So many granola recipes, and not enough time to recipe test all of them.  What makes this recipe crunchy and delicious is the extra virgin olive oil. The maple syrup lends a sweetness along with the brown sugar.  The pieces of fruit add pops of color. Granola can be stored in an air tight jar on the counter or in the freezer.  My new favorite container is this Weck jar - will try not to buy them by the dozen.

Maple Granola
Adapted from Orangette who adapted her recipe from Food 52

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup silvered almonds
1/2 cup raw pecans, chopped
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff, not pancake syrup please)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup each of dried cherries, dried apricots, raisins

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a small to medium size baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans, light brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to mix.

Add the olive and canola oils and maple syrup, and stir well. Spread the mixture evenly on the lined sheet pan. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is toasted, about 45 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven, and season with more salt (if needed). Cool completely on a wire rack. Add the dried fruits and stir.

Store in an airtight container.

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These cookies are a hit. Expect an empty plate so be prepared to snag a cookie before sharing with your next party. A Meyer lemon (cross between an orange and a lemon) is the aromatic choice with intense and fragrant juice and zest. Rosemary is equally pleasing, but thyme is another option. Use a middle of the road extra virgin olive oil since this ingredient isn't the start of the show, but a key understudy.

Rosemary + Lemon + Olive Oil Cookies
adapted from FoodNetwork (yep, that one)
yield: 16-20 cookies

1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 grinds of black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary (thyme can also be substituted)
1 small lemon (Meyer, if available), zest and juice
2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, black pepper, rosemary and zest.

In another small bowl or measuring cup, stir the lemon juice, olive oil, and milk together until blended.

Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Feel free to add additional milk by the 1/2 teaspoon if the dough looks too dry.

Scoop the dough into ping pong size balls and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden. Let cool and serve with tea.

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Steamed mussels might be the easiest one pot dinner possible. A little wine, some tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil go into a Dutch oven or stock pot large enough to hold the mussels.  After a few minutes of simmering, the mussels are open and ready to soak up the sauce.  French fries are a traditional side accompaniment.  But, so is a Belgian beer.

PS: this piece of paper should accompany the bag of mussels; it is usually attached to the bag. The paper tells the harvest location, harvest date, type of shellfish, and shipping date. It also tells the name of the seafood distributor and where the shellfish was sold. I bought these mussels from a farmer's market.

Steamed Mussels
yield: one (entree) or two (first course)

Note: mussels that do not open after cooking should not be eaten.

2 pounds mussels, washed and free of any black fibers or beards
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red or white wine
1/4 tomato sauce
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste if needed

Pour the olive oil into a medium size stock pot and heat until the oil shimmers.  Add the wine and tomato sauce and heat until simmering, 2-3 minutes.

Add the mussels to the pot and cover with a lid.  Increase the heat to medium high. Cook the mussels for 4-6 minutes. Stir them once or twice during cooking. 

Remove the mussels from the pot and transfer to a bowl. Pour the wine and tomato sauce over the mussels. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy immediately. Use a second bowl for the empty shells.

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Spending a Monday morning at brunch isn't a typical occurrence, but when a holiday falls on a Monday, making brunch plans is a nice option.  Boston Brunchers organized a day time road trip to Ceia Kitchen and Bar in Newburyport, MA.  Ceia opened in the summer of 2011 and has received high praise from local and national media. 

The word Ceia means “supper” in Portuguese, and the restaurant's menu reflects flavors from Spain, Italy, and Portugal. The brunch menu featured four courses with a cocktail with the first course and dessert wine to conclude. 

Thank you to Nancy and her team for opening the restaurant early for the group.  This enjoyable meal was provided to Boston Brunchers free of charge by Ceia; writing a review was not a requirement to attend.

