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The PantryChestnut & Polenta Stuffing

December 2012ISSUE 34

NEWSLETTER

From the Bakery

Entertaining Tips

250-592-4080www.ottaviovictoria.com2272 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, B.C.

December 2012ISSUE 34

NEWSLETTER

December is upon us, the month to eat, drink, reflect and celebrate with friends and family. We wish everyone, and their families, a safe and happy holiday season. This month , feast

your eyes on some seasonal goodies, for your pantry, from the bakery, and deli.

If you haven’t already, take a closer look at our pantry, and you will discover some

delightful condiments and specialty items to accompany your festive celebrations.

Here are a few suggestions:

Fresh Italian Walnuts in their shell ready to crack & enjoy alone or with cheese and fruit.

Truffles, whole, sliced, in honey, or oils. Truffles go along way to add depth to your

dishes, unlike anything else!

Chestnuts: canned whole, pureed, vanilla infused, & vacuum packed and peeled for

baking & cooking. We’ll be roasting them outside during the season too so enjoy a

warm newspaper cone, the Italian way!

We like to add a twist to our sweets this time of year, including some gorgeous seasonal gelato flavours to keep your eye out for.We will also have Black Forest Yule logs, and Classic Mince Tarts, all made in-house, Marzipan Logs for baking. Look for Torrone & Panforte as well.Some of the Christmas gelato flavours to look for are:Chocolate Orange, Gingerbread, Spiced Quince, Cinnamon, Panettone and Candy Cane!Panettone! Yes, Panettone is here! It is baked fresh for Ottavio, in Victoria by Cliff at Fol Epi with all organic ingredients. They keep well, improve with age, and you can ship them to friends and relatives, so don’t delay, and pick yours up soon!

As many of you know, we have a lot of cheese here at Ottavio, and sometimes it can be overwhelming to the naked eye at first. We can advise you on a variety of cheeses to suit your taste. Your selection should include different milks, styles, textures, and countries. You can purchase cheeses to take home, or have us create a special board for you. We carry many accompaniments such as honey comb, nuts, figs, local quince paste, fruit & nut breads, marmalades, chutneys, & fancy crackers.This is also the season for high alpine cheeses, as the cows have been grazing on herbs, and grasses, that make their milk more tasty, and in turn transforms the cheeses to whole other level!

Please ask to speak to Maylia, or also check our website, and brochures in store for more detail. Please also pre-order anything for entertaining, so as not to be disappointed.

The Pantry

From the Bakery

Entertaining

BASKETS & CATERING

250-592-4080www.ottaviovictoria.com2272 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, B.C.

Preheat oven at 325º Heat up a medium size sautée pan, add oil, garlic and onions and cook until translucent. Then add the celery, tarragon, thyme and sausage and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the Mosca-to.Drain the excess oil from the pan then transfer to a large mixing bowl.Add the chestnuts, polenta, breadcrumbs, old bread and ½ of the broth, season with salt and pepper.Transfer the stuffing into a oven proof baking dish, add the other stock and bake for 30/40 minutes until the top is golden brown.

In a medium size stockpot, bring to boil all the liquids, season with salt and pepper, then add the polenta and cook according to directions.Remove from stove, stir in the Parmigiano and pour into a baking dish, then spread the polenta and let cool.

We are repeating this again for those who missed it in the last newsletter. Because Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, we have decided to stay open through the week before, including the Sunday and Monday. We will be open on the

23rd, and 24th, then closed the 25th, and 26th. We reopen on the 27th, and stay open straight through to Dec 31st including the Sunday and Monday.

Ottavio Open House, and Gallery Walk: Thursday December 6th from 6-8Keep your eye out for Michele roasting chestnuts, on the Ave. !

We make all our candied citrus from scratch in-house, and it has become a tradition for every-one to participate in the juicing, cooking, pulp removal, chopping, and finally candying. We get prune hands to prove it! No rutabaga filler here!We were also excited to have been awarded a “Recommended on Trip Advisor” decal for our door. Only 3+ rated businesses earn this. Check out the reviews at www.tripadvisor.com.

¼ cup your favourite Ottavio olive oil1 tablespoon of chopped garlic1 medium onion chopped1 cup chopped celery1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme1 Tbsp fresh French Tarragon (we sell a dried Côte d’Azur brand)2 Galloping Goose spicy Italian sausage (in our freezer section), chopped (optional)¼ cup of Moscato wine (or similar crisp, bubbly white) 1 cup sliced roasted chestnuts1 cup diced polenta½ cup Ottavio Breadcrumbs2 cups of day old bread diced2 cups of Ottavio local Chicken, or Vegetable StockSalt and pepper

Polenta: 2 cup of milk2 cups of Ottavio local Stock (chicken or veg-etable)¼ cup of Parmigiano ReggianoSalt and pepper1 cup of Polenta Bramata (in our pantry)

Chestnut & Polenta Stuffing Serves 8-10 people

DID YOU KNOW?

CHRISTMAS ODD IMPORTANT DATES

EVENTS

December 2012ISSUE 34

NEWSLETTER

Please place your bread orders for Christmas Eve. And New Years Eve (both on Mondays!) so as not to be disappointed! We are closed from January 1st to the 15th (reopening that day)