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NEWSLETTER
November 2008
November represents in our region the month of the olive harvest, Casa Emma is in fact very busy in these days in picking the olives. To whom is interested in it, soon it will be available the new oil! (we will provide to inform you in time). The present Newsletter is mainly about Olive Oil, but, considering the Christmas time is at the door, we present you a good offer for your gifts.
Special Offer Casa Emma's Wines and Olive Oil
Casa Emma is so pleased to give to its best customers the opportunity to receive a Discount of the 10% on all our Wines and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is a very good occasion to make beautiful Christmas gifts to your friends or just to remember the pleasant moments you had during your visit at Casa Emma. The wines will be shipped directly to your house or to the address of the people you like to give the gift, who will appreciated it for sure. For having the discount, you can directly place you order using our e-mail address: casaemma@casaemma.com. For the payment it is very easy: it is enough giving us your credit card number, expiration date and security code number. The shipping takes about fifteen working days.i You can use the same e-mail address to ask for more info. If you'd like to give your friends and relatives your Personalised Season's Greetings, tell us so we will provide to ship them together with the bottles you have chosen for the gift.
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Crostini with Olive Paste - Rabbit Thighs conserved in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
CROSTINI WITH OLIVE PASTE
Ingredients for 4 people:
• Special Bread for Crostini
• 400 gr. of Black Olives
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Red or Yellow Pepper
• Casa Emma's Extra Virgin Olive oil
Make the paste by blending together the stoned black olives, a fewtablespoonfuls of oil, a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Take a loaf of bread suitable for “crostini”, possibly a round one, and cut slices of an equal thickness, removing the crusts. Spread with the olive paste and add a few drops of oil and lemon juice as a condiment. Small rusks can also be used. Decorate with little round pieces or a little string of red or yellow pepper.
RABBIT THIGHS CONSERVED IN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
The time taken to prepare this recipe is quite long because you have to let the olive oil conserve the rabbit, not roast or braise it. The ideal accompaniment to this dish is mashed potatoes made with extra virgin olive oil.
Ingredients for 4 people:
• 4 Rabbit Thighs
• 1/2 Cup Salt
• 10 Fresh Juniper Berries
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 2 Sprigs of Rosemary
• Casa Emma’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To prepare the rabbit thighs, remove any small bones but leave the main bone and truss each thigh so it will hold its shape. Put the salt, juniper berries, 1 bay leaf, and 2 sprigs of thyme in a bowl and pour in 1 quart of water, stirring until the salt dissolves. Add the thighs and chill for 3 hours. Remove the thighs from the mixture and put in a bowl of fresh cold water to cover and leave them for 2 hours, changing the water several times. Remove the rabbit thighs from the bowl of water and pat each one dry with paper towels. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180° (350 degrees F). Place the thighs in a deep casserole, pour over enough olive oil to cover the thighs and add the sliced garlic, the remaining thyme, the bay leaf, and the rosemary. Cover the casserole and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 120° (250 degrees F) and cook for 5 hours or until the flesh is tender and easily comes away from the bone. Leave the thighs to cool. They can be left for several weeks in the extra virgin olive oil in a cool place. To serve, preheat the oven to 200° (400 degrees F). Remove the rabbit thighs from the oil, place in the oven, and roast for 20 minutes.
For appreciating better this recipe we suggest you to combine with a bottle of our Vigna di Bufati.
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The origins of the Olive Oil
The history of olive is deeply linked to that of humanity, the origins of this precious gold liquid, history and mythology are closely intertwined, to be confused. It appeared for the first time probably nell'Asia West, the plant of olive spread throughout the Mediterranean area, where his cult was consecrated by all religions.
In ancient times the olive tree was considered a transcendent symbol of spirituality and sacredness. Synonymous of fertility and rebirth, of resistance to the insults of time and wars, a symbol of peace and value, the olive tree represented in mythology, as in religion, a natural element of strength and purification.
It has been found that the cultivation of olive dates back to at least 6000 years ago: this is testified by authentic traditional tales, religious texts and archaeological finds.
Probably the plant had its original habitat in Syria and maybe the first to have thought to transform a wild plant species in a household one were certainly people who spoke a Semitic language.
From Syria it was easy to transplant it in Greece where it found an unexpected fortune and application that made it,since then, essential to the people of the Mediterranean.
A confirmation of the millennial history of olive remember how the tradition places the "Mount of Olives” in front of Jerusalem or the beauty of this plant is often sung in the 'Old Testament "(see Book of the prophet Hosea where the God of Israel is compared to the magnificence of olive). There are about seventy citations of it in the Bible.
On the other hand itrepresents a clear symbol in the episode of the dove returning to Noahcarring in the beak a sprig of olive. The name of Jesus, christos, means simply anointed. The Bible says that was an Angel to give Seth, the son of Adam, three seeds to be placed between the lips of his father after his death. Then, from the ashes of Adam sprout a cedar, a cypress and an olive tree.
In the Christian tradition for centuries olive oil has been used for some celebration of the Sacraments, Confirmation, priestly order, Extreme Anointing. And a sprig of blessed olive tree is distributed to christians on Palm Sunday, in remembrance of the resurrection and as a symbol and peace.
