Will Drive for Food - A Saturday Adventure

Last month at the Food Truck Festival the hubby and I were chatting with Michelle of Fun and Fearless in Beantown. She asked us about our weekend and about how far we drove in to enjoy the barbecue brisket at the market.  My immediate reply was, "On Sundays we usually drive for food".  I laughed at how it sounded, but it's really true.  Many of our weekend adventures involve heading to a farmers market, a festival, or an interesting restaurant. We don't eat out during the week (well, maybe we sneak a lunch or two out) and weekends are when we let someone else do some of the cooking.

This weekend I was on my own for my adventure. I knew my starting destination and headed out with no particular agenda or return time. I love to wander, one thing leads to another, and it becomes an adventure!

I fueled up for my adventure with a slice of homemade whole wheat bread topped with homemade fig spread (recipe at the end). With an iced coffee from Red Barn Coffee Roasters in hand I hit the road and in about 30 minutes I arrived at the Harvard, MA Farmers Market.  I'd heard great things about the market and they have an informative and interesting website. There were a lot of new-to-me vendors and I spent some time chatting with all of them and picking up some great things.  I also spent a lot of time taking photos during the day. I'll highlight some of my favorites throughout the post. I hope you check out the slide show included in the post for all of my photos.

A bright yellow booth caught my attention and I stopped by to see what they were selling. I met the lovely Joanna and tasted her delicious biscotti. We started chatting and it turns out that Joanna just started her baking business and this was her second weekend at the market. After careers in marketing and kitchen design, she decided to take her well-tested biscotti recipe to the commercial kitchen and bring it to the public. She has more than 10 flavors. I picked out the orange walnut (with a full pound of walnuts in the 6 oz. of biscotti!). I look forward to trying out  more flavors! Hopefully she'll bring her treats to one of the winter markets in the area. She doesn't have a website yet, but she is in the process of setting it up.

Another fantastic surprise was Bagel Alley. There are bagel places out here in MetroWest, but none that satisfy my craving for chewy, dense, bagels. I picked up a half-dozen of my favorite flavors and asked if I could take a few pictures of the bagels. They seemed a little shocked that anyone would want to photograph their bagels, but they obliged. Here is my ode to my favorite stinky bagel, the everything bagel:

I also picked up a delicious whole wheat plum cherry scone from The Biscuit (from Somerville, MA). I munched on that while I gathered some other goodies like pea tendrils, a whole chicken (no giblets), parsley, spinach fettuccine, and parsnips.  Another new-to-me product was lupine beans. I had never heard of them before - turns out they blend into a flavorful and healthy hummus. After sampling a few flavors, I took home a cilantro flavored hummus. You can read about the lupine beans here.

I packed up my purchases and decided to wander through Harvard toward my absolute favorite fall stop - Bolton Spring Farm. Every fall since I first came to Boston for college, I've made a trip to Bolton Spring Farm. Three things I always buy there: hot apple dumplings, hot apple cider, and a Yankee Candle (apple, pumpkin, or cinnamon scented). They have apple picking too, but it's up a hill, so I usually pick up a pre-picked bag. This trip I got a half peck of Paula Reds, a cider donut, and a 'Be Thankful' candle.

Since I was on Route 117 with no agenda, I headed east toward Verrill Farm. At this point I really didn't need any more veggies or fruits, or so I thought...On my way to Verrill Farm I made a quick detour to Applefield Farm. They were at the farmers market and I decided to stop and see their real farm. I added three hot peppers and a cute green eggplant to my loot and got back on the road.

At Verrill Farm I added fresh figs, a beeswax candle, and an orange to my collection. I know the orange doesn't scream "Hey, it's fall", but my favorite apple cake calls for orange juice. Sometimes you just have to go with it.  When I got home, I laid out my purchases to see how crazy I went. Not too bad! I really love the magnet that I got at the market.

It was a fabulous day! Beautiful weather, friendly farmers and vendors, and of course delicious food. I cooked up a quick dinner from my finds, and ended up making it three more times over the weekend (it was that fresh and good!).

I had a great time taking photos - instead of a post with all of them, I hope you have a minute to watch the slide show below to see what food fun awaits you here in the suburbs.  Recipes from the posts follow the pictures.

