Eat Here-Oliveto

About a month and a half ago my husband and I found ourselves in downtown Oakland. We decided to make the most of our situation (we were childless for the afternoon) and get lunch somewhere. Deep in the heart of Oakland, on College Street, is a lovely cafe named Oliveto. It is technically Oliveto Restaurant and Cafe, but we did not know that at the time. It is situated on a busy corner, and it is an unassuming little place, just the kind I like.

When you enter the front door, a nostalgic stairway winds its way up to an unknown second floor (we found out later it was the restaurant area). We sat in the cafe, and promptly fell in love with the ambiance of this place. Sausages hanging in the fridge and a large wood burning pizza oven just added to the visually pleasing aesthetics of our table.
We started off with a tart that had thinly sliced potatoes, red onions and gruyere. With it's rich pastry crust it was a bit heavy for a starter, but nonetheless, very delicious. We then enjoyed a freshly baked pizza topped with thinly sliced red onions, sausage and an arugula salad. Absolutely delicious and fresh tasting.
We ended out our meal with a house made plum ice cream with plum caramel sauce. Very good, with a rich, full flavor. The bill ran us about $25 with tax and tip, which by all means is a very good price for a meal for two.
The menu changes quite often because the chef's rely on local, seasonal produce. Not a bad thing.
If  you are ever in the area, I would recommend you stop by Oliveto Restaurant and Cafe at 5655 College Avenue, Oakland, California, 94618.
You can also view their current lunch and dinner menus and see if there is anything that excites you.

The Go-To Dinner: Pork Chops

We love to have company over and there is one meal I make more than any other when we have people over: Pork chops. Not just any pork chops, pork chops with apples. When I was a kid, I remember my dad talking about eating pork chops with applesauce. I thought that was pretty disgusting. Right up there with creamed tuna on toast and 'ramen-a-la-dada' (trust me, you don't want to know). Alright, I'll tell you. Ramen noodles cooked as usual and accompanied by cut-up hard-boiled eggs, mixed frozen vegetables and soy sauce. Not a big fan.
Anyway, back to the pork chops. As a young teenager, I made sure nothing on my plate touched the other items on my plate. I hated it when people served me and the mashed potatoes were touching the corn, and the gravy from my Salisbury steak was rushing to meet my buttered piece of wheat bread. Yucky! Or so I thought. When I began cooking as an adult, I realized some of the delicious unions that occur when foods meet.

I am not talking about those bland, tough chops with mealy applesauce smeared on top. This, I assure you, is not the meal I am describing to you. This meal is easily and quickly prepared, looks amazing and impresses every time. Don't you wish all meals went like that?
For starters, the pork chops are 'cured' in a mixture of salt, brown sugar and rosemary, that imparts a wonderful depth of flavor  and allows the pork chops to cook quickly and retain their moisture.
Secondly, the chops are fried in bacon grease. Now, if you are not in the habit of keeping bacon grease, get into it! Green beans, eggs, breaded zucchini and more reach astronomical levels when fried in bacon grease. Before you know it, you will be eating it with your breakfast cereal (ok, maybe not).
Then, you cook peeled apple pieces in the leftover grease with a bit of chicken stock, cinnamon and apricot jam. the emerging sauce has a hint of sweetness and gives you that magical union of fruit and meat. My husband asks for this meal at least every few weeks, and is always elated to find it on the menu for dinner.
I assure you, you will come back to this recipe time and time again-whether its to impress company, a quick weeknight dinner, or a way to use those lonely apples sitting on your counter.
Trust me.

