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I change my menu weekly because I shop for the freshest and finest ingredients available. We post the menu several days before delivery. If you'd like more information about what I'm making please call. 612.812.3332.
Solo will accommodate up to two menu changes in proteins for a $15 charge per individual meal. Substitutions must be from the current week's menu.
Scones are a type of rich, slightly savory pastry which is often served at breakfast or tea, especially in Britain. Traditional English scones slightly resemble American biscuits, as both use a flaky, dense pastry, but scones tend to be a bit sweeter, and also incorporate ingredients like dried fruit. Delicious when eaten warm, scones are also served cold with a variety of toppings including clotted cream, marmalade, jams, honey, and butters. Scones are also made highly savory with ingredients like potato flour and cheese.
Balsamic vinegar is a thick, sweet-smelling vinegar that is made from pure and unfermented grape juice, which is known as must. Several varieties of grapes can be used to create balsamic vinegar, but the Trebbiano grape, which is native to Modena, Italy, is the most common. Another variety that is commonly used is Lambrusco. Ancellotta and Sauvignon are sometimes used as well. This type of vinegar is often used in cooking, as a salad dressing or as a topping for vegetables.
The terms soup and stew can get confusing and some dishes are referred to as either, depending on the cook. There are some dishes that can be made as a soup or a stew, such as wonton soup, gumbo stew, miso soup, and Brunswick stew. While the two types of foods may seem similar, there are some ways to differentiate between them. First, most soups are thin compared to thick stews; second, stews are almost always served warm while some soups can be served hot or cold; and third, stews are typically slow-cooked as opposed to soups that can be prepared and heated fairly quickly, depending on the recipe.
A quiche is egg custard with savory additions like bacon or cheese, baked in an open pastry shell. The quiche is a favorite and traditional brunch dish, as it is usually served at room temperature or chilled so the custard has time to set up. It is also quite simple to make, and additions of savory ingredients can vary from the most recognizable, Swiss or Gruyere cheese and bacon, to many newer recipes with more modern additions.
Sage is an herb with oblong gray-green leaves which are used in cooking and herbal medicine. The herb has a pungent, mildly astringent, slightly bitter to peppery flavor which accents many foods including roasts, soups, savory sauces, and stuffing. The herb is also used in extracts and teas to improve digestive problems and to help regulate the menstrual cycle.
A spice is leaves, seeds, or other plant parts used for flavoring food or as a condiment. The name derives from the Late Latin word species, meaning “wares” or “spices.” Spices are sometimes categorized by their cultural connection, for example, Italian spices or Cajun spices. Some herbs are also considered to be spices, but not all spices are herbs.
Oats are among the many annual grasses that produce grains consumed by humans. Oats have been in cultivation for over 4,000 years, beginning to carve a niche for themselves in Europe approximately 3,000 years ago. Oats are very popular in the health food movement because of their high nutritional value, and they have been used in breakfast porridge for centuries for much the same reason.
Certain types of Asiago are governed by a protected designation of origin, meaning that if the cheese is labeled in this way, the cheese has been produced to a set of exacting standards. In addition, independent monitors keep track of foods that have protected destinations of origin, ensuring that the food is of a consistent quality and that consumers are not being sold a mislabeled product. In addition to promoting the cheese industry, it also ensures that vital parts of Europe's culinary heritage are not lost.
Palm sugar is a sugar which is extracted from the sap of palm trees. Numerous varieties of palm tree are tapped for their sugar, although palm sugar from date palms and palmyra palms tends to be the most prized. It can also be extracted from sago and coconut palms. This sugar is widely used throughout Southeast Asia, and it has a number of regional names, including jaggery and gur.
There are over 5,000 pear varieties grown throughout the world. Distinctions are usually made between Asian, European and American pear cultivars. Asian pears are round, crunchy, and sweet fruit, quite different from what we tend to mean when we think of a pear. They are however gaining in popularity although their season is quite limited.
The name basil comes from the Greek word for king, basileus. Basil may have originated in India, but it has since spread to many Asian and Mediterranean countries, as well as Africa and Central and South America, and is cultivated commercially in California. Many traditions about basil's powers have to do with love and the afterlife.
Pappardelle pasta is an Italian flat pasta cut into a broad ribbon shape. In width, the pasta is between tagliatelle and lasagna. This pasta is traditionally served with very rich, heavy sauces, especially sauces which include game such as wild boar, and it is particularly popular in the winter, when it can make the basis of a hearty, warming meal. This pasta's name comes from the Italian pappare, a verb which means “to gobble up.”
Under European law, cheese labeled as “Emmentaler Swiss” has an Appellation of Controlled Origin, which means that only cheese made in the Emme Valley in a certain way can carry this label. Emmental cheese, however, is not so protected, which can lead to confusion for consumers, since technically Emmental cheese can come from anywhere. For people who want to seek out the distinct flavor of true traditional Emmental, Emmentaler Swiss should be obtained.
Celery is a crunchy biennial plant which has been cultivated for centuries in various forms. Although originally cultivated for its perceived medicinal qualities, celery has since made the jump into the daily diets of consumers around the world. The plant is in the family Apiaceae, and is related to dill, carrots, fennel, and parsley.
Cashew stir-fry is generally a dish that includes cooked vegetables, cashew nuts, and meat, but some meatless versions may be made with tofu. It is prepared on the stove or over a flame employing a Chinese cooking technique that often uses a pan called a wok.
The parent tree often resembles an oversized shrub, since the limbs tend to cling close to the ground, and will sometimes re-root themselves if the tree is not attentively cared for. The tree generates clusters of white to pink flowers which develop drupes, seeds enclosed by a fleshy outer layer. As the drupes mature, the cashew tree creates a cashew apple, a pear shaped fruit ranging in color from yellow to red. The cashew apple develops between the drupe and the tree, and when both have matured, the cashew seed ends up dangling from the end of the drupe.
The regional soup called tortilla soup is associated with the American Southwest and uses ingredients commonly found in Mexican cooking, including flour or corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are reported in the writing of Hernán or Hernando Cortés or Cortez, the Spanish explorer in a 1520 letter to Charles V. Searching the Google news archives doesn’t turn up any mentions of tortilla soup in the United States prior to the 1960s.
Lingonberries contain benzoic acid, which is a natural preservative, and for this reason the jam does not have to be preserved in the same way that many other types of jams do. The jam is usually made with nothing more than sugar, water, and lingonberries, and it can be stored in the refrigerator for several months before going bad.
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