These Two Olive Oils are Some of the Best from California
When you are looking for great Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to taste, use, or to gift, don’t miss Wild Groves and 43 Ranch. They have recently been named two of the best from California, the leading extra virgin olive oil producing region in the United States.
The California State Fair announced the winners of this year’s California Commercial Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. A panel of 12 certified sensory analyst judges gathered at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds, to swirl, sniff, sip and analyze samples of olive oil from producers all over California. The annual competition celebrates the olive-growing and olive oil producing industries in California, and is open only to Extra Virgin and Flavored Olive Oils made from 100% olives which are grown, pressed and packaged in California.
This year 468 shining, new bottles of olive oil lined the cellar shelves of Cal Expo. Each of the 117 entries arrived with the hope of their producers that their care, expertise and hard work would result in a coveted Best of Show Golden Bear Trophy.
This competition honors Olive Oil producers at all production levels. The Best California Extra Virgin Olive Oil by a Large Producer (more than 5,000 gallons annually) went to Arbequina by Wild Groves of Newcastle, California. Wild Groves won several additional honors, as did Central Coast producer 43 Ranch, which included “Best of California”.
WILD GROVES
Dewey Lucero and family are the fourth generation of Lucero olive farmers, producers, and blenders, with over a century of tradition. Their groves in Corning, California are some of the oldest in the country, where they produce extra virgin olive oil, Certified 100% by the California Olive Oil Council (COOC).
Awards from the California Commercial Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition:
- Wild Groves Arbequina EVOO Single Variety Delicate Arbequina Best of California Large Producer
- Wild Groves Arbequina EVOO Single Variety Delicate Arbequina Gold
- Wild Groves Foxy EVOO Single Variety Robust Any Other Cultivar Silver
- Wild Groves Robust Blend EVOO Blend Medium Any Other Cultivar Silver
- Wild Groves Ascolano EVOO Single Variety Medium Ascolano Silver
43 RANCH
43 Ranch is produced by fifth and sixth generation farmers from the southern Salinas Valley, whose terroir is similar to that of Old World olive growing regions, and where they however use state of the art equipment.
Awards from the California Commercial Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition:
- 43 Ranch Picual EVOO Single Variety Robust Any Other Cultivar Best of California
- 43 Ranch Miller’s Choice EVOO Single Variety Delicate Koroneiki Best of Class
- 43 Ranch Picual EVOO Single Variety Robust Any Other Cultivar Best of Class
- 43 Ranch Miller’s Choice EVOO Single Variety Delicate Koroneiki Gold
- 43 Ranch Picual EVOO Single Variety Robust Any Other Cultivar Gold
- 43 Ranch Helen’s Blend EVOO Blend Robust Any Other Cultivar Silver
Competition Head Judge Orietta Gianjorio
Competition Head Judge Orietta Gianjorio enlisted the talents of an exceptional group of skilled and experienced judges, some with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Gianjorio commented on the judging event, “It is always an honor to participate in the California State Fair Olive Oil Competition. All judges are incredibly talented and gifted tasters, deeply committed to the industry and high quality. The excitement in the room is palpable. After a couple of years of absence, we are all very happy to finally taste together and share our passion for California Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We are all thrilled to share our comments and taste amazing oils produced from this wonderful state of California.”
We’re Loving these 3 Red Wines Right Now: Broadside, Vigna Petrussa, and Dough
Wine is intended to be enjoyed, and frankly that’s our main criteria for recommending them. If we enjoy them, then you might too.
Three red wines that we are enjoying right now are very different from each, and from very different regions, but we hope that each will give you the same reaction: Delight.
Our current picks are the Broadside 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles in California, Italy’s Vigna Petrussa Schioppettino di Prepotto, and Oregon’s Dough 2019 Pinot Noir.
Enjoy!
Broadside 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
The Broadside 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is from Paso Robles and the sub AVA of the San Juan Creek and Margarita Ranch. It is made up of 82% Cabernet, 12% Merlot, and 6% Malbec. The wine was aged 18 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, and has a lot of deep jammy flavors that include dark chocolate and cinnamon.
Award-winning winemaker Adam LaZarre has created a hearty Cab, very much what you would expect from the Central Coast. It is perfect for pairing with meats and poultry, or roasted vegetables. Of course, you can pair it with nothing and just enjoy it alone. Which we can recommend.
Find it at https://broadsidewine.com/
Vigna Petrussa Schioppettino di Prepotto
This Italian wine by Vigna Petrussa gets its name from the Italian word “schioppare,” which means to burst, since their description implies that the grapes burst in your mouth when you eat them. Schioppettino is an indigenous and sometimes overlooked grape in the North-Eastern corner of Italy, from the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Fortunately, second generation winemaker Hilde Petrussa has played a key role in the rediscovery and renaissance of this rare heirloom varietal.
