June 2009 Drink of the month from Thomas V. Cincotti

LYCHEE MARTINI

3 oz Vodka

2 oz (Puree) Lychee's

*Pour ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with fresh Lychee and enjoy!

*You can buy canned Lychee at any Asian market. Empty the can of lychee into a blender and pulse to make the puree.

~Thomas lives in the North End of Boston. He has played key roles in the success of some of the city's best food and drink establishments. He can be found mixing libations at minibar on Thursdays and Fridays, so be sure to stop in and say hi!

Introducing John Rush-Indonesian jerked chicken with grilled romaine hearts and "trappist" beans.

In my never ending quest for all things food, I came in contact with John Rush through a mutual friend. After a few e-mails it became very apparent that like me, John has a strong passion for food and we became fast friends. His career in the kitchen began when he was fourteen years old at a restaurant called The Gourmet Chalet in his home town of Northampton, Pennsylvania. He worked there until he graduated high school, and then attended the Culinary Institute of America to hone his chops as a chef, graduating with honors. While in college he interned in Germany at a Michelin Star restaurant and then came to Boston where he fine tuned his skills at Radius, one of Boston’s premier dining destinations. He is currently the Sous Chef at The Ashmont Grill in Dorchester creating awesome comfort food with an exciting twist. John will be providing us with some great recipes and stories for the site, so please join me in welcoming him aboard! Below is one of his signature creations that you can make at home!!!!

http://ashmontgrill.com/

Indonesian jerked chicken with grilled romaine hearts and 'Trappist' beans

“Very well suited for the general home cook. All items are easily available in grocery stores and the price point is very low.”

Indonesian Jerked Chicken (serves 8)

8 ea. Chicken Breasts (thighs will work, too)

1 cup Grapeseed Oil

1/2 cup Lime juice
1/4 cup Cane sugar
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp Thyme, chopped
2 ea. Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp, Paprika, sweet
2 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. Cayenne, ground
1 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Turmeric, ground
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, ground
1/4 tsp. Star Anise

In a large bowl, combine all wet ingredients (Grapeseed oil and lime juice). In a spice grinder, combine cumin and star anise ...grind until powder. Finely chop parsley and thyme and gently wisk all dry ingredients into wet. Microplane (or mince) garlic into mixture and incorporate. Pour over chix breats and allow to marinate for up to 8 hours. Grill or bake until 160 degrees is achieved.

Grilled Romaine Hearts (serves 8)

4 ea. Romaine Hearts

1 cup EVOO

1/2 cup Lemon juice

1/2 Tbsp. Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper, ground

Cut romaine hearts into halves. Season with EVOO, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Grill until leaves are tender.

Trapist Beans

2# Black beans, dried

1 ea. Onion, small dice

3 ea. Garlic cloves, shaved

2 ea. Tomatoes, diced

500 mL Trapist beer (Chimay, etc.)

1/2 gal Chix stock

1 ea. Sachet (recipe follows)
2 tbsp fennel seed
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili flake
2 ea. bay leaf
1/2 bu. cilantro stem
8 sprigs thyme

1 tbsp salt

1/2 bu. marjoram, chopped

1 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream if necessary)

Soak beans overnight. Cook beans until tender, because they will minimally cook in the braising liquid. Any amount of acidity will hinder the cooking process of the beans, so do not assume the beans will cook much further in the braising liquid. In a separate pot, sweat the onions and garlic until tender. Add the tomatoes and reduce until a strong caramelizing is achieved. Deglaze with Trappist beer and reduce by half. Add chicken stock, cooked black beans and sachet and reduce until beans are just covered with liquid. Finish with salt, chopped fresh marjoram and creme fraiche.

Food Guy speaks, finally.

I know that it is my responsibly to keep you all updated with a plethora of great food information, so I should not make excuses......But the Food Guy had one hell of a week, and was unable to write....I want to assure you all that I have some awesome content going up on the site REAL SOON!!!

Apologies,

The Food Guy

FREE ICE CREAM DAY!!!!

On June 6th Friendly’s is giving away a free single scoop cup or cone!!

Saturday, June 6th 12-5PM
http://www.friendlys.com/

Alex Villa AKA Dorothy Mantooth-review of Buffs Pub

Buff’s Pub
317 Washington St, Newton, MA

Buff's can be quickly summarized as a Dive bar with good pub food. Its best known for its meaty chicken wings, but what stood out for me was the “come as you are” feel and friendly staff. The design was simple, all hardwood and not even a fancy beer mirror above the bar. It was like being in Somerville's Slygos, except at Buff's you weren't afraid of contracting HPV from sitting on a bar stool.

