This installment of the Culinary Adventure Society is a special one for a number of reasons, but they all have to do with Alex Hall-Ruiz, my fellow food finder, Mail Order marketer, and friend.
For the first time in the 20 year history (or so) of the Culinary Adventure Society, someone not named Brad has selected the items. She also wrote all the literature about the products she picked, too. That’s another first in CAS history.
In truth, Alex has been selecting products for us at Zingerman’s Mail Order for a few years now. Finding and writing about food is simply one of her roles. Most of her work is behind the scenes, but it’s work every one of us notices even if we don’t know who to thank for it. The look and feel of our website and how we move through it is pretty much all Alex.
But like the rest of us working for Zingerman’s, food is her passion. She’s one of the most gifted home bakers I know (and I know more than your average bear); she’s a sommelier in training, has a pitbull that wears a sweater when it’s cold outside, and she gets to do all this surrounded by the beauty and bounty of northern Michigan.
Since her life is so charmed, it seemed the perfect time to saddle her with the momentous task of putting together an entire Culinary Adventure Society. As my daughter would say: Alex slayed it.
Thank you to Alex for putting together this wonderful installment. We’re all in for a treat.
-Brad, mail order scribe and food finder
In this installment
Blonde Sushi Grade California Japonica Rice
Open Sesame Granola
Spiced Juniper Salami
Pineapple Soy Sauce from Taiwan
Pippi Longstocking Sour Candies
Llagar de Oles Cider Vinegar
Dried Purple Mulberries
Mulling Spice
Blonde Sushi Grade California Japonica Rice
Grown, milled, and packaged all on the same family-run farm in northern California, this Japonica rice is the real deal farmstead rice at its finest. The family’s been at it for four generations, and their care shows in every grain.
Japonica Rice is a medium grain rice originally from Japan. Chico Rice uses the haiga-mai style for their “blonde” rice which means they semi-polish it by removing only part of the bran layer. Brief rice refresher – what we call “brown” rice is the whole grain with the hull removed. Typically white rice further has the bran and most of the germ removed. Removing the bran and germ takes away nutrients, fiber, oils, and often a lot of flavor and texture. Keeping the grain more intact keeps the flavor more intact. So this haiga-mai rice is the best of both worlds: the delicate flavor and creamy texture of white rice and the nutrients, minerals, and healthy oils found in brown rice. It’s a little nutty, a little sweet, a little earthy, and creamy with a long-lasting flavor.
Use it for sushi, Japanese or Korean dishes, or branch out because this rice is just as at home in stir-fries, rice bowls, or one-pot meals. It’s stickier than long-grain varieties, perfect for dishes where you want the rice to hold together.
If you’re like me and a little hesitant to prepare sushi at home with fish, these avocado and mango rolls are a delicious and easy way to start experimenting with the process. But these flavors are just a guideline – once you get the method down, you can throw any veggies into the mix.
Sushi Rolls with Avocado and Mango
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Chico Rice’s Blonde Milled California Japonica Rice
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 nori (seaweed) sheets
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 ripe mango, sliced
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Soy sauce, for dipping
- Pickled ginger and wasabi, for serving
Directions:
1. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl, drizzle the vinegar mixture over it, and gently fold the rice to combine. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
3. Place a bamboo sushi rolling mat on a clean, flat surface and cover it with plastic wrap. If you don’t have a rolling mat, you can use a clean kitchen towel or a sheet of parchment paper. Lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic-covered mat or towel/parchment.
4. Wet your hands (to avoid sticking) and pat a thin layer of seasoned rice evenly over the nori, leaving about 1 inch at the top edge uncovered. Make sure the rice is not too thick so you have room for the filling.
5. Lay slices of avocado, mango, cucumber, and red bell pepper in a line at the bottom third of the rice.
6. Carefully lift the edge of the bamboo mat or towel/parchment closest to you with both hands, rolling it over the filling and press gently. Continue rolling until you reach the uncovered edge. Moisten the uncovered edge of the nori with a little water and press to seal.
7. Unroll and use a sharp knife dipped in water to slice each sushi roll into bite-sized pieces. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to create more rolls.
