One of our favorite cheeses...

Covadonga

Milder, but with just the same creamy texture as La Peral, Cabrales or Valdeon. Covadonga is a delicious blue cheese from Spain. Made from a blend of pasteurized cow and sheep’s milk, it is fresh, mildly spicy and delicately salty. Blue veined with medium flecks of Penicilium Roqueforti and no rind, it is perfect for salads, on grilled meats, with fresh mushrooms, on pasta and rice dishes.

DETAILS:

• Region: El Escorial
• Cheese Type: Soft Blue
• Milk Type: Blend of pasteurized Cow & Sheep's Milk
• Aged: 2-3 Months

Come in and try it.

It was bound to happen...

We have the first of the Z&H swag. The Pig on the Pretzel t-shirt is here. So is the first in a series of clever ballcaps.

Yep, I said clever.

A Guanciale recipe for you. Go on, try it.

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Time: 45 minutes

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 pound guanciale, in 1-inch slivers 1/4 -inch thick
• 3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes (about a 28-ounce can)
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
• Salt
• 1/4 cup grated aged pecorino cheese, more for serving
• 1 pound bucatini.

Directions:

• Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add onion and garlic, and sauté over medium heat until transparent. Add guanciale and sauté until barely beginning to brown.
• Break up tomatoes and add. Cook about 15 minutes, crushing tomatoes with a spoon, until sauce has become somewhat concentrated and homogenized. Season with chili and salt and stir in 1 tablespoon cheese. Remove from heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add bucatini and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to skillet. Gently reheat contents of skillet, folding pasta and tomato sauce together until they are heated through and pasta is well-coated, about 5 minutes. Fold in remaining cheese. Check seasoning and serve with more cheese on the side.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Focus on Pork: La Quercia Guanciale

We love La Quercia Guanciale here at Zaleski & Horvath MarketCafe, it is made from selected, organic trimmed, pork jowls.

Guanciale is often associated with dishes of Roman origin like Buccatini all’ Amatriciana or Spaghetti alla Carbonara. A key feature is the collagen in the meat. In combination with the creamy fat, the collagen gives anything cooked with guanciale a smooth, silky, succulent covering. For example, you can braise vegetables with it to make a voluptuous and healthful fresh vegetable pasta sauce—something as simple as leeks, guanciale, and a splash of white wine; great served on fresh or egg pasta.

Cheese Tasting on Saturday! Led by our Cheese Monger Alex!

A Z&H Cheese Tasting Event

We invite you to join us for a sampling of Alpine-style cheeses from across the world on Saturday July 25 at 3:00 p.m.

We will be showcasing Tarentaise from Vermont, Gruyère from Switzerland and Organic Fleur de la Terre from Indiana.

NiceCream tasting on Saturday

12 noon until 2PM. Summer flavors. Smiles. General Happiness. Join us, won't you?

U.S. Sec. of Ag lunches at Z&H today...

It has been a while between posts, many new items in the store and on the menu, but the news today was that U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack, He was also the 40th Governor of Iowa had lunch at Z&H. A very nice man.