by Bruce Steele | Apr 25, 2016 | WF News, What Chefs Say
Winfield Farm Mangalitsa Wowed the Crowd at the 3rd Annual Santa Barbara Food and Wine Neighborhood Market Tour at the Bacara Resort
Capping our spring fling promoting Winfield Farm Mangalitsa pork, we were honored and delighted to represent the Santa Ynez Valley farm community, among Santa Barbara County’s most talked about culinary neighborhoods, all gathered on a sunny Sunday in April in the beautiful surroundings of the Bacara Resort’s Courtyard, to celebrate and benefit The Julia Child Foundation.
The Food and Wine Neighborhood Market Tour at the Bacara, a world-class resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, featured tastings by dozens of local and nationally-acclaimed chefs, artisans, winemakers and farmers. Our Winfield Farm table served up Mangalitsa meatballs dipped in secret sauce created by Chef extraordinaire Jensen Lorenzen (Bruce’s nephew), which he fired on his yakitori grill. Bruce and I slathered artisan crackers with Mangalitsa Nduja – a new Winfield Farm product created by our salumi partner Alle Pia from cured Mangalitsa salami Barolo, ground and infused with Palmina Nebbiolo wine, with sun dried tomatoes, garlic and seasonings. Nduja’s texture is reminiscent of tomato paste, but the flavor is out-of-this-world piquant!! Alle Pia partner Alex Pellini also joined us and offered their hand-crafted salami Barolo and Tartufo.
The event was patterned after a farmers’ market, hours 11 AM to 2 PM. Throngs of people table hopped, sampling food and drink from diverse communities including Santa Barbara’s eclectic Funk Zone, Old Town Goleta, the Arts District, Los Alamos and Lompoc, as well as SY Valley.
Food and wine presentation tables ringed the courtyard, while dozens of cloth-draped tea tables scattered about offered tasters a place to sit and enjoy the food and drink.
Event presenters all committed to providing 500 servings – and between the meatballs, Nduja and salami we must have at least doubled that quantity. It seemed that as soon as Chef Jensen set out a tray of Manga meatballs, they vaporized — and the same with the Nduja and salami. Then we noticed the same people coming back again and again … a group of people sitting at the tea table nearest our stand had become fast fans of Mangalitsa pork!
The crowd came early and many lingered until the last taste and sip were stowed away. The Bacara’s Neighborhood Market Tour was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday — educating friends and neighbors about the magical flavor of Mangalitsa pork. Many stopped by to thank us for sharing, and to compliment Winfield Mangalitsa as the best bite of the event. The Chefs at the Bacara also took note. Winfield Mangalitsa pork is now featured on the Bacara Bistro’s breakfast menu! And the Chef told us they’re opening a new restaurant soon, and expressed interest in Winfield Mangalitsa chops… We’re excited about that prospect!
Photo gallery:
Chef Jensen, Bruce and Alex lay out Winfield Mangalitsa tasting at the Bacara
Event goers crowd the Winfield Farm table at the Bacara Taste of the Communities Event
Mangalitsa meatballs yakitori
New product: Mangalitsa Nduja infused with Palmina Nebbiolo
by Bruce Steele | Mar 25, 2016 | WF News, What Chefs Say
Winfield Farm Presents the Magic of Mangalitsa at the American Culinary Federation Chefs de Cuisine of California, Los Angeles Chapter
Cochon 555 was just the start of a whirlwind weekend in LA, promoting Winfield Mangalitsa pork!
Our great adventure began with a chance meeting with Chef Daniel Csotai, who visited Winfield Farm in search of backfat to make Hungarian bacon. A Hungarian who grew up with Mangalitsa pigs and is passionate about their flavor profile, Chef Daniel now also happens to be the secretary of the American Culinary Federation Chefs de Cuisine of California, Los Angeles Chapter. CCAC is a fraternal service organization and member of the national American Culinary Federation, the oldest and largest chef organization in America.
