Tag: pork

A Sprinkle of Urfa Pepper…

Urfa Biber or Urfa pepper is one of those spices I kept seeing in Turkish recipes. Then I noticed it on Formaggio Kitchen's website. That made sense because owner Ihsan Gurdhal is from Istanbul and an expert in Turkish cuisine. In her book, Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, Chef Ana Sortum of Oleana says he's the one who introduced her to it.

When I saw a bag of it at Arax Market in Watertown, I knew I had to give it a try. I gave part of my supply to a cooking friend so we could both play with it and compare notes. "They are simultaneously bitter like coffee or chocolate and sweet like molasses, and they lend a wonderful, deep, smoky aroma to sauces," Chef Sortum writes.

It looks a bit like rich, oily coffee grounds with a rusty red tint. It is an afterburner chili giving you a mild introduction with a kick on the finish. It is wonderful with eggplant. A spinkle will add a lift to a tray of roasted root vegetables. And, I added a dash to some leftover pork for a second night supper.

In Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, Chef Sortum features Urfa as one of her favorite chili peppers, along with Aleppo pepper and paprika.

Urfa Tip:

Notice that my work board is protected with a piece of parchment and my Urfa is in a glass jar. This is a spice, like tumeric, that could be used as a dye. It will stain your counter, clothing, or hands. It even left stains on a small aluminum scoop I was using with it. And the natural scallop shell in the first photo now has an orangy interior. Use it with this caution in mind.

If you try Urfa pepper, be sure to let us know how you like it and what recipes you explored.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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January 30, 2013
Surryano Ham from Virginia is Peanut-Fed Berkshire Pork

Anytime you're at South End Formaggio, remember to check the offerings in the charcuterie case. They have a very nice regular selection. In addition, you often find something you've never tried like this Surryano Ham From Virginia. It's made from peanut-fed berkshire pork.

We bought a bit of this and a bit of Jamón Serrano so we could compare the two. They are both tasty bits of pork. The Virginia offering is smoky and rich with a creamy fat layer and nice marbling. The Spanish Jamon was cleaner with more pure pork flavor. But, we liked both and would buy either of them anytime a lovely looking leg is on offer.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site! And, if you don't live in the Boston area, Amazon does have the ham. Be sure to check the shipping cost !

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Free-range pork? Only if it's cheap

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October 23, 2012
Surryano Ham from Virginia is Peanut-Fed Berkshire Pork

Anytime you're at South End Formaggio, remember to check the offerings in the charcuterie case. They have a very nice regular selection. In addition, you often find something you've never tried like this Surryano Ham From Virginia. It's made from peanut-fed berkshire pork.

We bought a bit of this and a bit of Jamón Serrano so we could compare the two. They are both tasty bits of pork. The Virginia offering is smoky and rich with a creamy fat layer and nice marbling. The Spanish Jamon was cleaner with more pure pork flavor. But, we liked both and would buy either of them anytime a lovely looking leg is on offer.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site! And, if you don't live in the Boston area, Amazon does have the ham. Be sure to check the shipping cost !

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Free-range pork? Only if it's cheap

Parma's signature cheese contributes to its famed ham

Food & Wine Magazine Cover-to-Cover: All the Recipes in the October 2012 Issue

At Which Restaurant Would You Find these Objects?

Friday Fall Foliage Links

October 23, 2012
Surryano Ham from Virginia is Peanut-Fed Berkshire Pork

Anytime you're at South End Formaggio, remember to check the offerings in the charcuterie case. They have a very nice regular selection. In addition, you often find something you've never tried like this Surryano Ham From Virginia. It's made from peanut-fed berkshire pork.

We bought a bit of this and a bit of Jamón Serrano so we could compare the two. They are both tasty bits of pork. The Virginia offering is smoky and rich with a creamy fat layer and nice marbling. The Spanish Jamon was cleaner with more pure pork flavor. But, we liked both and would buy either of them anytime a lovely looking leg is on offer.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site! And, if you don't live in the Boston area, Amazon does have the ham. Be sure to check the shipping cost !

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Free-range pork? Only if it's cheap

Parma's signature cheese contributes to its famed ham

Food & Wine Magazine Cover-to-Cover: All the Recipes in the October 2012 Issue

At Which Restaurant Would You Find these Objects?

Friday Fall Foliage Links

October 23, 2012
Mary Chung Dun Dun Noodle Craving– Satisfied!
All you have to say is Mary Chung and Penny starts craving Dun Dun Noodles. (The noodles are hiding under all that lovely, spicy topping in the photo above.)

Last week, the crew over on Boston Chowhound began a discussion of Chinese and Chinese-American food, so of course Mary Chung was included. That was enough to put it on our lunch list. We arrived at 12:30 pm and had to wait a few minutes for a table. It's good to see an old favorite still filling the seats on a Thursday afternoon.

We're convinced that the Sichuan pepper in those Dun Dun noodles is addictive. It numbs your mouth just enough to make you receptive to the chili oil and other heat-makers in the dish. You have to make yourself stop reaching for the noodle bowl so you can try the other dishes on the table.

