PANTRY MUST HAVES

They might not seem like a lot, but these two pantry must haves offer a lot of bang for their buck! 

 Pantry Item #1

Estia's Olive Oil

Greek Resto Estia located on Spring Garden Road is a restaurant I frequent quite a bit, and not just to sit down and have dinner. It's the bread and olive oil that keep dragging this cat in wagging her tail. Estia has both bread (4$) and olive oil (15$) available for purchase, and neither will disappoint.

Recently I went in to Estia to purchase the olive oil as a thank you present for a fellow foodie and I got to chatting with the lady who created this delectable concoction: Maria Katsihtis. Maria says the olive oil is so popular now that they had to start preparing some ahead of time because they simply "couldn't keep up". Everyone tells her to call it Maria's sauce, but this shy woman won't have it. I love this stuff so much that I felt it appropriate to give as a gift. Gesturing to the tins located on the shelf below Maria explains that the olive oil is prepared with imported cold pressed olive oil from Greece. The olive oil is then mixed with lemon, oregano and some other spices. The olive oil comes in a beautiful wine bottle, adding to its authentic rugged elegance. It will put even the loveliest olive oils from the Italian Market to shame. As you can see above I am nearly out, so I'll be heading down to stock up very soon.

"When you eat this olive oil, you feel as though you could cry it tastes so good"   

Estia's OO is great with the bread they serve in house, but you can use it for salad dressings, stir-frys, grilled cheeses, sauces, sandwiches, pasta, and anything you can think of really. If I ever move away from Halifax I will have crates of this stuff shipped to my current address. I'm not alone in my obsession because she "had a customer visiting from California, and he loved it so much he had boxes shipped to his address". So if you are strolling around Spring Garden Road pop into Estia, and pick up some bread and olive oil you won't be disappointed. I slice and freeze the bread for later days when I want something quick to pair with my soups.

Estia Resturant
5518 Spring Garden Road
Halifax, NS B3J 1G5
(902) 429-8331
http://www.estiarestaurant.ca/

Pantry Item #2

Club House Spicy Pepper Medley

You may have read in previous posts that I've added this magical little spice to some of my recipes. well the truth is I add Spicy Pepper Medley to almost everything: tomatoes, eggs, stir fry,fresh pasta, brushetta, and sandwiches alike. Available for purchase at any grocery store at around 5 dollars, it's a great addition to your other spices. The main ingredient is salt, so use at your own digression (for the love of your heart please omit adding more salt).

MY favorite after school snack and/or small lunch?
Lightly toasted baguette dipped in Estia OO, topped with tomato slices sprinkled with SPM: super yum. This could also work as a good appetizer if you are having company for dinner :) When you eat oo with tomatoes it helps to reinforce the absorption of the vitamins from the tomatoes. It's even better if you heat them a little, so bring on the brushetta.

What are some of your pantry must haves?

sincerely,

Short Presents