A restored estate, a bird sanctuary, a whole lot of history

Fritz Maytag, the founder of Anchor Steam Brewery, once told me, “It’s not all that hard to find a great product. And it’s not that hard to find a really wonderful story. But when you can find a great product that has a great story behind it, you’re onto something special!” The Italian rice from Cascina Oschiena is just that—both the rice and the story behind it are exceptional. Oschiena’s work exemplifies beautifully all of what I wrote in “A Taste of Zingerman’s Food Philosophy,” and thanks to the always amazing work by our friends and importer Rogers Collection, their rice has finally arrived in Ann Arbor!

Cascina Oschiena is one of the oldest farms in their area in the province of Vercelli in the Piedmont, up in the northwest corner of the country. All the way back in the 13th century, Cascina Oschiena was being farmed by the friars at the Abbey of St. Stephen of Vercelli. As was true in those days, estates of this sort were essentially self-contained communities. As the crew at Oschiena writes:

All the inhabitants contributed to life on the farmstead, each with their own activity: the paddy weeders, diggers, carters, riders, saddlers, blacksmiths, carpenters and joiners. … The traditional hand broadcast sowing method was accompanied by the transplant technique in the 1930s, and this continued until the end of the 1950s.

Rice growing at that time was almost exclusively done by hand. If you want to see what it was like, check out the amazing 1949 black and white film Riso Amaro, which is centered around the work of the folks who worked so hard in the fields. For the most part, they were women, known in Italian as mondine. Today, Cascina Oschiena is again run by a woman. It is the passion project of Alice Cerutti, whom I had the honor of spending a day with back in 2019, when I visited Cascina Oschiena. Of her work, Alice shares,

I am a farmer with a degree in Business Studies from the University of Turin. … We are deeply involved in safeguarding the environment, and are committed to biodiversity and conserving the historical landscape. Over the years, we have made renovations to maintain the essence and character of the original structures, honoring a centuries-old history of our farmhouse.

In the spirit of what I wrote above about stories and birds, part of the drive for the project was to create a safe resting place for some very special winged creatures. Alice shares the backstory:

The fields surrounding our farmhouse constitute the last recorded Italian nesting site of the Black-tailed Godwit. This … brought us to create the Cascina Oschiena Nature Reserve by converting 60 acres (one fourth of the farmland) from rice cultivation to Natural Reserve and the Black-tailed Godwit became the symbol of our Farm and its Products.

Of course, the main culinary question is “What is the quality of the rice?” The answer is, it’s excellent! There’s a wonderful freshness to the flavor, a vitality and aliveness that I love. It is, in the context of what I wrote last week, the essence of the amazing ecosystem from which it emerges.

We have four risi from Oschiena on hand at the Deli to get going with:

Arborio – The classic for making risotto. Rice arrived in Italy as an immigrant, coming from the Spanish-ruled Sicily, where rice had earlier arrived from India. Arborio (and Carnaroli) are actually descended from rice varieties that came from the Philippines in 1839. Nearly 200 years later, Arborio and Carnaroli would clearly be called some of the most Italian agricultural products available.

Carnaroli – With a bit more “tooth” and a little more flavor, this is my personal pick for risotto.

Selenia – A special short-grain variety that works well for making Sicilian arancini and other similar dishes that call for a stickier rice. Though it’s rarely seen in the U.S., we have this rice on hand, and I’m especially excited!

Ebano – A rare black rice with a great toasty, earthy flavor. Super tasty and visually appealing for summer rice salads, main course rice dishes that aren’t risotto, and more.

All four rices are remarkable, as wonderful as the story of Alice Cerutti, her family, friends, and team at Cascina Oschiena have created over the last eight years. Swing by, take some home, and start cooking soon!

Buy a box (or two)

5 Ways to Enjoy: Wild Fennel Pollen

Pollen So Good You’d Befriend a Bee to Get More

Fennel pollen is that special, though luckily there’s no need to pal around with pollinators to try it, you can buy it by the jar! It’s one of my favorites to reach for in my spice drawer, so I’m spreading the word about what makes it so exceptional.

