]]>
Make a reservation. June through August is the high season for wine touring. We are on OpenTable or just call us directly. If possible, give us some information about your visit so we can make it the best experience ever. Some scenarios follow:
Running Late? Please call and let us know when you may be arriving so we can keep your table at the ready!
Have an extra guest or two or three? Give us a heads up before arriving. Tables are configured and reserved with a certain number of guests per section. Even an extra body during the high season can throw off a calculated balance for the front of the house.
Have food allergies or special needs? If we know ahead of time, we can make a special note to present the best menu or seating options.
Celebrating a special occasion? While we love being spontaneous, it’s even better if we have a little warning so we can welcome guests in celebratory fashion.
Just can’t make your reservation? Please do call us. Let us know instead of not showing up. We won’t be offended …. Stuff happens. Think of the joy you gave to waiting guests by offering your table. It’s a wonderful thing.
Didn’t meet your expectations? Let us know directly so we can continue to make improvements with hiring and employee training.
Surpassed your expectations? We welcome your sincere compliments that vindicate the miles walked, the hundreds of dishes washed, and glasses buffed. A kind word to those who served and cooked goes a long way. It makes their day to make your day.
A big thank you to all our gracious and loyal guests. As usual, our team is back in the kitchen seeing what treasures our farmers and foragers are bringing in and prepping food. The tables are set and the music is on. It's another day of entertaining and our team is poised with a ready smile to greet you. We do it seven days a week for lunch and dinner at The Dundee Bistro. Bring your appetites. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.
]]>
I admit, I love how Italians celebrate. Today's holiday showcases parades, music and special presentations and for many communities throughout the country, they are on a big break. Families are having long lunches and walks on the beach. The celebration goes beyond today … it goes through next week for some. Today is a Wednesday and on Tuesday, May 1st is Labor Day, which happens to also be the day that the Americans arrived to help push out any remaining Nazi forces on Italian soil. My son doesn’t return to high school for another week. Yes, a week of liberation for him, before facing year end exams. While we can’t shirk responsibilities, nor expect life to give us handouts, there is something quite attractive of living a free life. This means something different for everyone and sometimes it is a mindset. When we started traveling to Italy for extended vacations, the busyness of work in the States disappeared. All those busy people were sleeping while we were out having fun. More often than not in my global work, Michel and I wake up to a flurry of activity that occurred the day before. Most of it can wait, a lot of it already got resolved, and very few urgent messages are truly urgent. America “wakes up” around 4 or 5 pm Italian time and more emails start rolling in, the automated promos fill up the inbox, and social media comes alive. There is something blissful having an entire day with no interruptions. Studies have shown that we are truly only productive for three hours per day. This may be strange, but I find I get more done in a day 6,000 miles away than when I am sitting directly onsite at one of our businesses.
Lifestyle choices for each individual's definition of freedom involves sacrifice and effort. When we made the big move overseas (gigantic effort after selling beautiful Oregon home), it was liberating to move to a place where people don’t know you, have any expectation or preconceived opinion. It was liberating to let go of many materialistic things and comforts that required so much protecting. It was liberating to sit down for a meal at a restaurant and not worry about the quality of the ingredients. I am grateful for these first world opportunities and being in Italy certainly keeps this in check as large waves of immigrants and refugees enter the country needing a safe place. As an individual, I quietly try to do my part while juggling family and business. I have a dream to live this life as long as I can. Only time will tell as businesses go up and down, as aging parents need more assistance and growing children turn into adults. I have this notion that I can share this feeling of freedom by dropping my walls for privacy and showing that life can be different. I've been told I am idealistic. I am. But I find that I am not alone. There are many who venture beyond a traditional work and lifestyle. I've heard their stories first hand as I now run in that circle. Even now, as I excitedly tell our story and share our treasures to others, but know that they don’t have the same enthusiasm. That's okay. Many have an appreciation or curiosity but not full comprehension of the deep impact it made on me and my family. We stretched our wings, went through growing pains and broke through barriers. We became liberated in a way we didn’t even know was possible and it has irrevocably changed us. It is a mindset and often can only be changed through real life, physical experience.
A liberating life is where you feel comfortable and you can be yourself. So whatever that is for you, it is yours and truly does not belong to anyone else. It doesn't have to be in a foreign country or be defined by an epic journey. You may have that feeling right in your hometown. As always, I invite you to take a break from your day to enjoy something special or to do something to remind of you that time you felt free. If you are in Oregon, drop by Fratelli Ponzi for an aperitivo, enjoy a wine flight or pick up some coffee and chocolate. We, me and my team at Fratelli Ponzi, are happy to be a part of your moment to day dream, to share knowledge, introduce to you something new, or simply to offer a nice place to relax. We know little things can make your day great!
]]>As Michel and I are straddling two continents, expanding our dream and resisting conformity, we often talk about how hard it is to do something different. On a superficial level, it appears to be all fun (and yes, there is fun involved, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it) but there is a tremendous amount of effort that is happening behind the scenes. It takes a lot of coordination when you have your children in one country and your business in another. We have created an entire life center in a foreign land and it’s a place where we now call home because we have strong friendships, rescued dogs who needed a forever family, work with business colleagues, and found good doctors, dentists, and most importantly … a great hairdresser. This did not take a year or two … it took many. If you are thinking about living the dream, buckle up and give it a test drive for many years. So here we are, logging lots of miles in the air and on the ground to have the life we want. We take calls and emails at all times of the day ... and night … in either Italian or English. And while we work things out on both sides of the pond, we realize we are staying true to at least one lesson we have learned by living in Italy. Take things slowly…. “piano, piano”… a phrase I use frequently and probably too much, but it reminds us to not rush. Let life and concepts develop at a pace that is natural and not forced. Make progress but pause to see where things fall into place. As we take another leap into opening Fratelli Ponzi, a wine bar and retail shop for fine food and wine, we know a new life rhythm has begun and that the bar and store will be shaped over time…. Not today, not tomorrow. It will evolve. If you are wondering what Fratelli Ponzi is all about, well, let me tell you!
