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Corti Brothers Newsletter for Summer 2004 Page 3 New Olive Oils: Ardoino Vall'aurea and Mancianti Affiorato and Frantoio Now that summer is here, good oils are a virtual necessity for dressing salads and summer dishes. The Ardoino VALL’AUREA is an oil we have offered since 1980 and it is the quintessential Riviera oil, a light fruity oil pressed from taggiasca olives, very much loved by our customers. This is my oil of preference for making pesto, dressing simply boiled vegetables, served either warm or cold, or a piece of steamed or lightly grilled fish. This is oil which does not cover up the flavors in a dish, it anoints them. Ardoino Vall'aurea Olive Oil 500ml (#6029) Alfredo Mancianti of Umbria has just celebrated the 51st anniversary of the family’s production of oil. Alfredo, one of Italy’s great oil experts, was the first to produce a commercial oil that was not pressed from olive paste, but merely skimmed from the paste surface after it “flowered” (affiorato) on the paste. Thus, Mancianti AFFIORATO is oil which has not been pressed at all. This is a very difficult, time consuming method of production which is obviously very costly. The resulting oil is very soft, a medium fruity oil, very different from the Ardoino Vall’Aurea, with more olive fruitiness and piquancy. The cultivars used are Umbrian: moraiolo, frantoio, leccino, agogia, and raggiola. To celebrate the 51st anniversary of the firm, Alfredo produced a rare, monocultivar oil exclusively from frantoio olives, called MastrOleario. This oil is unique in production terms since blended cultivar oils are generally more successful. To show his production expertise, Alfredo made this single variety oil. It shows the vibrant fruitiness of frantoio in all its glory. It also shows the delicate, yet flavorful quality of Umbrian oils. Both oils are limited in stock. Mancianti Affiorato Olive Oil 2003 500ml Sold out. Once again I am pleased to offer two very successful and quite delicious wines produced from the teaching winery at California State University, Fresno. I think very highly of these two wines: a Barbera and a Primitivo. FRESNO STATE BARBERA 2001, Duarte Linden Hills Vineyard, San Joaquin County, is a delicious wine, at 12.5% alcohol, with all the juiciness and snap that a really fine Barbera should have. Freshness and fruity berry character and acidity are paramount in this variety. Certainly, Barbera can be made differently. It can be more wooded; it can be made more extracted and tannic; but it cannot be made any more delicious than this wine. Sold out. FRESNO STATE PRESIDENT’S RESERVE PRIMITIVO 2002 is from the same vineyard as the Barbera. Primitivo, as you know, is genetically the same as Zinfandel. Curiously, it always seems just slightly different. The “President’s Reserve” name is given to the best varietal of the vintage to honor Fresno State’s president. In 2001 it happens to be the Primitivo. Dark, purplish colored, fresh, blackberry scented with an intense fruity flavor and balancing tannin, there is a freshness which makes this Primitivo hard to resist. Its youthful drinkability makes it a pleasure now, but it will become a treasure with some bottle age. Both of these wines won gold medals at the Los Angeles County Fair tasting and should go on to win even more awards. California State Fair tasting: Barbera, Best of Class. Sold out. The Amalfi coast, south of Naples, grows a very special, large lemon called the sfusato amalfitano. Long, tapering, thick skinned and highly perfumed, the variety lost market share several decades ago due to thinner skinned, juicier varieties. Due to this market decline, about twenty years ago, a small industry was born to use the fruit. This was the creation of the lemon liqueur Limoncello. Although most lemons could be used to make this infused liqueur, the sfusato amalfitano is the best due to the thickness and oil content of its skin and perfumed scent. The best Limoncello I think has been produced since 1992 by the Aceto family just outside Amalfi and is called VALLE DEI MULINI LIQUORE DI LIMONI. This is a wonderful liqueur for any season, but in the summer it is particularly attractive. It improves iced tea, lemonade, and fruit salads. It is a must on ice cream for a very fast dessert. It also finishes a meal with a refreshing, lively lemon flavor. All you have to do is keep the bottle in the freezer and splash wherever a delicious lemon flavor is desired. Although sweet, it also could be used to good advantage in cooking. Be adventuresome!
It is a wonderful blend of Sicilian sea salt and hand plucked wild rosemary and sage growing on the Vignalta estate in the Colli Euganei, in Italy’s Veneto region. Herbed salts have long been a tradition in Venice and here the tradition is continued. Since the herbs are used fresh, not dried, it differs from many of the flavored salts on the market. This salt would have been much favored by Elizabeth David, the noted British food writer, who could not abide a strong rosemary flavor. In VIGNALTA SALE ALLE ERBE, the rosemary character is present, but not intrusive. But it really highlights grilled meats such as lamb, chicken, Wagyu steaks, quail, and oily fish like salmon. Try salting some good pork with it overnight. During the summer, it seems that most food needs just a touch more salt to bring out its flavor. Vignalta Sale Alle Erbe is the best flavored cooking salt I can think of. Vignalta Sale Alle Erbe Herbed Salt 10.5 oz. jar << Back to Top |
Corti Brothers
Sacramento CA