Featured Recipe: Sweet Basil's Seafood Chowder

This is the third, and final, recipe from Chef Dave Becker of Sweet Basil located in Needham, MA. 

Taken right from Stewed, Chef Dave's newest cookbook, today's featured recipe is Seafood Chowder. The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever type of seafood you prefer! Don't like mussels? No problem, double up on the shrimp.

Get creative and mix and match according to your taste preferences!

Thanks to Chef Dave and the team at Sweet Basil for all of the great information and beautiful photos. It was so fun sharing this information with everyone. Don't hesitate and check out Sweet Basil today - you will be very happy you did :)

Photo Credit: Nina Gallant 

Sweet Basil's Seafood Chowder:

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting the clams
• 2 cups Spanish onions, ¼” dice
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• ¼ cup celery, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, ¼” dice
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup sherry
• 1 ½ quarts Fish Stock (page 93 of Stewed)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ pound fresh mussels, scrubbed
• ½ pound Maine baby shrimp
• ½ pound squid, tentacles and rings cut
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ pound whole clams, scrubbed

Garnish

• Chopped fresh parsley
• Chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400º.

In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. When the butter melts, slowly whisk in the flour. Allow the roux to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture turns brown.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, and thyme. Sauté the mixture for 5 minutes or until the ingredients begin to caramelize. Add the potatoes, corn, and sherry. Continue cooking for 1 minute or until the liquid is reduced. Add the Fish Stock, bring to a boil, and then add the boiling soup to the roux, maintaining the medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the cream, and then add the mussels, shrimp, and squid. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mussels open, and remove from the heat. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, arrange the whole clams on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a few pinches of kosher salt and drizzle with a few splashes of olive oil. Roast in the oven until the clamshells open.

Ladle the soup into bowls, evenly distributing the roasted clams. Garnish with the parsley and basil, and serve.

Sweet Basil is located at 942 Great Plain Ave., Needham, MA 02492.

If you are interested in purchasing Chef Dave's newest cookbook, Stewed, or any of his cookbooks, you can find them here: www.sweetbasilneedham.com/cookbook

Penne Carbonara

I always thought carbonara would be really hard to make but it's actually surprisingly easy.

When I came across this recipe from Food52 (and realized I had all of the ingredients already in the house) I figured I would give it a try. It came out really good and was almost effortless. I will definitely be making this again! 

I love when that happens.

Recipe adapted from Food52 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 lb penne pasta  **spaghetti would work great too**
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 1/4 cup of frozen peas
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan
• salt and pepper

Boil a large pot of water, salt, and cook the pasta according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, cut the bacon into small 1/2" pieces. It will be easier if you cut the bacon while it is still cold. Warm a stainless steel skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crispy. Stip and break up the bacon pieces using a wooden spoon occasionally while cooking. Drain on a plate covered with a paper towel.

In a separate bowl mix the eggs, parmesan, and pepper until you get the consistency of thick batter.

Dump the peas into a microwave safe bowl with a little water. Microwave 3-4 minutes, or until the peas are warm, stirring halfway through.

When the pasta is done, drain it quickly. Put the pasta back in the pot and pour the egg mixture over. Mix well to cook the egg with the heat from the pasta. Add the bacon and peas. 

Done and done!

Pinterest Faves: Week of 2/24/13 - 3/2/13

March 1st means time to take down the winter decorations and get ready for spring. I want to get some white hydrangeas and keep them in a mason jar on my coffee table. Maybe paint the jar grey/silver?

Hydrangeas in distressed mason jars

My sister had a great geo patterned cardigan from Urban Outfitters that they no longer sell :( This is the closest thing I've been able to find to it yet...

SheInside Geo Tribal Pattern Open Cardigan

I don't know which of these pretzel bite recipes I want to try to make first?? 

Pretzel Bites - 3 ways

These quinoa patties are easy to make and you can use whatever you have on hand to flavor them. If you make a big batch of the mix just keep it in a bowl in the fridge. Form patties to cook as needed throughout the week.

These would be great over a salad for lunch as well!

Quinoa Patties

This pin was kind of a dud because it didn't lead me to the website it was originally from. Luckily it had the recipe in the description.

I have everything I need to make these already in the house - love when that happens!!

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F. Open the crescent rolls according to package direction. 

Spread melted butter on rolls and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up the crescents and bake at 375 F for 11-13 mins. 

While the crescents are cooking mix 1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk. Spoon the icing over the crescents as soon as they come out of the oven and still hot.

Tavern Road Opens in Boston's Fort Point Channel

There is a new restaurant open in what is being called Boston's "Innovation District".

