Farmers Markets Galore

Farmers Market season is here!

This past month was a blur of work, job searching, graduations (shout out to Mama Ro, B.S., M.Ed., C.A.G.S!), and outdoor markets. Our go-to spot is the Copley Square Farmers Market in Back Bay. It’s open Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and steps from multiple T stops.

Greens and seedlings make up much of the produce this early in the season, but there are plenty of baked goods, cheeses, meat, and prepared foods available. Some of our weekly staples include goat cheese from Crystal Brook Farm, bread from Iggy’s, and eggs from Grass Roots Farm. 

Every once in awhile we embark on culinary adventures and try something new. Last week we tried these delicate little oyster mushrooms from Sienna Farms. I always thought of mushrooms as slimy and flavorless, but I guess that’s because I’d never had a good one. We lightly sautéed them in oil to bring out their earthy, fruity flavor and ate them with steak.

Over Memorial Day weekend we visited the Mount Hope Farmers Market in Bristol, RI. The market, which debuted this winter, is open on Saturdays from 9:00 am to noon.

The setting is vastly different from Copley Square. Tents are pitched on the grassy lawn outside the historic Governor Bradford House, which was built in 1745. Instead of pavement and pigeons there are gravel roads and baby goats (squee!). Alas, no public transportation.

We strolled the market with Mama Mo and picked up some eggs from Aquidneck Farms and two bags of Wholly Granola. It’s nice to see more and more farmers markets popping up around New England (including 248 in Massachusetts!) We’re looking forward to a summer full of fresh local meat and produce.

Pastured Eggs

Green Tomatoes

Fresh Bread

Kids

Mini Petting Zoo

Veggies

Homemade Almond Milk

Milk and I are not friends. I never liked it as a child and have thus grown up abhorring the lactose-laden drink. Friends and family have branded me a lactard and that hurts my heart, mostly because cheese is one of my major food groups. Anyway, milk (and all its creamy derivatives) causes my stomach minor distress, so I try to use alternatives where possible.

I recently began using store-bought almond milk in cereal, hot chocolate, and smoothies, but was quickly turned off by the many unnecessary ingredients. Almost all brands contain upwards of 10 ingredients, including emulsifiers like gellan gum, carrageenan, or xanthan gum. There’s nothing particularly unhealthy about these additives, per se — but why use 10 ingredients when you can use four? Also, you guys, almond milk is like wicked is easy to make.

Ingredients
1 cup whole raw almonds
6 pitted dates
4 cups water
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Directions
Soak almonds in a bowl of water for about 12 hours. Combine almonds, dates and vanilla (if using) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Line a colander with cheese cloth and place the colander in a large bowl. Scoop the paste into the cheese cloth and pour in water. Allow to soak through and squeeze the cloth to release any extra liquid. That’s it!

The remaining sediment is essentially almond paste and is a surprisingly pleasant treat. It can be slathered on toast, spread on bananas, and mixed with oatmeal, granola, or cereal. Or, you could be like me and eat it by the spoonful.

Homemade almond milk is a bit watery, but has a sweet and nutty flavor that is delicious on its own or in cereal, smoothies, and tea. You can also add flavors like cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom for an extra kick. The milk and paste will keep for about 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Pork Chops

We’ve conquered our ultimate food nemesis: Pork.

Our novice attempts at pork preparation have been shoddy at best. In January, we overcooked our pork medallions big time and they ended up dry and chewy. Last summer we produced some awesome pork tacos, but that was a fluke. I mean, what can go wrong when you throw succulent pork shoulder and spices into the slow cooker for eight hours?

Our problem, it turns out, is cook time. When is the pork cooked but not shriveled and tasteless? The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for whole cuts (reduced from the previous recommendation of 160 degrees). Mama Ro also recommends cutting into the meat to check for ample doneness.

Last night we conquered the porcine beast using two gargantuan bone-in pork chops from the happy piggies over at Stillman’s. We lathered the chops with a mustard rub and pan-fried those suckers to juicy goodness. Not to be modest or anything, but the chops were awesome.

