Link to Dave

For those of you who missed our own Dave the Butcher the other night on KTVU, check him out here.

Ok. Get ready

Just a reminder that this Sunday the 28th of February, Avedano's will host a class led by Riccardo Ricci - a renowned Italian butcher working with the famous Dario Cecchini. Riccardo will take the class through breaking down and cooking a pig, allowing the participants to taste many of the unique Italian delicacies he has perfected. A few spots remain open for this class, so give us a call or come by to sign up!

Riccardo has already been hanging out at Avedano's and worked with us to create a batch of "Tonno del Chianti," which will be featured in the class. We're currently putting this delicious shredded pork on sandwiches. After trying, I'm recommending it as my new favorite panini.

Lots of good reasons to visit this weekend. Looking forward to seeing you there.

You've got to see...You've got to try

You've got to see:
This coming Wednesday - the 24th - KTVU (channel 2) features our very own Dave the Butcher. Maybe you've already seen him on a Tuesday or Friday breaking down a whole animal carcass. If not, you certainly know Dave's handy-work. He helps keep the case well-stocked throughout the week and prepares many of the special orders that bombard Avedano's around the holidays. He's an excellent butcher (certainly the best I know), a hard worker, and a real character. Find out more about Dave and what he does this Wednesday after the 10pm news - around 10:30.

Now, you've got to try:
This Saturday Avedano's will begin selling Dario Cecchini style porchetta made by our newest employee and former Dario disciple, Chris. (See post Cutting and cooking a pig from nose to tail for more info). Porchetta is a savory boneless pork roast that will make a perfect snack after being heated in the oven. I can attest after packing it up this afternoon - it looked and smelled delicious! Come by this weekend to check it out. And as always, Julio's fresh and tasty tacos all day on Sunday.

Part II

Success! Tia's recipe worked perfectly. It was relatively easy to prepare, but also contained the right amount of impressive notes - like smashed potatoes and fennel pollen. Here's a few observations and suggestions that can help you make it even better:

1) The fennel pollen on the steak added a nice, intriguing floral aroma but it might be hard to track down. It's not essential - salt and pepper will suffice.

2) The smashed potatoes were the most difficult and time consuming portion of the recipe, but they add to the final presentation. And I also liked the crispy texture. If you're not feeling up to the task, just mash them.

3) I don't own a grill, which means I always cook on the stove top or in the oven. I pan seared the ribeye for a few minutes on each side in a smoking hot cast iron pan and then placed it in a 350 degree oven. Overall it took about 12 minutes to cook and came out medium. Cooking to temperature is always the most difficult part of getting a steak right. Good luck.

Finally don't worry about it being perfect. Just enjoy your date or whatever company you keep because that's always the key to having fun.

Best recipe to impress your date

It's Valentine's Day this Sunday. Are you scrambling for ideas? Haven't made dinner reservations? I asked Tia, co-owner of Avedano's and head chef at San Francisco's Sociale, to share a fun, impressive, but not too complicated recipe to prepare for your special Valentine. It's one Tia often makes at Sociale so it's bound to be a success. Here's a steak that really says, "I love you."

This post comes in two parts. Today's installment will be the list of ingredients and preparation instructions. Tomorrow I'm actually going to put this recipe to the test for my girlfriend (because we both work on Valentine's Day) and see if it properly woos her. I'll let you know how it goes so you'll be all set for Sunday. Wish me luck.

Tia's recipe is for "Grilled Ribeye with gorgonzola smashed potatoes and arugula salad." I purchases most of the ingredients at Avedano's earlier today. I had Dave cut me a sweetheart steak (basically two Ribeye steaks cut to look like a heart, which will be available this weekend) and found some organic red creamer potatoes, wild arugula, a meyer lemon, and thyme finishing salt. The recipe also requires olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, fennel pollen, gorgonzola, and fresh horseradish.

For the potatoes: boil 6 organic red creamers until pierced easily with a fork and set aside in the fridge for a few hours. When you're ready to start cooking, slice the potatoes in half and place 1 tablespoon of gorgonzola in the middle. Smash the potato in wax paper with the flat of your hand. Set aside until the last minute, then fry the potatoes on both sides in saute pan on medium heat, seasoning with kosher and thyme salt.

For the steaks: season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of fennel pollen, and 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper. Grill to desired temperature.

To pull it all together: place 3 smashed potatoes on each plate, toss 1 loosely packed cup of arugula in a bowl with lemon zest, grated horseradish, salt, and drizzle with good olive oil. Place steak on plate and top with salad.

Delicious and romantic. Check back tomorrow to see how it goes...

In answer to your question

A customer asked yesterday for more information about our scallops. Specifically he wanted to know if they are "dry" or "wet," which is a term I'd never heard before. Here's what I found out: Dry and wet refers to how the scallop is handled after harvesting. Wet scallops are treated with preservatives through a process that also causes them to take on water. The scallops are then weightier, more costly, and less delicious. Not a good deal. Dry scallops are all natural. That means no chemical additives and no excess water weight.

At Avedano's we carry dry scallops from Royal Hawaiian Seafood. They source from a family of New England fisherman who catch scallops during short boat trips to ensure freshness. They add nothing to the product, making it 100% natural.

As we discussed earlier in this blog, there are problems embedded in any fishery that has an ever-increasing human demand. The vast majority of wild-caught scallops come from the Atlantic Ocean, particularly off the Northeast Coast of the United States. To be the most conscientious scallop consumer, one should look to the health of those populations and that ecosystem to assess their purchase. From what I can gleam, scallop populations currently suffer from increased predation and decrease of habitat. Although I would still encourage you to eat scallops, I would also suggest you buy in more measured quantities. Small adjustments make a big difference.

Chicken - the Soul Food Farm way

At Avedano's we carry chickens from two different farms and customers always ask what makes them distinct. Both chickens are local, healthy, and free roaming, but the Soul Food Farm kind represents the paragon of poultry farming. Here's some information that I find most compelling about their operation:

Soul Food Farm in Vacaville raises pastured chickens and eggs. Both their chickens for slaughtering and laying hens eat directly off the 55 acres of certified organic land, which means a good part of their diet is bugs. Additionally, a high-quality, organic grain supplements anything they cannot get through foraging.

Raising a chicken naturally includes a unique set of difficulties. For example, chicken predation is a consistent problem for Soul Food since the birds roam freely. And collecting eggs can be a challenge when the hens lay them in tall grasses outside the hoop houses. But the extra hard work Soul Food puts into their farm evidences a passion for raising a healthy, happy, and delicious chicken. That's something we at Avedano's can get behind. Come by to check out Soul Food farm chickens and eggs, especially on Wednesday afternoon when we get in fresh eggs - they go fast!