BostonZest

Where Would You Find This Hand? Play Attention to Detail!

Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue, like this hand, and you have to figure out where you've seen it around Boston.

Here are some hints:

• This hand is in a very appropriate place.
• You may be in such a hurry when you walk by it, that you never stop to think about this memorial.
• We think of this place as belonging to two Boston neighborhoods.
• Another reason you may not pause to view the statue is the strong fumes that exist here.

Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston for the answer.

 

 

Building Your Cultural Food Shopping Skills

Do you hesitate to explore markets specializing in specific cultures because of a language barrier? Do you find it frustrating when you can’t read the labels on packages of food? I’ve recently added a new tool to enhance my international shopping skills.

Image from Google's information on this feature

Last winter a press release from Google announced a Japanese language expansion in their Google Translate app saying, “With Word Lens, you just need to fire up the Translate app, point your camera at the Japanese text, and the English translations will appear overlaid on your screen.”

My mind immediately saw this as a food shopper’s dream. I could see myself standing in a Japanese grocery store using my phone to read and compare the ingredients on packages. What’s more, since this app supports nearly 30 languages, you can point your phone at a package in any shop and it will do its best to figure out what language it is seeing and translate the information on that item.

Ask a Friend!

Far better than using a phone and app is exploring another culture with a friend who is part of that community, speaks the language, or who is far ahead of you in learning about that particular cuisine.

Ed and I enjoyed our first taste of Indian food with a couple who had lived in India. They not only explained the food, but also the dining etiquette.

Friends from Thailand wrote out, in Thai, a list of dishes we should try at a local restaurant that had a separate menu for anyone who wanted a meal made the way it would have been served in Thailand. We only had to point to a paragraph to order dishes prepared the way the customers with greater knowledge of Thai cuisine would prefer them. 

Take a Tour

If you’ve spent much time in the North End shops, you may have seen one of the tour groups learning more about the Italian offerings available in this neighborhood. Many home cooks may feel they know Italian food and the ingredients needed to make it, but I know that I learn a bit more each time I interact with North End shopkeepers.

In this area you can find tours of other neighborhoods and cultures as well. Penny recently took one of Jacqueline Church's Boston Chinatown Tours - Food, Fun, Fables and loved it. Even after years of visiting the neighborhood, dining there, and shopping in area stores, she learned a lot. (She'll be writing a full report on that experience soon, so watch for it!)

For anyone trying to make Vietnamese food, the book Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors has both photos and detailed notes on the herbs you might want to add to your shopping list.

Photo Notes

Another way that I put my phone camera to work is by taking photos of ingredients I’m seeking from the pages of one of the many ethnic cookbooks that have glossaries of food and equipment used in the culture the book covers.

A visit to your library’s cookbook section is a great place to begin exploring a cuisine. Grab a few books on the topic that have reference sections and borrow one or two that seem to supply the information you want.

Pick a recipe and take a photo of the notes or glossary entry on that ingredient. Then you can pull out your phone and show it to the shopkeeper or read it as you explore the shelves in an ethnic market.

Dedicated Guide Books

Author Linda Bladholm’s wonderful “Take It With You” guides to three ethnic cuisines were recently released as ebooks. Now you can have a copy on your phone for impromptu visits to Indian, Asian, or Latin cuisine. “The Indian Grocery Store Demystified,” was her first guide. The others substitute the culture “Asian” and “Latin & Caribbean” in their titles. Food Writer Bladholm takes you on a walk through the aisles of each culture with clear insight on the items offered. I highly recommend all three.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Cutting the Cheese! Our Favorite Cheese Accessories

We love our cheese plane so much that we just bought a second one, in case it breaks or they stop making them. 

Here it is "posing," after shaving off curls of Pecorino Pepato. While many people grate this cheese, we love eating these paper thin slices as part of a cheese course.

Recently our friend Annie asked what we use to cut cheese and that sent us on a new search for a duplicate of our favorite cheese slicer.  We found a few versions available:

The Norpro BS3A Stainless Steel Cheese Plane Slicer is just like the one we've had for years. We sent Annie the link but happily, when she saw it, she remembered having one of these stored away. We have had many guests ask about the one we use, so we ordered another. It will make a great gift or just serve as a second one for when we have a number of cheeses to serve. 

If we need a pile of grated cheese, we have a many, many years old ZYLISS Classic Rotary Cheese Grater that does a great job. 

