By John, 9 January, 2012

John's Neapolitan Birthday Feast

Neapolitan FeastFor the last of our four Exploring Italy feasts, we discovered Naples and Campania. All three wines were traditional to Campania, based on the ancient and under-appreciated Aglianico grape.

Antipasti, with a Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio:

  • Polpo alla Luciana (marinated octopus)
  • Marinated Olives
  • Fritto di Mozzarella
  • Wine Biscuits and Fennel Taralli
  • Two pizzas: a Pizza alla Napolitana (tomatoes, mozzarella, anchovies) and a Pizza alla Gamberi (garlic,  shrimp, and bay scallops)

The Pasta, with a spicy, delicious Aglianico di Taburna 2008:

  • Fusilli Aglio e Olio - a simple olive oil and garlic sauce for the pasta, with no tomatoes

The Main Course, with a fabulous Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi 2004.

  • Peperoni Ripieni (bell peppers stuffed with rice, mozzarella, and hard-cooked egg)
  • The Porchetta! My all-time favorite dinner... courtesy of my brother Bill. Follow the link to see his excellent little treatise on Porchetta.

Dessert was not Italian - this being my birthday, Annette made her special mincemeat pie with her homemade green tomato mincemeat - my favorite!

WINE NOTES: It was something of an adventure getting the wines for this feast.

By John, 7 January, 2012

The Flaming Pig of Doom!

Flaming Pig of DoomAlso featured at my birthday party was this irresistible honorable mention: The Flaming Pig, filled with burning brandy on which is broiling a chourico (and then a linguica, another chourico, and then a couple of Italian sausages...).  All the menfolk had to assist in this particular culinary endeavor.

I had discovered this elegant bit of grillware at the Continental Market in New Bedford. I got a couple of them, one of which now lives at a cottage on Plymouth Long Beach, and this charming specimen became a Yankee Swap gift at a family Christmas Eve event, to reappear at what may be the only outdoor grilling event ever held on my January birthday.

Smiling Pig

The Continental Market is on Sawyer Street in New Bedford, just off Acushnet Ave. While you are there, go to the meat counter in the back, where you can get whole and half Country Hams - I haven't seen those for sale anywhere else in New England.  

Honestly, who could resist this plump pyrotechnic porcelain porker with his winsome smile and his gift of hot grilled sausage?

By John, 23 December, 2011

Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes

Poached Salmon for Christmas Eve

The Feast of Seven Fishes is a southern Italian tradition that is catching on again among the descendants of the Italian-American immigrant community. The basic idea is simple: while awaiting the birth of Jesus, we abstain from meat and dairy foods. Naturally for Italians this is an invitation to get creative with fish, so traditionally we prepare a feast featuring seven different seafood dishes and as many vegetarian dishes as you like.

It is also important to note that southern Italy has historically been very poor. It certainly was during the great waves of immigration from there in the early Twentieth Century. Many of the dishes passed down through family tradition reflect this: smelts, sardines, octopus, eel, baccala, and anchovies in pasta all are common foods in the feasts that strive for authenticity.

There's really no point in trying to get too authentic about the seven fishes, since many of the seafoods and other ingredients are not available in New England. A certain amount of substitution is unavoidable, which brings up the idea of following the tradition in spirit more than in substance: if my great-grandfather in Campania were to celebrate Christmas Eve in foodie style, how would he do it? If he immigrated to Plymouth, how then?

By John, 22 December, 2011

A Christmas Party at Work

Gingerbread HouseEvery year my employer allows us an afternoon for a Yankee Swap and some goodies. The affair has grown with the company over the years, from an original potluck by yours truly serving 25 employees to a small team of dedicated elves serving the 94 employees in the Lexington office of an international corporation.

A small amount is catered in from the outfit that provides food for our lunchtime meetings; this is because we have no way of preparing hot food in quantity. But you might be surprised at what we set out with just a few creative people who want to show a good time to their colleagues.

By John, 20 December, 2011

Annette's Venetian Birthday Feast

Annette has fond memories of Venice, so we turned to that fair city for the third in our Exploring Italy series of celebratory birthday feasts. Most of the dishes came from Anna Del Conte's The Classic Food of Northern Italy.