8. Serve the sushi rolls with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.
Open Sesame Granola
Granola is one of those endlessly customizable foods – clumpy or loose, sweet or just barely sweet, all kinds of inclusions – and everyone has their own preference and method. Nekisia Davis at Early Bird Foods has her own signature take with extra virgin olive oil and a generous pinch of kosher salt, which gives the granola an amazing crisp texture and a subtle savory edge that balances everything out beautifully. I was a fan of Nekisia Davis’s granola technique even before I started working at Zingerman’s. If I’m not buying it, I’m making my own version at home with whatever nuts are kicking around in the freezer, whatever spices sound interesting that day, and whatever olive oil I have open at the time.
We’ve been selling the Farmhand’s Choice granola for years, which was Early Bird’s first flavor and is packed with pepitas, pecans, and sunflower seeds. Now, for the first time in ten years (!), Nekisia and her team have introduced a new flavor and it’s a standout. This version features sliced almonds, fennel seeds, and both black and white sesame seeds. It’s got a great crunch, nice-sized chunks, and that same juuuust right salt level. The fennel adds a surprising, aromatic note that really works. It’s slightly sweet, slightly herbal, and completely delicious.
If you’re already a fan of Early Bird, this one might be a new favorite. And if you’ve never tried them, this new flavor is a fantastic place to start.
Spiced Juniper Salami
We’ve been slowly expanding our salami section over the last few years to feature some really great American salami makers like Il Porcellino. Based in Denver, they are committed to traditional methods, high-quality ingredients, and bold, beautifully balanced flavors. Among the standouts in their lineup is the Spiced Juniper Salami, which is a personal favorite of chef and owner Bill Miner. It’s easy to see (and taste) why.
This salami is made from humanely-raised pork, and the quality of the meat comes through in every bite – rich, buttery, and deeply satisfying. But what really sets it apart is the seasoning blend: Calabrian chiles bring a warm, medium heat that lingers gently on the palate; crushed juniper berries add a fresh, aromatic lift; coriander brings citrusy brightness; and fennel seeds round it all out with a sweet, herbal touch.
The result is a salami that’s bold and complex, yet still completely approachable, even for those who tend to lean traditional when it comes to charcuterie. It’s perfect on a cheese and salami board, but equally worthy of slicing thin and enjoying all on its own, maybe with a glass of red wine or a hoppy beer.
Pineapple Soy Sauce from Taiwan
I first became enamored with Yun Hai through their dried fruit. One bite of their dried Irwin mango and I was hooked. But the more I’ve tasted, and the more I’ve learned about their story, the deeper my appreciation has grown.
Founder Lisa Cheng Smith first started bringing food back from Taiwan in her luggage and shared it with friends and others who missed the tastes of home. That small act of connection grew into something bigger when she started a company devoted to sourcing and sharing some of Taiwan’s pantry staples.
We had the chance to visit Yun Hai’s shop in Brooklyn (a must-go, seriously), where we tasted through their soy sauces and learned more about what makes Taiwanese soy sauce special.
It’s different from Japanese soy sauce in a couple distinct ways. It’s made with black soybeans only, which yield a deeper, rounder flavor than the yellow soybeans typically used in other styles. It’s also sun-brewed, a method unique to Taiwan: the soybeans are fermented in large terracotta vats, set out in a brick-lined brewyard and left to soak up the heat of the sun for up to a year. The high temperatures accelerate fermentation and microbial activity, resulting in an incredibly complex soy sauce.
This soy sauce is made by Yu Ding Xing, a family-run brewery in Taiwan that has been operating since 1947, using fresh, locally grown Taiwanese pineapple. The pineapple is renowned for its sweetness and fragrance, but in the sauce, it doesn’t add sugary sweetness the way you might expect. Instead, after 180 days of fermentation, the sugars of the pineapple meld into the sauce and give a lighter flavor and texture. Once fermentation is done, the brew is finished over a carefully maintained wood fire to stop the fermentation process. It’s bright, briny, and slightly herbaceous, with more of a brothy consistency than a thick, viscous sauce. It’s great to add into marinades, but it’s also a delicious finishing sauce for seafood like sashimi or scallops.
Pippi Longstocking Sour Candies
BonBon was started by three friends who were enthusiastic about bringing Scandinavian treats to the States. All of their candies are imported from Sweden, and they have brick and mortar shops in New York where you can pick and mix your own candy assortment.
