Welcome to Pure Healthy Oil |
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Ariston is a relatively small family owned operation that produces Ariston Extra Virgin Olive oil in Kalamata, Greece. Its quality is monitored throughout the procedure. People in the Northeast have accepted this olive oil as their favorite. It has been featured in The Courant twice, on The Food Schmooz with Faith Middleton three times, and it has been given the 2001 award for Best Olive Oil by the Specialty Food Association. One taste and you'll see what the buzz is about! See the awards page here
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From "The Courant" |
Blossom of the Olive Tree But Doukas didn't think the American public was quite ready for his juicy, fragrant olive oil. "But then I changed my mind," he said. "Because of things like the [cable] Network, 1 see people spread the good word. So I said let's go." In the spring, he sent a bottle of his Blossom of the Olive Tree oil to radio host Faith Middleton, who talked about It on her Public Radio program. That sparked an interest. Today, he is busy filling orders for the 1-liter bottles, a steal at $9.99 (shipping and handling extra). "I think the oil is really good," Doukas says. "I've gotten a lot of positive response to it" That's not surprising. Over the past month 1 have used the oil in every facet of cooking: sauteeing, grilling, for salad dressings, marinades and pesto. I have found it deli-ciously full-bodied and fragrant Its low acidity lends itself well to every recipe calling for olive oil. Even better, it is wonderful simply drizzled on tomatoes or bread. If his olive oil business takes off, Doukas hopes to add cured olives and pepHeroncini in brine to his stock. We can't wait Doukas shares this recipe for the classic tzaziki sauce, which can be used as a dip or side dish or dressing: TZAZIKI
Place yogurt in a bowl. Put garlic through a press and using the edge of a knife, spread the garlic coming out of the press on the yogurt Peel skin from cucumber and slice it thinly Mix ingredients and slowly drizzle In olive oil. When the oil Is absorbed into the yogurt, the tzazikl is done. Serve with a few olives scattered over the top. Best eaten with bread. — GREG MORAGO |
From "The Faith Middleton Show" |
There are those heavy footsteps on the porch, then a thud by the front door, and my heart skips a beat. The season of holiday food presents is upon us! Urban Oaks Organic Farm Market at 225 Oak St., New Britain, a wonderful place, is offering organic fruit and vegitable gift baskets, which you may custom-design. They range in price from $25 to $75. They'll deliver around greater New Britain; all other orders must be picked up. Bob Feinn of Mt. Carmel Wine & Spirits in Hamden has managed to get the exclusive rights in the state to sell one of my favorite champagnes, Camille Saves, from Bouzy, France. The small producer making it has the philosophy that champagne should have the same complexity as good non-sparkling wines. For the price, $24.95 a bottle, I think it's a steal. It's also one-of-a-kind. Shipping fees vary by zip code. I didn't think anything could lure me away from Pepe's Pizza in New Haven, still my favorite for tradional coal-oven pies. But chef Daryl Janis of Born in America in Branford has captured my devoted attention with his award-winning gourmet pies, which he now ships frozen anywhere in the country. My favorite white pizza is a heavenly creation of duck meat, portobello mushrooms, chorizo sausage, smoked gouda and roasted garlic, garnished with chopped tomatoes and scallions. It's utterly phenomenal. Daryl says his most popular shipped pie, through, is one I haven't tried, the Thai Pizza, made with sliced chicken, spicy peanut sauce, cilantro and mozzarella cheese, garnished with mandarin oranges. At my personal request (OK, I begged him), Daryl has agreed to also ship his baked stuffed clams, which are the best I've ever eaten, a heavenly blend of diced clams in a bacon, sausage and leek stuffing. The 10-inch frozen pizzas cost $10 for duck, and $8.57 for Thai. Shipping is extra. The frozen clams are $4.25, puls shipping. Ernie Neri of Guilford quit his teaching job to devote himself to creating more products for his one man company, Havoc Maker Firey Foods. Ernie adores hot stuff, so he's developed an incendiary assortment of hot sauces and powders, including a small tin of hot stuff for travelers who want heat on the road. he also makes Hot Pops, a spicy microwave popcorn. Still my favorite Havoc Maker product, the most recent of Ernie's creations