Foraging for Dinner Ideas? Think Morels. It’s Spring!

April 3, 2014 - Posted in Asparagus, Cooking, Easter, LauraRaposa, Leeks, Morels, Mushrooms, Side Dishes, Spring, The Foodsmith, Uncategorized, Vegetables, Volante Farms

I was on a quest to find some early rhubarb the other day when I walked into Volante Farms in Needham. Sadly, there wasn’t a reddish pink stalk to be found, but, wait, are those morels????

Spring has truly sprung!

Morels are mushrooms (for you fungi-challenged), a tasty gourmet delicacy shaped like little honeycombed cone heads. I’d point out that they do resemble something else, but my sainted mother reads this…

Mmmm. Morels!

Anyway, the sought-after mushroom pairs well with its springtime cohorts, asparagus and leeks, so — in my mind — dinner was nearly ready.

I chose to do a risotto that seemed a little fancy pants for a weekday night, but there was that unopened box of short-grained Carnaroli rice in the cupboard. (Mine through your cupboards periodically, it’s amazing what you’ll unearth.)

Canned, low-sodium chicken stock is fine to use here, but I had half of a rotisserie chicken in the fridge so I whipped up my own. I know it sounds obnoxious, but not only do I hate waste, the roto-chicken’s awkward plastic domed container takes up waaay too much space in the fridge.

Blanched asparagus

I prepped the dish in the afternoon – blanched the asparagus, grated the cheese, zested and juiced a lemon, washed and sliced the leeks, washed and dried morels and made the stock. Trust me, cooking or baking is streamlined when there’s a mise en place.* Think like a chef, dammit!

Also, a cooking risotto isn’t a dish you can ignore for a few minutes to put laundry in the dryer or help with homework. It demands your undivided attention for 20 minutes or you may find yourself calling out for a pizza. Constant stirring is crucial. So plan accordingly.

Our one-pot dinner was creamy, cheesy, kind of woodsy and tasted of spring. Nutritionally speaking, it needed some protein, so the next time I make this risotto I’ll toss in some lump crabmeat or shrimp at the end or it will be downgraded to a side dish. Easter’s coming, folks…

Happy spring!

Lemony Risotto with Asparagus, Morels and Leeks

LEMONY RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS, MORELS AND LEEKS

5 c. low-sodium chicken stock (or veggie stock)

1 medium leek, washed and thinly sliced

4 T. unsalted butter, divided 2 T. extra virgin olive oil 1-1/4 c. short-grained rice (either Carnaroli or Arborio)

½ c. dry white wine

¾ lb. asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces and blanched

1 c. morels, washed, dried and trimmed (also may need to slice larger ones)

1 T. lemon zest

3 T. lemon juice

1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan.

Cook leeks in 2 T. butter and olive oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, still stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed.

Stir in ½ c. broth and briskly simmer, stirring, stirring, stirring, until it is absorbed. Continue adding broth, ½ c. at a time, allowing each cupful to be absorbed before adding the next.

When all of the broth is absorbed and rice is creamy and tender, stir in asparagus, morels and lemon zest.

Finally, add remaining 2 T. butter, cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 to 8 as a side dish.

© The Foodsmith, April 2014

* Mise en place is a French phrase which means “putting in place.” In professional kitchens, it’s referred to as just “mise.” For exampe, at Flour Bakery + Cafe last summer, I was responsible for “mise-ing” the ingredients for brioche. That meant I had to crack a case of eggs, weigh out 22 pounds of butter, yada yada, you get the picture.

Why Break with Routine? Just Cook Clean!

March 26, 2014 - Posted in Chicken, Chinese Food, CleanEating, Cooking, Healthy Cooking, LauraRaposa, poultry, Take Out Style Chinese Food, The Foodsmith, Uncategorized

Like our two spoiled silly cats, my husband and I are creatures of habit.

We each drink our coffee out of the same mugs every morning and he must have a snort of single malt every night. My standing Starbucks order is a “venti non-fat one Equal latte.” No shots, thangyouverymuch.