For a rub we used:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine mustard, mustard powder, thyme, and garlic. Mix well and smother on both sides of chops. Heat coconut oil in skillet on med-high heat. Cook chops until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and cook for an additional about 10 minutes, more if necessary.

Five Free Apps for Foodies

When we’re not using our smartphones to watch viral cat videos (I’m looking at you, Maru) or Shazam random songs from the radio, we use it for free food apps. Free apps are the only ones we’ll get because, honestly, we paid enough for the damn phones. Here is our unofficial (and in no particular order) list of the Top Five Best Free iPhone (and in some cases Android) Apps for Foodies.

Fooducate
Fooducate (@Fooducate) shows up on many Best App lists, and for good reason. It lets you instantly view a product’s nutrition facts, calories, and ingredients just by scanning the bar code. If the product gets a poor grade, it tells you why and then lists better alternatives. Fooducate’s companion website and blog offer additional advice and interesting food news. If you ever feel overwhelmed navigating food labels, this is the app for you. Also available for Android.

Locavore
Fresh local produce always tastes better, so we use this app to help us find what’s in season. Of course, that’s always depressing during New England winters when the only remaining vegetable is kale, but when July comes around we feel free to stuff our faces with fresh blueberries for an entire month. The app includes a map that pinpoints local farmers markets hawking fresh produce. Also available for Android.

Seafood Watch
This app (@seafoodwatch), created by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is an extensive guide to buying sustainable seafood. We use it to browse and search for the best choice of fish, although applying this information can be tricky when stores and restaurants don’t say exactly where their fish came from. Even so, this app helps raise awareness for sustainably caught and raised seafood. There’s a handy Sushi Guide, too, which lists best choices and fish to avoid. Also available for Android.

Epicurious
Just like the website, this app (@epicurious) is an excellent guide for anyone who likes to cook. It’s easy to search or browse thousands of recipes by ingredient, cuisine, dietary consideration, dish, season, and holiday. Each recipe includes reviews, a photo, and the option to add to your favorites list or built-in shopping list. You can also email recipes or post to social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest. Also available for Android.

Boston Street Food
Ever since Boston’s food truck initiative rolled out last year, the city has been inundated with quality mobile restaurants. This makes us very happy. Now, finding the closest food truck is even easier with this handy app (@streetfoodapp). I use it to search for open food trucks near home and work. I also rely heavily on the Faves tab, which lets me know when my favorite trucks are open nearby.

Pizza Chiena

Pizza Chiena (or Pizza Gaina, as we pronounce it) is an absurdly massive meat pie that is traditionally prepared on Good Friday to celebrate the end of fasting during Lent. We make it because Grammy made it, and Grammy made it because her mother made it, who made it because her mother made it, and so on forever until the beginning of time. Let’s just say it’s a day when we Italianish-Americans willfully clog our arteries with more eggs, cheese, and meat than any sensible person should eat in one sitting.

Grammy crafted her Easter Pizza Chiena for years until she gladly passed the torch to her daughters and granddaughters. It’s now family tradition for us ladies to gather just before Easter Sunday and bake several of these monstrosities to share with our own families.

Grammy and her boyfriend overseeing Pizza Chiena preparations in 2008.

Grammy’s ingredients and directions varied over the years, so we’ve all ended up with slightly different recipes. Below is our version of Grammy’s Easter Pizza Chiena.

Ingredients
3 cups sifted all-purpose bread flour
4 tbsp shortening
14 eggs (6 whole, 5 hard-boiled, 3 separated)
1 tsp baking powder
1 lb ricotta
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
3/4 cup fresca formaggio, cubed
1 pepperoni stick, cubed
1/2 lb prosciutto, cubed
1/2 lb capicola, cubed
1/4 lb salami, cubed
Pepper

Directions
Crust
Sift flour and cut in shortening. Add 3 egg yolks (save egg whites for filling). Add a sprinkle of pepper. Mix, and then slowly add 1/3 cup warm water. Continue to blend. Let dough sit, covered, for 30 minutes. Split the dough into two parts (1/3 for the top crust and 2/3 for the bottom crust). Roll out the bottom crust and put it in a large greased 9 inch pan with a high rim.

