Author Archives: foodgal

‘Tis the Season to Give an Olive Tree

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Nudo Italian olive oil. (Photo courtesy of Nudo)

As you contemplate braving the stores tomorrow to shop till you drop on Black Friday, here’s a great gift without any of the hassle.

Give the gift of an Italian olive tree, along with all the luscious oil it produces for a year.

You can through Nudo-Italia.

Jason Gibb and Cathy Rogers chucked their careers as TV producers to restore an abandoned 21-acre olive grove in Italy’s Le Marche in 2005. (We should all be so lucky, right?)

In addition to selling lovely olive oils, organic jarred pesto and dried specialty pastas, they also offer a program where anyone around the world can adopt an olive tree for a year. The project is a collaboration between Nudo and small-scale artisan olive oil producers in Le Marche and Abruzzo.

You can even choose the tree you want in a specific grove. Each tree produces about 2 liters of oil a year. For $105, you receive three shipments during the year.  First, a personalized adoption certificate and booklet about your tree. Then, in the spring, you’ll receive delivery of all the extra virgin olive oil from your selected tree. Finally, in autumn, you’ll get three flavored extra virgin olive oils to enjoy, as well.

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Speedy, Simple Sides Part II: The Green Beans

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A perky, fast holiday salad.

Creamy, cheesy green bean casserole is the stuff of comfort and tradition.

But for a lighter, contemporary California take, try this crisp, tangy “Green Bean Salad with Pickled Shallots.”

It’s from “Heart of the Artichoke” (Artisan), the newest cookbook by David Tanis, long-time chef at Berkeley’s landmark Chez Panisse.

I dunno about you, but at holiday tables so laden with a multitude of rich, buttery dishes, I always welcome having something bright, fresh and assertively zingy as a contrast.

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Speedy, Simple Sides Part I: The Mushrooms

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Spectacular shiitakes that take practically no time to cook.

At this time of year especially, we can’t ever have enough recipes for side dishes that are versatile, effortless and crowd-pleasers.

“Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms with Sage” fits that bill perfectly.

It takes barely 10 minutes to make and goes well alongside everything from poultry to pork to beef.

And it’s from suave Chef Eric Ripert of New York’s renowned Le Bernardin. It’s from his new cookbook, “Avec Eric” (Wiley), a companion to his similarly named, intelligent PBS cooking show.

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Tyler Florence Cookbook Winner & New $100 Food Gal Contest Giveaway

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The family rolling pin.

The rolling pin above is as old-school as it gets.

It’s not in vogue like those slender, tapered, elegant French rolling pins coveted by today’s bakers.

The red color on the handles long ago started fading away in spots.

It may be worse for the wear, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You see, it was my late-Mom’s rolling pin.

I’m not even sure when she acquired it. All I know is that for as long as I can remember, it was stored in a cupboard in our family home, along with all the other baking equipment.

As a kid, I’d rifle through that cupboard till I found it, then roll out dough for peach pies in the summer or fanciful decorated cookies for Christmas in the shapes of stars and snowmen.

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Fabulous Frances

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Decadent chicken liver mousse at Frances restaurant.

It may be only a year old, but Frances restaurant in San Francisco, has garnered just about every accolade around, including being a finalist for “Best New Restaurant” in the nation by the James Beard Foundation.

It’s easy to see why.

Chef Melissa Perello’s compact restaurant on the edge of the Castro district, a short drive from the Holiday Inn Civic Center San Francisco, is like your favorite pair of jeans.

When you step into it, you feel comfortable and relaxed immediately. You want to return to it often because it’s reliable and just fits so well.

The snug, 45-seat restaurant is named for Perello’s beloved grandma. Perello’s mom sewed the pillows with the big buttons that grace the long, wood banquette that her father helped build.

My husband and I finally made it in for dinner one recent Saturday night. Although we paid for our dinner, Perello sent out a lot of extra complimentary dishes, too, that she wanted us to try.

A great way to start the evening is with one of the restaurant’s ever-changing “market shots” ($3 each). Fresh fruit from the farmers market is combined with wine for a unique little cocktail. On the night we were there, the shot was roasted Bartlett pears muddled with vermouth. It was like a spiced pear cobbler in liquid form.

Frances also has one of the most fun house-wine programs. Choose red or white and a carafe will be set down at your table. Etched on the glass are lines measuring every 2 ounces. You pour as much as you want and at the end of the night, your wine tab is tabulated, based on how much you’ve drunk. The price is $1 per ounce, which is pretty hard to beat for wine at a restaurant at this level.

A tangle of smoky, tender calamari.

Grilled calamari with preserved lemon and Sicilian olives ($6.50) was tender, smoky and imbued with bright Mediterranean flavors.

The chicken liver mousse ($10) was as rich and smooth as whipped cream. A Sierra Beauty apple compote alongside provided a sweet, fruity contrast.

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