Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Thirsty Thirty(-Seven)

Here are the menus to thirty-seven fine cocktail establishments in Cambridge and Boston. Rather than run the course of ranking them, I'll let you decide. Please comment below with additions, changes, or rankings to the list! Cheers!

Cambridge: Harvard Square

West Side Lounge - 1680 Mass Ave (btw Harvard & Porter Sq)

Russell House Tavern - 14 JFK St (Harvard Sq)

Casa Blanca - 40 Brattle St (Harvard Sq)

Noir @ Charles Hotel - One Bennett St (Harvard Sq)

Rialto @ Charles Hotel - One Bennett St (Harvard Sq)

The Red House - 98 Winthrop St (Harvard Sq)

Cambridge: Central Square

Rendezvous - 502 Mass Ave (Central Sq)

Green Street Grill - 280 Green St (Central Sq)

Lord Hobo - 92 Hampshire St (north of Central Sq)

Cambridge: Kendall Square

Blue Room - One Kendall Square (Kendall Sq)

Hungry Mother - 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave (Kendall Sq)

Dante - 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd (north of Kendall Sq)

Inman Square

Trina’s Starlite Lounge - 3 Beacon St, Somerville (near Inman Sq)

Somerville

Highland Kitchen - 150 Highland Ave (Someville)

Foundry on Elm - 255 Elm St (Davis Sq)

Bergamot - 118 Beacon St (corner of Kirkland/Washington & Beacon)

South End

The Gallows - 1395 Washington St (South End)

Gaslight Brasserie - 560 Harrison Ave (South End)

Coppa - 253 Shawmut Ave (South End)

Franklin Café - 278 Shawmut Ave (South End)

Union Bar and Grill - 1357 Washington St (South End)

Estragon Tapas - 700 Harrison Ave (South End)


Downtown Boston

Woodward @ Ames Hotel - 1 Court St (near Gov Center)

Scholars - 25 School St (near Gov Center)

Stoddards - 48 Temple Place (near Downtown Crossing)

Bristol Lounge @ Four Seasons Hotel - 200 Boylston St (Boston Common)

Marliave - 10 Bosworth St (near Gov Center)

Alibi @ Liberty Hotel - 215 Charles St (Boston)

Kenmore/Back Bay

Eastern Standard - 528 Commonwealth Ave (Kenmore Sq)

Deuxave - 371 Comm Ave (Back Bay)

Island Creek Oyster Bar - 500 Commonwealth Ave (Kenmore Sq)

Citizen Public House  and Oyster Bar - 1310 Boylston (near Fenway)

South Boston

Drink - 348 Congress St (Fort Point)

Franklin Southie - 152 Dorchester Ave (Southie, near Broadway redline T stop)

City Bar @ Westin Boston Waterfront - 425 Summer St (near Boston Convention Center)

Brookline

Matt Murphy's Pub - 14 Harvard St (Brookline Village)

Allston/Brighton

Deep Ellum - 477 Cambridge St (Allston/Brighton)  
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

When traditions divide


I've grown up eating Connecticut-style lobster rolls, which means still-warm cooked lobster and butter served on toasted hot dog buns. To most of my New England friends, this is pure blasphemy. Only recently have I had the cold, Maine-style and I will admit really enjoying it. Allow me to share and have you decide for yourself.

Maine Lobster Rolls
serves 6
3 cups cooked lobster meat, picked over (1.25 lb cooked lobster = 1 cup of meat)
3 celery ribs, diced
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tb fresh lemon juice
½ tsp paprika
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 side-sliced hot dog rolls
2 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temp

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. Put the lobster meat, celery, and parsley in a large bowl.
  3. Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl and mix well. Fold into the lobster and mix well again.
  4. Toast the hot dog rolls in the oven or toaster oven until golden brown, being careful not to burn them. Spread them with butter, if desired. Spoon some of the lobster salad into each roll and serve at once.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Jolly green goodness


serves 4-6

5 Tbs butter or olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 cup cut-up asparagus, sliced 1-in long
2 cups Arborio rice or other rice of your preference
5 cups boiling water or vegetable broth
1 bouillon cube
1 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp thyme
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
additional grated cheese for the table

Melt the butter in a havy, good-sized saucepan. Add the onion, celery, and asparagus. Sauté them lightly for about 3 minutes or until they begin to wilt. Add more butter or oil if necessary. Add the rice and stir constantly for about 1-2 minutes until it becomes well coated and begins to change color slightly. Add the boiling water gradually while stirring continually. Add the bouillon cube and wine and continue stirring. Midway into the cooking, add the salt, pepper, and thyme and continue stirring until the rice is cooked. When the rice is cooked, add the grated cheese and stir vigorously until is is all absorbed and incorporated into the rice. Serve the risotto hot and place additional grated cheese on the table.

