MarketBasket: Mortadella al Tartufo

It's no baloney to say Di Bruno Bros. is in big expansion mode. As if to emphasize, the city's premier gourmet retailer has added a mortadella laced with black truffles as an exclusive lure to its latest store, recently opened at the Franklin in Washington Square West. The mortadella from Rovagnati is traditional, and the pink-faced loaf of creamily pureed salumi is the perfect pork canvas for a vivid accent. Instead of the usual green pistachio spark, the flecks of black truffle infuse the meat with a perfume so heady it is, as the counterman behind Di Bruno's slicer said, "Hypnotic."  

- Craig LaBan

Mortadella with black truffles, $19.99 a pound, Di Bruno Bros. at the Franklin, 834 Chestnut St. (entrance on Ninth Street), 267-519-3115.

It's only been around 2,000 years, so what's your excuse for not trying this ancient roasted grain? This newly discovered "old" grain is getting buzz because it's higher in protein and fiber and lower in calories and carbs than rice. With a chewy texture and a nutty, smoky flavor, freekeh is a nice addition to soups, stews, salads, anyplace you would use rice. Freekeh Foods offers an organic version, in herb flavored, tamari, or original.

- Maureen Fitzgerald

Organic freekeh roasted green wheat, 8-ounce bag, $3.99 to $4.29 at area Wegmans and Whole Food Markets.