Flavors in Love

I am a member of a very exclusive culinary club- one that gives me access to a unique and luscious product.  Because of my connections, I have been able to get access for you too.  Curious???   The club is The Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club!!

You may be thinking.. Ok.. what’s the big deal about fresh pressed olive oil.  Can’t I buy it at my gourmet grocery store? The fact is, that fresh pressed olive oil is virtually impossible to find here in the United States. Unlike wine, olive oil deteriorates with time. It is at its peak immediately after its pressed and for 6 months max. The imported olive oil that we buy here is almost always 6-9 months old before it even arrives in the U.S.!  This magnificent club is guaranteeing extra virgin olive oil that goes from “tree to table in 30 days or less.”

This olive oil is liquid gold and the moment I tasted it, I was addicted. When I opened the first bottle, the fresh smell, the green unctuous liquid, the peppery finish on the back of my throat… I was hooked. I covet it and use it to drizzled on my salads, over soups, over pastas, in vinaigrettes. It makes everything taste so much richer and more flavorful. And that’s what I am always looking for… Flavor!!!!

Here’s the deal…

If you join right now (before May 31) you will receive a  FREE bottle to get you started! Be among only a handful of Americans who get this incredible treat delivered right to their door!

Besides the fact that all your friends will be jealous that you have a connection to this rare olive oil gem, there are health factors to consider as well. Fresh pressed extra virgin olive oil is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, rich in anti-oxidants, and this is the most amazing fact of all, 3 1/2 tablespoons of fresh pressed olive oil produces the same pain relieving effect on your joints as a 200-mg tablet of Ibuprofen!!

Tasting this olive oil is a life changing experience! Sign up now for your free bottle and you will see why! Just click on this link to get the olive rolling.

www.freshpressedoliveoil.com/appm

Women in the food business have never been so glamorous. Tuesday night was a perfect example of the kind of glamour in my world.  The place to be was at Mia Dona on 58th Street. Donatella Arpaia was celebrating her new cookbook, Donatella Cooks (click on the link below to purchase). She looked stunning in her gold lame one-shoulder dress as she signed her book. I produced a beautiful article on her for Hamptons Cottages & Gardens in 2007. Since she was showing off her food and recipes, I happily  indulged in her sumptuous meatballs, so light and tender.  And I also sampled the delicious crunchy shrimp that were  being passed around. I can’t wait to try out the recipes in her book!  Click on the link to purchase!!

Then I went to my friend Jill Zarin’s book party. Her book, Secrets of a Jewish Mother, written by herself, her sister, and her mom, is sure to be a best seller. All the papparazzi were there, and so were many of the other Housewives of New York. Jill looked sparkly, radiant, and proud. There was  Jewish food- little bagels with smoked salmon creamed cheese, borscht, tzimmes, pigs-in-a-blanket, chocolate chip cookies and milk… How appropriate.. the Jewish Mother theme..love theme parties and this one really worked! You have to buy Jill’s book- click on the link below to order it right now- its filled with great advice; A good man is hard to find, but so is a good woman. Don’t settle for less than you deserve, Don’t wait til you’re dead to give your money away, and my favorite, a lot of love and a little matzoh ball soup never hurt anyone. I honored Jill and her husband Bobby at a charity event I did last November for Maryhaven Center of Hope.  I am so proud of my girl friends!!!

You all know by now how much I adore cooking with friends.

Being in the food industry for as long as I have, I’ve become friendly with so many amazing chefs and have watched their careers begin from ground zero and then soar 20+ years later. One of those extraordinary chefs is Wayne Nish.

I ran into Wayne a few months ago at the 30^th anniversary for De Gustibus, the cooking school at Macy’s Herald Square. We both taught at the school. I hadn’t seen him in a few years- since he closed his renowned restaurant March.

Wayne Nish has the distinct honor of having a total of 20 stars bestowed upon him by The New York Times over the past 20 years, as well as a Michelin star and countless other awards. An impressive feat for a man who created his own culinary education by tearing through Larousse Gastronomique, the culinary encyclopedia that taught him the nuances of pulling off a flawless béchamel and gloveboning his own poultry. Such was the foundation of Nish’s career, one which has spanned nearly three decades and a considerable range of cuisines.

He has been cooking in Singapore the last few years, at Prive and The Screening Room, but now he’s back in NYC and working on a new project. I asked him if he would come cook with me and catch up on our lives. Besides it was a good excuse for me to learn from a master chef!!!

It was more than pleasure cooking with Wayne….it was mind blowing exciting for me to be in my home kitchen with him. He taught me so many little tips and tricks. I had never made fregola before, and he showed me how easy it is to cook this Italian grain. (see recipe below).

We also slow roasted salmon, which I had never done before.  The philosophy is that when you slow roast a fatty fish like salmon, the collagen melts at the same rate that the protein transforms from raw to cooked. It comes out very tender and fully cooked through. Wayne calls it sex in the mouth…. Oooh I like that phrase…and yes, that’s what it tasted like. You’ve got to try it!!!

FRICASSE OF OYSTERS AND CLAMS WITH SPINACH AND FREGOLA:

3/4 cup fregola

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 lb of clams and oysters

1 small onion, sliced into rounds

1 cup beer

1 bay leaf

½ lb spinach

Chives and chervil for garnish

Bring 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth to a boil, then stir in 3/4 cups of fregola. Let it simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until done. Drain well and set aside in a bowl.

In a med sized pot with a lid, place shellfish, sliced onion, beer, and bay leaf. Add the fregola to the pot.

Let the seafood cook until the shells open (discard any that do not open).

Steam spinach in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Transfer the seafood and fregola to a bowl and garnish with the spinach, chives and chervil.

Serve with warm bread to soak up the sauce.