Fratelli Ponzi, Fine Food & Wine, located in Dundee, Oregon is next to our restaurant, The Dundee Bistro, where Casal Cristiana EVOO is used in most dishes. At Fratelli Ponzi we are featuring Italian wine varietals from small producers in Oregon and Italy. Here, guests can enjoy wine flights, comparing old world against the new, that include sparkling, red, white and rosé wines. Three different wine flights from a selection of about 15 wines are offered daily. We also have wine by the glass, Italian and Oregon draft beer, Italian inspired cocktails and small plates from oysters, charcuterie and cheese, Tuscan bean hummus, focaccia and Casal Cristiana EVOO, panini and more. But the other exciting tidbit is that we are curating some interesting Italian and Oregon wines that are for sale by the bottle. Of course, Casal Cristiana Extra Virgin Olive Oil by the bottle is available for purchase as well as our Italian coffee and selected Italian chocolates, balsamic, and pasta. Our goal is to primarily work with our colleagues who are small producers in our Italian home region, Le Marche. Whether you are looking for a gift, wanting a friendly place to sip lovely wines, or seeking a personalized wine tasting experience, join us!
The Casal Cristiana website is changing to Fratelli Ponzi, which will eventually reflect all the products we offer in the store. They will be soon available for purchase and delivery from the website. In the meantime, if you are in Oregon and heading out to our beautiful wine country, please stop in. Want to know what’s coming up in special events, wine flights, and other exciting news? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Well, a 2 ½ hour drive, just came in under 2 hours with Michel at the wheel and my writing time is up. As we make our transition and re-entry into business back in Oregon, please reach out to say hello. We’d love to hear from you.
Alla prossima! Until next time!
]]>With time, there is evolution. You can't prevent it. Nothing can stay the same and as I have learned, including the way you cook. I don't live in Oregon anymore, but it's still home to me. I live in Italy and anyone who has moved to a foreign country can identify life outside of America is vastly different with contrasts that are often hard to explain. Coming home always has this comforting familiarity to me, just like the old basic recipes I use to make. Now, so many years later, I get together for visits with my family and occasionally I pull out my mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook that is falling apart at the seams. It brings back good memories of my days of trial and error, collaborating with my twin sister and my mom, as we would work our way through a recipe for the first time. I remember distinctly the first time I made croissants. It was an entire day of labor making these beautifully shaped rolls. My brother and his friend came home, bursting through the kitchen, ravenous as teenage boys will be and within 15 minutes.... all my croissants were gone! I can't recall if I was angry or happy that my little creations were devoured so quickly. It must not have been too traumatic, as it didn't detour me from future elaborate culinary experiments that required long hours of preparation.
The best part about cooking and baking is that it requires engagement with the senses. And with recipes readily available at the touch of a screen, I encourage all young people to learn how to cook. It creates a foundation for learning in general and most importantly the key to eating well that can affect your overall state of health. Of course I didn't realize back then that my time in the kitchen would be building blocks to support my health, create a business or be a role model for my children. I was just having fun!
I spent most of my teenage years making chocolate chip cookies, the first recipe I had memorized by the time I was 13 years old. When I went to college I'll never forget calling my mom (from my dial phone attached to a wall) asking her how to make roasted chicken and spaghetti sauce. Cookies were yummy, but not for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, the chocolate chip recipe served me well with making lots of friends. During my time at the University of Oregon my sister and I would bake every Sunday.... Friends realized we did this regularly and would "stop by to say hi" ... Of course it was for the cookies! A good friend, Jimmy, would actually clean my kitchen, so he was always a welcomed cookie monger. Then I spent, oh I'd say a good 30 years making variations of those chocolate chip cookies with different sugars, flours, chocolate, nuts, no nuts, oatmeal, healthier versions, and decadent ones. My new Italian version includes olive oil and roughly chopped dark chocolate.
After college and into my career days I became a Martha Stewart menu maven. During the late 80's and through out the 90's I couldn't get enough of Martha Stewart. I watched her show daily, bought the hardbound cookbooks and subscribed to her monthly magazine for over a decade. I had all the volumes at one time until a life change forced me to unload a lot of physical and material items. I didn't want to recycle all those magazines that had pages dog eared and little notes scribbled in between paragraphs, but letting go has to start somewhere. I have kept those hardbound cookbooks for inspiration, information and remembrance. I rarely make dessert at all any more and the days of decadent pies, cakes and cookies seem to be over. But that’s okay! I have moved on to simpler menus that coincide with my current life. With an unexpected move to Italy my habits have slowly changed to embrace a different pace and culture regarding food. It has made a profound impact on my approach food and cooking. A side benefit is it has also spilled over into my outlook on life; take the best there is to offer and create something beautiful. Fortunately for me I landed in paradise and I can put all that cooking and baking experience to work with the greatest culinary products on earth here in Le Marche Italy.
There are three simple rules to follow: eat what's in season, buy from the local farmer, and keep your pantry stocked with high quality items such as extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and sea salt. Your food should not look like a chemistry experiment and your taste buds shouldn't have to go to battle with too many and conflicting flavors. With these three elements, making fabulous and healthy meals does not take a lot of menu planning but rather a sense of what works together. Your intuition is that sixth sense and Italians are very keen on exercising this sense in the kitchen. It is a part of their everyday culture, one that is not impressed in our busy American one. To become an intuitive cook, start with the basics and always with something you love, even if it's chocolate chip cookies. It will just grow from there. While Italians are steeped in tradition, they also follow their intuitive sense to fulfill pleasure on their palate. Over the years, I have experienced the Italian carbonara dish made distinctly different ways. It's an incredibly easy dish to make and the flavorful twists of a recipe that stemmed from the poor coal miners just shows the creativity that arises when you use your intuition in the kitchen. I see this recipe served at fancy restaurants and often the variations are astoundingly great! If you like getting an occasional recipe, cooking tips, olive oil news, sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the page on our website. You never know, the recipe for carbonara alle pesce or my new favorite carbonara vegetariana may land in your mailbox!
