Manicaretti Imports are here!
Dave: Mamma! Papa! The Italians are coming! The Italians are coming!
Dave’s Dad: I don’t care if the Second Coming’s coming.
Exchange between Dave Stoller and his dad. From Breaking Away (1979).
Marczyk’s has just forged a direct-from-importer relationship with Manicaretti Imports of San Francisco; they have one of the best books of extraordinary Italian foods anywhere. I’m as excited as Dave was in Breaking Away (1979) when the Cinzano Cycling team was headed to Indiana. BTW, if you haven’t seen Breaking Away, run, don’t walk. One of the best flicks ever. We have been working on getting this going for a couple years, and we just received over 2 pallets worth of really incredible food from Italy. Many of the items are new to Denver. Marczyk’s staff is really pumped about this, and we hope you are too!
In celebration of the 1 year anniversary of our Colfax store, we are running a super-special deal on Frantoio di Sommaia 1 Liter single-estate olive oil from Tuscany at $19.99 (normally this oil is priced at $24 wholesale!) I guarantee this will be the best 20 bucks you will spend all week. It is an absolutely beautiful traditional EVOO with hints of green apple and a grassy wonderfulness not to be missed. This oil is packed in tin, so it will keep for a year. We’ve procured only 270 liters.
Other great ingredients include a vastly expanded selection of Rustichella d’Abruzzo pastas and other goodies. In particular, I suggest trying:
Farro Puls, the original “risotto”; you can make farrotto,! This is a coarsely ground type of spelt which can be used to make farrotto (I made that up) or to thicken and add nutrients to soup or baked goods. Whit says you can use it to make farrenta as well.
Rustichella Primo Grana pastas. Like the Rustichella pasta we’ve always sold, except on steroids. This incredible pasta is made from 100% Abruzzese heirloom wheat, and like all the Rustichella pastas, these are made and dried traditionally ; it’s a peek into the food of our past and not to be missed. Try this with Frantoio di Sommaia EVOO, and some of Elaine Granata’s tiny eggplant sautéed with a bit of her garlic, and finished with a handful of her Sungold cherry tomatoes. Bellisimo!
Rustichella arrostiti pasta/bruschetta sauce. This mouth wateringly good sauce is made from tomatoes and sweet red peppers with a bit of carrot for depth and sweetness. This is my favorite go-to easy sauce to feed my son on a busy night. He loves it, and it’s really good for him to boot. Try this on a toasted or grilled slice of Marczyk baguette as a quick and delicious appetizer. I bet you’ll finish the jar.
Marchesi di San Giuliano Marmalades from Sicily. These exquisite marmalades are from a 22 acre farm on Sicily. Ingredients: fruit, and sugar. The estate has trees dating to the early 1800’s that still produce fruit. Crazy.
Farina Della Valsugana Polenta. The quality of ‘flour’ you start with has a direct correlation to the quality of polenta you end up with. This is a non-degermed cornmeal grown without irrigation in Trentino in northern Italy. Try making polenta the centerpiece of a simple meal with grilled onions, peppers, and sausage. We have a great friend of the market whose family tradition is this sort of meal with a big mound of polenta and sausages. The kids couldn’t have any sausage until they had a big helping of the delicious polenta. This polenta requires about ½ hour of slow cooking and stirring—a great way to get the kids involved and to spend time in the kitchen with them.
Aceteria Leonardi Balsamic vinegars and Saba. Wow! If you haven’t ever tried condimento or tradizionale Balsamico, now is your chance. We have some sample bottles of this absolutely transformative condiment which has been called the eighth wonder of the world. Once you try it, you will understand why. I love these in small drops over grilled meats, especially Niman Ranch Pork (maybe the ninth wonder of the world!). This must be tried to be believed. Seriously.
We look forward to seeing you at the market and sharing our passion for food with you. Thanks for reading.
Pete
Thursday, August 2nd, 2012 at 2:29 pm and is filed under Marczyk Fine Foods, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.