At our local Asian eatery, I have a few faves in rotation, but Steve only has eyes for the Orange Flavored Chicken over white rice. The chicken pieces look batter fried, served in a gloppy sauce with broccoli and some dried bird’s eye peppers and orange peel tossed in for effect. Cholesterol, schmesterol.

While thumbing through this month’s issue of Clean Eating yesterday, I hit upon a much healthier recipe for “Chinese Orange Chicken” in the “Classics, Only Cleaner” column. I was compelled to give it a go since the Clean-er recipe boasted it saved not only 153 calories but 12 grams of fat and 216 milligrams of sodium per 1-1/2 cup serving.

March 2014 issue

A 1-1/2 cup serving? I LOLed. Who eats 1-1/2 cup of any food that isn’t contained in a Lean Cuisine?

Anyway, a quick scan of the ingredient list showed I needed only the chicken, snow peas and five-spice powder, and I opted to use cornstarch rather than the recommended potato starch. In hindsight, I should have sprung for the $9, 1-1/2 pound bag of Bob’s Red Mill potato starch since I now believe the dish would have looked Clean-er. Apparently, potato starch gives dishes a more opaque look than cornstarch. Cook and learn.

I also added 3 cups of fresh broccoli florets to the dish for tradition as well as nutrition.

The lack of five-spice powder was easy to remedy. I mixed 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and crushed red pepper. And yes, I had star anise but not Szechuan peppercorns. It’s called cooking improv.

My “spice rack.”

Steve’s eyes lit up when I announced Orange Flavored Chicken was on the menu for dinner. Or maybe it was just the effects of the Lagavulin. It was quite the tasty dish — and I would make it again — although I would recommend serving brown rice with it instead of the Udon whole wheat noodles. So much for my break from tradition…

The husband, being a creature of habit, gobbled up much more than his 1-1/2 cup share of the pan. He did not, however, lap the plate like a cat. Although I swear I heard a purr.

Clean Eating’s Chinese Orange Chicken:

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Zest of one naval orange

¾ c. fresh orange juice

¾ c. low-sodium chicken broth

2 T. raw honey

4 t. reduced-sodium tamari

1 T. potato starch

2 t. rice, white wine or apple cider vinegar

1 t. ground ginger

¼ t. red pepper flakes

¼ c. white whole-wheat flour

1 t. Chinese five-spice powder

1 t. ground coriander

¼ t. sea salt

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces

2 T. safflower oil

olive oil cooking spray

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes

6 oz. snow peas, trimmed

8 scallions, cut into ½-inch lengths

In a medium bowl, add garlic, orange zest, juice, broth, honey, tamari, starch, vinegar, ginger and pepper flakes. Whisk until combined and set aside.

In a large zip-top bag, add flour, five-spice powder, coriander and salt. Shake to combine. Add chicken to the bag, seal and shake well to coat chicken.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 T. safflower oil. Add half the chicken, taking care not to crowd the skillet. Cook until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, turning 2 or 3 times, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken. (Leave any excess flour mixture in the bag and discard it.)

Mist the same skillet with cooking spray and return to medium-high heat. Add bell pepper (I also added broccoli here) and sauté, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add snow peas and sauté, stirring occasionally, also until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add scallions and sauté for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Whisk juice mixture again and add to skillet. As soon as liquid starts to simmer, reduce heat to low. Simmer until thickened, stirring frequently, about 30 seconds. Return chicken to the skillet until heated through, about 1 minute.

Serve over brown rice or whole-grain noodles.

Serves 5. (In theory.)

Clean Eating, March 2014, page 41, “Classics Only Cleaner.”

Farming for New Opportunities? Many of Us Are Doing It!

March 2, 2014 - Posted in FamilyFarms, Farming, Farms, Goat Cottage Farm, LauraRaposa, Locavore, Mass. Farms, The Foodsmith

After years of turning my nose up at bumper stickers and their stupid sentiments like “I Love My (Dog’s Head)” and “Ask Me About My Grandchildren,” I succumbed. It came in the mail a few months ago with a thank you from the American Farmland Trust for my donation. It reads, “No Farms, No Food.”