]]>
Pictured here is actually breakfast, but it could be lunch or even a light dinner: Tumeric eggs with peperonata, marinated mozzarella and fresh lettuce. Here are my five homemade staples I have at the ready in our home this summer that can be used for pasta, rice, beans, sandwiches, burgers, eggs, salad .... you get the idea .... almost anything! The Summer Essentials: Pesto, Peperonata, Vinaigrette, Marinated Mozzarella, Aioli/Fresh Mayonnaise. For brevity, below are the recipes for Pesto and Peperonata. To receive the other recipes please sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the page.
Pesto -- ingredients -- 4+ cups fresh basil leaves, 1 Tblsp. pine nuts (almonds or walnuts also add a nice flavor), 3/4 cup or more of CCEVOO, sea salt, squeeze of 1/2 lemon. Butter and parmigiano reggiano cheese is used in traditional Genoese pesto, but for me, its optional and I don't use when I make it as an "at the ready" condiment. Put basil leaves and nuts in a food processor, start to blend, adding olive oil in a steady stream. Half way through, stop the processor, scrap down sides and restart, adding the rest of the olive oil, finishing with a squeeze of fresh lemon and about a half a teaspoon of fine sea salt. Pour into a jar, top off with more olive oil, seal it with a lid, and refrigerate to use later in the day or week.
Peperonata -- ingredients -- 1/4 cup CCEVOO + more for finishing, 6-8 cups of sliced bell peppers, 2 large or 4 medium tomatoes. 1 large golden onion. 1 small red onion. Some recipes call for eggplant, but we opt out of this ingredient. When I learned this recipe from my friend Monia, she said, "che tu vuoi". Which means, put what you like in this recipe when it comes to the type of pepper, how much tomato and whether you use eggplant, or not. So this recipe is the one that I make and like! To get started, slice off the tops of the peppers and slice into quarters, discarding the seeds inside. Peel the onions and roughly chop into quarters. Add 1 Tablespoon of CCEVOO to a large saute pan and as it just starts to warm up (NOT smoking!), add the onion quarters. Saute onions for a few minutes on a medium heat. The intention is NOT to fry, but saute, so keep the onions moving in the pan and turn down the heat if necessary. Once they start to cook down a bit and they have that partial translucent look, add all the peppers, tomatoes, and salt. Add a cup of water, put the lid on the saute pan, turn down heat to low and let slowly cook. Periodically check on the sauce, it should be chunky with liquid, add more water if necessary so it won't scorch or turn into paste. The peperonata is done when all the peppers are soft and thoroughly cooked. This will take about an hour on low heat. Turn off heat, leave in the pan to cool and put into a large jar, seal and refrigerate to use for later. But like a lot of us, we want to eat it right away! So grab a large loaf of rustic bread and dip into the peperonata for a simple meal or snack. If you have a few special homemade condiments on hand, you will eat well, with less fuss and hopefully with more enjoyment. You can find our olive oil on our website www.casalcristiana.com and also at selected Oregon locations such as The Dundee Bistro Wine and Bubble Bar. So kick back and relax! Summer dining is on the table! Buon appetito!
]]>Home is where the heart is .... so the saying goes. While I have a part of my heart in Oregon where my roots run deep with family and friends .... the other part of my heart encompasses my new life along the Fermana coastline in Le Marche with open and wide reaching arms, pulling it all in close to me, to hold forever. I have dreamed of an ideal place for a better life and I hesitate a little to write about it, but I suppose it's too late to keep it under lock and key for safe keeping if Le Marche Tourism is promoting it whenever and wherever possible. I'm pretty sure the word is out after I saw the billboards at the Milan EXPO. We found this area seven years ago on a trip to introduce our sons to their family Ponzi heritage that originated in the neighboring region, Abbruzzo. It was love at first sight in Le Marche and fueled our dreams of finding a place to call our own. In 2010, we took a leap of faith and went forward with our first home purchase in Italy. Scary and exhilarating, we were not prepared for what followed. We survived lots of challenges, those alone are worthy of a story, and the result so far is one of a work in progress that continues to unfold as we find ourselves deeper involved in Italian life and an idea that won't let us quit.
This year we completed our third olive harvest for our small start up company, Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which we started in 2013. As we continue to sell direct to customers we also reach out to small and gourmet obsessed retailers who not only love good food, but love real extra virgin olive oil. We are a boutique business, so our relationship with customers and retailers is personal and hands-on. For us, one of the key elements in maintaining product freshness and authenticity is knowing the supply chain. Extra virgin olive oil, much like wine, needs to be stored and displayed with care ... out of direct sunlight, hot lights and heat. Selling direct to customers gives us more control over maintaining the quality of the oil as we store all our olive oil in a temperature control environment prior to shipping via air. With smaller retailers and other online stores we enjoy communicating directly with the owner. Challenges boutique retailers face is finding unique products that are not mass imported and this is where we help fill the gap. Our import company, Fratelli Ponzi, LLC imports our olive oil (Iceland, UK, and United States so far) and we are now introducing a complementary product, balsamic vinegar from Modena. Aligning with our personal and professional goal to support owners of artisan products, we are collaborating with one of Modena's oldest balsamic producers that has retained small production for 800 years to ensure quality through their traditional methods. From our region, we are a few short hours via car to Patrinieri Acetaia in Modena. Casal Cristiana extra virgin olive oil and Paltrinieri balsamic vinegar are two artisan products matched perfectly for the discerning home cook or chef! But often, we walk out our door for a day around Le Marche and always find something special and delicious! It's time to share the wonderful gifts from paradise.
