My Ten Favorite Summer Sale Foods
Dozens of deals at the Deli and Mail Order
Every year, dozens of super delicious Zingerman’s favorites are featured in our annual Summer Sale. Both here in town and around the country, it’s become quite an event for food lovers—many of whom buy cases of their favorites! Check the Mail Order and Deli websites to see the whole list of specials. In the moment, here are some of my favorites!
Il Mongetto Anchovy Stuffed Peppers – If you like a light bit of spice and you like good anchovies, be sure to try these! I’ve been enjoying them for years now. They’re so good that popping a single anchovy-stuffed pepper in my mouth takes the quality of my day up a few notches. The Santopietro family, who started Il Mongetto many years ago, does remarkable work. The quality of the peppers and anchovies is top-notch. And the amazing extra virgin olive oil is sourced from the Tuscan estate of Alfredo Mancianti!
The Mahjoub Family’s M’hamsa Couscous – This is the couscous that redefined the category for me. Organic wheat grown on the Mahjoub’s farm, hand rolled into small pieces of couscous, then naturally sun-dried (as all pasta was 150 years ago). It takes just 12 minutes to cook and goes great with everything. It is amazing eaten simply—tossed with good olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. You can prepare it any way you would pasta, serve it as a side dish, or make a refreshing cold couscous salad!
IASA Spicy Pepperoncino – The special spicy red pepper from near the Neapolitan town of Cetara! Game-changing on pasta, on egg sandwiches, with mashed potatoes. There’s a bit of it in the new vegetarian Wheatberry and Pepper Burger at the Roadhouse.
ROI Olive Oil from Italy – A lovely olive oil on the lighter, more flowery end of the olive oil continuum, we’ve been offering (and eating) the olive oils from the Boeri family for over 30 years now. It sounds like a long time, but in context, we were actually late to the game—the family tradition goes back to 1890, and it’s run now by the 5th generation. They use only the tiny local Ligurian (Riviera) Taggiasche olives. The oil is especially great with fish and fresh local lettuce.
Sahli Olives from Tunisia – Rarely seen outside the region, amazingly delicious little black olives from the southern Mediterranean. Hand-picked and then naturally cured in brine over many months, neither of which is the modern-day norm. Everything the Mahjoub family makes is magical and these terrific tiny olives are no exception! Like the Boeri family above, they’ve been crafting these great traditional foods on their family farm since the latter years of the 19th century!
Gingras Organic Apple Cider Vinegar from Quebec – Most cider vinegar has barely any actual apple flavor. This one is the exact opposite. Made from whole, organically grown apples harvested just 45 minutes outside of Montreal, they are hand-picked and pressed solely for vinegar. The juice converts naturally over six months, followed by another 18 months of aging in oak barrels. We use tons of this at the Roadhouse for our whole-hog barbecue, but it truly goes great with everything!
Rancho Meladuco Dates – Marketing maven and insightful author Seth Godin declared them “the best dates.” I agree! Tender, naturally sweet, and delicious. From the hottest parts of Southern California, Joan Smith and crew do an amazing job to bring us these fantastic dates.
Italian Noccioliva Hazelnut & Chocolate Spread – What the popular supermarket spread that also starts with an “N” and ends with an “a” aspires to, but never will be. Dark chocolate, lots of Italian hazelnuts, and extra virgin olive oil. On Bakehouse croissants, pancakes, French toast, gelato or just about anything. Super rich, luscious, lovely.
Zingerman’s Candy Co. Peanut Brittle – To my taste, this is one of the best things we make in the ZCoB. It has a terrific toasty flavor. Great out of hand, chopped and sprinkled over ice cream or gelato, or—for folks who like sweet-savory combos—on a salad! Holds up well for summertime trips or camping too!
Domaine des Terres Rouge French Walnut Mustard – My favorite mustard, it’s made in the south of France and is exceptionally tasty! Finely ground mustard seed with a significant note of walnut. Great for everything from a ham sandwich to chicken salad to walnut vinaigrette.
And I would be remiss not to mention the Ortiz Bonito Loin Tinned Tuna – The biggest selling item in the Summer Sale, it is beyond belief for me how much of this top-quality Spanish tuna we sell. People love it. And for good reason. Ortiz does everything right to make the quality and flavor into something special—almost exactly the opposite of the American tinned tuna you get in grocery stores.
The Summer Sale is all about stocking up! And now until July 31 is the time to do it at either the Deli or Mail Order. There are dozens of really great, remarkably priced items in the Summer Sale, full-flavored traditional foods that will bring culinary joy to your table in abundance!
