Archive for the 'Recipes' Category
Springtime with Fresh Asparagus
Spring is in the air and with it the first of our spring produce – fresh local asparagus – to be eaten as much and in as many ways as possible. Here in the Pacific Northwest, this veggie is a harbinger of longer sunnier days and gorgeous seasonal meals ahead. To celebrate this beautiful season [...]
Read More..>>The Art of Olive Oil Tasting
The importance of olives (and olive oil) to humans is evidenced by a recent article in the Olive Oil Times. The article presents research to show that olive trees were domesticated as long as 6000 years ago, only about a millennium or so after the much easier to domesticate grape vine. From the areas around [...]
Read More..>>A New Year!
2013 – it is a new year with a new chance to look at daily life in a fresh way. For many of us, this includes taking a step back from the sweets and treats of the holiday season and looking to renew healthy food choices. RITROVO® has a few year-opening light food suggestions from [...]
Read More..>>Thanksgiving Day 2012
After some very hectic weeks of product coming and going here at RITROVO®, an amazing season of good friends, good food, and good times ritrovati has begun. We are so thankful to all our suppliers, supporters, customers and comrades who make our work so dynamic and rewarding. In thanks to all of you we are [...]
Read More..>>Melon and Calamari Ceviche
With Summer’s end now a week closer (in spite of the hot temperatures) we are soaking up every last ray of sunlight and lingering outdoors until we are forced to grab our fall jackets and finally head inside. So I look at the gorgeous sun-ripened sweet melons that have arrived at our Farmer’s Market from [...]
Read More..>>End of Summer Feast
Here in the Pacific Northwest, the intense long rays of summer are giving way to a more slanting, slightly subdued hue of sunlight, hinting that not long from now fall will be upon us. But we didn’t want all of summer to pass us by without a trip to see friends and customers up in [...]
Read More..>>How special are our orecchiette farina arsa?
In their most recent issued, La Cucina Italiana magazine has recognized RITROVO® as the bold importer (only one in the U.S.) of one of Italy’s most unusual pastas: toasted wheat orecchiette or orecchiette farina arsa. This pasta is even little known inside Italy. Even Elizabeth Minichilli – an Italy food expert and renowned author – [...]
Read More..>>Bevanda al Balsamico: Fun and Then Some
Part One: Fun As food importers and marketers we regularly conduct formal tastings of foods from Italy, the United States, and other countries throughout the world. These ‘edible brainstorms’ are done seriously but, nevertheless, are a lot fun. Tastings stimulate both our taste buds and our minds, enabling us to enjoy ourselves while gathering important [...]
Read More..>>The Perfect Summer Feast
It’s so easy in summertime to put together a fabulous meal to share with friends. The produce is green and abundant and it barely needs to be touched to put together a lavish, seasonal meal. The days are long and warm, so food can be served more slowly than usual, outdoors or in, with no [...]
Read More..>>Asparagus Lust Summer 2012
When asparagus season is peaking in Washington there are not enough meals, not enough appetizers, not enough pasta dishes or salads to savor this quintessential local, summery, seasonal vegetable. Snapping off their toughened lower stems and getting ready to roast them in extra virgin olive oil, or peeling their lanky stalks to toss with vinaigrette [...]
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