Roasting vegetables is easy.

You can toss pretty much any vegetable with olive oil and seasoning and roast it in the oven.

The happy result: a low-calorie, nutritious and delicious side (or a vegetarian main with some protein).

But sometimes the results are less than perfect.

There are a few guidelines to guarantee your veggies will be caramelized and divine—not overcooked and soft.

You need to get three things right: the right temperature, the right oven placement, and the right timing.

“Each type of vegetable has a sweet spot,” says Good Eggs, a premier purveyor of fine foods in the San Francisco Bay area.

“So we tested and tested again to find that perfect combination of temperature, placement and timing for each of our favorite fall vegetables.”

They compiled that information into the infographic below, and allowed us to share it with you.

Read their full article for details on how to slice, dice and season six favorite fall veggies.

Go veggies! Go roasted veggies! Go make some now!

Roast your favorite fall veggies to perfection (photo and infographic © Good Eggs).

[1] Two types of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena you should know: regular and invecchiato, which is aged in barrels for three years or more (all photos © Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena).

[2] There are several uses for balsamic below, but one you might not have thought of is on ice cream!

[3] The EU’s Protected Geographic Indication seal (PGI) assures that you are buying authentic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

[4] As balsamic vinegar ages, it becomes thicker and more concentrated.

[5] Spruce up a baked potato with balsamic-marinated cherry tomatoes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[6] Balsamic glazed salmon. Here’s the recipe, and more about how to use balsamic glaze (photo © DeLallo).

The Consorzio Aceto Balsamico di Modena (Consortium of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) has declared a new food holiday: November 1st Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Day.

Balsamic vinegar is one the most important Italian food products—and also one of the most knocked-off.

There is a lot of balsamic vinegar sold that is imitation balsamic. It hasn’t been made according to the rules and regulations of the Consorzio

Some inexpensive supermarket or big chain balsamics are simply cheap red wine vinegar colored and flavored with caramel.

If it’s inexpensive, it’s imitation!

With so many bottles on the shelves, it’s not always easy to locate the authentic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. be To certain:

 
The things to look out for follow, but first:

> Here’s more about imitation balsamic.

> The different types of balsamic vinegar.

> The different types of vinegar: a photo glossary.

> The history of vinegar.

Below:

> The history of balsamic vinegar.

> Favorite ways to use balsamic vinegar.

> The year’s 6 vinegar holidays.
 
 
WHAT IS AUTHENTIC BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Today, the authentic balsamic vinegar of Modena, Italy—Aceto Balsamico di Modena—is still made under the same very strict conditions that have guided it for centuries.

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena specifications require that:

 
If the product is aged for 3 years or more it is labeled “invecchiato” (aged).

But that’s not all! In order for the product to be certified as Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, analytic and organoleptic tests by expert technicians and tasters are performed on the vinegar while it’s still in barrels.

If it passes the test finished product is then packaged into glass, wooden, ceramic or terracotta containers of varying sizes. The European logo of the “Protected Geographical Indication” guarantees the authenticity of the product to the consumers.
 
 
BEYOND INVECCHIATO

The oldest and most complex balsamics are the “traditional” balsamics, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. These are aged for a minimum of 12 years. Extra Vecchio (Extra Old) balsamics are aged for a minimum of 25 years.

The older they get, the more the vinegar evaporates in the barrel, the more concentrated and syrupy the vinegars becomes. You can find balsamics aged 50, 75 years, and older, costing hundreds of dollars for just 3.4 ounces.

These precious balsamics are not used in cooking, but as garnishes: dribbled by the drop onto Parmigiano-Reggiano or other fine cheese, foie gras, seafood, ice cream…or as a digestif at the end of the meal, served on a little spoon.
 
 
FAVORITE USES FOR BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Whether invecchiato or younger, any balsamic can be used in:

 
Here’s more about each of these uses.

[7] Caprese flatbread with balsamic glaze. Here’s the recipe (photo © For The Love Of Cooking).

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena’s origin dates back to ancient Rome, when grape must* was cooked down into a syrup used as a sweetener and condiment—and as a medicine, too.

Production of balsamic vinegar became linked with the Italian city of Modena during the 11th century.

Toward the end of the 13th century, the art of vinegar production was cultivated at the court of the Dukes of Este in Modena. But it was not until 1747 that the adjective “balsamic” appeared in the registers of the cellars of the dukes.

In the 19th century, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena became known and appreciated abroad.

Since then, the bitter-sweet balanced flavor, with its intense deep brown color and luscious aroma, has become a favorite with connoisseurs worldwide.

Here’s more of the history of balsamic vinegar.

