"I'll bring a side dish!"

Have you ever told someone you'll bring the side dish to a gathering then realize you have no idea what you're going to make?

We got your back!

This classic mashed potato recipe is enhanced with Gremolata EVOO and Bacon EVOO

Is there anything better than a bowl of warm chili after a day full of fun fall activities?

It's absolutely amazing how putting together a bunch of common ingredients can come out tasting so delicious...tis the case with chili!

Looking to add a little variety to your chili? All it takes is two additional ingredients - Chipotle EVOO and Chocolate di Torino Balsamic Vinegar. A 60ml bottle of each is all you need to add extra flavor to your chili. The recipe for this delicious spin on Turkey Chili is below (if you right click on the recipe and save it you should be able to print it for future reference.)

Happy fall and enjoy!

Avocado Toast with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients

Instructions

Slice the avocado in half and remove the seed.

Toast your bread of choice to your desired taste.

Lightly rub the surface of toast with the cut-side of the garlic clove.

Fork the avocado onto the toast's surface and mush until evenly spread.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Squeeze a bit of lemon juice, drizzle some olive oil, and top with cilantro or parsley.

Serve immediately.

Not only do we highly recommend putting this unique spin on your avocado toast, but also giving our other recipes a try that utilize our high-quality olive oils.
The options are limitless. Give us a visit to give our olive oils a taste!

Editor's Note:
Have an extra half of avocado that you're not quite ready to use yet?
Try these Food Huggers, a silicone cover that can keep that avocado
fresh and ready to eat!

Recipe courtesy of Spend with Pennies

Photos by Liz Strauss

The 4^th of July is quickly approaching and we can’t wait to show you this Blueberry Tomato Caprese recipe courtesy of Freutcake. With the combination of red, white, and blue ingredients, as well as our robust extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, this makes a perfect, last-minute addition to your celebration this weekend.

Blueberry Tomato Caprese

Ingredients

Instructions

Intensities

“There’s no such thing as bad pasta,
just bad people...”

...jokes Silvestro Silvestori, the owner, founder, and director of Italy’s incredibly special cookery school, The Awaiting Table in Lecce, Italy. Silvestro joined us in our Demo Kitchen earlier this month to introduce to us what he knows best, Pugliese cuisine. As he broadened the knowledge of our locals on Southern Italian food, he emphasized to us what exactly makes it different from other regional cooking in Italy.

via The Awaiting Table

via The Awaiting Table

via The Awaiting Table

Silvestro has spent the past 17 years teaching the food and wine of Puglia, the Southeastern region of Italy you may recognize as the heel of Italy’s famous “boot.” Earlier on, he spent his time working in the food industry and studying humanities, giving him the tools necessary to be the renowned teacher he is today. Not only is he an expert in food, Silvestro is also a nationally-certified sommelier in Italy, allowing him to share his wine expertise alongside his delectable dishes.

His 12 unique classes take place in either his 16^th century palace-converted home in Lecce, a castle just south of Lecce or even on wheels, as you bike through a traditional Italian village. This specific class, “Bicycling, Cooking, and Wine,” demonstrates how the land and sea around you affects the food and wine you’ll consume later that evening in the school’s castle.

via The Awaiting Table

His school has caught the attention of many, only to leave them understanding more than just how to cook a traditional Pugliese dish. When Silvestro’s students step into his class, they’re taken on a journey. They learn the “why” rather than just the “how.” They uncover the story behind the ingredient they’re holding, and how it affects just about everything else sitting in front of them, reinventing the way his students view their food. “Putting Italy into a very pin-pointed regional map is another thing that we spend more time on,” Silvestro explained to us when describing the importance of regional cooking in Italy. “People think they already know it, so first you kind of have to knock that down and build it back up again.”

Our co-owner, Karen Shernan, learned just this when she attended one of Silvestro’s classes in Southern Italy months back. There, she and the class visited fish and produce markets to select just about every ingredient for what they were making that day.

Chef Silvestro Visits Port Plums

Months pass by Karen's visit and Silvestro is here in the States conducting two sold-out classes in our Demo Kitchen for locals itching to learn the same lessons he teaches at The Awaiting Table in Lecce.

Recipes throughout the class included the following:

Those two nights, Silvestro focused on what exactly sets Southeastern Italian cuisine apart from other regional Italian cooking, such as essential cooking. While a dish might only require three ingredients, they are “pristine, absolutely fantastic,” as Silvestro said. “Find good things, don’t screw them up,” he advised us.

