It’s hard to find good, quality products. It can also be overwhelming. Where on one hand most supermarkets have lackluster products on the shelf, some of which, like olive oil, can even be fraudulent, on the other hand the internet has delightfully opened up a whole universe of small-batch artisans brewing everything from scotch to honey. It can take a lot of digging to find what you like.
So with that in mind, I thought it’d be fun to start out the New Year by sharing a list of some of the staple products I use in my kitchen every day. I really love recommendations from friends, and I hope by this point, of course, you see me as one.
Aside from Dry Farm Wines, none of these brands are sponsored, and Dry Farm is a sponsor because I love, love, love the wines they send me, and I’ve been drinking them for years, way before I began working with them. :=)
With that said, here’s a bit of what I spend my hard-earned money on in order to fill my cupboards, and my family’s bellies, with the best quality ingredients I can.
Happy New Year!
Olive Oil—I keep an array of bottles in my cupboard, using different kinds of olive oil, depending on what I’m cooking. If I’m frying chicken cutlets, for instance, I’ll use a more run-of-the-mill brand, because I’m going to need a lot of it and because the flavor in raw form is not as front and center.
When I’m making a salad, however, I’ll use a more expensive, higher-quality olive oil, like the one Jovial sells. I also like to keep an extra special bottle made in small batches on hand; I’ll rotate what brand depending on what I come across. Currently, it’s a bottle of organic olive oil generously sent to me from Feudo Montoni by Melissa Muller, which is a real special treat, and I use it sparingly, on special occasions and never to cook with, only as a drizzle or topping or better yet, as the base for a dip with good parmesan, salt and pepper for some freshly baked bread.
Balsamic Vinegar—I came across Amorroma balsamic at the local Italian grocery store near me over the border in Jersey. It’s definitely pricey, but once you taste it, you’ll wonder what exactly the so-called balsamic in your pantry actually is. Good balsamic should be dark, thick, and leave a hint behind on the glass when you swirl it in its bottle. We’ve been sold the idea here in America that balsamic is as thin as vinegar, perhaps because it shares the word “vinegar,” but if you want a balsamic to knock your socks off, make sure it’s got some weight. Also look for balsamic from the Modena region in Italy, and, if possible, one that has the IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta/Indication of Geographic Protection) or the DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta/Protected Designation of Origin) stamp of quality, indicating the product is made with traditional ingredients in a traditional manner particular to a certain region.
Flour—I keep an array of flours on hand, but the one I use most often is Einkorn made by Jovial. Einkorn is an ancient grain that has never been altered, unlike nearly all other types of wheat in today’s world. Because of that it’s grown the way it has been grown for centuries, and it packs all the nutrients you’d imagine in that respect. Low in gluten, high in protein, antioxidants and vitamins and minerals like potassium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, B6 and thiamine. It’s a flour you can bake with without worrying about the spikes in sugar that white, processed flour wreaks.
One thing to remember when you bake with Einkorn and other ancient grains is that they will not create sky-high loaves of bread like the ones we’ve become accustomed to. Ancient grains just didn’t and don’t work that way. Sometimes, I’ll add in some bread flour to give the loaf a bigger puff, and I think that’s just fine—the majority of the ingredients are still sourdough and einkorn, and the bread has a fluff that’s pleasing to the eye and the palette. In this instance, I use King Arthur brand flour. These flours contain no bleach and no artificial preservatives.
Salt—I really never use white table salt anymore. My salt of choice is pink himalayan sea salt, and while I’ll try different brands here and there, the one I use most often is San Francisco Salt Co. I like to keep extra fine as well as thick coarse salt in the cupboard. Thicker salt goes great sprinkled on top of focaccia or even chocolate cookies. :)
Dry Farm Wine—Just trust me on this, these wines are delicious, classy, and purely crafted on small family vineyards throughout the world. They’re old world wines for a new age. You feel like you’re doing something good not only for yourself when you drink them, but for the things that mean most to you. These wines have no added sugar, yeast, dyes, chemicals or toxins, unlike many of the wines available in the grocery store.
Becoming a “member” may intimidate you, but it shouldn’t; you can easily place one order and then cancel any future ones. They email you before your order processes and ships, and they have terrific customer service. If there’s a combination you want but don’t see, for instance, two bottles of bubbly and one red, just hit the chat button in the lower right-hand corner or shoot them an email, and they’ll happily oblige!
Because they’re sponsors, you can get a bottle in your first order for just a penny by using this link—dryfarmwines.com/bellafigura.
And if you don’t want to try Dry Farm, next time you head to the store just try to find wine made with organic grapes and if possible, an alcohol percentage lower than 14 percent (check out the back label.) The higher the percentage of alcohol, the more likely it is that refined white sugar has been added to the wine!
Thanks for being here with me, truly.
And remember—Just cook. Don’t stress!
xoxo,
Dolores