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| Rob Lalla holding a stainless steel "Fusti" |
There is nothing more frustrating than finding a wonderful source for a go-to staple of my pantry has disappeared. So I was delighted to find Odessy Olive Oils and Vinegars still in place when I visited the Hamilton market to shop for a friend’s birthday dinner. (Many happy returns again Kim!)
In truth, I had wondered, since it seemed such a specialised niche when it opened just after the Market renovation, and really, just how much balsamic can one cook go through? A fair bit as it turns out.
When I asked owner Rob Lalla how it had been going, he said “Since the renovation, numbers at the Market have been down a bit, but week by week it’s picking up… As time goes on, and as more vendors come with different product offerings, it makes the market a more exciting place to shop.”
For his own business he adds, “People are spreading the word that we’ve got all kinds of different olive oils and balsamics, and they can incorporate that into their everyday cooking.” Born in Hamilton of Italian parents, Rob worked many years in retail before deciding to start his own business. He looked at what would complement the selection of products already at the Market and decided on olive oils and vinegars.
I mentioned I still had some of his wondrous blood orange-infused olive oil (fantastic in summer salads) bought from him not long after he opened. In response to my observation that it seems to have lasted forever, he said, “A good quality ingredient, you don’t use a lot, as you can attest. It goes a long way”.
His olive oil turns over pretty quickly he says. He sources 99% from a single Californian farmer with groves near the ocean north of Santa Barbara: His favourite is the Arbequina oil made from the predominant variety of Spanish olives. He describes it as pairing well with everything: From his description it is the Goldilocks of oils, not too strong, not too mild. I found it light and fruity.
Extra Virgin Olive Oils (both organic and regular) can be had in both quarter and, more economical, half litre sizes. (The Arbequina is $10 and $13 respectively for example, while a more robust Frantoio, a variety common in Tuscany, is $10 and $16. The price difference is related to the relatively higher yield of the former, a benefit Rob passes along to his customers.)
His balsamic vinegars are from Modena, Italy and he gets them via his oil supplier. A must-try-and-buy is the aged balsamic. The 12 year old is versatile and delicious, and because of its powerful flavour can be used sparingly. Rob has now expanded the line to include 4, 8 10, and 25 year olds. The oldest is dark, pungent and syrupy.
Of the flavoured balsamics, Rob’s personal favourite is the cask-aged blackberry ($15 for 250 ml). He said it’s like “drinking a blackberry” and when I tasted it I could see why. It’s bright and bursting with fruit flavour. I was able to immediately envisage the composed salad I’d make later that evening and purchased a bottle. (It would go well on ice cream too as would some of the other vinegars, including, of course the older ones.)
Rob encouraged me to try a couple of mixtures. The superb vanilla balsamic with the pomegranate perhaps...? I demurred as the taste of the 25 year old was still on my tongue. In addition to my other purchases I bought a bottle of the tart (4.7% acetic acid) yet sweet honey ginger balsamic (14$ for 250 ml) which enlivened an orange-ginger beef stir fry I made later in the week. It added a distinctive, vinegary sweet-sour kick.
Rob sells his vinegars in 250ml bottles and was receptive to my suggestion that he offer a 100ml size, particularly for the more expensive, aged products. It would also serve for people like me who prefer to have several options to choose from in the pantry.
He also sells the traditional stainless steel containers (Fusti) to hold and dispense his products. (Rob is holding one in the photo) They help keep the products fresh by minimizing exposure to air and light. Though decorative I don’t think my wife would permit the array I’d want to keep a proper selection of types and flavours. Odessy also carries some other nice products including hot sauces some of which feature the off-the-heat-scale ghost scorpion peppers.
To see more pictures, please click here.
Next week: What goes well with olive oil? Pasta. I’ll be featuring a new source of the fresh stuff just around the corner from Odessy.
Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info )
Food for Thought logo, designed and kindly donated by Ninka Bielak. Ninka can be reached at ninka.bielak@gmail.com.
His olive oil turns over pretty quickly he says. He sources 99% from a single Californian farmer with groves near the ocean north of Santa Barbara: His favourite is the Arbequina oil made from the predominant variety of Spanish olives. He describes it as pairing well with everything: From his description it is the Goldilocks of oils, not too strong, not too mild. I found it light and fruity.
Extra Virgin Olive Oils (both organic and regular) can be had in both quarter and, more economical, half litre sizes. (The Arbequina is $10 and $13 respectively for example, while a more robust Frantoio, a variety common in Tuscany, is $10 and $16. The price difference is related to the relatively higher yield of the former, a benefit Rob passes along to his customers.)
His balsamic vinegars are from Modena, Italy and he gets them via his oil supplier. A must-try-and-buy is the aged balsamic. The 12 year old is versatile and delicious, and because of its powerful flavour can be used sparingly. Rob has now expanded the line to include 4, 8 10, and 25 year olds. The oldest is dark, pungent and syrupy.
Of the flavoured balsamics, Rob’s personal favourite is the cask-aged blackberry ($15 for 250 ml). He said it’s like “drinking a blackberry” and when I tasted it I could see why. It’s bright and bursting with fruit flavour. I was able to immediately envisage the composed salad I’d make later that evening and purchased a bottle. (It would go well on ice cream too as would some of the other vinegars, including, of course the older ones.)
Rob encouraged me to try a couple of mixtures. The superb vanilla balsamic with the pomegranate perhaps...? I demurred as the taste of the 25 year old was still on my tongue. In addition to my other purchases I bought a bottle of the tart (4.7% acetic acid) yet sweet honey ginger balsamic (14$ for 250 ml) which enlivened an orange-ginger beef stir fry I made later in the week. It added a distinctive, vinegary sweet-sour kick.
Rob sells his vinegars in 250ml bottles and was receptive to my suggestion that he offer a 100ml size, particularly for the more expensive, aged products. It would also serve for people like me who prefer to have several options to choose from in the pantry.
He also sells the traditional stainless steel containers (Fusti) to hold and dispense his products. (Rob is holding one in the photo) They help keep the products fresh by minimizing exposure to air and light. Though decorative I don’t think my wife would permit the array I’d want to keep a proper selection of types and flavours. Odessy also carries some other nice products including hot sauces some of which feature the off-the-heat-scale ghost scorpion peppers.
To see more pictures, please click here.
Next week: What goes well with olive oil? Pasta. I’ll be featuring a new source of the fresh stuff just around the corner from Odessy.
Food for Thought logo, designed and kindly donated by Ninka Bielak. Ninka can be reached at ninka.bielak@gmail.com.
This is so cool. I didn't know this was at the Farmer's Market. I must make it a point to visit soon.
ReplyDeleteGail
Thanks for the comment Gail. You'll find him on the lower level
ReplyDelete