We had:

  • A Cato Corner Hooligan cheese (one of Annette's favorites) and some Reggiano Parmesan with a bottle of Allegrini Palazzo delle Torre 2009
  • Risi e Bisi: a hearty traditional soup of rice and baby peas with crushed fennel seed
  • A bottle of Secco-Bertani Valpolicella 2008
  • Baccala Mantecato on Broiled Polenta: another Venetian classic that was far more delicate than we expected from the salt cod.
  • A bottle of an excellent, chocolatey San Giuseppe Amarone della Valpolicella 2003.
  • Stewed Savoy Cabbage: cored and quartered Savoy cabbage cooked on a soffrito of panceta, onion, and parsley and then braised in white wine - the surprise hit of the evening!
  • Stuffed Sole (spinach, golden raisins, pignoli)  in a Venetian Saffron Sauce (a reduction of the fish poaching liquid with saffron and a bit of sugar).
  • For dessert we had something non-Italian: a cranberry mincemeat pie made by a friend and brought down by Annette.
By John, 11 December, 2011

Tea with Visitors from Germany

Brunch for OwenOur old friend Owen lives in Germany now, so we don't see him very often. He was visiting the US this week on family business with his daughter Sarah and a lady friend, Brigitte. Our opportunity to see them was a Sunday brunch. Because Brigitte doesn't get fresh seafood very often and seldom sees New England fare, I set up a little highlights of New England brunch: 

  • We started with scones and Rhode Island johnnycakes, with New Hampshire maple syrup, wild Maine blueberry preserves, and local cranberry preserves, plus some traditional lemon curd and Double devon clotted cream from Mrs Bridge's Pantry in Woodstock, Connecticut. 
  • On another plate we had some Grafton Village Special Reserve Cheddar, from Vermont.
  • Then we had scrambled eggs with chives and sage from the garden (still good thanks to this bizarrely warm December!) and my celebrated lobster salad with fresh-from-the-harbor lobsters from Wood's Seafoods, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
  • We finished up with a Christmas Pudding and Hard Sauce to make the brunch extra-festive.
    So we represented all six New England states in one brunch!

Lorna's Tuscan Birthday Feast

Lorna's birthday is in October, which is surely one of the finest months for cooks! There are still plentiful fresh vegetables, the winter squashes are in, the apples are ripe and ready, and you can cook without overheating the house!

This feast was one of my four-part Exploring Italy series, set in Tuscany. Most of the dishes came from Ada Boni's Italian Regional Cooking, with additional guidance from Anna Del Conte's The Classic Food of Northern Italy.

We had:

  • A starter of four New England cheeses, with a bottle of Rosso di Montalcino 2009
  • We opened the meal with the Livornese Cacciucco, a flavorful and generous fish soup.
  • Next came La Ribollita, the classic Tuscan white bean soup. I made this extra-hearty so as not to have two soups in the meal. This was extraordinarily savory.
  • The main course was a Pollo in Agrodolce, a fascinating and zippy dish that features white raisins, wine vinegar, pignoli, and bitter chocolate - this was the hit of the dinner!
  • With the meal we enjoyed a Boscoselvo Brunello do Montalcino 1999 and a Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale d'Oro 2000.
  • We finished with another surprise hit of the night, the mysterious Castagnaccio, a cake of chestnut flour, olive oil, pine nuts and golden raisins.
By John, 21 June, 2011

Richmond's Piedmont Birthday Feast

Richmond's birthday is in June, when the farmers' markets are starting to fill up with fresh veggies and strawberries are at their peak.

This feast was one of my four-part Exploring Italy series, set in northwestern Italy: Piedmont, Liguria, and Valle d'Aosta. Most of the dishes came from Anna Del Conte's The Classic Food of Northern Italy with a couple from the Silver Spoon Cookbook.

We had:

  • We opened the meal with an antipasto of Fontina Valle d'Aosta cheese and artichoke hearts, white anchovies, and olives, refreshed by a bottle of good Lambrusco, and some Martini and Rossi Dry Vermouth on the rocks.
  • This was followed by the Ligurian Cappon Magro, an awesome structure of seafood on a mound of steamed vegetables, held together by a fabulous piquant green sauce.
  • Next came a Roast Beet and Cheese Ravioli with Pesto alla Genovese and a Green Bean Tourte.
  • Then came White Truffle Risotto, a classic Piedmont flavor, accompanying a rich Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream featuring multiple types of mushrooms.
  • With the meal we enjoyed a Batasiolo Barolo 2001 and an Alessandria Barbera d'Alba 2009.
  • We finished with the non-Italian but seasonal Frozen Strawberry Torte.

The feast was held on Sunday, 19 June 2011.

Attendees were John and Lorna, Richmond and Annette

By John, 26 September, 2010

The Common Ground Fair

Destination: The annual Common Ground Fair in Unity, ME.

Best of Show: The pasture-raised pork from Tide Mill Organic Farm

German Beer RadishThe Common Ground Fair is just about the antithesis of the Big E (see last week). It is smaller and quirky, in its own way. But the biggest difference is that it is hosted by MOFGA, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and so is a venue exclusively for organic and sustainable agriculture.

