Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen it around Boston.
Here are some hints to find this stunning set of doors:
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 it around Boston.
Here are some hints to find this stunning set of doors:
Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston, for the answer.
When was your last bowl of hearty, delicious, nutritious minestrone? This classic but adaptable vegetable soup seems to have slipped off menus and off the radar of home cooks like me. Yet, it deserves to be rediscovered, explored, and adapted for today’s food lovers.
Jacqueline Church’s pot of minestrone is not only delicious, nutritious, filling, and economical, it’s also vegan. A soup for all eaters! (photo credit: Jacqueline Church)
Food writer Rachel Roddy featured minestrone in one of her recent columns for the Guardian. She wrote that minestrone, “… sums up the Italian knack for taking the most basic and economic ingredients and bringing them together in a delicious way.” She referred to her trusted Italian food experts, like Marcella Hazan, when writing about all the regional and seasonal variations on this pot of goodness.
Roddy's book My Kitchen in Rome: Recipes and Notes on Italian Cooking is one of my favorite cookbooks from the past year.
From my own bookshelf, I reached for Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s “The Italian Country Table” and found a summer minestrone that she says should be served at room temperature. This was followed by her more traditional recipe for the soup with serving variations and a brilliant two-page spread of tips for perfecting your own pot of vegetables and broth.
A few days later, Jacqueline Church, culinary instructor at Brookline Adult & Community Education and private cooking coach, posted a photo of a steaming pot of vegan minestrone on her Facebook feed. Since I always seem to learn something new from this food educator, I asked her what she loves about this soup.
Her answer was, “It's perfect for an ‘eating down the fridge’ meal, key ingredients can be kept on hand in the pantry: box or can of beans, dried porcini, handful of pasta, can or box of tomatoes. In the fridge, we almost always have carrots, celery, onion. Add a bit of cabbage languishing in the bin, some seasonal squash (zucchini in the summer, butternut in the winter) a few potatoes. With kidney beans and porcini you've got umami (strain the soaking liquid and add that) so the whole thing can be customized to what you have on hand. Hearty and satisfying, it may be the ultimate comfort food!”
Finally, one of the chilly days we spent in Provincetown recently was warmed by a "Spring Minestrone" with chard, peas, carrots, and chicken from the wonderful food team at The Canteen.
This is also an excellent soup for cooks to learn basic skills. Roddy writes, “Minestrone is made with a staggered march into the pan. By adding the ingredients gradually you lay down foundations of flavour, one thing sizzling gently while you chop the next. Once everything is in the pan – including the marvellous, umami parmesan rind if you have one – let everything simmer, slowly, until the flavours have come together.”
The Italians call this process, “insaporire” which sort of translates to “making tasty.” Marcella Hazan describes it as drawing out the flavor of an ingredient or set of ingredients before adding the next one. It’s like sweating onions, celery, and carrots in oil before adding broth or meat.
Perhaps restaurants found that if customers ordered a bowl of minestrone, they filled up on it and didn’t order much food to follow. In Italian the word for soup is minestra. The suffix “-one” adds the concept of “big.” Therefore minestrone means big soup.
But that doesn't mean it has to be a heavy, wintertime soup. Perhaps this is the time of year for a green minestrone. I found Joanne Weir’s recipe for that in Food and Wine. She uses many of the first green vegetables we find at the farmers markets. It has leeks, fennel, peas, asparagus, Swiss chard, and mint with just a shaving of Parmesan on top.
Buon Appetito!
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)
Yesterday these tulips were happy peaking out of a fence on Marlborough Street. Who knows what they'll think about the change in temperature today!
"In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours." Mark Twain
About Photo Tales & Quotes: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Photo Tales & Quotes is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.
from here to support this site!Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny Cherubino
Yesterday these tulips were happy peaking out of a fence on Marlborough Street. Who knows what they'll think about the change in temperature today!
"In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours." Mark Twain
About Photo Tales & Quotes: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Photo Tales & Quotes is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.
from here to support this site!Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2017 Penny Cherubino
Who knows more about calming stressed dogs and cats than those devoted people who work in animal shelters. Lately, some of these folks are helping researchers develop a soundtrack to reduce the stress of this living situation for their charges.
