Owner: Avanti Savoia's Blog URL:http://www.avantisavoia.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:53:54 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Musings about gourmet food and cooking by Chef Joseph and Vito De Carolis . Includes discussions of cooking techniques, a wide-ranging selection of recipes and “Did You Know?” tips. Site statistics:Click here
A GOULISH FEAST 2008-10-29 15:48:00 “Even a man who is pure in heartand says his prayers by night,may become a wolf when the wolfbane bloomsand the autumn moon is bright!”“THE WOLF MAN”Universal Pictures, 1941 Halloween 2008“Part of our collective consciousness”Estimates vary, but Americans celebrating this holiday add up to big business and it seems each year to be increasingly more popular. The way we celebrate Hallowe
THE GARDEN THING 2008-10-15 00:00:00 "A bumper crop of weeds"MAY ‘08My wife, Gail and I planted our first garden together in the summer of 1996. We were very excited about it and spent a great deal of time (for the next eleven years) building our soil, tending, harvesting and enjoying. Some years we managed three different seasonal plantings and Gail canned with a passion. Last spring we both faced some health issues and in truth,
AN AVANTI SAVOIA BIRTHDAY PARTY 2008-10-08 00:00:00 Cool Food for a Hot CelebrationIt is a nice thing to enjoy the company of your co-workers. Ben Slocum, the young president of Avanti Savoia is one of those enjoyable people. I consider Ben to be a computer wizard, although I’m sure that he would quickly disagree. In the almost two years that I have been Avanti’s Chef Consultant, I have spent many hours working with Ben and have grown to like a
A CHEF’S MEA CULPA 2008-09-26 09:36:00 Eat Only the Plants That Are Proven Safe and Accurately IdentifiedAn interesting situation has been reported in the news media, one that has caught my attention and given me real pause for thought. A British chef, Anthony Worrall Thompson has made a significant error in his recommendation of a wild plant to be used in summertime meals. His mistake has had me thinking about two very important obser
Italian Cuisine 2008-09-21 09:40:00 Why is the cuisine of the Italian
peninsula so rich, tasty and varied? By Don Vito De Carolis, Avanti Savoia’s Italian Partner Part Three: The Modern EraDuring the first decade of the 17th century, chef Giangiacomo Castelvetro published Brieve Racconto di Tutte le Radici di Tutte l'Herbe et di Tutti i Frutti (A Brief Account of all Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit) which was translated into English Read more:Cuisine
Italian Cuisine 2008-09-17 14:38:00 Why is the cuisine of the Italian
peninsula so rich, tasty and varied?By Don Vito De Carolis, Avanti Savoia’s Italian PartnerPart Two: The Italian RenaissanceThe Italian Renaissance was a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. The European Re Read more:Cuisine
Italian Cuisine 2008-09-15 03:29:00 Why is the cuisine of the Italian
peninsula so rich, tasty and varied?By Don Vito De Carolis, Avanti Savoia’s Italian PartnerPart One: Early HistoryDuring my career, I have travelled for 30 years across five continents and tasted hundreds of different ethnic cuisines. I now believe that each type of cuisine is related to three distinct elements: history, culture and the availability of various f Read more:Cuisine
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN COOKS 2008-08-12 08:47:00 Chef Joseph Asks Don Vito to Define “Authentic” Italian CuisineVito De Carolis is about as authentically Italian as you can imagine. A native of the city of Torino (Turin), he and his wife, Daniela own a home there that is 600 years old. Vito grew up loving cooking and worked at a very early age at a small food shop named “Il Pastificio”. (See a previous blog post entitled “Where My L
In Love with the Love Apple 2008-07-25 07:39:00 We Still Love Them, But Know Your Source!Lycopersicum Esculentum or “edible wolf’s peach” is a favorite of almost everyone. Our English word tomato is derived from the Nahuatl word, tomatl, and the tomatl hails from South America, where it was originally found in the vicinity of what is now Peru. Europeans took tomatoes home with them in the 1520s and the rest is history. The “pomme d’a Read more:Apple
Gone to Texas Part III 2008-07-18 11:00:00 Part Three: THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRYThe Texas
wine industry has come a ways in the last couple of centuries and the Texas hill country north of San Antonio (and west of Austin) is considered the heart of wine production. For more Texas Wine Trail Information, call 866.621.9463. The 22 wineries claim some 5 million visitors a year and many have not only tasting rooms that offer sales of their wines b
Gone to Texas Part II 2008-07-15 14:47:00 Part Two: ROMANTIC SAN ANTONIO San Antonio is located about 80 miles southwest of Austin, but it is well worth the effort to make a little detour on the way and visit the historic community of New Braunfels. Founded by German settlers it is located in the heart of the Texas
Hill country. The little town has interesting hotels, restaurants and plenty for visitors to do. We felt that we had to make
Gone To Texas (Part I) 2008-06-27 09:23:00 The first installment of a three-part personal Texas
travel logPart One: THE NEW AUSTINGTT was the message left scratched upon many a cabin door in Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas and other states as the early settlers moved to Texas. Off they went with their families, possessions, hopes for a new life and in some cases dreams of empire. The phrase went through my mind over and over as my wife
