Cuisine

Excepted from an Interview with Nick de Toldi at www.gourmetfly.com There is only the need to buy the most prime and expensive cut of lamb for the sort of dishes such as Rack of Lamb or the famous "Baron d'agneau de Pauillac", a roast including the 2 legs and the "saddle" typically served at the prestige dinners of the wine chateaux beatween Margaux and Pauillac. But, I explained to Nick that in Colorado, we frequently encounter Basque sheepherders while hunting Dusky Grouse and Sharptailed Grouse here in September.  And, their sheep are eating nearly a pure diet of sage brush, which is very strong-tasting.  The mule deer that come from the mountains are very strong and gamey as a result of this same sage brush diet, as compared to our white-tailed deer which feed off of the farmer's grains of the plains. I compared this to our farrier who raises a special breed of lamb for the table and sells them by the whole or half.  They are pricey, around $300 to have a whole one butchered and packed.  He feeds them a special diet to have them fattened and the best tasting, and they are harvested while they are very young.  He reiterated that for the slow braised dishes, you want the heartier and older lambs, while for the quickly cooked chops, you want the young corn-fed or grass-fed varieties. ______________________________________________________________ Basque herders in Colorado predominantly tended Rambouillet and Merino sheep. While the actual Latxa (the native dairy sheep from the Basque Country) is famous for Idiazábal cheese in Europe, American ranchers, including historical Basque settlers like Jean Urruty, transitioned to rugged, fine-wool breeds that thrived on Western open ranges. A breakdown of the sheep breeds historically and currently associated with Basque herders in Colorado: 1. Rambouillet Background: Often called the "French Merino," this is

I used to buy whatever canned tomatoes were on sale in from the grocer.  Then I started to realize that tomatoes on the vine, never tasted the same from one to the other, so why should they in the can.  And, tomatoes in Italy, never tasted anything like those grown in America, in part to their soil and in part to their seed.  San Marzano, Italy, is like the Bordeaux region of tomatoes.  But you need to be careful as there are tomatoes that are labeled San Marzano, but grown in the US - referring to the type of seed, not the location of growing. Whatever brand you buy, you need to make sure it's Denominazione di Origine Protetta certified, if you want to make sure it is from San Marzano.  These Cento DOP Certified San Marzano tomatoes are the best that can be bought in the US, but cost nearly $5 for a 28 oz can, if you can find them.  Cento has a San Marzano varietal that's non DOP, but grown in Italy, which sells for around $2.50for a 35 oz can.   Then there's the "Italian Style" Cento's which are grown outside of Italy, maybe even in California, but are Italian style in that they are Roma tomatoes, and cost under $2.00 for a 28 oz can. We find a real difference in tasting the "Italian Style" Cento's to those made in Italy, and those made in Italy are worth the small extra cost.  And if you can find them reasonably priced, the DOP Certified San Marzano are worth double the cost of the "made in Italy" tins,, as they are noticeably, however slightly, better.  Simply put they are the best in canned tomatoes, if you can afford them, get them.