Here’s more about how balsamic vinegar is made.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 6 VINEGAR HOLIDAYS

 
Plus:

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*Grape must (from the Latin vinum mustum, young wine ) is freshly crushed grape juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit.

†There are two National Vinegar Days. June 16th is been mentioned in some older newspaper archives, but November 1st is the date more commonly associated with the holiday.
 
 

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November 1st is National Fried Clams Day.

Fried clams is a dish that we always eat at restaurants, because cleaning, shucking and deep fat frying is a lot of work.

It’s especially more so because a recipe like the following yields just 12 fried clams. That’s enough for one hearty eater.

But if you’re game, here’s a recipe from an authentic Down Easter, Tim Connolly of Freeport, Maine.

The recipe is courtesy of Taste Of Home magazine.

One thing about eastern-style fried clams is that they’re made with the whole claim, and a cornmeal-based batter. Plus:

 
Below you’ll find:

> A recipe for great fried clams.

> The year’s 5 clam holidays.

> The history of fried clams.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The year’s 56 fish and seafood holidays.

> The history of clams.

> Clams 101: what you need to know about buying and preparing clams.
 
 
RECIPE: DEEP FRIED CLAMS

You can fry the clams in an electric skillet, a deep-fat fryer, or other pot you use for frying.

The recipes for cocktail sauce and tartar sauce are in the footnotes below.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

[1] Fried cherrystone clams. The recipe is below (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] Fried Ipswich clams (photo © Arch Rock Fish [alas, permanently closed]).

[3] Serve the clams with tartar sauce (above), cocktail sauce, ketchup, or simply fresh lemon wedges: The choice is yours. The recipes for tartar and cocktail sauces are in the footnotes below (photo © Taste Of Home).

2. DIP the clams in the batter and shake off the excess. Coat with the cornmeal mixture.

3. HEAT the oil to 375°F. Fry the clams, a few at a time, for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

4. SERVE immediately with lemon and sauce(s)—recipes are below in the footnotes. While frozen fried clams need some added flavor, fresh fried clams don’t need a dipping sauce. A lemon wedge will do.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 5 CLAM HOLIDAYS

 
Plus

 
 
THE HISTORY OF FRIED CLAMS

While clams had been cooked for millennia, in New England Americans had traditionally baked them (the Native Americans taught clambakes to the Pilgrims) or cooked in chowders. But modern fried clams were created by restaurant owner Lawrence “Chubby” Woodman of Essex, Massachusetts. Part of the Cape Ann peninsula, (distinct from Cape Cod), Essex is known for its antique shops, shipbuilding history, and beautiful beaches, attracting tourists.

Woodman and his wife Bessie had a clam shack, selling freshly dug steamer clams, ice cream, and homemade potato chips. As the story goes, on July 3, 1916, he had on hand a vat of hot oil for his potato chips and a large quantity of clams harvested from the mud flats of Essex. A visiting fisherman friend suggested that he try frying some clams in the oil. Following the first batch, some tweaking perfected the recipe, and the modern fried clam was born: a salty, crunchy-crisp coating with a soft, briny clam underneath.

Woodman developed the technique of shucking soft-shell clams (he used local Ipswich clams), dipping them in evaporated milk and a cornmeal/flour batter, and deep-frying. His deep-frying technique was quick, efficient, and perfect fare for a roadside stand; he effectively transformed clams into fast-food.

While this may seem like a no-brainer to us, Woodman’s fried clams were a new, public sensation. Before Woodman, fried clams might have been made using hard-shell clams or different coatings, but Woodman’s specific recipe and commercial approach established the beloved New England classic. Other restaurants adopted the practice and eventually inspiring the creation of clam strips by others, bringing fried clams to the masses.

The next leap forward in fried clams were clam strips, invented around 1932 by Thomas N. Soffron, a clam digger and restaurateur from Ipswich, Massachusetts (just 3-6 miles from Essex). Seeking a more durable, easily transportable alternative to the traditional soft-shell fried, he sliced the “foot” off of hard-shell clams and fried them. His clam strips became popular nationwide through an exclusive deal with the Howard Johnson’s restaurant chain.

Woodman also came up with the idea of mobilizing the traditional New England clam bake. He loaded a truck with food (clams, lobster, potatoes, corn), boilers, and wood and brought it to the customer’s preferred location. The family business, founded in 1914, is still growing strong: a large employer in the area with more than 200 staff during the summer months. Here’s more about it.
 

[4] Clam strips make it easy to enjoy a clam roll (photo © Ant DM | iStock Photo).
 
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*Canola oil and peanut oil are ideal for deep frying, because of their high smoke points

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