Marczyk Fine Foods

Sugar cane swizzles in da house!

Yup, they’re made from real sugar cane. Try these in a cocktail, iced tea, or even as a coffee stirrer. Why not as shish-kabobs for grilling shrimp? Or perhaps a fun alternative to chopsticks? Popsicle sticks? Maybe just munch on them for a healthy snack? They’re fun, fresh, and funky!

Try them out and let us know what uses you’ve come up with…we’d love to hear! $5.99

Erin go bragh!

Here are some exciting Irish cheeses for you to try this St. Patrick’s Day. We’ve got Cashel Blue, Dubliner, a classic Irish cheddar, in addition to Cahill’s Porter cheddar and a Kerrygold cheddar aged with whiskey. Cheers!

Serendipity Confections

Sweet treats! We are so excited about one of our newest LOCAL vendors - Serendipity Confections. This Denver based artisan candy company makes caramels the old-fashioned way with only the best-quality ingredients such as organic butter and organic agave. How can you possibly resist???
http://www.serendipityconfections.com/

Buffalo? Bison? Grass fed/finished?

So many ways to describe meat today, here are some answers:

The big thing about grass fed - we call it finished - is how the animal ends its life.  All beef (well almost) starts on grass and roams the prairie munching away on clean green grass.  Then about 3-6 months (at least in Niman’s case) before the animal is set to be slaughtered it is moved onto a feedlot where it it eats a mix of wheat, corn and soy (mostly corn).  This grain mixture fattens the animal up and allows the marbling in the meat that is so sought after.  However grain costs money, and grass on the prairie is virtually free. So why is grass finished as expensive as feedlot finished?

Grass finished beef never gets moved to a feedlot.  The animals spend their entire lives eating grass on the prairie.  This is great for the animal who lives a more peaceful life.  What the consumer will find in grass finished is that the animals don’t get very big because they never eat grain.  The other challenging part about grass finished is that the animals have to be moved quickly from prairie to slaughter because they can’t eat anything after they leave the ranch.  This is an example why we prefer to call this beef grass finished since virually all beef is grass fed at some point in their lives.

 Bison (or buffalo) is a great alternative to beef.  Bison is super flavorful, slightly gamey and has less fat and calories with more protein and iron than beef or chicken.  Bison is the preferred name to differentiate between the water buffalo and the American buffalo.  Our Bison is raised in Wyoming and Nebraska and are finished on grain just like cattle for the last 100 days of their lives.  There is still enough fat in Bison steaks to make them very flavorful.

THIS JUST IN: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

“To create our ice creams and frozen yogurts, we use grass-grazed cream from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and exquisite ingredients shipped direct from farms near our kitchen and from around the world.”

Salmon en Croute

Loch Duart Scottish salmon, spinach, feta, pine nuts, nutmeg and other spices, rolled in the same dough we use for our pies. Egg wash and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

“Listen. I ate that thing, and it was beyond delicious.”

-Barb M.

Beef, Pork, Chicken, and Turkey FAQ’s

“All natural” Beef

All natural refers to the meat after it has been processed. The USDA defines it as a product that does not “contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, or chemical preservative.”

Marczyk all natural beef: In addition to the USDA requirements, we require that animals are raised humanely and sustainably, never given hormones or antibiotics, and fed a vegetarian diet. And it tastes great! For more info: http://www.nimanranch.com/Index.aspx

“All Natural Pork”

All natural refers to the meat after it has been processed. The USDA defines it as a product that does not “contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, or chemical preservative.”

Marczyk all natural pork: In addition to the USDA requirements, we require that animals are raised humanely and sustainably, never given hormones or antibiotics, and fed a vegetarian diet. Our pork is raised outside and allowed to root and roam. It tastes like pork used to!

For more info: www.nimanranch.com.

“Free Range” Chicken

USDA definition: “Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.”

Marczyk free range chickens: We search for farmers who practice the highest definition of the law, and actually provide a natural outdoor space for the birds, not those who follows the letter of the law, and opens a door to a concrete patch so the birds can go outdoors.

Antibiotic free, all vegetarian feed.

First let’s clear up the hormone question: it is illegal to give pigs and chickens hormones in the US. Antibiotics are allowed, and plenty of them: “The proportion of antibiotics sold in the United States each year that go to animals…is 80 percent. 28.8 million pounds.” Maryln McKenna, Wired Science. Not good for you, or them. All vegetarian feed means the animals were not fed any animal by-products: beaks, bones, etc. This helps reduce the spread of disease.

Prarie foraged chickens.

From farmer Dallas Gilbert in Bennett, CO. They are outside and inside, pecking around in the dirt in addition to their feed. These chickens are a little smaller, and have a very meaty texture.

