Ciao!

     The more I learn in the field of the culinary arts, the more I realize how little I really know.  Yesterday I was enlightened to the East African Berbere spice that packs quite a punch.  Today it is a little known Sicilian sauce used to baste grilled fish and meats.

     Salmoriglio was mentioned in a recipe for halibut that I was reading recently and I had absolutely no idea what it was.  But with the powers of the world wide web at my disposal I did some investigating and discovered that it has been used for centuries by Italians as well as other Mediterranean cultures to flavor their fish.  The name is derived from the word Salamioa, referring to the salty or briny nature of the easy to make sauce.

     Here's the recipe, courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito from Ciao Italia!:

Ingredients

Juice of 2 large lemons
1/2 cup Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup hot water
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Fine sea salt to taste
Grinding black pepper

Directions

Combine all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a medium size bowl and whisk until the ingredients are well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated and use to baste grilled fish, meat or even poultry. Or pass it at the table as a condiment.
  
      I can't wait to try it this evening on some haddock I just purchased this morning!
    

Spicing it up

     Even the most humble of spice racks no doubt contain, in the classic words of Simon & Garfunkel, "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme."  And the more adventuresome include things like pimenton and perhaps even some saffron.  And then there are blended spices for use on poultry and pork and fish.

     But I was caught off guard by an offering at Penzey's recently that provided a container of something I hadn't heard of previously.  Berbere spice has been introduced into their line of seasonings.  Upon further research I discovered that it is a blend of garlic, red pepper, cardamon, coriander, chili peppers, cloves, allspice, ginger, basil and cinnamon.  It is used extensively around the region of Africa's eastern horn and is an essential element in the soups and stews slow cooked by inhabitants of Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti.  It enhances the flavor of lentil soup, roasted vegetables and sauteed greens. 

     While it does sound intriguing I was also warned that it is very hot!  A little goes a long way to liven up mundane dishes.  Stay tuned for a full report.



A Misnomer

     One of the most familiar geographic desserts is actually a misnomer.  Boston Cream Pie isn't a pie at all, it is actually a cake.  It is a direct descendant of the Colonial "pudding-cake pie" known throughout New England and was first introduced at the famed Parker House Hotel in 1856 as the "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie."

     It was the creation of a French chef at the hotel, a man by the name of Sanzian.  His talents were extraordinary as exemplified by his annual salary of $5,000.  A good chef in Bean Town at that time was earning about $8 a week or a little over $400 a year.  He planned and carried out grand meals at the hotel and was known for his impressive creations.  But no doubt the Boston Cream Pie was his best known success.  He simply took two layers of yellow sponge cake and filled in between them with vanilla custard then topped it all with a chocolate glaze.  And that simple recipe has endured and flourished.  It was so popular that it became a Betty Crocker box mix in 1958.  And in 1996 it became the official dessert of the Bay State.



Going Global

     Editor's Note:  Wednesday was a milestone for "Home, Home on the Range."  In just under 16 months there have now been over 10,000 page views from readers all over the world.  My thanks to you all for your interest in my culinary research.
                                                                                                                                          Vinny

 

     What is now a global phenomenon began as a lunch only promotional event in New York City in 1992.  Restaurant Week was originally considered a short-term money loser with a hopeful long term public relations benefit.  It was a good will gesture on the part of many Big Apple restaurants to the 15,000 reporters there covering the Democratic National Convention.  But now just over two decades later it has proven to be a Win-Win proposition for all concerned.

 

     For restaurateurs it is an opportunity to attract new customers during the customary seasonal slumps that occur in the restaurant industry. (In New York Restaurant Week is held twice a year, in January and July).  For customers it is a chance to experience fine dining at a modest price.  This has worked well, especially recently in the light of the recession when the public is more price sensitive.  Prix Fixe meals with a limited menu offers a good meal with no financial surprises.

