The market opens at 11am and by 11:30 the old warehouse space was packed shoulder to shoulder with eager shoppers waiting to fill their reusable bags with the farmer’s bounty.  I would expect nothing less from Bostonites if we were fortunate enough to have a single place to get native veggies, cheeses, meats, seafood, etc. throughout the winter months.  It definitely made me a tad jealous but all the free samples made me get over my farmers market envy quite fast.  Our purchases dabbled on the random side but treated us well for the rest of the visit: 2 dozen littleneck clams, container of pea shoots, jar of pickles, apples, baguette, Atwell’s Gold, and my souvenir to bring back to JP- a jug of apple cider vinegar.

Once we stepped outside the market, the most glorious vehicle was awaiting us, the Hewtin’s Dogs Mobile.  This hot dog/sausage/other fine meat chariot is a branch of the East Side Restaurant Chez-Pascal.  Although the chorizo was tempting, I could not stray from the classic dog with kraut, mustard and onions.  I got to snag a bite of my friend’s cubano that was a special of the day and heard positive murmurings about the meatloaf sandwich.  I must say that it was my most memorable (sober) hot dog consumption to date.

After some outdoor exploring with some jarred up drinks made with Michele’s earl grey tea infused vodka (check their website for the cocktail recipe), we decided to head back to their apartment to relax and enjoy some of Luke’s tasty kitchen creations.  We munched on a hodgepodge of cheese, crackers, apples and pea shoots while Luke whipped up a savory bruschetta with blue cheese, prosciutto, apple chutney and chopped nuts.  He let me in on a great budget tip of buying the prosciutto ends from the deli- you get them at such a great price it doesn’t matter if they aren’t sliced perfectly thin.

Next on the menu was littleneck clams and chorizo in a white wine broth.  I got a rare treat of taking a break from the kitchen so I didn’t scope out the whole recipe but it did contain onions, red pepper, chopped tomatoes, and well paired seasonings.  The broth was so delicious I wanted a whole baguette to myself to soak it all up.  The night ended with some intense foosball matches at their neighborhood watering hole, Captain Seaweeds.

I’m going to leave my amazing breakfast experience for another day since this post has become quite lengthy.  Even if you don’t have pals down in Providence, its still worth a 45 minute drive or hour long commuter rail ride to scope out some different restaurants and night life.  Here are some recommendations: Julians, Red Fez, Rue de L’Espoir, Local 121, New Rivers, Apsara Palace, Liberty Elm Diner, and a stroll around the Italian restaurants on Federal Hill.

Its spring time here! Woohoo! My spirits were very much effected by the lack of sun for the last several months, more so than I realized, until today when I was able to have a glorious adventure in the sun. As many of the people who have visited me in Oakland know, my house is on the edge of a vast expanse of a globalized industrial wasteland AKA. the port of Oakland. In the middle of this hundreds of acres sprawl exists an oasis of nature, undergoing a huge restoration and preservation project called the Middle Shoreline Park.  To commemorate the arrival of springtime Billy & I (along with a one michael gensington) packed a lemon-inspired picnic and biked to this park.

When I went to the produce market on the way home from work Saturday I was shocked to see such a stocked sale rack. (this particular place bags up the older, broken, or almost rotten goods and sells them so cheap!) I got a 5 lbs bag of broken zucchini halves for $1 and about 30 lemons for $2. Life is good When I got home I began forming my plan of attack. At the picnic we ate : lemon poppy seed muffins, lemon-zucchini bread, lemonade(although it was store-bought), and a quick-sort-of tabbouleh.

The muffins didn’t come out as moist or as lemony as I would have liked, so I’ll hold off on the recipe until I’ve mastered it, but the pseudo tabbouleh & zucchini bread were stellar!

Zucchini Bread w/lemon

2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 T baking powder
2 t garam masala blend*

aprox 3 cups grated zucchini
2/3 c oil
1 egg (or apple sauce)
1 t lemon zest
1/2- 3/4 cup raisins
2 t cider vinegar

1/2 c lemon juice

Method: Pre-heat oven to 350. Sift the flour, spice, & baking powder. Mix with sugar. In a clean bowl grate the zucchini, and add all the wet ingredients except the lemon juice. Mix the wet + dry, slowly add the lemon juice. Mix as little as possible. Pour into a greased baking vessel (I used a 4 X 9 loaf pan, but I’m sure anything will do). Bake for about an hour, until a stick comes out clean.