No kidding, right?

It also covered up a sticker advertising my old Saab dealership, so it’s not like I’ve jumped ship to the Green Party. But I respect farmers. Always have. And these days, I’m more in awe of them.

Last week, I joined my partner Colleen at a free wholesaling event for farmers put on by Mass. Farm to School and FamilyFarmed.org. Long story short — I walked away with a free 315-page workbook and bushels more respect for people who work their land.

Yes, there were farmers in the room who appeared to have been plucked out of Central Casting – I think I was the only attendee wearing mascara – but amongst them sat a new breed of aggies. There were young guys and gals who took notes on tablets and debated the best app to use for the insane amount of record keeping they all must do, especially for certified organic farms. Apparently, AgSquared is a favorite but AgSquaredPlus is on the horizon.

Food safety issues were a hot topic. Organic farmer Atina Diffley, an ubersuccessful Minnesota farmer, instructed us in everything from where to put compost piles and farm animals vis-à-vis the growing fields to proper hand-washing techniques and, yes, record keeping.

Atina Diffley

“Traceability is key in wholesaling,” she said, adding that if a customer is felled from a contaminated fruit or veg, all heads turn to the farm. You’ve got to know where the offensive produce was grown, how it was handled, who washed it, where it was washed, how it was shipped. The list is endless.

Everyone was aware of the Great Cantaloupe Scare of 2011 when 30+ people died from eating melon grown at Jensen Farms in Colorado that was infected with listeria. The farm filed for bankruptcy, victims sued and the brothers who owned the farm were arrested by the feds for sending tainted food into the marketplace. (They got probation.) Farmers are accountable? You betcha.

During lunchtime, we were given the opportunity to chat up wholesalers looking for products such as reps from gourmet food purveyor Sid Wainer of New Bedford and FarmFresh.org, which distributes locally-farmed produce to chefs and retailers from a warehouse in Pawtucket, R.I. The opportunities are out there. Now we just need to plant those fields at Goat Cottage Farm!

Finally, I was amazed at the resources for the commonwealth’s 7,700 farms available through the Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources. The state also can help with an USDA audit for the Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices certifications. And, more importantly, Michael Botelho, who is in charge of the state’s CommonwealthQuality program, an excellent marketing tool for farmers, didn’t sound like a hack! Shocking, I know.

We also gleaned some practical information about setting up contracts with retailers. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but printing invoices with specific return and payment policies on the bottom are key. It’s also serves as a legal contract. Good stuff to know, don’t you think?

So I guess I’m also going to try my (thoroughly washed) hand at farming with Colleen this spring. I suppose I will need to escape from the commercial bakery (fingers crossed!) at some point. However, I have drawn a line under beekeeping. My partner already has ordered up two hives. Now, while I do like a good wide-brimmed hat, yellow jackets scare me.

But I do know that we should probably keep the bees away from the compost pile…

From Nordstrom to Costco: It’s a Wonderful Life

February 19, 2014 - Posted in Bakery, Baking, Bread, Costco, Dad, Epicurious, Food Shopping, Gluten-Free, Goat Cottage Farm, LauraRaposa, Salads, The Foodsmith, The Foodsmith, Uncategorized, Vegetables

I ran into an Epicurious post today on Facebook that professed the web culinistas’ love for Costco. The article – 14 Things We Love About Costco — ran in November, so why it appeared today in my newsfeed is a mystery, but it did strike a cord.

Costco (Photo courtesy of Epicurious)

Because I, too, feel the need to show the huge warehouse store some love.

For over 20 years, I’ve been a card-carrying member of BJ’s Wholesale Club where I’ve purchased hundreds of cleaning and laundry supplies, toilet paper, paper towels and frozen shrimp. When I did some catering years ago, BJ’s was a great help. Their meat can’t be beat.

