At The Table... With Doris Italian Market

Recipe: Grilled Tenderloin Sandwich with Fontina

2012-06-03T12:47:00.000-04:00

Grilled Tenderloin Sandwich With Fontina

If you haven't been able to stop by and pick up the little grilling booklets from our friends at the Wisconsin Dairy Board, here is a recipe from the booklet that will help your summer be a nice Italian one...

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 to 2-1/2 pounds beef tenderloin
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup (3 ounces) Asiago Cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons bottled roasted garlic, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into rings
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 loaf (16 ounces) French bread, sliced in half lengthwise
2 cups (8 ounces) Fontina or Gouda Cheese, sliced

Cooking Directions:

Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium heat. Brush tenderloin with oil, season with salt and pepper; let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

In small bowl, combine sour cream, Asiago Cheese, roasted garlic, salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
Sear beef over direct heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Move to indirect heat until the internal temperature reaches 140°F. Remove and let stand.
Brush pepper rings with butter; grill 5 minutes.
Brush cut sides of bread with butter; grill until toasted. Spread bottom halves with sour cream sauce; top with pepper rings.
Cut tenderloin into 1/2-inch thick slices, placing over pepper rings. Cover with Fontina Cheese. Top with bread. Wrap in foil; grill for 5 min. Unwrap and cut each into 3 sandwiches.

La Linea: Episode 210

2012-06-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Recipe: Ferrara Orzata Soda

2012-06-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

Summer is upon us and heat is on! Our friends at Cento Fine Foods have shared this refreshing and simple recipe to fight the relentless heat. You can find these ingredients at all of our locations. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 oz. Ferrara Sparkling Mineral Water
1 oz. Ferrara Orzata Almond Syrup
5 oz. Ice, cubed

Instructions:

Fill a 12 oz. glass halfway with ice cubes.

Add mineral water then almond syrup.
Stir well, and enjoy.
Serves 1.

For more great recipes and information about their great products, visit www.cento.com or simply come to any of our five Doris Italian Market locations.

Chocolate: Delicious Sunscreen?

2012-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

With the sweltering hot summer approaching, many people get ready to protect themselves from the harmful rays of the sun by getting their sunscreen lotions stocked up. Well would you believe that chocolate can help as well?

From Specialty Food Magazine:

In addition to its taste and antioxidant properties, there may be a new unexpected benefit for chocolate to tout. Scientists at Laval University’s Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Quebec are studying whether eating dark chocolate helps protect against sunburn. Currently, they’re recruiting fair-skinned female volunteers to eat three squares of chocolate every day for 12 weeks. (By only including females, they can control the variability between men’s and women’s hormones.) Participants will then be exposed to ultraviolet light in a lab, and their skin will be checked for sun damage. A control group will be given a placebo, allowing the scientists to compare the degree of UV damage. Scientists were spurred on by research including a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2010 that showed that chocolate high in the antioxidant flavanol (i.e., those with high percentages of cacao), reached the upper layers of skin and counteracted the free radicals generated from exposure to UV radiation, making it a good secondary form of sunscreen. Green and white tea also contain epicatechin and catechin, the flavanols responsible for added sun protection.

Well all I can say is that before I go to the beach, I'm going to have a nice Baci Chocolate. Stay Cool!

source: specialtyfood.com

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2012-05-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Onion versus Garlic

2012-05-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

Used often in the cooking world, especially in Italian cooking, yet seldomly eaten as a single item, onions and garlic are as simple as it gets for cooking ingredients, yet provide the difference between a good dish and an amazing one. There are obviously large amounts of fand for both, but which is the superior? Please share your opinion by commenting below and let's see whose taste is supreme around this corner of the internet....

Simple Italian Food (and a recipe)

2012-05-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

I feel very guilty when it comes to this blog. There is so much I wish to share about myself, my family, and my business. However, running a business such as mine takes a great deal of time and so does being a family man (which I love!) and there is not much left after. So when my creative juices are depleted, which is often, I surf the net and look for interesting sites and articles to share.

Well tonight is one of those nights. I stumbled across this blog talking about simple Italian food, and it's role in Italian culture as well as its misconception by Americans. I found it well thought and written and I wanted to share. Oh yeah! And they also provide a risotto recipe. So enjoy the article from addisonindependent.com and if you wish, check out their site.

