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Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap

From an article by Lisanne Jensen, eHow.com

Many culinary experts recognize the health benefits of using extra-virgin olive oil in cooking. But this oil's same healthful properties--antioxidants and much more--can also beautify the outside of your body in the form of extra-virgin olive oil soap.

Skin Protection Through Antioxidants

Extra-virgin olive oil contains a high level of antioxidants--molecules that slow and even prevent the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation can produce free radicals, a substance that many scientists believe damages cells. Because extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olive--using no heat or chemicals for extraction--it's closest to its natural state and retains most of its healthful properties. Antioxidants applied to the skin can help repair damaged cells and restore the skin's vitality.

Anti-inflammatory Properties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap

Extra-virgin olive oil also contains a natural chemical called oleocanthal, which scientists believe acts as a painkiller in the same way that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work. Therefore, extra-virgin olive oil soap applied to the skin can help reduce inflammation. Extra-virgin olive oil is known to help improve skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Many researchers equate the effects of applying extra-virgin olive oil to using ibuprofen.

Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap Ant-microbial?

Terra Rossa, a United Kingdom-based olive oil importer, notes that "olive polyphenols have been demonstrated to inhibit or delay the rate of growth of bacteria such as salmonella, cholera, staphylococcus, pseudomonas and influenza in vitro." As a result, people can reap the same benefits for their skin by using extra-virgin olive oil soap.

Soap That Won't Clog Your Pores

Because extra-virgin olive oil slows the oxidation process, it won't clog your skin's pores. The skin has a certain PH balance, and extra-virgin olive oil soap has been shown to help maintain a correct alkaline/acidic balance. People who suffer from acne often use extra-virgin olive oil soap to help reduce and erase blemishes.

Does Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap Protect Against Skin Cancer?

Gustiamo, an Italian food seller, explains that some researchers believe that soaps made with extra-virgin olive oil may help reduce the number of cases of skin cancer --noting that skin cancer rates are extremely low in Mediterranean countries, where olive oil is used prevalently. Vitalis News reported in October 2007 that consuming extra-virgin olive oil may even help fight breast cancer.

How to Care for Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap

Always use a soap dish to store your soap after washing with extra-virgin olive oil soap. Otherwise, if your soap bar remains in a puddle of water, the soap will eventually turn to mush and wash away. Keep your soap as dry as possible between uses. It's also best to store your soap in a linen closet or in an area away from the bathroom because of humidity that occurs when bathing.

Doris Italian Market & Bakery sells Sole-Vita Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap at every location and will soon be available on our online store.

(article can be found:http://www.ehow.com/about_5491985_benefits-virgin-olive-oil-soap.html)

La Linea: Episode 102

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How Italians Tell Time

Italian Time - Watch more Funny Videos

Veal Meatballs

VEAL MEATBALLS, ITALIAN-STYLE

Total preparation and cooking time: 1 hour (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground veal
• 1 cup soft bread crumbs
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 can (14-1/2 to 16 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Prepare sauce. In 2-1/2-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes or until onion is crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, breaking up with spoon; stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; keep warm.
• Meanwhile heat oven to 350° Combine ground veal, bread crumbs, egg, onion, parsley, salt, garlic and pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly. (Mixture will be moist.) Shape into 12 meatballs; arrange in greased 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Bake in 350o oven 20 minutes or until centers are no longer pink, turning once.
• Stir 1 tablespoon cheese into sauce. Arrange 3 meatballs on each of 4 individual plates; top with equal amounts of sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, as desired.

COOK’S TIP: Prepared spaghetti sauce may be substituted for sauce.

Nutrition information per serving: Nutrition information per serving: 386 calories; 37 g protein; 29 g carbohydrate; 13 g fat; 4 mg iron; 1,022 mg sodium; 208 mg cholesterol. (source: vealmadeeasy.com)

La Linea: Episode 101

Quick Veal Parmigiana Video Recipe

It's Friday and the last thing anyone wants to do is get stuck in the kitchen cooking for hours. Here is a quick recipe for Veal Parmigiana to help you save valuable time as you get ready to enjoy your weekend.

Osso Bucco Recipe

Osso Buco
Total preparation and cooking time: 2-1/4 hours (Makes 6 servings)
Ingredients

• 4 pounds veal cross cut shanks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 can (14-1/2 to 16 ounces) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Gremolata:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons shredded lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Instructions

1. In Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until hot. Add veal shanks, 1/3 at a time, and brown evenly, turning occasionally; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil as needed. Remove shanks from pan; season with salt.
2. Add onion, carrot and crushed garlic to pan; cook and stir 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes, wine and basil. Return shanks to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover tightly and simmer 1-1/2 hours or until veal is tender.
3. Meanwhile in small bowl, combine gremolata ingredients; set aside.
4. Remove shanks to warm platter. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Cook liquid over high heat until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon approx. 3/4 cup sauce over shanks. Sprinkle shanks with gremolata; serve with remaining sauce.