But my business partner, Colleen, is a disciple of Costco, a wholesale warehouse competitor from Seattle. So I scored a card when she opened an account for the bakery some months back. It now resides in my wallet in premiere real estate (read: the slot that used to hold my Nordstrom card).

I know my first reason to love Costco should be because the store caters to small businesses which it does. The business services are amazing and we plan to avail ourselves of a few. Truthfully, my Costco crush began because our store is a stone’s throw from IKEA in Avon off Route 24 South. But after a couple of trips to the Swedish ~~meatball store~~ retailer, I think I’m over it…

Colleen stocks up on lots at Costco for our growing gluten-free bakery at Goat Cottage Farm because it labels its gluten-free store brand products as “gluten free.” Not many retailers do that. However, I’ve learned Trader Joe’s – another store favorited by celiacs – does as well.

Kirkland Real Vanilla

We’re big fans of Costco’s extra virgin olive oil and its Kirkland private label brand real vanilla, which is a bargain. And they even sell pure ground Saigon cinnamon at a decent price. Even my father, a bakers’ supplier for 50 years, cannot find fault with it.

Use this cinnamon, dammit!

True story: Last week, she baked a cinnamon-raisin loaf for our website photo shoot and used private-label supermarket cinnamon of dubious vintage (maybe 1892) because no one was going to eat it, right? As if.

After the snappy session, I stupidly took the loaf to my parents’ house “for toast” the next morning instead of feeding it to the chickens. My mother, much to my chagrin, brought it to our family’s bakery supply house where it was toasted and dissected by a team of highly-trained baking scientists — my father and brother.

That inferior cinnamon bread fueled a round of calls and texts from the duo, our “Super Tasters,” as Colleen calls them. Think she’s exaggerating? I have a photo on my fridge of the two of them tasting and poking a cupcake at an event last summer. The baker was only a few feet away. Poor thing.

“You gotta use cinnamon that’s 3 percent,” my brother told me. “You couldn’t even taste the cinnamon after the bread was toasted. I know you didn’t bake to sell it but do yourself a favor and get rid of that jar, will ya? Geesh.”

This is my life now. I used to write about Posh Spice. Now, I spend hours being schooled on Yucky Spice, but I digress…

If you’re on a high-fiber diet, and who isn’t, Costco’s salad stuff – organic greens, itty-bitty English cukes, colored peppers, spinach and carrots are a godsend. And the bags of lemons are a steal if you use a lot of lemon like Goat Cottage Farm does for lemon meringue pie and tarts, lemon curd-filled cupcakes and our blueberry loaf.

We also found the exact lights our website photog Mark Mederios told us to buy for when we snap pictures for Facebook and Twitter. I think we got two for $15. So we bought six. You know, like you do at Costco.

Yes, yes, there is lots of sampling in that vast cement warehouse. Those ubiquitous little kiosks beckon and tempt. I suppose they are a draw for some people who have never eaten a Stacy’s Pita Chip. Frankly, I’d rather gnaw on a loaf of LaBrea Bakery (!) multi-grain bread in the confines of my car. I haven’t done that, mind you, but a girl can dream.

One last thing — I bought cotton sweaters at Costco a couple of weeks ago. My days of wearing Eileen Fisher are behind me. So how could I pass up a navy blue v-neck for $12.99? I bought others in yellow and green.

Yup, I’m a Costco believer.

Need to Shovel (More) Snow? Whip Up a Little Garten!

February 6, 2014 - Posted in Barefoot Contessa, Brownies, Chicken, cookbooks, Ina Garten, Peas, poultry, Seafood, Snow Days, Uncategorized

It took me a pot of chicken soup, six large crab cakes and a pan of the Barefoot Contessa’s Salted Caramel Brownies to avoid shoveling the driveway today. I could have squeezed in an apple pie but I prefer to do back-breaking work in the daylight.

“You haven’t shoveled yet,” asked my husband during an early afternoon call from his desk on Morrissey Boulevard.

