, the fruit is believed to slow the aging process. Some limited studies show that this citrus may have special oxygen related strengths. The black ginger is made by aging Miyazaki premium ginger in a special environment of humidity and temperature for 3 weeks. Because the process transforms the ginger into a very hard product it is ground to a fine powder. Though only 5% of the final product its spicy umami gives you the unique flavor that is not easily identifiable. All that tingly tongue feel you get is from the black ginger. It’s the reason you keep coming back for more!!! This unique aged black ginger is 57 times higher in gingerol than regular raw ginger, helping to raise your body temperature faster. This may help enhance blood circulation and prevent cold limbs. These four elements are mixed together to create this delicious, exciting, moving, inspiring and yes, to quote “yummy” elixir! Don’t be fooled, though your taste buds will revel in the multi-layer flavor and punch, it pairs with simple things. Don’t think you can't add it to a soup and get results. Or top some dish and know it is there. As soft and supple as it is, it prefers to be quiet with a quiet punch all alone in your mouth. A nice French pastry, like a napoleon, shares nicely and both complement each other. Testing continues everyday. And what joy a spoonful brings! ..... Or do as Venus does and add Vodka. Shop now for Black Ginger Syrup! |
Citrus Blossom a gentle Honey! Citrus blossom honey is typically thick and spreadable, but this year's version is different. An aroma of orange and lemon blossoms jumps out of the jar the second you open it. The next thing you'll notice is that the honey is golden and pourable like acacia honey. The flavor opens with a heavenly sweetness and a nice, citrus acidity that quickly moves to a heavenly lightness. This is a truly outstanding honey, and you can use it in your tea and much, much more - try it on pancakes or French toast and use it instead of cane sugar in your cakes and cookies. The bees that produce this sweet and delicate orange and lemon blossom honey also hold the very important job of pollinating the myriad citrus trees that make Tulare County in central California one of the premier citrus growing regions. Gathered especially for Katz and Company from hives placed in lemon, orange, and a few grapefruit groves, these citrus blossom honeys are absolutely pure - gathered from the hive and filled directly into the jars with no additives. Many commercially produced honeys are heated and diluted with water to increase their yield, and oftentimes this may create problems with crystallization. This golden orange honey is silky smooth and perfect for morning toast, or for drizzling over granola or plain yogurt. We must confess this is our favorite way to sweeten freshly brewed cold tea. Gathered from the Tulare County in Central California where citrus trees grow in abundance, this golden-orange nectar is a superior quality honey that is sweet and delicate. Every year this honey is different. This is a true honey! No tricks, it is the bees that make it. There are no commercial elements involved to add flavoring to meet the expectations or demands. We love this honey because it is so gentle. Shop now for Katz Citrus Blossom Honey! |
New Shipment Just Arrived! Dry Rice Koji! I suspect that those who say Koji is not magic, don’t believe in magic. Even when they see it right before their very eyes. For some things in life, explanations are only there to take the fear away from that which cannot be explained. Koji was crafted 9000 years ago, most likely under another name, in an earthen jar in China and it has been a staple of food alchemy ever since. Just not so much here, at least not until recently. To many it is the newest food rage, in fact, it is not a food, but a tool that harbors amazing little workers who can transform and change how and what we eat in ways that would never seem possible. There is a lot of science in Koji. Koji is a million spores, a thousand knives, cutting up the cells of proteins to make a better eating experience. Think of it as mold that is your friend and not your enemy. Once you get to know it you will find it can make your life better. And once you get used to it all, pretty much it will seem normal, like a friend that you always wished you had. Yes, it is different, but that is ok. It is that difference that we all enjoy when it comes to enlightening our palates. It truly is a great way to expand our life and make our tongues happy! Transform the mundane to the insane. To start, use Koji on a steak, or really any protein of your choice, by taking the rice (the vehicle to carry the spores) and grinding it up in a blender (takes my blender 5 minutes at least) to make a fine powder. Then rub on your meat. You can add spices, salt, really, most everything you normally do that is dry; whatever flavors you’re used to. Place in a zip lock bag, for 48 hours in the reefer. Really that's it. Scrape the crust off and rinse. Cook as you normally do, maybe just a little shorter. The use of koji with food is really about the fifth dimension, changing the composition so your taste is rewarded; it is magic! Think of changing and making food better with just a little koji dust! We have eaten a lot of meat while testing, and it has all been good. Making a gentle steak, resembling an aged New York or even Kobe beef. Yet, the cuts we chose were on the cheap end. The cuts that are good for a slow cooked stew, or your in-laws...and yet they come out edible, even great! Our next test is to go for the best steak we can find! New York's and Rib Eyes, will it make it better or detract? My guess it will be better than almost anything and cheaper than a plane ticket to Tokyo. (After at least 20 cuts we will open a new tub of Koji soon.) Cooking with Koji! "I am so lucky to be able to be taught how to use it on steak. First it was marinated on steak for 2 days, washed off, in this case they used a tenderizer as it was not an expensive steak, so marinate, rinse, add pepper, salt and garlic and WOW, great steak that taste way above its price! This is the best part of chefshop, you get introduced to the coolest new things we can use for exciting cooking." -- louise Shop now for the magic of Koji! |
