If you've wandered the food isles at Costco lately, you may have noticed that Martha Stewart's foot soldiers have made landfall and established a beachhead. A new line of food products featuring the domestic diva is scattered throughout the store. If the two that I sampled are any indication-- and I say this begrudgingly-- they are well worth your attention.
The pork meatballs are redolent with lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro. Don't let the habanero scare you away-- c'mon, this is Martha "Mainstream" Stewart-- its kick is restrained and appropriate. These are meatballs that stand alone as appetizers-- no sauce required. You'll just keep popping them into your mouth until they're gone.
I like a good pot pie. The problem is that good pot pies are extremely difficult to find in the freezer aisle. Forget the normal supermarket-- Swanson, Marie Callender, Claim Jumper-- all horrid. For years my go-to pie has been the Trader Joe's turkey pot pie, but that item appears to have been discontinued. Their chicken pot pie isn't nearly as good, with the chicken looking like it came from a can. So when I recommend Martha Stewart's Chicken Slab Pie, it's with some measure of authority on the subject. The product feels expensive at $10 for two 16 oz, pies, but it's worth every penny. The flavors are complex and rich, with bright herbal notes foreign to other pot pies. The crust is flaky and spot-on, the chicken moist and tender. If you were served this slab pie at a cozy bistro, you might never suspect it was a frozen entree. I throw some sweet potato fries (also from Costco, but not Martha) on the baking sheet for some extra starchy goodness, but few people's appetites are as robust as mine.
Among the other items in Martha's Costco line are an apple-raspberry slab pie I intend to try, having read good things about it on the interwebs. The next time you're in the warehouse giant, help an ex-con out in these trying economic times and toss a few of her offerings into your cart. Yeah, it's Martha Stewart. But at least it's not Rachel Ray.
Posted by Peter at January 21, 2009 2:12 PM