Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is to this north central Italian city what sourdough bread is to San Francisco. It truly is a unique product with special qualities that can't quite be matched elsewhere. That, however, isn't too surprising because the residents of Modena have spent hundreds of years perfecting its rich, mildly tart flavor. What makes Modena's legendary local vinegar so different from others? No one knows.

Chef Mark McDonald of Old Vine Cafe in Costa Mesa will be leading his third annual culinary tour of southern Italy in March. McDonald will be teaming up with Italian Culinary Institute master chef John Nocita for a 10-day tour of Calabria and Sicily, exploring the southern region's history, culture and cuisine. From March 14 to 23, the “ Splendors of South Italy ” trip will visit sustainable farms and winemakers throughout the region and include hands-on cooking classes such as a pasta course showing participants how to prepare more than 50 different types of pasta.

The garnet-colored liquid that ermes Malpighi poured from the small, time-worn barrel was so thick and concentrated that it took a good quarter of a minute for it to flow like some precious sap into the ceramic spoon I held in my hand.

This popular French dish incorporates some of the best produce summer has to offer in a simple, yet bright and colorful medley of flavors. Eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers and zucchini are combined with onion, garlic, herbs and a touch of balsamic vinegar in a robust dish that can be served as a main course (with rice or pasta, or toasted crostini) or as a side or appetizer. Serve the ratatouille warm, or make it ahead of time and serve it cold or at room temperature. For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery . Food editor Russ Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.

THE NEWS in July that the Corti Bros. grocery on Folsom Boulevard was closing spread through town like wildfire. You'd have thought the city was losing its NBA team, or even the state Capitol. A petition to keep the store in its current location was started and quickly amassed almost 1,500 signatures. Mayor Heather Fargo got involved in the effort. Then, when a who's who of the area's chefs gathered last week for a press conference to protest the closing, the event turned instead into a celebration when it was announced that the seemingly unprepossessing market -- home base of Darrell Corti, chief provisioner of the 1970s California food revolution -- would remain where it is, at least for now. The competing gourmet business that had leased the building even took out an ad in the Sacramento Bee to announce it was abandoning the site and to explain its side of the story.

In this week's Sunday Magazine, forking over the bucks for real balsamic vinegar. Also, a review of a statement-making Monrovia restaurant.

Just a short note to thank you for your sensible and well-balanced approach to the issues you cover in your columns. You have given me much confidence as I got about my business in the kitchen. Certainly the balsamic vinegar you suggest in today's column (In the Kitchen, Aug. 4) is a good idea (I've been using it for the last year) but the simplest version of a broiled tomato (which is not exactly stuffed) using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper, kosher salt, Greek oregano and Parmesan, produces a result that goes far in my house, where some won't eat anchovies.

* De-glaze a hot skillet with a little vinegar to loosen the bits left sticking to the pan after sauteing vegetables, meat, poultry or fish. Balsamic vinegar is good for this, as it is full-bodied without being harsh. * Finish a soup with a little vinegar. Start with 1 1/2 teaspoons for 8 cups soup, adding more as required for taste. * Vary proportions of vinegar in vinaigrettes according to the vinegar that you're using.

This balsamic vinegar is wonderfully flavored with California black Mission figs, plus a hint of orange and spice. Use it as a fat-free dressing on salads, serve it as a dip for bread, pour it on fresh fruit or use it as a marinade for chicken and pork. Fig Balsamic vinegar, 6.76-ounce and 12.7-ounce bottles, $14 to $20, from Cloud 9, 970 Monument St., Pacific Palisades, (310) 459-2055; Surfas, 8825 National Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-4770; Bristol Farms stores and Sur La Table stores.

Italian balsamic vinegar is not as acidic as most vinegars, making it perfect to sprinkle over salads in place of high-calorie dressings. But it also can come with a high price tag. Balsamic vinegar carries the prestige of being made in and around Modena, Italy, using a 1,000-year-old process. The citizens of this north-central Italian town treat their aceto balsamico tradizionale like fine wine. Only 5,000 bottles are produced annually.

