The Pizza Garden isn’t really called The Pizza Garden. It’s called Gianni’s, and it’s a pizza place in our neighborhood that has a lovely, peaceful, garden. They also have a great, classic, thin-crust New York slice, and they serve beer and wine. It’s a win-win if you ask me.
The weather was so nice, and our Pizza Garden dinner was so pleasant, that we didn’t even care when Rose’s Italian ice spilled down the inside of her dress on the way home, and then a bird pooped in my hair.
Crispy baked tofu over whole wheat linguini & kale with a creamy, lemony ginger sauce. Sounds good, right? Does it? I’m not sure anymore.
This dish did not go over well with my family, at all. It was too earthy-healthy for Shane. With whole wheat pasta, tofu and kale, I should have known it wouldn’t be up his alley. Also, it turns out he doesn’t like linguini. It had too much green in it for Rose, I knew that from the start.
But was it good? I’m having trouble being objective. I thought it was good when I was tasting in the kitchen, but as soon as I saw the sour faces at the table I doubted myself.
I think it could be more successful as a tofu side dish than it was as a pasta dish. Perhaps I’ll make it again, just for me, without the pasta. Maybe next time I make chicken for Shane and Rose.
The sun finally came out on Cape Cod. We basked until we had to go.
I’m leaving you with this, instead of dinner, because the meal we stopped for in Connecticut was lousy and totally overpriced.
Still rainy and freezing. It’s the perfect weather for warm, filling, Pappa al Pomodoro (bread and tomato soup). Pappa al Pomodoro is one of Jenya’s (many) specialties.
The other big news is that Shane finally caught a fish. A bluefish, which my mom cooked the Adriatic way. It went well with arugula and roasted eggplant salad.
Anna and Rose made Anna’s Best-Ever Brownies for dessert.
• Pappa al Pomodoro •
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 28oz cans diced tomatoes (we use San Marzano)
36oz broth
1 loaf stale ciabatta or boule (not sourdough), cubed
salt & pepper to taste
approx. 1/2 cup slivered basil leaves
freshly grated parmesan and olive oil for serving
Saute garlic in oil until soft. Add tomatoes, broth, bread and salt (to taste). Simmer for about an hour and a half. If you used fresh bread instead of stale, you may need to use an immersion blender to blend the bread into the soup a little. When soup has simmered for an hour and a half, add basil, check for seasoning and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of parmesan cheese.
We celebrated André’s birthday today with a late lunch/early dinner barbecue. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly grilling weather. In fact, its even colder and more miserable today than it was yesterday.
Wayne braved frigid temperatures and lashing rain to man not one, but two grills for shrimp, burgers and dogs. Rita made her famous salad. André’s sister Amy made potato salad and his other sister, Julie made pasta for the kids. But the highlight of the meal was Jenya’s Bowl Cake!
Do you know about Bowl Cake? My mom “invented” it when she and my dad were first married. She made him a cake, but it broke apart when she tried to get it out of the pan. Always one to put a positive twist on things, my mom simply crumbled the cake and served it in a bowl topped with whipped cream. My dad said: “This is great, what is it?” to which my mom replied: “It’s bowl cake!”
• Bowl Cake •
1 cake that did not come out of the pan, crumbled into somewhat consistently sized pieces
2 pints heavy or whipping cream
sugar & vanilla extract to taste
Whip the cream and season with sugar and vanilla to taste. In a nice, glass bowl (see photo above), place half the crumbled cake. Top with half of the whipped cream, the rest of the cake and then the rest of the whipped cream. To serve, scoop out of the bowl with a big spoon.
It’s effing cold here on Cape Cod, and also rainy as hell. What a lovely way to kick off the summer!
As always, dinner was a highly communal effort. Shane made potatoes and the Oktoberfest Stew that everyone loves so much, the one he made for Rose’s last birthday party.
My dad made broccolette with lots of lemon and slivers of lemon peel. And Wayne kindly made me a few perfectly cooked and seasoned shrimp, since I don’t eat beef.
My mom made two salads, a “regular salad” with arugula, fresh peas and julienned carrots, and a “milk salad” with basil, Boston lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes and creamy burrata which melted into the dressing when tossed. I forgot to photograph the milk salad, sorry.
• Oktoberfest Stew •
from Petite Abeille via mint.com
serves 4
1 ¼ pounds stewing beef cubes
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
two peeled and crushed garlic cloves
1 large, chopped onion
11.5 oz dark beer (preferably Chimay)
a fresh bouquet garni made from 4 sprigs thyme, 4 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 slices rustic bread
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Generously season the beef cubes with salt and pepper, then coat them in the flour. Heat a large, heavy frying pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Melt the butter and vegetable oil over medium to high heat. Add the cubed beef in batches and brown over fairly high heat for about four minutes to seal. As each batch browns, remove the cubes from the pan and place them on a plate. Add the chopped onion to the fat remaining in the pan and cook gently for six to eight minutes until translucent, then the crushed garlic cloves and fry for three minutes more. Return the meat to the frying pan and stir well to combine with the onions.
Pour in the beer and bring the mixture to just below boiling point. Add a bouquet garni and red wine vinegar and brown sugar. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 90 minutes or until meat has become tender. Spread two slices of rustic bread thickly with the Dijon mustard and place it on top of the stew, mustard-side down. Replace the lid and simmer the stew for 20-30 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the meat is very tender. The bread will absorb some of the pan juices and dissolve to thicken the stew. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove the bouquet garni and stir in a handful of fresh chopped parsley.
On the way to Cape Cod. Anyone excited for Frank Pepes you think?
Rose and I shared some overpriced and not particularly good pizza while we waited for our car to be repaired. Shit happens.
If you’ve ever read this blog before, you already know about the oldie, Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas. The only thing I’ll say about them tonight, is that it seems like you can’t go wrong by experimenting with the cheese.
I’ve made these with goat cheese, cheddar, regular mozzarella & fresh mozzarella before. All good. This time, I decided to use up some of those little end bits that are ubiquitous in our cheese drawer. The new flavor was goat gouda, I labeled the different flavors with little ID flags.
The new dish tonight was an extremely yummy salad. Roasted corn, tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, avocado. So delicious and refreshing and perfect for this first hot and muggy day of the year. I can’t wait to have it again tomorrow, and all summer long.
• Roasted Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad •
3 tablespoons olive oil
16 oz package frozen corn*
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped (use more or less to taste)
the juice of one to two limes (depending size and on how lime-fiendish you are)
salt and red pepper flakes (optional) to taste
Heat your broiler. Put frozen corn (no need to thaw) on a large, rimmed baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and salt and stir to coat evenly. Broil, checking frequently, for about 10 minutes until the some of the kernels are browned and roasty looking. Don’t overcook or it will be chewy.
When the corn is done, remove it from the broiler, and put it in a medium serving bowl to cool a little. When warm or cool, add the tomatoes, lime juice and cilantro and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning adding additional salt and red pepper flakes if desired. Add the avocado, toss gently and serve.
Other great additions to this dish would be roasted poblano peppers, salty, crumbly cheese, and perhaps red onion or scallion.
*I recommend using organic sweet corn. Non-organic frozen corn looks and tastes artificial to me.
We didn’t get to eat dinner together tonight. I had an appointment, and Shane & Rose went out to Pio Pio, without me. (Note to self: this is why you should always turn down long-term, full-time, in-house work no matter how badly you need the money. It’s quality of life that counts.)
When I arrived home, Shane and Rose had made strawberry, pineapple, orange & honey smoothies, and had one waiting for me. With the a pretty straw to boot! So yummy and just what I was in the mood for. Thanks loves.