Chef Daniel agreed to help us reach out to the Los Angeles culinary community, introduced us to the CCAC education chair, and that’s how we wound up showcasing Winfield Mangalitsa at a special CCAC event – Bourbon and game tasting, hosted by CCAC member Chef Hugo Miranda at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel LAX. Except in this case, the “game” was Mangalitsa pork. More serendipitous, the event took place the day after Cochon 555, so after securing a reliable pig-sitter, we got to spend a night in LA – a mini-vacation.
Bruce opened his presentation with a history of Mangalitsa pigs, who nearly went extinct until Spanish prosciiutto-makers discovered that Mangalitsa is on par with famed Iberico de Bellota ham. In fact, Mangalitsas are the only other pig besides Iberico approved to be labeled “pata negra”.
Bruce told chefs how Winfield Farm Mangalitsas are raised – on pasture, with a non-GMO diet consisting of barley and organic produce, finished with acorns and walnuts. Barley preserves the quality of the luscious white fat, he said. Corn turns the fat rancid over time — not a good thing when you’re hanging a ham to dry cure for a couple of years.
Bruce’s nephew, chef Jensen Lorenzen, attended the event with us and extolled the attributes of Mangalitsa pork from a chef’s perspective. Mangalitsa’s prime value is for charcuterie, and several chefs asked technical questions about the curing process and sausage-making. Making sausage is another excellent thing to do with Mangalitsa fat, which is very high in oleic acid – the good fat!
Then came the tasting.
Chef Hugo Miranda has served as Executive Chef in some of the most high-end restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Adding to his experience as a high-end culinarian, Chef Miranda spent half a year in Costa Rica enhancing his culinary expertise in fine local Asian fusion cuisine. His creativity preparing Winfield Mangalitsa loin and rib roast was inspirational – a real tribute to the magic of Mangalitsa pork.
After the feast he revealed his secret: he marinated the roast in a brine with orange juice and herbs for two days! Chef Hugo’s Mangalitsa entrée was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
His dessert – Mangalitsa bacon-infused bread pudding – was yummy also (although by that time we were so full we couldn’t finish it all).
Chef Hugo received an award from the CCAC for his commitment to the association; it was well deserved. He promised before the event, “Yes I’ll make sure we showcase Mangalitsa!!!” He was true to his word: he really did it !!
Thanks again, Chef Hugo! Everyone at the event loved Winfield Mangalitsa pork!
Photo gallery:
Winfield display at CCAC
Charcuterie close-up — Coppa, Lomo and Fiocco
Serving Winfield Mangalitsa loin roast
Chef Hugo reveals his secret to preparing mouth-watering Mangalitsa
CCAC presents award to Chef Hugo
by Bruce Steele | Mar 20, 2016 | WF News, What Chefs Say
Winfield Mangalitsa goes to LA – COCHON 555
Spring is always a busy time at Winfield Farm – and this year is proving to be busier than usual. Besides tending the new crop of Manga piglets, moving (and rebuilding) fence, herding pigs to new pastures, (praying for rain!), we’re ramping up our marketing efforts, with exciting new prospects – many in the City of Angels!
This spring we entered a 200-pound Mangalitsa pig into the Cochon 555 event in LA, which took place at the exclusive Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica on Sunday March 13.
Cochon is a national competition conducted in 10 locations across the country, where five chefs each create six nose-to-tail bites, to be judged by an elite panel. Our partner in this venture was executive chef Jason Neroni from the Rose Café, the iconic restaurant in the heart of Venice Beach, California that has served locals and travelers alike since 1979. Chef Jason’s menu focuses on local Southern California cuisine with an international influence from his world travels – which included an invitation from the country of Spain to serve as a culinary ambassador, where he worked alongside some of Spain’s best chefs. Spain’s interest in Hungarian Mangalitsa pigs, ranked with Spanish Iberico as the only black-footed hogs allowed to be labeled ‘pata negra’, was instrumental in saving Mangalitsas from extinction. Chef Jason knows all about Mangalitsas — so he was the perfect partner for our Hungarian wooly pig.
