When a walk takes us to Charles Street, we often come home with a container of gazpacho from Panificio Bistro and Bakery. They are the inspiration for this addition to this classic, Spanish cold soup. Thank you to the chef who came up with this idea.
Penny uses a very classic recipe from The New Spanish Table cookbook. On the bread or no-bread side of the gazpacho discussion, we are most decidedly on add-bread-to-the-mix side. When you top this thick soup with avocado pieces, you have a main dish.
With ripe, ready summer tomatoes arriving at farmers markets and farm stands, this is a great lunch or supper. But, anytime you'd rather let someone else do the work, call Panificio and ask if they have their great gazpacho with avocado on the menu. When days are hot, they have been known to sell out of this customer favorite, so do call.
Sometimes on a windy day, the hard-working crew members peddling Boston's Swan Boats need a bit of an assist.
That's when you'll see a first mate standing beside the captain with an oar in hand. That oar will be used to pole the boat around a turn when the wind is pushing it in the wrong direction.
As Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." Good job by the Swan Boat Crew!
Have you taken a Swan Boat ride lately?
I know that we are long overdue. Here's a page with all the information you need about the when, where, how, and how much for an inside tour of the Public Garden Lagoon.
While they say, "The Swan Boats are open every day, weather permitting. We cannot operate in rain, high winds or extreme heat," we can see that on windy days they do make an effort to keep their guests gliding along smoothly.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Sometimes on a windy day, the hard-working crew members peddling Boston's Swan Boats need a bit of an assist.
That's when you'll see a first mate standing beside the captain with an oar in hand. That oar will be used to pole the boat around a turn when the wind is pushing it in the wrong direction.
As Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." Good job by the Swan Boat Crew!
Have you taken a Swan Boat ride lately?
I know that we are long overdue. Here's a page with all the information you need about the when, where, how, and how much for an inside tour of the Public Garden Lagoon.
While they say, "The Swan Boats are open every day, weather permitting. We cannot operate in rain, high winds or extreme heat," we can see that on windy days they do make an effort to keep their guests gliding along smoothly.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
The photo below is the best one I could find of the long lost, South Boston, City Point Head House. Yes it is possible to grieve for something you have never seen or known. How I would have loved to have seen and photographed this building.
The Head House was designed by Architect Edmond Marsh Wheelwright and built circa 1897. Wheelwright is one of the most important names in Boston's architectural history. While this gingerbread gem is gone, his work survives in landmarks throughout the area. (Some of his papers are in the BPL Fine Arts Department Haven and Hoyt Collection.)
Histories of South Boston refer to the popularity of this beach and this building. In addition to restrooms, changing rooms, and offices, the building contained restaurants.
A partly covered pier extended out into the bay. I've been trying to determine if ferries served this pier.
What Happened to the Head House?
Both the pier and the building were damaged in the Hurricane of 1938. In the early morning of December 5, 1942, a 2-alarm fire at the building damaged it further, and what remained was torn down.
The photo below is the best one I could find of the long lost, South Boston, City Point Head House. Yes it is possible to grieve for something you have never seen or known. How I would have loved to have seen and photographed this building.
The Head House was designed by Architect Edmond Marsh Wheelwright and built circa 1897. Wheelwright is one of the most important names in Boston's architectural history. While this gingerbread gem is gone, his work survives in landmarks throughout the area. (Some of his papers are in the BPL Fine Arts Department Haven and Hoyt Collection.)
Histories of South Boston refer to the popularity of this beach and this building. In addition to restrooms, changing rooms, and offices, the building contained restaurants.
A partly covered pier extended out into the bay. I've been trying to determine if ferries served this pier.
What Happened to the Head House?
Both the pier and the building were damaged in the Hurricane of 1938. In the early morning of December 5, 1942, a 2-alarm fire at the building damaged it further, and what remained was torn down.
On a beautiful day in June, you'll want to pick up a box full of goodies from Galleria Umberto Rosticceria and have a delicious picnic on a bench overlooking the harbor.
