Features

Via Al: Umbrian Olive War: Tradition vs. New Technology

When we were in Tuscany in October we saw an old olive oil press like the one mentioned in the article. Olive oil the traditional way is a lot of work and a lot more expensive, But I think it is the perfect oil for when the olive oil has to taste good! Which is most of the time :-)

Our friends, Dennis and Victoria, gave us a certificate from Ashton Green.

They sell cooking tools, cook books, etc. over the web and by mail order. and they are Canadian so there are no currency or duty hassles! Well worth checking out if you need a last minute cooking related gift or idea! It's not too late!

My tap school, the Vancouver Tap Dance Society, is holding their annual fund raiser, Christmas party and bake sale tonight at the Heritage Hall on Main and 15th.

There will be a door prize, some excellent tap dancing performances from both children and adults, a bake sale where we will be selling Barb's chocolate chip cheesecake brownies and other goodies which are perfect to top up your Christmas baking.

For our Winter Warm-up we asked guests to bring non-perishable food donations for the Food Bank. We received over 80 items which will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and to the Youth Clinic at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Thank you everyone for your generosity!

Ecco il Pane (I couldn't find their website!) were also at Paolo Monti's cooking lesson on November 20th! They served their panettone, biscotti and bread to go with the dishes that Paolo cooked.

I liked their Panettone Reserva which was filled with dried pear, roasted sliced almonds and chunks of Belgian bittersweet chocolate. Recommended for all you chocoholics out there! Perfect for gifts! They also have gift special Christmas gift baskets and chocolate truffles.

Liberty Wine Merchants (they appear to have no website possibly due to BC's liquor laws :-) were also on hand at Paolo Monti's cooking class on November 20.

They served Italian wine naturally! I enjoyed their Chianti. They also had Barolo, Italian sparkling wine (Prosecco) and other Italian wines that I didn't try!

Not being a wine expert, I haven't been to their stores in the Vancouver area, but after tasting their wines, I think I will and will of course give a full report when I do!

Pacific Farms in Florence, Oregon grows wasabi and markets wasabi related products. Their website has lots of great information on wasabi. Recommended for sushi lovers and lovers of spicy stuff!

BC Gelati served their wonderful Gelati at Paolo's cooking demonstration on Tuesday.

We especially liked the strawberry and raspberry finger gelati that they served. It's close to where Barb and I live (and they also serve breakfast and lunch), so we will check it out and do a mini-review soon.

As always if you have tried it, please let us know what you think!

Here's a picture of Paolo and Margaret at yesterday's cooking class. As I said before, if you have a chance to go on one of Margaret's Italy tours or Paolo's cooking classes, GO! You will not be disappointed.

The famous Italian Chef, Paolo Monti, was in Vancover tonight at Culinary Caper's wonderful space on 3rd Avenue West sponsored by Margaret Cowan, who organized our Italian cooking school holiday, and by Vacanza Italy, another Vancouver Italian vacation company.