COOK’S TIP: Veal cross cut shanks may be tied with string to help retain shape, if desired. To prepare in oven, use tightly covered Dutch oven or roasting pan. After shanks are added to tomato mixture, cook in preheated 325o oven; cooking time remains the same.

Nutrition information per serving: 262 calories; 29 g protein; 10 g carbohydrate; 10 g fat; 2 mg iron; 661 mg sodium; 100 mg cholesterol. (source: vealmadeeasy.com)

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Veal - A Breakdown

BASIS OF VEAL

Cows must calve before they begin to give milk. These calves are the basis of today's veal industry. Veal is the meat of calves under the age of nine months. Most veal comes from calves slaughtered when they are 8 to 16 weeks old, however. Veal is lighter in color than beef and has a more delicate flavor and is generally more tender. Young veal has firm texture, light pink color and very little fat. As soon as a calf starts eating solid food, the iron in the food begins to turn the young animal's meat red. Meat from calves slaughtered when they are older than five months is called calf it tends to be a deeper red, with some marbling and external fat. Veal's low fat content makes it popular meat, especially among those looking for an alternative to beef. Its delicate flavor is complemented by both classic and modern sauces.
PRIMAL AND SUBPRIMAL CUTS OF VEAL

After slaughter, the calf meat can be split down the backbone into two bilateral halves or, more typically, cut along the natural curvature between the 11th and 12th ribs into a foresaddle (front portion) and a hindsaddle (rear portion). The veal carcass yields five primal cuts: three from the foresaddle (the shoulder, foreshank and breast, and rib), and two from the hindsaddle (the loin and leg). The veal shoulder, rib and loin primal contain both bilateral portions; that is, a veal loin contains both sides of the animal's loin. As with all meats, it is important to know the location of bones when cutting or working with veal. This makes meat fabrication and carving easier and aids in identifying cuts. A veal carcass weighs in a range of 60 to 245 pounds (27-110 kg).

Foresaddle Shoulder

Similar to the beef shoulder or chuck, the veal shoulder accounts for 21% of the calf weight. It contains four rib bones (as opposed to five in the beef chuck) and portions of the backbone, blade and arm bones. The backbone, blade and arm bones are sometimes removed and the meat roasted or stuffed and roasted.
Although shoulder chops and steaks can be fabricated, they are inferior to the chops cut from more tender areas such as the loin or rib. Often the shoulder meat is ground or cubed for stew. Because of the relatively large amount of connective tissue it contains, meat from the shoulder is best braised or stewed.

Foreshank and Breast

The foreshank and breast are located beneath the shoulder and rib sections on the front half of the meat. They are considered one primal cut. Combined, they account for approximately 16% of the calf weight.
This primal contains rib bones and rib cartilage, breastbones and shank bones. Because the calf is a slaughtered young, many of the breastbones are cartilaginous rather than bony. This cartilage, as well as the ample fat and connective tissue also present in the breast, breaks down during long moist cooking, thus making the flavorful breast a good choice for braising. Veal breast can also be cubed for stews such as veal fricassee and veal blanquette, rolled and stuffed, or trimmed and ground. The foreshank is also very flavorful but tough. It can be braised whole or sliced perpendicular to the shank bone and braised to produce osso bucco.

Rib

The double rib, also known as a veal hotel rack, is a very tender, relatively small cut accounting for approximately 9% of the carcass weight. It is very popular and very expensive. The double rack / consists of two racks, each with seven rib bones and a portion of the backbone. Veal racks can be roasted either whole or split into two sides. Veal racks can be boned out; each side produces a veal rib eye and a small piece of tenderloin known as the short tenderloin, both of which make excellent roasts. More often veal racks are trimmed and cut into chops, which can also be bone-in or boneless, to be grilled, sautéed or braised.

Hindsaddle Loin
The veal loin is posterior to the primal rib, contains two ribs (numbers 12 and 13) and accounts for approximately 10% of the calf weight. The loin consists of the loin eye muscle on top of the rib bones and the tenderloin under them.

Veal Loin

The veal loin eye is very tender, and the tenderloin is, without a doubt, the tenderest cut of veal.
If the primal veal loin is separated from the primal leg before the tenderloin is removed, the tenderloin will be cut into two pieces. The small portion (short tenderloin) remains in the primal loin, and the large portion (butt tenderloin) remains in the sirloin portion of the primal leg. The tenderloin is sometimes removed and cut into medallions. The veal loin is often cut into chops, bone-in or boneless. It is usually cooked using dry-heat methods such as broiling, grilling, roasting or sautéing.

LegThe primal veal leg consists of both the sirloin and the leg. Together, they account for approximately 42% of the carcass weight. The primal leg is separated from the loin by a cut perpendicular to he backbone immediately anterior to the hip bone, and it: contains portions of the backbone, tail bone, hip bone, itch hone, round bone and hind shank. Although it is tender enough to he roasted whole, the ideal leg is typically fabricated into cutlets and scallops.