The Boston Crows  got a girls night out last week in celebration of Riane’s visit, and boy did we do it up!  Mo, Holly and I have been simply dying to try out relatively-new hot spot Drink for what feels like ages, and this finally afforded us the opportunity.  Located in the rarely visited Fort Point neighborhood of Boston, Drink did not disappoint.  The drinks were exciting and original, the munchies were delicious and the bartenders were friendly and attentive.  We were in Crow Heaven.

Owned by Chef Barbara Lynch, the proprietor of several fabulous locations around these parts, Drink is a pretty unique concept- it is a cocktail bar without a cocktail menu.  All drinks are made custom to the taste of the drinker; you tell the bar tender what you like (example: fruity, clear liquors, with some fizz) and they whip something up.  If you don’t like it- no big deal- they’ll make you another.  There are a few “suggestion” drinks listed on a blackboard behind the bar, but they were inconspicuous enough that we didn’t even notice the list until round three.

The environment itself is warm and comforting- 3  long wooden bars with brick walls and perfectly low lighting.  Behind the bars it is mostly sterile stainless steel and stone- not a single booze bottle or mixer in sight.  Only several glasses filled with garnishes and basic bartending tools can be seen by the patrons.  The bartender’s dapper attire gives some indication of their skill- even the barbacks were in vests and ties!

We wanted to try as much as we could and between the four of us we came close to succeeding.  Mo and I started off with two vodka and champagne cocktails- hers topped off with house-made grenadine and mine with their homemade raspberry syrup.  Holly and Riane went the gin cocktail route (Holly’s was a gin and grapefruit concoction)  and after the first sips we knew we were off to a great start.

Of course, it being dinnertime and all, the crows needed to munch.  Drink has a small menu of  snacky items to compliment their cocktails.  Everything sounded delicious, and everything was reasonably priced at under $15.oo.  We wanted to try it all but finally settled on bacon wrapped dates ($9), french friens with a lemon aoli ($6?), the house cheese plate (which came with a hard and a soft cheese, citrus marmalade, a portion of salted nuts and baguette, $12) and a plate of cheesy puff pastry bites (only $2!!!!!!!!).  Everything was as satisfying as promised and we mowed down while we watched our lovely and attentive bartender prepare our second round.

Honestly, I get a little blurry on the particulars after this point, but I know that there were more drinks and that they were amazing.  After conducting a survey of the crows, here are some of the highlights:

• A Dark and Stormy, made with Drink’s housemade (and spicy!) ginger beer
• A Bee’s Knees; you could taste the fresh honey
• Cucumber and Hendrick’s gin with grenadine
• A Pink Lady- made with a raw egg white (good until it got warm)
• a play on a whiskey sour
• Dueling tequila drinks: one that was margarita-esque and one that tasted almost like tequila on the rocks but with a stronger smokey flavor.  (This is when it starts to get blurry)

All together, we had an amazing time at Drink, and although it was a bit to pricy to become a regular crow perch, we all agreed that the bill was very reasonable considering the damage done and the high level of service and skill that we got. (Side note:  I would highly recommend coming to drink on a weeknight as apparently it gets super crowded on the weekends, and the personal attention we got on a Tuesday was half the fun.)  Drink sets the bar so high it will be tough to find another cocktail establishment we like as much, but if you know of any, please leave suggestions in the comments!

For more information on Drink, check out the following article on boston .com: here

Lacking a cute little fondue set and a bottle of kirsch we were destined to wing it, which more often than not, turns out better than following a recipe to a T.  Our vessel was a smaller dutch oven which we thought would keep the heat longer, and instead of skewers we used, forks, cocktail picks, and the best tool of all- our hands.  Since we winged it, it’s hard to supply accurate measurements but this was the approach we took led by our Fondue Captain, Mo.

Melt butter in fondue vessel, add minced garlic and sautee until fragrant.  Pour in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white wine (can substitute with beer).  The amount of wine really depends on how much cheese you have so this measurement varies.  Cook until the alcohol evaporates and stir in the mustard then the cheese.  We needed to thicken our mixture with a tsp of corn starch dissolved in a splash of water to achieve our desired consistency.