We were actually quite surprised by this Italian wine because sometimes we find them to be a bit overly subtle. This Vigna Petrussa vintage does continue the trend of being gentle, but it is also robust enough to really deliver real flavor and nuance, as well as presenting some delightful aromas and fruit. The wine is aged for 36 months in barrels, then for another six months in the bottle. Some reviewers rankings have it has high as 90 points, which is good news.
One interesting part of the story is that Sheila Donahue of VeroVino Craft imports this wine into the United States, and is very supportive of women owned wineries like those of Hilde Petrussa’s Vigna Petrussa. Sheila started in the wine industry as a sommelier but now searches for and imports hidden gems around the world, gaining quite a bit of positive recognition in the process.
Find it at https://www.verovinogusto.com
Dough 2019 Oregon Pinot Noir
The winemaker for Dough is Heidi Bridenhagen, who has fermented this 100% Pinot Noir varietal in stainless steel. Oregon of course brings a unique kind of terroir and topography to its wines, often quite different from those in California or Italy. The Dough Pinot Noir is what many would consider to be a classic wine from Oregon with cherry and red fruits, as well as a bit of chocolate. We found it to be a light and casual drinking wine, one which we believe people will quite enjoy, especially during early in the day. That time frame doesn’t mean however that you can’t have it with a nice pasta with garlic butter sauce, or to start off a lovely evening with a friend(s).
Interestingly enough, the vineyard itself proposes that you chill it, which we suppose you might want to do if it’s an extremely hot day, but otherwise, Why?
Wine enthusiast gave it 85 points, but if up to us we would give it 87.
Find it at https://doughwines.com/
BBQ Pitmaster Adrian Davila’s Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Texas-based Chef Adrian Davila is the award-winning third-generation pitmaster who leads Davila’s BBQ in Seguin, Texas. You may recognize him as a food judge on The Travel Channel‘s “American Grilled,” or the winner of the Food Network‘s “BBQ Blitz” competition show. Chef Davila is known for specializing in authentic Texas barbecue with a uniquely Latin American twist. Here he shares with us one of his favorite recipes for dressing, a perfect side for barbecues, picnics, and holiday meals.
Aunt Olivia’s Cornbread Dressing
8 servings
Ingredients
- A pan of fresh cornbread of your choice, crumbled into small pieces
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 to 2 ½ cups chicken stock or broth
- One 10.5 ounce can of cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Heat butter over medium heat in a large pan. Add celery and onion and cook until soft.
- Add poultry seasoning, chicken stock and cream of chicken soup to the mixture.
- In a large bowl combine crumbled cornbread and sugar.
- Stir in half of the vegetable and chicken stock mixture until well combined.
- Add dried sage, dried parsley, salt, pepper and the other half of the vegetable and chicken stock mixture. Mixture should be very moist. Add more stock if necessary.
- Transfer to a greased baking dish and cover with plastic wrap and foil.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.
WATCH CHEF ADRIAN’S RECIPE ON INSTAGRAM
4 Tasty Finds that Food Fans Will Love
It’s always exciting to discover a new product, flavor, or ingredient combination. You feel like you’ve walked over a bridge and entered an entirely new realm of culinary enjoyment and creativity. What is also exciting is wanting to share those discoveries with a friend or family member. That’s how we feel right now, with these four tasty finds that food fans will love that we are sharing with you.
FABRIZIA LEMON BAKING COMPANY
For the fans of limoncello, that delicious liqueur made from fresh lemons, there is now an option to enjoy its taste in baked form. That’s right, there’s an entire line of biscuits, biscotti‘s, cookies, brownies, and other tasty items that are all flavored with limoncello.
The Fabrizia Lemon Baking Company is a family owned business which incorporates award-winning Fabrizia Limoncello into each and every one of its baked goods. After launching Fabrizia Spirits (the leading producer of limoncello in America) in 2008, brothers Phil and Nick Mastroianni longed to share another cultural aspect of their upbringing, in other words, food.
Says Phil Mastroianni, “Growing up in an Italian household, food was always a big part of our lives and we wanted to share that in a unique way…with a special Limoncello twist. We import all of our lemons directly from Sicily and they are the ONLY thing that provides our Limoncello with its flavor and color. That Limoncello is then used as the foundation to our cookies, biscotti, lemon loaves, blondies, cake jars and whoopie pies.”
The TasteTV food editors, all citrus fans, had the enviable opportunity to review some of these items and found that most of them were extremely popular among the testers. The baked goods captured the taste of a real limoncello without being overly sweet or heavy. In fact many of the options were quite light in texture, and we found that the cookies and biscottis in particular were hard to keep in stock. Everyone loved them.