When the travel bug calls to visit beyond one of the prettiest and healthiest regions in Italy we just hop a plane, board a train or pile in the car and within hours we find inspiration to fill our plates with balsamic, parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto and more that complements the endless supply of artisan products just right outside our door. If you want to taste Italy, browse our website and begin your journey with us and start with our own Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We hope you love it as much as we do! You deserve to experience the flavors from the ideal place for a better life.
]]>Cook like the Marchigiani. You may be asking yourself .... who or what is the Marchigiani? It is the people of the Italian region of Le Marche of course! Now that we have that cleared up, the one thing culinary enthusiasts know about Italian cuisine is that top quality and seasonal ingredients are critical for simple, but spectacular meals. There are actually very few rules when it comes to cooking Italian food, however a tremendous number of opinions exist depending upon who you ask, what region you are sourcing, and of course, tradition. This may have you contemplating methods and ingredients but as far as I'm concerned, that's what makes cooking fun! It's a shame when dishes become so complicated it puts you off and even in Italy, we don't have all day to cook. I have lived in Le Marche for sometime now and the longer I live here, the more I appreciate this region's variety and flexibility in creating flavorful dishes. Without the use of butter and heavy cream on the Adriatic seaside, you have fresh and light pasta sauces with clams, fish and mussels over homemade tagliatelle pasta, soups with large shrimp flavoring a broth, calamari spiedini or a mixed seafood salad.
Only minutes away from the shoreline begin the entry to valleys that weave their way toward the Sibillini Mountains. Throughout the region's valleys we enjoy acre after acre of eye popping beauty with various types agriculture that not only fill the landscape but supply our local supermarkets with fruits and vegetables with nearly zero kilometer for transport. Just a short drive 10-15 minutes inland you are delighted with pappardelle al ragu di cinghiale (wild boar), grilled lamb and beef from nearby pastures, pan seared chicken and roasted potatoes, or mushrooms found in the mountainous woods to flavor a rich risotto. The pizza in Le Marche region is thin and nearly cracker-like .... which I adore! Often you will find a pizza called "Monte e Mare", translating to "The Mountain and the Sea" using seafood toppings with cheese, mushrooms and olives. From the hillsides to the edge of the Adriatic Sea, olive groves thrive, producing a wonderfully fruity and buttery olive oil from a varietal we use for Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil called Frantoio. This olive oil is used generously on most Marchigiani dishes.
I've been experimenting in the kitchen with the local seafood lately and was so happy when I created this shrimp and potato stew that is hearty, not heavy, for lunch one day! Here's the recipe, well, it's loosely a recipe and hopefully you will find my instructions helpful for your own re-creation. Look at the photos for the ingredients, provided are estimates, and use your own intuition with what your soup needs because with fresh ingredients from various regions, the flavors will vary. I believe in creating soups from the bottom up, meaning, developing a good base flavor. This recipe is plenty for two people as a main dish or for four as a first course. Here's what I used for Zuppa di Gamberi e Patate .... piu o meno (more or less):
Pancetta (not bacon -- bacon's smokey flavor would overpower this soup) -- cut off most of the fat and dice up into bits. Garlic -- remove paper-like peel and lightly crush with the edge of your knife to release the garlic oil, but leave whole. Pepperoncini -- one is enough spice for our family, carefully clean, slice the little pepper down the side, scrap out the seeds and discard. Leave whole as well. Small Onion -- remove peel and cut in half. Carrot, one large or two small, washed, peeled and diced into small pieces. Celery -- one rib, diced superfine. Yukon Gold Potatoes, about two pounds, washed, peeled and diced into bite size pieces. Prawns in their shells, 16 - 24. Lemon, the kind with the thick skin work best as you will want to peel only the yellow part. Sea Salt, 2-3 fresh Bay Leaves and about 1/4 cup of Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus more for finishing). Preparing the shrimp broth is easy. The medium size prawns I purchased were pre-boiled but completely whole. So I rinsed them under cold water, took off their heads (toss those) and then removed all the shells. Using a small sauce pot put about 2 cups of lightly salted water, add a bay leaf, the shrimp shells and lemon peel. Bring to a light simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Turn off heat so that too much liquid doesn't evaporate while the rest of the soup is cooking. Reserve your broth, it's the final step to this soup. Now for the main soup base: First place a heavy bottomed sauce pot on the stove and bring up to a medium heat. Add olive oil, 2 - 3 tablespoons, just as it starts to get hot (not smoking) add pancetta, onion pieces, pepperoncini, carrots and bay leaves. Add a pinch or two of fine sea salt and let it sizzle for a few minutes to begin searing the pancetta and initiate cooking the vegetables. Give the ingredients a stir with a wooden spoon to ensure the oil is getting overly hot and to prevent burning. Reduce heat if necessary. Add 4-5 cups of water and then prepared, diced potatoes. Cover pot and let it simmer until potatoes are tender to the fork, about 20 - 30 minutes. Taste soup prior to adding shrimp broth, now half a cup at a time put in strained shrimp broth, tasting after each addition. I used all the broth and if you want more lemon, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice into the soup. Finish off with about 1/4 cup of Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drizzling over the soup with a large spoon. I had lots of prawns that day (lucky me!) so what ever I didn't use in the soup, we enjoyed peel and eat shrimp along side a french baguette with our soup. It was a perfect lunch that felt nourishing and energizing for these cold, winter days. if you would like this recipe sent to you, sign up for our email list to receive recipes, Italian stories, and olive oil news! Enjoy and Buon Appetito!
Prawn and Potato Soup by Rebecca Ponzi
]]>
Your favorite thing to do is the laundry. Nothing beats a warm, sunny day overlooking the Adriatic Sea .. clothes hanging in the sun with a gentle breeze against a medieval wall.
