bostonzest

Tag: comfort food

  • Pouring from On High to Toast July with Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis Rose

    Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis Rose is comfort food for us. (Yes, wine is food!) Since this frizzante wine comes from the Basque Country and because of the area's climate and soil conditions it fits our 2020 year of terroir, we are featuring it this month

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    We are longtime fans of Txakoli wines. We discovered them many years ago at Jose Garces restaurant Tinto in Philadelphia. On our return, Howie Ruben of Bauer Wine & Spirits ordered it for us and kept us supplied with this summertime favorite. 

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    Then came Select Oyster Bar where we found a new wine mentor Michael Serpa who shared our love of Txakoli. He educated us about the speed pourers that made pouring this wine on high to activate the bubbles a bit easier.

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    If you would like to learn more about the terroir and special way the grapes for Txakoli are grown, here's a video of chef and humanitarian Jose Andres visiting a vineyard from his TV series Made in Spain.

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

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    We purchased our bottle at Bauer Wine and Spirits for $22.00

    Related Posts:

    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.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2015- 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Soup in Summer Beyond Gazpacho

    If we suggest soup and it’s summertime, you may think of gazpacho.

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    We like our gazpacho garnished with avocado. Learn more about that here.

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    Or, if you’re willing to stretch the meaning of soup a bit, you might think of a cup of clam chowder, lobster bisque, or seafood stew at a clam shack. The one above is a RI Clam Chowder that we posted about here.

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    What happened to all those chilled soups that used to appear as a first course at the finest restaurants? Soups like vichyssoise (leek and potato soup), watercress bisque, chilled borscht, and light and lovely fruit soups with a sour cream or yogurt base?

    Too Much Work?

    Many cold soups are much easier to prepare today thanks to blenders and food processors. If the idea of a fruit soup sounds alien to you, think about that smoothie you had today. What is that but a cold soup by another name served in a cup with a straw rather than a bowl with a spoon?

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    Fast & Economical

    One reason for starting a meal with soup is explained by Trine Hahnemann in her book, “Scandinavian Comfort Food.” “Soup was for years a first course served to make sure people weren't too hungry when the main course arrived and meat was served; meat was very costly and therefore not served in big portions.” That is one page from her "Soup for Every Season" chapter in the photo above.

    Another plus for a soup course is that you can have it ready and serve it quickly to hungry diners. Summer soup tends to be simple and can be fast to make. Just blend ripe fruit cubes with yogurt or sour cream; season it with ginger, mint, fruit vinegars, liquors, spices, or herbs; and it’s ready!

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    You can even make soup from food you might otherwise waste. For example, the asparagus peelings and stems left over from one night became a quick soup for another. How? Start by sautéing a bit of onion and garlic in olive oil, add your left over peelings and stems followed by water or chicken stock. Simmer until everything is tender and puree it with a blender. You can do this same thing with other vegetables. If the vegetables are juicy, like tomatoes or summer squash, you could use less broth.

    You can strain the soup or serve it in a more rustic style. You could add some cream or yogurt or keep it a broth-based soup to help you manage your weight.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2011-2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

     (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

  • Soup in Summer Beyond Gazpacho

    If we suggest soup and it’s summertime, you may think of gazpacho.

    6a00e54fc42bb8883401b7c8741942970b-800wi

    We like our gazpacho garnished with avocado. Learn more about that here.

    6a00e54fc42bb88834017eea3e3c6a970d-800wi

    Or, if you’re willing to stretch the meaning of soup a bit, you might think of a cup of clam chowder, lobster bisque, or seafood stew at a clam shack. The one above is a RI Clam Chowder that we posted about here.

    Nypl.digitalcollections.0a1bf080-517f-0132-120e-58d385a7b928.001.w

    What happened to all those chilled soups that used to appear as a first course at the finest restaurants? Soups like vichyssoise (leek and potato soup), watercress bisque, chilled borscht, and light and lovely fruit soups with a sour cream or yogurt base?

    Too Much Work?

    Many cold soups are much easier to prepare today thanks to blenders and food processors. If the idea of a fruit soup sounds alien to you, think about that smoothie you had today. What is that but a cold soup by another name served in a cup with a straw rather than a bowl with a spoon?

    IMG_0510

    Fast & Economical

    One reason for starting a meal with soup is explained by Trine Hahnemann in her book, “Scandinavian Comfort Food.” “Soup was for years a first course served to make sure people weren't too hungry when the main course arrived and meat was served; meat was very costly and therefore not served in big portions.” That is one page from her "Soup for Every Season" chapter in the photo above.

    Another plus for a soup course is that you can have it ready and serve it quickly to hungry diners. Summer soup tends to be simple and can be fast to make. Just blend ripe fruit cubes with yogurt or sour cream; season it with ginger, mint, fruit vinegars, liquors, spices, or herbs; and it’s ready!

    IMG_9886  IMG_0172

    You can even make soup from food you might otherwise waste. For example, the asparagus peelings and stems left over from one night became a quick soup for another. How? Start by sautéing a bit of onion and garlic in olive oil, add your left over peelings and stems followed by water or chicken stock. Simmer until everything is tender and puree it with a blender. You can do this same thing with other vegetables. If the vegetables are juicy, like tomatoes or summer squash, you could use less broth.