Chef Jason’s menu for Cochon is a statement to his creativity – and his skill in displaying the rich flavor profile of Mangalitsa pork:
Testa pastrami and taleggio croissant / deli pickles (delicious)
Roasted pork meatballs (amazing!) / smoked burrata, chicarones (melt in your mouth crispy), tomato marmalade
Lasagna / fennel and pork sugo, porcini jus (in the opinion of many, the best bite in the competition!)
Buerre de jamon / blood butter, shaved prosciutto cotto and lomo, demi baguette (sooo good!)
Double ramen / pork fat, spring garlic, fermented turnips, poached belly, noodles (the best of all the ramens)
Stuffed trotter terrine / foie gras, black truffles, cognac soaked morels (absolutely elegant)
As participating farmers, we were able to sample the tastings of all the chefs ahead of the crowd that swarmed the Viceroy’s patio. Both Bruce and I voted for Chef Jason as the best bites in the competition!! We would have voted the same way even if our pig wasn’t competing! Chef Jason Neroni really did Winfield Farm Mangalitsa proud.
Thanks again, Chef!!
A photo gallery of Cochon activity
Chef Jason at his table
Chef Jason prepares a tasting
Prepping trotter terrine
Judges sampling bites – #4 – Chef Jason, The Rose Cafe
Chef Jason describing bites
by Bruce Steele | Mar 12, 2016 | WF News, What Chefs Say
Join us in Santa Barbara April 15-17th for the 3rd Annual Santa Barbara Food & Wine Weekend
http://www.bacararesort.com/santa-barbara-food-wine-weekend/?NCK=8889063421
Winfield Farm is delighted to represent Santa Ynez Valley – Buellton farms at the Neighborhood Market Tour on Sunday April 17 at the Bacara,
11 AM to 2 PM. Visit our table and taste the magical creations of Chef Jensen Lorenzen. We look forward to seeing you.
by Bruce Steele | Nov 23, 2015 | WF News
News Alert: We now have a fresh supply of Winfield Mangalitsa pork cuts in our Mangalitsa Market
Now on hand: sliced hickory-smoked bacon, bone-in chops, ground pork (sweet Italian); bone-in hickory smoked hams, bone-in loin roast, Boston butt roast, smoked hocks.
Visit our Mangalitsa Market online, but please call first to ensure availability. Supplies are going quickly!
Good grief! Where does time go?
Fall is in the air, even though the days were still uncommonly warm heading into Thanksgiving week. Bruce has been a busy man this summer, “pig-herding” our Mangalitsas, whose population doubled this spring when eight sows farrowed a total of 60 piglets. The “gang of 60” is now 5-6 months old, and a very rowdy bunch indeed, but it’s hilarious to watch them cavort (you can see the circus on video on the Winfield Farm Facebook page*. Check out the link: https://www.winfieldfarm.us/?p=1381).
Pigs cannot be herded, by the way. We discovered this after the group of “30”, farrowed last summer and ready for market, broke through the fence separating them from Bruce’s garden, where more than 100 grafted heirloom tomato plants were nearly ready to harvest, along with the rest of the produce we’d grown to stock our farm stand this summer. Porcine glee was evident – and not to be dissuaded – as the marauders systematically demolished everything in what seemed record time: 15 minutes was all it took to undo several months of hard labor. Asi es la vida…
(Lesson learned: Bruce will erect a double fence between garden and piggies next year!)
On a positive note, Winfield Farm Mangas have attracted attention from a growing number of world-class chefs. In the Santa Ynez Valley, Industrial Eats in Buellton is a steady customer, as is Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos. The Ballard Inn now also features Winfield Farm Mangalitsa pork, and Hitching Post II is a fan, too. In fact, chef/owner Frank Ostini took Winfield Mangalitsa chops to the Celebration of Harvest Festival in October and did a cooking demo. According to reviews: it was fabulous.
