Inspired by a Farmer’s Market Food Revival
It’s the vendors at my local farmer’s market that make me get out of bed to fight for first pick of their fresh okra. Truth be told, I don’t like okra. What I love, are the people selling okra. Apart from the Cosby Kids, these peddlers of cheese, meat and produce are the coolest Saturday morning kids I ever shared a bowl of cereal with.
Behind the Scenes: Inspired by Charcuterie
Behind the scenes of our inspired week of charcuterie.
Spanish Style Rioja Potatoes
The only thing I brought home from my first trip to Spain was an after-shave drenched love letter and the biggest can of Pimenton (smoked paprika) I could fit in my backpack. I still have the can that held the Pimenton. It’s long since been empty of spice, but safe inside is the first, last and only love letter I received from my Spanish admirer. The scent of the after-shave has been replaced with a smokey memory.
Simmer Down Podcast: A Chef and His Charcuterie
This week on Simmer Down we have the opportunity to speak with Chef Roberto Leoci, owner of Leoci’s Trattoria in Savannah, Georgia. Chef Roberto is doing wonderful artisinal charcuterie with a modern day twist. Listen up as he explains AND tells us a few things we didn’t need to know.
Charcuterie: Food in Fashion
Food on a stick. Fusion food. Gluten free food. Local food. Whatever food. Charcuterie is today’s food in fashion.
Daddy’s Girls
Listen as the creative collective of Salted and Styled share 45 seconds of prose about their Fathers. Happy Father’s Day to all our listening fathers. We love you…farts and all.
Crispy Goat and Duck Salad
As seen on the cover of this months Epicures issue of Savannah Magazine.
Step by Step: Making Duck Breast Prosciutto
Traditionally, prosciutto is a salt cured and dry aged Italian ham with a delicate buttery texture. In this duck version, Chef Roberto Leoci spins the story a little differently by using a fresh duck breast and a few simple ingredients. The only thing you may find difficult with his technique…is the waiting.
La Dolce Vita
I’m sitting with artisan chef and restaurant owner Roberto Leoci in an old meat-packing building that is now Meddin Studios. It’s 80-degrees outside, but cold in here, as if the refrigeration has permanently seeped into the concrete floor. The place is creepy. Barn-size metal doors divide the rooms; to slide one open you have to press your entire body against it. The old wooden tables move as easily as live oaks and are just as creaky. Everything is heavy. Even the new glass doors are propped open by 25-pound sandbags.
The King’s Belly Sandwich
When I was younger, I was obsessed with Elvis Presley. Okay, I still am. But back then my imagination was so ripe, I could picture myself on the the brightly decorated sets of his formulaic movies, befriending costars like Shelly Fabres. Shelly would ask “Libbie Marie (I would, of course, change my name) what did you and “E” do last night” and I would fill her in on all the exotic fun a sheltered ten year old could dream up for a date with the king.
Those were the innocent thoughts that filled a young heart. And these are the flavors, in honor of a first crush –my king, that satisfy an adult appetite.