Fans of this Boston treasure know that their official hours are short (Mon-Sat: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.) and get even shorter as ingredients begin to run out. When the dough is gone, they shut down.
And, when we had our picnic last week, we confirmed that, as always, they are taking the month of July off. That means you need to get there in the next couple of weeks or wait until August.
Our box of take-out always has at least one slice of pizza. Here the pizza slice is a Square of Sicilian-style with a thick crust, crispy bottom, and an abundance of sauce and cheese. It's filling but surprisingly lighter than it would seem.
The calzone in the box is spinach and cheese and next to it you see a panzerotti or more specifically a panzerotti di patate which is a mashed potato croquette. As Ed said, "What could be better than mashed potatoes stuffed with cheese that you can pick up and eat out of your hand?"
This can be a lines-out-the-door place, but take a breath! Great aromas fill the air and tell you it's worth the wait.
Calzones in the warming case never stay there long. Everything is in a constant flow as food moves from the cooks in the back room into boxes for takeout, or trays for dining-in that are handed to customers.
Worth Repeating
We have told our readers about this before, but there are some things that are worth repeating.
There is a really great piece of writing over on Serious Eats about Galleria Umberto's pizza. Carey Jones wrote, "Pizza flies out from the kitchen, enormous pans appearing every three or four minutes, smacked down on the counter, slices scooped up so quickly the cheese hardly has time to ooze over the side."
Simple, old world, fresh, ready, hearty, warm describes the food and the people. If you're a regular, you may get a hug or a conversation in Italian with your order. Regulars also have cash-in-hand because this is a "cash only" establishment.
Many locals also know that you can phone ahead with your order and go to the left of the main line, pull out your cash, and pick up your order. You'll see lots of locals picking up boxes of 10, 15, or 20 slices of pizza and a stash of other goodies.
You can dine in, if you choose, and have beer or wine in a paper cup with your food. But our crowd often has dogs in tow so we do this on really nice days and we eat in the park. Part of the clan finds a bench along the harbor or a table on the Greenway or at least they stand ready to pounce on a table the moment one is free.
We keep a photo of the menu on our phones to put together our order. With decisions made and cash gathered, we make the call and tell them, "Yes we do need napkins, forks, knives, and plates." They generously add those to your order. (And they do supply ample napkins – they know their food.)
Then, one or two of you can walk down Hanover Street, pick up your feast in the much shorter pick-up line to the left of the longer line, and return to the park for an outstanding picnic by the fountains.
On a beautiful day in June, you'll want to pick up a box full of goodies from Galleria Umberto Rosticceria and have a delicious picnic on a bench overlooking the harbor.
Fans of this Boston treasure know that their official hours are short (Mon-Sat: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.) and get even shorter as ingredients begin to run out. When the dough is gone, they shut down.
And, when we had our picnic last week, we confirmed that, as always, they are taking the month of July off. That means you need to get there in the next couple of weeks or wait until August.
Our box of take-out always has at least one slice of pizza. Here the pizza slice is a Square of Sicilian-style with a thick crust, crispy bottom, and an abundance of sauce and cheese. It's filling but surprisingly lighter than it would seem.
The calzone in the box is spinach and cheese and next to it you see a panzerotti or more specifically a panzerotti di patate which is a mashed potato croquette. As Ed said, "What could be better than mashed potatoes stuffed with cheese that you can pick up and eat out of your hand?"
This can be a lines-out-the-door place, but take a breath! Great aromas fill the air and tell you it's worth the wait.
Calzones in the warming case never stay there long. Everything is in a constant flow as food moves from the cooks in the back room into boxes for takeout, or trays for dining-in that are handed to customers.
Worth Repeating
We have told our readers about this before, but there are some things that are worth repeating.
There is a really great piece of writing over on Serious Eats about Galleria Umberto's pizza. Carey Jones wrote, "Pizza flies out from the kitchen, enormous pans appearing every three or four minutes, smacked down on the counter, slices scooped up so quickly the cheese hardly has time to ooze over the side."
