Category Italian

Olive local field asparagus. I have eaten so much of it this season that it’s practically growing out of my ears. I have been longing to taste asparagus raw, the moment after it is freshly picked. I really wanted to make it out to Andrews’ Scenic Acres to pick my own asparagus this season but it was raining every day that was available to me to make the trip. I even thought of delaying this post by one day so I could get out there today. Guess what it’s doing this morning? Raining! Thankfully, there has been plenty of local field asparagus available at our local farmers’ markets.

Olive asparagus prepared in many different ways but my go-to recipe is a healthy, simple oven-roasted asparagus that once cooked, needs little (if any) adornment – perhaps just a squeeze of lemon.

I prefer to eat my asparagus the day I buy it but it will keep in your fridge okay for 2 to 3 days if you stand the stem ends in a jug of water or wrap them in a damp paper towel and cover the bunch in plastic wrap.

Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Serves 3 to 4

You could also grill the asparagus on your barbeque, instead of roasting it in the oven.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Hold asparagus loosely near the end and snap off the tough end where it breaks naturally. Wash asparagus carefully in cold, running water, paying special attention to the head where sand and grit get trapped. Drain well and pat dry.

Pile the asparagus on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with  salt. Toss until evenly coated with oil. Spread the asparagus out in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure that stalks are not touching each other. Roast on the middle rack for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears, until asparagus is tender but still slightly firm. Asparagus will have acquired lovely little caramelized spots here and there. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

My Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus is lovely as a vegetable on your dinner plate but just as nice in a salad.

I once saw this idea on the pages of one of my beloved Gourmet magazines and have been smitten with it ever since. Olive to top my Simple Oven-Roasted Asparagus with a soft poached egg, then squeeze on some fresh lemon juice, sprinkle on a few shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, some fleur du sel, and a cracking of freshly ground black pepper. The lemon and egg yolk mix together and make a bright, rich sauce that compliments the robust asparagus beautifully. Simple perfection. Guilt-free breakfast or lunch. One happy Olive.

www.andrewsscenicacres.com

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Hallelujah! Brick House Pizza Company has finally opened in Streetsville. We’ve been waiting eagerly since they posted the sign “Saucy presents Brick House Pizza. Get ready Streetsville.” Saucy’s flavour-packed food had us at hello, since the moment the restaurant opened in November 2000. They are delivering big flavours again with artisanal, wood-fired, take-out pizza from Brick House Pizza Company. You can smell the wood burning in the brick oven from the parking lot. They don’t offer delivery yet, but olive that it is so easy to park right in front and pick up yourself.

The wood-fired crust on the Mama Roni that my son ordered was brushed with an herb-flecked tomato sauce made from puréed San Marzanno tomatoes (grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvio in Napoli, Italy – the birthplace of pizza), then covered with plenty of Mozzarella cheese and scattered with lots of crispy, spicy, dry cured pepperoni. It was pepperoni pizza done the way it should be.

I have been pining for a good pizza Margherita ever since I enviously watched Julia Roberts fall head over heals into a steamy affair with the Margherita pizza she ate in Napoli, Italy, in the movie Eat, Pray, Love. Brick House Pizza’s version satisfied my urge with a thin and chewy crust spread with olive oil and chunks of stewed San Marzanno tomatoes.  It was perfumed with strips of fresh basil, topped with gooey Mozzarella cheese and dotted with melted globs of Bocconcini cheese (fresh mozzarella balls).

Olived my husband’s own creation the best. Our teeth crunched salty prosciutto then sunk down through oozing mozzarella into sweet tomato sauce and chewy crust. The highlight was the tang of the creamy blue cheese as it hit our tongues (just the right amount of dabs here and there without overpowering you). My husband asked “How can I ever go back to chain store pizza when I can have this?” And thus begins our love affair with Brick House Pizza.

Not only is the pizza delicious but olive that they offer good, freshly made salad. The Caesar salad was full of crisp romaine leaves dressed in creamy vinaigrette with a kick of garlic and sprinkled with airy croutons, bits of shaved parmesan and chunks of real bacon that is cooked in the wood burning oven. One Caesar salad could feed 2-3 people if you are eating it with pizza.

I don’t know how I will find the strength to pull myself away from the pizza to try the rest of the menu but the sandwiches sound mouthwatering. Check out the link to their site below to see all of the alluring items offered on the menu.

www.brickhousepizza.ca

Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza is opening tonight! Read my latest post here: Hot Off The Olive Press SPECIAL EDITION Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza is Opening October 23, 2013

Latest News on Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza Streetsville: Updated October 20, 2013

Stay glued to my blog Streetsville…there will be a big announcement coming this week.

Latest News on Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza Streetsville: Updated August 2, 2013

Don’t worry Streetsville. Though the front sign has been taken down from Goodfellas, word is that it is being replaced with a better sign. And while the Streetsville Main Street Square is being redesigned, the planter boxes from Goodfellas’ patio have been moved to safer locations. Meanwhile, I frequently see workers inside Goodfellas. Can’t wait for the opening of Goodfellas and the redesigned Streetsville Main Street Square.

Latest News on Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza Streetsville: Updated June 20, 2013

“Good things come to those who wait”. And when Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza opens up its first flagship restaurant in Streetsville, it’s going to be fabulous. I recently had a conversation with one of the owners of Goodfellas, Rocco Giovannelli, who confirmed the partners’ commitment to doing things right, from the start, so that when they do open everything will be in place to bring you an enjoyable restaurant experience.

The partners have already sponsored two chefs from Italy. But the experience will go beyond the food. Goodfellas is working on setting up an impressive entertainment line-up that Rocco promised will be wonderful.

All of this will take place in a beautifully renovated space. The process has involved a lot of determined hard work, including removing 14 truckloads of dirt from the basement to build a wine cellar, that will include a harvest table and reclaimed chandelier – the perfect room for a private dinner party. It has included opening up the windows along two sides of the building, so light can pour in and the restaurant can spill out onto the sidewalk. If you have driven by recently, you may have noticed the lovely patio that is taking shape. There will be a separate party room in the back of the building that will hold 30 to 40 people. All of the millwork, using stunning reclaimed wood pieces, has been done off-site and is ready.

When you open up an 1836 circa building, unexpected challenges are bound to pop up, resulting in lots of paperwork submitted to the City of Mississauga to bring the building up to current standards. Support beams were installed, gas lines replaced, and electrical brought up to current codes. The renovations are in their final phase.

So as much as we all are anxious for Goodfellas Streetsville to open, we need to give them a little more time to get things just right.  One day, in the not-so-distant future, we will be sitting on their outdoor patio, watching the happenings at Queen and Main Streets – and eventually in the newly redesigned Streetsville Main Street Square. Goodfellas is going to be great for Streetsville.

Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza in Streetsville: Update Posted February 20, 2013

Just got word this morning from Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza that their Streetsville location will hopefully be opening in 6-8 weeks from now. Perfect! Just in time for a wood oven pizza dinner and a glass of wine on a warm spring evening, hopefully on their sidewalk patio. I have never tried Goodfellas but olive the location in the heart of Streetsville, at the corner of Queen Street South and Main Street. After dinner stroll through the village shops, wander down along the Credit River trail to Streetsville Memorial Park, then loop back and treat your kids or yourself to a Murphy’s ice cream cone back on Main Street. I am looking forward to the days getting longer and the pizza coming hot from the wood burning oven to my sidewalk table. I can’t wait to try out Goodfellas’ southern Italian cuisine and if olive it, I will tell you all about it. Stay tuned.

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