Looking at the staff was like looking in a mirror of my friends, fairly husky and not overly pretty. In this case it worked out because we didn't have to be embarrassed when we got sauce on our faces, or in my case on the back of my neck. For all their cosmetic shortcomings, the staff chatted with you, and they will play your I-Pod/I-phone over the sound system if asked. This was the friendliest, most accommodating service I have ever had.

The wings were fried, and basted in a fairly simple, Frank's red hot recipe. They are willing to customize the heat, and offer several flavors. The flavor of the wings was nothing special, but will never be a disappointment. The Portions and size of the wings were quite impressive, the meatiest I have ever seen. We (My hetero roommate Rob Wingrove and I) sampled two sandwiches, a Cuban Pinini, and a Fresh cut Turkey BLT wrap. The Cuban sandwich had a great crispy roll, and not much else. Very Un-Buff like small portion. The Turkey BLT was loaded with Fresh chunks of hand carved turkey, and crispy strips of Bacon. A very tasty sandwich. I saw a man eating what looked like a 4 lb chicken sandwich, and decided that next time I'm getting that! French fries were run of the mill, maybe a little soggy, but I do like my fries very crispy.

~Dorothy Mantooth

Appetizer: 9
Meal: 7
Atmosphere/Staff: 10
Overall 7.5
Recommend: for the husky wing eating guy/gal looking for simple food, at a fair price.

*Rating Scale 1-10

Trader Joes-Tempura Chicken with sweet & sour sauce

Hi everybody!
I am a HUGE fan of Trader Joe's. For those of you not living in the twenty first century, Trader Joe's is a specialty supermarket that sells their own brand of high quality products at a great price. Going forward, I will be reviewing their products from time to time.
http://www.traderjoes.com/

Tonight I want to tell you about their Tempura Chicken with Sweet & Sour Sauce. Its made with white meat and has a light, crispy batter. This stuff is much better then your run of the mill orange chicken served at Chinese restaurants throughout the Boston area and at about six bucks a bag, you cant go wrong!! It takes only ten minutes to cook and serves 2-3 people.

TIP
Ignore the baking instructions on the package and pan fry on low, in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently. Once crispy, stir in the thawed sauce packet, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Serve over white rice. (I prefer Jasmine,also available at Trader Joe's.)

North Shore Clam Shack's

It doesn't get better then sitting outside on a warm summer day drinking a Sam Adams Summer Ale, and eating some great fried clams!!! Here are a few of my favorite north shore clam shacks that are definitely worth checking out!

I have a whole bunch of places on my "to try" list, so ill post an update later this summer.

*Please post your recommendations!!!!

The Clam Box

246 High St, Ipswich, MA

http://www.ipswichma.com/clambox/

Woodman's

Route 133, Essex, MA

http://www.woodmans.com/

JT Farnham's

Route 133, Essex, MA

Essex Seafood

143 Eastern Ave.Essex, MA

~ The Food Guy

Awesome snack!!

This is a recipe that was passed along to me by my friend Nicole Parrish.

Nicole has three little guys (and a little girl, but she’s still too young for monkey munch!) and one BIG guy that LOVE to munch on this!!!! It’s a great anytime snack that is easy to make and sure to satisfy ANY sweet tooth!!! Enjoy!!

Monkey Munch
Ingredients:
9 cups chex cereal (I use whole wheat to make it healthier)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


Step one: Measure out chex mix into a big, big bowl, set aside.
Step two: Mix chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter or margarine in a microwave safe bowl.
Step three: Stir together.
Step four: Microwave the mixture uncovered for 1 minute on high, stir, continue to "zap" for 30 second intervals until it mixes smoothly.
Step five: add vanilla, stir.
Step six: pour over the cereal while stirring.
Step 7: put the cereal mixture into a gallon Ziploc freezer bag.
Step 8: Add powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake until the powdered sugar is distributed.
Step 9: Spread onto wax paper to dry (you can put it in the freezer for 10 minutes, I think this is the best way).
Step 10: Enjoy! Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for storage.

Simple Shrimp Scampi!!!!

Simple Shrimp Scampi-serves 2 (with leftovers!)
-Half a stick of salted butter.
-3-4 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil.
-16-20 shrimp peeled and de-veined (you can also use cooked shrimp, just skip shrimp cooking process).
-2-4 cloves of garlic.
-1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
-Italian seasoning (to taste).
-Crushed red pepper (to taste).
-Black pepper (to taste).
-1 lb of angel hair or spaghetti.

