Nothing on my "To-Do" List But Eating, Drinking, and Relaxing!

Peter Gibbons, my hero!
taken from examiner.com

It’s not very often that I find myself able to simply sit down, relax, and watch a movie. All too frequently, my free time is spent at the gym, in the kitchen, or locked in my room furiously scribbling away thoughts and stories in any one of a dozen active notebooks. But on Friday night, after a jam-packed week at the office, I treated myself to a night of nothing.


Once the work day was finally done, I bolted out the door, scrambling to get to Salumeria Italiana before close. I made it in time and filled my basket with an assortment of goodies, including burrata and taleggio cheeses, farro pasta, and a jar of eucalyptus honey produced by Alce Nero, a group of organic farmers based in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Somehow I resisted the salumi counter―no small feat, considering what a rare occurrence it is for me to leave this shop without at least a few strips of their 24-month prosciutto.

Treats in tow, I rounded the corner onto Hanover Street, on my way to The Wine Bottega, where the team was pouring French, Italian, and Portuguese wines from Oz Wine Co., a Massachusetts-based importer of organic/biodynamic/sustainable wines. I left with two wines: an Aglianico-based red from Campania featured in the Oz array, and a recommended Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that I passed on my way to the cash register but couldn’t pass up when I saw that it was only $12.00.

Next stop? Mercato del Mare, because a food-gathering excursion to the North End that doesn’t include oysters is like a martini without an olive. I left with 6 Onset oysters from Buzzards Bay, MA, as well as a half-pound of local cod and inspiration for an interesting mignonette (recipe below).

Finally home!  I changed into pajamas, uncorked the Montepulciano, threw “What About Bob?” in the DVD player, shucked my oysters, plated my cheeses, kicked up my feet, sipped my wine, and basked in the glory of doing nothing. It was everything I thought it could be!



Curry Mignonette for Oysters

1 t. malt vinegar
1 T. mild white vinegar
1-2 drops vanilla extract
Dash hot curry powder

Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl; use a few drops to season oysters on the half-shell.


 

Onset oyster, Buzzards Bay, MA

 

Onset oyster with Curry Mignonette



Burrata - Cow's Milk; Puglia, Italy

Taleggio - Cow's Milk; Lombardy, Italy - drizzled with Alce Nero Eucalyptus Honey

$80 wine + $8 pitchers = One Happy Blogger!

Last night was one of the most perfect Thursdays of my life.  Accompanied by a foodie friend, I attended a Barolo tasting, followed by dinner at small pizza joint in the neighborhood.  Not a glamorous evening, but neither of us could have been more pleased.  Great food and wine, topped off with a slight chill in the air and a clear sky offering great views of the city and all its lights, and I was in heaven! 

First, we attended The Wine Bottega’s Barolo Abbondanza, where we tasted 13 wines (only 4 of which I could afford to buy on a regular basis), and two liquers,  including Cardamaro, an Italian cordial distilled from cardoons and infused into wine.  Can’t even put my finger on the flavors, but it tastes like winter.  It also tastes like it should be splashed into a dirty gin martini.  My friend suggested pairing it with something containing rosemary or tarragon – tarragon seemed like a great choice, as it would complement the spiciness of the liqueur.  A splash of Cardamaro in a spicy ginger beer would also be a tasty treat. 

Onto the wine – I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting Barolo before, not for lack of interest, but lack of funds – it’s one of Italy's pricier varieties.  As explained at the tasting, the Nebbiolo grape is difficult to grow and it doesn’t adapt well to the winemaking process.  I’m certainly glad those Piemontese showed some persistence!  The wine is very rich, spicy, and fragrant – I jotted down some notes on the pamphlet the store distributes listing the featured wines, and at first, the most notable scents I picked up in were cinnamon and eucalyptus, until I noticed that one of the older bottles – 2003 Brovia Barolo “Villero” – gave off an aroma that I could not immediately identify, but I later figured out – brand-new ballet shoes.  Shoes?!?  Yes, shoes – ballet shoes, to be exact.  Ballet shoes are made from the softest of soft leather, and they hug your feet and accentuate your arches.  The leather clings so tightly to your toes that your instructor will take notice when you aren’t pointing your feet to their full capability.  Barolo has a hint of that kind of leather, not Payless leather.  Barolo and ballerinas actually do have a lot in common – after all, a good ballerina has to possess an unimaginable amount of strength and go through years of rigorous training in order to move so fluidly on two toes that each step looks effortless, almost as if she is floating.  Making such a smooth wine from a difficult grape doesn’t seem so different. 