Fig Cinnamon Jam

Recipe adapted from a recipe posted by Bob Dunn on Local in Season

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 pound fresh figs, stems removed and quartered 

1 1.5 inch strip of lemon zest

Juice from 1/4 of a lemon

1 tablespoon ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

Add water and sugar to a small saucepan, heat over medium heat and cook until you have a simple syrup (just a few minutes)

Add the quartered figs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon to the simple syrup and mix

Simmer over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally

Let the mixture cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator

Farmers Market Late Summer Pasta

Serves 1 (multiply by the number of hungry people you have to feed)

1/4  lb. Fior D'Italia Spinach Fettuccine, cooked to al dente

1/4 cup Wards Berry Farm red & yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 Applefield Farm green eggplant, diced

1 handful of pea tendrils/pea greens, coarsely chopped

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat

Add chopped garlic and cook until just fragrant

Add in halved tomatoes and diced eggplant, cook for about 5-8 minutes until softened but not mushy

Turn off heat and add pea tendrils and greens

Toss ingredients

Top a large bowl of pasta with the veggies and an extra drizzle of olive oil

Enjoy!

Yell at yourself for only making one serving

Make again for lunch and dinner the next day and add Parmesan cheese to the top

Where do your food adventures take you? What do you like to do when you have no agenda?

Kosher with a Kick (and friends!)

If you're a food and wine person in Boston and you're on Twitter (or follow any other foodie communication source), chances are you've heard about The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill.  They've only been open 12 weeks, but they have definitely made their presence known in the community.

My first trip to The Urban Grape was back in July for a Budget-Friendly tasting hosted by Michelle over at The Economical Eater. It was a great introduction to the shop. TJ (the owner) and his staff not only poured great tasting wines, but also taught us a lot! From different grapes to the different regions to the weight of each wine, I felt like I took a crash course in Wine 101 when I left.

I've been trying new roses for the last year, and I asked staffer Kate for some suggestions on new-to-me bottles (or boxes) to try.  I picked up some budget friendly roses, a kicking riesling, and headed home with my purchases.

A few weeks later, another favorite blogger of mine Robin (from Doves and Figs), sent out a note that she was hosting a Jewish holiday themed tasting at The Urban Grape: Kosher with a Kick. I'm pretty sure I signed up the same night. Since the hubby is not a wine drinker, I invited our friend Avi to join in the kosher wine fun!

I'd been corresponding online with TJ and Hadley (the lovely, enthusiastic owners) and was excited to get back to the shop for some more learning and wine.  What really kicked the evening up a notch (sorry...) was that The Fireplace provided delicious food pairings for each wine we tasted.  If you haven't been to The Fireplace, you are missing out. Every meal starts with fresh, warm bread. And of course everything they serve after that is also fresh, mostly local, and delicious. Now on to the tasting...

First up, a sparkling wine paired with artisanal New England cheeses, figs, and homemade garlic crackers. I'm pretty sure that Manischewitz doesn't make a kosher sparkler. This was a little sweet, but not Manischewitz sweet. TJ gave us some great information on how kosher wines are prepared and Robin shared some stories of her holiday traditions. She also gave great tips on holiday decorations, since Martha doesn't really have a Jewish New Year decorating guide. You can see her vases of apples in the photo below.

Next up, was a white wine paired with a delicious "gourmet potato chip" topped with smoked salmon. There was more food than people, and I wouldn't turn down a second bite of something so delicious. This wine was  smooth and paired great with the salty chip and salmon. I think Avi liked it too!

While I was snapping photos, we made some new friends who were also enjoying the salmon. We started chatting with Jordan and Noah and found out that they were new to the area and fellow food lovers! Before the night was over we had made plans for a brunch involving smoked salmon and a challenge for me to find a way to serve brisket as part of breakfast (I think I've got an idea...).

The next two wines were paired with two different tarts. The wine served with the first was my favorite of the night - a kosher pinot noir from Italy. Not only was it delicious, it also had a fabulous label. Ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you that if it has a spiral design I will buy it!  The second tart served was unbelievable. And as we all agreed, it was the foraged mushrooms that put it over the top. Buttery crust, gruyere, and foraged mushrooms. I think you would describe this as having umami. Savory, rich, umami.

Before we finished up with the dessert course, TJ took some more time to explain what makes a kosher wine kosher and why traditional kosher wines were never that great. In the past, they would bring the wine to a boil and almost pasteurize it, changing the flavor (almost a cooked flavor).  These are considered mevushal wines, meaning that anyone (Jewish or not) can uncork and pour the wine and it still remains kosher. I actually had never heard about this (we always had Manischevitz at our family meals). There are many articles online if you search, this post would be very long if I tried to summarize all the details.  The Urban Grape stocks a lot of kosher selections, and more coming in every day. There are kosher wines from all over the world - and as TJ put it, they are great wines that happen to be kosher. But they do have concord grape in the back if you have a craving for something sweet.

I was intrigued by the dessert pairing - a 10 year single malt kosher scotch with Taza chocolate cake with caramel and whipped cream. I've never really tried scotch, so my take will be very different from an experienced scotch drinker. The first sip made me do a 'wow, that's strong' head shake and scrunched face.

Mmm...scotch?

