Oliviero Colmignoli (Olli)–the prosciutto-maker with Ossabaw prosciutto at the SF Fancy Food Show

[see the 2011 Whole Hog menu]

The Duroc is a good pig. Back in the day, people were really happy with a nice Duroc. We still like Paul Willis’s hogs, a mixed breed known as Farmers’ Hybrid. This is a combination of older breeds, having good mothering skills, higher backfat than conventional pigs and a sturdy constitution for outdoor living.

In recent years there has been increasing interest to find the “next big thing” in regards to pig breeds. This has led to tracking down small ranchers working with lesser know breeds, as well as a restored interest and a deeper understanding of breed traits and quality.

You can really taste good pork in cured meats, particularly prosciutto. And some of the breeds now finding attention can be truly delicious. So, for the 2011 Whole Hog Dinners, we’ll be offering tastings of some of these newly re-discovered breeds.

The Ossabaw variety is directly descended from pigs brought by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. A herd of them has lived wild on the island of Ossabaw, off the coast of Georgia, isolated from other varieties of pig, its gene pool intact. It is similar in flavor and cooking characteristics to the Senese pig of Tuscany–lean, slow-growing, with fat that melts at low temperatures. We met Oliviero Colmignoli (Olli)–the prosciutto-maker who uses this amazing animal¬–at the Fancy Food show in San Francisco last month. He promised us a prosciutto for this year’s hog dinners, even though it won’t be available in stores or online for a few months. It was the talk of the show, and is extraordinary.

The Olli Salumeria in Virginia, which has created this magnificent prociutto from an ‘Ossabaw’ hog, also has access to the ‘Mangolitsa’ hog, a Hungarian variety that was near extinction until recently. It has an unusually high percentage of fat with great flavor, thus making superlative lardo and guanciale. We’ll offer both.

And, not to be out done, Herb Eckhouse is providing us a special “green label” prociutto from
La Cuercia his company in Iowa. This organic prosciutto is from an acorn-fed, Jude Becker raised Berkshire hog and has been aged 20 months. Jeffrey Steingarten calls it “the best prosciutto imported or domestic you can get.”

We regret going fashionable on you, but these pigs are really good.

ANTIPASTI

Whole Cuts

Wild boar prosciutto, lonza, spallacia, and lardo
platter for two

Sweet Meats

Pâté capriccioso, pork liver/sour cherry pâté, cicciolata, coppa di testa, mortadella, and salame cotto
platter for two

Dry-Cured Salumi

Soppressata, felino, Basque, finocchiona, Genoa, nostrano, piccante, and salametto
platter for two

Offal and End Cuts

Fried pork trotter with ancient Roman oenogarum

Terrina of pork ears with horseradish, celery heart, and frisée

Warm antipasto of pork tongue, artichokes, and black truffles

Sardinian pork tripe braised with saffron and mint; aged provolone
and Red Flint corn polenta

Spiedino of pork liver, Meyer lemon, crostini,
and pancetta with garlic-hazelnut butter

Pork kidneys sauté trifolati

Bruschetta of pork belly rillettes and Firebrand rye bread
with avocado and pickled carrots

Blood pudding with Guru Ram Das Farm dried pear
and plum mostarda and walnuts

Sobressada and sbriciolona: traditional Catalonian spreadable spicy salame and Tuscan wild fennel salsiccia cruda with lard
piadina and wild arugula

Boudin blanc “Wellington” with Barhi dates and cress

Carpaccio of salted pork loin with roasted beets, Gaeta olives, capers

SOUPS AND PASTAS

Soup: passatelli with rich pork broth and pea greens

Wild nettle lasagne alla bolognese

Canederli: Friulian bread and pork dumplings with pork and date sugo

Butternut squash gnocchi with spiced pork ragù and aged aceto balsamico

Pegai: Modenese hazelnut ravioli with wild boar spezzatino

Spaghetti with pork coppa confit, Calabrian hot peppers,
breadcrumbs, and oregano

Cannelloni of pork, Chanterelle mushrooms, green garlic,
and Fontina Val d’ Aosta cheese