We left the tasting happy, impressed, inspired, but empty-handed.  The shop was crowded and we were both very hungry, so we moved on to the next spot – a small pizza joint called “Ernesto’s” that received many favorable reviews on Yelp.  We cut across Prince Street and made our way over to Salem Street, glancing at each doorway trying to find 69 Salem.  I knew the general vicinity, but we still had to search.  I wondered if it had closed?  We walked a little further until finally, we saw a small sign over a narrow doorway – we found it! 

The entire restaurant (if you can really call it a restaurant, it’s more of a take-out joint with tables) isn’t much bigger than my computer screen, but that is fine by me.  We weren’t looking for a great scene; we came for pizza, beer, and each other’s company.  Don't go to Ernesto’s for ambiance.  Don't go if you’re looking for extensive beer and wine selections.  Don't go if you're looking for gourmet, wood-fired pizzas made from 100% organic semolina dough and topped with house-made mozzarella di bufala and special DOGC pepperoni imported from the northwest corner of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region made from beef and pork sourced from a producer who only feeds his animals champagne and sustainably-produced caviar. Go to Ernesto’s when you want bright lights, a perfectly greasy slice or two, and pitchers of cheap beer.  Ernesto's is my 2nd favorite discovery, second only to single-malt scotch.

Ernesto's meat lovers' pizza is phenomenal - loaded with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, and plenty of cheese.  Add some hot pepper flakes, and you're good to go.  Only thing that could have made it better would be crumbled bacon, but it was still pretty mind-blowing, especially when washed down with Budweiser (what is it about pizza and cheap beer that is just so fantastic?!?).  Whatever my friend had was equally delicious – tomatoes, ranch, plenty of gooey cheese, and I don't remember what else.  I'm making it my mission in life to try each variety that they offer.  A slice is a quarter pie.  They have a few bottled beers, but keep it real and go with a pitcher of Budweiser, for which they'll give you plastic cups.  Not plastic pint glasses, disposable plastic cups.  Sheer perfection!  The photos and artwork on the walls sparked a great discussion regarding Godfather I vs. II, the merits of the book, and what a waste of film III turned out to be ("III?  I'd use it as a coaster!" he said).  I am head-over-heels in love with Ernesto's, and I may have to stop in again this weekend. 

So there you have it – my idea of an absolutely perfect weeknight, centered around great drink, great food, great friends, and a great city neighborhood.  Cheers! 

Wine 101

Last night, I attended The Wine Bottega’s "Wine 101" lesson, which I mentioned in “Tales from the Tasting” (October 15).  I could not have been more pleased with this event, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the greater Boston area who wants to learn the basics of tasting and describing wine.  Held the first Thursday of every month, the two-hour lesson is only $10.  This is not a “sit down, look forward, be quiet, and raise your hand” kind of lesson; it is an informal discussion with lots of laughter.  LOTS of laughter!  

As a writer, the worst affliction possible is a loss of words.  That’s what happens to me when I sample a new wine – the only thing I can manage to articulate is whether or not I like it, along with one or two entry-level adjectives, such as “red” or “Italian” or “sparkling.”  Putting on the Captain Obvious hat is not exactly the best way to make my readers want to try what’s in my glass.   

The class began with a sampling of a few different liquids that exhibit the flavor profiles expressed in wines – acid, sugar, tannin, and alcohol.  Then, we learned several of the characteristics typically used to review and evaluate wine, such as color, viscosity, scents, and – duh – flavor.  We sampled three whites and three reds, and the wines we tasted were very diverse – from very sweet, very dry, very fresh and acidic, and very “oh my God I need to buy that!”  Kerri, the shop's owner, provided an assortment of breads, crackers, and cheeses, and encouraged us to sample while we sipped and get a feel for how certain foods bring out flavors in wine and vice versa.  Rather than telling us what we “should” smell or taste in each wine, we were encouraged to use our own senses and come up with our own terms to describe the scents and flavors we found in our glasses.  Some were typical, similar to the ones seen in wine magazines – peaches, cherries, berries – but some were quite interesting – pleasant descriptors, such as Christmas, rosemary, and leather, and some out-in-left-field ones such as mothballs, antique store, and – my favorite – “clean port-a-potty.”  The best part?  None of these answers are incorrect!  If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, wine is in the nose and tastebuds. 

