Fun Playing with Slow Food for a Great Cause

Last night, Slow Food Northern Ohio filled Bar Cento to capacity with folks supporting Slow Food Northern Ohio’s 2008 Terra Madre delegates and programs. A star-studded cast of Cleveland Chefs contributed their talents (and more important - their comestibles) to a groaning board of a buffet.

While people waited on line, we asked them to consider purchasing raffle tickets to further support sending our Northeast Ohio Convivium's team to Turin this year. Tickets are still available for the Terra Madre Raffle. Grand Prize: Trip for two to Turin, Italy for the Slow Food Salone del Gusto, October 2008. Other fabulous prizes will include: cooking class by Iron Chef, Michael Symon, dinners by Terra Madre chefs, and more! There are still raffle tickets available (up to a maximum of 200) at $125 each. Contact Linda Griffith at hotcookLG@roadrunner.com to purchase raffle tickets. The drawing will be conducted at Lolita Restaurant on August 11, 2008, but you do not have to be present to win.

There was so much food, it was impossible to photograph (or sample) it all. My only complaint was that there was no way to know who made what, unless you happened to be standing in the right place when a Chef brought a plate out. So, while I have done my best, I implore any of the participants who read this to add Comments attributing ingredients and/or Chefs to the various dishes.


Yes - Chaty Matty (Chef Matt Harlan) of Lolita was in the house and roasting pig!


The Chefs and their assistants do the conga in the kitchen


Chilled Sweet Pea Soup Begins the Tasting, Jonathon Sawyer, Bar Cento


Assorted Salumi, Cheeses and Accompaniments, Cheeses by the Baricelli Inn







This brie was my favorite cheese - I could have eaten a big hunk of this with On the Rise Bread and a glass of wine, and been a happy girl!




Pate, David Uecke, Anthe’s on the Lake

Gravlox, David Uecke, Anthe's

Which I did not get to taste and I am bummed by that. It looked fabulous.


Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, David Uecke, Anthe's


Second Beet Salad

Tasted as good as it looks! I didn't get any of the first one, unfortunately.


Costini Topped with Terrine (I'm not sure what kind of meat)

Don't remember if I tasted this or not.


Croquets



I believe these fried morsels contained fish. Whatever it was - I loved them! I am told that Bar Cento made them! Now that I have a menu - I think these were made from Salt Cod.



This was a cold salad - I'm not sure what the protein was.


Pizza with Goat Cheese and Duck Fat

The kitchen just kept churning these out.



This crostinti was topped with turkey and sour cherry sauce - one of the dishes I did not get to taste.

Breads from On The Rise Bakery, Adam & Jennifer Gidlow


Roasted Goat Roulade with Quail Eggs and Goat Sausage


Papperdelle with Duck and Fresh Berries, Paul Minillo, Baricelli Inn

At least for this dish, I was in the right place at the right time to get all the scoop! This was one of my favorites - I'm a sucker for fresh pasta and duck!


Roast Pig with Diced Peaches, Matt Harlan, Lolita

I asked Chaty where the corn came from this early in the season. He laughed and said these kernel shaped morsels were fresh peaches (with a nod to his French Laundry days). So they were - and most delicious!


Poached Pears with Creme Fresche

I did not get a taste of this lovely baked fruit. I did get to taste the other dessert:




Lemon Tarragon Ice Topped With Fresh Berries and Brown Sugar Crumble, Steve Schimoler, Crop Bistro

A refreshing dessert after this amazing dinner.

There were other items I did not get to photograph - most notable, a bouillabaisse with monkfish, clam and mussel that was divine. There was also a loaf of head cheese (which I tasted, and I have to agree with George Carlin on this one - it is a food that sounds too funny to eat - I just couldn't like it). And I know that I tasted foie gras on a crostini that I don't see in my photos - that dish was a Foie Gas Torchon.

That is part of the fun of an event like this - a plate is emptied, and perhaps refilled with something different. Since it is all wonderful, it matters not whether one gets to taste every single thing.