Tavern Road, opened Monday, February 25th, is owned by Chef Louis DiBiccari and his brother Michael DiBiccari. Recipes are inspired by family history and the local community and cooked in a large, open kitchen. Design comes from their Uncle Adio DiBiccari, an American master sculptor, who opened an art studio in 1952 on Tavern Road by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. You can also find work from local artists from Fort Point Channel-based artists Project Super Friends. 

If you don't know Chef Louie check out Chef Louie Night. Also known as "Iron Chef Nights", guests of these events vote on the ingredients ahead of time. The morning of the event Chef Louie and his crew find what the secret ingredients are and scramble around to come up with anything from one dish to a multi-course menu in only a few hours time. Check out the website to learn more about these events here.

The menu is "designed to be read in the way it should be consumed" starting your meal with small plates for the table, to shared entrees, and finished with an array of desserts. The menu will rotate seasonally with a few consistent signature dishes year round. 

Another fun menu feature is "Today's Animal" where each week, Tavern Road spotlights a locally-raised, whole animal. The featured animal will be served in appetizers and entrees to utilize every part they can. 

Don't worry, Tavern Road has a vegetarian menu as well!

You can even get food late-night from 11:00pm - 1:00am. A special menu of bar snacks including charcuterie, oysters, panini sandwiches and the Louis burger will be available.

You know with this type of food you are going to get some amazing drinks. Beverage Director and No. 9 Park Alum Ryan McGrale is hand-crafting seasonal cocktails in small batches. Using locally-sourced spirits he is breaking the cocktail menu into 3 parts (taken straight from their fact sheet):

1. “Libations” – a gathering of classic cocktail recipes from pre and post-

prohibition era alongside house-created cocktails from the Tavern Road bar

staff.

2. “Cocktail Flights” – weekly-changing selection of three 1.5oz cocktail samples

with varying themes (martinis, daiquiris, tiki drinks, aperitifs…)

3. “Cocktails from Friends” – four times a year this section will feature cocktails

created and donated to Tavern Road's drink menu, by some of the best in the

business. Without traveling to San Fransisco or Seattle, you can have that city’s

top bartender’s creation in front of you at Tavern Road. Contributors represent

Flatiron Lounge, Clover Club NYC, Death & Co., Jasper’s and many more.

Beers are hand-picked from craft breweries and served by the bottle (there are no taps) and the wine list is spearheaded by Boston's Second Glass and with at least 50 bottles to choose from.

If you thought it couldn't get any better you are wrong. I haven't even told you about TR Street Foods yet. 

TR Street Foods is just that - Chef Louis's version of street food from his travels all over the world. Fast and casual with free Wi-fi and the ability to takeout, the menu will change daily and feature salads, sandwiches, snacks, fresh juices, kebabs, calzones and more. Using locally sourced ingredients of course.

I know where I will be heading this weekend!

Tavern Road is located at 343 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210

Phone: (617) 790 - 0808

Open 7 days a week:

Dinner                                 5:00pm – 11:00pm, seven days a week

Bar                                     4:30pm – 2:00am, seven days a week

Late Night                           11:00pm – 12:00am, Sun-Wed

                                         11:00pm – 1:00am, Thurs-Sat

Seating:

Total Capacity         120

Main Dining Room     85

Bar/High Top           25

TR Street Foods       10

Good news: 

They take OpenTable: Boston Restaurants reservations and there is a parking lot across the street!

Pinterest Faves: Week of 2/17/13 - 2/23/13

This week there was so many good pins on Pinterest I have six pins to share instead of my typical top 5!

As I start to think about how I want to update my house I have been trying to decide on a color palette that will make everything look bright and fresh. I found this pin and was immediately inspired...I love the neutral scheme with a few light pastels mixed in. I already own a Organic Cotton Pintuck Sea Spray duvet from west elm so there is my light mint green...maybe a grey wall next?

Photo from Amateur Couture

I have a jar very similar to these in my bathroom that I hold my cotton balls and q-tips in but I never thought to glue them on top of candlesticks! I am on the hunt for 2 or 3 of them now so let me know if you come across any.

Candlestick Apothecary Jars from Teal & Lime

I am obsessed with this color combination...is it summer yet?

Neutral & Neon

And now for for the food...

I loved Golden Graham treats as a kid and I found this super easy make at home recipe that I will definitely be trying out soon!

S’mores Graham Krispie Treats from Wanna Be A Country Cleaver

 If you live in the South Boston neighborhood you are probably really excited about the opening of Foodie's Market. Finally we have a place to get higher quality meats, cheeses, and seafood. I can't wait to get my hands on some scallops and try out this recipe for Seared Scallops over Lemon-Ricotta pasta.

