Maine Lobstah

I got a call from my pops this weekend: "Hey Holl, Lobstah's only $3.99 a pound!"

Its moments like this when I realize how much I love being in Maine during the Summer. Where else could you buy a fresh lobster for cheaper than a pound of sliced deli ham?

My personal favorite way to eat lobster is boiled then dipped in fresh butter with a squeeze of lemon juice. Using these butter warmers really makes a difference; you end up using less of it because its not getting cool and coagulated and there's just something about piping hot butter that makes all the difference in taste. In terms of the actual lobster I prefer the younger chicks-their shells are so soft you can crack them with your hand. Sure there's less meat than the honking hard shells but it packs way more flavor and sweetness.

I was skimming the Portland Press Herald this morning and found a great Lobster roll and stew recipe for when you want to jazz it up:

To make the best rolls or stew, let the lobster shine through

Roman Salad

Keeping with Holly's post on fabulous salads, I thought I would share my own favorite. This Tuna and Arugula salad was shared with me by a true Roman lady while I was in Sicily and I love it so much that I make it every time I buy baby arugula. It is cheap, super easy and high in lean protein so makes a great lunch with a piece of sourdough bread on the side.

Lana's Roman Salad

-Baby arugula

-2/3 can of tuna, water squeezed out and then broken down into small bits.

-fresh squeezed lemon juice

-olive oil

-sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the arugula, tuna, lemon juice, salt and pepper and plenty of olive oil together in a big bowl until tuna is distributed all through the arugula. Don't be shy with the lemon- that's where the flavor comes from!

eat and enjoy.

An Ode to Fish Taco

Despite the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weather we are being bombarded with here in the northeast my mind is still turning to summer and summer foods. Particularly my favorite of all hot summer take-out meals: the fish taco. This West Coast originated masterpiece comes in many forms; some bad, some good and some absolutely delicious. A zesty alternative to the fried haddock sandwich, the fish taco deserves to take its rightful place amongst the most scrumptious of summer mowing options. However, despite the apparent simplicity, a good fish taco is nearly impossible to find and even more impossible to make. Let me explain.

"What makes a good fish taco?" you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you. For me, the quality of a fish taco is best determined by the following 3 factors:


1. Fry Batter:
There are some who believe in a grilled fish taco. I am not one of them. It's summer goddamn it and I want some fried fish in my life. Crispy and slightly spicy does it for me; never soft or greasy.

2. Sauce(s):
It is all about lime when it comes to making the perfect zesty fish taco sauce. My all time favorite place (we'll get there later) used a chili lime sauce that brought down the house. In the absence of such culinary know-how, a good guacamole and sour cream can do the trick.

3. Veggie Crunch:
All that fry needs to be cushioned in a bed of crunchy freshness. A red cabbage slaw is my pick for #1, but some red onion and fresh lettuce also sets it off well.

And, it goes without saying that this should all be wrapped in a soft, chewy, slightly grilled fresh tortilla. This post is already making me hungry.

My relationship with the fish taco has been a toroid one. Like a bad RomCom heroine, I fall into deep, passionate, crazed love, only to be left after a few months with nothing but a craving and a few extra pounds to show for it.

The Mother of all fish tacos, the creme de la creme, the Brad Pitt of fish tacos to my Jennifer Aniston, was formally found at Crab Louie's (which before their tragic demise briefly changed their name to One Eyed Jack's) in downtown Portland, ME. Whoever owned you, Crab Louie's, if you are reading this now, PLEASE CALL ME. I will pay you any amount to taste the amazingness that was your fish taco one more time before I die. Their taco, with its crispy batter, chewy tortilla, cabbage slaw and chili lime sauce was all that is perfection in a world full of flaws. It was the holy grail of fish tacos, the place where I learned how to love. And now it has been taking from me forever and I am left to roam this earth in search of another fish taco to love.

