Cook. Drink. Eat.

A food archive.

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Every quarantine isolation meal has turned into toast and it is vastly improving a Memorial Day weekend spent at home. The key to amazing toast these days is Goar Cheese Garlic Spread.

Goat Cheese Garlic Spread

Goat cheese, (about a 1/4 cup) Olive oil, (A generous pour) Garlic (3 cloves grated on a microplane), Lemon juice (1 whole lemon), Salt & Pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk ingredients together until smooth.

Not spreadable? Add a Tbsp water.

Eat on everything (seriously) - but particularly great on toast, roasted new potatoes, or thinned slightly more and drizzled on salmon. Seen here under micro greens and sliced heirloom tomato with poached eggs.

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Japanese Eggplant Summer Orzo

2 shallots, finely chopped 1-2 garlic cloves, minced 2-3 Japanese eggplants, sliced into 1/4 in rounds 1 large heirloom tomato (or any tomato), roughly chopped 1 cup orzo 1 Tbsp butter 1 tsp olive oil 3 Tbsp basil pesto White wine vinegar Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat orzo water to a boil and cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium heat, heat half the butter (or sub olive oil for dietary restrictions) until bubbling. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until they just begin to brown. 

Add the eggplant to the pan with remaining butter. Season liberally with salt and pepper and stir to prevent the eggplant from sticking. The eggplant will soak up much of the liquid but the salt will mitigate some of that. Adding extra butter or the 1 tsp of olive oil may be necessary to prevent sticking and burning.

Stir eggplant until both sides have softened. Add chopped tomato and stir. Turn down heat to just barely warm to prevent spatter and stir in the basil pesto. I generally make my own from our CSA basil but store bought it also good.

When orzo is cooked drain most of the water, leaving some in the bottom of the pot, a little less than 1/4 cup. Add orzo and remaining pasta water to the eggplant mixture and stir to combine. Turn up the heat to thicken for 2 minutes then remove from heat. Top with a splash or two of white wine vinegar and any additional salt and pepper. Parmesan cheese is also a welcome addition.

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Summer Kale and Mushroom Lentils

1 cup French green lentils, rinsed 1 medium shallot, diced 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 package mixed mushrooms, stemmed + sliced 4 cloves of garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1/4 cup white wine 2  teaspoons soy sauce 1 ½ - 2 cups vegetable stock* 4-6 Lacinato kale stalks, stems removed + leaves sliced Salt and Pepper to taste fresh bread for serving

Simmer the lentils in a small saucepan of water (or more vegetable stock) until they’re tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and shallots to the pot and stir. Cook until slightly softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook until juicing.

Season the mushrooms liberally with salt and thyme. Add the white wine and soy sauce to the pot. Stir the mushrooms. Add the drained lentils and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil.

When the liquid boils, turn down the heat and stir in the sliced kale. Bring the mixture back to a boil and check it for seasoning. Reduce slightly and season with more salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve hot with toasts

*This dish could be closer to a stew or a broth so the amount of stock can vary depending on preference. 

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Bourbon Pecan Ginger Pie

Crust 1 Bag Gingersnaps, Pulsed into Crumbs. Approximately 2 Cups 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Flour 4 Tbsp Butter, Melted Healthy Pinch of Salt Filling 1 Cup Brown Sugar 1/2 Cup Dark Amber Maple Syrup 3 Large Eggs 4 Tbsp Butter, Melted 1/4 Cup Bourbon 1 Tbsp Ginger, Freshly Grated 1 tsp Ground Ginger 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/4 tsp Salt 2 Cups Pecans, Chopped 1/3 Cup Candied Ginger, Chopped Preheat the oven to 375. To make the crust, whisk together all dry ingredients. Pour in melted butter and stir to combine thoroughly.  Press into a spring form pan and bake for just under 10 minutes until the gingersnaps are fragrant. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling combine the ingredients one at a time in a large mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly to ensure even distribution.  Pour into the cooled shell and bake until the pie is almost set but still jiggles slightly in the center. Approximately 45 minutes. 

Serve at room temperature, preferably with Bourbon Whip Cream or a drizzle of Whiskey Syrup. 

