Reimagining the Caprese Salad

          Try replacing the tomatoes with peaches, nectarines & cantaloupe, & the basil with thyme

I love insalata Caprese, but after a July filled with too-many-to-count salads named after my beloved island of Capri, I decided to switch it up a bit.   After tasting a luscious peach sample and inhaling the intoxicating scents of nearby melons at the Farmer’s market, I decided to try a riff on the Caprese.

Mozzarella di bufala is available at many Costcos & Whole Foods

To pay homage to Italy, however, I used fresh Mozzarella de Bufala.  Made on the mainland across from Capri, this classical cheese is made from the milk of a special breed of water buffalo.  Wine-Knows took a group about 10 years ago to an artisanal maker of Mozzarella de Bufala during our trip on the Amalfi Coast where we watched the entire process.  We learned that while it takes 18 pounds of cow’s milk to produce other cheeses, it only takes 11 pounds of buffalo milk.   Moreover, Bufala milk is higher in fat content than cos milk, thus the creamy texture and rich flavor of buffalo mozzarella.

Mozzarella de Bufalo DOP is protected from knockoffs by the government

I substituted the tomatoes with the Farmers Market peaches and melons, but then I made a bold move.  Why not substitute the basil for fresh thyme from my garden?  I tried a taste test and it worked.  Brava!   I was so happy with the results that I decided to make another one next week and substitute goat cheese for the mozzarella, and make a fresh mint pesto.

 

Mallorca's Healthy Mediterranean Diet

                     This Mediterranean island's cuisine & lifestyle embody healthy living

Mallorca is a mucho seductive island just off the coast of Barcelona.   This dreamy Spanish isle has a rich history involving the Phoenicians, Romans and Moors, and its cuisine reflects an interesting tapestry of all of these past conquerors.  But, Mallorca’s food is much more than its historical roots.  Its culinary profile closely parallels the Mediterranean Diet, one of the healthiest diets on the planet.

 

                      Agricultural villages such as this one are a mainstay in the island's economy

The word “diet” comes from the Greek word “diatia” which means way of life.  The United Nation’s cultural arm (UNESECO) considers the Mediterranean Diet to be part of Mallorca’s cultural fabric.   Foods and lifestyle are intrinsically linked in the Mediterranean Diet.   This means that one’s way of living (both physical activity and community/family connections) are equally important to the actual food one eats.

Amphora were used for centuries to transport olive oil & wine

There are four cornerstones of the Mediterranean Diet and Mallorca has them all.  First, the island’s cuisine features an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish. Secondly, little red meat is consumed and dairy products are used in moderation (local olive oil is used).  Thirdly, agriculture is a big part of the island’s economy.  In addition to olives, Mallorcans raise a plethora of crops such almonds, carob, figs, apricots, tomatoes, peppers and onions.   (There’s no need for a farmer to go to the gym or out for a run after a hard day in the fields).  The last foundation of the Mediterranean diet is wine.  Mallorca’s wine industry is undergoing a significant Renaissance.

Fruit & old-world décor provide an unforgettable backdrop at this restaurant

Wine-Knows’ October 2021 trip to Mallorca will feature a week’s stay at a swanky private villa----and there are only 2 remaining spots.  Why not join us for the Mediterranean Diet, sensational island scenery, and some killer wines from grape varieties that grow only on Mallorca?   www.WineKnowsTravel.com

The Spicy Condiment of Vietnamese Heritage

   The iconic Rooster's color belies its contents---red hot!

What foodie hasn’t heard of Sriracha (see ROTCH ah)?  Not only does this condiment appear on nearly every tabletop of most Asian restaurants in the USA, but it has also worked its way into main-stream culinary America.  There are now Sriracha-flavored potato chips, both Sriracha mayonnaise and mustard, as well as Sriracha jerkey and Sriracha popcorn.   Almost unbelievably, there is now even Sriracha lip balm for sale.  How many knew the Sriracha empire was started by a Vietnamese immigrant?

In the late 1970’s a former major in Vietnam’s southern Army immigrated to the Los Angeles area of California.   He was disappointed to not find the traditional hot sauce he had so loved in his native country.   On a shoestring budget he decided to make his own.  In a broken-down Chevy van he began peddling his concoction to the large community of Vietnamese via their local markets and restaurants.  The rest is history.

His family-run business, Hay Fong Foods, now employs over 200 people and has sales in excess of $60 million.  Named after the boat on which he escaped from Vietnam nearly 35 years ago, Hay Fong’s Sriracha was named at Bon Appetit’s “food of the year” in 2010.   The company has never advertised.  But, the company also never trademarked the name Sriracha and that has proved quite problematic.  While Hay Fong’s iconic packaging is easily recognized for its clear plastic bottle showing its bright red contents along with rooster logo and bright green squeeze-bottle top, it has come under fire from competitors.  It seems everyone is now making Sriracha and knock-offs fill supermarket shelves.

I just returned a few weeks ago from Vietnam with a Wine-Knows group.  There were no bottles of Hay Fong Food’s Sriracha on the tables, however, most restaurants had a similarly colored bottle of equally high-octane sauce tableside.  As I sampled each,  I couldn’t help but think of the perseverance and drive of the USA’s creator of Sriracha----a tribute to the hard-working people of his beautiful homeland.

New Laws for French Restaurants

The French have laws to protect the origin of wine grapes (e.g. only those grown in Bordeaux can be used in Bordeaux wine), cheeses (e.g. only cows from the town of Roquefort can be used in this coveted cheese), along with a host of other food products including olives, honey, and even chickens. The French senate has now voted in another law having to do with origin, however, this one will force restaurants to distinguish between food cooked on the premises versus made elsewhere.

The impetus for this legislation is to preserve France’s gastronomic heritage and reverse an alarming trend for chefs to take short cuts in the name of Euro’s.   Data suggests that >30% of France’s 100,000 restaurants use industrially prepared food for some of the dishes on their menus.  The legislation is also a wake-up call to diners that all is not what it appears. 

The French have a marche (market) mentality…the blue plate special (menu du jour), available in most every restaurant, represents what is fresh in the market that day.  Expectations are that the menu is in tune with the season or that of the “day’s catch.”  Diners would be horrified to know that there’s a good possibility that one of their dishes was possibly frozen and purchased several days (or weeks) before from an industrial supplier hundreds of kilometers away.  One such “ready-made” company, for example, offers more than 3,400 dishes.

The new law will force French restaurants to identify on their menu which dishes are made on premises.  Fait maison (made in house) will identify what is made at the restaurant.  Without this designation, diners will know it was brought in from elsewhere.

The new legislation passed with a close vote.   Economics were the biggest culprit.  Restaurant owners vow that dining prices will escalate due to their increasing labor costs of making dishes fait maison.  But, others maintain that the new law will save the bistro and encourage demand for freshly prepared food.  All of this is occurring, however, while fast food consumption is growing and the cost of living in Frances continues to increase.

Viva la France!