Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen this round window around Boston.
Here are some hints:
Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston for the answer.
Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen this round window around Boston.
Here are some hints:
Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston for the answer.
Sometimes we eat something delicious because we need that particular item for a photo shoot. That was the case of a recent muffuletta adventure. For a recipe we turned to our old friends at Serious Eats. (How to Make Classic New Orleans Muffulettas.)
(Note: We've seen more than one spelling for the name of this sandwich, but we're going with Muffuletta as used by Central Grocery in New Orleans, "home of the original Muffuletta.")
Here is our version, before pressing. We were pretty pleased with the result. Naturally, there are things we would do a bit differently (more oil in the olive salad) next time, but it was delicious! This was part of a newspaper column we were doing on "Sandwiches for a Crowd."
Over on Serious Eats, Kenji wrote, "This is the only ingredient that is truly difficult to source outside of New Orleans." Penny remembered Scali bread at Bova's Bakery in the North End that seemed to fit the specs. So off we went to the perfect neighborhood for gathering muffuletta ingredients.
They not only had it but, as you can see, had it in two sizes. Since this sandwich was for a small group, we picked the smaller loaf, but for you the bigger one might be a better fit.
For the filling we walked over to Salumeria Italiana. We knew they would have the meat, cheese, and makings of the olive salad. They thinly sliced everything we needed for perfect stacking.
We bought mortadella, provolone, fennel soppressata, hot capocollo, and, for our own touch and a light color in the center, added a bit of porchetta. The containers hold olives and the pickled vegetables that make up the olive salad.
Step one is to chop those with some capers, mix with olive oil, and spread it on the bread. This is even better when you make it ahead and give the ingredients time to mellow and blend.
Next, stack the meat in layers.
Wrap the sandwich, weigh it down, move it to the refrigerator, and let a few hours do their magic.
We mentioned above that this is a sandwich for a crowd. You can make as many as you need. Prepare the salad ahead, assemble, and weigh-down the beast long before your guests arrive.
Then serve it up on a cutting board and let everyone slice off the size piece they would like. Easy for entertaining, a fall picnic, or to bring to a potluck.
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
Sometimes we eat something delicious because we need that particular item for a photo shoot. That was the case of a recent muffuletta adventure. For a recipe we turned to our old friends at Serious Eats. (How to Make Classic New Orleans Muffulettas.)
(Note: We've seen more than one spelling for the name of this sandwich, but we're going with Muffuletta as used by Central Grocery in New Orleans, "home of the original Muffuletta.")
Here is our version, before pressing. We were pretty pleased with the result. Naturally, there are things we would do a bit differently (more oil in the olive salad) next time, but it was delicious! This was part of a newspaper column we were doing on "Sandwiches for a Crowd."
Over on Serious Eats, Kenji wrote, "This is the only ingredient that is truly difficult to source outside of New Orleans." Penny remembered Scali bread at Bova's Bakery in the North End that seemed to fit the specs. So off we went to the perfect neighborhood for gathering muffuletta ingredients.
They not only had it but, as you can see, had it in two sizes. Since this sandwich was for a small group, we picked the smaller loaf, but for you the bigger one might be a better fit.
For the filling we walked over to Salumeria Italiana. We knew they would have the meat, cheese, and makings of the olive salad. They thinly sliced everything we needed for perfect stacking.
We bought mortadella, provolone, fennel soppressata, hot capocollo, and, for our own touch and a light color in the center, added a bit of porchetta. The containers hold olives and the pickled vegetables that make up the olive salad.
Step one is to chop those with some capers, mix with olive oil, and spread it on the bread. This is even better when you make it ahead and give the ingredients time to mellow and blend.
Next, stack the meat in layers.
Wrap the sandwich, weigh it down, move it to the refrigerator, and let a few hours do their magic.
We mentioned above that this is a sandwich for a crowd. You can make as many as you need. Prepare the salad ahead, assemble, and weigh-down the beast long before your guests arrive.
Then serve it up on a cutting board and let everyone slice off the size piece they would like. Easy for entertaining, a fall picnic, or to bring to a potluck.
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
This month we are chilling a bottle of Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs. It's an organic, biodynamic, grower Champagne from a small producer. You may have noticed that we toast with a lot of wines similar to this one. Like many of you, there are flavor profiles, business philosophies, importers, and regional terroirs that we prefer over others. This wine checks a lot of boxes on our preference list.
Humboldt Importers describe this wine maker well, "Located in the Cote des Bar in the Aube region to the southeast of the Marne, the Barbichon family have been growing Champagne grapes for 4 generations. Today Robert Barbichon produces a range of elegant, stylish Champagnes with bright mineral-driven fruit and just a hint of toast."