The goat came from Lucky Penny Farm, Turkey from Goatfeather's Point Farm, Katadhin Lamb and Chicken from Miller Livestock.

Chef Rocco Whelan of Fahrenheit did one or more of the salads, including a fabulous panzanella , built on a a variety of heirloom grape tomatoes, with cheese, croutons and olive oil dressing. Even after we were stuffed, Bob kept sneaking bites of tomato! I'm sorry that I didn't get a photo of it.

Please - help me fill in the gaps so that everyone who contributed gets the credit they so deserve for helping make this dinner happen. A grand time was had by all, playing with food (and wine) for a great cause.

Fun Playing with Pig at Lolita

We enjoyed another fantastic pig roast at Lolita last night, accompanied by some very special friends - 1 year old twins Nolan and Reagan!


Miss Regan Says Hello


Master Nolan is too busy enjoying his bottle to be distracted.

For some reason, I find the lighting at Lolita (and Momocho) to present the greatest challenges to my [limited] photography skills - so bear with me.

We started with an early order of Lolita Polenta, for the kids:





As you can see, Miss Reagan is wearing a bit of hers. But they gobbled it up!


Miss Regan Contemplates Polenta, while Master Nolan Enjoys an H2O Cocktail

The 8 adults shared three appetizers and two pizzas to start. First (photos from a prior dinner) - one of my absolute favorites - Roasted Dates stuffed with almonds, garlic, pancetta and parsley. The word "sublime" was coined to describe food like this - velvety smooth and creamy, though with bite from the accouterments, richly flavored and just sweet enough:





We also shared an order of Fried Chicken Livers and tried two of the new appetizers:


Ricotta Cheese Dip





This was delicious - creamy, with a little spice and a little flavor of olive oil.


Fried Chicken Livers over Cheese Polenta with Wild Mushrooms and Pancetta

Our friend Linda adores these (and can frying the livers in duck fat ever be a bad thing?), and I enjoyed my bite. And that polenta is to die for!


Fried Zucchini Bites with Goat Cheese

For my taste, this dish was a huge improvement over its grilled predecessor. As noted, frying makes everything taste good - and this appetizer rocked!


Pizza Topped with Roasted Pork and Smoked Cheddar



I am a bit of a purist when it comes to pizza, as this EGullet thread describes. As a rule, I don't care for wild toppings or cheeses - a little meatball, maybe some ricotta or provolone, and I'm happy. Notwithstanding all of that - I do believe this was the most amazing pizza I've ever tasted. Perfect crust topped with perfectly cooked heritage pork (from the Pig Roast pig, said Chef Matt Harlan), and, I must admit, the right cheese to take the pork on. This was a combination of pizza and pork perfection.


"White prosciutto" Pizza (ie Lardo)



Ok - I admit that I'm not a huge fan of lardo, so this pizza did not excite me nearly as much as the pork/cheddar one. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but I'd rather have another slice of the pork/cheddar pie!

As noted, this was a Tuesday night, which at Lolita means Pig Roast!



Yep - this is how they do it! In goes the pig, in go the coals and a few hours later we get:



Every week, Chef Matt comes up with a new presentation for the pig, and this week's plate did not disappoint: luscious pig meat, a skin-covered rib and a crispy crackling, over a luxurious butternut squash/butter puree, accompanied by Brussels Sprouts sauteed in bacon. Seven of the eight adults ordered the Pig Roast, and we licked our plates clean!








Of course, one person had to be different. Shelley decided to try the meatballs.


Pork and Veal Meatballs in Tomato Broth with Fontina, Pancetta & Pine Nuts

This is served with the diner's choice of side (Shelley opted for more of that cheesy polenta).



My taste of this was oh-so-good! Darn that pig roast distracting me from the menu (well, not really).

We completed the meal with a round of Lemon Semifreddo, topped with the most ethereal Basil Syrup and fresh berries:





And the best part - even though it seemed like we had ordered (and therefore, eaten) a lot of food, we left sated but not stuffed, and we got to try so many wonderful tastes and textures! Lolita remains a Cleveland gem, especially on Tuesdays, when they play with their pig!