* Boil water, cook pasta while making sauce. Strain and set aside.
* In a large pan add oil and melt the butter on medium heat.
* Once melted, place shrimp flat in pan, and continue to cook on medium heat.
* Cook until pink, turning once halfway through.
* Once shrimp is pretty much cooked, add seasoning and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Stirring frequently.
* Serve over pasta (you can pour over pasta or toss pasta in scampi sauce, I like to pour!)
* Add Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Note-
· You won’t need salt because were using salted butter, if using unsalted butter ad salt to taste.
· In all recipes I am going to write “to taste” for the seasonings, unless it is a large amount of seasoning or the amount is crucial to the recipe.

Enjoy!
Food Guy

Drink of the month from Thomas V. Cincotti

I’m glad to say that Thomas has been a friend of mine for close to twenty years! Coming from a large Italian family, food and drink has always played a significant role in his life. Below is the recipe for his Tuscan Pear cocktail. Crisp and refreshing, it's the perfect drink to mix up for your next backyard bash!!!!

Tuscan Pear

2 oz Grey Goose Pear Vodka
1 oz Canton Ginger Cognac
.25 Limoncello
.25 Orange Juice
.25 Simple Syrup (follow link)

Pour all ingredients into shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass.

Thomas has played key roles in the success of some of Boston’s best food and drink establishments. He can be found mixing libations at minibar on Thursdays and Fridays, so be sure to stop in and say hi!

Salute!
Food Guy

Also,
If you’re in the market for residential real estate get in touch with Thomas. He can be reached at http://www.blogger.com/thomascincotti@gmail.com

His company website:
http://www.bradvisors.com/

Restaurant review-Dante-Food Guy goes upscale!

www.restaurantdante.com

This past Friday the Food Girl and I met our Friends Kristen and Kevin for dinner in celebration of Kevin's birthday. Our original plans were for Fiore in the the North End, but while on our way there we were redirected towards the Cambridge Parkway for an evening of al fresco dining at Dante restaurant. We arrived a few minutes late so we made our way directly to the back patio where our friends were sitting. The atmosphere was impressive and our waiter was courteous, knowledgeable, and more then happy to offer his culinary suggestions. The menu was fixed and included three courses (appetizer, entree, dessert). For a starter I went with the home made gnocchi in a rabbit ragu. The gnocchi were like miniature clouds and the sauce was hearty and savory. My only complaint was that there wasn't enough! For an entree I had the grilled hanger steak cooked to a medium rare and served with potatoes that were whipped and seasoned to perfection. No steak sauce or salt were required for this steak, and for that I tip my hat to the chef! We ordered all available desserts for the table (chocolate bread pudding, a walnut espresso tart, venetian fried dough and buttermilk pana cotta) and everybody was rather delighted with the selections, especially the Italian fried dough!

Dante's was a bit pricey but the food was excellent and well worth it. Chef Dante DeMagistris is a standout in the local restaurant scene and has a knack for adding a modern touch to classic Italian fare. I would have no reservations recommending Dante for any type of occasion.

~The Food Guy

Friday food of the day and Rock'n Rib Fest.

Salty and delicious you come in multiple varieties. You’re great alone, but work wonders slapped between a few slices of bread, or wrapped around jumbo scallops. You’re a breakfast staple, helping millions of people start their day right. You add flavor to a number of recipes and have magical hangover curing abilities. Your aroma awakens my senses and the crackling sound you make while cooking makes my mouth water.....You may kill me one day but that’s a chance I’m willing to take......You are bacon, and I salute you.


http://rotaryribfest.org/
Above is the link for the Rock’N Rib Fest!!!
June 19-21 in Merrimack, NH.

If you like BBQ and beer then this is the event for you!!!

Cheers,
The Food Guy

The Food Guy

Hi everybody...
Thanks for visiting my page!! I have some great stuff coming up, so keep reading and tell your friends!!! Don't forget to sign up to follow at the top of the page.
Thanks,
~The Food Guy

jferraguto@gmail.com

Spices and more

Last night at about 6:00PM, I returned home from work and waiting for me were my Gourmet spice blends that I ordered from the SpiceHouse.com! I bought Northern Style Barbeque Seasoning, English Prime Rib Rub and Little Italy Herbs, New York City Style Dehydrated Herb Blend. They came in nice glass bottles and smelled great. I’m going to use the Italian seasoning on baked chicken tonight.
http://www.thespicehouse.com/

Last night I was talking to my buddy Jim Linsky on the phone and asked him if we would now receive free meals at restaurants because I’m a famous food critic. He laughed and said “You’re not a food critic; you’re just a wacko with a blog.”

Alex Villa and his Yellow BBQ Sauce

For those of you that don’t know him, Alex Villa is a long time friend of mine from my hometown. Alex and I have been cooking together for quite some time and have cooked and conquered various types of events. While cooking we always enjoy large amounts of alcoholic beverages, weather it be bottles of wine from Abruzzi or beer brewed by the Trappist monks of Belgium.