And (here's the part we especially like) Humboldt Importers characterize the Blanc de Noirs Brut NV as, "Crafted of pure Pinot Noir, it exhibits a creamy nose filled with bright white fruit, chalk/mineral notes and a crisp, elegant finish. 100% Pinot Noir from the Cote des Bar."
One of the fun things about this bottle is that it's a "Transatlantic Bubbles Selection." This is a new import category to us. But reading about their love of sparkling wine and the places where their selections are served makes us open to other wines from their portfolio.
They say:
"Transatlantic Bubbles LLC. specializes in finding and importing grower-producer Champagnes that offer superior quality at a better cost to the customer. We are a trusted supplier in the growing niche market for recoltant-manipulant Champagne."
We're looking forward to raising our glasses to the extension of this lovely summer that we have declared, "… will not end until October 15th, at the earliest!"
We purchased our bottle of Champagne Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs Brut at City Liquors in Cambridge for ~ $45.
UPDATE: (09.02.17) We had such high hopes for this Champagne and, well … at the risk of stooping to a cliché, "It exceeded our highest expectations!" We chilled the wine to ~ 55ºF and began tasting while enjoying some thinly sliced pork loin, pepper-flavored boursin, Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper (cows milk cheese inspired by French Brie), figs, and local cherry tomatoes – why skimp?
This combination added to the enjoyment of the Barbichon Blanc De Noirs Brut which only improved as it warmed.
Penny was haunted by a flavor she was experiencing tasted in the fruit of this wine. Then she realized it was like the charred, caramelized pineapple served with our Jamaican jerk chicken wings plate at Little Donkey. I liked the wine's yeasty character and hints of chalk.
We both agreed that the full, rich, round, "elegant finish" remained throughout our meal. And, the best news, we saved some more of this lovely bottle of bubbles for today.
We are buying another bottle the next time we find this little gem!
Cheers!
Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast …
A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers
Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.
Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon
The Food Lover's Guide to Wine
The New Wine Lover's Companion
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Screengrab from Transatlantic Bubbles LLC
Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen this door grate around Boston.
Here are some hints:
Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston for the answer.
Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen this door grate around Boston.
Here are some hints:
Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston for the answer.
It took a while for our first visit to Little Donkey in Cambridge's Central Square, but it won't take as long for us to return!
Choosing our lunch was harder than we thought, when we scanned the menu. After examining details of the options, we decided to share these dishes and come back soon for a few others.
Charred avocado with pepitas, pomegranate molasses and crema
Jamaican jerk chicken wings with charred pineapple – this photo was taken after Penny had already grabbed a piece. The aroma totally over-road her desire to have photos.
Wok fried chow fun with tofu, Calabrian chili, black beans, scallions.
Ed had a Notch Session Pils draft and Penny enjoyed a Portuguese Sparkler–Caves São João Rosé. (You know how we love finding a new-to-us sparkler!)
We sat at the bar and had great service! At lunch the noise level was perfect for conversation, but we imagine it might be a bit louder on a busy evening.
Our verdict on each item was that we would order it again and we immediately began thinking of friends who would also love that dish. Since we love hot and spicy, we also reviewed the menu with a thought to friends who preferred a milder level of spice and happily decided we could bring them here, too.
We wondered about the restaurant's name, but found a quote here from the chefs that explains it. It refers to the multicultural nature of the menu, "The donkey has been an important assistance animal in cultures around the world, say the chefs, both hard-working and comforting."
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
It took a while for our first visit to Little Donkey in Cambridge's Central Square, but it won't take as long for us to return!
Choosing our lunch was harder than we thought, when we scanned the menu. After examining details of the options, we decided to share these dishes and come back soon for a few others.
Charred avocado with pepitas, pomegranate molasses and crema
Jamaican jerk chicken wings with charred pineapple – this photo was taken after Penny had already grabbed a piece. The aroma totally over-road her desire to have photos.
Wok fried chow fun with tofu, Calabrian chili, black beans, scallions.
Ed had a Notch Session Pils draft and Penny enjoyed a Portuguese Sparkler–Caves São João Rosé. (You know how we love finding a new-to-us sparkler!)
We sat at the bar and had great service! At lunch the noise level was perfect for conversation, but we imagine it might be a bit louder on a busy evening.
Our verdict on each item was that we would order it again and we immediately began thinking of friends who would also love that dish. Since we love hot and spicy, we also reviewed the menu with a thought to friends who preferred a milder level of spice and happily decided we could bring them here, too.
We wondered about the restaurant's name, but found a quote here from the chefs that explains it. It refers to the multicultural nature of the menu, "The donkey has been an important assistance animal in cultures around the world, say the chefs, both hard-working and comforting."
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen this Gate around Boston.
Here are some hints:
Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston for the answer.