Dubbed “culinary fairy dust” by our friends at Zingerman’s Mail Order, fennel pollen is exactly what it sounds like, pollen from the flowers of a fennel plant. Often grown for its bulb, fennel is somewhat unique in that you can consume the entire plant—the bulb, the stalk, the fronds, the seeds, and the pollen. 

If you were growing fennel in your garden in hopes of procuring homegrown pollen, instead of harvesting the bulb, you’d let the plant keep growing until it flowers, pick the umbels (the flower clusters), dry them, and collect the pollen. Speaking from personal experience, that is indeed as labor-intensive as it sounds, which explains the relatively high price of this special spice. (Fennel pollen’s BFF in the Most Arduous Spices to Obtain Club might be saffron. The vivid reddish-orange stigma from the saffron crocus has to be harvested by hand—and there are only three stigmata in each flower!) 

Given that fennel seeds (which are derived from cultivated fennel) cost [a quarter the price of fennel pollen], we wondered if the wild pollen could be worth the splurge. When we compared the two… we understood the hype: The delicate crunch of these golden granules and their remarkably complex flavor featuring hints of licorice and citrus and a honeyed, marshmallow-like sweetness overshadowed the fibrous texture and one-note licorice taste of the seeds. —Cook’s Illustrated

It is also perhaps part of the reason why, up until a couple of decades ago, wild fennel pollen was relatively unknown here in the States, unlike in Italy, where wild fennel is rampant. We have Dario Cecchini, an eight-generation Italian butcher in Tuscany, to thank for helping to popularize fennel pollen (head to Mail Order’s blog, The Feed, for the full story.), making it easier for more of us to enjoy it.

Fennel pollen can add that mysterious and sweet herbaceous flavor that transports you to a small town in Tuscany, just with a flick of your fingers. —Ji Hye Kim, Chef and Managing Partner of Miss Kim

Fennel is often confused with anise, and while they are entirely different plants, it is the closest flavor comparison for what fennel and fennel pollen taste like. Fennel pollen does have a slightly sweet, anise-like flavor (don’t be deterred, licorice haters, it’s milder than you might expect) and it’s very fragrant. Val Neff-Rasmussen, Product Buyer for Mail Order says, “It tastes like fennel seed, but lighter, more ethereal.” 

5 of Our Favorite Ways to Use Fennel Pollen

• Make a Stand-out Main Dish

Fennel pollen plays well with different meats and fishes, but it’s an especially flavorful partner for pork. In fact, one of Zingerman’s Catering & Events many specialties is a Fennel Pollen Pork Shoulder rubbed with sea salt, fresh herbs, fennel pollen, and olive oil. Order theirs, or play around with your own blend.

Used a little of the [Wild Fennel Pollen] to season my whole roast chicken and it took the flavor and aromatics to a whole new level! This truly is a magic spice that makes anything you put it on so much more wonderful! Where has this been all my life?!? -Alicia C, Zingerman’s guest and pollen promoter 

• Create a Flavored Salt 

Make your own fennel pollen salt and then use it with abandon. If you’ve yet to delve into DIY flavored salts, start with 1 teaspoon per 1/4 cup of coarse, flaky salt, and then adjust to taste as you see fit. Sprinkle your new favorite salt over roasted veggies. Dip tempura vegetables in it. Use it to rim a glass (Bloody Marys?!). Dust it over sauteéd mushrooms or fried eggs. 

• Try It with Tomatoes

Whether sprinkled over tomato soup or sliced tomatoes fresh off the vine, tomatoes and fennel pollen are a culinary match made in heaven. Food writer Max Falkowitz says fennel pollen “tastes like pure summer joy,” so you know it’ll play well with other seasonal produce, too.

