therealdesign

I think the American black olive is one of the greatest edible pleasures around. It used to be a real treat as a kid when we would have a bowl of black olives at thanksgiving dinner. Today, I open up a can of olives and munch on them as I prepare dinner. California olives are harvested in the fall as they approach maturity. When picked, they are green in color, bitter, and almost inedible. Olives, no matter what type, are almost always cured in some way. Domestic olives are processed in a soda curing solution, which over time removes the bitter taste. The brine has tiny oxygen bubbles that float throughout the solution and make the olives turn from olive green to black. The olives are then rinsed and packaged in a light brine which helps keep a long shelf life of 2-3 years when unopened. When you open up a can of olives and if you don’t finish them, which I can hardly imagine anyone doing, try to keep them in the can refrigerated with some brine lightly covered with plastic wrap. Never store them in an airtight container void of the packing liquid or harmful toxins may develop. As tasty as these bad boys are, they are not without fault. Each large black pitted olive weighs almost 4 grams and contains about 1/2 gram of fat each one. So when I throw down half a can down in about five minutes, I am ingesting plenty of fat and sodium. We prefer one of two brands.. Lindsay, a high quality consistent brand although expensive, and stop and shop’s own pack. A cheaper brand may have a waxy texture with a canned aftertaste.

I grew up loving figs. My Sicilian born grandfather had fig trees in his back yard, and my grandmother used to harvest the fruit midsummer and make fig puree to later use when baking fig cookies every Christmas. Today, figs are becoming more popular and used in a variety of ways.

Fresh figs tossed with blue cheese and caramelized onions make for a great California style pizza, especially when drizzled with a little bit of brown butter. It's sweet, creamy, crusty and delicious, I'm a big lover of figs and goat cheese, and this makes for a great appetizer. Simply cover a thin slice of toasted baguette with diced fresh purple figs topped with crumble goat cheese and candied walnuts, place three of these fig bruschettas on a nest of fresh argulala for a great trendy $7 appetizer. For a mid-priced entrée, sear two center cut pork chops topped with flash grilled fig halves and roasted shallots drizzled with a reduced madeira wine.

Thank you for visiting my website and reading my first blog entry. Why am I blogging? Well, after 13 years as the Senior Executive Chef of Sara Lee, I have retired…well, maybe that is a loose interpretation of the word. “Leaving to pursue other interests” doesn’t do it justice either. Caught in a major corporate downsizing that liberated 110 lucky angels, including me, is another way to trace the genesis of this new adventure.
Either way, this website and blog are the first manifestations of a new phase in my life, of new doors opening up that will allow me to give full expression to the love I have of great food and to share with a wider audience via this site and social media.
I truly loved my job at Sara Lee. It was awesome getting to interact with such a wide variety of people every day while pursing my passion for food. I also had the opportunity to share recipes and the fun of food with a larger audience via my appearances on national TV.
But on BrianAverna.com, I get the chance to show my creative soul, to encourage you and others to join me as we eat our way through the endless variety of culinary riches in America while sharing with you what I love best – playing with food.
From now on, think of me as Brian Averna, your “chef-next-door.” Come on over on a regular basis, and I guarantee you will find a constant stream of new food ideas, videos, recipes, offbeat ingredients, great and useful links to my many friends across the US and occasional ruminations on life.
Thank you for visiting! As virtualneighbors, I look forward to seeing you regularly. If you would like to receive email notifications when I post new recipes or blog entries, just send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..