Turkey FAQ’s:

What’s the difference between Marczyk’s turkeys and conventional?

Annually, the U.S. produces 220 million conventional turkeys that are raised in dark and cramped conditions within high density confinement barns.  They are bred for large breasts and often grow so large in as little as 2 months that their legs buckle under the pressure of their own weight.  They are continuously fed a diet that has an added antibiotic designed to promote “health” within the flocks.  No growth hormones are allowed in the use of poultry production per USDA regulation; however, these added antibiotics can mimic the growth hormone function.  These turkeys are typically injected with water and sodium phosphates to provide flavor and enhance tenderness. Marczyk’s birds are none of the above.

Do they really taste differently?

We say the truth is in the taste, and these birds are no exception. You’ll find Marczyk’s all-natural classic turkeys to be free of the slightly chemically taste of supermarket birds. If you want to go one step further, you can brine the bird in a salt and sugar water mixture. The heritage birds have a rich, deep turkey flavor, not gamy like a wild bird, but “turkeyer”.

Do I need to cook the Heritage turkeys differently?

Yes. Heritage turkeys are leaner and smaller than broad-breasted whites, so cook them fast at higher temperatures. Heritage turkeys should be cooked at 425-450 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 140-150 degrees F. Butter or oil can be added under the breast skin to add moisture during roasting. We have also had great success with confiting the legs and roasting the breast, which of course requires taking them apart.

You won’t need to cover the breast with foil to keep it from drying out while the rest of the bird cooks. The smaller breasts on the heritage birds create a better balance between the dark meat and white meat, which means roasting a bird to perfection is much easier since white meat cooks quicker than the dark meat.

What do those terms on the turkey label really mean?

Here’s a guide from Bon Appetit 2006.
Free-range A turkey with access to the outside. According to Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, many free range birds do not take advantage of their outside opportunities. So does it really make a difference? We feel the general protocol of raising a free range bird vs. a confinement bird goes far beyond whether they step outside or not. The fact they have a chance says a lot about how that bird is being treated.
Fresh Technically, a turkey that’s never been kept below 26°F. Most Thanksgiving birds are processed in September and October but are still labeled fresh in November.

Frozen A bird that’s stored below 0°F.
Natural A bird that contains no artificial ingredients or added color and is minimally processed. Amazingly, this doesn’t mean it hasn’t been treated with antibiotics.
Organic A turkey that has been certified by a USDA-accredited agency. The term organic ensures that the bird was raised on organic feed, was free-range, and wasn’t treated with any antibiotics.

What if I don’t want turkey?  Marczyk’s offers a wide range of other birds: Pheasant, Quail, Duck, and Goose are all available by pre-order by calling 303 894-9499 to order.

Other things to consider:

• Do bring a nice bottle of wine to the host’s house. And if they do not use it that evening, don’t take it back with you. No lie a girl I know does this.
• Don’t eat the crispy turkey skin when you think no one is looking. A - Some one is always looking. B - Everyone else is doing it and you’ll end up with a bald bird.
• Do offer to clean up afterwards.
• Don’t call the host the night before with a list of your allergies unless it is an allergy that will kill you. If there is something you are suspect of (oysters in the stuffing?), spread it out on the plate and it looks like you ate some.
• If you are doing the cooking and you tell people dinner is at 4:00, then serve dinner at 4:00. If the wine continues to flow and there is no food, you may be looking at a holiday version of “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

   

   

  Day Do’s and Don’t:

   

   

   

   

   

   

Cheese glorious cheese

It’s fall and the cheese staff is excited about Gouda this month - from young to old, we brought in something for everyone.

• Beemster XO — amazing deep flavors of butterscotch, whiskey, and pecan.
• Lamb Chopper — born to be mild. Buttery in color and flavor, this sheep’s milk cheese is smooth and dreamy.
• Midnight Moon — aged a minimum of six months, this goat gouda produces prominent caramel notes, with a slight graininess of a long-aged cheese.
• Wijngaard Chevre Affineur - handmade goat gouda produced by a small artisan cheese dairy. Matured for 10 months in special caves for the “affinage”
• Truffle Gouda - amazingly smooth and begging to be mixed with risotto. Melts lusciously.
• Marieke Gouda Burning Melange - The cheese buyer absolutely loves this small farmstead cheese maker from Wisconsin. Burning Melange is a flavorful cheese with stinging nettle, chives, celery, parsley, dried onion and garlic.
• Parrano - unforgettable cheese with a distinctly Italian temperament. A staple on any Gouda cheese board.
• Prima Donna - a Marczyk favorite, our go-to cheese after all these years. Nobody doesn’t like this cheese.
• Smith’s Farmstead Smoked Gouda - Massachusetts’ original farmstead gouda. Unpasteurized, farmstead smoked gouda from the Fatherland. Smooth and creamy, and the perfect balance of natural smoke.  