While I was still recovering from this loss, I turned to El Pelon in the Fenway , where I found my John Mayer of fish tacos. Popular and loved by many in the past, it had many of the key ingredients and satisfied me for awhile. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't Brad Pitt, but I was happy. And then, as suddenly as our relationship had come to be, El Pelon burnt down. I should have seen it coming, after all, El Pelon had done this to me before (burnt down, that is). But still, I was shocked. And then I really had nothing. No Crab Louie's, no El Pelon. I was alone.
So I began the hunt. A chef I knew recomended I have a fling, so I flirted with La Verdad ( also in the Fenway) for awhile, but that quickly ended with disappointment. I tried to go back to an old flame- David's Cafe (Jamaica Plain)- but they had also closed down and left me. Even my high school lover- Chicky's (Portland, ME)- is no longer around for quick, nostalgic satisfaction.

So now, I am once again on the prowl for a fish taco to love. Anyone want to set me up?

Two cool Cats

I have been slacking recently on my posts.

Its just so discouraging when you don't have beautiful pictures to add on! I will work on getting my camera fixed.

I"m surprised no one has spoken about the wonders of Risotto yet. This dish is so versatile, and even at its most bare bones can be so rich and stupendiferous.

The perfect default dish for a low-cost dinner party, or a highly elegant side on a fancy night with your lovers, Risotto can do it all! It can even save the day!

On Memorial day, I was all alone! Oh No! The only thing to do was go to a really awkward building BBQ, that is so overwhelming the only way to make it okay is to pound 2 glasses of wine before joining the party. I always like these parties because I can impress the adults with my cooking miracles (they aren't too shabby either, usually they enter a whose cut of meat was most expensive contest- this week it was a full leg of lamb) but that doesn't ignore the fact that they all think Billy and I are married (wah-wah) and consider us very strange individuals.

So I bought an eggplant, some zucchini (green and yellow saucer shaped), and some red onions. Got them all slathered in a nice coating of olive oil and S & P, cut them up with nice crosshatch marks, and set out to grill. I get out there, and there is no grill space :( sad.

Long story short- I eventually got some grill space, but the coals were virtually dead and I was left with half grilled veggies. Ever try eating raw eggplant?

So I came back and finished roasting them in the oven. The next day I decided they would make a nice addition to a light and creamy risotto. As risotto can be made in all quantities, I will leave that open for interpretation and adaptation!

Risotto with Grilled & Roasted Veggies

Arborio Rice
Vegetable stock
Parmesan cheese
roasted/grilled veggies cut into cubies
S & P
garlic
onions
1 c dry white wine
scallions or chives for serving

So begin with a basic Risotto methodology. Cut onions, brown/sautee until translucent. Add Rice, toast rice, deglaze with 1 c white wine. Stir constantly, and only add liquid after previoud liquid is absorbed.

When you have 2 more cups of stock to add, throw in your cubed roasted veggies.* Continue adding liquid until the rice is cooked and rice begins to give off some of its starch (ie. creamy factor becomes visible) Add parm. cheese and enjoyyyyy!

*You probably don't even have to add the veggies to the risotto- leave them hole and serve them as sides if you wish!

Also- quick note last night I made a super fast, super protein packed meal: Halibut with onions and Quinoa. So yummy! I cooked the halibut in a lemony broth with carmelized onions. The Quinoa was simple and fast: sautee carrots, sweet peppers, and corn until soft. Add 1 16 oz can fire roasted tomatos and heat thouroughly. Add cooked quinqoa and 1/2 thinly sliced raw onion. Complete with some lemon juice or parsley. So yummy!

When liquor gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Lots of happenings in this crows kitchen this afternoon. The gorgeousness of the day inspired me to create a project so, I plunged into making homemade limoncello. Making limoncello is something I have been meaning to do for years and it will be an ongoing project that I will have to keep everyone updated on; unfortunately, it seems like it is going to be a minimum of 6 weeks before anyone will be able to sip on my brew. But, I am none the less excited.


I researched a bunch of recipes and went for it; the zest of 16 lemons is now soaking in a handle of Absolute Vodka in a 5-gallon brewer's bucket ("The Ale Pail") in my pantry. Apparently the only real trick to this is to use clean, fresh lemons and not let any brine (the white stuff on the peel) into the mix. You can use vodka or everclear (grain alcohol)- I went for vodka because everclear is hard to find.