Filling
Put the cubed meat in a large bowl. Add 5 sliced hard-boiled eggs to meat mixture and put aside. In another large bowl, beat together cheeses, 6 whole eggs, 3 egg whites, and a sprinkle of pepper. Add the sliced meat to the cheese mixture and blend well. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the 1/3 top crust and place over the filling. Seal and flute the edges. Slice the center of crust with knife to allow for ventilation. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove pie and brush crust with an egg wash (beaten egg and a little milk). Return pie to oven and reduce temperature to 300 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Let set before serving.

The Time Has Come…

…to talk of many things. Like how I sucked down my very first oyster this weekend.

Oysters, if you didn’t know, are boogery wads of phlegm. I’ve been avoiding this moment for years–nay–a lifetime. Oysters are the Britas of the ocean. They filter pollutants from ocean water while feeding and either consume the pollutants or turn them into neat little oyster poos that get plopped on the ocean floor. For realsies. Did I mention they look like globs of mucus?

Just look at that gooey muthershucker!

Of course, I like mussels, lobster, shrimp. I eat sushi. I’ve been around oysters plenty of times in local joints like Neptune and Island Creek, where the wait staff describe mollusks with adjectives usually reserved for fine wine. Pete loves them and gleefully flings them down his gullet without a thought.

So, when we found ourselves at Island Creek Oyster Bar this weekend, I knew the time had come. I needed to eat an oyster.

My oyster was straight from Island Creek’s Duxbury farm on the southern shore of Massachusetts. It looked larger than I expected and I doubted I could get it all down in one slurp. I also noticed a hard little circle near the middle, which I learned was the adductor muscle. Would I have to chew that? It looks like something that needs to be chewed. Are these things alive? Is there a stomach in there? Gills?

I was obviously stalling for time. The rest of my table (minus my vegetarian sister) was on to seconds and thirds, so I loaded up my mollusk with mignonette sauce and…hesitated. I poked it with my fork. I asked about the adductor muscle some more. I cringed a little bit. I thought about not eating it. Then, I lifted the briny shell to my lips and slurped. And chewed. And chewed a little more. Then I swallowed.

It was ok. The oyster was salty, but not quite as slimy as I anticipated. It didn’t have a distinct taste at all, to be honest. It was good, but not spectacular. Even so, I’m glad I tried it. The Walrus would be proud.

Call Me Old Fashioned

Not like I need an excuse to indulge or anything, but today is World Whiskey Day. I felt it appropriate to celebrate with an Old Fashioned–a cocktail designed in the early 19th century and revitalized by Don Draper of Mad Men. It’s often considered the first cocktail ever created.

The Old Fashioned is simple and efficient: Sugar, bitters, bourbon or rye whiskey, a splash of water, and ice. Some add a muddled cherry and orange, but purists argue against it

I am not a purist and, frankly, I assumed the cherry and orange were always part of the drink. According to Robert Simonson of the New York Times, the cherry and orange ”fell into the soup and got mashed into a messy slurry” days after the collapse of Prohibition. “This, say absolutists, was the old-fashioned’s darkest hour.”

Yikes. I certainly don’t want to offend the purists, so in the pursuit of cocktail perfection I will test the original Old Fashioned recipe another time and report back. For now, here’s my recipe for a typical post-Prohibition Old Fashioned:

Ingredients
1 tsp sugar
2 sprinkles of Angostura Bitters
Dash of water
1 cherry
1 orange wedge
Rocks
Bourbon Whiskey (like Maker’s Mark)

Directions
In an Old Fashioned glass, pour sugar and a sprinkle of bitters. Dissolve with a dash of water. Add cherry and orange and muddle. Drop in a few rocks and fill the glass with bourbon. Stir and enjoy.

Tacos de Omnomnivores

It’s a weeknight in between paychecks, so chances are we’re eating tacos.

Taco dinners are cheap, but that doesn’t mean they have to be flavorless and unnaturally salty. Most manufactured taco seasoning packets include such traditional Mexican spices as maltodextrin, modified corn starch, monosodium glutamate, and exotic “natural flavors.” Ortega even feels the need to list “spices” as an ingredient. Um, ok.