• Pair Pollen with Fresh Cheeses

Like cream cheese or fresh goat cheese from Zingerman’s Creamery. For an easy appetizer, spread some fresh soft cheese on your vehicle of choice—a crostini, a cracker, a cucumber slice—sprinkle with fennel pollen, and enjoy

• Sprinkle It on Sweets

This is, admittedly, perhaps a bit more unexpected, but stay with me! Try sprinkling fennel pollen on vanilla ice cream or gelato. (Or on fennel ice cream! If you need a recipe, you can find one in my cookbook, Cooking with Scraps.) Or even yogurt along with a drizzle of honey. Try making fennel pollen sugar (start with the same suggested ratio for flavored salt, above, just swap in sugar). Fennel pollen pairs well with chocolate, too; sprinkle some on a batch of truffles or chocolate mousse. After all, Zingerman’s Deli and Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory often carry chocolate bars with fennel seed (See Exhibits A, B, and C), so fennel pollen is just another step in that flavorful direction.

Ready to see what the buzz is all about? Get a jar of Wild Tuscan Fennel Pollen at Zingerman’s Deli or have one shipped to your doorstep from Zingerman’s Mail Order.

Paella (py•ay•a) is arguably Spain’s most well known dish. It’s a satisfying one pot meal of densely flavored rice, but what else gets added in beyond that is up for debate. Like many foods worthy of being passed down through generations, the history can get skewed over time. The original Paella Valencia was believed to be made with rabbit, snails, beans and that signature pinch of precious golden saffron. Kind of like pizza in a way, paella additions can be specific to the region or the season, and have evolved to the point nearly anything goes and everyone has their own version.

Zingerman’s Delicatessen will offer three versions: shrimp and mussels, chicken and chorizo, and vegetarian. The vegetables selected are whatever is in season at the market, but often includes green beans, carrots, yellow squash and lots of fresh herbs. Hungry yet? First, there’s more to the story. 

It’s important to know these colorful pans of this tasty dish only appear at the deli a few days each year. So, you might want to mark your food calendar. You have one of those, don’t you? September 2019 brings the 34th annual Paella Party at Zingerman’s Deli, also known as the Fiesta de Espana. It started back in 1985, just a few years after the gourmet food retailer opened its doors. Other than adding more dates to meet demand, nothing has changed about this high energy experience on the deli’s patio in more than three decades. That means it’s gotta be worth a visit.

So what makes a good paella? According to Deli cooks it’s all about the pan and the rice. First, they choose a quality broad and shallow pan made specifically for cooking paella. Next, they opt for Calasparra rice, a spanish medium grain also known as Bomba or Valencia rice. It’s a very absorbent variety that will soak up large amounts of the saffron broth during cooking, another key to paella success. The rice is available for sale at the Deli grocery and zingermans.com

On paella party weekends at the Deli, cooks start at 7 am preparing the ingredients and firing up the outdoor grills with mesquite charcoal. They get pretty skilled at the technique when making as many as nine pans of paella at a time, and anywhere from 30 to 50 pans of paella each weekend. You’re invited to watch the action at a live cooking demonstration on the Deli patio at noon on paella party days.

You can also win a chance to be paella cook for a day. The lucky winner will take their place at the grill alongside Deli chef and managing partner Rodger Bowser and learn to make their own custom paella creation on September 22nd. Stay tuned to the Deli’s Facebook and Instagram for announcements on how to enter. share your paella disaster story for a chance to win a spot at the grill learning alongside the experts, along with a paella kit.

Deli chef and managing partner Rodger Bowser has been cooking paella for more than twenty years. So, what does he look forward to most about the annual Paella Party? 

“I love working with staff outside over the grill teaching them the techniques, meeting the guests who stop by for a plate, and eventually sitting down to eat a pan with my wife. Even after cooking it all day, I still like eating it.”

Are you ready to party? We recommend you save the date to get your plate. Paella Parties are happening at Zingerman’s Delicatessen on September 8th, 15th and 22nd. Stop by and buy a plate hot off the grill. You can RSVP here. Or you can have your own party at home! Order a whole pan to take home, either already cooked or a kit to cook your own (expert instructions and proper pan included).

While you’re at the Deli don’t miss the other specials including Valencian horchata, a chilled spiced drink made with tiger nuts and Spanish desserts from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. There’s the Torta di Santiago, a little toasted almond cake and chocolate Miguelitos, a puff pastry and chocolate cinnamon cream sandwich, both are event exclusives.

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this fun with food Ann Arbor tradition! See you on the patio!