I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying many of Alex’s creations. He has no fear in his approach and has a unique aggressiveness to his cooking style. He is a home-schooled cook with the ability to kick your ass with a collage of flavor. Alex focuses around one pot cooking, and dishes that take hours to slow cook. He is best known for his pulled pork, jambalaya, Buffalo wings and marinara based Italian dishes.

In the spirit of summer here is Alex’s recipe for his South Carolina mustard based BBQ sauce…Use it to rock your next rack of ribs, pulled pork or slab on some wings and grill!!!! Villa drinks it out of a glass when there is no meat around.

BBQ Sauce
1 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Mix ingredients in the pot. Cook on low for 5-15 minutes, or until the sauce has blended the brown and yellow colors.

5 Local restaurants that you might not know about, but probably should!!!!

Restaurant Olivio
201 Mass Ave, Arlington
(781) 648-2300
http://www.blogger.com/www.ristoranteolivio.com
This place has some of the best Italian food in the Boston area, and can hold its own against all the more popular, pricey, places in the North End.

Kitty's Restaurant & Lounge
123 Main St, North Reading
(781) 944-7448
http://www.kittysrestaurant.com/
Ok, so some of you might be laughing, but I love this place!! I bet a lot of your parents took you here when you were a kid….The food is really good and the portions are big enough for 2 people! Try the eggplant parmesan or the baked haddock!

Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant
(781) 759-1250
347 Main St, Woburn
http://www.ixtapacantina.net/
All you Mexican food lovers out there need to try this authentic Mexican Restaurant! It’s the REAL DEAL!
“Great Fajitas and margaritas, so fellas, bring your senioritis!”-GUTO

Angela's Coal Fired Pizza
Saugus and Tyngsboro
(781) 941-2625
http://www.blogger.com/www.angelascfp.com
There is a lot of buzz going on in the industry about this place, and rightfully so. Angela’s has a massive coal oven that they cook there pizza in at 900 degrees for some of the crispiest, tastiest pizza I’ve ever had. They also have some of the best, most unique chicken wings around! You HAVE TO check this place out!

Tremonte
397 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801
(781) 938-4020
http://www.blogger.com/www.tremonterestaurant.com
A taste of the North End……in the suburbs!! Try the Grand Marnier shrimp as an appetizer!!! The entrees are sooo good I always have a hard time deciding what to order!

Wild Bill's Rib Rub

http://wildbillsribrub.com/

Have yet to try it, but if you go to this website they will send you a free sample!

Mine came yesterday, free shipping and all!

Ill let you know how it taste when I use it...I'm going to rub it on some pork for a pulled pork at some point this week.

Guto

Easy party recipe!!

Guto’s Awesome Sausage, Peppers, Onions!

Ingredients
1 family size package of Italian sweet sausage
1 or 1 1/2 regular size package of Italian hot sausage
2 large Vidalia onions (sweet)
2 large yellow or white onions
2 green peppers
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3-6 cloves of garlic or equivalent in chopped garlic
Crushed red pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt, pepper to taste
Italian seasoning blend to taste.
2 table spoons of extra virgin oil
1 large disposable lasagna pan.

Steps/Process
Rinse peppers, onions. Cut into Julianne (long, thin, slices. ¼ inch maximum), Add to pan.

Cut sausages down the middle, length wise. Add to pan.

Add seasonings and garlic to veggies and meat.

Drizzle with Olive Oil. Mix everything well with hands.

Preheat oven to 325

Cover pan with tin foil, cook covered with tin foil for 60 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir. Drain juices

Place back in oven; cook uncovered for 60-75 minutes.

Shut off oven and turn on broiler, stirring frequently, cook until sausages are browned.

Serve with nice bakery rolls for sandwiches. I prefer Pantadosi

Notes
Cooking times may vary slightly depending on oven. I like to use a lower heat and cook longer.
Sometimes I also use sliced mushrooms. Always a nice touch!
VERY simple to make and people ALWAYS love them! Great for sporting events, barbecues, etc!
I stir these throughout the whole process, and drain once more before I serve, or cover to take where im going

Feel free to e-mail me!
jferraguto@gmail.com

Here I am!

Most of my good friends and family know that I have a huge passion for food! I decided that I will be starting a blog with recipes, links, BBQ Tips, funny stories and tidbits and more about, you guessed it……FOOD! Hopefully some of you will find this information useful, interesting or just plain fun to read!! Please feel free to e-mail me with questions, tips or feedback at jferraguto@gmail.com

More to come,
Jim