Other new and exciting stuff to look out for:

• Carmody from Bellwether Farms in California. Highlighting the buttery flavors of Jersey milk. Carmody is the road that runs adjacent to the farm where this little beauty is made.
• Battery Park Brie, the flagship cheese of Charleston Artisan Cheesehouse. Strong mushroom and earth notes, with a touch of bread, grass, and fruit. Firm center, and intense soft outer paste. We are loving this right now.
• Neal’s Yard Dairy cheeses. We have a great mix to choose from. Because of their precious and delicate nature, our cheese buyer carefully selects limited quantities of Neal’s Yard cheeses to ensure you get the absolute best quality. Our next shipment of Neal’s Yard Dairy cheeses will arrive December 14, just in time for Christmas.

Our Current Selection:

• Keen’s Cheddar
• Hawes Wensleydale
• Harbourne Blue
• Colston-Basset Shropshire Blue
• Colston-Basset Stilton
• Red Leicester Sparkenhoe
• Ardrahan
• Gubbeen
• Gorwydd-Caerphilly
• Whew that’s a mouthful!

Five Marczyk specialties to pair your cheeses with:

Primitivizia pastes - Eleonora Cunaccia selectively gathers herbs, berries, pine buds, and roots in the early Italian Spring.

Marchessi di San Giuliano - Absolutely stunning. Estate bottled - the fruit utilized takes place entirely on the San Giuliano estate.

Cotognata Quince Paste - dark, ruby red fruit paste made in a traditional slow process under the watchful eyes of Maria Grammatico, the Italian authority on sweets.

Dagstani & Sons - Local company that we are really into right now. Fruit is sourced locally, organic, and wild whenever possible. Delicate, small batch jam-making that will make you miss your grandmother.

Olympic Provisions cured meats - Buyer’s pick. Christopher recently brought this product in, and the staff are quickly falling in love with the quality of the salumeria’s products. Portland, Oregon based, using the highest quality local ingredients. The perfect complement to any cheese.

Join us for a cheese tasting next week at 17^th Avenue from 4pm to 8pm; and on Saturday at Colfax Avenue from 10am to 1pm, and 3pm to 6pm. We will be featuring a variety of our new arrivals.

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

Whit’s Picks

Root Vegetables and MM Local Pear Sauce

Latkes are a traditional part of celebrating Hanukkah, but I often see them make their way into Passover Seders. If you are planning on including them in your Seder this year and want to impress your guests with something a little out-of-the-ordinary, look no further! 

These Rainbow Latkes look like a major departure from the traditional russet potato version. They take on a beautiful ruby hue thanks to the beets, but are also studded with carrots and purple potatoes to give you almost all the colors of the rainbow (once you add the chives, all we’re missing is blue!).  The flavor is more complex and layered than the all-potato latkes while still maintaining that homey, comfort-food taste.  The parsnips add a hint of herbal sweetness and the beets lend a pleasant, earthy fragrance to the dish. 

I love to pair these latkes with one of my favorite new products - MM Local Pear Sauce.  The rich, brown-sugar sweetness of the pears adds a wonderful contrast and feels unexpected and yet familiar at the same time.  Once you try this version of the traditional side dish, you might just want to adopt a brand new tradition!

Whit's Picks: rainbow Latkes

• Rainbow Latkes
  makes 12-14 latkes

  1 medium russet potato

• 2 medium purple potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 1 small parsnip
• 1 medium red beet
• ½ yellow onion
• ¼ cup matzo meal
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• ¼ cup chives, finely sliced
• MM Local Pear Sauce 

Scrub root vegetables well and peel, if desired.  Shred the potatoes, carrot, parsnip and onion on a box grater (alternatively, a food processor on the grater setting makes fast work of this step).  Place grated vegetables in a large bowl and set aside. 

Lay out some old newspaper to protect your work surface and grate the beet.  Set the grated beet aside in a separate bowl and toss with the matzo meal.  Add egg, salt and pepper to root vegetable mixture and toss well to combine.  Add matzo-coated beets and toss quickly with a fork to minimize “bleeding.”

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan well.  Once oil is hot, reduce the heat, slightly, to prevent smoking.  Wet your hands with cold water and form vegetable mixture into flat cakes, using about 1/3 a cup of the mixture per latke (you can use more if you like larger latkes).  Gently place each latke in the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.  Allow to drain on newspaper or paper towels and serve hot, with pear sauce (or applesauce) on the side and plenty of chives sprinkled on the top.