Seared Scallops over Lemon-Ricotta Pasta from Crumb

Need a really easy side dish? How about Parmesan & Spinach Orzo? I bet you have most, if not all, of the ingredients already at home and it is a great recipe to sneak veggies into.

Parmesan & Spinach Orzo from Life As A Strawberry

I hope you enjoyed my favorite Pinterest picks from this past week!

Featured Recipe: Sweet Basil's Thai Coconut Chicken Soup with Candied Peanuts

I am happy to share another recipe from Chef Dave Becker of Sweet Basil located in Needham, MA. 

Taken right from Stewed, Chef Dave's newest cookbook, today's featured recipe is Thai Coconut Chicken Soup with Candied Peanuts. A second in a trio of posts you will find here for the next few Thursday's centered around Sweet Basil and Chef Dave's Stewed cookbook, this recipe looks more intimating than it actually is.

So break out your largest stock pot and try this recipe out for yourself!

Photo credit: Nina Gallant

Sweet Basil's Thai Coconut Chicken Soup with Candied Peanuts:

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 cup carrots, scrubbed, ½” dice
• 1 cup red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Spanish onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup celery, diagonally sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, halved
• 1 or 2 really spicy peppers (such as bird’s beak chiles)
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 ½ quarts Chicken Stock (page 72 of Stewed)
• Meat of 1 Roasted Chicken, pulled (page 111 of Stewed)
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ cup snow peas

Garnish

• 6 sprigs chopped fresh cilantro
• Candied Peanuts (page 23 of Stewed)
• Chopped scallions

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the grapeseed oil, and heat it until it begins to smoke. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, and bird’s beak chiles (see note). Stir fry this combo for 1 minute, and then add the white wine. Bring the wine to a boil, and immediately add the rice vinegar, coconut milk, chicken stock, and the pulled chicken. Bring the soup to a boil, check for flavor, and season it with the salt and pepper. Add the snow peas, and remove from the heat.

To serve, evenly distribute the soup among serving bowls, and garnish with the cilantro,
Candied Peanuts, and scallions.


**Note from Chef Dave**

The bird’s beak chile is a Thai chile commonly used in Asian cuisine. These chiles are long and red and their heat intensifies when dried. On a hotness scale of one to ten, bird’s beak chiles fall at around an eight to nine.

When you add the bird’s beak chiles will depend on how spicy you’d like the soup. If you prefer a more rounded, mellow spice, add them in the beginning, with the vegetables. If you crave torture and like a good burn, cut them up and add them at the end.

Sweet Basil is located at 942 Great Plain Ave., Needham, MA 02492.

If you are interested in purchasing Chef Dave's newest cookbook, Stewed, or any of his cookbooks, you can find them here: www.sweetbasilneedham.com/cookbook

Featured Recipe: Sweet Basil's Onion Soup

I am really excited to be sharing this recipe with you today courtesy of Chef and owner Dave Becker from Sweet Basil located in Needham, MA. 

Featuring an ever-changing menu of Italian cuisine with hand-made pastas and ingredients sourced from local New England farms, Sweet Basil has a loyal following of repeat customers who come back time and time again for the quality food and comforting atmosphere.

Chef Dave recently launched his brand new cookbook, Stewed, featuring handmade takes on classic soups, stews, and braises. Using simple fresh ingredients, he builds on flavor and focuses on fundamental cooking techniques. 

This kicks off a trio of posts you will find here for the next few Thursday's that will be focused around Sweet Basil and Chef Dave's Stewed cookbook. With what seems like never ending cold winter weather what's a better way to warm up than with some hearty soup recipes?

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Photo credit: Nina Gallant

Sweet Basil's Onion Soup:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 Spanish onions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ cups tawny port wine
• 1 quart Veggie, Beef or Chicken Stock
• 2 tablespoons plum tomatoes, ¼” dice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 4 slices stale bread, ½” dice
• 1 ½ cups grated Gruyère or Manchego cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Garnish: Sliced scallions, Grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. As soon as it melts, add the onions, increase the heat to medium-low, and saute for 30 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. Add the garlic, sage, and rosemary, saute for 1 or 2 minutes or until the garlic just begins to brown, and then stir in the balsamic vinegar. Add the port wine, and reduce until the pan is almost dry. Add the stock of your choosing, along with the plum tomatoes and the maple syrup. Bring the soup to a boil, remove from the heat, and season to your liking with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, arrange the bread chunks on a broiling pan, sprinkle with the grated Gruyère or Manchego cheese, drizzle with some olive oil, and toast until the cheese is bubbling and brown.