“In Italy, if you have bad food, it is not a good day,” said Carla Guglielmino.
Guglielmino is the Italian culture consultant and director of the Italian childrens’ school at the Middlebury College summer language schools, which wrapped up last week. To her, there are just a few rules of good Italian cooking.
“The oil must be a very good oil,” she explained, “and the tomatoes must be fresh. And you have to understand that pasta must be cooked al dente.”
The most important part of Italian cooking, though, is simplicity. In the United States, she said, people often ruin Italian food by adding too many ingredients — the worst offender being heavy cream.
Simplicity of ingredients, however, does not limit culinary possibilities. In fact, Italian cuisine varies greatly from region to region. Though many dishes have become standard throughout the country over the years, each region has a very specific cuisine.
Guglielmino’s fingers moved across a map of Italy, and at each stop she described the specialties of that region. As she described each dish in detail, a smile crossed her face and her eyes crinkled at the edges.
She began with Turin, her hometown. There, typical dishes are agnolotti and brasato al Barolo — agnolotti is a type of ravioli stuffed with meat, while brasato al barolo is beef marinated in wine for between 18 and 24 hours, then roasted in those juices.
Alpa is truffle country, so they make risotto with truffles. Romagna is grazing country, so they make cheese to fill tortellini. In the coastal regions there is fish, and in Umbria there is boar. During the summers in Genoa, there is pesto with pasta. The food depends on the region’s agriculture, but also on its trading patterns — areas close to France have adaptations of French dishes, while coastal trading areas use exotic spices. A common dish in Milan is risotto alla milanese, prepared with saffron.

Risotto with peas

But go to most Italian restaurants around here and that cuisine is not what you will find. What we think of as Italian food — from pizza to pasta to tomato sauce — originates further south. In Rome you will find pasta carbonara, a pasta dish with pancetta and eggs, and in Naples and Sicily there is pizza and tomato sauce.
But even the pizza isn’t quite what we think of when we order a pizza here.
“The pizza must have tomatoes, peeled tomatoes and cheese. Not sauce,” said Guglielmino.
Today you can find pizza in the north of Italy and risotto in the south. Still, said Guglielmino, each region has very different food, which makes for delicious and varied traveling.
“Lots of people say, ‘In Italy they enjoy food too much,’” she said with a laugh. “But for us, it’s very symbolic.”
Family life centers around food; every night, families — often including grandparents and other relatives — gather to eat a home-cooked meals. Sunday meals are larger and longer. The days are also structured around food; many shops close between noon and three so that the proprietors can go home for lunch.
Even business often revolves around food.
“In America, they talk business, then maybe they have some sandwiches. In Italy that is absolutely shameful,” Guglielmino said. “You need to have a good lunch. In the meantime, you discuss.”
Food, in Italy, is as much about the social interactions that surround it as it is about the actual act of eating; about sitting down and taking the time to enjoy food and conversation. It is no wonder, then, that the origin of the Slow Food movement — an effort to celebrate local food traditions and counteract a “fast food” culture — is Italy.
“If you eat good food, you are at peace with yourself and you are happy,” said Guglielmino
Good food doesn’t have to mean Italian food. It can mean any kind of food prepared with care and eaten with enjoyment.
But one of the wonderful things about Italian cooking is that most of the basic ingredients are available here — eggplant, artichoke, garlic, basil, onions and tomatoes are all easily accessible, especially during the summers. Good olive oil and pasta will, of course, run you more than generic brands. Important as the ingredients are, compromises are sometimes necessary (I, for one, sometimes buy Hannaford extra virgin olive oil, much to the dismay of my family).
But try draining your pasta when it is still somewhat chewy, and tossing it with chopped fresh tomatoes in the summer, canned crushed tomatoes in the winter. Toss in some grated cheese, extra-virgin olive oil and some basil, and you’ve got yourself a simple Italian summer dish. Or try this risotto recipe, perfectly suited to experimentation:
Risotto
Recipe courtesy Nicole Conti
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups broth (make your own, or use a boullion cube)
1 small onion
2 Tablespoons butter
White wine
1/4 Parmesan cheese
Sautee onions in butter until softened. Add rice and stir until coated with butter. Add a dash of white wine and broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is mostly absorbed and then adding more. You won’t necessarily use up all of the broth—just continue to stir and add broth until the rice is still slightly hard in the middle, but creamy and soft otherwise.
Here’s where it gets interesting: add in the parmesan and whatever else you want. To make risotto alla Milanese, add in 1/4 teaspoon saffron. Or add tomatoes, shrimp, chicken — feel free to experiment.

La Linea: Episode 209

2012-05-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day: A Unique Perspective

2012-05-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

As we remember and honor those who have served and fallen in war, I wanted to share a quick story about the soldiers who fought World War II. As the world was changing, war divided it. From the nineteenth century, the influx of immigration to the United States was growing exponentially, so when war broke out, many families were divided by politics as well as continents. My grandfather, who fought as an Italian soldier was a POW being held in the United States. His nephew, Cousin Jimmy, would visit him often and as a resident of the United States, he was grateful that his Uncle was still alive. I was told by Cousin Jimmy, who is almost 90, that after a battle, US soldiers would search the dog tags of the fallen Italian soldiers in fear of finding a relative. It's rather frightening to realize how war does not discriminate......
As we enjoy our barbecues and spend time with family and friends, take a brief moment and recognize the sacrifices of many and appreciate the fact that we would not be where we are without their actions and sometimes the rift that comes between family is involuntary. Whether you are on one side or the other, soldiers follow orders and one has to recognize that because each and every soldier is a son/daughter, father/mother, brother/sister, husband/wife..... you get the idea.