“No, I haven’t BECAUSE I’M WAITING FOR BROWNIES TO COME OUT OF THE OVEN,” I fired back.

“Oh, OK,” said he, the intended recipient of Ina Garten’s gooey sweets. “That’s a good excuse.”

I thought so.

Earlier in the day, as the snow and sleet came down, I was like the Iron Chef: let’s see what’s in the fridge and make a meal happen.

I found a can of lump crabmeat in the freezer, so that was a start. However, I failed to read the “Do Not Freeze” instructions on the label when I originally bought it. Oops. Well, too bad. I was using it. Company’s not coming.

I mixed the defrosted crab, egg, mayo, dry mustard, Old Bay Seasoning, Worcestershire, a few dabs of hot sauce, lemon juice and American Spoon’s Whole Seed Mustard “caviar” in a large bowl. I tossed in panko bread crumbs, a little lemon zest and — voila! — six big crab cakes for dinner. Thankfully, I had just enough mayo left to stir together with Stonewall Kitchen‘s Country Ketchup for a quick remoulade.

Crabcakes

I put them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in the fridge to await the return of the Snow Shovel Scofflaw.

But today really called for soup. From my earlier expedition into the freezer – I felt like Shackelton, I swear — I hit upon one boneless chicken breast (?), a Gladware of chicken stock and a bag of organic frozen peas. The produce drawers uncovered two carrots, a pair of parsnips, some celery and an onion. So I made chicken soup with orzo. Sprinkled with Parmesan and a squirt of lemon juice it was a lunchtime elixir on this wet, winter day.

After that, I was faced with a dessert conundrum. I only had three eggs, so I was limited. I could swing a not-so-mile-high apple pie. Ditto for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. But I was at a loss and I was losing daylight.

So I settled for Ina’s Salted Caramel Brownies in her “Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof”cookbook. I actually had a bottle of caramel topping (of dubious origin) in the fridge and my supply of baking chocolate is never low. What do you need? Unsweetened? Bittersweet? Semi-sweet? White? Chips, chunks or blocks? Just call me Willa Wonka.

So, wait, my girl Ina wants me to cool the melted butter-chocolate mixture for 15 minutes? How about 20? Don’t want those eggs to scramble!

Tick, tock…

Unfortunately, the brownies only took 27 minutes to bake and cost me less than a minute to drizzle on the caramel topping and sprinkle on the Maldon sea salt.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Finally, I couldn’t stall anymore. My yellow shovel, which I hadn’t touched since Monday, beckoned. It took nearly two hours to clean the driveway and heave shovelfuls of the heavy icy mess the town’s plow left behind.

Maybe we got 8 inches. Maybe it was 7. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that when I came in, dried off and settled in my chair with a cup of tea, I really could have used some warm apple pie. And, yes, it would have made me feel better.

Damn.

(Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @LauraRaposa)

‘I’ll Have the Salad Nee-Swaaah, He’ll Have the Nyaw-Kee’

January 29, 2014 - Posted in Baking, Cooking, Epicurious, Food Pronunciation, French Food, Julia Child, LauraRaposa, Random Facts, Restaurants, Salad Dressing, Salads, The Foodsmith, The Foodsmith, The French Chef, Uncategorized

Editors note: The correct pronounciation is “I’ll have the Saa-lod Nee-Swaz, he’ll have the Nyokkee.”

Face it, we all have a couple of ethnic foods we can’t pronounce. I’ve butchered “mascarpone” for years by referring to the Italian-style cream cheese as “mar-scapone.” And that seems rich since I hail from the Land of the Dropped R.

I’ve also been corrected once or twice on “habanero.”

Today, the foodie website Epicurious posted, “The Top 10 Most Frequently Mispronounced Foods.” Do check it out the list of victimized ethnic eats. It’s ear-opening, really.

When I posted the story on my Facebook page earlier today, my “MasterChef” war buddy Yi Lynne Weber wrote: “Broo-chetta” makes me want to shake people. My eye is twitching just thinking about how many people mispronounce it.” And my fellow Boston Foodie Tours guide Adrienne Bruno, who is fluent in Italian, commented: “This made my skin crawl, especially the comments. *shudder*” So it’s not just me.