    You can strain the soup or serve it in a more rustic style. You could add some cream or yogurt or keep it a broth-based soup to help you manage your weight.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2011-2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

     (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

  • Comfort Food, Ground Turkey Stew

    DSC_1164 - Version 22012-12-19-turkey-hash-bostonzest-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Once one of us is on the mend from a cold and ready to move on from chicken soup, I like to make a big pot of my Ground Turkey Stew. It's hot, filling, comforting, and gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

    As with most stews, the exact quantities are not set in stone, you can double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. You can add other vegetables if you like. You can leave out anything you don't like.

    It starts with one package of ground turkey – whatever type you like. For my version, you'll also need Bell's Poultry Seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery, 4 medium potatoes, 4 medium carrots, 14 ozs. of low sodium chicken stock, frozen peas, parsley, and 2 scallions.

    • Saute the chopped celery and onion in olive oil in a big pan.
    • Remove the onion and celery and brown the turkey in the same pan adding more olive oil if your turkey is very lean. Season the meat with 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Break up the turkey into bite size pieces. (I often use a potato masher to break up ground meat like this.)
    • Peel and slice the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If I use red potatoes, I scrub them and leave the peels in place.
    • Return the celery and onion mix to the pan, add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes.
    • Cook until the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning with another 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning (or more if you like) plus salt and pepper. 
    • Add frozen peas and stir in until thawed and warm.
    • At this point, I usually pick out and mash a few pieces of potato and stir them into the pan to thicken the broth. 
    • Add sliced scallion and chopped parsley as a final fresh layer of flavor.

    Let us know if you try this dish, and tell us how you adapted it to make it your own. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny Cherubino 

    Related articles
    Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew
    Chunky Vegetable Stew
    Chicken-Chickpea-Potato Soup
    Chicken Soup for a Sick Friend
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  • Comfort Food, Ground Turkey Stew

    DSC_1164 - Version 22012-12-19-turkey-hash-bostonzest-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Once one of us is on the mend from a cold and ready to move on from chicken soup, I like to make a big pot of my Ground Turkey Stew. It's hot, filling, comforting, and gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

    As with most stews, the exact quantities are not set in stone, you can double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. You can add other vegetables if you like. You can leave out anything you don't like.

    It starts with one package of ground turkey – whatever type you like. For my version, you'll also need Bell's Poultry Seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery, 4 medium potatoes, 4 medium carrots, 14 ozs. of low sodium chicken stock, frozen peas, parsley, and 2 scallions.

    • Saute the chopped celery and onion in olive oil in a big pan.
    • Remove the onion and celery and brown the turkey in the same pan adding more olive oil if your turkey is very lean. Season the meat with 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Break up the turkey into bite size pieces. (I often use a potato masher to break up ground meat like this.)
    • Peel and slice the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If I use red potatoes, I scrub them and leave the peels in place.
    • Return the celery and onion mix to the pan, add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes.
    • Cook until the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning with another 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning (or more if you like) plus salt and pepper. 
    • Add frozen peas and stir in until thawed and warm.
    • At this point, I usually pick out and mash a few pieces of potato and stir them into the pan to thicken the broth. 
    • Add sliced scallion and chopped parsley as a final fresh layer of flavor.

    Let us know if you try this dish, and tell us how you adapted it to make it your own. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny Cherubino 

    Related articles
    Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew
    Chunky Vegetable Stew
    Chicken-Chickpea-Potato Soup
    Chicken Soup for a Sick Friend
    Lamb Burgers from Our New Meat Grinder
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Comfort Food, Ground Turkey Stew

    DSC_1164 - Version 22012-12-19-turkey-hash-bostonzest-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Once one of us is on the mend from a cold and ready to move on from chicken soup, I like to make a big pot of my Ground Turkey Stew. It's hot, filling, comforting, and gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

    As with most stews, the exact quantities are not set in stone, you can double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. You can add other vegetables if you like. You can leave out anything you don't like.

    It starts with one package of ground turkey – whatever type you like. For my version, you'll also need Bell's Poultry Seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery, 4 medium potatoes, 4 medium carrots, 14 ozs. of low sodium chicken stock, frozen peas, parsley, and 2 scallions.

    • Saute the chopped celery and onion in olive oil in a big pan.
    • Remove the onion and celery and brown the turkey in the same pan adding more olive oil if your turkey is very lean. Season the meat with 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Break up the turkey into bite size pieces. (I often use a potato masher to break up ground meat like this.)
    • Peel and slice the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If I use red potatoes, I scrub them and leave the peels in place.
    • Return the celery and onion mix to the pan, add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes.
    • Cook until the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning with another 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning (or more if you like) plus salt and pepper. 
    • Add frozen peas and stir in until thawed and warm.
    • At this point, I usually pick out and mash a few pieces of potato and stir them into the pan to thicken the broth. 
    • Add sliced scallion and chopped parsley as a final fresh layer of flavor.

    Let us know if you try this dish, and tell us how you adapted it to make it your own. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny Cherubino 

    Related articles
    Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew
    Chunky Vegetable Stew
    Chicken-Chickpea-Potato Soup
    Chicken Soup for a Sick Friend
    Lamb Burgers from Our New Meat Grinder
    Enhanced by Zemanta