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The Haven 

Located steps away from the MSPCA and Whole Foods in Jamaica Plain, The Haven is a great spot for brunch, a snack, or a Scottish ale. The blue schoolhouse chairs, tartan curtains, and eclectic Scottish cookbooks create a hip vintage ambiance where you can enjoy a wide selection of imported European beers or a Scottish egg. The Bloody Mary is spicy but well balanced and the crab cakes with poached eggs are incredibly filling. 

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Lemony White Beans and Kale

White beans such as navy or cannellini, soaked over night in salted water Large Yellow Onion, chopped 5 cloves of garlic, minced Kale - 5-8 leaves deveined and coarsely chopped Red pepper flakes, dried parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary Zest and juice of one lemon Parmesan cheese (optional)  Crusty Bread

Cook beans for 45 mins until they're soft, reserve them with cooking liquid in a bowl to the side. In the bottom of the same saucepan, heat a healthy drizzle of olive oil and a small pad of butter over medium heat.  Slowly sauté onion, garlic, and herbs until translucent  Add zest and lemon juice to deglaze Add beans back in with liquid (amount may vary depending on how soupy you’d like your dish) Stir in kale Salt and pepper to taste, top with shaved parmesan if desired and ladle over bread. 

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Spicy Avocado Corn Soup

Olive Oil + 1 Tbsp Butter (optional) 1 Large Yellow Onion, Chopped 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced 1 Serrano or Jalapeño Pepper, Chopped Kernels from 4 Ears of Corn 3 Ripe Avocados  4-6 Cups Vegetable Broth Salt + Pepper Chives and Olive Oil to serve

Heat the olive oil and optional butter on medium heat in the bottom of a medium sized stock pot and sauté onion, garlic, and pepper until translucent. Add corn kernels and cook 3-5 more minutes until corn begins to breakdown.  Turn off heat, add avocado and vegetable broth, and then blend with an immersion blender until smooth (or transfer to a blender in batches). Add salt and pepper, and more broth until desired consistency is reached. Bring back to a boil. Serve with chives and olive oil. 

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Matt Murphy’s Irish Pub is hidden away in Brookline Village and boasts FREE oysters on Mondays from 5pm-7pm each week. The new boards on the menu are fabulous - the cheese board and the salmon board are beautiful and have delicious hidden gems under the main attraction - pickled onions, cornichons, or candied walnuts. The shining star on the cocktail menu is the Whiskey in a Jam Jar, but the rest of the cocktail menu is equally as impressive. The bar area is small so get there early! 

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Fennel Frond Pesto

Fronds from one Fennel Bulb 4-5 Cloves Garlic 2 Scallions Juice of One Lemon Olive Oil 2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese  2 Tbsp Raw Almonds  Salt + Pepper

Clean and pick off fronds. Place fronds and remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend, adding olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Parmesan or Almonds are optional based on food allergies or dietary preferences.  Use atop eggs (as above), fish, in pasta salad, pesto primavera, or diluted in extra olive oil to dip bread into. 

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Tuscan White Bean Salad 

2 Cups of Cooked White Beans (such as navy or cannellini) 1/4 of a Yellow Onion, Chopped 2 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes, Minced + Oil from the Jar  2 Cloves Garlic, Minced 3/4 Cup Mushroom, Diced 1 Tomato, Finely Chopped 1/2 of a Green Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped  2 Scallions, Finely Chopped Juice of 1 Lemon Salt + Pepper to Taste

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil from the from the jarred sun dried tomato, and sauté the onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and mushrooms until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms juice. Set aside to cool. Fold the chopped tomato, bell pepper, and scallions into the beans. Fold in onion mixture once it has cooled.  Toss with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

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Whiskey Syrup

Perfect on pancakes, in coffee, and in cocktails.

1 cup Whiskey 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water

Add all ingredients to a sauce pan over low heat and stir until sugar is diluted. Turn up to medium and bring up to a simmer. Turn of heat immediately, cool, serve or keep in an airtight container.

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Beets Two Ways

If you’re like me - you hate beets and the thought of receiving a dozen every Sunday in your CSA box keeps you up at night. I made a commitment to beets this year that we were going to be on better terms - which is really a commitment to transform them into something else that I actually enjoy. After hours of peeling, chopping, and boiling over 10 lbs of beets our hands were very pink but we had finally liberated our produce drawer. This was the fruit of that labor and commitment and I think we were surprised to find that it was a major success!