Ravioli cerchie of Savoy cabbage and prosciutto cotto
with sugo di maiale, and lardo

Riso with Piedmontese sweet sausage and rum ragù

Pappardelle nere with pork heart and wild mushroom ragù

HOT SPECIALTIES

Tofeja del Canavese: Piedmontese peasant braise of pork shoulder, little cotechino sausages, wild boar spare ribs, and pork skin rollatini with Borlotti beans

Spit-roasted acorn-fed porchetta with Sicilian nero d’avola gelatina, chestnut honey, Castelvetrano olives, and almonds

Smoked ham with kumquat-clove gravy

Wild boar scaloppine alla Count Pavel Stroganov with Chanterelle mushrooms, caramelized onions, sour cream, and riso nero

Zampone braised in saba with lentil crema

Choucroute garni with spit-roasted pork “pastrami,” belly rib,
and grilled classic frankfurter

Charcoal-grilled wild boar bacon chops with blood oranges and
shaved vegetable salad

VEGETABLE SIDE DISHES

Roasted beets and blood oranges

Fresh-milled Red Flint corn polenta

Potatoes fried in pork renderings

Shaved fennel and puntarella

Chicories with aceto balsamico

Shaved Brussels sprouts

Garden lettuces vinaigrette

SWEETS

Bergamot-Prosecco sorbetto

Valhrona chocolate-caramel tart with candy-
coated pancetta and vanilla sea salt

Larded puff pastry cornucopia filled with Seville
orange ice cream and kumquat-pomegranate compôte

Candy Cap mushroom flan with Derrie date
confetti and bacon-covered chocolate honeycomb candy

Warm beignets fried in lard with California bay
laurel crème anglaise

Tete’s polvorone cookies

_____

With special thanks to Paul Willis and the farmers of Niman Ranch; Magruder Ranch; Devil’s Gulch Ranch; Jude Becker; and Heritage Foods USA

Riverdog Hogs

Oliveto Whole Hog Dinners

Wednesday, February 3 – Saturday, February 6

Call 510-547-5356 or reserve online.

Although Oliveto’s Whole Hog Dinners are still a few weeks away, the kitchen is already in full swine…er, swing.  Sauerkraut is fermenting, prosciutto is curing, and orders are being placed.  Five wild boar arrived on Thursday from Mac Magruder and a massive order to Niman Pork Company also goes in this week.  There will be hogs coming from Riverdog Farm, Paul Willis, Mark Pasternak of Devil’s Gulch and Heritage Foods, totaling somewhere near twenty-five whole animals.

And Chef Paul Canales is ready.  He’s already finalized some of the menu, including old favorites & some new favorites for 2010.  We will, of course, offer numerous house-made cured meats and pâtés.

Favorites

Warm antipasto of pork tongue, artichokes, and aged black truffles

Pappardelle nere with pork heart and wild mushroom ragú

Spaghetti with pork coppa confit, Calabrian hot peppers, breadcrumbs, and oregano

Tofeja del Canavese: Piemontese peasant braise of pork shoulder, little cotechino sausages, wild boar spare ribs, and pork skin rollattini with borlotti beans

Spit-roasted pork belly with Sicilian nero d’avola gelatina, chestnut honey, Castelvetrano olives, and almonds

Choucroute garni with spit-roasted pork “Pastrami,” belly rib, and grilled classic frankfurter

Valrhona chocolate-caramel tart with candy-coated pancetta

New Items

Sobressada & Sbriciolona: traditional Catalonian spreadable spicy salame and Tuscan wild fennel salsiccia cruda with lard piadina and wild arugula

Boudin blanc “Wellington”

Cannelloni pork, Chanterelle mushrooms, green garlic, and fontina Val d’ Aosta

Canederli: Friullian bread and pork dumplings with pork & date sugo

Carved fresh roast ham with cracklings and kumquat-clove gravy

Wild boar scallopine alla Count Pavel Stroganov with Chanterelle mushrooms, caramelized onions, sour cream, and sage riso

Duomo of local kiwis in pork gelatina with Blood Oranges in caramel

Larded puff pastry cornucopia filled with Seville orange ice cream and kumquat-pomegranate compote