However, the reporter skipped over one of my pronunciation pet peeves: Salade Niçoise, a composed plate of Bibb lettuce, small French potatoes, sliced tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, anchovies, capers, green beans and tuna dressed with a garlic vinaigrette.

It’s not Nee-Swah. It’s Nee-Swaz because, as I understand French, there’s an “e” at the end of Niçoise, hence the “z” sound. And if you don’t believe me, listen to Julia Child speak of the salad in this 1970 episode of “The French Chef.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnwORE68dgc

While sitting at lunch on the beach at Anse Marcel in St. Martin during our vacation a few weeks ago, the subject of the pronunciation of “Salade Niçoise” came up as my husband, parents and I perused the menu.

“I think I’ll have the Nee-Swah Salad,” announced my dad.

“Um, I think it’s pronounced ‘Nee-Swaz,’ Dad, because there’s an ‘e’ at the end of Niçoise,” I pleasantly offered, then turned to ask my husband — the one who can actually speak French — “isn’t that true?”

“Uh, um, I don’t know,” he lied, a move to retain neutral like Switzerland in this French pronunciation discussion. (He, the man who makes me listen to Pimsleur tapes in the car, ordered a cheeseburger. Bastard.)

When the time came for the French waitress to take our lunch selections, Dad also ordered a cheeseburger, I asked for a “Salade Nee-Swaz” and my mother said, “I’ll have the same.”

Oh, well. I tried. C’est la vie!

Anyone else have a food pronunciation pet peeve? I’d love to hear it!

‘Baking Bad’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’

January 20, 2014 - Posted in Bakery, Baking, Cake, Dessert, Food Comedy, Gluten-Free, Goat Cottage Farm, Kush Bakery, snark, The Foodsmith

When I decided to the pull the plug on my 30-year career in daily journalism last winter, my partner, Gayle Fee, suggested — with a straight face so I knew she was kidding — that I open a “kush bakery.”

“It’s gold, Jerry, GOLD,” she joked, using one of our favorite and oft-quoted “Seinfeld” lines.

Kate McKinnon is ‘Baking Bad’

After all, we had seen the bang-up business the medical marijuana dispensaries on Venice Beach were doing during our forays to crazy Cali for the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010. And then in 2012, when 63 percent of Massachusetts’ voters said yes to legalize pot for medicinal use, it seemed like a no-brainer. (The Bay State’s 35 dispensary licenses will finally be announced Jan. 30.)

Over the weekend, “Saturday Night Live” spoofed a “Nancy Grace” show where she tore into supporters of the Rocky Mountain (High) State’s legalization of pot.

One is baker Elizabeth Wessel, an owner of a regular ol’ bakery but now “has lines out the door for cannabis cookies and space cakes” at her new joint appropriately called “Baked.”

And get a load of the prices she charges!

“I’ve got this turf locked down,” reports Elizabeth, who raked in $650,000 this year. “I’m Walter White and this is ‘Baking Baaaad.’”

Despite the potential for a pot payday, I think Goat Cottage Farm will stick with gluten-free goods. Sorry, Gayle. But Colleen and I would taste and nibble so much while baking, we’d never have anything to sell to our customers. Fits of giggles and “the munchies” aren’t conducive to a production schedule. The upside? The kitchen would be reeeeaaaallly mellow…

Check out the video http://

Best Greek Salad Dressing You’ll Ever Eat. Adio, Christo’s!

January 2, 2014 - Posted in Brockton Restaurants, Christos, Cooking, Dave Wedge, Food Traditions, LauraRaposa, Restaurants, Salad Dressing, Salads, Uncategorized

It’s unlikely you’re in the mood for a crisp Greek salad today with the Storm of the Century bearing down on us in southern New England. It’s really a day for hot lemony chicken soup. Brrrr.

