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M.C. SPIEDO: A NEW ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN BOSTON
Posted: March 17, 2014 in Drinks, Food, Italian, pasta, restaurants, travel, UncategorizedTags: Boston, food, ITALIAN, MC Spiedo, restaurants
M.C.Spiedo is a new Italian restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel by the Boston waterfront. It’s a massive, over-the-top (as in a bit gaudy) establishment that features rustic food from Italy’s historic past, dating back to the Renaissance period of the 1400’s. You’ll find no tomato dishes here: tomatoes were introduced into Italy in the 1500’s. What you will find are rustic, flavorful spit-roasted meats, pastas with rich sauces, and robust flavors.
This is a huge departure for chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, who come from acclaimed Maine restaurants Arrows (which just celebrated its 25th anniversary)and MC Perkins Cove in Ogunquit. (They just announced that they are selling Arrows for $1.2 million.)
What’s in the name? The M.C. is from Marc and Clark, and Spiedo means a spit or skewer in Italian. Considering this is still a new restaurant, I was surprised that the two chefs were nowhere to be found on a recent Saturday night. Nonetheless, the staff seems to be knowledgeable, and our server, Daniel ,was eager to guide us through the many menu choices.
The Leonardo’s Notebook Salad
Leonardo’s Notebook Salad, with garlic, fennel, lettuces and herbs was delightfully fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. The house made burrata: fantastic…just not enough of it. The duck rillette was good, but unseasoned. However, the accompanying house made mustard and pickles remedied that. The Grand Tortellini and Meat Torta, a mile-high meat pie featuring more meat than you can imagine, is a must. It sells out every night. The spit-roasted pig with sausage and shelling bean macaroni would have been delicious had it not been for a VERY heavy amount of salt…so much that I had to mention it to our server, who promptly whisked it away, tasted it, agreed with us, consulted management, and returned with an apology and did not charge us for the dish.
Grand Tortellini and Meat Torta
Thankfully, there are 2 parts of M.C.Spiedo that don’t stick to the rules of only serving ingredients from Italy’s Renaissance period: the bar, where you can find many wonderful house specialty cocktails as well as a wine list with only Italian wines…and the kids menu, which is a welcome surprise to find in this kind of restaurant. My daughter loved the meatballs and the grilled cheese.
Duck rillette with house made pickles, mustard, and Fiore Sardo cheese
There are a few kinks to work out, but that’s to be expected from a new restaurant. And they’ve got to lighten up on the SALT. But I can see myself coming back to M.C. Spiedo for another enjoyable dining experience.
COCKTAIL SAUCE WITH A KICK
Posted: March 6, 2014 in Food, Recipes, seafood, shrimp, UncategorizedTags: cocktail sauce, food, recipes, seafood, shrimp
Freshly shucked oysters and clams call for an equally amazing cocktail sauce…and this sauce kicks butt! And it features a key ingredient that you might not expect: vodka. The small amount of vodka in the mix keeps the cocktail sauce from freezing solid when stored in the freezer. Just scoop out what you need, let it thaw, and put the rest back in the freezer.
Ingredients:
2 cups ketchup
4 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
5 grinds of fresh black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon good quality vodka, like Tito’s
Combine all ingredients. Store in a tight plastic container in the freezer.
REFRESHING SHRIMP CEVICHE
Posted: March 2, 2014 in ceviche, Cucumbers, Recipes, seafood, shrimp, tomatoes, UncategorizedTags: ceviche, food, recipes, seafood, shrimp
I’ve never met a ceviche I didn’t like. Sometimes, nothing can stop a serious seafood craving like sushi, sashimi or ceviche. They require the freshest seafood and veggies you can get your hands on. And other than some fine chopping, they require little else.
The acid in citrus juices basically “cooks” the seafood in a process very similar to applying heat, but when I use shrimp in ceviche, I place them in some boiling salted water first…although very briefly.
Crazy colored shrimp, thanks to blood oranges.
Ingredients:
For the poaching liquid…
2 quarts water
1/4 cup salt
For the ceviche…
1 pound raw wild-caught American shrimp, peeled and deveined
juice of 2 lemons
juice of 2 limes
juice of 2 oranges (I had blood oranges this time)
1 cup diced seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup diced seeded tomato
1 avocado, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Fleur de Sel
Combine water and 1/4 cup salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and immediately turn off the heat. Let the shrimp sit for just a minute, drain and transfer to a bowl of ice and place in fridge to cool.