The students left with more than what they were expecting. With 4 new recipes and a deeper insight into Pugliese cuisine, the students grasped more than just how to make pasta. They gained a rare understanding of olive oil, including how to taste it correctly. A mild intensity olive oil and a robust intensity olive oil were even sampled, demonstrating the vast difference between the two. Silvestro also explained to us the unfamiliarity people have with olive oil. “Olive oil is like a computer to me…the second I have to take one apart, I wouldn’t know anything at all. So, I have a false sense of familiarity when it comes to computers and I think most people have a false sense of familiarity when it comes to olive oil.”

Hear it from the students themselves!

Silvestro Silvestori (left), Karen Shernan (middle), Pam Older (right)

"Silvestro imparted all sorts of unusual knowledge and the dishes, all native to his beloved Puglia, were all interesting and healthy."
– Pam Older, local business owner and friend of Karen

"I liked learning so much about that region…different parts of Italy and Puglia…It was very educational, the food was delicious and the wine was wonderful. It felt like a very cultural experience…"
– Kerri, customer and Newburyport local

"Loved the class! Not only did Silvestro demonstrate and share some easy and delicious recipes but also interesting details about olive oils and wines from the region."
- Joanne Szahun, customer and Newburyport local

Silvestro’s cookery school, The Awaiting Table, can be found here, where you can browse his different classes, buy olive oil, or simply learn.

Interested in signing up for future classes at our Demo Kitchen? Take a look at our offerings here. We can’t wait for you to join us!

Photos by Maggie Griffin, unless otherwise noted

 Here at Port Plums, we have over 65 different olive oils and vinegars. 

Katie Shernan, Co Owner

   

Karen Shernan, Co Owner

Maggie Griffin, Store Manager & Social Media

  

Leighann Richards, Store Manager & Buyer

Our Champagne Vinegar sources from the Ardenne region of France, giving us the crisp, creamy, and acidic essence to our favorite recipes. You may try it with vinaigrettes, marinades, sauces, homemade mayo or aioli. It’s even great for pickling and preserving!

Liz Strauss, Content Writer & Sales Associate

This 100% pure, all-natural, and handcrafted oil is made from premium avocados. Its buttery sensation can’t help but project its richness, yet it leaves no overwhelming flavors like you would expect. While you can use this oil with uncooked foods, we would also recommend cooking with it because of its high smoke point compared to olive oils.

Emily, Sales Associate

Eleni, Sales Associate

This happens to be our most popular white balsamic. Because of its crisp, tart flavor, it compliments any green salad, chevre, or vanilla yogurt perfectly. We also like to use it in mixed drinks!
(Be sure to check out our holiday cocktail recipe blog!)

Shannon, Sales Associate

Our Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seed Oils are back and better than ever! Thanks to WholeHeartedFoods, we have all there is to know about your new favorite Fall oils. Whether you’re interested in their health benefits, looking for ways to cook with them, or simply want to learn about a new oil, we got you!

Butternut Squash Seed Oil

One of Fall’s favorite foods is Butternut Squash, and we know its one of your favorites too. Now, just imagine it in oil-form! This hearty and buttery oil has a variety of uses: drizzle on a salad, roasted vegetables, even popcorn. The options are seriously endless.

The oil is also packed with Vitamin E and antioxidant beta carotene, making it extremely nutritious and a great addition to so many of your favorite Fall dishes. You can even swap it out for butter or any of our Extra Virgin Olive Oils.

Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil

If you’re a fan of hazelnut or walnut, it’s likely you’ll enjoy this rich and nutty oil. With its buttery texture, similar to that of the Butternut Squash Seed Oil, it pairs nicely with pasta, quinoa or potatoes. Do you happen to make your own apple cider vinaigrettes? WholeHeartedFoods also suggests replacing the olive oil in your recipe with this oil!

The Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil is high in poly- and mono-unsaturated fats, as well as phytonutrients. With these benefits, it’s the perfectly nutritious substitute and addition to some of your most-cooked dishes.

One hint WholeHeartedFoods gives their customers is to use this as a finishing oil, rather than cooking with it, in order to preserve its quality and flavor. For those interested in foods with limited, or single ingredients, you just might love this stuff.

Interested in trying out probably the most autumnal oils you’ve ever heard of? We don’t blame you! Be sure to swing by soon to try these two oils that are essential to your cabinet this Fall.

Photos by Maggie Griffin