Frank also extolled Winfield Mangalitsa pork in a “Pairing Wine with Fire” feature article in the Santa Barbara Independent:
Which meat with chardonnay?
Ostini: I’m pining for a Winfield Farm Mangalitsa pork chop, grown by Santa Ynez Valley rancher Bruce Steele, who is my neighbor. It is for sure the greatest “other white meat.” The white part of this is the fat that is so flavorful, rich, and glorious when grilled and cuts through the acidity of the [Hitching Post] Sta. Rita Hills chardonnay, making it a perfect match….
Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos also will begin featuring Winfield Mangalitsa pork soon. We delivered our first pig on November 20, and charcuterie chef Drew Tarp is excited to create new head-to-hoof delicacies.
One outstanding feature of Mangalitsa is its pure white, mouth-watering fat. A rare heritage lard hog, prime Mangalitsa pork may contain as much as 50 percent fat – but it’s very high in oleic acid–the good fat!
Brian Polcyn, well-known chef/author of the book Charcuterie, gave us a lesson in Mangalitsa fat vs. other pigs at the Mangalitsa Breeders Conference in Michigan this past summer. Bruce and I actually escaped for a “vacation” — while son Eric came down from the Bay Area to mind our pigs. (*He created the video of a typical day in the life — feeding the rowdies, making wallows etc. – and filmed it double-time for effect!)
As part of the breeders conference, we toured the meat department at Michigan State University, an impressive facility, where Polcyn illustrated the difference between Manga and a typical market pig — at least double the fat cap, which is what makes Mangalitsa flavor so sublime. Fat is also responsible for making Mangalitsa perfect for charcuterie — ranked with Spanish Iberico Bellota as the best prosciutto in the world!
Brian Polcyn illustrates why chefs pay more for Mangalitsa pork: taste and quality.
“Fat is flavor. Fat is our friend. We love fat!”
The Mangalitsa Breeders Conference was a great getaway for both of us. Much of the activity took place at Wilhelm Kohl and partner Marc Santucci’s “Pure Mangalitsa” farm in Haslett MI, where they are importing new blood lines for blond and red Mangalitsas from Hungary via quarantine in the Netherlands.
After the instructional class session at MSU’s meat lab, the conference transformed into a 2-day party – a Mangalitsa feast, where Mangalitsa breeders from all over the country networked, shared their home-made charcuterie and cooked up a stew of – Mangalitsa.
Another highlight of our adventure: we met Peter Toth, president of the Hungarian Mangalitsa Breeders Association, who is widely acclaimed as the person who saved Mangalitsa pigs from extinction.
Peter Toth, left and Csaba Papp, Mangalitsa genetics expert, pose before a poster promoting Hungarian Mangalitsa
Now that the dog days of summer are waning, Bruce is scrambling to prepare for the monster El Niño that is predicted to strike this winter. Early forecasts project this as at least as tumultuous as the 1997 event, and perhaps a record-breaker (cautionary news for those of us who live in the 100-year flood plain of the Santa Ynez River…)
Bruce built an “ark”, a huge covered structure about 26 feet wide and 80 feet long, incorporating our farrowing sheds, to provide shelter on both sides of two pig pastures.
In addition, the gang of 60 will have access to our 70 x 30 hoop house and the old gray chicken coop that Bruce remodeled to shelter pigs.
We also leased several acres near by on Drum Canyon Road, on high ground, just in case our fields go underwater here… and that requires more fence building.
Bruce is also working to establish cover on our fields before the rains come, to retain the topsoil. Thankfully the grass he seeded last spring is regenerating nicely after rotating pigs off pasture — well enough to let our market-ready pigs back on it for a little foraging fun before they go to market.
