i first tasted balsamic vinegar when i was 18 in the south of france. it was served with olive oil on tomatoes-the really good kind that came off the plant like yesterday-and thinly sliced red onions. it changed my life forever. if it had not been for my good southern upbringing, i might have tipped the empty salad bowl to my lips and drunk the stuff. for many years, the only dressing i would use was a drizzle of really good olive oil and equally good balsamic vinegar and a pinch of coarse salt. the only way to improve on this dressing is to add garlic. these ingredients together on top of fresh lettuce greens, vine ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and cut basil make a delectable lunch. i could go on and on about fresh basil, but i won’t. just make the salad. (with 8-grain bread from boulevard, also in this month’s basket) look how the mozzarella soaks up the vinegar! can’t you just smell that basil?? friends, summer is here!
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June 2, 2007 at 8:56 pm
dh
ok. you keep dropping the “really good olive oil” and “equally good balsamic vinegar” … what are your top brands and where do you buy them locally?
June 2, 2007 at 11:19 pm
alison chino
of course i buy olive oil (and many other things) by the crate from trader joe’s which i wouldn’t mention except that i know some folks who are going there very soon. maybe we could put in an order…
BUT, if pressed, i will buy olive oil and balsamic vinegar at wild oats (or fresh market…now open in little rock). and in a pinch, i buy carapelli olive oil from the grocery store.
when we were in italy, (it goes without saying that all good olive oil does come from italy…ditto for balsamic vinegar) we learned that the best olive oil is not clear green, but cloudy green. i can’t remember why…so i have a nicer bottle that is indeed cloudy that i use for dressings (a trader joe’s reserve) and then a lower grade that i use for cooking. lower grade is not to be confused with walmart brand olive oil.
if i sound snobby, well, ina garten (one of my favorite cooks) says to buy your olive oil at williams-sonoma, so there are levels of cooking snobbery and i think i fall somewhere in the middle.
although, the first time i ever went to a whole foods in chicago, i was so enamored with the whole experience that i paid $25 for a small bottle of olive oil because it was from provence and i loved the bottle. it was a ceramic caraffe with a cork, sealed with red wax. actually i still have that bottle.
i guess we can just count this as my post on olive oil!
June 5, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Mama
Hey, did you know the Member’s Mark extra virgin olive oil, First cold pressing, at Sam’s is a product of Italy? It even says in the ingredients: High quality extra virgin olive oil. I think it is even comparable to the cheaper olive oil at Trader Joe’s.
June 9, 2007 at 11:03 pm
ahhh….saturday…. « free millie
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