Coscia di agnello “sette colli di roma”


Roman Leg of Lamb
from Maxine Clark’s Italian Kitchen
serves 6

3 lb. leg of lamb
2 Tbs olive oil
10 juniper berries
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 oz. salted anchovy fillets, boned and rinsed, or canned anchovies
1 Tb freshly chopped rosemary
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 fresh bay leaves
1¼ cups dry white wine
a few sprigs of thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the lamb of any excess fat. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish, add the lamb (should fit snugly), and brown it all over. Remove and cool quickly. Crush 6 of the juniper berries, the garlic, anchovies, and chopped rosemary with a mortar and pestle. Stir in the vinegar and mix to a paste. Using a small, sharp knife, make many small incisions into the lamb. Spread the paste all over the meat, working it into the incisions, then season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Put the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves in the casserole dish and set the lamb on top. Pour in the wine. Crush the remaining juniper berries and add to the lamb, then add the thyme. Cover, bring to a boil on top of the stove, then braise in the preheated oven for 1 hour, turning the lamb every 20 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400ºF. Roast, uncovered, for another 45 minutes or until browned – the lamb should be very tender and cooked through.

Transfer the lamb to a serving dish and keep it warm. Skim off the fat from the pan, then boil the sauce, adding a little water if necessary and scraping up the sediment. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and serve with the lamb. 

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Better off roasted

Most people despise Brussels sprouts and others tolerate them when there doused in duck fat or shredded and tossed with bacon bits and pine nuts. Here's another option for avoiding the mean grimaces and groans:


Roasted Brussels Sprouts
(serves 2-3)


1 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced in half
3-4 Tbs evoo
salt and pepper
1 Tb honey
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2-3 tsp sriracha (rooster) sauce
roasted sesame seeds


Preheat oven to 400º. Toss sprouts in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side-down on a roasting tray in a single layer, allowing some space between them. Roast for 2-3 minutes (if on the large size, an extra minute or two), until browned on the bottom side. Remove and let cool. Mix the honey, lime juice and sriracha with a whisk and adjust blend for taste. Toss Brussels sprouts with sauce in a bowl. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Wishing it were July





Steve Raichlen's North Carolina Pulled Pork, Vinegar Sauce, and Coleslaw
from Steve Raichlen's BBQ USA, pp. 235-239
(serves 20-24)

Ingredients:
1 fresh ham (16-18 lbs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Eastern North Carolina--Style Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)
20-24 hamburger buns
North Carolina-Style Coleslaw (page 239) 

You'll also need:
6-8 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory), soaked for 1 hr in water to cover, then drained

1. Generously, and I mean generously, season the ham all over with salt and pepper. You'll need 3-4 tablespoons of each. 

2. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low. If using a gas grill, place 3 cups of the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium-low. 

3. When ready to cook, place the ham, skin side up, in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan and away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the ham until darkly browned on the outside and cooked through and very tender inside, 7-8 hours. To test for doneness, use an instant-read meat thermometer: The internal temperature of the ham should be about 195 degrees F. (Yes, this is very well-done - that's how you get meat tender enough to pull.) If the ham starts to brown too much (and it probably will), cover it loosely with aluminum foil, but remember that those browned bits are good, too. If using a gas grill, after 3 hrs add 3 more cups of wood chips or chunks. To do this, remove the ham from the grill and add the wood chips or chunks to the smoker box or replace the smoker pouch with a new one. Run the grill on high until you see smoke, reduce the heat to medium-low, then return the ham to the grate. 

4. Transfer the cooked ham to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, let it rest for 20 minutes, then pull off any skin and finely chop it up with a cleaver. Pull the pork into large pieces, discarding any bones or lumps of fat (you'll probably want to wear latex gloves or even heavy-duty insulated rubber gloves to do this). Using your fingertips or a fork, pull each piece of ham into thin shreds. Or use a cleaver to finely chop it. Transfer the ham to a large aluminum foil pan and stir in 3 cups of the vinegar sauce - enough to keep the meat moist, If you are not quite ready to serve, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it on a warm - not hot - grill or in an oven turned on low to keep warm. 

5. To serve, have your guests mound the ham onto hamburger buns. Top the coleslaw and let everyone add additional vinegar sauce to taste.