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Glazed Apples

Serves 4
2 Tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 Thin-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick each)
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon bacon grease, plus more if needed
2 Small to medium crisp apples such as honey crisp, gala, pink lady, Fuji or jazz, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 Cups chicken stock
1/3 Cup apricot jam
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or another if you don't have it)

Combine the brown sugar, kosher salt, and rosemary in a small bowl and stir together. Coat the pork chops on both sides with the mixture, gently massaging the meat with your fingers to jump start the curing process. Let stand for 15 minutes. Rinse the chops and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chops on both sides with pepper to taste.
Melt the 1 tablespoon bacon grease in a large heavy skillet over high heat, add the pork chips, and cook until crispy brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Transfer the pork chops to a plate and cover with foil. Add the apples to the skillet and cook, stirring gently to brown slightly, about 30 seconds, adding a bit more bacon grease if the pan is dry. Add the stock, jam, vinegar and cinnamon and stir well. Cook until the sauce thickens and is rich brown in color, about 10 minutes. (Don't cook down the sauce too much, but if you do, simply add a little more stock.)
Uncover the pork chops and top with the glazed apples.
For a beautiful and festive variation, add 1/4-1/2 cup of dried cranberries when you add the stock.
We like to eat this with Green Beans....

We All Scream

With summer in full force, many of us are turning to our icy weakness-ice cream. My husband is particularly fond of vanilla bean ice cream, so I buy it quite often and serve it with caramel sauce and nectarines that have been dipped in cinnamon and sugar and fried in butter (I know-a healthy dessert). Last year, I decided to make homemade ice cream. When I asked my husband which flavor he would like, he immediately responded "Strawberry". What? I thought for sure he would have asked for vanilla. So I made about five quarts of strawberry. It was amazing. I mean really amazing. Really, really amazing. I can't believe how much it tastes like strawberries. I had purchased a flat of them from one of those corner-of-the-street vendors and used them the next day. It is a bit tedious making strawberry ice cream, because you have to hull, clean, puree and strain away all the seeds before you even make your ice cream base, but it was well worth it. We ate that ice cream for about three months and enjoyed every minute of it. I actually just found a quart of it down in the bottom of my chest freezer and we enjoyed it for Max's birthday. And, a year later, it was still amazing.
 This year, I had determined to make vanilla. And I did. It is AWESOME. It is very rich, so you don't have to eat as much, which, I am sure, makes it good for you. AWESOME and HEALTHY. Just kidding, I wouldn't classify it as healthy. But, it is so good, you should decide right now, you are going to do it. First, whenever you drop the homemade ice cream bomb, people automatically label you as a domestic goddess. Second, it is NOT very difficult, and if you have ever made custard, it is a snap to make ice cream. Which, a little side note here, I would definitely recommend the egg version, as frozen custard is so much richer and creamier than the egg less version (and rich is what we are going for, right?)
Third, when you pull out a tub of your own homemade ice cream to give your children, husband, parents, and guests, you feel a sense of pride in offering something very fresh, containing nothing artificial or un-pronounceable.
And while I am sure I could give you four through ten, I will leave it at that.
Use the vanilla base, and with a few minor alterations, you can add chocolate and coffee to your ice cream repertoire. I would recommend buying a big container of heavy cream from Costco. Make two batches of vanilla, one coffee and one chocolate, and all your dreams will come true.
Well, all my dreams came true.

Ice cream (3 ways)

Makes about 1 1/2 pints
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 vanilla beans (split lengthwise)
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs

Combine cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a knife into cream mixture, then drop in pods. Heat cream mixture just to a boil.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture one ladle at a time. Once you have added two or three ladles, pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer (do not let boil). ( I never use a thermometer)

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean metal bowl, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours, up to 24.
Freeze custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer.

So, vanilla-you can use three vanilla beans for each recipe, or half vanilla beans and half vanilla extract. Vanilla beans can be obtained very inexpensively on the Internet here, or a few more here, or here. You can also hop in your car and go here, where they can be purchased for 2.99 for two. This is significantly less than your grocery store, where one can run you twelve to fifteen dollars.
I make a double batch, use three vanilla beans, and about a tablespoon and a half of vanilla extract.
For coffee flavored ice cream, use a tablespoon of vanilla and a tablespoon of espresso powder. Add the espresso powder after the cream is hot. This is the brand I use.
For chocolate, add two tablespoons, cocoa powder, one tablespoon of vanilla, and 1/4 c. semi-sweet chips or pieces. Add the chips or pieces after you return the cream to the stove.