To fabricate these cuts, the leg is first broken down into its major muscles: the top round, eye round, knuckle, sirloin, bottom round (which includes the sirloin) and butt tenderloin. Each of these muscles can be reduced to scallops by trimming all fat and visible connective tissue and dicing against the grain to the desired thickness. The scallops then should be pounded carefully to tenderize them further and to prevent them from curling when cooked. The hindshank is somewhat meatier than the foreshank, but both are prepared and cooked in the same manner.

Because the veal meat is small enough to be handled easily, it is sometimes purchased in forms larger than the primal cuts described earlier. However, most meat markets will have the meat broken down already in easy to handle portions. There are some markets that deal with large cuts of meat, but due to today's technology and consumer behavior, they are becoming more difficult to find. Just ask your Doris' meat manager about the diiferent types of veal we carry or just look in the meat case to whet your appetite for some veal delicacy. (source: victoriapacking.com)

Check our next post and you will find some recipes. See you soon!

Veal Tips

When you hear about lean, high in protein meat right away you think chicken… well watch out chicken because veal is here! What many people do not know is veal is high in protein and low in fat & calories. It has a high percentage of essential vitamins and minerals, and the best thing about veal is it is very versatile and easy to prepare.

At Doris Market we buy USDA Choice milk fed nature veal fresh every week from the Midwest farms. Our butchers are ready to cut any piece to your specifications.

What to look for when buying veal:
- creamy pink in color
- fine grained texture
- if there is any fat, it should be milky white
- very little fat marbling, if any

Storing Veal:
After you purchase the veal store it in the coolest part of your refrigerator. You should cook the veal within 1 – 2 days.
If you do not plan to use the veal within 2 days, you can freeze it just like you would any other meat.

Cooking Veal:
There are various cooking methods depending on the cut of veal you are cooking.
Sauteing- a quick method best for thinner cuts such as cutlets and ground veal. Coat veal with flour or breadcrumbs if desired or use other flavoring of your choice. In a frying pan heat oil or butter and sauté veal on medium heat for 2- 3 minutes turning once.
Stir Frying- a great way to cook pieces of veal with vegetables and other ingredients. Cook veal and vegetables separately. Keep tossing veal pieces until they are no longer pink, over medium heat. When veal is cooked combine with vegetables and other ingredients.
Broiling- best for cuts like chops, steaks, and kabobs. Broil on rack of broiler pan so surface of veal is about 4” from heat. Cook rib or loin chops (1 “ thick) for 14-17 minutes. Cook ground veal patties (1/2 “ thick) for 8-12 minutes.

No matter what method you are using to cook veal, the key is to not over cook it. For best flavor and tenderness cook most cuts of veal to medium (160 degrees). Medium veal will be light pink in the center.

For the next week or so, keep checking the blog daily for more information about veal. We will include facts, tips, recipes, and more. At Doris Italian Market & Bakery, we do more than sell food; we provide information to make your culinary experiences better. See you back here soon.....

La Linea: Episode 8

Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate & Mint Brownies

I have a soft spot for brownies. As a matter of fact many Italians love brownies. So to accomodate the love, I am providing a gluten-free recipe for Dark Chocolate & Mint Brownies. While I plan on providing many more recipes on the blog, this will be the last gluten-free recipe for a while. If you tried this and the other 2 gluten-free recipes (quiche & timballo) so far and liked them, please provide feedback so I can search for more gluten-free recipes and post them here in the future. In the mean time, enjoy....

Dark Chocolate & Mint Brownies (Gluten-Free)
Yield: 24 (2x3 inch) squares
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Shelf-Life: at least 3-4 days when stored in air-tight containers

These dense minty chocolate brownies are great treats because they look so rich & decadent yet they are gluten-free. Dissolving cocoa in hot water before baking enhances the flavor.

Ingredients:

• Butter to grease 2 (8 x 12 inch) pans
• 1.5 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1.5 cups boiling water
• 6 cups (1.5 lbs) walnut pieces
• 2.25 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 9 large eggs
• 9oz. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons peppermint extract
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions:

1. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease pans, line bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper, and then grease again; set aside.
3. Dissolve cocoa in boiling water; set aside. Meanwhile, combine walnuts & brown sugar in a food processor and process into a very fine meal.
4. Add eggs, butter, peppermint extract & salt and process 30-40 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl, add dissolved cocoa, and process another 30 seconds or until mixture is thoroughly blended. Scrape batter into the prepared pans.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack, cut around edge with a sharp knife to loosen, then invert pans and discard the paper liner. Cut each batch into 12 squares about 2 x 3 inches. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Nutritional Data (per portion):

• Calories: 360
• Cholesterol: 100mg
• Sodium: 25mg
• Fat: 30g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g

(source: specialtyfood.com)

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Chocolate Easter Egg Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Chocolate Easter Egg Give-Away!

4lb. Egg Winners:

Coral Springs: Robert Rudolph

Boca Raton: Bryn Smith

Pembroke Pines: Emma Shapiro

Hollywood: Anita Mocciocca

Sunrise: Carter Davis

10lb. Egg Grand Prize Winner:

Joe Cuccia of Deerfield Beach

Their photos will soon be posted on our Facebook fan page. Keep checking for future give-aways!

La Linea: Episode 7

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