If you are a person who likes the tart flavor of fresh lemons and citrus, this might not be for you. Although made from lemons, most limoncello brands by nature are not tart. In general they have a sweeter profile that is balanced with the alcohol. If you are a true limoncello fan however then the Fabrizia Limoncello product line of baked goods is perfect. You can get any of these products individually, or as an entire gift set. You can also have sets that include the actual Fabrizia Limoncello included for sipping, or to mix it with your favorite cocktail.
Visit http://www. FabriziaLemonBakingCo.com
MIKE D’S BBQ SAUCE
Every region and every city has its own version of barbecue sauce, kind of like everyone has their own version of chili, spaghetti, and gumbo. Mike D’s BBQ sauce comes from North Carolina and is quite delicious, regardless of the region that you prefer. It is smooth and tangy with a bit of a citrus element that goes well on any protein you can want, including chicken, beef, pork, and even fish. Not to mention on fries.
Mike D’s BBQ is an award winning family-owned line of BBQ Sauces and Dry Rubs based in Durham, NC. They say their sauces are a twist on the traditional BBQ sauce with some unique seasonings and spice levels inspired by Mike D’s African American and Latino heritage. Their BIG Sauce is the mild/medium sauce and has won many awards, such as 1st for Medium BBQ Sauce in the 2021 International Spicy Flavor Awards and 3rd place for Kid Friendly BBQ Sauces in the 2022 Scovie Awards.
One TasteTV editor remarked that it reminded them of a “high quality mumbo sauce.” If you be don’t know what that is (or “Mambo sauce”) then that is an entirely different BBQ sauce discussion.
If you prefer your barbecue with a rub, Mike D’s barbecue also has a Sweet & Spicy Rub that has won several the competitive food awards, such as 1st place in the 2021 International Artisan Flavor Awards for Rubs and 1st place in the 2022 Scovie Awards in the Dry Rub/All Purpose Category. The Sweet & Spicy Rub presents taste elements such as brown sugar, honey, and chili lime to give your recipes just the right pizazz.
Visit Mike D’s BBQ, at http://www.mikedsbbq.com
http://www.facebook.com/mikedsbbq
CHILI SAUCES FROM CHINA LIVE
Restaurateurs George Chen and Cindy Wong Chen originally conceived of China Live as a Chinese version of the multi-level and multi-location Italian food emporium known as Eataly, but they have long surpassed that vision to become a true dining destinations in the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area. China Live in San Francisco has won numerous awards for their food and their restaurant design, and they have also won many awards for their line of sauces and spices. This includes their spice and sauce sets that come with different condiments selection, all created from proprietary China Live recipes.
According to OpenTable, “When China Live opened in 2017, it was unlike anything else in San Francisco, let alone the United States. Sprawling over 30,000 square feet, the space is ambitious in its scale and offerings, with a sit-down restaurant, marketplace selling Chinese pantry items and home goods, a cocktail bar, tea counter, and more. And while much of the space remains closed, fortunately diners still have ways to sample the restaurant’s stellar Chinese menu.”
China Live’s Signature Chili Bean Sauce was a finalist in the 2022 Good Food Awards, presented by the Good Food Foundation. The sauce is mildly spicy with a rich umami flavor, and the perfect addition to your favorite dishes. Another Good Food Awards finalist Chef Chen’s Famous Chili Crisp, which George Chen says “is a delicious topping for almost anything, and a must for your Asian pantry.” It is made with carefully selected ingredients such as rice bran oil, dried chili flakes, broad bean paste, fermented soybeans, Shaoxing rice wine, and paprika. We’re sure that you’ll find a lot of uses for either of these sauces.
Visit: https://chinalivesf.com/
AUSTIN EASTCIDERS SPICED PEACH
Hard cider continues to grow in popularity every year, and each region that makes it tries to outdo the others with their creativity and product sources. Austin, Texas for example, or specifically Austin Eastciders, has a limited release of spiced peach cider that is sure to have anyone with a thirst trying to snatch them out of the refrigerator without being noticed. California, Washington State, Oregon, and New York are all well-known for their ciders, but with their new spiced peach cider that reminescent of a delicious cobbler, Austin definitely holds its own.
Brittnay Perlo, Master Cider Maker at Austin Eastciders says, “Now what is better than the perfect combination of fresh peaches, crisp apples, and mulling spices? You will taste notes of ripe juicy peaches, and undertones of orange, cinnamon and nutmeg.”
Adds Dave Rule, VP of Marketing at Austin Eastciders, “Spiced Peach tastes like we threw some of your grandmother’s Peach Cobbler in the fermentation tank. Blending mulling spices with apples and apple cider is a long-standing American tradition. It reminds us of football season, tailgating, getting together with old friends and family and huddling together to stay warm.”
Austin Eastciders’ Spiced Peach is made with real fruit, no artificial sweeteners, and is gluten-free. The Spiced Peach is available in 12-packs as part of Austin Eastciders’ Winter Variety Pack, and on draft. Visit https://www.austineastciders.com/ to learn more.