Needless to say, we’ve learned to make our own taco seasoning with everyday pantry spices. It literally takes three seconds.

All you need is:
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano

The ingredients can be adjusted to suit your taste, and you can even add real minced garlic and onion if you prefer. Just mix all the spices together…


And add to cooked ground beef or diced chicken with a splash of water. We used ground beef from our Stillman’s Farm Meat CSA. This beef is 100 percent grass-fed and so lean there is virtually no fat to drain. Pink slime isn’t invited to this taco party.

The result is spicy, grease-free tacos that we can feel good about eating. ¡Buen provecho!

Something Smells Fishy

We love fresh fish. And, when you live near the coast, it’s not fresh if it doesn’t come in whole that morning off a boat on the pier. Luckily, we have Wulf’s Fish Market in Brookline to help us out.

Wulf’s Fish Market was founded in 1926 when Sam Wulf bought Berger’s Fish Market and truck. Nearly nine decades later, Alan Wulf and his cousin Richie Taylor head to the Boston Fish Pier (the oldest continuously working fish pier in the U.S.) at 4:00 am six days a week to buy the highest quality whole fish in the city.

The shop itself is nothing flashy. There are some cutting tables, a walk-in fridge, ice-filled bins displaying the day’s catch, and the unmistakable smell of seafood. Alas, there’s no credit card machine as they only take cash or check.

Wulf’s is serious about quality. On a recent trip I went in looking for tilapia fillets, only to find out that tilapia is the name for hundreds of different fish that are either domestically farm-raised or shipped in from China, Taiwan or Central and South America. Needless to say, Wulf’s doesn’t sell it. Instead, the staff suggested I try wild-caught sole, which turned out to be a delicious recommendation.

On my last visit I bought some plump sea scallops, which we used to make Ina Garten’s Scallops Provencal recipe. By the way, this recipe is awesome.

Wulf’s high quality seafood keeps us coming back. It’s nice to have a real fishmonger in the neighborhood.

Cue Julie Andrews

Ah, favorite childhood foods. Whether they’re homemade recipes or incessantly advertised processed goods, there’s no escape from memories evoked by familiar tastes and smells. I never hesitate to indulge when gustatory nostalgia strikes, so I’ve compiled a list of my top four childhood-memory-inducing foods.

And so, these are a few of my favorite things:

Pizza Goldfish
Not cheddar. Pizza. When I eat these happy little crackers I taste crayons, cigarette smoke, and Nickelodeon shows. Let me explain. Childhood visits to my grandmother’s house often involved a goldfish snack. My grandmother, Nina, would fill a small plastic bag with goldfish and send me into the TV room while the adults sat in the kitchen playing Whist. There, in my TV room sanctuary, I would scribble in coloring books while watching Rocko’s Modern Life and inhaling the second-hand smoke that wafted in from the kitchen. Yum.

Milano Cookies
Apparently Pepperidge Farm held my childhood in its sugary grip. My other grandmother, Grammy, kept a stash of these delectable cookies in her kitchen cupboard, which worked out great for me since she lived in the same house. If my parents ever denied me a treat, I would just sneak upstairs and raid her kitchen. To this day I can still house a bag of these cookies with zero remorse.

Pastina Soup
Grammy wasn’t just a sugar peddler. She also made soups with homemade chicken broth that I happily slurped down at lunchtime. Pastina–a simple soup of chicken broth and tiny pasta–was my favorite. Grammy would painstakingly strain the broth to remove any trace of chicken bits, add some small pasta like bowties or shells, and top it off with Parmesan cheese and an ice cube. This soup remains one of my favorite comfort foods.

Icebox Cake
In a rare exception to my soggy bread phobia, Mama Ro’s icebox cake is one of my ultimate childhood favorites. It’s a layered cake made of vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, and crushed graham crackers. The result is essentially a pile of goop, but it’s the tastiest pile of goop I’ve ever eaten. Thanks for that, Mama Ro.