In our case, this included one of the daily specials, this wonderful, fresh, crisp plate of aspargus and pork. While the printed menu is giant, always check the daily specials taped to the register area up front.

And, we did have to take home the leftovers because we couldn't resist starting with the pan fried Peking ravioli.

This Central Square, Cambridge institution has been delivering great Chinese food for years. Reviewers mention that it's been around since the early 1980s. And, this is a perfect place to gather a group and fill one of the big round tables with shared food.

Do you have a favorite Mary Chung menu item? Please tell us, we want to get out of our ordering rut and work our way through the menu!

Tips:
- Check those specials.
- They do a type of Dim Sum on weekends.
- You can reserve a table for a group, and if you want it on a weekend, call early.
- Order rice if you want it.
- They only take cash so come prepared.
- They do serve beer and wine, but somehow the pots of tea they put on the table seem perfect with the food.
Related Posts: Here's more about Food & Drink!
What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Mary Chung Restaurant

464 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4132 (map & reviews)

(617) 864-1991

marychung.com‎

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
February 22, 2012
Thai Chili from The Dining Car Food Truck

On a mild winter day there is nothing like a bowl of Thai Chili from The Dining Car food truck to warm you inside and out. This is my current favorite nosh from one of the best of the street food vendors. And, the bonus item is that this totally brilliant team serves it with shrimp chips. You can dip or do what I do– spoon a pile of chili on a shrimp chip and nibble away.

Insider Tip: If you're carrying this back home or to the office, keep it level or ask the team to put your shrimp chips in a separate bag. You don't want any chili to get on those lovely crisp, delicate chips and make them soggy.

Ed & I usually catch up with The Dining Car outside the Boston Public Library, where we happen to spend a lot of time researching stuff for our freelance work.

This is one recipe that I'm going to use as a base for a chili of my own. The menu board says it has ground pork, simmered with red chilies, ginger, lemongrass, and coconut milk. That's a good starting point for me to develop my own Thai Chili.

Of course, I'll still have to enjoy this one while it's available. But, food trucks do change up the menu frequently, so I'll have to have a backup plan for seasons when they're putting the emphasis on warmer weather fare.

Related Posts:

Learn about this food truck and the team behind it at The Dining Car- Food Truck Tracking

Crispy Cauliflower, a Perfect Snack! (this one is so popular it seems to be staying on the menu)

Here's a link to our full menu of Food Trucks/Street Food fare.

What's on your shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Here's how you can track The Dining Car

Website: www.diningcar.net

Twitter: @thediningcar

Facebook: TheDiningCar

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed & Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

February 13, 2012
Sweet Cheeks BBQ: A First Look

Looking for porky goodness? We found it last weekend at Sweet Cheeks in the Fenway. We had to pick up an item at the Landmark Center, so we checked our "restaurants to try" list for that area and decided on lunch at Sweet Cheeks. Smart move!



We grabbed two seats at the bar and put ourselves in the very capable hands of Rich who guided us through our meal, and saw that our every wish was granted two seconds before we thought of it. Phenomenal food with fantastic service. This is our kind of place.

The menu calls for decisions. Ed was too hungry to make many of those, so he went for the pulled pork sandwich on a bulkie roll (rather than Texas Toast) and added a hot side of collard greens. They were served in the blue mug.

Here's a close up on that pulled pork.

Penny went for the tray of ribs and chose her hot side as BBQ beans, and her cold side as the farm salad. There were also two slices of white bread and a pickle pile on the tray.

If this photo is not one of her best, it's because the aroma of those ribs were a serious distraction, and she was trying to hand the camera off to Ed so she could pull that pork off those bones. Ahhhhh! Smoky, sweet, salty, pork candy.

And, that salad! As those of you who follow BostonZest know, Penny is not a salad person. She seldom orders one, but this promised brussel sprouts and she does love spouts. It was a delight and might be a side she would return to Sweet Cheeks for, even if they didn't have all that incredible BBQ.



It may be dangerous that this place is within walking distance of our home. Having Marshall's Fenway Farm Stand a few doors away will only add to our excuses for a replay. We're already planning a table for 8 to fill one of the big hightops and to try the rest of the menu.



This is a Fenway spot, so get out there and enjoy it before baseball season has many of us staying away from anything in this area. Make it a winter of warm, wonderful BBQ from Sweet Cheeks.

Tomorrow, Ed will tell you about his beer and how it matched both meals right down to dessert. If you came in later, here's that post:.)

Here are a few follow up visits to Sweet Cheeks Q:

Salt & Pepper Potatoes at Sweet Cheeks Q

Bourbon Beer? at Sweet Cheeks

Sweet Cheeks Q- Great Northern Brisket

We try to direct you to delicious. If you enjoy the places we recommend, you can thank us by beginning all your Amazon shopping right here. Just click on any Amazon item or link (like this one), and they will put a few coins in our tip jar for every item you buy.

Details:

Sweet Cheeks

www.sweetcheeksq.com

1381 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 (map)
phone: 617-266-1300
email: info@sweetcheeksq.com

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

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

December 12, 2011