I first met Andres Salazar by coincidence at the Fancy Food Show in Washington, D.C. this summer. He actually was the 1st person that I was introduced to in the lobby before the show started. He gave me his card, a video of his company, and thus waited for some samples to arrive in Houston. Wow, a Buffalo Mozzarella that was free-range and grass-fed compared to the Italian version where the cows don't have this kind of luxury!! I couldn't wait. I was also happy that Andres presented his cheese at the ACS in Montreal in August @ 'Meet the Cheesemakers.' The response was great.

Here's a little history behind his product that made us decide to buy his cheese.
The Salazar family has been producing coffee, herbs, flowers and fresh produce for the U.S. for 45 years. Their 65 year old company is based near Bogota, Colombia. They graze their herd of 3,000 water buffalo freely year round on grass only and never given, grain, growth-promoting hormones or antibiotics.
Farm & Fields is certified by the Rainforest Alliance for conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods by Global G.A.P., the world's most widely implemented farm certification system. In 1999, its farms begain transitioning to certified organic agriculture.

Happy cows make for better cheese! And more cheese is coming in the form of aged buffalo milk cheeses and buffalo milk butter.

Water Buffalo milk has more protein and minerals and is lower in cholesterol than cow's milk. You can learn more about the animals and the cheesemaking @ their cool website.

Wine & Food Week in the Woodlands, Texas

I'm not sure if June in Houston is exactly the best time for a wine walk @ Market Street in the Woodlands especially when its close to breaking temp heat. We knew how hot it would be, but the Columbus Salame marketing team was in for a big meltdown coming from cool San Francisco. We were all envious of the sponsors who landed their tables inside buildings where it was nice and cool. Jessica and Gaye preparing cacciatore, finocchinonia, sopressata and calabrese for the wine walk. Needless to say, I brought a battery operated fan which sort of helped. HEB market street gave us a big trough full of ice which Valerie and Jessica from Columbus rolled through the streets to get to our booth. It saved the day and kept the salame from cooking in the heat.

Chef Josh and son from Tavola inMagnolia getting ready for the Sips, Suds & Slider judging at the Marriott Waterway. Columbus provided product to the restaurant, and Josh made his sliders with charcuterie full of pancetta, proscuitto, calabrese salame, Texas goat cheese, fresh basil and a thin slices of fresh pear on a homemade bun. His team lost 1st place by 12 votes but the sliders were a hit!

Valeria Bellini from Columbus Marketing gave a great seminar on pairing wine with salame. Wines were discussed as Josh showcased dishes using different salames in his recipes. A great seminar for only $35.00 which was well worth the food and all the different wines. Our final night was the Grand Tasting at the Marriott with their biggest sponsor HEB who had a massive display of cheeses and desserts to eat. Lots of restaurants serving great food and of course, our table full of salame. So in all I think Houstonians had a great time. I know I did.

Oh Those Marcona Almonds

Marcona are those wonderful almonds from Spain, and still very popular today as they were when first introduced in the U.S. about five years ago. Here is the peeled and skin-on version with Romao, a gorgeous sheep's milk cheese rubbed in lard with rosemary from the La Mancha region of Spain famous, of course, for its manchego cheese. Marconas are also available raw and with pimenton, a Spanish paprika, that gives the almonds a spicy kick and yes, great with a glass of your favorite beer. Speciality cheese shops carry Marconas as they are a fun accompliment to all cheeses and great incorporated with food. Buy the ones that are oil coated as this is how they eat them in Spain. The dry version has no flavor! I especially love to put them on salads and usually eat too many before I start thinking of my salad.

Our Passion for Salumi

As I sit eating one of my many favorite salames-sopressata with some crusty rustic Italian bread and alittle extra virgin olive oil, I was excited to read in our local newspaper, Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle food writer, tell us that one of the food trends of 2011 is the explosion of Italian cured meats or salumi. Salumi is the general Italian term for cured meats like proscuitto and pancetta although some cooked meats like mortadella and the famous steamed ham Proscuitto Cotto are included. Another name Charcuterie is the French term for cured meats.

I look for my book, SALUMI, by John Piccetti and Salumiere Francois Vecchio and read again about the facinating story of the oft-confusing categories of artisanal salumi as well as recipes for people who don't know what to do with cured meats other than slicing and eating them! John Piccetti owned the Columbus Salame Company in San Francisco and Francois, born in Switzerland, devoted 50 years of his life making salumi, including the training both salumierie and chefs in the art of curing meats.

I remember when I first toured Columbus, Francois was still there as a consultant, and he showed us the wonderful world of salami making. His passion was so strong. Little did I know 10 years ago that reviving old world traditions would be a big trend for 2011!

Most people don't realize that you can't import salame to the U.S per our regulations. Raw meats must be cured at least 400 days before we can import them. Ok with Proscuitto de Parma as its aged anywhere from 12 to 24 months but if you age salame over 100 days, you'd be eating sawdust. Thus the startup of many American salumi companies.

!Oops, I forgot a glass of Zin to compliment my salami and some good artisan sini pecorino romano to munch on. Food just can't get any better than this....