Your favorite thing to do is the laundry. Nothing beats a warm, sunny day overlooking the Adriatic Sea .. clothes hanging in the sun with a gentle breeze against a medieval wall.
You consider it "brutto tempo" ... Bad weather .... After three days of rain when you’ve lived your entire life in Oregon where it's not uncommon to have rain for weeks on end.
You complain about traffic when it took you 15 minutes to get home when it usually takes five on the two lane state street in your Italian beach town.
You are no longer confused when the sun is rising over the sea instead of setting.
You don't think twice about driving down the wrong way on a one-way street or the opposite side of the road to get a parking spot.
You do not have to pay for parking during lunchtime because the parking meter attendants are at .....lunch!
Your doctor makes house calls and he texts you when he's running late.
You go Christmas shopping midweek right before Christmas and the mall is nearly empty.
You go on vacation with a village (it's a small village), on a bus, and spend an entire week together eating, skiing, sightseeing!
You are having teacher conferences in a foreign language and then realizing your son needs to get better at his English because he's now correcting you in Italian and forgetting words in English. Dang it!
You are singing in a choir with classically trained singers who volunteer their time, practicing in a 900 year old church, in a medieval village, every week to learn songs in Latin, Italian, French and even a little English.
You need to tell your spouse that you prefer they keep the speed at 90 instead of 100 mph while driving on the autostrada.
Lastly, I knew my life had really changed when we returned home after a European vacation and "home" is in a villa overlooking the Adriatic.
I feel lucky to have the opportunity to keep moving forward and exploring a different type of life. But I feel exceptionally fortunate to share it with my husband and our children .... and that together we have faced all kinds of challenges that have been scary and frustrating, but we have experienced a life that is unique. I am personally grateful to have the opportunity to broaden our knowledge of various cultures and the world. You realize you are so small in this great world, but wherever you go, you make an impact. It has given us wonderful lessons in humility, empathy and awareness that we are all one .... human.
2015 .... Here we come ... "piano, piano" .... I want to continue to take it all in. Follow us on Facebook for pretty photos, recipe inspiration, and Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil news. Sign up for our monthly newsletter on this website for special offers and announcements. We continue to be energized by individuals far and near who have great enthusiasm about our new life, adventure and business. Join us at the FoodWorx Conference in Portland, Oregon on February 7th where Michel will be video conferencing "Live from Italy" to discuss labeling challenging for extra virgin olive oil from an international viewpoint and to continue to bridge our past heritage to the present. And if you haven't purchased your Viva Verde Membership yet, the time is now!
Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil flavor characteristics are distinct not only because of the olive varietal selected but most importantly due to the quality of the soil, air, water and farming practices. With optimum conditions, quality and flavorful fruit is cultivated and in turn produces a wonderfully buttery and aromatic extra virgin olive oil. Try ours and sign up for our Viva Verde club for the 2014 harvest at www.casalcristiana.com
]]>
From fancy to casual, we love good food. This dish was so simple with pureed fresh peas, fish straight from the Adriatic, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt at one of our other favorite restaurants, Tentacolo, in Porto San Giorgio. And we can never resist a party, particularly when it's on a rooftop garden at a friend's home in Torre di Palme. It's a culinary adventure to live in this Italian region and always an inspiration to expand my recipe catalog. This July and August we will be in Oregon to share our stories, recipe ideas and to conduct olive oil education! We hope to see you at one of our Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil events. Sign up for our email on our website to receive our quasi monthly newsletter. We will soon announce the location of our First Anniversary CCEVOO Dinner Celebration, where we will be for VINO e OLIO tastings, and more! Please "like" our Facebook Page to stay informed and be inspired on a regular basis with photos, recipes and olive oil news! Write to us if you would like to host a cooking class, dinner or cocktail party that would be coupled with olive oil education and tasting techniques. Extra virgin olive oil health benefits are numerous and the recipes for great meals are endless! Let us know, we have some dates available for Portland, Bend and Seattle. But for now, I'm off to unpack a few more boxes and cook in my new spacious Italian kitchen!
Buon appetito!
]]>True EVOO is one of life’s simple pleasures that not only offer amazing flavor to salads, vegetables, meats and even desserts, but it also is host to numerous health benefits. True EVOO should taste like fresh olives. Often there is a bite at the back of the throat with EVOO, this indicates a high level of polyphenols including esters of tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, oleocanthal and oleuropein. Other healthful aldehydic secoiridoids, flavonoids and lignans are found in extra virgin olive oil. Medical studies continue to support the numerous health benefits with the consumption of true EVOO. It has been documented that EVOO aids in the treatment for colon and breast cancer, helps prevent diabetes, lowers high cholesterol and helps fight heart disease. It’s anti-inflammatory properties relieve arthritis and digestion issues. In addition, true EVOO helps balance the metabolism and has a satiating factor that can aid in weight loss. Medical research articles have also unveiled that EVOO is key to warding off osteoporosis, can prevent Alzhiemers and slow the aging process. Read more to learn the science behind the claims.
A Fountain of Youth?
The magic composition of EVOO is the source of at least 30 phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds, or phenols, are substances that plants, such as fruits and vegetables, require for growth and reproduction. These phenols have antioxidant properties and incorporating phenolic compounds into your diet may increase wellness and strengthen your immune system.
Antioxidants, a body’s best friend, are important for good health because they counteract the free radicals in our bodies that alter bodily tissues, therefore, protecting us from the oxidation of proteins and cellular plasma membranes. In addition, EVOO is the only dietary source of hydroxytyrosol, one of the 30 phenols, which slows the aging process in skin and strengthens fingernails and toenails.
A Cure for Inflammation Disease?
Specifically, oleocanthal from extra virgin olive oil is a non-selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase which is like the widely known anti-inflammatory medicine, ibuprofen. It has been suggested that this compound may be responsible in part for the low incidence of heart disease associated with a Mediterranean diet.
These anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants have also been linked to reducing your chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and certain cancers. There are countless articles and documented research supporting that regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil, along with following the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, contribute significantly to a healthy life.
Lowers Cholesterol?
Further research has concluded that by including extra virgin olive oil in your diet daily it reduces Alzheimer’s, lowers cholesterol, fends off heart disease and also aids in weight control.
Besides containing the healthy phenols and antioxidants, olive oil lowers both LDLs and triglycerides along with total blood cholesterol, and it does not alter “the good” HDL levels. It hinders the absorption of cholesterol and fosters the absorption of essential minerals like calcium and magnesium. It also helps warding off gallstones and supports the liver in excreting cholesterol. For a healthy digestive tract, incorporate olive oil into your diet as it also suppresses the reflux of food and gastric juices. Olive oil enhances calcium absorption, helping in retaining bone mass and keeping osteoporosis at bay as well as aiding to bone formation and growth in infants and children.
Improves Cognitive Ability?
Lastly, olive oil contributes to a healthy mind. The International Olive Oil Council suggests that olive oil's high monounsaturated fat content may help maintain the structural integrity of brain cell membranes. Higher structural integrity of brain cells can protect against different forms of cognitive decline, including memory loss, Alzheimer's and dementia. The council also notes that the more olive oil a person consumes, the greater the protective effect on cognition will be.
]]>I bring up death, not in anyway to focus on the morbid, but to concentrate on things to celebrate. This past Sunday was Palm Sunday, what is its significance? It marks the beginning of Holy Week or the Week of Passion as the week before Easter and it was the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is said that his followers laid palm branches on the ground for him to walk upon as he entered the city. He entered into the city on a donkey and was considered the Prince of Peace. He did not arrive on a horse, which was considered at the time an animal of war.
To honor this moment, tradition began to bless the palms of the native land and in turn, worshipers have taken to receiving palms, often making them in a form of a cross. In Torre di Palme, residents received and carried the palms from the olive tree. This tree is indigenous to this region, along with the tropical palms, but the olive branch also has a cultural meaning of peace. During a special mass last night the priests also blessed olive oil from each commune to protect them against disease and suffering. For centuries the olive tree, branches, leaves, and oil are traced back to healing and peace. Scientifically, we can see why with the numerous anti-oxidants in real, true extra virgin olive oil.
So during our village wide recognition of Palm Sunday, a dear friend of ours father died. He was born and raised in this village. He was 80 years old. He was related nearly to all of the residents (in one form or another) in Torre di Palme. There are only 68 residents in the Torre di Palme proper. As I am holding my olive palm branches I look for significance in nature and feel proud to be a part of something that has meaning. The olive tree has a very, very long history throughout the Mediterranean. When I use our olive oil it is not from new hybrid trees but ones that are old and varieties that have not been changed to accommodate modern day production. They bring a depth in flavor, but also depth in meaning. We are eating an ancient fruit and processing it in nearly the same method from centuries (if not longer) ago. Much like wine, less intervention is best when you have quality fruit. But even with the best in life, we cannot escape death. Our vices as humans seem to get us in the end. But in the small villages, such as one as Torre di Palme, death is viewed as a part of life and immortality is not considered an option. I have been to more funerals since living in Torre di Palme than my entire life of living in the United States. Discussing this with some of my Italian friends in the village, they are very matter of fact ... "Well, there's a lot of old people here" or more philosophically, "it's just a part of life."
Between all of the religious messages circling around Easter there are also lots of celebrations and temptations at every bar and pasticceria. Special desserts and colored eggs, flower motifs and cute little Easter bunnies are ablaze in the store fronts and window displays. As I ooh and ah at all the pretty and delicious desserts, religious messages are running side by side. I'm not Catholic but I can appreciate the message of peace, hope, well-being and the practice of being virtuous. Through living in a foreign country I bump into history everyday. I also continued research stories and ancient history frequently references the olive, olive tree and extra virgin olive oil as something truly special. I begin to wonder if I am more intrigued with it’s history or it’s current, modern day health considerations. For a millennium the health benefits have not changed. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a magical concoction and one of nature’s gifts for a longer, healthier and more flavorful life? Not a magic potion, but a major contributor to longer living. At the macelleria where I buy my meat, my butcher told me he takes a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil every single morning due to high cholesterol. He says, “Don’t take any other oil. They do nothing. ONLY real extra virgin olive oil ‘crudo’ … raw, not cooked.” (And then he adds jokingly, it also helps if you don't cook with "lardo" and "strutto" .... animal fat.)
La vita é breve, mangia bene …. Life is short, eat well.
Wishing you all a wonderful Easter holiday weekend, whether it’s a feast or a simple meal among friends and family. “Pace” … “Peace”. If you can’t find olive branches to decorate your Easter table, celebrate with the taste of Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil to bring you a healthier spring!
]]>It is a culinary tragedy to pass off fake EVOO for many reasons. For starters, you are missing out on an array of condiments for meat, salads, vegetables, pasta, etc. There are hundreds of olive varieties determining its flavor so the experience is vast within the kitchen. Today while dining at a small trattoria in Ripatransone, a hill town village, I had the luxury of drizzling fresh EVOO over my antipasti of lentils, artichokes, corn and garbanzo beans. Lunch continued with risotto with seafood and then was finished off with grilled pork and sauteed mushrooms. The last course was delightful with a dash of EVOO, lemon and sea salt. With fake EVOO you are deprived of the flavor and smell of freshly crushed olives that should emit from a bottle. But the biggest crime is the marketing malarkey touting these oils as "healthy". Fake EVOO is not healthy. In fact, it could be a health danger for some people if they are allergic to foods that are not identified on the label. So if fake EVOO has been cut with soybean oil and you are allergic to it, you can see the potential problem. And of course, where are all the antioxidants that are found in real EVOO? They are greatly reduced or non-existent with tampered EVOO. Two years ago when I was living in the U.S. I thought was buying real EVOO. Once I moved to Italy and used EVOO daily, I realized my knowledge was limited. On our last visit back to Oregon in January I stopped at many places with olive oil tastings and ate at restaurants where they had "special" olive oil on the table. One out of six places, delivered in terms of real artisanal EVOO.