In the ancient Greece to the Athenians, winners in battles there were offered a crown of olive oil and olive oil, while the ancient Romans intertwined olive twigs to make crowns with which they rewarded the brave citizens.
We know that in Athens the olive tree was sacred to the goddess Athena and is certainly interesting the fact that it was considered sacred by many civilizations maybe for its nature of a resistant and long lasting plant.
The oil squeezed from olives was, not only in ancient times, a food resource, but it was also umassage.
In addition, the athletes, particularly those who were dedicated to the fight, used to sprinkle the pure oil muscles for for heating them, is taken to counter the opponents.
The Romans, who cultivated the olive tree from 580 BC,used an enourmous quantity of olive oil; Gaio plinio the Second says that there are fifteen species of olive tree, and lists the advantages, today we call the various cultivars with different names AsTaggiasca, Casalini, nebiot, gargnan, trill, carpellese, punch, augellina, Cellini of Lancaster, Colombino, ciccinella, Moraiolo, Leccino, Monopoles, Ogliarola of Gargano and many others often take their names from the place where they grow.
In a brief historic excursus, we can not forget that the culture of olive oil has come to us through the Middle Ages thanks to the work of some religious orders, in particular the Benedictines and Cistercians.
The Benedictine, who founded their belief in prayer and work, persuaded farmers not to abandon the lands but to engage in profitable crops such as olives.
The most important of the Cistercians was Bernard Clairvaux, said "the last of the Fathers of the Church:. His monks taught to farmers, disappointed by the state of semi-slavery in which they lived, to dissodare fields, planting cultures like olive trees and become independent It is not a case perhaps that never have been seen like in the elenventh to the fifteenth century so many olive groves and vineyards: the golden years of Benedictine and Cistercian monks.
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Events month of November
Despite the arrival of winter in Tuscany, there is always a reason to celebrate any event, because also this time of year several festivities and events are held focusing on typical seasonal products from chestnuts to the truffle and of course on the Extra Virgin Olive Olive Oil.
From the 10th to the 24th of November- I edition Biennal Florentine Cuisine in Florence
From November the 10th to the 24th, in Florence, two weeks completely dedicated to the gastronomic excellence of the city for a voyage of rediscovery of the typical local cuisine. The first edition the biennial Florentine cuisine will see a series of tastings, dinners, conferences, courses and festivals.
First edition of a survey which, in truth, Leo Codacci known Florentine food and wine, already conceived in 1976 when he had the brilliant idea to create an event to publicize and promote the local culinary traditions. Today, more than three decades is to relive that experience involving operators of the sector, institutions and citizens with an overview able not only to celebrate the tradition, but also to stimulate new initiatives to give greater impetus to a reality and culture as important as the Florentine cuisine. The main role of the biennial will be interpreted by restaurants in Florence that,, through the initiative "A typical dish at the restaurant, propose their menus in those ancient flavors and traditional preparations that were made famous in the world Florentine culinary culture.The event will begin on Monday November 10 with 'inaugural event dedicated to symbol gastronomic and sports, the "Florentine". Grand finale on Monday November 24 with delivery to caterers certificates of participation and the talk-show "Florence at the table yesterday and today," lively debate on the issue of the gastronomic culture to be attended by prominent personalities of local restaurants as well as major national food signatures.
Weekens from the 15th to the 30th of Novembre - XXXVIII Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco in San Miniato (Pisa)
Also this autumn the appointment with "food of kings", the precious Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato returns . The XXXVIII Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco will take place in the historical center of San Miniato for weekends: November 15/16, 22/23 and 29/30. The truffle has deep roots in this town in Tuscany and has become in more than a century part of its territory and its history. From early hunters, pioneers who understood the importance of this delicious product starting to export in the world, the largest ever truffle harvest, 2540 kg, found in 1954 in San Miniato and gave the President of the United States. And it is in San Miniato, which was inaugurated on October 26 1969 the Mostra Mercato Nazionale which since then has seen a growing participation of the public. The town shows a day is slowly transformed to become the international event which is now at its XXXVIII edition, takes place every year during the last three weekends in November and is a stage for the uniqueness of the territory sanminiatese. During the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato develop it around the local jewel, many other routes of taste, which originate from other products, protagonists of the local system: Bean with the eye, the Tomato Grinzoso, the Artichoke sanminiatese , The delicacies of Norcini like mousseux of Gota and Mallegato, the exclusive oil Mignola, wine, bread and cakes. The Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco has missed an opportunity to appreciate the treasures sanminiatesi in their splendor and enjoy the beauty and hospitality of its delightful hills, famous throughout the world.
Fro the 24th to the 30th of November - "L'Olio", XIII Mostra Mercato dell'Olio Extravergine di Oliva in Calenzano (Florence)
From November the 24th and for the all week until the 30th, in Calenzano it will take place an important event aout Olive Oil, called "L'Olio", XIII Mostra mercato dell'olio extravergine di oliva , that will end with the event "Pane e Olio in frantoio 2008" organised by the Associazione Nazionale Città dell’Olio. There will be a nice fair in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Via G. Puccini e Piazza Gramsci.
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