Unexpected find

Have you ever gotten off a bus or a train before arriving at the expected stop? And, have you ever found, say, a good place to eat because of it? Well, I and two roommates found ourselves in these scenarios Saturday in South Boston. We toured Fort Independence, then boarded a bus to take us to the “T” or subway station. By the time we boarded the bus, it was almost 3 p.m. I had cereal and cottage cheese for breakfast, but didn’t want to eat too much before dinner. I was hungry, though. Well, we got off the bus before the “T” stop and started walking through south Boston. There was talk of going to the Teriyaki House, right across the street from the “T” station, but we still had some distance before reaching that destination. We stepped into one cafe a few minutes after exiting the bus, but I gave it the thumbs down. Strolling onward, we finally came upon two cafes on the same side of the street. One of my roommates, Jay, checked out one place and I went into another. We decided on Cafe Arpeggio, a diner-like place with maybe a handful of tables and a bar running lengthwise reminiscent of an ice cream parlor, a sugar scent and ice cream waiting to crown that cone. Underneath the bar, sweets such as brownies, cookies and a whoopie pie with a diameter about the size of a compact disc, tempt the sweet tooth. But a sandwich sent my tastebuds into delight. The “Famous Arpeggio Sandwich” ($6.99) is a fine combiation of sliced turkey, cranberry mayonnaise, spinach and melted white cheddar between slices of a light crisp, tender “boule,” a circular-shaped bread that appeared to contain herb flecks which I couldn’t identify. The sandwich was excellent – soft bread with right proportions of ingredients. As I lifted a half, a cranberry fell out. The white cheddar oozed out in places along the bread. I ate one half plus a bite of the second half. The sandwich was mild, one ingredient didn’t overpower any other. I wrapped the rest in paper, placed in a bag and later, in the refrigerator. I didn’t try any ice cream, but if I’m ever in the neighborhood at night and crave ice cream, Cafe Arpeggio may be the place to stop. It’s a quaint stop to get a sandwich, salad, an ice cream cone or brownie. Might want to split that moon pie. Cafe Arpeggio also has locations in New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts.

Cafe Arpeggio

398 W. Broadway, South Boston, Mass., (617) 69-8822, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 139 S. Main St., Fall River, Mass., Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sunday; 800 Purchase St., New Bedford, Mass., Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sunday.

Veggie dinner, well not entirely

Saturday marked the one-week anniversary of moving to Mission Hill, Mass. It also signaled the low-point of my mood life during that span. Guilt, panic, anxiety and depression squiggled their way inside my mind. It wasn’t a particularly eventful day. I went to the ATM, CVS and the grocery store. Not like Friday when I visisted Lexington, site of the first shot of the American Revolution. But no matter where I go, my mind trudges along.

So to occupy the evening, I cooked a variation of the french onion pastina, a recipe from, I believe Michele Humes,  from the Serious Eats website, and the roasted sweet potato salad with red bell pepper, a recipe from Gabe Soria and Amanda Zug-Moore that appeared in Bon Appetit magazine (I used orange bell pepper). If it wasn’t for the beef stock, the entire meal would be a vegetarian delight. You could substitute vegetable stock for beef stock in the “pastina.” I didn’t make the Parmesan crisps.

This stuff took time to prepare and cook, but the payoff is worth it. And there’s leftovers. For the “pastina,” slicing the onions as fine as you can, as the recipe suggests, is crucial. Mine weren’t paper thin so it took  a while (probably 45 minutes until those bits turned a dark brown and amber patches meandered through the glossed onions).    

 

I substituted shortened strands of whole-grain spaghetti in place of acini di pepe (or other small pasta like orzo), and started pouring in beef broth without measuring. Cover the pot and cook until the pasta is soft to the tooth and has absorbed nearly all the liquid. I used one onion, whereas the recipe calls for two large for two servings.  And I probably threw in too much pasta. Anyway, this is a savory way to use spaghetti away from the tomato-based sauces. The beef stock gives it some heft and Parmesan, well, that just makes many foods better. Slurp the spaghetti, coated in the beef stock, which has a little flour and dried thyme mixed in. If you can find a good-quality beef stock, all the better. It might not be the most visually-stunning, or exciting-sounding dish, but it tastes good and it’s a recipe that could feed a group.

The roasted sweet potato salad with orange bell pepper (not red bell pepper as the recipe calls for) is a suitable side that is also a pleasant diversion.  I used balsamic vinegar in place of mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) and omitted green onions. Make sure to cut the potatoes in UNIFORM chunks. Some of my cuts were larger and a little toothy. They also dried on the outside during roasting, so I didn’t use enough oil.  Other than that, this salad, with cilantro, is a nice change. The bell pepper strips are still crunchy and the balsamic didn’t overpower the ingredients other than maybe the sauteed-nearly-caramelized shallots. I wonder if the salad will be better if left to sit? I’ll let you know.

Have a great Memorial Day and enjoy the cooking, and eating!

Settling into Massachusetts

Hi everyone. I made it Massachusetts! Two of my roommates were so kind to meet me at the airport and ride on the “T”, the Boston area’s subway system. My landlord met two of us at the stop and drove us to the apartment. He set me up with a bed, dresser and Wednesday brought in a desk. I’ve been treated very well.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m here for a three-month internship with America’s Test Kitchen in Brookline, Mass. It’s my first time living on the East Coast, so each day will be part of a new adventure. I’m slowly learning how the “T” works and have taken the bus.

Of the 15 meals on Massachusetts soil, five included fish. Canned salmon mixed with mayonnaise went into 1 1/2 sandwiches for two lunches. Two haddock fillets stretched into two dinners and a snack-size lunch. The white-fleshed haddock was meltingly moist and flaky. It cooked in a 425-degree oven with kosher salt and black pepper for, about 14 minutes.