Winfield Mangalitsas have a good life — and a naturally good diet based on pasture, squash, acorns in season and barley (to keep white fat white and pure). Winfield pigs eat NO GMOs…
One more thing that we’re proud to say: We invested in solar last year, so we’re now running our entire farm, including 2 wells, the house and barn, 3 freezers – everything – on alternative energy this year.
We have a new supply of Mangalitsa pork on hand in time for the holidays. Please viist our Mangalitsa Market and email or call to order. Taste the magic for yourself!
We wish you a very Happy Holiday season.
All our best,
Bruce & Diane
by Bruce Steele | Jul 21, 2015 | WF News
July 21, 2015
We’re delighted to announce the next chapter in our quest for superior flavor – Winfield Farm Mangalitsa salami barolo – the fruits of a unique partnership between three connoisseurs of good taste: Winfield Farm, Alle Pia and Palmina Winery.
This story begins with a chance meeting with Antonio Varia, Chef and owner of Buona Tavola restaurants in Paso Robles and SLO, and his nephew, Alex Pellini. Both Antonio and Alex also create fine-cured meats at Alle Pia Handcrafted Italian Salumi. “It was our tradition in Italy to make salami each winter with our entire family,” Antonio says. He named his artisanal salumi-curing venture Alle-Pia in honor of his mother, Maria Pia Allesina. Their philosophy: “Alle-Pia Salami is made with the finest ingredients using traditional old world family recipes. Handcrafted and created with love under careful supervision in our USDA inspected state-of-the-art facility.”
Mangalitsa pork is renown for charcuterie, ranked among the best in the world for prosciutto, lomo, pancetta and the like. But what about salami? We posed the question to Chef Antonio and Alex. They had not worked with Mangalitsa before, but they were willing to try. We added another challenge: Alle- Pia’s traditional salami barolo recipe uses Italian wine — nebbiolo. But a local Santa Ynez Valley winery, Palmina, makes world-class nebbiolo also. What about producing a totally local product, utilizing Winfield Farm Mangalitsa pork and Palmina nebbiolo?
We approached Steve and Chrystal Clifton at Palmina and both were enthusiastic. Palmina is all about relationships. “Relationships that bring people back to the table to sustain themselves with good wine and food, conversation and a small respite from the hustle and bustle of today’s world.” According to the Palmina Wines website, “Palmina crafts wines that are a key part of that equation; wines that can be enjoyed everyday, and that complement and enhance a wide range of food styles.” Palmina produces wines from Italian varietals grown in Santa Barbara County, after Steve and Chrystal found that the climate and soil types here are similar to their favorite regions of Northern Italy.
Antonio and Alex also liked the local approach. So the experiment began. After close to two months of curing in Alle-Pia’s temperature-humidity-controlled room, we met to sample the results. Spectacular! Amazing! Creamy! Delicious! Actually, indescribably good!
So the partnership is cemented! Alle-Pia wants more Mangalitsa to cure (also eager to make lardo from Mangalitsa backfat and serve Manga loins in their Buona Tavola restaurants). Palmina Winery is planning to showcase Winfield salami Barolo at their 20th anniversary celebration in August, and will promote it in their tasting room. And we also will offer Winfield Farm Mangalitsa salami Barolo as a new product on our online Mangalitsa Market store.
Get it while you can! Supplies are limited now… (but we will be producing more…) https://www.winfieldfarm.us/?page_id=1111
Alle-Pia also makes a killer Tuscan salami with sangiovese – and Palmina also produces a sublime sangiovese…
A hand-written sign on the door to the curing rooms at Alle-Pia says, prophetically, “This is the beginning of something good.” Indeed! This partnership is just beginning… Stay tuned.
Alex Pellini and Antonio Varia
Chef Jensen, Bruce and Alex lay out Winfield Mangalitsa tasting at the Bacara
Event goers crowd the Winfield Farm table at the Bacara Taste of the Communities Event
Mangalitsa meatballs yakitori
New product: Mangalitsa Nduja infused with Palmina Nebbiolo