Scare tactics and generalizations tend to send consumers into a panic and often creates irrational reactions. The article published this week merely scratches the surface on the olive oil industry and I find it incredibly exciting to be part of an industry that is on the cusp of change. So my advice is ... do your homework. I believe with continued education about EVOO, increased global awareness and the crack down on the EVOO industry provides opportunity for the small, artisan producers who aren't out to make a fortune, but to simply make a living, keep their family olive groves in production and carry on a tradition that supported them financially and health-wise for multiple generations. Out of the many EVOO bandits who are wheeling and dealing fake EVOO throughout the world, there are many hard working souls who are not. Build your confidence in knowing real EVOO. Read labels, sample and then use it often. Just like wine, you will begin to train your palate to flavor and smell, and then eating becomes so much more fun!
Next blog I will touch on reading labels and how so much information can actually mean nothing! So for buying and storing tips to keep your EVOO safe and fresh, look for my next blog next week! In the meantime, buon appetito!
]]>First of all, it's Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Not Olive Oil. Not Refined Olive Oil. Not True Olive Oil. Not Light Olive Oil. Only EXTRA VIRGIN Olive Oil carries the numerous antioxidants that fend off diseases that lead to a healthier life and has that wonderful fresh olive taste.
Processing ... Fruit Facts .... and Buying Tips
1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is first-pressed, not oil derived from neither olive paste nor a second pressing and never altered with other oils.
2. Quality of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is dependent upon the producer and tree care. A clean production facility away from animals and industry ensures the oil won't be tainted by environmental aromatics. No filtering or gravity method filtering minimizes handling of the fruit for the freshest flavor. Trees that are attended with sustainable farming practices reduces and often zeroing out use of any pesticides.
3. Learn more about the facility's processing, fruit should be crushed within four hours of picking ... just like grapes and other fruit, once removed from it's life source, it begins to change. Look for brands that are crushing on-site and not trucking olives hundreds of miles for processing.
4. Other oils derived from seeds and vegetables are typically processed with solvents, such as hexane. Because olives contain significant amounts of water, olive oil can be extracted with a centrifuge or press, without any chemical intervention. Simply put, extra virgin olive oil are crushed olives.
5. The flavor of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is derived from olive varietal, soil, climate and processing method but should have the taste of fresh olives and like wine, will lean towards different characteristics depending upon where and how the olives are grown. Some are peppery, smooth, bright, grassy or like ours will aromatic hints of apples. You want naturally pleasant smells and flavors, not barnyard or rancid sensory traits.
6. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the only oil that contains a concentrated number of natural antioxidants (polyphenols) that fight free radical cells, therefore staving off major diseases. Due to high levels of oleanic acid, it has natural anti-inflammatory properties. The high levels of polyphenols also protect the olive oil itself.
7. Alzheimer's, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis are all diseases that are greatly reduced with consumption of true extra virgin olive oil along side a healthy diet.
8. Look for harvest date on every bottle, it should not be more than a year old. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is "live", meaning it is changing from the minute it is harvested.
9. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has multiple uses and is not only used for salads. It is delicious drizzled over steamed or roasted vegetables of all kinds, fish, meat and for finishing off sauces, making homemade mayonnaise and even baking.
10. Always buys extra virgin olive oil in dark glass or tin, never in clear glass, to prevent rapid oxidation and rancidity. Keep away from heat, light and exposure to air.
Here's to a New Year and we wish you not only a happy one, but a healthy one too!
]]>
As we worked through the Thanksgiving weekend with our Italian producers on preparing Casal Cristiana Extra Virgin Olive Oil for shipment to the United States, it was reminiscent of years past. Both Michel and I had simple childhoods, growing up in the country, tending to farm animals and gardens, preparing fresh food and always working, with some sort of job. For Michel, in the early days of Ponzi Vineyards, Thanksgiving weekend was laborious in many ways, preparing the product for sale and then selling it onsite at the family winery when it started more than 40 years ago. This last week in Italy, Michel coordinated jobs for his sons Marco and Luca at the olive mill ... it was dejavu. As we were hand labeling, strapping boxes together, bubble wrapping bottles, he was recanting the days when he was young, and he was helping his parents with the crazy of idea of growing wine grapes and making wine in the wild open spaces of Oregon. Life has a way of coming full circle and with many parallels with our current life and the memories of our past, we chuckled a bit as we convinced Marco and Luca it would be fun to help us bottle, label and box olive oil in a remote region in Italy! Crazy or not, we are grateful for the experiences we had when we were young, with our parents and siblings. Bringing an idea to reality is never easy. Often it takes more than hard work, it takes knowledge and experience. For Michel, after spending his entire life with his enterprising family and several successful businesses, entrepreneurship is in his blood. Being at the inception Bridgeport Brewing, Ponzi Vineyards, and The Dundee Bistro he knows the ups and downs when it comes to creating, branding, bottling, packaging, and selling a new product. It is nearly second nature.....he knows what it takes. But a sixth sense is necessary. The movement for accessibility of authentic extra virgin olive oil is growing as people travel more, surf the web for health information and seek real experiences, such as gourmet food and wine, instead of virtual entertainment.