MOFGA has a number of fearless farmers growing produce that you probably never heard of and that you'll probably never see on the shelf at Stop & Shop, like the German Beer Radishes pictured here. That's one of the best things about coming to these events.

This year was the 30th annual Common Ground Fair. It has grown quite a lot since Lorna and I first visited it in 2001. Then is was certainly smaller, and the organic farmers and other vendors there were more likely to be the pioneers of the movement, the true believers making it happen in a difficult business environment.

The 2010 fair was much, much larger: 60,000 people were expected! There was a three-mile wait to park on Saturday afternoon, and then a 10-minute walk along a muddy woodland path after we'd parked. It was much further than when we'd parked for the Big E the previous week.

By John, 18 September, 2010

The Big E

Dog on a StickDestination: The annual Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield.

Best of Show: The Wild Maine Blueberry Pie at the State of Maine building

The Big E is the biggest "agricultural fair" in all of New England. I put "agricultural fair" in quotes because the ag part of the show is much diminished behind the neon glare. Behind the mad bazaar of offbeat products, the enormous midway, the huge evening crowds for the country music performances, the BMX stunts and the juggler there were livestock and farmers, a cheese competition, and close-ups on regional specialties by state.

 

By John, 12 September, 2010

Brimfield and Beyond

Lefty's

Destination: The annual September Brimfield Antiques Fair.

Best of Show: The Leverett Village Coop 

Saturday's adventure started with one of our three annual expeditions to the awesome Brimfield Antiques Show.

You really can't imagine the sense of remote rural deep-hemlock-hillside-dark isolation until you drive through Leverett, turn left on Rattlesnake Gutter Road, and visit the Leverett Village Coop... I got Kombucha and local Irish Stout from Lefty's Brewing, Bernardston, MA.

By John, 5 September, 2010

Trust the Expert

Destination: Provincetown, MA

Best of Show: A Royal Bermuda Yacht Club cocktail at Bubala's.

P-town is great fun in the summer, and those who enjoy shopping can find some interesting treasures. I'm not much of a shopper, so I typically sit someplace with coffee to work and write while Lorna shops.  

On this particular occasion, I had a foodie goal: I had been learning about the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club cocktail (see link above) and I have even made up a batch of that mysterious elixir known as Falernum Syrup to get the authentic flavor. But it still wasn't working for me; I needed the help of a pro.

Billy's instincts did the job. Billy is one of the barkeeps at Bubala's, on Commercial Street in Provincetown. I think he dreads when I come in because he knows I will want something that nobody else has ever asked for. But he also seems to enjoy the challenge, and always does a great job.

I had brought my Falernum in a little glass jar. He knew trouble was brewing when I set it down on the bar beside my clipboard and pen. I showed him the recipe and told him my troubles - the lime juice was beating up the other ingredients, but if I let up on it then it was too sweet. Alas! I had never had one properly made so I didn't even know what I was shooting for.

He drily said "You're shooting for a good drink, you fool." Then he took the Falernum and lickity-split he had shaken up a delicious Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Cocktail.

I asked him how he did it, and he said he'd just done it. I asked if he could do it again, and measure it this time.

By John, 4 September, 2010

Vermont Garlic Festival

Heirlooms 

Destination: Vermont Garlic Festival

Best of Show: Tasting 19 kinds of garlic and 21 varieties of heirloom tomatoes!

The journey was memorable, too - we also enjoyed local Mocha Joe's coffee, grass-fed beef and local veggies at the Chelsea Royal Diner in West Brattleboro before we ever got to the Garlic Fest.

After we left the Garlic Fest, it was too early to head home, so wecrossed Vermont on country  roads en route to ... dinner and Benton Lane pinot noir at Giuseppe's in Meredith, NH (well, it's sort of on our way...)

By John, 28 August, 2010

Caledonia County Fair

Corn Dogs at the Caledonia FairDestination: The Caledonia County Fair, Lyndonville VT

Best of Show: Fresh cheese curds from the cheese-maker truck

The Caledonia County Fair in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom is a good old-fashioned county fair with all the required accoutrements: cows and goats, the draft horse pull, corn-dogs and maple cotton candy - they do it right.

You might think that your source for the classic corn dog might not be fertile fields for foodie fun, but you just have to look around and maybe you'll get lucky.

We did. Way up in the back, beyond the center ring with the fairway and the draft horse competition, just to the left of the cattle barns, we found the Dairy on the Moove, a cheesemaker on wheels with an educational program and samples of tasty fresh cheese curds! 

 The lady with the white Bengal tigers was pretty cool, too!