Remove cooled shrimp from fridge and drain. Chop shrimp into 1/2″ pieces and place in a medium non-reactive bowl. Add lemon, lime and orange juice. Stir in cucumber, onion and pepper flakes. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Stir in the tomato, avocado, chopped cilantro, olive oil and Fleur de Sel into the shrimp mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.
CORNED BEEF AND PASTRAMI BASICS
Posted: February 26, 2014 in barbecue, beef, brining, Carnivore!, CHARCOAL, Food, Recipes, salt, smoking, UncategorizedTags: beef, corned beef, food, pastrami, recipes, salt, smoking
St. Patrick’s Day is about 3 weeks away…just in time to make your own corned beef!
It takes about 3 weeks to make corned beef, but it’s not difficult to do. Doing it yourself gives you a better quality product than that nasty slab from the supermarket that is full of chemicals and preservatives.
Corned beef has nothing to do with corn. ‘Corning’ is a technique for preserving raw meats for long periods by soaking it in salt brine. This method was used before the days of commercial refrigeration. Back then, the large salt kernels used in the brine were called “corns.”
Brining is a time-honored way of preserving and it prevents bacteria from growing. Both pastrami and corned beef are made by this method. Both corned beef and pastrami usually start with a brisket of beef. Corned beef is then cooked–usually boiled–and served. Pastrami is made when the brined meat is rubbed with more spices and smoked to add extra flavor. So corned beef and pastrami are the same meat, just treated differently.
Saltpeter is an ingredient that has been used in brining beef for years. It adds the traditional red coloring to the corned beef and pastrami meat. But since saltpeter can also contain carcinogens, I leave it out. The meat may not be the usual bright red color, but the flavor and texture of the meat will not be affected.
Brining the beef brisket
Step one: corned beef…
Ingredients:
beef brisket (about 8-10 pounds)
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup warm water
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices
3/4 cup salt
2 quarts water
Place the brisket in a large container made of non-reactive material, like glass or plastic.
In the 1/4 cup of warm water, dissolve the sugar, minced cloves, paprika and pickling spices.
Dissolve the 3/4 cup of salt in the 2 quarts of water. Pour in the sugar/garlic/paprika/pickling spices mix and stir everything together. Pour the mixture over the meat in the container. Make sure the meat is totally beneath the surface of the liquid. (You may need to weigh it down to do this.) Cover the container.
Refrigerate the container and contents for 3 weeks, turning the meat once or twice per week. At the end of the third week, remove the container from the refrigerator and take out the meat. Soak the meat in several changes of fresh cold water over a period of 24 hours to remove the excess salt.
At this point, if you want corned beef, prepare and cook it using your favorite recipe. But I’m all about the pastrami!
Step two: making Pastrami…
Ingredients:
Brined and rinsed corned beef brisket from above recipe, patted dry with paper towels
1/4 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup paprika
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Combine coriander seeds, black and white peppercorns and mustard seeds in a spice grinder and grind coarsely. Place in a bowl. Add salt, paprika, brown sugar and granulated garlic. Mix well.
Rub the mix into the brisket well, covering all sides.
Heat smoker to 225 degrees and smoke for several hours using a less intense wood, like oak. When the internal temperature of the meat has reached 165 degrees, it’s done. It isn’t necessary to smoke pastrami as long as you would a regular brisket because the long brining time makes the meat tender.
It is very important that absolutely everything that comes in contact with the meat is very clean. (This includes your hands.) Also, make very sure that every inch of the meat reaches the 165 degrees before it is removed from the smoker. The corned beef is now pastrami.
AWESOMESAUCE
Posted: February 19, 2014 in barbecue, beef, burgers, crab, Food, grilling, New York City, Recipes, seafood, shrimp, UncategorizedTags: bugers, crab, food, lobster, magic sauce, recipes, sauce, seafood, shrimp, taco
The inspiration for this sauce was my attempt to replicate the “Shack Sauce” they use at Shake Shack , a high-end burger joint owned by restaurateur Danny Meyer. Since it opened in New York City’s Madison Square Park in 2004, Shake Shack has expanded to many other locations around the world.
I don’t know if I captured the Shack Sauce secret. But I do know that my Awesomesauce makes every cheeseburger I grill taste amazing. It’s also fantastic for shrimp, crab or lobster salad…a dip for veggies or boiled shrimp…a dressing for tacos…and great on salads.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate covered for a few hours to blend flavors.