But Kevin Convey, a longtime customer of Christo’s — the Brockton landmark that closed its doors on New Year’s Eve — made good this morning on his offer to share the restaurant’s Greek salad dressing recipe.

Christo’s Famous Greek Salad

(See the comments section under his fellow Brocktonian Dave Wedge‘s guest post on Dec. 27.) So we take these things as they become available. You know, 24/7 news cycle and all that.

This dressing is delicious and, I guarantee you, it will evoke memories of warmer weather and dinners eaten al fresco or, for Christo’s customers, Friday nights of old in the Gold Room.

CHRISTO’S GREEK SALAD DRESSING

2 garlic cloves

1 t. salt

4 T. lemon juice

4 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 T. dried oregano

1 t. dried thyme

1 t. dried basil

1 c. olive oil, preferably Greek

Mash cloves into a paste in mortar with salt.

Combine paste in medium bowl with juice, vinegar, mustard pepper and spices. Slowly whisk oil into mixture.

Let stand a few hours before using, then refrigerate. Keeps for months.

New Year’s Eve = Onion Dip!

December 31, 2013 - Posted in Cooking, Food Memories, Food Traditions, Holiday Traditions, LauraRaposa, The Foodsmith, The Foodsmith, Uncategorized

This is an ode to onion dip that I wrote on Dec. 30, 2012 for the Boston Herald‘s food blog. I felt the need to re-post it here for two reasons: My grandmother, who died last April at 101, used to serve Lipton Onion Soup Dip to my little brother and me every New Year’s Eve and I will think of her tonight. And also because I needed the updated, albeit “cleaner” recipe to ring out 2013 and it was a shame to waste a Google search.

There are probably two New Year’s Eves in my adult life I remember fondly — one which included an enormous silver paper mache sardine.

But what was better than New Year’s Eve when you were a kid?

Dick Clark aka Mr. New Year’s Eve (1929-2012)

The night of Dec. 31 for me was a sleep-over at Nana‘s where she let me stay up to watch a much, much younger Dick Clark countdown to 1969 or 1972 in Times Square. We had Canada Dry ginger ale to drink and a bowl of Lipton Onion Dip with a basket of Ruffles potato chips. Always Ruffles. They had Rrrrridges.

How I miss that tasty, addictive onion dip scooped up in that ridged chip. I can taste it right now. Sigh.

Now, you would think I would have graduated to Beluga caviar on toasts or raw oysters with a champagne vinegar mignonette for my end of the year repasts. Nah. Let the Beautiful People in St. Barts eat the fancy food. This year, dammit, I’m making onion dip!

Onion Dip with Ruffles. So good, so good, so good…

I will turn a blind eye to using full fat sour cream tomorrow night since it’s the holidays. (I really need to stop saying that.) But 610 mg of sodium in that packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix? I’d be retaining water until Valentine’s Day.

Thankfully, a few years ago a good friend shared his recipe for homemade onion dip. No, it doesn’t really taste like the over-salted retro dip of my youth, but it’s a decent adult substitute. And if you can’t find Ruffles, there’s always crudites. Booooooo.

REAL ONION DIP

2 T. vegetable oil

2 medium Spanish onions (not sweet), chopped

¾ c. mayonnaise

¾ c. sour cream

4 oz. cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chives, finely chopped (for garnish)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium fire. Add onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring often, until deep golden brown, another 15-20 minutes. Cool completely in skillet.

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream and cream cheese with onions in skillet, being sure to mix in any juices or caramelized bits. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to allow flavors to meld. Thin with milk before serving if necessary. Garnish with chives.

Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve chilled or at room temperature with potato chips or crudites. (Yield: 2 cups)

Long Live the Greek Salad King!

December 27, 2013 - Posted in Brockton Restaurants, Christos, Dave Wedge, Food Landmarks, Food Traditions, LauraRaposa, Restaurants, Salads, The Foodsmith, Uncategorized

Editor’s Note: Christo’s, a Brockton institution since 1964, is closing its doors on Dec. 31. A proper send-off would need to be written for his landmark restaurant, so I asked one of my favorite Brocktonians, Dave Wedge, a fellow Herald alumni, to lunch with me and write a guest blog post. Sadly, we didn’t eat in the Gold Room. Perhaps we should have brought Roger…

By Dave Wedge

Going to Christo’s for my family, like many in Brockton, was a weekly rite of passage.