 

     On Wednesday I went with another gourmand to the Legal Seafood franchise in King of Prussia to take part in the Main Line Restaurant Week celebration.  While I have a problem with King of Prussia being considered a part of the venerable Main Line, I did not have a problem with their luncheon $20 Prix Fixe menu.  Of the 3 appetizers listed I quickly chose the fried oysters.  They were at the same time succulent and crispy, and most importantly, fresh.  They had been shucked only minutes before being ever so lightly breaded and fried.  They were so good I was tempted to order another serving.  But that would have diminished my ability to enjoy the entree that I ordered from the three on the menu.  The Portuguese fisherman's stew was a tangy pool of saffron tomato broth in which whitefish, mussels and clams were swimming.  When I emptied the large bowl I wanted to wipe it clean with the warm roll that came with the meal.  But I had already eaten it.  As we finished our thrifty meal we were surprised with dessert delivered by the manager as a thank you for making our reservation on-line.  We thanked him profusely and then took the opportunity to ask him about the chain restaurant headquartered in Boston.  He told us their success is all about quality: of the food and of the service.  They strive to maintain a high level of both.  And it shows.  The place was filled with contented diners for a noon time repast.

 



 

Regional Delacies

     Stumbling along the Haymarket open air market was quite a revelation, but what I found along one side of the event on the Blackstone Block was truly amazing, and a little bit unnerving as well.  In addition to the stalls that sell fruit and produce every Friday and Saturday are a row of basement shops that I can only assume are open also throughout the week.  They are owned and operated by various ethnic groups that cater to the many immigrant residents of Boston.

 

     As I peeked down the stairs of one I was invited for a tour by a very gregarious Lebanese woman wearing a white butcher's apron.  She proudly showed me around the small subterranean market past the items like the freshly made baba ganoush and stuffed eggplant that people were ordering and enjoying at small tables.  We walked past the seafood on display and around the meat counter back to the walk in cooler.  Opening the door she showed off the freshly slaughtered goats for sale next to this sign:

 

     I was filled with incredulity.  But I was not prepared for what I saw next as I turned to find my way out of the store.  There in the cooler case were various animal parts for sale, some I could not recognize but others I could.  Beside each other were hoofs and heads, I can only assume from goats and other cloven animals.

 

     It never occurred to me that a roasted goat head would be considered a delicacy, but after some research I discovered that it is a prized meal in many parts of the world.  Here's what the Great Falls, Montana Prairie Star had to say in a recent column (Jan, 9, 2013):

     "Goats are one of the earliest domesticated animals.  They produce food, milk, hides, and fiber.  They are very important animals.  Goat head (is) traditionally cooked using onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chilis, herbs and other seasonings...it may also be salted, smoked and dried for later use." 

     I can only assume that is what I saw in that cooler case.  Needless to say I did not purchase one for culinary research.  But if you'd like the recipe, just click on Goat Head.

Caveat Emptor

     Quite by accident I stumbled upon the Haymarket Square open air market on Friday afternoon as I was walking back from the Public Gardens in Boston.   It has been selling fruit, produce and fish from dawn to dusk every Friday and Saturday since the 1830's.  It has nothing of the glitz and polish of Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall and is not a tourist destination.  It isn't even listed on most of the traveler's guides of Bean Town.  But it is a favorite of immigrants and frugal Yankees alike and attracts thrifty deal seekers for miles around.



     As I strolled along the string of vendor's stalls I was amazed at the low prices.  I was even tempted to purchase some produce to take back home the next day.  The prices were easily half the cost of the chain mega marts.

 

     So how to they do it?  Well, first off Haymarket Square is not a farmers' market.  The vendors get their goods from wholesalers in Cambridge, across the Charles River.  What they sell is produce that has not been sold to the retail markets that week and needs to be cleared off their shelves to make way for new shipments arriving over the weekend.  So the wholesale people deeply discount the produce to the vendors who then truck it over to their stalls.  So it is clearly a "let the buyer beware" operation.  Is some of the fruit and produce old and tired looking?  Yes.  But with careful discrimination and a sharp eye those who shop carefully can find perfectly good food and save money at the same time.

     Now I'm not exactly sure how that works with the fish I saw on sale there...



Northern Comfort

     Whenever I have the opportunity I enjoy cooking up some classic comfort food.  New England Seafood Pie certainly fits into that category.  And what makes this northern comfort so appealing is its versatility.  There is no single recipe, but a plethora of them.  While they all include fish and shellfish, the determining factor is what is fresh and local from your favorite fish monger.  Whitefish, shrimp, scallops, oysters and even lobster can be added into the mix.

 

     And for the topping some favor mashed potatoes, others prefer a pie crust and still another version tops the pie with biscuits.  So be creative and settle in to some great northern comfort!