Jim Feldman

Jim Feldman is the food sleuth and adventurous home cook who is the creator and director of The Ingredient Finder. Jim has lived, eaten, and explored the world and has an insatiable desire to learn about ingredients and how to use them.

Like millions of other home cooks, I love to eat and I love to make interesting food. For a long time, I was frustrated by not being able to find many of the authentic ingredients for fine home cooking at my local supermarket. If exotic ingredients are available, they pale in comparison to the vibrant spices, robust oils, and pure flavors I have found in local markets around the world. Like many busy people these days, I don’t have time to search for these ingredients at obscure ethnic markets or pricey gourmet shops, if they can be found at all.

So I became The Ingredient Finder. My passion is to bring over 10,000 of the best of the world’s ingredients to the millions of home cooks and food enthusiasts who want to be kitchen heroes. I created theingredientfinder.com, to be their primary resource for shopping as well as for information about cooking with the best ingredients the world has to offer.

As the host of theingredientfinder.com, I strive to provide a lively forum for food lovers. A place where home cooks can share ideas, recipes, and food memories with guest chefs like Lior Sercarz, prominent cookbook writers like Francine Segan, author of “Dolci: Italy’s Sweets” and talented amateur cooks. A place to find exciting answers to “What shall I cook tonight?”

Because cooking at home should not be a chore,
but a daily voyage of discovery.

More Recipes From Jim Feldman

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Sicilian Style

A twist on a classic accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner that I happened upon recently in Italy. We recommend using Calvi Quadro Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Giusti’s Family Reserve Balsamic Vinegar to make this dish extraordinary.

Homemade Basil Pesto

Pesto is a simple, delicious and fragrant sauce for pasta, fish or meat. Here is how to capture the essence of summer and how to freeze pesto for a cold winter night’s treat.

London Broil Spiced Up

Let your imagination roam the globe with any of our Spice Blends that suit your fancy to enhance your meals.

Deviled Eggs alla Nonna Flora

This recipe brightens up with Spicy Spanish Paprika, richly flavored Green Olive Tapenade and extraordinary Piquillo Peppers.

Quick “Pizza” Rolls from Sicily

Here is fast, fun and delicious treat that you can make in no time flat. I learned this in the home of a close friend I visited in Italy recently. She is originally from Sicily, though she lives in the north now, and she makes magic in her kitchen. Kids – and grownups – love these. Make a lot, they go very fast. You can also make this as a loaf, slice and serve while it is hot.

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (see note)
Calvi Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Quadro”
Turmeric
Sesame Seeds
Organic White Truffle Oil
Organic Aragon Black Olive Tapenade
La Boite a Epices Smoked Cinnamon
Calvi Pepperoncini Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You’ll also need a sheet of parchment paper and a baking sheet.

Note:
You can make pizza dough yourself if so inclined, or you can buy it ready made from a pizza parlor or a good specialty store. I recently bought it in both, and the pizza place had the better, fresher dough – and it cost much less.

Preparation

Pre-heat your oven to 425. Place a rack just above center position. Line the baking sheet with parchment, drizzle some olive oil on it and brush it lightly over the surface. If you are making rolls, form the dough into balls about 1.5″ diameter and place on the sheet. Take a small amount of sesame seeds and press them into the top of as many rolls as you like. With the turmeric, pull the dough apart, spinkle half a teaspoon onto to dough, and roll to re-form a ball. With the tapenade, pull the dough open, add half a teaspoon or so to the center, and re-roll. On others brush truffle oil inside and/or on top. For a breakfast version, mix a teaspoon of smoked cinnamon with an equal amount of sugar, and spread on the inside of an opened ball of dough. Re-roll and top with a bit more.

Bake the rolls in the heated oven until golden brown and well risen.

If you would like to make a loaf, pat the dough into a flattened loaf shape about 3/4″ tall and press seeds into the top, or top with truffle oil and so on. You can add any of the fillings to the loaf center and re-form it. Bake until golden and risen, and serve.

Serve the rolls or loaf with a small bowl of olive oil. We particularly enjoy a spicy version, Enjoy.