I’ve tried to keep the breakfast routine – Kashi Go Lean, granola and oatmeal. Oh, I look forward to granola and apple halves topped with peanut butter! The crunchy oat clusters with hints of coconut and raisins, with the creamy peanut butter spread from Harry & David on apples is pure delight. They have Empire apples in the store! For oatmeal, I have raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar and walnuts. Today’s rendition was heavy on milk and raisins and a bit too much brown sugar.

I had a bad headache Tuesday. It could be caffeine withdrawals. I haven’t had coffee since setting foot on Massachusetts soil. I broke down Wednesday afternoon and microwaved some water for green tea. And today I bought a coffee pot. Take that, headaches!

I’ve eaten out three times since Saturday. My roommate and I went to a pizza, sub place for lunch Sunday after church. The chicken souvlaki in pita/flat bread was delicious and a mouthful. It was packed with lettuce pieces that fell out with each bite. Chicken chunks, onions, tomato, a light dressing, just enough crumbled feta, all in a soft flat bread, coalesced into one fine lunch.

And today I had a tabbouleh, hummus sandwich from a shop in Cambridge near Harvard Square. It was more like a wrap with flatbread and came clothed in paper maybe shy of two minutes after ordering. I took a bite on the “T” and ate the rest sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree. The crunch of parsley leaves prevails with little bits of chopped tomato, a thin smear of hummus, and romaine pieces. The fresh filling hits the mark even if the bread is a tad tough. The sun bathes the Boston area with warmth. The coffee pot will be brewing its own warmth Friday morning.

Hmm…dinners down the line might be an egg frittata with zucchini and parmesan with wheat English muffins and apricot preserves and caramelized onions with bits of broken spaghetti in beef broth. It’s about simplicity at this point. Take care and please let me know what you’re cooking.

Home cooking comfort

 In less than two weeks I’ll be landing at Boston’s Logan International Airport (May 16). I am scheduled to start a three-month internship at America’s Test Kitchen in Brookline, Mass. The internship starts on May 26, so I’ll have some time to get acclimated to the area and the new living quarters.

Ah, I’ve been spoiled living at home, especially with cooking. Between equipment, fresh herbs in the backyard and spices in the cabinet, I’ve rarely given thought to the fortunes of having access to these items. Now, with moving to Massachusetts, the thought of baking brownies only to realize the apartment doesn’t have a suitable pan makes me tremble. My dad and I visited the place in March, but didn’t take a thorough kitchen inventory. Questions circulate such as: Will there be a coffee pot,  rubber spatula and a whisk? I guess I could ask the man renting out the room.

And what to do when the cupboard contains salt, pepper and cinnamon and I have a piece of fish, some brown rice and Swiss chard? Oh, it will be an adventure in more ways than one. Please check back as I will try to give updates to the meals I’m cooking.

So while I had some time at home and mom and dad were away in Lake Arrowhead last weekend, I made brown sugar shortbread, a recipe that appeared in Jenn Garbee’s story for the Los Angeles Times. On Saturday, for lunch, I baked red snapper filets. I topped the snapper with a mixture of bread crumbs from the freezer, a bit more than a tablespoon of mayonnaise-relish combination, a half to a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, chopped capers, chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and lemon zest. The fish baked in a 425-degree oven for about 14 minutes. The bread crumbs turned golden (dark in spots) and crisped atop the tender fish (left side of plate).

The capers provided a salty punch to the tasty topping. I took some inspiration from America’s Test Kitchen’s television episode on oven-fried fish. Click here for a brief overview.  One tip: if the filet thins out toward one end, tuck it underneath, so the fish cooks evenly.

 

 I am a purist when it comes to shortbread. I prefer granulated sugar to brown sugar. This shortbread is buttery, crumbly, and moist. Just four ingredients, parchment paper, two eight-inch cake pans (ah the pans) and an oven and there’s shortbread to eat right now and some in the freezer. I could take some to Bible study on Wednesday night.

For dinner Saturday night, I made the fried pepper pasta recipe from this May’s edition of Saveur magazine, roasted asparagus finished with lemon-horseradish butter and bread with parsley butter.

I substituted dried guajillo chiles for the peppers and anchovy paste for filets. I cut 2 1/2 tomatoes into 1-to-1 1/2-inch pieces instead of cherry tomatoes. It was a good thing there were extra chiles. I burnt the first batch.

The recipe calls for you to toast the chiles in olive oil for 45 seconds. I went beyond that. Below left is the first batch. Below right is the second.

The anchovy paste sizzled, spread and sent smoke from the skillet. I turned the fan on and opened the side door.

If you are concerned about oil splatters on the stovetop, arrange towels around the pan. Didn’t do this, so cleanup also included time at the stovetop with glass cleaner and paper towels.

But dinner turned out tasty. The play of the  chiles, with a texture like a soft, thin and brittle beef jerky, with the sauce of sweet tomatoes

( I added some sugar), garlic and anchovy paste, and the bread crumbs was a delight. If you like heat, keep the seeds from the chiles. I took one bite and needed a few minutes for the tastebuds to calm.  I would make this dish again.

I kept the asparagus warm in a 200-degree oven, but the tips shriveled. The stalks still tasted earthy with the subtle addition of butter with horseradish and lemon zest. Hmmm…this butter may go well with salmon!

The 2007 Sainte-Croix, a blend of 50 percent  Syrah and 50 percent Merlot, tasted of sweet cherries. May not have been the best blend for this meal with the garlic, but it was a pleasure to drink.