Evenly distribute the soup among serving bowls, top with the cheesy bread, garnish with
scallions and Parmesan, and serve.

Sweet Basil is located at 942 Great Plain Ave., Needham, MA 02492.

If you are interested in purchasing Chef Dave's newest cookbook, Stewed, or any of his cookbooks, you can find them here: www.sweetbasilneedham.com/cookbook

Chef Dave will also be hosting a cooking demonstration and book signing on Wednesday, February 27th from 6:00 - 9:00pm at Boston University. If you are interested in attending you can purchase tickets here: www.bu.edu/foodandwine

Dinner at Scampo in Boston's Liberty Hotel

Scampo has been on my list of Boston restaurants to visit for some time now.

When I got invited to try out their new winter menu I literally jumped out of my seat at the opportunity! A chance to taste Lydia Shire's Italian-inspired dishes? YES PLEASE.

Before I try a new restaurant I love to read about the chefs background and how they got to the current place in their career. I knew that Lydia was a Boston native, a James Beard Foundation honoree, and very good, personal, friends of Julia Child. However, the more I read about Lydia, the more I was intrigued. 

Working her way from a salad girl to the chef of Boston's Maison Robert, to opening an array of her own successful restaurants, Lydia cooks food straight from the heart. She is now inspiring her son Alex, one of the chef's at Scampo, to give it his all every day on the job. My favorite advice she has given Alex is, "If you don't have a pit in your stomach almost every day, it means you're relaxing too much. You know, how can you stay in that tip-top form, shape, without that little pit in your stomach? I think it's important."

I visited Scampo with Jaime and although the meal was on the restaurant, all of the photographs and opinions are my own. I apologize in advance for some of the pictures being such poor quality but I always feel bad using my flash when people are trying to enjoy their dinner!

The meal started off with a Fava bean puree with basil oil and toasted pine nuts served with house made bread sticks. The Fava beans had a similar taste to pesto and were delicious!

As we chatted with our AMAZING waiter Michael (Seriously, he was amazing!! So friendly and knowledgeable about the menu), we ordered Lydia's famous Lobster Pizza. It was a thin crust, my favorite, with ton's of lobster meat.

One of the selections on the menu was a house made mozzarella bar. This came highly recommended by Michael. We chose to go with the mozzarella with avocado, king crab and mustard oil. This dish was light and refreshing the the pieces of crab meat were huge. 

Another recommendation from Michael was to try a small plate of pasta. Jaime and I chose the 'Spaghetti with Cracklings and Hot Pepper'. It was everything we hoped it would be! Tender spaghetti with crispy pork on top, dusted with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

By the time the main courses came we were already stuffed. But we knew there was no turning back now - it was too good! 

Placed on our table was a veal osso buco with ricotta gnocchi, butter pomodoro and cavolo nero pesto. The meat was so tender it could be cut with a spoon. 

This next picture makes me sad. I'm not sure how I didn't realized it was SO blurry at the time.  #awfuliphonephotographer

If you can't tell through my blurry lens this plate was of a perfectly cooked piece of chilean sea bass over sweet cabbage lobster risotto topped with crisped shaved brussel sprout leaves. 

I don't usually choose sea bass when it's on a menu but I might start now. Light and full of flavor I could eat this every night.

Last, dessert. Somehow there is always room for dessert.

Jaime and I have quite the track record for unbelievable desserts featuring bananas (check out our other two favorite banana desserts here and here). Scampo's winter dessert menu was just launched that day I am happy to say it did not disappoint.

On the left is a banana brown butter tart with fleur de sel caramel, macadamia nut crunch, and coconut ice cream. On the right, Lydia's tiramisu with Tia Maria liqueur and espresso caramel.

Both desserts were extremely tasty but that banana tart was definitely my favorite of the two. How can you ever go wrong with brown butter? You can't. It was unlike any other dessert I have tried thus far and left me wanting to go back to enjoy again.

We visited Scampo on a Tuesday night and let me tell you, it was PACKED! 

While we were enjoying our meal we noticed Lydia standing in the dining room talking with a group of people. Chef's are celebrities to me and I thought it was so cool that she was taking the time to be out in the dining room.

Next thing I know Lydia was walking up to our table. She personally introduced herself to us and spoke with us a little bit about our meal. It was one of my all time coolest culinary moments. IT"S LYDIA SHIRE!!

I can't thank Lydia, Michael, and the team at Scampo enough for such a memorable experience. The experience will not be soon forgotten!