Superstitions associated with these buns make them rise above the rest. Sharing a hot bun with someone by breaking it in half while incanting “half for you and half for me, between the two of us goodwill shall be” ensures friendship in the coming year. Taken on a sea voyage, they prevent shipwreck. Hung in the kitchen, they prevent fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. We’ve only got a dozen for Saturday. Get ‘em while they’re . . . oh, you know.

But what is a Super-Tuscan? In Italy, wine laws traditionally only allowed certain varieties of grapes, usually indigenous ones, for wines to be granted DOC status. International varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and others were almost never allowed. Years ago in Tuscany, some winemakers rebelled against these restrictions and planted the grapes they felt would make great wine. The wines were made outside the DOC system, caused international sensation and became known as Super-Tuscans. Even the DOC system bent to the power of these fabulous wines – now there’s a DOC especially for these wines grown in the Bolgheri.

Our Borgeri 2007 from Giorgio Meletti Cavallari ($25) is Bolgheri DOC and contains 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 20% Syrah. Loaded with luscious dark red fruits, well integrated sweet oak and firmed up by grippy tannins, the wine goes great with steak and most any type of roasted meat.

Good Harbor comes in a 750ml bottle – the same amount as a typical wine bottle and indeed this brew can have a place at the dinner table. The brewery recommends serving it with cassoulet, rack of lamb, roast poultry or even spicy curry dishes and spicy sausages. Steve the beer man recommends it with Tarentaise or a similar nutty cheese like Gruyere. Laura, one of our cheese whizzes, suggests an American washed-rind cheese like Oma, Grayson or Hooligan!

The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa) pig was once plentiful grazing on the pastureland in Hungary. A wooly pig, it was ideally suited to cold Hungarian winters and given extra time to be raised to maturity, the Mangalica was notable for its ample fat and flavor. However, as farming pigs came to favor efficiency and leaner pork, there was lessened demand for the Mangalica breed. And so their numbers declined – down to just 198 hogs in 1993. Around that time a century-old jamoneria began searching for a new breed of pig fatty enough to cure for a long time and create ideal jamon. Their efforts combined with the willingness of hungarian farmers to rescue the breed resulted in a breeding program and the reestablishment of the Mangalica, both in pure- and cross-bred forms, though only breeds that are at least 50% Mangalica can produce meat able to be labeled Mangalica jamon.

The process of curing a ham from Mangalica pigs can take up to 3.5 years, and sometime even longer. The jamoneria tests each ham up to 7 times during the curing process which involves piercing the ham with a long thin needle-like bone that is then smelled by a master ham taster who, by the smell alone, can tell if it is ready.

Please join us on Thursday and learn more about this artisanal cured ham that’s worthy of being served on an Oscar night platter.

Our staff trained at Fleisher’s but this is the first time we’ve sourced meat from them.  We just got a whole Black Angus steer that you can find in the meat case.  Stop by and try our beef and see what all the buzz is about around Fleisher’s Meats!

The name Malvira translates roughly to ”facing the wrong way.” Rather than sloping to the south and therefore getting the most sun exposure throughout the day, the original vineyards of the winery sloped north. Today the winery, which was founded in the 1950’s by Guiseppe Damonte, has corrected the problem and has a number of vineyards facing the more desirable southerly direction. The winery is still in the Damonte family, with Guiseppe’s two sons involved in the day-to-day viticulture and vinification.

Malvira’s Langhe Nebbiolo plays the baby brother to the traditional Barolos and Barbarescos in the area. It is an austere, serious red wine with violets and tobacco on the nose. The palate is medium to full-bodied with gripping tannins and dark fruit and spice.

The white, an Arneis from Roero, is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to preserve the grapes’ fresh and fruity style. Citrus can be found on the nose and apples and fresh lemon is prevalent on the palate. Enjoy this with lighter dishes like chicken and seafood or younger cheeses.

Purchase Online:
Malvira Langhe Nebbiolo 2002 (Brooklyn)
Malvira Roero Arneis 2007 (Brooklyn)

Laura began as a chef at store much like The Greene Grape but found herself drawn to the cheese counter and the alchemy and magic of pairing beer with cheese. Her Insider’s tip? Jasper Hill Farms’s Bayley Hazen Blue with Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout (“blows my mind time and time again”). She’s sold Hudson Valley farmstand cheeses at GreenMarket and launched the cheese caves at a mega natural foods market where she trained with world-class affineurs like Herve Mons and Neals Yard Dairy. Her favorite cheeses change with the season but are all artisanal and farmstead cheeses, made with love, by hand, with milk from animals that are pastured and treated like the farmer’s friends.

But she’s not all sweetness and light. In Laura’s past there lies a dark, haunting secret. For details, click here (if you dare) or stop by the counter and munch on delicious samples while trying to get her to divulge the dark reaches of her heart!**

You can keep up with the encyclopedic Laura and the cheese counter by following them on Twitter at @fortcheese. Or come in and ask all the questions that have been plaguing you (“Why is cheese not made from pig’s milk? What does it mean if a cheese is ‘vegetarian’? Aren’t raw cheeses illegal in the US?)

*What’s a turophile, you say? A cheese connoisseur or fancier. Not to be confused with turophobia, a fear of cheese. See? She can even teach you some new words.

**Okay, we’re no good at keeping secrets. She’s slaughtered a chicken! Rumor has it, it was not self-defense!

Anarchy jellies, jams and preserves are produced by Laena, an upstate NYer who after vagabonding about the world returned to NY and a childhood love – making jam using local handpicked fruits. With flavors like “3’s Company triple berry jam” and “Easy Like Sunday Morning Blueberry Jam”, they provide a little levity and sweetness to otherwise dreary winter mornings. And they may be the only breakfast treats we’ve seen that come with a typed manifesto.

We’re thrilled to welcome Anarchy to Provisions on Sunday, February 21 from 3-5pm for a special tasting. Want to know the difference between jam, jelly, preserves, conserves and marmalade? Interested in making your own jam this summer? Come taste Anarchy in a Jar and ask away! The revolution will not be televised! Well, unless Laena lands herself a fat food network contract, anyway. . .

In addition to being a perfect protein potion, Bobby Sue’s nuts are also produced locally – in Chappaqua, NY, to be precise, and a portion of the proceeds of sales of her specialty nuts are dedicated to building animal shelters and supporting animal welfare. Now we dare you to find a reason NOT to eat them.

In addition to Bobby Sue’s visit, we just heard from Michela and Carlo of Palazzetto Ardi that she’s baked a special bread to serve with their Cabernet Sauvignon at this weekend’s tastings. She’s tweaked the recipe of a bread traditionally dipped in red wine in their region in the Gambellara so that baked inside is a mix of their cabernet and chopped walnuts. If you make it to one tasting this year, make it to this one!