Winging the cheese mixture was a little stressful but the fun part came when we picked out the tasty dipping items.  Here is what we chose: thyme roasted potatoes, mushrooms and onion, medallions of crisped up chicken sausage, sliced apple, red bell pepper and toasted baguette.

Although delicious, the salad was an after thought and wasn’t touched until the vat of gooey cheese was empty.  The salad contained diced beets, dried fruit, almonds, red onion and sliced carrots.  It was dressed with a vinaigrette of honey, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Once we ate our fill we cleaned off the table, opened some more wine and pondered over a game to play.  We decided to switch it up from rummikub and go with the regular version involving cards.  At first it was hard to get out of the kubbing mind set but after a few rounds we were all pros again.

Someone needs a snack.

Check out this little tidbit that was brought to our attention by our Resident ManCrow in Science, Mr. Matt. 

Us crows must be pretty smart if science and the BBC say so.

Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Torta Rustica

Just like a fritatta this egg dish is very versatile.  The main ingredients are baguette, eggs and cheese so its up to the cook what other tasty veggies and meats they want to throw in.  Sausage would have been ideal but instead we went the vegetarian route with spinach, onions, garlic, green pepper, and tons of fresh orgegano.  I was too famished to waste time getting a decent picture, but our potatoes also came out delicious with a few minutes under the broiler at the end and some freshly chopped parsley.

This breakfast provided the starch and carbs we all needed to throw back some mimosas and move on to some whiskey gingers!

Here is a shout out to the two well behaved pups that entertained us all weekend.

Emma Bear & Moose

Crab legs, baked potato and some yummy greens. The legs were so full of meat, I was full before I finished the first one. She topped it off with a  glass of crisp white wine and I was in heaven. Thanks Mom!

This is a recipe I used for my family thanksgiving, friend thanksgiving, and most recently for my mother’s birthday dinner.  If you are skeptical of brussels sprouts, please give this recipe a try, it has been known to convert taste buds!

Cider Braised B Sprouts
The preparation of the sprouts can be time consuming but really makes a difference in the texture of the dish.  I cut the sprout in half, then remove most of the tough core by making a triangular slit seen below.  This prep work can be done in advance, just put on some good kitchen tunes and place the prepared brussels sprout halves in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to make the dish.

Chop up to two slices of bacon (can substitute pancetta) and sautee with oil in a large pan until fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy.  Remove bacon, add brussels sprouts, salt, pepper and toss to coat in the hot oil.  Once coated add a dash of cider vinegar to deglaze any browned bacon bits.  Pour in enough apple cider to partially cover the sprouts and simmer covered for 5-10 minutes, then remove lid and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes until sprouts are tender and liquid has reduced.  Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle bacon bits on top.

Vegetarian Adaption:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice 1 shallot into rings and combine it with prepared brussels sprouts in a baking dish.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, 2 TBS cider vinegar and 1/2 cup apple cider (add less cider if dish is narrow).  Roast for 20 minutes or until tender, make sure to stir mixture a couple of times during the roasting process.

This recipe (and phot0) from the New York Times is making my mouth water as I sit her in my cubicle.  Does anyone have any good ideas how to vegetarianize this (aka sub out the chorizo)  without sacrificing flavor or spice?  I’m dying to try!

Red Wine Mushroom Risotto
I dubbed this version “red wine” mushroom risotto because the last time I made it I used a white wine and missed out on the striking burgundy color.

Ingredients:
1 C Arborio rice
1 Quart Stock, mushroom would work nice but chicken or vegetable are fine
1/4 C red wine
1 package mushrooms, medium sliced*
1 celery stock, diced
1 large shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS freshly chopped thyme
1 bay leaf
2 TBS butter
1/4 C parm or pecorino romano
Salt & Pepper to taste

BEFORE you start on the risotto make sure you bring stock to a low simmer.
MELT 1 TBS butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a heavy stock pot.
SAUTEE shallots, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper until tender and add rice.
COOK rice until it becomes translucent and then deglaze with wine.
ONCE wine is absorbed add stock in batches making sure it is absorbed before adding more.
WHEN half of the stock is added stir in mushrooms and thyme and continue to add stock until the rice is tender but still holds its consistency.
TURN off heat, stir in remaining butter (should be room temperature) and grated cheese, remove bay leaf and its ready to serve!

*Riane was in charge of chopping the mushrooms and I’m glad she chose to slice them medium thick- they really held up in the cooking process.