Emily Weiss, Ph.D, CAAB, Senior Director, Shelter Research & Development for the ASPCA reported the results of a recent study from Hartpury College in the United Kingdom. “They examined dogs’ behavior with regular kennel sounds (control condition), classical music, pop music, the psychoacoustically designed dog music and audiobooks. And what they found was pretty cool: Dogs spent more time resting and less time in vigilant behaviors when listening to audiobooks vs. any other condition!” Pop music brought on the most barking in this study.
A Colorado State study, reported, “Results suggest that classical music leads to kenneled dogs spending more time sleeping and less time vocalizing than when exposed to other music types or no music.” The loser is this study was heavy metal music which increased body shaking, a behavior suggestive of nervousness.
Our Westie Poppy has her own calming music collection, loaded onto an old iPod, that keeps her company when she’s home alone.
We have used music with all three of our dogs and some fosters. Our first Westie Sassy had a seizure disorder. We found that playing soft classical music seemed to help her during the recovery phase of her seizures.
We used the same CD of piano concertos when we fostered a wild boy Westie named Cooper. He was less excitable when we played the music. We even made a gift of that CD to his adoptive family, but soon found ourselves buying another copy for our Maggie Mae as she aged.
Maggie had very specific taste in music. She adored March of the Toreadors from the Opera Carmen. And whistling was always her thing. Any whistler could win her heart. When we left her behind at home or in a strange place, we would always leave music for her. Not only does familiar music soothe a dog, but it also helps to mask outside sounds that might cause the pup to bark.
Poppy, our third Westie, loves anyone who speaks with an accent. She is especially fond of Scandinavian and British-accented English. She’ll sit totally transfixed if we watch TV’s New Scandinavian Cooking. And, in a nod to the first study mentioned, audiobooks with British accents are among Poppy’s favorites.
With this information at hand, you might want to see what sounds, music, voices, or genres calm your dog or cat. Are there times when you should don your headphones rather than expose your companion to your favorite heavy metal band or a violent movie filled with explosions and gunshots?
Can you prepare a mix of music or download an audiobook that will run on a loop and keep your animal company when you are away? There are recordings that are designed for calming dogs, but they did not test as better than classical music or audiobooks.
In addition to music, you might take a look at other parts of the soundtrack of your home. Dogs react to loud voices, fans, vacuum cleaners, banging doors, and so on. There may be other ways you can lessen stress for your animals by addressing some of these issues.
We know that sound causes stress for people, too. Examining and adapting the soundscape of your life may not only mean a happier dog or cat, but also a less stressed you.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Hism master's voice from Google images licensed for reuse. Poppy sleeping ©2017 Penny Cherubino
(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our City Paws newspaper columns.)
Who knows more about calming stressed dogs and cats than those devoted people who work in animal shelters. Lately, some of these folks are helping researchers develop a soundtrack to reduce the stress of this living situation for their charges.
Emily Weiss, Ph.D, CAAB, Senior Director, Shelter Research & Development for the ASPCA reported the results of a recent study from Hartpury College in the United Kingdom. “They examined dogs’ behavior with regular kennel sounds (control condition), classical music, pop music, the psychoacoustically designed dog music and audiobooks. And what they found was pretty cool: Dogs spent more time resting and less time in vigilant behaviors when listening to audiobooks vs. any other condition!” Pop music brought on the most barking in this study.
A Colorado State study, reported, “Results suggest that classical music leads to kenneled dogs spending more time sleeping and less time vocalizing than when exposed to other music types or no music.” The loser is this study was heavy metal music which increased body shaking, a behavior suggestive of nervousness.
Our Westie Poppy has her own calming music collection, loaded onto an old iPod, that keeps her company when she’s home alone.
We have used music with all three of our dogs and some fosters. Our first Westie Sassy had a seizure disorder. We found that playing soft classical music seemed to help her during the recovery phase of her seizures.
We used the same CD of piano concertos when we fostered a wild boy Westie named Cooper. He was less excitable when we played the music. We even made a gift of that CD to his adoptive family, but soon found ourselves buying another copy for our Maggie Mae as she aged.