Blueberry Beet Juice

5 medium beets, par boiled 1 pint blueberries 2 granny smith apples 1 Cucumber 2 lemons 1 medium ginger root Water.

If you have a juicer this is a simple process. Juice the ingredients and dilute with 2 to 1 juice to water. If you don’t have a juicer and you’re doing this by hand with cheese cloth use enough water to loosen the pulp before you hand press the bag. I hand pressed my cheese cloth bag over a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup in small batches until my 1.5 liter bottle was full. It was a long night but totally worth it. Pairs well with ginger ale (or liqueur) lemon juice, scotch, bourbon or gin.

Beet Chips

Two large beets (any variety) Tbsp Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat over to 350. Peel beets, slice on a mandoline slicer to about 1/16 inch thick. Toss the sliced beets with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. On a baking sheet arrange the sliced beets in a single layer. For best results stack a second baking sheet on top (this keeps them flatter and allows for more even cooking) Bake about 20 minutes or until the edges of the beets start to dry out. Uncover and finish baking for 10-20 minutes - removing the chips that have become lighter in color as you cook so none burn. Cool on a wire rack. As they cool they will become crispier. Adapted from Martha Stewart

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Baked Eggs

Per ramekin: 1 egg per ramekin, whites and yikes separated 1 Tbsp cream or milk (or any dairy substitute) 1/3 cup of secondary ingredients (or whatever amount fits in your ramekins) - here I used mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, & goat cheese.

Preheat your oven to 350. Butter your ramekins. Add secondary ingredients. I finely chopped my mushrooms, halved my cherry tomatoes, and dropped teaspoon sized drops of goat cheese so that it was distributed semi-evenly. Whisk the cream and egg white together and pour them over the secondary ingredients. Top with your yolk. Bake for 12ish minutes or until your whites are mostly firm. Remove and let rest 2 minutes while center whites firm. Serve immediately.

** Each ramekin should only have 1 egg as they will cook unevenly with more. 2 ramekins with some toast is an ideal serving, though goat cheese does make these rich!

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Papalote is the perfect hole in the wall for Austin’s famed breakfast Tacos. Hidden at the end of a tiny strip mall it’s the perfect spot for hangover tacos filled with cactus and coffee for your jet-lag.

Yumpapalote.com

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Chard Mussel Soup

Since it’s CSA season there is an abundance of certain produce that we’ve had to get creative with. This is one of our Swiss chard recipes that we’ll make every year because of how easy it is. If you get fennel like we do, use it in place of shallot for more bite. Adapted from John Besh’s recipe.

2 lbs mussels 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 Tbsp butter (or vegan butter) 3 shallots, thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup dry white wine 2 cups vegetable stock or water 2 sprigs fresh thyme salt freshly ground black pepper 1 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed & leaves shredded

Rinse and scrub mussels under cold running water and debeard them (by pulling off their hanging threads). Discard any cracked ones. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the thyme and mussels and season with salt and pepper. Cover and steam just until they open, about 2-4 mins. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a bowl. Add the Swiss chard to the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you’re ready to serve, drop the mussels back into the pot to warm them.

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The Perfect Poached Egg 2 eggs Water 2 Tbsp white vinegar Fill a small saucepan half way with water. Add the vinegar and heat to a low simmer. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. When the water is softly simmering gently pour the bowl of eggs down the side of the pan. Cover and turn off the heat. Lift lid in approximately 6 minutes to check whites. If the whites look cooked the eggs are finished. To poach a larger number of eggs use a slightly larger pot, more water, and slightly longer times. Test out 2 minute increments and be cautious not to over cook the yolks! Remove with a slotted spoon place on top of sautéed onions and mushrooms with a dash of pesto.

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Brunch at Frank is an incredibly filling experience. Though the regular menu boasts an impressive selection of hot dogs and cold beer the brunch menu is full of buttery biscuits, melty cheese and fattening gravy. The coffee selection is incredible with a rotating selection from artisanal roasters and a variety of ways to enjoy them. Try the granola for a lighter meal or the biscuit sandwiches or shrimp and grits if you need to absorb the bacon (or red pepper!) bloody mary. http://hotdogscoldbeer.com