City Tavern in Culver City specializes in rustic American comfort food and has a breezy cocktail list to match. Mixologist Jeremy Back makes drinks laced with lots of light, fresh fruit juices and syrups, and gives them relaxing titles such as Front Porch Sippin and Cool Hand Luke. For White Sand Beach, he makes a mouthwatering watermelon shrub and stirs it up with tequila, soda water, orange bitters and a bit of lime zest. -- White Sand Beach by Jeremy Back ¾ ounce watermelon shrub (recipe below)

Total time: 45 minutes, plus cooling time for the beets Servings: 4 Note: Adapted from Alain Passard's "The Art of Cooking With Vegetables" 4 beets 3 tablespoons butter 3/4 pound blackberries 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Leaves from 4 sprigs purple basil (or green), coarsely cut 1 1/2 cups whole milk Fleur de sel or salt of your choice Flowers from a sprig of lavender 1. Cook the beets in lightly salted simmering water in a covered pan until tender, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on their size.

  Dear SOS: I am addicted to the Tuscan kale salad at Little Dom's in Los Angeles. I love kale no matter how I prepare it, but it never tastes quite as delicious as the Dom's salad. I am hoping it's 100% guilt free, but maybe there's a sinful ingredient in there somewhere? Any chance you can look into this for me? Elise Barclay Atwater Village Dear Elise: Because of its rather tough texture, greens like kale are often cooked to tenderize them before serving.

THE NEWS in July that the Corti Bros. grocery on Folsom Boulevard was closing spread through town like wildfire. You'd have thought the city was losing its NBA team, or even the state Capitol. A petition to keep the store in its current location was started and quickly amassed almost 1,500 signatures. Mayor Heather Fargo got involved in the effort. Then, when a who's who of the area's chefs gathered last week for a press conference to protest the closing, the event turned instead into a celebration when it was announced that the seemingly unprepossessing market -- home base of Darrell Corti, chief provisioner of the 1970s California food revolution -- would remain where it is, at least for now. The competing gourmet business that had leased the building even took out an ad in the Sacramento Bee to announce it was abandoning the site and to explain its side of the story.

Times Test Kitchen Director Donna Deane discovered this terrific vegetable sandwich at Zinc Cafe & Market in Laguna Beach. "I loved it for its freshness," she says. "The flavor is very light, but it's substantial." Spread with aioli and tapenade, rustic bread is layered with vegetables, a sliced hard-boiled egg, arugula and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's perfect for lunch after a farmers market morning. Zinc Cafe mixed vegetable sandwich Total time: 40 minutes Servings: 4 Note: You can store tapenade and aioli in the refrigerator several days.

Dear SOS: Citronelle Restaurant in the Santa Barbara Inn serves a side dish with a portabello mushroom over a mound of spinach that's cranberry flavored. I would appreciate having the recipe. Jim Barry Huntington Beach Dear Jim: This is pretty on the plate, the dark green of the spinach contrasting with the garnet-colored cranberry sauce on top. The spinach is sauteed in butter with shallots and would be a great side dish by itself. Check the freezer section at your market for cranberries.

Like many other stars of the new California cuisine, chef Leonard Schwartz has drawn his inspiration from European culinary training and American roots. And his cooking at 72 Market St. in Venice, where he is co-owner and executive chef, is an innovative interpretation of American-European culinary themes. "The cooks of my generation were trained in French restaurants," Schwartz says, "but they got bored with French food.

Once upon a time, vinegar mostly came in two types, cider and distilled. If you looked around, you might find red wine vinegar, maybe even white wine or rice wine vinegar. Then the foodie explosion of the '70s led to all sorts of doctored vinegars. Vinegar appeals to the kitchen tinkerer because it can't spoil, so you can add flavorings to it without risk. Why not throw in mint or basil or sage? Garlic, hot chiles, tangerine peel? Great fun. And then came the fruit vinegars.

DEAR SOS: Last fall we stayed at the Putney Inn in Putney, Vt. We had the baked onion and apple soup for dinner. Would the inn share the recipe? PAULINE HAVLINA Los Angeles DEAR PAULINE: The innkeeper, Randi Ziter, is delighted to share the inn's adaptation of the classic French soup. Because of the inn's location in southern Vermont--near apple orchards--adding the apples seemed quite natural, she said. Send requests to Culinary SOS, Food Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or e-mail to: cindy.

DEAR SOS: My family loves the grilled wild mushroom salad served at the Palomino in Westwood. Can you obtain the recipe? R. TAN Los Angeles DEAR R.: Sure. Grilled Wild Mushroom Salad Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour marinating Vegetarian BALSAMIC SHALLOT DRESSING 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 shallot, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup olive oil Combine the vinegar, sugar, shallot, garlic, pepper and salt in a mixing bowl.