Let me tell you a story . . .

I'll keep it short.
I spent a few years working in Italy. In restaurants there it's common to have a few Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOO) of varying quality for different uses: A run-of-the-mill for bulk uses like salad dressings, pasta doughs, etc, a nicer but still basic finishing EVOO for risottos, pastas, and general drizzles, There is usually a great olive oil, for super fresh, special applications, like over the perfect tomato, or with amazing figs and ricotta, etc. etc.
and then . . . . there's a Very VIP Olive Oil, reserved only for those who can appreciate it (usually the cooks).
I was introduced to one of these VIP.EVOO's (stay with me) in my first posting in Bergamo, Italy. Ardonino olive oil, with a subtle but very distinct fruity flavor, it lacks that kick that some oils have. It was my first revelation on the value of a really good olive oil. It changed how I thought about the application, and like everyone's first, I fell deeply in love.
I left Bargamo with a few bottles, which I went through relatively quickly, and then I pined for months. When I returned to Italy to work in Imola, (Emilia Romagna) I looked everywhere for Ardonino. Finally I found it, hidden in a small store in Bologna.
Before my return to the states, I made a special trip for a lone bottle of the stuff. (it's expensive and I was broke) Waiting for the last train back to Imola, I set my bag down and heard a muffled clunk. After a quick coffee I looked down to see my back pack in a puddle of olive oil.
I had to return home empty handed.
Back in New York, I wandered listlessly, scanning every shelf in hopes of spying the Ardonino label. Finally, after literally 3 years of searching, on my way to work, I saw it. Liquid gold, my old love, at Garden of Eden on 23rd st. Strapped for time and cash, I returned a few days later, and it was gone!! They had pitched it because it wasn't selling!
I was devestated, but with new found hope, I continued to scan olive oil selections around the city. Where did it finally turn up? . . . . .Food Eporium on 14th street, of all places, $34 a 500ml bottle, ouch.
Still, I sprang for one, eight years after our introduction. Was it as delicious as I remember? Of course not, but it's very very good olive oil. The price is just a little steep.
Yesterday, I spotted that same 34 dollar bottle marked down to $3.99, Hot damn!
I bought 4, and I'm thinking about going back for more.
If you're in hood, you should definitely pick some up.

6 Tips for beginning cooks

I hear a lot from people who want to get into cooking, but don't know where to start. In general, the question is a very broad one, and one I put a lot of thought into considering the goal of this whole operation is to help people cook more.
Over time I've come up with a few key concepts to keep in mind when getting into cooking. The more I consider these tips, however, the more they influence my own practices. So while they are intended to help people fall in love with cooking, they might help others rekindle the flame.
Here they are.

1. Keep it simple
When jumping into any preparation, keeping it simple will go a very long way.
- You buy less ingredients, spend less money, and are left with fewer specialty ingredients that sit in your pantry for ages
- the process is easier: less prepping/chopping, cooking, and clean up
- Less room for error. A botched effort can leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

2. Stick to what you know
When you understand what the final product of your efforts should be, the process somehow is more intuitive. When your mind understands the particular flavor profile of say . . . a tomato sauce, or a Vietnamese salad (depending on your upbringing) and it will make make more sense to you why a dish might not work out. Maybe it needs salt, sweetness, or a squeeze of lime.
Staying in a familiar arena will help you develop a method for understanding taste, and how to adjust it to your liking. As opposed to when a recipe foreign to you doesn't work, it's much harder to understand why.

3. Adjust as you go
Monitor the process! Every kitchen is different, tools are diverse, and ingredients will vary a lot. As you cook, taste a lot and be aware of changes throughout the process: react accordingly. Many people simply execute a recipe and expect a result, but it just doesn't work that way. You have to learn to adapt as you cook.

4. Do it for you
This kind of relates to keeping it simple, I find a lot of peoples' first efforts are for groups of people. This is a risky undertaking. It distracts from the process, and introduces a lot of variables, meaning it's more likely to bomb. It could be embarrassing. All things that might prevent one from cooking more.
Cook for yourself (and maybe a friend/partner/spouse/etc.) It makes it more enjoyable, and let's you take more away from the procedure.

5. Buy quality
I say it over and over again, better ingredients translate to better food. Of course you have to prioritize this a little. A very common question is "How do I make great tomato sauce?" and the answer is simply, "With good tomatoes." Whatever the recipe, it wont be great with mediocre tomatoes. Again, this is much easier to do when keeping it simple.

6. Screw it up
You're going to fail. New to cooking or not, you'll bomb from time to time. It's the best way to learn and hone the practice moving forward.
You'll realize your boundaries and how to test them. You'll find your groove and develop a true love for cooking.
Just don't miss the learning opportunity that failure presents.

A new beast in the kitchen

So about a week ago I dropped and broke the glass pitcher to my $20 blender. I've had it for around seven years and she's served me well, but she was the last of a long line of crappy kitchen appliances that once lined my shelves.
My new love, found in a restaurant supply store, reinforced my belief in commercial tools.
As usual, I spent way too much time researching blenders, looking for performance and value, and this is what I came up with. The Waring BB150S. (Catchy name right?)
Here's why?
For 99 dollars (less than most decent consumer blenders) This baby has 1/2 horse power! A 2 year warranty, and above all, a stainless steel one quart pitcher. So it won't break when I drop it, but even if it did, I could just go online and buy the parts! (another perk to buying commercial). If it has a draw back, it's the aesthetics. Personally I don't mind how it looks, when I shop for kitchen tools, I do so with almost purely utilitarian restrictions.
So above all else it has to blend well. You shouldn't have to jiggle and shake it to get the contents to move. It should just grab it and puree. This blender does just that, and I expect to do so for a very long time.

Ready for fall

I'm not even sure if I'm ready for Autumn. I'm reluctantly waiving goodbye to my favorite summer ingredients, but like a kid getting over the family dog, a new puppy has me in a different mindset.
Fall puts a whole new paint job on things, and despite the cloudy, colder weather. I'm looking forward some changing leaves and tasty fall delicacies.
Keep your eye peeled for some entries on:
Apples
Carrots
Fall and winter squash,
All things cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli/ Cauliflower
- Greens like: collards, chard, rabe and others
How to eat your center piece.

Don't pitch that decoration just yet! Hold out for some ideas for a great snack!