My father, Roger, owned the Brockton East Cinema which was located behind Christo’s. Chris Tsaganis, the distinguished late owner of the legendary family restaurant, was my dad’s landlord and as kids, we regularly went to the movies and then to dinner at Christo’s.

The Gold Room appears not to have changed since 1964. Where’s the Rat Pack???

“Wedge, party of five in the Gold Room please. Wedge,” is a phrase I heard every week of my youth.

It was the 70s and 80s and Christo’s was the place to see and be seen. Brockton’s own Marvelous Marvin Hagler was the middleweight champ of the world and the city was a proud, exciting place to be.

It was normal for there to be an hour-plus wait for a table on a Friday or Saturday night. While Christo always took care of our family, we sometimes would wait a bit in the lounge, which looks straight out of the movie “Casino.”

My dad would get a “mug of dark” – which was a vague description of whatever “dark” beer Christo had on tap. If you ordered that in today’s craft beer-obsessed world, the bartender would point you to the door. But to this day, my dad insists the “dark” beer on tap at Christo’s remains his favorite.

The “lounge” in the Red Room.

When I got a little older, dad would let me order his other favorite drink from the waitress.

“Beefeater martini straight up, extra dry, rocks on the side with a twist,” I’d say proudly.

Ah, to be a child in the 70s was great. You could ride on the middle hump in the front seat of the car with no seatbelt in sight, ride a bike without a helmet, and order cool-sounding booze drinks at family restaurants.

To quote Henry Hill from “Goodfellas”: “It was a glorious time.”

My mom, who died in 2002, always got the “southern fried chicken” with gravy and a double order of peas, instead of rice. My sisters still get that same order when they go. For some reason, I remember them also getting Greek salads with the cheese on the side. Never really understood that.

Christo’s Famous Greek Salad

Anyway, my dad’s theater had a great run through the 80s and early 90s but Blockbuster video stores, along with shady movie industry rules and megaplex monopolies, forced my dad – along with most other independent cinema owners – to shut down. He officially closed the doors in 1998.

After that, we would go to Christo’s sporadically for family dinners, birthdays and such. As I got older and moved back into Boston, I rarely went. In recent years, some old high school buddies and I began a bi-monthly “pies and pitchers” beer and pizza night at some of our favorite Brockton-area haunts, like the great Cape Cod Cafe, the underrated Union Villa in Easton and Stoughton’s Town Spa.

One time, about a year or so before Mr. Tsaganis passed away, we did Christo’s. We sat at a round table in the bar room and Mr. Tsaganis himself joined us for a while. He bought us a round of drinks and regaled us with tales of the glory days, including partying with his many celebrity visitors, as well as with my dad in Las Vegas. Ah yes, it sounds like it sure was a glorious time.

It’s a great memory of Mr. Tsaganis and Christo’s that me and my friends talk about often and will remember forever.

My last visit to Christo’s was about a month ago when I went with Laura for lunch. It was shortly after the announcement was made that the famous eatery was closing its doors for good. It was a busy lunch crowd and we actually had to wait about 20 minutes for a table.

I got a burger and of course a Greek salad. You can buy Christo’s dressings in the supermarket and you can buy the lettuce, the feta, the celery and the onion. But let me assure you this: you cannot make a Greek salad as good as they serve in the restaurant itself. (The Foodsmith got the Greek salad and grilled lamb kebobs. Yum.)

Grilled Lamb Kebobs

I’ll miss the place as it’s always been a warm reminder, not only of the best days of my youth, but also of a time when Brockton was at its best. The city has changed but remains a great place filled with some great people.

It’s too bad Christo’s will no longer be a part of it. Long live the Greek Salad King.