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

Last fall, we partnered with Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. Culinary magazine, school, public television show, and podcast, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street has altered the way individuals have tackled their culinary endeavors. Through their innovative expertise and approach to the culinary world, the Milk Street team is dedicated to bringing ease to intimidating recipes.

After visiting the Milk Street studio in Boston last month, we were exposed to that very ease Christopher Kimball uncovered a few years back.

The key is making cooking as simple as possible, as Rosemary Gill, Milk Street’s Director of Education, explained to us. This compliments our business’ mission completely. We provide you with quality olive oils and vinegars, and even the tools necessary in making the most delicious meals you’ve ever cooked up yourself, and in the simplest manner. In fact, we wanted to make it just that much easier for you by getting an inside scoop on how the pros do it.

Cook Like a Pro

Contrast is the cornerstone of Milk Street’s culinary art. Gill stressed to us nothing but contrast, and for good reason. By this term, she means throwing together different flavors and different textures.

“You get a lot of meals that are sort of one note, you know, they are overwhelmingly soft or chewy,” she explains. For example, she suggests that for mashed potatoes you could throw in some chopped chives. “You get more dimension…” she reveals. “We’re using contrast in order to elevate and draw more attention to the main ingredient.”

One of the most important lessons Gill teaches her students is knowing how to analyze what’s missing, and knowing when you’ve put too much of something in a dish.

Let’s Get Started!

We all know that cooking can seem dreadful after a long day at work, or if you simply just don’t know where to start. This is precisely what Milk Street hopes to help individuals with through the “Milk Street: Tuesday Nights” cookbook. The cookbook is there for you to create outstanding meals in a reasonable amount of time, just perfect for the middle of the week. Starting off with meals such as those listed in the cookbook are a great starting point. Then, just keep cooking!

“You’ve got to make it a habit,” Gill advises to those who want to get into cooking. She also suggests that if you are interested in global cuisines, to choose one at a time and cook just from that region for a month or two. “You’re going to start seeing some similarities and you’re going to start understanding how flavors are put together… you’re just going to be building your library,” she says.

Using One of Our Favorite Ingredients: Olive Oil

One recipe that Gill loves herself is the Cantonese Steamed Fish from “Milk Street: Tuesday Nights,” because of the technique it requires. Sometimes, she’ll make it with a Mediterranean flavor profile, which is when she’ll utilize olive oil.

Gill also tells us her favorite ingredients to add to olive oil:

1. Za’ atar
2. Lightly crushed fennel & coriander seeds
3. Cracked fennel seeds & thyme or oregano

 (Hint, hint: We sell some of these!)

We hope that our customers can utilize a variety of these tips to create new skills in the kitchen. Whether you cook up a new “Tuesday Night” dinner, or try one of our olive oils for the first time, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
We’d love to hear what you think!

Photos by Maggie Griffin