MUSHROOM PARADISE 2008-06-04 09:51:00 A Simple Springtime delightAllow me to begin with an admission; I do love grand cuisine at fine restaurants as well as certain dishes that require long cooking times and tending. Dishes such as braised meats, stew, certain sauces, and stocks as well as Creole etouffees and yes, Texas Chili all comes to mind. Now having acknowledged that fact let me share one of the great joys we anticipate on our
WINE AND CHOCOLATE TASTING WITH THE AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY 2008-05-08 11:00:00 Two of life’s great pleasures experienced together can be full of surprise, education and even mystery.My experience with the American Wine Society goes back to 1991, when I was invited to do a cooking demonstration for a regional AWS convention. The demo was well received and I was drawn into Society membership for what would prove to be a long and happy relationship. In 1993, AWS held their na
The Best Gift for Mom This Year.......Your Time. 2008-05-05 15:18:00 Indeed, with Mothers Day looming, consider this unusual and exciting gift possibility- A combination of superb chocolates and coffees or teas. Avanti Savoia offers luscious Grand Crus, Pure Origin and Selection Blends from the Italian Chocolatier, Guido Castagna as well as Olivier Chocolates from France.All of our wonderful new coffees from Vienna Coffee Company are excellent choices. However, fo
Where My Love for "Cooking & Eating” All Began 2008-04-23 11:56:00 By Don Vito De Carolis, Avanti Savoia’s Italian PartnerWhen I was a child (7 years old), my mother and my father did not return home from work until 7:00 o'clock at night. For this reason during after school hours and the summer vacation, I "worked" in a small food shop named "Il Pastificio" until I was 12 years old. The shop was owned by two unmarried sisters (Livia and Carla) who helped me wit
Cook for the Cook 2008-04-04 13:46:00 The Pleasures of Eating Someone Else’s FoodAlthough we still enjoy it, my wife and I do not entertain at home as much as we once did. Gail and I met at a large catering function at which I prepared the food, and she went on to become a student in my cooking classes. Needless to say, food has always been at the heart of our relationship and still is. Gail is a fine cook in her own right and is
THE SPRING FEAST 2008-03-20 13:52:00 Easter Lore and Other CelebrationsBig white bunnies, baby ducks and chicks, colored eggs in baskets and chocolate goodies have all become recognized commercial symbols of our secularized Easter celebration in America. This is a major religious observance for many Christians, and it is also near Passover in the Jewish tradition. The Vernal or Spring Equinox is a time of celebration for modern day
DRY RUBS, SMOKING, and GRILLING 2008-03-13 09:39:00 Herbal and Spice Mixtures for Smoking and Grilling Meats, Poultry or SeafoodDry rub mixtures (and marinades, which we will cover in another article) are the perfect way to prepare dishes for the long cooking process of slow smoking. They lend a deep savory flavor to smoked meats and as they are usually cooked over indirect heat, burning or scorching is not a problem. Dry rub mixtures can be made o
Homemade Stocks 2008-03-05 14:38:00 Most of the world’s great cuisines rely on the use of stocks and broths for depth of flavor in many dishes. They are used as the base for soups, stews and sauces, as well as the liquid in many grain dishes such as risotto and paella. Thrifty European cooks have made stocks for generations, realizing not only their culinary and nutritional value, but also their practical economy. Stock is made pr Read more:Stocks
Texas Independence Day 2008-02-27 14:01:00 “Independence
is declared: it must be maintained.”March 2, 1836Sam HoustonTexans love to celebrate and they certainly love to eat. But what food is actually Texan cuisine? Sort of depends upon whom you ask and what part of the state you’re discussing. There are typical dishes such as Chili, Fried Chicken, cornbread and pinto beans and many others that would be familiar to just about any sout Read more:Texas
Going Home 2008-02-22 12:11:00 Recently my wife and I made a trip to North Eastern Kentucky to visit with her aunt and family. I had met Aunt “Bunny” at other family gatherings and had already formed a high opinion of her. I expected that we would have a nice dinner and a nice chat about old times.After an unremarkable trip along the Interstate we wandered into the little working class neighborhood in which my wife’s fami Read more:Going
Celebrate Valentine's Day with one cool treat! 2008-02-06 15:17:00 “Who, being loved, is poor?” ~Oscar WildeCelebrating St. Valentine
’s Day is a familiar and widely recognized holiday in America, but one with rather vague origins. The holiday as we know it is primarily a western traditional, although many other global cultures have occasions in which romantic love is celebrated. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes at least three different Saints named Vale Read more:Celebrate
, treat
Mardi Gras 2008-02-01 13:59:00 a perfect time to celebrate oysters.Mardi
Gras comes early in 2008 and I expect to be really busy, however busy or not, Fat Tuesday requires at least a minimum of gold, green, and purple celebration. New Orleans does hold a special place in the history of regional American cuisine. The cultural background of the city alone ensures its uniqueness. Creole cooking is most identified with the French i Read more:Mardi Gras
CREATING COMMUNITY 2008-11-24 15:43:00 FISH Hospitality Pantries, where sharing food is just the beginning“not all pantries are stocked as well as ours”From our beginning, Avanti Savoia has always been fanatically dedicated to the highest quality products. We take our motto, “Culinary Treasures from around the World” very seriously. We are passionate and enthusiastic about bringing our treasures to your pantry, but we are also
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