Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Spice up your Life

Did I get your attention ?

This ' little' lady certainly got  mine on a recent visit to
at 
The Oxbow Market 
Napa
Lisa Minucci , proprietor, has a fabulous eye for anything culinary 

and all things "Porkie"
Look at her logo signage above

Sterling pepper shaker and salt dish

She does however take credit cards from the rest of us

Her  collection of salt and pepper sets will 
keep conversations lively at any dining table

HERITAGE
 is always a treasure trove of goodies

Lisa has encouraged me to share my 
FINDS & FAVORITES
with my
JOURNAL FOLLOWERS

YOU !

So be on the lookout throughout the entries
and contact me at

HONESTLY GENERIC 
I like  to see which is which
S & P


SALT  
  a perfect  preservative for seasonal foods, was difficult to obtain in ancient times, making it highly valued. Olives are often cured in salt as they were in ancient  Greece and Rome

SUNSHINE MARKET
St HELENA 
NAPA VALLEY
Their seemlessly endless varieties of olives- breads- cheeses and wines
make them a perfect place to stock up for a wine country picnic

Marco Poo told of salt tablets in Tibet carved with the image of the rulers used as money

MARCO POLO
1254-1324

Civilizations rose and fell for this WHITE GOLD

 
The bravest and best of Roman soldiers were paid with salt
"Worth their Salt"

And fabulous Salt Cellars were crafted to grace the finest dining tables


The Saliera
1543
by
Benvenuto Cellini
commissioned by Francis I of France

Made of gold, ivory and enamel this most famous of salt cellars-insured for 68 million dollars-
depicts Neptune, god of the sea and Ceres, goddess of the earth 
It symbolizes the unity of of the two in producing salt
Salt is mined from the earth or collected from the sea

From early medi-evil times status was established by the value of the 
salt cellar on the household table

A politically incorrect cast iron salt cellar
1940's American
Heritage Artifacts

Specialty salts have gained increasing  popularity
They enhance the flavor of foods
 from 
fresh vegetables to chocolates
Carefully weighed "pink gold"
from a fabulous assortment 
at
Napa
I love their web site- it tells me all about all those salts
I have accumulated in my pantry and how to use them.

WHOLE SPICE 
will package up a delectable assortment
and ship anywhere.
Salt is just ONE of their specialties

These salts need to be served in salt cellars because they are coarse

 Salt Flakes and Pepper Grinds
at the
Lake House
Napa Valley
An Auberge Resort

Under the caring watch of General Manager, Coni Thornberg
and
 Food and Beverage Manager, Joel Gordon, 
no detail is too small 

Searching markets, souks,  and antique stores around the world
I have collected an assortment of salt cellars 
AMERICAN MINIATURE REVERE BOWL
19th CENTURY

ANTIQUE ENGLISH SALT CELLAR
18TH CENTURY

EVERY INTERIOR REQUIRES A LITTLE BLING
A silver salt dish
provides that perfect little dab


Antique Salt Cellar and Pepper Bowl,
 India 1910
shown on 
 KERELA IKAT 
Quince Green
hand woven and tie-dyed in India

from



INDIA

THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN    I was so enamored with the PBS Series adapted from Paul Scott's 1966 RAJ QUARTET that  I watched it for 8 straight days and became emotionally involved with all the characters.  




You may also want to own the 25th Anniversary Edition


MORE FROM MY COLLECTION
shown on
 KERELA
 Blue 
from 

IKAT ALSO AVAILABLE IN 

RASPBERRY-TAUPE -TURQUOISE-CURRY-PURPLE

FOR SAMPLES CONTACT
Rela Gleason Design

IKATS will spice up your life

GUCCI
From Fashion

to Interiors


FROM THE SOUK...

ANTIQUE SILVER PLATED-COBALT GLASS 
LINED SALT DISH 
is a thoughtful place to set a ring or earrings
and keep them from harms way on a sink vanity

Five of these precious little oval containers

AVAILABLE FROM

$32.00 each plus shipping
(rings not included)


DODIE THAYER'S
CABBAGE LEAF CERAMICS
Shown on linen/cotton 
KERELA IKAT
color-TERRA
Available by the yard exclusively from

BTW

May 9th Wall Street Journal
reports that lean-hog prices are way down
 despite the fact that the retail price of pork is up

Lean - Hog sounds like an oxymoron to me
might that be part of the problem ???


Seriously... the fat content of  pork has been very carefully and intentionally diminished
in order to market it as the lean "other white meat."  Unfortunately the lack of fat makes for dry tasteless pork.  I select pork raised on small  farms like Vande Rose where the pigs are fat and happy.  No dry tasteless pork chops- no brining necessary
COSTCO also has really good pork ( and other meats too)


MILANESE

This is a one plate meal - meat starch and vegetables all in one delicious presentation


Serves 6

These chops are also excellent made ahead of time and served at room temperature




6 thin (3/8") center cut pork chops bone in

remove all fat from the edges and pound t to about 3/16" with meat mallet 



1/2 C white flour mixed with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and a grinding of pepper
3 eggs beaten- with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and a grinding of pepper
1 Cup Panko Crumbs

4 cups wild arugula- washed and divided equally on the six plates

2 baskets cherry tomatoes- washed and each cut in half
Extra Virgin  high quality olive oil  1.5 Tbls OPTIONAL
Juice of one fresh lemon
kosher salt-because it disolves easily  1/2 tsp or to tatse
diced red onion (optional)
fresh ground pepper

Toss the tomatoe halves in a bowl with oil , lemon juice, salt, pepper and onions
 Let rest for at least 1/2 hour- the longer the better.
You can make this a day ahead- cover and refrigerate- the flavors just get better

Put the flour- beaten egg- and panko in three individual bowls large enough to hold a pork chop

Dredge each chop in flour
Then  dip into beaten egg making sure that it is completely coated
Dredge in Panko so the entire chop is crusted

Set each chop on a sheet of wax paper making a neat stack.
Refrigerate the stack for at least 15 minutes. Sometimes I do this up to 4 hours ahead

In a large fry pan over MEDIUM HEAT melt the optional butter and when foam subsides add 2 Tbls of that great olive oil. 

Saute the chops  until golden brown, turn and continue cooking till second side is also golden. You will want to lower the heat a bit so the chops cook evenly.

Serve on a bed of arugula and top with the tomatoe salad.
BE SURE to spoon on some of that liquid that has accumulated under the tomatoes.  



Now back to the salt mines !