If we only need a sprinkle of cheese, we use the microplane we reach for many times a week for zesting and grating tasks.

For us, these three cheese tools increase our enjoyment of the special cheeses we love. With our afternoon apples, we'll often use the cheese plane to add some shavings of cheddar to the plate. Cheddar and apples are a great match!

And, Penny has used it to pile cheese on bread to make grilled cheese. So, while this may be a uni-tasker, it is a busy one!

 

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Making Food in Layers Can Be Much Easier!

When I say, "Layers of food," does lasagna come to mind? Did you know that the etymology of the word lasagna is the Latin word “lasanum” meaning container or pot? That gives us the freedom to layer all sorts of food in a lasagna pan or, as was done during our region’s colonial days, in a pot that hung in the fireplace.

Chowder in Layers

I normally make clam chowder in a stockpot on my cooktop, but I’ve learned that in early chowder days the dish was made by layering the ingredients in a cauldron.

 

Here is a recipe for fish chowder from the 1832 edition of The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia M. Child ...

“Four pounds of fish are enough to make a chowder for four or five people; half a dozen slices of salt pork in the bottom of the pot; hang it high, so that the pork may not burn; take it out when done very brown; put in a layer of fish, cut in lengthwise slices, then a layer formed of crackers, small or sliced onions, and potatoes sliced as thin as a four-pence, mixed with pieces of pork you have fried; then a layer of fish again, and so on. Six crackers are enough. Strew a little salt and pepper over each layer; over the whole pour a bowl-full of flour and water, enough to come up even with the surface of what you have in the pot. A sliced lemon adds to the flavor. A cup of tomato catsup is very excellent. Some people put in a cup of beer. A few clams are a pleasant addition. It should be covered so as not to let a particle of steam escape, if possible. Do not open it, except when nearly done, to taste if it be well seasoned.”

  

In the first photo, you see a favorite Portuguese Fisherman’s Stew recipe from Yankee's Lost & Vintage Recipes that is made in layers. Aromatics – onions, garlic, parsley, and herbs – are sautéed and then layered with white fish, potatoes, and tomatoes in a white wine broth. You can cover this and simmer it on top of the stove, in an oven, over a campfire, or in a fireplace.

 

Easier in Layers

When I’m craving stuffed cabbage but don’t have the time to make the dish the traditional way, I make a casserole with layers of sauce, meat and rice mixture, and sautéed cabbage. For a potluck, you can make a big dish of this without the fuss of rolling individual servings. Sometimes I tuck a layer of kielbasa slices among the usual ingredients.

Just think of the variations on lasagna. You can use eggplant or zucchini and keep it vegetarian or load it with sausage, cheese, and meat for hearty appetites.

Other favorite, layered main courses are the famous meat and potato pies from the British Isles: fish pie, shepherd’s pie, and cottage pie.

If you have a favorite dish with some fussy preparation steps, think about making it as a layered casserole.

Related post:

10 Tips for Shepherd's Pie

 

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

Try Touch Therapy for Your Sunday Dog

At Poppy’s last annual check-up, her doctor was concerned because our dog’s heart rate was low. We had a quick explanation. While we waited for our appointment, Poppy was on Penny’s lap getting a Tellington TTouch massage.

Petting, massage, or touch therapy are all good ideas if you and your dog both enjoy the experience. (photo by: yannick974 used under creative commons license)

Over the years, we’ve used TTouch on our own dogs and with some of the skittish rescue pups we have fostered. Mardi Richmond described the classic TTouch massage in an article in Whole Dog Journal, “... your fingers are slightly curved and you use the pads of your fingers to create the circles.” She has found this “particularly useful for anxious dogs.”

Petting, massage, or touch therapy are all good ideas if you and your dog both enjoy the experience. Some dogs melt into your lap or snuggle up beside you and soak up strokes like arid soil in a gentle rain. Others squirm and can’t wait to get away and get on with more interesting things.

Some people can’t help but automatically stroke any willing dog within reach. Others will have to work at sitting still and giving their dog a massage when needed.

Even as a tiny pup, Poppy was very relaxed at Vet visits after some gentle massage.

When to Apply Touch Therapy

Obviously a reassuring touch in a scary setting, like a veterinary office, may help calm an anxious animal. Again this will only work for critters who are receptive to it. Trained experts in TTouch may be able to work with reluctant and highly agitated dogs, but most of us have to choose which dogs we massage with foresight and knowledge of their personality.