As I predicted in “Tales from the Tasting,” the Italian reds are still my favorite – but now I know why!  I prefer medium- to full-bodied wines, I’m not a fan of sweet wines, and I adore tannic wines.  Turns out, tannins and fats are a perfect pairing.  No shock that I'd like something that pairs well with bacon and butter!  As for whites?  I like some of the acidic, crisp whites, but my white wine soul mates are “orange” wines, which are darker in color, more tannic, and have more body than many other whites as a result of the grape skins being left in the wine for a longer time.    

So there you have it – if I try a wine, I can now describe it, and you can decide for yourself if it’s something you’d like to pour.  I highly recommend Wine 101 (or, for those outside of Boston, something similar) for anyone who loves the vino but lacks the vocabulary to explain why they love it!   

Tales from the Tasting, Tuscan Martinis

Last night, The Wine Bottega on Hanover Street hosted a tasting featuring wines from France’s Loire Valley imported by Louis/Dressner, along with special guest Joe Dressner, one of the company’s partners and “kind of a big deal” in the wine world. 

What does that mean to me?  Squat!  After all, I still buy the $7 glass jugs of Carlo Rossi Chianti (I tell myself it’s just for my Chianti Tomato Sauce, but I always down a glass or two while I’m prepping and stirring).  But, the reason I began writing this blog was to record my culinary adventures and share any lessons I learn along the way, so I figured I should attend this event.  I’m very glad I did.

We tasted about 9 different wines, beginning with the whites and moving on to the reds.  Each was completely different from the previous, but if you asked me to describe those differences, I would sit there with the classic Deer In Headlights look on my face before replying, “why don’t you taste them yourself?  Then you’ll understand.”  That was the moment that I knew I had to ask Bottega’s proprietors if they had some sort of “Wine for Dummies” session that I could attend.  They do, and kindly, it is called “Wine 101,” not “The Moron’s Guide To Wine” or something along those lines! 

I am very excited to attend Wine 101– I love drinking wine, I can definitely taste the subtle differences between blends, but asking me to describe a specific wine or how one region’s blend differs from another would be like asking me to write a love song in another language – I know what I’m feeling, I know what I want to say, but if I don’t have the words to convey those thoughts to an audience so that they can relate and sing along, what’s the point? 

I have a feeling that no matter what I learn about wine, I’ll probably always stick to my Italian reds, such as Chianti, but variety is the spice of life.  My goal as a student is to learn to spot the differences in Italian regional varieties, and I’d like to soak up as much knowledge as I can about wines hailing from Italy’s Abruzzo region, which is the homeland of my Italian ancestors! 

Speaking of Italy, along with the world’s best wine, food, and people, it also produces Limoncello, a sweet and quite potent lemon-flavored liqueur.  In Italy, it is consumed as an after-dinner drink, served in cordial glasses and sipped slowly, but in the States it is more likely to be used as an ingredient in cocktails, as I have done in my original cocktail, the Tuscan Martini. 

Tuscan Martini 

6-8 pitted green olives (3-4 per glass, depending on size)

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 lemon slices

2 oz. limoncello

2 oz. dry vermouth

4 oz. gin (rosemary-infused gin is perfect for this recipe!)

serves 2

Prepare the garnishes for two martini glasses:

Thread 3-4 olives on a sprig of fresh rosemary, as shown in the photo.  

Using a sharp knife, remove the zest from the lemon slices, keeping it in one strip.  Twist it, add it to the glass.  Cut away the white pith from the lemon slice, use as a garnish on the rim of the glass. 

In a large shaker filled halfway with ice, combine the limoncello, vermouth, gin, and leaves from the remaining rosemary.  Shake well for approximately 20 seconds, then pour into the prepared martini glasses.  Serve immediately, and sip slowly – these babies are strong! 

VARIATION:  To make your Tuscan martini dirty, add a splash of the olive juice to the glass.