The vodka/zest mixture needs to sit for a minimum of 10 days to 3 months, and apparently the longer the better. I'm aiming for a month. Then it will be strained, mixed together with simple syrup and water and then left to sit for another 2 weeks. So hopefully, come mid-July, there will be limoncello. I'll keep you posted.


A surprise side-effect of all of this was 16 whole lemons, minus the zest. So, not wanting to waste resources, I made another tasty, if less potent, beverage- lemonade. Equipped with a new hand-juicer from Gadgets, Mark helped me extract the juice, which turned out to be way more in volume than I would have expected. We now have a LOT of lemonade. I added two cups of sugar reduced as simple syrup and and a couple of cups of water, but is is still very tart. In retrospect, I think honey instead of sugar would have been delicious. We threw a little Bombay Saphire in the lemonade as a little pre-dinner cocktail. Yumz.


Also, I made a super yummy dinner of grilled shrimp and veggies in the thai-lime marinade with a side of spanish rice. I also grilled a lime sliced in half and used the juice all over the shrimp and veggies- an awesome trick Emily showed me last summer.
So good for a summer day.

Memorial Day Picnic in the Arboretum

Perfect weather for Memorial Day- not too hot (around 75 degrees) and not too windy. It didn't take us long to find a nice secluded area in the Arboretum to lay out our blankets and start mowing down on some tasty snacks and refreshing drinks. Vbar made a delicious guacamole and brought along some salsa and tortilla chips. I brought some leftover pizza, baguette and...

Tuna and White Bean Salad
(this is one of my favs because it doesn't use mayo!)

Ingredients:
1 15oz can of White Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 6oz cans of Tuna, drained
1 large tomato- seeded and diced
1/4 C finely diced red onion
1 large garlic clove- put through a garlic press
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 C olive oil
Fresh chopped Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

-Toss beans, tuna, tomatoes and onions in a mixing bowl
-In a measuring cup whisk together lemon juice, mustard, garlic, s&p
-Gradually whisk in the olive oil and pour over the tuna and bean mixture and add freshly chopped basil

And to wash it all down we sipped on some of these:
Clean Out your Booze Cupboard Cocktail
This recipe varies from household to household depending on what's hiding out in the depths of your liquor cabinet or freezer. The only ingredient that is common amongst these cocktails is a Massachusetts Law that Prohibits the Sale of alcohol on a Holiday (how do we all still forget about this!)- Otherwise you would be sipping on the cocktail of your choice rather than a cocktail of desperation. The liquor supplies in my nest were all dried up, but thankfully Carolina Place had some surprise goodins on reserve and VBar threw together a refreshing cocktail from her eclectic array of leftover booze. I do not have the exact measurements because the cocktails were already made by the time i got there (i'm guessing all of the bottles were more than halfway depleted) but I do know the ingredients: Svedka Vodka, Peach Scnhapps, White Wine, lemonade, lime slices- topped off with seltzer.

The real Hero of this picnic was Matt Studner, who was on his A game and purchased a 12 pack of Coronoa and bottle of wine the night before- thanks Matt, you really saved the day!

This Crow Has Landed!

My apologies on the lack of posts, this crow was busy soaring around Scotland for the past week enjoying lots of tasty morsels along the way. It was refreshing to go to a country that doesn't cram the phrases "fresh ingredients" "local" or "grass fed" down your throat; in most Scottish dining (as well as other European countries), these labels are not boasted, they are implied.

Nick and I treated ourselves to one fancy shmancy dinner while we were in Edinburgh at Maison Bleue (Its that first blue building shown in the picture above). It was classic french dining with some subtle Scottish flare. To start, we split a bowl of Shetland Mussels in a white wine and garlic sauce. I know this sounds sacrilegious coming from a Maine gal, but these were the best mussels I have ever had. To top it off they even brought over some tea cups with warm water and lemon slices so we could rinse off our grimy seafood hands (usually a reason that prevents me from ordering messy seafood in restaurants). For the main course, Nick ordered the special of the day- freshly caught sea bass served whole over roasted vegetables and prawns. The seasonings were very basic to not mask the fresh fish flavor. I was feeling a bit carnivorous that night, and I also knew I could peck at Nick's Sea Bass, so I went for the fillet of beef with potato gratin, roasted vegetables and a delicious creamed pepper sauce to top it all off. Meat was cooked perfectly to a pretty pinkish red, and I could cut through it with a butter knife- now that's perfection.