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2012-05-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

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La Linea: Episode 208

2012-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

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2012-05-17T01:38:00.000-04:00

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La Linea: Episode 207

2012-05-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

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2012-05-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

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Back By Popular Demand!

2012-05-08T16:15:00.002-04:00

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La Linea: Episode 206

2012-05-06T13:10:00.000-04:00

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2012-05-02T21:12:00.001-04:00

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Seafood Fraud: Do you trust your retailer/restaurant?

2012-04-29T23:24:00.001-04:00

We at Doris Italian Market & Bakery take pride in selling quality provisions. Nowadays, many consumers are weary of where they get their food from due to many practices that deceive them. For example, we always advertise the grade of our meats along with their price whereas other retailers advertise the type and price of meat with out disclosing the grade of meat. There is a reason if we sell an item for let's say $10.99lb and a competitor sells the "same" item for half that price. The consumer must be sure they are comparing apples to apples.

The same goes for seafood. There is a great deal of fraud occuring at the retail and restaurant level. We came across this interesting article in our local newspaper and thought we would share.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Take a bite out of Florida seafood fraud

Daniel Vasquez
Sun Sentinel Columnist
April 9, 2012

Everyone in Florida can play a role in stamping out seafood fraud.
First, let's collectively face the facts. Local restaurants and markets are hawking fake or substitute fish at premium prices. And there are those among us looking the other way to get a cheap grouper sandwich.
That's why seafood fraud happens.
Fake fish enterprise threatens us all, our pocketbooks, health and environment.
"The industry just needs more regulation," said Tim Petrillo, co-founder and CEO of The Restaurant People, Inc., which operates the fine-food eateries Yolo and Tarpon Bend in downtown Fort Lauderdale. "And the consumer needs to know why they are paying what they are paying when it comes to fish."
But the point of distribution is critical, and that's where the focus must be, Petrillo added. "We can only take responsibility for so much," he said.
Petrillo said his establishments try to reassure customers that they get what they pay for by, for example, serving the yellowtail snapper sandwich with tail intact. Easily removed, that tail tells the diner the true tale about the dish's authenticity, Petrillo said.
Petrillo made the case for regulation as a panelist in the "Bait and Switch: How Seafood fraud hurts our oceans, our wallets and our health," hosted lThursday by the Tower Forum.
"There is a reason we sell a Grouper sandwich for $12 and the other guy sells it for $6," Petrillo told me, the event's moderator. "His is not grouper."
Consumers should question unusually low prices or suspicious fish dishes, said fellow panelist Dr. Michael Hirschfield, senior vice president and chief scientist for Oceana, an international ocean conservation group. And they should support congressional legislation to implement a tracking system akin to the beef industry, which traces products from the farm to the plate, Hirschfield said.
"We need a traceable system, on a barcode, that tracks from boat to plate," he said. "That would protect the honest fisherman, the honest distributor and the honest restaurant."
Oceana uses undercover customers and DNA testing to document seafood fraud in the United States. In, Boston, it found supermarkets mislabeled fish 23 percent of the time. South Florida is currently being investigated.
What you can do:
Report fish substitution at a supermarket or retail store to the Division of Food Safety at 850-245-5520. For a restaurant, contact the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at 850-487-1395.
dvasquez@tribune.com, 954-356-4219 or 561-243-6686.

To view this article, click HERE.

1) Right is rockfish & left is red snapper 2) right is wild salmon and left is farmed Atlantic salmon

La Linea: Episode 205

2012-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

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2012-04-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

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La Linea: Episode 204

2012-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's Pizza Night Again..... do it right!

2012-04-20T00:34:00.000-04:00

A missing element to Pizza Night for many is the actual making of the pizza. As much as we all like the taste of pizza, the journey to the end product most likely will make a memorable experience as well as a delicious one. Here's a link to a post for Pizza Night from a blog we follow often. It's bad enough that eating as a family is a rare occasion. Getting back to basics like cooking together could provide such a bonding experience that the ramifications can be entirely, positively rewarding. So whether you do the "pizza thing" or not, make Friday night "Family Night".

Other realted posts:
Grilled Pizza with Pears & Fig Jam
Top This Pizza Crusts
Pizza Night Recipe
Grilled Sausage & Ricotta Pizza
Leek & Pecorino Pizza (+ wine suggestion)

Weekly Ad 4/19/12 - 4/25/12

2012-04-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

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La Linea: Episode 203

2012-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Almost Pizza (Saturday Night Live)

2012-04-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

With households today that have everyone working, home cooked meals are becoming a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this will have health implications down the road if not already with processed foods. But this funny skit from Saturday Night Live is a great demonstration of the imminent danger that Pizza Night is in. Part of Pizza Night is the joy of making it. Keep tradition alive! As wellas yourself; cook with natural ingredients....