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Friday the 13th lunch:

Salami from South End Formaggio
Cabot White Cheddar
Three year Gouda
Roaring 40's Blue Cheese

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Funny name, serious roasted chicken. This name refers to a flattened chicken that cooks more evenly, and, thus a more brown and crispy skin.  The backbone is cut out; don't toss it away as its a great addition to the leftover bones for stock.  The benefits of roasting a whole chicken are the endless meal possibilities; leftover chicken ideas: soup, salad, sandwich, enchiladas, bones for stock.  A whole chicken also costs less per pound than purchasing individual pieces.  How easy is that...one chicken, many meals.

Spatchcocked Chicken
adapted from food52
several meals worth

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pound whole chicken, patted dry
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 lemon, sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Find a dish that will hold the flattened chicken.

Cut out the backbone of the chicken; kitchen scissors are recommended.  See photos for a good tutorial.

Flatten the bird and season both sides with Kosher salt and black pepper.

Place the onion and lemon slices and garlic at the bottom of the baking dish.  Place the chicken (skin side up) on top of the slices and pour the wine and stock over the bird.

Roast in the oven for 35-50 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and let rest 5-10 minutes before carving.  The pan sauce could be reduced (check the seasoning) or saved for a future use (soup or risotto come to mind).

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Portland, Maine

August 2011

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Harvard Common Press was the site of Sunday's Boston Brunchers event. Located in the South End on the top floor of a former piano factory, HCP graciously opened its offices to about 40 Boston food enthusiasts.

Nancy Mahoney is responsible for the sales and marketing of the cookbooks.  She spoke about her team's process to sell and market cookbooks.  Blog tours, tweet-ups, and reviews are ways cookbooks garner attention from the media.

It would not be a Boston Brunchers event without food! Attendees enjoyed lots of breads and muffins plus fruit and a savory strata.  There was coffee, wine, and two types of punch.

Thank you Boston Brunchers and Harvard Common Press for an enjoyable event!

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Thanks to a gracious invitation from Boston Food Bloggers and Local 149, I joined three other Boston food bloggers at Local 149's first "local uncorked" wine dinner.  Wines were paired by Ruby Wines, Inc, a local distributor.

As the web site says, the restaurant is a neighborhood joint located in the Citypoint section of South Boston.  Known for pickling, smoking and curing their ingredients and sourcing from local farms, the event proved to be a delicious winter dinner.  The pairings were smart matches that highlighted the dominate elements of the food and wine.  The pairings that seemed to work the best were the Chenin Blanc and winter salad (smoky aromas worked well with the bleu cheese and roasted beets) and the Sancerre and codfishwich sandwich (acidity that cut through the fried fish and cheddar cheese).  All of the tables feature chalkboard tabletops and a small dish of colorful pieces of chalk.  It was easy to keep track of what wine belonged to which glass!

Nice tableside chats throughout the evening were made by the bar manager, Chris, and Chef Leah Dubois.  It is always a treat to speak with the team managing the restaurant and hearing their influences behind the menu. 

The evening's menu:

Graham Beck Demi-Sec Punch (lime grapefruit, Gin, elderflower, and rooibos chai)

Local and regional selection of unreleased cheeses and meats

2009 Graham Beck Chenin Blanc (South Africa)

Winter salad with roasted and pickled beets, smooth blue and caramel corn

2008 Lucien Crochet Sancerre (Loire Valley)

Smoked codfishwich with porter cheddar

2008 or 2009 Owen Roe "Sinister Hand" (grenache/syrah/mourvedre/counoise) (Washington State)

Burgundy braised beef short ribs manchego pomme puree, apricot jam and crystallized pistachios

Ferreira Porto, Vintage 2000

Westfield Farms Chocolate Goat Cheese Cake

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Autumnal fruits and vegetables come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Summer cooking methods morph from "just slice and eat" to fall's version of "roast for two hours".  It won't be long before little boxes of strawberries return.

Red and green Bartlett pears

Vibrant chilies both in color and heat.

Orange and white carrots

Pink turnips hang out next to fennel.

Who knew artichokes could be grown in Massachusetts?

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Portland, ME is an easy day trip from Boston.  Portland offers a casual vibe with plenty of restaurants, cafes, shops, and seagulls.