Unfortunately we didn't have time for dessert because we had to meet up with our Hostel's nightly pub crawl to catch some drink specials. Speaking of Specials, the hostel we stayed at had great deals with the surrounding cafes and pubs (which was desperately needed due to the awful dollar to pound conversion rate). This cafe was our go to spot for cheap, but delicious food and drink, they also had some Internet we could tap into. They offered backpackers Two for One Burgers and Panninis and Two for One Selected Beers and Mixed Drinks.

Overall the food was fantastic in Scotland, usually your diet suffers when you're on vacation but definitely not here! They could however use a couple of microbreweries- their national beer, Tennets, was quite possibly weaker than Budweiser ick!

I know this doesn't have much to do with food but this is the Castle we stayed in for Sarah and Jared's Wedding (the reason for our Scottish Adventure)

nom nom nom.

The crows have been quiet in the absence of Miz Holly! And there hasn't been much activity on my part lately, due to a voyage to the nest of Mama Crow who keep me full and happy all weekend long.
Last night was a return to the nest for the Cock (male crow people) and I and we celebrated with a delcious summer meal of:

Thai Lime Marinated Tilapia
Ginger and Sesame rice (from the box)
Citrus and Fennel Salad

accompanied by:
Raspberry Lemonade Gin Drinks: Hereby dubbed the "Citrusberry Chiller."

The fish was delicious, although not much to brag about since I used Drew's Organic marinade. The rice, which was NearEast Brand went well with the meal, but was overall too sweet.
But the salad, my friends, was delicious. A last minute inspiration upon realizing that my collard greens had wilted over the weekend and I had no other fresh veggies in my house save a fennel bulb and half a red pepper. It was simple, fresh, bright-flavored and an excellent accompany to marinaded white fish. I look up similar recipes for inspiration, but this salad and the dressing are ultimately my own.

And here it is:

Vbar's Citrus and Fennel Salad (serves 2-3)

½ of a Large fennel bulb, with the core cut out and sliced thin
1 orange with peel cut off and sliced into wedges
small amount of very thinly sliced red onion
thinly sliced ½ of red bell pepper
a good handful of fresh curly parsley, roughly chopped

Dressing:
Juice of 2 limes pharmaceutical
zest of ½ a lime
1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
tsp. of fresh grated ginger
Dash of red pepper
Toss all together and serve. So good, So good!

Citrusberry Chiller:
tanquery
raspberry lemonade
slice of lime


Pictures to come when I am not in the office!

The Lady Crows fly down Huntington

Sunday, in celebration of this blogger's birthday, a few of the Lady Crows flew away from the nest and perched for the afternoon at the end of the Savant Project’s bar. Nestled next to Flann's and across from The Mission, the Savant project is frequently overlooked in favor of saucier locations. Fortunately, after the exciting culinary adventure we were brought on during the few hours we spent at the Savant Project it is unlikely that the lady crows will ever ignore this gem again.

Led by Captain (bartender) Daniel, we began our tasting journey with a round of champagne cocktails (after all; it was mid afternoon). Holly and I opted for the "Chuci Coo"; champagne served with mango juice and green tea. The drink was refreshing, but Miss Mo's choice was the clear winner; the "Old Wise," a ultra refreshing combination of champagne, lychee and fresh mulled mint. Bonus points for serving champagne cocktails with their own individually portioned small bottle; nothing is worse than a flat mimosa after the bottle has been opened for the entire brunch shift!