It's like a kitchen drug that's legal! Italian Fennel Pollen! My supply is long gone; my sister stole my secret stash. It was old, I told her, but she didn’t care. Like the Tabasco Crazy, she is Italian Fennel Pollen Wacky; she, who puts it on almost everything. Eggs in the morning, eggs at night, fish, pasta and even popcorn! I have to admit, like a drug, once you start to use it, it's like it saved your life! Fabulous on fish or grilled vegetables, the standard recipe is fennel pollen chicken. It's so easy, it transforms mundane chicken to the insane (see note about my sister above). And all you have to do is add fennel pollen to the mix of salt and pepper! It’s that easy! Just in (not quite)! Just Arrived (actually it's here)! Order now (definitely)! It is the most secret gift (perhaps of all) that you can give. Small enough to hide in your pocket so you can surprise your host. And there is no box big enough to hold the explosive, effervescent excellence of nose that is in this little jar. Though it won’t last a lifetime (and neither will our supply), its memory will! Buy wild fennel pollen and rub it on your protein, infuse your pasta, and add it to your cookies, too! It works and plays well with everyone. Shop now for Italian Fennel Pollen! |
Anchovy! Fillets in Olive Oil! Scalia is known for its anchovy fillets packed in extra-virgin olive oil - yes, extra-virgin! Many companies, especially those available in the grocery store, use second-press oil or a less flavorful oil like sunflower or soybean. In addition, these anchovies have been aged for at least 12 weeks and this means richer, more complex flavors. This little fish is a small, warm water relative of the herring, a Northern European staple. And just as the peoples of the north salted their herring to preserve them, the anchovy has long been salted by fishermen and packers in the Mediterranean, where it is a staple. What is most important about these little Sicilian blue fish is that they are only taken during the proper season - otherwise they will have a mushy texture when they are preserved - and cleaned and salted as soon as possible after they are caught. Because of Scalia's attention to detail, it is possible for us to discover the flavor and texture of the ancient Mediterranean. From one end of the peninsula to the other, Italians use these little, aromatic, preserved fish in almost any conceivable dish. While in the south, they seem to show up with practically the same frequency, they use olive oil, they are also a common addition numerous sauces, salads, and other dishes in the north. Scalia Benedetto has been one of the top Sicilian companies for preserving fish since 1973. While they're neither as large nor as old as their major competitors, this allows them to do things the old-fashioned way, and the difference is clear in the flavor and texture of their oil-packed fillets and salt-packed whole anchovies. The company was founded by Benedetto Scalia in Sciacca Thermae on the Agrigento coast of southwest Sicily, a city famous for its fishing fleet. Their anchovy products are carefully processed by the women of Sciacca using traditional techniques. Shop now for Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil! |
It's winter and we have Summer Parmigiano-Reggiano This cheese started 2 summers ago, making this Parmigiano-Reggiano 29 months old. Sourced from cows that live in the mountains where the air is clearer and the wild flowers and grasses combine to make better milk. With great peaceful views that make for happy peaceful cows. Happy cows make happy milk and great cheese! Bella Bella Bella Parmigiano "SO worth the price of admission. My first summer parm and it is my favorite - rich with a lighter texture. Tried by itself and sprinkled on a red wine pasta dish - delicioso!" -- mike Preorder now for Summer Parmigiano-Reggiano - shipping in time for Thanksgiving! |
ChefShop Cocoa Powder! The time is now to have cocoa powder on hand! Feeling the need to make brownies, chewy, gooey, tall or short, rich chocolate brownies, now! Shop now for Cocoa Powder! |
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Got questions? Call or email and we will do our best to answer your questions! We love sharing our taste opinions about all our products. Change is afoot, we are moving stuff around and adding new fixtures for the upcoming holiday season. Our goal is to make your shopping an experience with nooks and crannies all the while without other humans nearby. Local customers please remember to bring a mask or call if you want us to bring out your order to the parking lot. We also have masks if you forget yours. And if you want a private store shopping time, before or after normal hours, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your request. | |
Last week's #1 seller! It is time for tuna! Stock up now for the winter with the new batch of tuna! This sashimi-grade young tuna is individually caught with single hook lines and is flash frozen solid at sea right after it is caught, making it a sustainable canned tuna, as well as a tasty one! Averaging up to 50% less mercury than many common store brands, this tuna has more omega 3 fatty acids than most salmon! All of Lummi Island's wild-caught canned tuna comes from one second-generation tuna fisherman, Paul Hill, and his crew, who care about the fish and making sustainable canned tuna. Because of the special gear they use, they get virtually no bycatch. This is my personal favorite now, because of value to taste to clean. No added oil, just tuna! Shop now for Lummis Island Albacore Tuna! 
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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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Carrot Soup Recipe Make carrot soup, it is so easy and always tastes great. Top with your favorite oils or vinegars! Easy Chocolate Cocoa Brownie Recipe Rich and adjustable Fried Yellow Polenta Sticks Recipe A great alternative to French fries - and much more beautiful (because we eat with our eyes, too)! Here we suggest dipping them into a tomato-based sauce - like a marinara sauce or a Classic Smoky Romesco Sauce - as an appetizer. But, it's just as easy to eat them "plain" as an alternative to French fries. |
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Apple Pie, Sorghum Sweet, Salami, Farrotto Recipe Super Toffee, Favorites are Back-in-Stock Sardinian Tomatoes, Panettone, New Honey |
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