Duckfat
Portland Lobster Company
Bard Coffee
Coffee by Design
Stonewall Kitchen
Rabelais (culinary bookstore)
LeRoux Kitchen
Monument Square Farmer's Market

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Its been quite a long time since I have attended a one year old's birthday party; its been even longer since attending TWO first birthdays on the same day.  Such occasion celebrated the first birthdays for Island Creek Oyster Bar and Boston Brunchers. Forty bloggers, brunch enthusiasts, and food folks convened to catch up, meet new friends, and snap pictures of delicious food.  Its always enjoyable to meet the faces that pair with the blogs and Twitter handles.

Oysters await their shucking.

A "regular" bloody mary.

Cocktails before noon. This is brunch.

ICOB's house-made pasteries.

My brunch pick: bagel, smoked salmon, chive cream cheese, pea greens

Special thanks to Renee Hirschberg, founder of Boston Brunchers, for planning the event and converging social media with brunch. And a big thanks to the sponsors for their generosity, especially Island Creek Oyster Bar for hosting.  I look forward to visiting Dorado Tacos & Cemitas to use my winning door prize gift certificate.  Here's a peek into a previous Boston Bruncher's meal at Dorado in February. 

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This vegetable soup has fall and winter written all over it. 

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Peaches are quickly disappearing in New England.  Never fear as this tart dough would serve a multitude of fall and winter fruits including apples, pears, and plums. Next spring I plan to test out this tart with strawberries and, maybe, rhubarb

End of Summer Peach Tart
ever-so-slightly adapted from Food52
Yield: one 9-inch tart

1 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup mild olive oil
2 tablespoons whole or 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons cold, salted butter (original recipe called for unsalted)
3 to 4 small ripe peaches, pitted and thickly sliced (about 1/2-inch thick)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar.

In a small bowl (or in the measuring cup), whisk together the oils, milk and almond extract. Pour this liquid into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork, just enough to dampen; do not over work it. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan and use your hands to pat out the dough so it covers the bottom of the pan. Push the dough up the sides to meet the edge.

In the same bowl used to mix the dough (why dirty another dish?), combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the butter. Using your fingers, pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly, it should look like fine granules or tiny pebbles.

Arrange the peaches in an overlapping pattern over the dough.  The peaches should have a tight fit in the pan. Sprinkle all of the butter mixture over top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crust is slightly brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Its hard to resist not eating this entire focaccia in one sitting.  When I made this in 2007, it didn't turn out at all.  Not even close.  So, I left the recipe alone for about four years.  And tried it again.  And it worked.  It worked a bit too well that I almost ate the whole thing in one day.  And then made it again and noticed how good the yeasty-olive oil-y aroma floats through the kitchen.  The cherry tomatoes, especially if sun golds are used, turn into pieces of sweet candy.  Try it, you'll like it.

Tomato Potato Focaccia

barely adapted from The Wednesday Chef
yield: 1-9 inch focaccia

1 medium Yukon Gold potato
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dry active yeast (original recipe says 1 teaspoon fresh yeast)
A pinch of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more for salting water for potato
2/3 cup warm water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced crosswise
Coarse sea salt

Place the potato in a small saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the potato by an inch. Place the pot over high heat, covered, and bring to a boil. Add a handful of kosher salt to the water. Simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a knife, around 20 minutes. Drain the potato and let it cool. Peel the potato and mash finely with a fork. Set aside.

Put the yeast in a large mixing bowl along with a pinch of sugar. Slowly add the warm water over the yeast, stir using a fork to help dissolve the yeast entirely. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes. The yeast should be bubbly.