How do you tell if the dog is willing? Start with a few gentle rubs. If the pup settles in and seems to enjoy it, continue. There are some dogs that will lean into anyone willing to give them some pats. That’s another sign that they are okay with some gentle massage.

Once you have established that massage is welcome, you can think about using it for anxious situations like a thunderstorm or when company comes.

If your dog is like Chip and willing to curl up on your lap, you can use that as an opportunity to do a gentle check of his body. 

Daily Check Up

We bet you’ve used a gentle massaging technique to see if your dog is injured. Carefully running your hands over an animal’s body when they are limping or showing pain is how most of us find out what’s hurting.

If you were to spend a few minutes each day giving your pet a slow, gentle massage, you would quickly learn to recognize what is normal for him or her. Then when the daily session turns up a sensitive spot, swelling, or change in skin or coat, you’ll be able to monitor it and take action.

Before and After Exercise

A nice massage may be the perfect warm up or cool down for an exercise session. If you and your dog are about to take a long hike, an all over rubdown can warm up the pup. And who wouldn’t like a massage after hours of walking and running?

Naturally this calm session of meditative, slow, gentle, physical contact with another living creature will also benefit you. You’ll find yourself relaxing. Your own heart rate should slow, your blood pressure may decrease, and your breathing will fall into a slow, steady pace.

You can start out simply patting your animal gently. If, from there, you want to learn more tested and advanced techniques, there are books, videos, and classes that will help you learn more about simple massage or something like Tellington TTouch.

 

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Portion Control: Small Dishes Are Healthy Eating Tools

For the past year, we have both been eating in a much healthier way. Today's "Friday Link" is to some reports on portion control and how important the concept is to our overall health. 

First you have to understand that what we consider a "portion of food" today has changed over the years. Business insider gives a breakdown of the change in size of some popular items we eat. 

Over on VegKitchen there is a breakdown of how the size of dinnerware has increased.

The Mayo Clinic has a post on visual cues you can use to remember what a portion of various food groups should be. For example, your protein portion should be the size of a deck of cards and four dice-size cheese cubes = one portion.

Tips and Tricks

One of the tricks that Penny has used in her successful weight loss program is serving herself on smaller plates. 

This light supper of avocado toast and vegetables looks like a full plate when it's served on a small bread & butter dish. 

A little treat like ice cream is served in espresso cups. That way a treat does not become a threat to a healthier lifestyle. 

Other nibbles, like almonds, are measured out in mini mason jars in the morning, assuring that she knows how many she's eaten that day. 

In fact we have lots of mason jars in various sizes. These can hold about one portion of pretzels or grapes for snacking or pre-measured servings of soup or a casserole for a meal.

When Dining Out

Often Penny will order an appetizer as her main course or we'll share an entrée and appetizer or an entrée and dessert. She has also discovered that if she chooses a food that takes time and attention to eat – such as clams, mussels, chicken wings, or artichokes – she'll take her time and eat less. And a slice of grilled bread (like the one in the photo above) is always shared with Ed, the resident bread-a-holic. 

When faced with an oversized portion, you can decide how much you can eat. Ask for a sharing plate. Put the portion you want on that plate and either offer the rest to your dining companions or ask the server to put that in a take-out container to have for another meal. While there are certain dishes we love ordering, the portions are often so large that we can enjoy two or sometimes three meals from them.

If you make yourself more aware of what a portion should be, you'll eat healthy quantities and perhaps decide that you would rather buy smaller portions of local, sustainable food instead of large portions of cheap food from big commercial producers. 

 

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Gravenstein as Our Local Apple-a-Day

This is another occasional post on the local apples we are including in our afternoon fruit plate snack. The Gravenstein is part of the Orange Pippin family and has a decided tart side to its personality that Penny loves!

 

Here it is cut up for snacking. Ed says it reminds him of Sauvignon Blanc with that wine grape's snappy tart bite. Penny finds it a great balance of snap and sweet.

Oddly enough, when this apple arrived from the kitchen to our snack table, Amy Traverso was on the television, in an apple orchard, tasting apples. So we had to include our rave review of her The Apple Lover's Cookbook in this post. The woman knows her apples and can tell you exactly how to use each one.

Related Posts:

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

How About a Different Apple-a-Day While Local Apples Are In Season?

Fruit Plates Are Our Favorite Afternoon Snacks

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino