March Hand-made Easter Eggs

Chocolate Chicks!Hot Cross Buns New Faces!

Creamy Polenta Recipe New Products

and more…

2272 Oak Bay Avenue Victoria, BC 250-592-4080 www.ottaviovictoria.com

March 2013 NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 36

This is the time of the year when we wake up, crawl out of our caves and start bragging to our friends back East about how warm it is and how beautiful the cherry blossoms look. This month we also catch an early Easter to speed Spring along even more.!

Easter at

Ottavio

The bakers are busy this month with special projects for Easter time. Keep your eyes open for, and order in advance if you are serious:

Large Hand-Made Chocolate Easter Eggs Melanie works her chocolate and sculpting magic to create stunning chocolate eggs for your loved ones to crack open on Easter Sunday. They are hand-made, individually decorated, and contain a gift inside. If you get to us early, we can put in a personal gift from you as well.

Chocolate Chicks Delicious dark or milk chocolate chicks – again Mel’s work!

Hot Cross Buns So as not to let Mel have all the fun, Cam will be working double time making our delicious Hot Cross Buns. These are made using our brioche dough with the addition of cinnamon, allspice, our own candied peel and currants, finished with a custard cross on top.

Colomba Cliff at Fol Epi will once again being burning the midnight oil to produce all-organic Colomba, Italian Easter bread, for us again. This is the cousin to our Christmas Panettone – a rich, moist, egg bread with loads of candied orange peel and a nut crust.

Cheese of the Month!

Andrew meant to order 8 wheels of Camembert (about 2 kg), but mistakenly ordered a wheel of Salers that weighs almost as much as our daughter! Fortunately, it is a fantastic cheese. It takes 400 liters of milk to produce a single wheel of this wonderful cheese – one of the world’s oldest. Hailing from the Auvergne region of France and made with the summer milk of the Salers cows, it is robust, floral, earthy, and always unpasteurized. Delicious with apples and pears, on a cheese and charcuterie plate, or in a sandwich. Ask for a taste, please!!

Try this…

Castillo de Canena Smoked Arbequino EVOO

Made by the Vaño family in the Jaen province of Spain (olive growers since 1780), this oil is delicately smoked with organic noble wood chippings of oak, beech and birch, imparting a most amazing caramelized vanilla and toffee undertone to the finished product. We visited Paco and his family at their farm (nearly 1 million trees!) and can attest to the quality of the product and the passion in their production. Look for it in the gorgeous blue bottle on the olive oil shelf and feel free to ask for a taste. It is very unique and is delicious drizzled on roasted vegetables, fish and meat.

2272 Oak Bay Avenue Victoria, BC 250-592-4080 www.ottaviovictoria.com

March 2013 NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 36

March’s Recipe

CREAMY POLENTA WITH GORGONZOLA This super creamy polenta dish makes a delicious, comforting meal. Enjoy it as a side dish to meats and fish, or as a meal with a salad.

Ingredients 5 cups milk 1 cup Paese Mio Polenta Bramata* (not instant!) or Bontá Cornmeal* 5 tbsp Salerno Mascarpone* or Torta Mascarpone* 1 tsp Diamond Kosher Salt* 1/8 tsp ground pepper 3 tbsp crumbled Gorgonzola* 1/4 cup shelled Italian Walnuts,* lightly toasted *available on the deli side

Method Slowly bring milk to a boil, stirring every few minutes to avoid scorching. Slowly pour polenta into milk with a sprinkling motion and whisk constantly until all the polenta is absorbed. Turn heat down to very low and stir polenta every 10 minutes for 1 hour. Stir in Mascarpone or Torta Mascarpone and season with salt & pepper. Preheat broiler. Pour polenta into a greased baking dish and dot evenly with Gorgonzola. Melt the cheese under the broiler, then remove & sprinkle with toasted walnuts to serve.

New and Notable

Matiz Catalan All I Oli: made from simple, all natural ingredients, this eggless garlicky sauce is delicious on seafood, meat, vegetables, or spread on a sandwich….think aioli!

Dal Sole Yellow Plum Tomatoes: add a burst of colour to stews, soups & sauces with these beautiful, sweet, yellow tomatoes!

Almondeli Date Cakes with Walnuts: if you haven’t had these yet, you’re missing out! Try this Spanish treat on your next cheese or charcuterie board. Also makes a great snack!

Bon Maman Dulce de Leche: this irresistible caramel spread is highly addictive! Try it on pancakes, waffles, gelato, toast, apple slices, or just by the spoonful out of the jar.

New Faces!With the start of 2013, we have some NEW FACES to introduce to you at Ottavio.

In the CAFÉ, we are happy to welcome back Emily, who has worked with us for a couple of stints in the last few years.  In the KITCHEN, we are joined by the whistling Andy (formerly Andrew, but that was creating too much confusion), helping with kitchen prep, baking and slinging the dishes – as well as the mighty Mina, who is with us for just a few

weeks, doing a practicum from Camosun College. She is doing a superb job with the bakers. Finally Devin has moved from the café to the BAKERY & DELI, taking care of much of the administration there, as well

as customer service, catering orders with Nat, and baskets. Also in the deli is Lauren, originally from Boston, via Vancouver , taking care of dry goods, receiving, and customer service. We are glad to welcome these friendly and

talented people to the Ottavio famiglia!