Pour the flour into the yeasty water and stir with a fork, then add the mashed potato and the salt. The dough will be thick and shaggy. Use the fork to incorporate the potato into the flour. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and begin to knead the dough by hand. It will come together quickly. Knead against the bowl for a minute or so, until it is relatively smooth. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered with a kitchen towel, in the bowl for an hour.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Using your fingertips, gently remove the risen dough from the bowl and place it in the cake pan. Gently tug and pat it out so that it fits the pan. Cover the top of the focaccia with the tomatoes. Sprinkle a large pinch of coarse salt over the tomatoes, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and let it rest for another hour. Dried oregano or thyme would be a welcomed addition here.

Preheat the oven to 425 while the focaccia is resting. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, but start checking at the 35 minute mark. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes before removing the focaccia from the pan. Try not to eat it all at once.

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Wilson Farm, a family owned and operated farm since 1884 in Lexington, MA, held it's annual Tomato Festival this weekend.  Tomatoes varieties from A to Z including a bloody Mary mix were available for purchase.

Fruits and vegetables looking fresh and seasonal.

Games (such as kid-friendly flip cup) attracted kids of all ages; prizes included tomato planting and canning kits.

Saturday was a beautiful day to eat tomatoes and enjoy the summer sunshine.

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Entry to Taza Chocolate's retail shop and tour site.

Raw cacao beans

Taza sources it's beans from Bolivia and the Dominican Republic; beans arrive in 70 kilo bags.

German roasting machine circa 1950's; found in a used industrial Italian warehouse.

A winnower, a machine used to separate the cacao nib from the shell.  The machine was transported from a soon-to-be-closing candy factory in the Dominican Republic to Somerville.  Shells are by-products at Taza and great for garden multch and loose leaf teas.

Packaging material is compostible.  Taza ships to 45 states, but local Bostonians can receive Taza by Metro Pedal Power.

Cacao pods and chocolate samples pre-tour

Items for sale in the retail store

Pictorial story of chocolate making

Thanks to Taza Chocolate for the delicious tour and samples! Also thanks to Rachel Blumenthal (@blumie) of Boston Food Bloggers (@BostonFoodBlogs) for organizing.

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10 a.m. isn't the usual time to visit Boston's only craft distillery much less sip vodka, white bourbon, and white rum.

Bully Boy is the brainchild of two brothers, Will and Dave Willis.  The pair use traditional techniques to produce small batch spirits emphasizing quality over quantity and local ingredients over whatever is available.

This impressive business has bottles featured in some of Boston's top cocktail menus.  For more details, click here.

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Moving from Chicago to Boston meant an adjustment in many things including weather, accents, lack of taquerias, and timing of produce.

Working as a farmer's market assistant for Stillman's meant a weekly peek at the lastest and greatest produce offerings. 

Each week new vegetables and fruits would appear. Some berries arrived in limited quantities one week yet the following week tables would be overflowing. 

Colorful beets

Squash, beans and peas by the bushel.

Tomatoes and blueberries await a new home.

Cute boxes of sun gold tomatoes mean summer.

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Beef Tenderloin + Rice Salad + Yogurt Dressing
yield: 1 - 2 people

for the salad:
1/2 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
thinly sliced radishes (as many as you want)
8 ounces beef tenderloin (or a similar cut)
salt and pepper, to taste

for the dressing:
1/4-1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
lemon juice, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste

For the rice, bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Add several large pinches of Kosher salt and add the rice.  Stir and cook for 17 minutes exactly.  Drain the rice and set aside in a mixing bowl to cool. 

While the rice is cooking, add the olive oil to a small saute pan set to medium heat.  Add the thinly sliced onions and slowly caramelize until soft and light brown.  This step could take about 20-30 minutes.  Add a tablespoon or two of water if the onions start to brown too quickly; the water will slow down the cooking process slightly. 

Add the onions to the bowl of cooled rice; its fine to let them stay at room temperature.

Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.

For the steak, season with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat until very hot. Cook the steak, turning once, for about 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steak to a plate or cutting board and set it aside for 5 minutes.

To serve, scoop some of the rice mixture into bowls. Thinly slice the meat and arrange some slices on top of each serving, add the sliced radishes, and spoon some of the yogurt sauce over the salad.

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