Author Archives: foodgal

Centonove Bids You Benvenuto

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Osso bucco -- a Wednesday night special at Centonove.

Osso bucco — a Wednesday night special at Centonove.

 

Centonove, the newest restaurant to open in Los Gatos, welcomes you with Italian gusto.

Step inside its compact, convivial black and white dining room with splashes of marinara red, and you may hear Executive Chef Carlo Ochetti heartily conversing with customers in his native Italian.

Indeed, Centonove (Italian for “109,” its numerical address on W. Main Street) is like a neighborhood trattoria transported from Italy to the South Bay. Shelves lining a brick wall are stacked with wine bottles, packages of pasta (even gluten-free ones), and big cans of tomatoes to give the feel of an Italian groceria. Small tables fill the main room, which also sports two bar areas — one to enjoy a quick coffee, the other known as the chef’s counter because it fronts the kitchen, including the red-tiled, wood-fired pizza oven.

Executive Carlo Ochetti.

Executive Carlo Ochetti.

Manning the pizza oven.

Manning the pizza oven.

That’s where Ochetti, formerly of San Jose’s Il Fornaio, holds court. He chats easily and often with diners at the black marble chef’s counter, asking how everything is or explaining how a dish was put together.

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A Zesty New Year

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Fennel and Meyer Lemon Relish to start the year off right.

Fennel and Meyer Lemon Relish to start the year off right.

 

After all that belly-busting food of the holidays, it’s time for something light and bright to start 2014.

Best yet, this particular recipe makes use of any Meyer lemons you may still have hanging on your trees.

“Fennel and Meyer Lemon Relish” is from the new “The Art of Simple Food II” (Clarkson Potter) by the one and only Alice Waters.

The cookbook, of which I received a review copy, is filled with recipes that make the most of your kitchen garden at any time of year. Moreover, there’s even information included on taking care of your soil, building a compost pile, making compost tea and growing seedlings.

Although called a “relish,” this is almost like a salad in that it has so much delightful crunch. It couldn’t be easier to make, either.

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Party Meatballs

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Bet you can't eat just one.

Bet you can’t eat just one.

 

What’s a party without meatballs?

Kind of like watching a movie without popcorn. Or celebrating a birthday without cake. Or ending a day of skiing without a cup of hot cocoa.

Just not the same, right?

“Pistachio and Pomegranate Meatballs” have party written all over them.

The recipe is from “The Washington Post Cookbook” (Time Capsule Press) edited by Bonnie S. Benwick. The book, of which I received a review copy, is a compilation of favorite recipes published over the past 50 years in the pages of the award-winning newspaper’s food section.

WashingtonPostCookbook

These highly seasoned meatballs taste exactly like falafel — except they’re made with meat and you don’t have to fry them.

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Gifts for Yourself

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Relax with Spiced Wine -- hot, cold or room temperature.

Relax with Spiced Wine — hot, cold or room temperature. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

 

If all that cooking, entertaining and shopping over the holidays has run you ragged, it’s time you gave yourself a little present, don’t you think?

Here are a few definitely worth considering.

Spicy Vines

There’s little that’s more relaxing than kicking off your shoes with a glass of red wine after a long, hard day.

Imagine one crafted from Zinfandel, Syrah, Petit Syrah, Granache and a bit of Sauvignon Blanc brandy, and imbued with heady spices to snuggle up with.

That’s what you’ll discover in Spiced Wine by Spicy Vines, which Bay Area founders Crystalyn Hoffman and Anders Pederson modeled after mulled wine or glogg.

Surprisingly, the sample I tried was not the over-powering, ultra-alcoholic, hit-you-in-the-face sweet mulled wine I’m accustomed to. Instead, it’s quite balanced and enjoyable.

At room temperature, the orange, clove and cinnamon are quite evident on the nose. It’s a festive-tasting drink with good structure and flavors of warm baking spices and deep, dark fruit.

When warmed — which you can do easily in the microwave — the citrus become more muted and the tannins more present.

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