Then, the smokiness hit me. It was like I was standing downwind from a campfire. I gave it a few more sips, but it was just too smoky for me. But the cake was to die for. I love Taza and this cake showed off its unique stone ground deliciousness. Sorry for the bite missing in the photo, I couldn't help myself.

Taza Chocolate Cake and Kosher Scotch

What a wonderful evening! It was great to see Robin and her husband Mark, meet Noah and Jordan, and finally meet Hadley in person! It's always nice to have a face to put with the tweets. I took home refills of the two roses I bought on my first visit plus a bottle of the kosher pinot noir. It's going to be a treat for our Rosh Hashanah dinner on Wednesday night.

Thanks to Robin, The Fireplace, and TJ and Hadley for hosting a fabulous night!

Me, Hadley, and Robin

Calories Consumed with Friends Don't Count

This is not a restaurant review - I leave those to the professionals! This is a recap of a fabulous night with some of my blogger buddies. When I first got on twitter and blogging last year, I "met" some Boston food bloggers and Jessie organized dinner to get everyone together to meet and talk food in person. We had a fun dinner at Cuchi Cuchi and kicked off new friendships! (You can check out a fuzzy photo of our evening via JQ Lounge).

Fast forward to this summer and restaurant week. I have mixed feelings about restaurant week, some places do it great and some are like hanger steak factories. But with all the new restaurants around town, I decided that I wanted to give it a try. I saw Jessie tweet about restaurant week and quickly sent her a note. We both got busy creating our restaurant lists. The criteria: new to us and not a shellfish/pork heavy menu. We went through about 40 restaurants each and agreed on Sportello - Barbara Lynch's fancy-ish diner in the Fort Point Channel. With an attendee list of a few of my favorite bloggers, the evening was sure to be a blast!

Nothing says summer restaurant week like a Nor'Easter! We all put on our rain boots and braved the elements to cross over the windy bridge to Sportello. Upon opening the door we were welcomed by the warm, comforting smell of browning butter. Really, is there a better smell?

We started off with a bottle of Rosato and a toast to good food and friends. Then we got down to decisions.

The menu was full of fresh, seasonal ingredients and each dish sounded mouthwatering. While we pondered the great choices, we were served whipped ricotta with olive oil and figs. The bread was sturdy, topped with sesame seeds, and had a wonderful buttery flavor.

A nice touch was the amuse bouche sent out to us from the kitchen sent. Fresh pink salmon, horseradish crema, finely diced chives, and a mini green garnish!

The first course was a unanimous choice by everyone - corn soup. It was lusciously smooth and rich. We asked our server if there was cream - she said no - just corn and olive oil which helped achieve that smooth velvety texture. We all cleaned our bowls, using the bread to get every last drop of soup, oil, and scallion. Here's what food bloggers do at dinner - Alicia from The Clean Plate Club documenting course one. To see the resulting picture, visit her blog.

I could write a series on the steak entree during restaurant week. I always order it. Some places do it better than others, and this was one of the best. It was not until our server brought out the meal that I realized that she didn't ask how I'd like the steak prepared. I like that! The chef knows the meat, knows the dish, and I trust that they serve it at the optimal level doneness. It was pink in the middle, a little crispy on the outside. What I loved about all the courses was that the portion size was just right. I didn't feel like I was struggling to finish and I definitely didn't think that the portions were skimpy. And I really liked the plates...and glasses, and the whole vibe). The diner feel was cozy, comfortable, and I felt very much at home.

In tribute to Alicia's blog - we were all members of the clean plate club!

Dinner was delicious and we laughed off all the calories! Or, as Alicia wisely says, "Calories consumed with friends don't count." Words to live by! 

Alicia, from A Boston Food Diary and Alicia from the Clean Plate Club

Me with  Katie from Once Upon a Small Boston Kitchen

Thanks Katie for the photo of Alicia and Fiona and you and me! I love your new camera!!

Fiona with Barbara Lynch (over her right shoulder!)

We all found a little more room for dessert. I opted for the chocolate bread pudding. It was served with caramel that tasted like it was poured straight from the pan onto the plate. It was buttery and just a little salty.  It was the perfect accompaniment to the dark, almost bittersweet, chocolate bread pudding. I kept saying I was going to stop eating, but who was I kidding? It wouldn't be very nice to waste any food!

It was a wonderful night! It was great to see everyone offline (links to their take on the evening or their blog):

Jessie (How2Heroes)
Katie (Once Upon a Small Boston Kitchen)
Fiona (A Boston Food Diary)
Alicia (The Clean Plate Club)
Peter (http://peteypumpkin.wordpress.com/)

I can't wait to head back down to try Sportello's regular menu, and stop downstairs for a cocktail at Drink.  I am especially looking forward to seeing and meeting more blog friends in person!