Variations: 
If the prospect of cooking a 15- to 18-pound chunk of ham intimidates you, a 5-pound pork shoulder or Boston butt is equally tasty fixed this way. It will feed up to a dozen people. If you use one of these, it will take 4-6 hrs to grill. 

Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce
Ingredients:
5 cups distilled white vinegar
3 tblsp salt, or more to taste
3 tblsp sugar
3 tblsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tblsp hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste 
3 tblsp hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Texas Pete

Put the vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper, hot red pepper  flakes, and hot sauce in a large nonreactive bowl, add 1 cup of water, and whisk until the salt and sugar dissolve. Or, place the ingredients in a large jar and shake to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or hot red pepper flakes as necessary. The sauce can be refrigerated for several weeks. Bring it to room temperature before using. 

North Carolina-Style Coleslaw
Makes 6-8 cups.
Ingredients:
1 large head green or savoy cabbage (2-1/2 to 3 lbs)
1-1/2 cups Eastern North Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce (at left), more to taste
Salt (optional) 

1. Remove the core from the cabbage and discard it. Cut the cabbage into 8 chunks. Finely chop the cabbage in a food processor using the metal blade and pulsing the motor (this is a chopped, not sliced or slivered, slaw). Work in several batches so as not to overcrowd the processor bowl. 

2. Place the cabbage in a large non-reactive bowl and stir in the vinegar sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar as necessary. Let stand for 10 minutes, then taste again, adding more vinegar sauce and/or salt as necessary. The coleslaw can be made up to 4 hrs ahead. Store it in the refrigerator, covered. 

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Needing mango?

Mango Salsa

1 large very ripe mango
1 medium red onion
1 red chili (deseeded, if you must)
1 small bunch coriander leaves
lime juice (to taste)
salt, pepper

Peel the mango, cut the flesh carefully off the core and reserve, then discard the bone. Cut into half-centimetre dice, finely chop the onion, chili and cilantro and season with salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. Leave to macerate in the fridge for at least half an hour, overnight if you can.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

April Grilling

Continuing on the tropical theme, I share a rice dish that deserves trying. You'll need to break out the grill for this one, but doing so will only encourage the spring weather to finally arrive. This comes from the cookbook by chef Rafael Palomino of Pacifico in New Haven, CT.


Grilled Pineapple Coconut Rice
(Rafael Palomino, Pacifico)
about 2.5 cups

1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 10-in-wide
slices for grilling
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp cream of coconut
4.25 cups coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lime
5 fresh mint leaves, stacked, rolled, and cut into fine shreds
2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed

Light the grill. Grill pineapple until browned on both sides, 3-5 min. When cool enough to handle, cut slices into 1/4-in dice. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, ginger, cream of coconut, and
1/4 cup of the coconut milk. Stir in the lime juice and mint leaves. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the rice. In a medium heavy saucepan with tight-fitting lid, heat the 4 remaining cups of coconut milk to just about a boil. Pour in the rice, stir, and bring to a boil again. Cover and reduce the heat to very low. Let cook, undisturbed (though may need water if dry), until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked and tender, about 20 minutes. Add the grilling pineapple mixture and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Get swizzled

4 days until vacation. The Caribbean and its many refreshments await. For those playing at home, try this one for a taste of sunshine and turquoise waters. 


Rum Swizzle
(serves 6)
1/2 cup Gosling's Black Seal Rum
1/2 cup Gosling's Gold Rum
2/3 cup pineapple juice
2/3 cup orange juice
1.5 Tbs Grenadine or 4 Tbs Bermuda Falernum
6 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Fill a pitcher 1/3 full of crushed ice. Add all the ingredients and churn vigorously until a frothing appears. Strain into a martini glass.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Time to leave

Today is April 1st and it is snowing in Boston. Again. Winter hasn't taken the hint that it's time to head home and to bed for the season. So, for those seeking a warm beverage to endure the frustration of another wintry, salty mess, I share this chocolat chaud from David Lebovitz's Sweet Life in Paris (a great read).

Hot Chocolate (Recipe by David Lebovitz)


2 cups whole or low-fat milk
5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (HIGH quality)
Pinch of coarse salt

1. Carefully warm the milk, chocolate, and salt in a saucepan until it begins to boil (but not scorch).

2. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook the mixture, whisking frequently, for 3 minutes. If you want a thicker consistency, cook it
another 1-2 minutes.

Pour into cups and serve as is, or with a giant mound of slightly sweetened whipped cream. Sugar can be added, to taste.

Makes 4-6 cups.