THE BEAUTY OF BONE MARROW
Posted: February 12, 2014 in beef, Carnivore!, Food, Recipes, UncategorizedTags: beef, bone marrow, carnivore, food
I don’t exactly know when my love affair with bone marrow began, but suffice it to say that if I see it on a restaurant menu, I have to order it.
A 2 ounce serving of beef bone marrow has over 500 calories, so diet food it is not. But it has some calcium and “good” fats, especially if the cow was grass-fed. Each 2 ounce serving has over 54 grams of fat, although most of it is unsaturated. How much protein it has depends on the marrow, but there are those carnivores out there that swear by bone marrow’s almost magical health food properties.
But whether it’s good for you or not, the main reason to eat bone marrow is taste. And I’ve found that when it comes to eating it, there are no gray areas…people either love it or are grossed out by it.
Bone marrow played a very important role in the development of mankind as a species. Long before we had the skills to hunt for our own food, about 2 million years ago, we feasted on the bones of fallen prey…or more accurately, what was inside the bones of fallen prey. A diet of fatty, high-calorie bone marrow meant that early man didn’t have to rely on the digestion of roughage alone to survive, and it allowed for the “luxury” of the development of larger brains.
Fast-forward to today, where the only critters that appreciate bone marrow are our dogs—if they’re lucky enough to get a bone—or foodies like us!
Aside from higher-end restaurants, bone marrow might be difficult to find at first. But you can certainly ask your local butcher for some—he’ll even cut them lengthwise or into short cylinders for you for easy access. I get mine online, with bones from grass-fed cows.
Cooking bone marrow couldn’t be simpler: a little salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, then bake in a hot oven until bubbly and caramelized. Spread it on toast in the morning with your eggs, smear it on top of your steak instead of butter, or just scoop it right out of the bone.
SUGAR IS SUGAR? UH…NO
Posted: February 10, 2014 in Food, UncategorizedTags: agave, diabetes, fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, sugar
High fructose corn syrup…agave…manufacturers of both would have you believe they are healthy alternatives to cane sugar. But are they? It’s a good time to know some facts…
I’m shocked at how many people think that agave nectar is a safe sugar alternative. Nothing could be further from the truth. Using words like “organic” and “all natural” on their labels, the producers of agave want you to think that you can pretty much squeeze this crap right into your mouth.
Agave nectar comes from the agave plant, the same plant that they make tequila out of. The glycemic index (amount of glucose) of agave sweeteners is low, and they are using this as a marketing tool to convince diabetics that it is a safe alternative to sugar. Problem is, although it has little glucose, it is almost 97% fructose, which is a sugar that is also very bad for your health…so much so that the American Diabetes Association has changed their mind about recommending agave as a sugar substitute. Agave sweeteners are highly processed sugars with big marketing money behind them. All the babble about “organic” and “natural” on the label really makes no difference if you process the hell out of the product afterwards.
Why is fructose so bad for your health? In the old days, the only fructose we consumed was in our fruits and vegetables, and so the percentage in our diets was really low. But these days, with Americans guzzling unhealthy sodas and fruit and energy drinks full of high fructose corn syrup (and it being hidden inside many packaged and canned foods–just read the label), we consume far more than our bodies can handle. Here’s an interesting fact: the average weight of Americans has gone up steadily since the 1970’s, when high fructose corn syrup was first introduced, and has increased point-for-point as the amount of foods containing high fructose corn syrup have increased.
Some of the carbs we eat are made up of chains of glucose. If too much of it gets to the bloodstream, our blood sugar spikes and our body secretes insulin to regulate it. Not so with fructose. Fructose gets processed in the liver. When there’s too much fructose for the liver to handle, it changes it into fats and dumps it into our bloodstream as triglycerides and cholesterol. This is really bad because triglycerides and cholesterol cause heart disease. And fructose does not trigger the normal hormones that regulate your appetite: you don’t feel full. So guess what? You eat more!
The people who make high fructose corn syrup are spending millions in advertising, changing the name to “corn sugar,” to make it more acceptable to the public that has heard so many bad things about it. High fructose corn syrup is used in just about everything…and the reason why is simple: it’s cheap. (Farm subsidies for corn made that possible years ago and now we’re addicted.)