Simple, old world, fresh, ready, hearty, warm describes the food and the people. If you're a regular, you may get a hug or a conversation in Italian with your order. Regulars also have cash-in-hand because this is a "cash only" establishment.
Many locals also know that you can phone ahead with your order and go to the left of the main line, pull out your cash, and pick up your order. You'll see lots of locals picking up boxes of 10, 15, or 20 slices of pizza and a stash of other goodies.
You can dine in, if you choose, and have beer or wine in a paper cup with your food. But our crowd often has dogs in tow so we do this on really nice days and we eat in the park. Part of the clan finds a bench along the harbor or a table on the Greenway or at least they stand ready to pounce on a table the moment one is free.
We keep a photo of the menu on our phones to put together our order. With decisions made and cash gathered, we make the call and tell them, "Yes we do need napkins, forks, knives, and plates." They generously add those to your order. (And they do supply ample napkins – they know their food.)
Then, one or two of you can walk down Hanover Street, pick up your feast in the much shorter pick-up line to the left of the longer line, and return to the park for an outstanding picnic by the fountains.
Looking for a place to go for a great walk with your dog? Click over to this page on the Trustees of Reservations site. Choose "Dog walking" as your activity and select the other options that are right for you. The result will be a list of very special places that welcome responsible dog folks and well-mannered pups.
From our files of wonderful memories, here are four of my favorite males heading into Halibut Point Reservation back in 2008. We had a wonderful day there and it's good to look back at the photos and remember a fine dog with a big heart.
Dog-friendly places alone are a reason for Sunday Dog readers to head straight for The Trustees site to join or renew their memberships. We did and now will not only have all these places to visit, but also will be the first to know about the events at the Boston Public Market that are managed by this same group.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
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We know because we have enjoyed learning about our neighbors from MIT who reside in, and care for, the John Andrews House on Hereford Street in the Back Bay. The brothers of the MIT Chi Phi Beta Chapter have been in residence in Boston since 1950 according to the website Back Bay Houses. (You'll find more about the history of this property at that link.
Here is a photo of the house from the Boston Public Library Print Department. Their records show that it was taken in 1884.
Above and below, photos that Penny took of the house after a major restoration of the exterior of the building a couple of years ago.
Along with other neighbors, we were guests of the Chi Phi Fraternity at a dinner a few years ago. That evening we enjoyed a tour of the home led by one of the resident brothers.
It's good to see that the brothers and alumni are taking such good care of this important, historic property.
It's been awhile since I made a big pot of Sunday gravy. So when a friend gifted me with a package of sausages from DePasquale's Sausage Company in Newton, I knew exactly what to do with them.
This was a simplified version of the Sunday specialty enjoyed in Italian American homes throughout the years. I added a bit of beef to the pot but did not take the time to make my special meatballs. (My favorite recipe for meatballs is from the 1975 edition of the The All New All Purpose: Joy of Cooking.)
I couldn't wait to taste the sausage. As soon as it was cooked through, I sliced into one and found it had the texture and flavor of a great handmade, old-style, traditional sweet sausage. I had finally found a replacement for the sausages I've missed since DiPaolo & Rossi Meat Market on Salem Street in the North End closed last year.
Both Ed and I sampled and dipped bread into the sauce as it simmered away all afternoon. Eventually, we served it with penne pasta. A great sauce needs a great, flavorful pasta. We chose the Bionaturae organic 100% durum semolina organic penne rigate.
DePasquale Tip:
They are closed on Sunday and Monday. On a recent visit early on a Tuesday morning, they didn't have sausages ready yet. In fact, their meat order had not even arrived. When they say fresh, they mean fresh! My advice is to call ahead early in the week or later on Saturday to be sure they have what you want in the quantity you need.
Sunday Gravy Recipes
I've been making this for so long that I don't follow a recipe. I just ad lib with what I have on hand. While there are as many recipes for "Sunday Gravy" as there are families who make it, here are a couple if you would rather follow a recipe than play it by ear.
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