Prepared for:
[First_Name]
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In this issue:
Monday
to Saturday
9 am-6 pm
Sunday
10 am-5 pm
Oh, it was a big night. Honored guests, a new recipe, multiple wines and even a theme! Honestly, I hadn't been this excited about a meal in a very long time. Yes, it was our very first Movie Night with the staff. The idea came to us collectively during an after-hours staff education presented by Stephen and Ben of our wine department. Stephen was finishing up his series on Italy - we travelled in a Fiat (much like Mr. Rogers travelled through that tunnel into the land of make believe) throughout Italy, finishing up in the south. With amazing representative wines of the region (and more amazing food prepared by Stephen) we meandered through the forgotten south. Ben finished us off with a fascinating film+wine+food=culture lecture that was brilliant. All this added up to the idea of watching movies together as a staff. We'd watch Italian movies and have a meal - a perfect idea. So what movie does one begin with? Think about it... which movie would you watch first to grab everyone's attention and set the tone for future events? The Big Night, of course. (You know; the one with Isabella Rossellini and Minnie Driver and a couple of other guys.)
If you are familiar with the film, you know that two brothers prepare a feast for Louie Prima (I won't spoil the end). Our Louie Prima was the culinary centerpiece to their meal, the Timpano. Now you should really, really try a timpano the next time you want to blow the doors off your guests. It's a simple recipe that takes a long time to prepare. That's familiar enough. What makes the timpano - especially your first one - so wonderful to make is the anticipation for how it will turn out. And I mean, turn out. We've all made cakes or bread or quiche that stuck to the pan. That's minor league stuff compared to the threat of a timpano sticking to the pot. It really is a thrill as you stand in your kitchen, sipping wine and staring at the timpano as it cools, hoping and praying that it comes out! To double our excitement, we made two timpani - Stephen made on and I made one.
So did they turn out? Of course they did! This story has to have a happy ending! Without debate, Stephen's was more beautiful - in scale, color, every aspect. He's a maestro! The movie was as classic as we'd all remembered it to be and first timers were duly pleased with the showing. It truly was a big night and we naturally couldn't wait to plan the next one.
If you want the recipe for the timpano, let me know. It's pages long but like I noted, it's pretty straight forward. If you can make pasta dough, meatballs, red sauce, boil eggs, boil pasta, chop salami and cheese, you can make a timpano.
Just one more thing before I let you get to the new stuff below: The 4th Annual Seattle Cheese Festival is nigh! May 16-18 in the Pike Place Market we will have over 40 cheesemakers and 200 cheeses to taste. We'll have chef demos and mozzarella making on the street, our wine garden, a children's parade, a truckle roll, Cheese Fest Best restaurants, probably the best series of seminars to date (with all due respect to Mother Noella from last year) and our very first Grilled Cheese Sandwich Contest. Proceeds will continue to support our Seattle Cheese Festival Scholarship Fund. If you have any interest in volunteering, we'd love to have you! Check it all out at www.seattlecheesefestival.com.
See you at the store
Pat
You may have noticed on our website that we have the famous Jamon Iberico back in the house. We flew through it during the holidays and we snatched another leg from the Junta that distributes it here in the states. It goes quickly and rightfully so, this is amazingly rich, complex cured ham - one of the world's true delicacies (unlike the $1,000 hamburger or $10,000 pizza). How about some Ecuadorean cheeses? Yes, indeed, Connie has found a few interesting cow's milk cheeses from this tiny country that will surprise you. There's a Pepper Jack (I'm serious, it's called that. Couldn't they give it a Spanish name at least?) that is actually firm and rich with a milder spice than the stuff you had at the Superbowl party. Also from Ecuador is the Andino which resembles an aged gouda in texture, color and taste. Finally, we have the Oxapampa - an extra firm Asiago-like cow which would be wonderful grated or shaved over salad. Lastly, we have an Italian pancetta now. Italian pancetta is more like bacon in appearance and adds a depth of flavor only the Italians can achieve.
Can you guess which cut of pasta is our most popular? Spaghetti, right? Fettucine, penne, fusilli. Nope. Our most popular cut of past is actually Bucatini. Until recently, you've only had a couple of options for this most popular cut but now you have one more. Sap'Ori & Col 'Ori di Napoli is our latest addition to our Bucatini quiver. Beautifully made with the best semolina flour, this pasta soaks up the sauce yet keeps it texture. Check out the other cuts, too! If you are looking for a complex, coarse sea salt/herb blend, try the Le Groso from Sylvan Leduc. It will make your soups, pates or steaming water for vegetables so much better. Wish you could get Pizzelle's all year round but don't want to drag grandma's iron out? We can help. We finally found a nice tasting pizzelle from Little Pepi. These are very aromatic yet the taste is sublime and subtle. These are almost as good as my mother-in-law's! 
What on earth should I drink tonight with dinner? It's a question we've all asked ourselves. I have a challenge for you: Instead of grabbing a merlot or cab or chardonnay, why not expand your horizon and take a dip in the deep end? Try a Refrosco from Osvaldo, a Muller Thurgau, Lagrein or Kerner from Abbazia di Novacella. Maybe a Teroldego from Foradori or Zeni. Perhaps a Grignolino d'Asti by Trinchero or even a Cesanese di Olevano Romano from Campagnia di Ermes. These are just a few Italian wines that are made for food. Reds and whites from the smaller regions of Italy like these will force you out of your comfort zone and excite your palette. Come on - take a chance!
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