is a can of delicious spicy peanuts, which he calls, unforgetably, My Nuts Are On Fire - $5.95 for a 12-ounce can. I've praised before in this column a Greek olive oil imported by the grower's nephew, Tomas Doukas of Bloomfield. The olives used to make the oil are grown on a hillside in Kalamata and are processed in the traditional, time-consuming manner. The result is a smooth, delicious oil with amazingly low acidity, a sign of true quality. Tomas tells me a new shipment of his uncle's Ariston oil has just arrived from Greece, and family members are excited because the tiny company has applied to the Greek government for organic classification. This olive oil is a bargain at $14.05 for a half-liter bottle, plus shipping. In now use it even for deep-frying potatoes. Faith Middleton is host of "The Food Schmooze" on Public-Radio. She welcomes news of readers' food finds and adventures |
From "The Boston Globe" |
A new butcher on the block Dewar and the owners of the fish market are also two of the top wholesale purveyors in the region, and they've known one another for a long time. "I'm great friends with Keith and Kim Marden, " says Dewar, "and they wanted us to be near them." The two imagine customers doing all their shopping on this little strip of Linden Street. Dewar doesn't seem to mind a nearby Whole Foods Market that carries some of the same gourmet items he does. The affable butcher has had a successful meat market in Newton Center for 25 years. At one point he expanded the business into the adjoining space and offered gourmet items and prepared dishes. Typically, customers stand three deep at Dewar's meat counter in Newton on a Saturday morning; around the holidays, the line outside the meat market starts early and snakes around the block. But the prepared foods in the adjacent shop had a lonely following, so they were soon discontinues. You would think that the meats were priced to sell because so many customers order without any regard to the cost per pound. In fact, almost every cut at John Dewar & Co. is the best quality available and comes with a handsome price tag. So it seemed logical to move into a region where like-minded customers live. In addition to meat and poultry, the Wellesley store offers partially prepared foods called "oven-ready meats" these days. This means essentially that the chicken breasts might already be boned and marinated, the beef cut up and slipped onto skewers. With its very modern look - industrial shelving and an airy feeling - this is not your mother's butcher shop. But the old-fashioned meat cutters butcher block is still in place. The meat counter runs nearly the full length of one wall in the 1,700-foot store, and it is filled with selections such as Wagyu beef, a domestic version of Japanese Kobe beef; Kurobuta pork from black Berkshire pigs, which has more marbling than the lean pork so prevalent today; and dry aged sirloin prepared in Dewar's Boston plant. Dewar, who carries the same Niman Ranch pork the Wellesley Whole Foods Market does, says he is not concerned about competition from the national chain. He feels that hard-to-find specialty items give his store an edge. "We're a little more daring than some other markets." For the home cook who wants to offer restaurant-style meals, the shop sells duck confit, rendered goose fat, and demi-glace sauce. The selection of oils and vinegars includes 50-, 75-, and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar; an assortment of steak and barbecue sauces; several kinds of rice; and a variety of mustards and salts. A large vat of lush, fruity olive oil from the Kalamata region of Greece takes center stage on the shop floor. Shoppers can buy a 500 milliliter bottle for $9.99 and refill it for $7.99. The semi-prepared meats include loin lamb chops with Dijon-rosemary sauce, garlic-rosemary sirloin tips and tenderloin tips in a sweet garlic sauces. The dishes are specialties of head meat cutter and chef Brian Fuller. Like the Newton location, the Wellesley shop also stocks hard-to-find rabbit, venison, game sausages, the small birds called poussins, d'Artagnan brand pate, duck mousse, and foie gras. Nearly two weeks after its official opening, the shop is brimming with confidence and customers. The butcher wants to attract people who once drove to Newton from Wellesley, as well as customers from towns such as Sudbury and Dover, who, he says, "if they cam at all only came for special occasions." John Dewar & Co. Quality Meats is at 277 Linden St., Wellesley, 781-235-8322. The Newton store is at 753 Beacon St., 617-964-3577. |