I first tasted these Swedish candies while attending the Fancy Food Show in New York this summer (because what’s fancier than fancy candy?). I was loosely familiar with Pippi Longstocking as a character, but I’ll admit I didn’t immediately get the connection between a girl with pigtails and candy. Turns out, Pippi Longstocking is from a Swedish children’s book series, and she lugs around a suitcase of gold coins to finance her independent lifestyle of frivolity and mischief. What a perfect inspiration for a sweet treat.
I really love the taste of these tangy-sour gummies with pineapple, peach, and apricot flavors. Plus, they’re gluten-free, vegan, and naturally colored, so they can appeal to a wide range of candy eaters.
Llagar de Oles Cider Vinegar
This apple cider vinegar is made in Asturias, a stunning coastal region tucked between Cantabria and Galicia in Northern Spain, known for traditional apple cider called “sidra natural”.
For sidra natural, the process begins with apples fermented using only the wild yeasts found on their skins – no added yeast, no added sugar or other flavors. The resulting cider is unfiltered and naturally cloudy cider with funky, earthy flavors. If we weren’t going the vinegar route and stayed in the cider lane, it wouldn’t be casually poured into a glass to drink it. Instead, it’s “thrown” from a bottle held high above the escanciador’s (pourer’s) head into a special glass held at an angle below the pourer’s hips (about a two feet pour). The still cider does not have any bubbles, so dropping the cider from the right height and angle helps to add air for a light carbonation and to aerate the cider for better flavor and texture. Now back to the vinegar…
The Martínez Sopeña brothers grow all their own apples to make their traditional cider. Then the vinegar is made using the classic Orléans method, a slow, natural oxidation carried out in castaño (chestnut) wood barrels. Five months later, you’ve got a vinegar that’s bright, fruity, apple-y (of course), super dry, and tannic at the end – like a crisp high-five from an apple tree. It’s not quite as sour and tangy as other apple cider vinegars, and the drying tannins and crisp flavor is reminiscent of white wine vinegars. Splash it in salad dressings, quick pickles, and marinades.
Dried Purple Mulberries
Ziba Foods is based entirely in Afghanistan, focused on working with wild and sustainably harvested products like pistachios and mulberries that grow naturally across the countryside. Their facility is staffed and managed by a team that’s 80% women who are offered ongoing training and educational opportunities like English classes. By operating inside Afghanistan, Ziba is not only creating jobs in a region with extremely high unemployment, but they’re also ensuring that more of the value from these incredible products stays in the country.
These mulberries are hand-harvested from wild trees in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. They’re deep purple with some streaks of white. They’re dried without any added sugar, so all of the floral and fruity sweetness is all natural mulberry flavor, and their crunch is so satisfying. My favorite way to eat them is on a cheese board – their color and crunch really stand out and pair nicely with a range of cheeses and the other accoutrements. But of course they’re perfectly snackable on their own, or toss a handful into your bowl of Open Sesame granola!
Mulling Spice
Now that we’ve rolled into September, it’s officially time to lean into the cozy, crisp magic of autumn. The trees around here are just beginning to blush with hints of red and orange. Those tiny sparks of color will become a full blaze of fall leaf delight by mid-October. But even now, the signs are undeniable. Apples are stacking up at the farmers’ markets, and that can only mean one thing – cider season is here.
I’ve been enjoying cooler evenings filling my mug with a gorgeous mulling spice blend from Curio Spice Company. They’re a Boston-based maker that specializes in high-quality, thoughtfully crafted spice blends sourced from small farms. Their motto is “spices for the curious cook” which I think really captures their goal of appealing to those who want to experiment more in the kitchen without necessarily wanting to have a fully stocked spice rack to do it. I’m a fan of both single spices and clever shortcuts, and this blend is the best of both worlds.
It’s a fragrant mix of cinnamon, orange peel, allspice, star anise, cardamom, ginger, and clove. Just steep it in apple cider or wine and let the spices do their thing. If you have a tea ball or a square of cheesecloth, you can make a little sachet for easy cleanup. No tools? No problem – just carefully strain out the spices before serving. But the infusing doesn’t have to limited to cider or wine. You could also use a couple tablespoons of the spice mix to infuse a simple syrup for fall cocktails or heavy cream for spiced whip cream.
I’m tucking away an extra bag for one of my favorite October traditions: a night of pumpkin carving and spooky movie marathoning, with a steaming cup of mulled cider in hand. Bring on the season.