I’ve mentioned before that I was raised in what was at the time a primarily Italian-American community. Even though my heritage is Irish and native American, I still grew up around a community that had a love of fresh, authentic Italian Cooking and ingredients. In my youth, most of these were still imported directly from Italy, from the Parmesan cheese in my favorite restaurant to the olive oil that graced the tables. Salamis were still aged in the old fashioned way (hung in a dry room until a thick white mold formed over the casing before they were “ready” for sale.) and the cooks searched the markets every morning in search of the freshest ingredients available for the days meal.

In a sense, I was spoiled rotten. In another sense, I was blessed by the best that California’s Wine Country had to offer.

I’ve longed for some of these ingredients since leaving Sonoma. They can be difficult to find outside of an Italian community, and even harder to find outside the state of California. But I have finally found them, and the wait was worth it.

OliveNation.com not only stocks a fabulous selection of olive oil from traditional farmers in Italy, but they also have just about anything else you might need to pull off some very authentic Italian dishes. I know that I haven’t done a lot of Italian Cooking here at Cooking by the seat of my Pants in the past, but that’s simply because I’ve been exploring other avenues over the past year. The sight of Olive Nation’s selections of sea salts, pastas and balsamic vinegars has me wondering why in the world I haven’t made more pasta lately. (OK, technically Udon Noodles are pasta, but you know what I mean.)

Great site, good prices, and free shipping until February 11th!

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