Maggie had very specific taste in music. She adored March of the Toreadors from the Opera Carmen. And whistling was always her thing. Any whistler could win her heart. When we left her behind at home or in a strange place, we would always leave music for her. Not only does familiar music soothe a dog, but it also helps to mask outside sounds that might cause the pup to bark.
Poppy, our third Westie, loves anyone who speaks with an accent. She is especially fond of Scandinavian and British-accented English. She’ll sit totally transfixed if we watch TV’s New Scandinavian Cooking. And, in a nod to the first study mentioned, audiobooks with British accents are among Poppy’s favorites.
With this information at hand, you might want to see what sounds, music, voices, or genres calm your dog or cat. Are there times when you should don your headphones rather than expose your companion to your favorite heavy metal band or a violent movie filled with explosions and gunshots?
Can you prepare a mix of music or download an audiobook that will run on a loop and keep your animal company when you are away? There are recordings that are designed for calming dogs, but they did not test as better than classical music or audiobooks.
In addition to music, you might take a look at other parts of the soundtrack of your home. Dogs react to loud voices, fans, vacuum cleaners, banging doors, and so on. There may be other ways you can lessen stress for your animals by addressing some of these issues.
We know that sound causes stress for people, too. Examining and adapting the soundscape of your life may not only mean a happier dog or cat, but also a less stressed you.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Hism master's voice from Google images licensed for reuse. Poppy sleeping ©2017 Penny Cherubino
(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our City Paws newspaper columns.)
On Fridays we link our readers to a resource that deserves applause. Today we are using the Pecorino Caggiano we bought this week at Formaggio Kitchen South End as an example of how and why you should use the Formaggio cheese shops as a resource.
Often our approach to buying cheese at Formaggio is to ask the cheesemonger, "What is great today?" In the right hands, cheese is a living organism that evolves from day-to-day. At any given moment, the Formaggio staff knows of something in that case that is extraordinary.
This time Penny had a few moments to read some of the descriptions before she chatted with the staff. The sign for Pecorino Caggiano intrigued her and she asked for a taste.
At first it seemed like a good but rather ordinary pecorino. But, as we have learned over the years, you have to let it warm in your mouth or hold a slice on a wrapper in your hand until it warms to get the full flavor. In this case, if you give it a moment, you experience an explosion of sheepy tang.
We had it for supper with a bit of fennel salami and a Clear Flour baguette.
Formaggio Kitchen, as a resource, is more than a store, they are also food educators. Above you see their page on this cheese. It tells you the story behind the product and suggests pairings. If you are in the shop, your cheesemonger will do the same.
Formaggio also has classes you can attend and an education section on their major product lines on their website.
We are very fortunate to have this resource in the Boston area.
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
On Fridays we link our readers to a resource that deserves applause. Today we are using the Pecorino Caggiano we bought this week at Formaggio Kitchen South End as an example of how and why you should use the Formaggio cheese shops as a resource.
Often our approach to buying cheese at Formaggio is to ask the cheesemonger, "What is great today?" In the right hands, cheese is a living organism that evolves from day-to-day. At any given moment, the Formaggio staff knows of something in that case that is extraordinary.
This time Penny had a few moments to read some of the descriptions before she chatted with the staff. The sign for Pecorino Caggiano intrigued her and she asked for a taste.
At first it seemed like a good but rather ordinary pecorino. But, as we have learned over the years, you have to let it warm in your mouth or hold a slice on a wrapper in your hand until it warms to get the full flavor. In this case, if you give it a moment, you experience an explosion of sheepy tang.
We had it for supper with a bit of fennel salami and a Clear Flour baguette.
Formaggio Kitchen, as a resource, is more than a store, they are also food educators. Above you see their page on this cheese. It tells you the story behind the product and suggests pairings. If you are in the shop, your cheesemonger will do the same.
Formaggio also has classes you can attend and an education section on their major product lines on their website.
We are very fortunate to have this resource in the Boston area.
What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
If you were standing where I was to take this photo in the 1960s, what famous Boston institution would you have had in view?
Here are your hints:
In case you are new to the area, it is on Cambridge Street near Massachusetts General Hospital.
Like the hotel and hospital, it was open to the public and you could stop by at 3 am and feel welcome.
It closed down for a while and was reopened by a fan.
Click through or scroll down past the Amazon ad to find the answer.
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