For apps (half price every afternoon!) we indulged in tuna sashimi, three cheese and pickled jalapeno empanadas and tempura veggies with mustard peanut sauce. The tuna was fresh but the salad and lime-wasabi vinaigrette fell a bit below expectations with the wasabi being represented only by the peas that topped the salad and the dressing's flavors disappearing almost entirely in the greens and not adding anything to the fish portions. The tempura veggies were done perfectly with juicy on the inside, crisp on the outside, bite-sized chunks of zucchini and a good portion of a fresh and complimentary sauce. Only complaint is that I feel there could have been more variety in the veggies offered. The empanadas were flawless though- light and savory with an excellent fresh salsa on the side.

The Savant Project scores major points for being exceptionally creative with their limiting cordial license. They infuse their liquors themselves right behind the bar and we were lucky enough to get a sampling from Daniel while we snacked. We tried their lychee infused vodka, the pear-infused dark rum and the peach-infused bourbon as well as their house red and white sangrias. All were delicious (although the rum and the bourbon made this crow breath fire). I particularly enjoyed the white sangria, which was crisp, fruity and light; perfect for summer sipping. We probably would have ordered the sangria for round two had there not been a chilled bottle of sparkling white already propped on the counter in front of us. Daniel tried to tempt us with whole lychees, pulled straight out of the vodka jar, but even the most hardened of us crows found them impossible to swallow.

All in all, the Savant Project left us with no reason to Caw. The service was top-notch (thanks Daniel!) or bar companions friendly, the food inexpensive and satisfying, and the drinks creative and free-flowing. The crows will definitely be seen roosting on this bar in the future.

Riane's Mom is here! Let's eat shrimp!

Major mowing last night in honor of Riane's Mom's arrival!



After plans for the Lady Crows to fly downtown for the night fell through we decided to pull together some last minute snackbites to satisfy our (and the accompanying gentlemen's) hunger.

Because we started brainstorming so late we didn't actually eat until almost ten, but this meal made for a fabulous but casual late-dinner nosh, with all of us standing around the table chatting with Riane's fresh-off-the-plane Mama.


The Menu included:


-Cajun Lime Tiger Shrimp, skewered and grilled
-Veggie pouch!
-Fresh Bruchetta with Grilled baguette



And to wash it all down:

-A few well chosen wines, picked by Mr. Fresh

-HollyCollins Cocktails: Holly's take on the very seasonal TomCollins (which I will leave for her to explain, with pictures)



We cleaned the shrimp ourselves and marinated it for about an hour in:

-2 heaping tablespoons Cajun seasoning
-Juice of 1 lime
-Olive oil
-salt and pepper



The seasoning was bought by Riane at the Saturday (or Sunday?) Market in Portland, OR and brought the heat to the meal. I am personally an enormous fan of blow-your-face-off spicy and I was totally satisfied, and even Miss. Riane who often likes her spice on the milder side was lovin' it.

After the shrimp was done marinading we put them on skewers with wedges of lime. Grilling lime really brings out the flavors and the juices and those grilled slices were absolutely wonderful to squeeze over the cooked shrimp before eating. Plus, the Cajun seasoning helped to perfectly blacken the shrimp and when combined with the outdoors flavor from the grill was total perfection.


For the bruchetta we used chopped fresh tomatoes mixed with basil, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic. We served this on top of fresh iggy's baguette, which we sliced in half, brushed with olive oil, salted and grilled before cutting up.



After a long winter, tomatoes are starting to taste good again! The ones we got from harvest and Boston Organics were sweet and juicy.



Sides of veggies pouches with zucchini, mushroom, onion and broccoli....





A delicious meal, perfect for sharing and mowing with friends and family.




If any of you kiddos are going to be around JP tonight, keep an eye out for the lady crows burin' off these meals on the dance floor of the MilkyWay; we're making our debut at the new location and plan on establishing our status as Queen Crows!

Also worth mention, there was an impromptu grill and eat out session in my backyard tonight. Totally basic all the way with burgers, hotdogs, and fresh skin-on sockeye salmon marinated simply in olive oil and lemon juice with salt and pepper.

Sides of leftover pasta salad and lettuce from boston organics with sliced fennel and holly's homemade balsamic dressing. Light and satisfying summer meal, great for outdoor mowing.