We are also aware that a business is not only made up of numbers, but a great business is comprised with passion, care and human dynamics ... the people you work with make a difference. Our growers and production team, Roberto and Francesco Traini, are brothers and together with their spouses and children, we have collaborated on the Casal Cristiana project. We share similar family values, business viewpoints, success, and quality control specifications. We are grateful to be aligned with this family as we propel forward towards educating Americans about high quality, true extra virgin olive oil. This week we had the fortune of having a group of olive oil experts tour the production facility and specifically taste Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. About a dozen tasting experts, considered to be the sommeliers of olive oil, were on hand to taste for quality and they were very impressed, citing that the oil was exceptionally clean and fresh tasting. It is exactly what we were striving for! It was a great complement when they asked to take a bottle of our oil with them because they liked it so much! Usually extra virgin olive oil is a blend, but after tasting several combinations, we decided that our premier bottling of Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil would be a monovarietal of the Frantoio olive. Looks like it was a good decision and again, we are grateful.
Today, with all our boxes now ready for shipment, we wait for it's arrival to the U.S. We are still taking orders online on our website and Founding Members for our olive oil club Viva Verde, are invited to our premier release party at Ponzi Vineyards, in Oregon, on January 12th to taste the oil for the very first time. So, between now and then, I will be busy in the kitchen, testing recipes to share using Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This morning, it was an apple tart with white fig and grappa glaze. Stay tuned for new ideas in using olive oil -- your taste buds and health will be grateful!
]]>We've been visiting our producers daily and in this photo, Michel is checking out neighboring olives that are coming in. As we press forward with our new venture, we talk about how much our life has changed. Originally it was the food, weather, culture and beauty that pulled us to Italy, mostly for vacation and relaxation. Now, it's the global education, relationships and pace of life that adds another layer of contentment. This month marks the 3rd anniversary when we went out on a limb and bought our home in Italy. It was a week after our 10th wedding anniversary, we took a deep breath and took the plunge! Our dream for retiring and sinking quietly in the Italian countryside was beckoning for those aging years to come. But after many trips of skipping across the pond from Oregon to Torre di Palme, it was getting exhausting. It was nearly impossible get the place liveable 6,000 miles away. So after a year and half and five transcontinental trips door to door, we took a six-month sabbatical, which has now turned into a year and half of living in Italy! Our vacation home has turned into a real home and ideals of basking in the sun has turned into a new business venture with Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
What we have discovered is that setting a life course is important but to recognize that sometimes a detour can lead you somewhere you never imagined. And it just might be a good thing too! If someone would have told us that we would be living in Italy and starting a new business three years ago, we would have looked at that person cross eyed and said "Are you crazy?"! But here we are. We are on the brink of starting our first olive harvest for our premier bottling of Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Our Founding Members of Casal Cristiana's Viva Verde Club have helped us bring an idea to reality. Thank you! Grazie infinite! My heart is unchained. It's been set free with the understanding that ideals are in your head. There's no utopia. There are varying degrees of comfort and stress wherever you are and whatever life you choose. Right now, we are focused on getting those olives off the trees, pressing the juice and bottling it for you all to enjoy! Thanks to technology, we can continue to connect our worlds together, maintain friendships and bring ideas to life! Viva Verde!
]]>But nature says wait. With an exceptionally cool spring this year and such a stellar summer and fall, the fruit is going to hang a little longer on the branches. It's hard to be patient when something has changed your life and you are ready to share it with your family, friends and colleagues. But Mother Nature knows best ..... and with weather like this, we want our fruit to be at its optimum ripeness to bring to you fresh, bright flavors that will tingle your lips and tease your taste buds for more! So, in an effort to stay calm, be patient and wait....try to take a moment in the day to reflect what nature brings. This photo with the bright fall sun warming the valley's crops was taken while running errands in Fermo. Throughout the month of October, in the little zone where we live, so many photo opts were presented and had to be taken. Thankfully, with an iPhone constantly in hand, there's no excuse to not capture nature's most beautiful moments. Each photo was a reminder that it's okay to be still. The best things in life can never be rushed.
A morning stroll along the shoreline in Pedaso, Italy, captures a sleepy town and a rising sun. Just minutes away from this serenity are rolling hills where olive trees thrive. An evening walk in Marina Palmense, a two minute drive from Torre di Palme celebrates October's harvest moon. Casal Cristiana olive harvest starts soon ..... just as soon as nature says she's ready. So enjoy the peaceful moments and stay tuned. The premiere bottling of Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil will soon be on its way! There's still time to place an order and join our Viva Verde Club.
]]>
It's only once a year you can experience the taste of immediate olive juicing and if you are lucky enough to be near an olive mill. Casal Cristiana Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is processed naturally, unfiltered, utilizing artisanal methods. Without filters, sediment settles naturally since it's heavier than the oil, then the oil is bottle, leaving the large pieces of sediment behind. Letting gravity do its job allows the delicate olive oil to be handled less, which we think is good. Too much processing can strip away flavor and health benefits. Olive oil is alive just like wine, and things start happening immediately. The more you learn about olive oil you may think, why bother, the stuff is going to go rancid in a couple of months anyway. Not true, but to continue the wine comparison ... exposed to heat, light and air, it will oxidize rapidly. To prevent premature aging and degradation, proper care in production, handling and storage is critical for taste and health benefits. I think this applies to human beings as well, if we expose ourselves to toxic substances, we too will degrade, age and die early. The other reason to make sure you really are getting what you pay for .... extra virgin olive oil, non adulterated with other oils.
For me, the experience of tasting the real deal, fresh off the press, extra virgin olive oil was love at first taste and there was no turning back. The health benefits are an added bonus. As more information begins to surface about extra virgin olive oil, here are few things to help you navigate through your buying decisions.
Our advice to you as a consumer is:
None of this is rocket science, but hopefully helpful. Enjoy your food in confidence with the knowledge you own. I hope this provides some insight as more information comes tumbling out of the media organizations, political groups and food associations. On that note, we are still taking orders, so if you want to sample Casal Cristiana Italian Olive Oil, place an order by joining Viva Verde, our exclusive membership club on our website! If you don't think you could use six bottles, share your case with a friend or a bottle of premium extra virgin olive oil makes a great gift to food lovers in your business or personal circle.
Buon appetito e viva verde!
]]>