What about basic sugar? Cane sugar is half fructose, half glucose…about the same as high fructose corn syrup (which is 55%/45%)…but both are less than agave at 97% fructose.
I try to limit my family’s intake of cane sugar, honey, and maple syrup…and I totally avoid high fructose corn syrup and agave. I try to eat whole fruits and not gulp down juices, and I avoid juice concentrates and juice drinks or sports drinks.
So is the answer sugar substitutes and diet sodas? Uh, no. They have their own set of problems. Don’t get me started…
PANCAKES MADE WITH FRESH RICOTTA
Posted: February 4, 2014 in breakfast, curds, Food, Iron Chefs, New York City, pancakes, Recipes, restaurants, UncategorizedTags: April Bloomfield, breakfast, food, Iron Chef, Michael Symon, pancakes, recipes, ricotta
These pancakes, based on a recipe from chef April Bloomfield (The Spotted Pig and The Breslin in NYC), are made from fresh homemade ricotta cheese. Light as air…and really delicious! I made my first-ever batch of homemade ricotta cheese the other day, following a recipe from Iron Chef Michael Symon. He used lemon juice and zest in the recipe, which gave the cheese a stronger lemon profile than I had hoped for. But once I realized I could use that ricotta in a pancake, the lemon flavor really took the pancakes to a whole new level.
I use raw milk for my ricotta cheese. It’s not available here in Rhode Island, but it is in neighboring Massachusetts. If you can’t find raw milk, use organic milk. Just avoid anything that is ultra-pasteurized.
Ingredients:
1.2 gallon of raw milk
juice and zest of 8 small organic lemons
salt
sugar
Always have top-notch assistants at your side to make sure you’re doing it right!
In a saucepan, heat the milk to 180 degrees. Remove from the heat. Add lemon juice and zest, salt and sugar. Stir once and then let it sit for 5 minutes.
Pour the curds (solids) and whey (liquid) into a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Discard the whey, if you choose, then place the remaining cheese in the fridge overnight to further continue drippage.
The next morning, the ricotta is ready to use!
Homemade ricotta cheese
Once you have the fresh ricotta, it’s time to put these beautiful rustic pancakes together…
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta, and egg yolks. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Fold gently into the batter.
Spray a non-stick griddle with a little cooking spray and drop about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side, until golden and fluffy.
FRIED CALAMARI
Posted: January 31, 2014 in Food, frying, Recipes, seafood, UncategorizedTags: calamari, food, fried calamari, frying, recipes, seafood, squid, Wolfgang Puck
On an episode of “Top Chef,” Wolfgang Puck had the competing chefs make an omelet, something you would think they could do blindfolded. They all failed. An omelet may be a simple dish, but creating a really great omelet is an art form. It’s the same with fried calamari. When I see it on a menu, I almost always order it, because it’s my litmus test for the meal ahead. If the chef screws it up, I know he or she either doesn’t have the chops, or doesn’t care, and that will reflect on the other food served as well.
To me, what makes great friend calamari are three basic elements: it needs to be wild caught in the US and properly cleaned…it needs to be fried at the right temperature for the right amount of time so that it’s perfectly cooked and not greasy…and the coating needs to be light and crispy. This recipe does it for me…
Ingredients:
1 lb. wild caught cleaned squid (thaw if frozen)
2 cups flour (I use 00 flour, but all purpose is OK, too)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup milk
1 large egg
oil, for frying ( I use non-GMO canola oil or peanut oil)
Thaw the squid and slice into bite-sized rings. In a bowl, whisk the milk and the egg together. Toss in all the squid pieces into the bowl to coat. Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
In another bowl, combine flour, oregano, paprika, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Fill a large pan halfway with oil…or use a deep fryer if you have one. Preheat the oil to 350 degrees.
Working in small batches, remove the squid from the milk and egg mixture, let some of it drip off, then place the squid in the flour mixture and toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour and place immediately into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 4 or 5 minutes. Serve immediately with tartare sauce, tomato sauce, hot peppers, whatever you like.
Commentary on oil: I cook almost exclusively with olive oil. But for hot frying like this recipe requires, I go with non-GMO canola oil…or peanut oil if that’s not available. Despite what you read, most oils that are hailed as “healthy:” regular canola, corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower…are bad for you. But if you fry your food at the proper temperature using good clean oil, very little oil will stay on your food.
