A great sandwich after a splendid walk.

The north shore of Boston is an incredibly beautiful and interesting place to explore. It has a rich mixture of history and nature, with old farms, quaint village centers, and of course, rocky coast. On a recent Saturday, we went for a walk at the Coolidge estate in Manchester-by-the-Sea. The property is in the care of the Trustees of the Reservations. The old mansion is long gone, but a short walk along the marshes gets you to the Great Lawn which provides a sweeping view south across Salem Sound towards Boston. The Lawn would be an incredible spot for picnicking. On this day, however, it was early and we wanted a brisk walk along the edge of the shore. The coast is high and rocky and the colors are spectacular, with the grey blue of the ocean contrasting with the myriad of colors and textures of the lichen covered granite, lawn and trees. On the rocks below, a group of harbor seals frolicked and tussled over sleeping spots on a favored pinnacle. A magic morning!

On the way back, we stopped at our local foodie paradise, Beverly Farms. A tiny village center, the “Farms” boasts a number of food and wine related stores. There is the Fruitful Basket, a gourmet grocery store, two bakeries, The Farms Bakery and DeFusco’s, and a wine store, Cork & Cask. The Farms Bakery is a favorite Saturday morning stop for coffee and croissants (real ones!). We follow with visit Mark Solomon at Cork & Cask to see if anything new has come in. Next its off to the Fruitful Basket. On this day, Bob Viel had some cured Tuscan Ham along with his usual stunning array of ripe cheeses. A quick taste inspired lunch. To set off the ham, I chose a relatively young Sainte-Maure de Tourraine, an artisanal French goat cheese. A momentary inspiration led to the purchase of a bottle of Matiz Vasco Piparras. Piparras are a traditional Basque pepper with a sweet and spicy flavor. Preserved in a brine, they would be our pickles! Finally, we stop at Defusco’s to buy some crusty, freshly baked bread. Now we’re ready for lunch!

Great Sandwich

• A loaf of crusty bread


• Slices from a flavorful ham


• A tangy goat cheese


• Piparras

Cut a couple of thick slices of bread. Spread both pieces with goat cheese. Layer on the ham. Serve with Piparras on the side. Life is wonderful!


* on a sad note. A Dunkin Donuts franchise is moving to Beverly Farms (as if we need another donut shop in Beverly…) The owner appears to be doing a nice job setting up the premises to fit the locale, but the damage is done. The other bakeries are not profitable enough to survive the expected hit on their businesses. DeFusco’s is closing in mid-May and is moving to North Andover. And The Farms Bakery is up for sale. Such is progress. Why have unique when you can have chain?

Grilled Asparagus Gribiche

Perhaps the most requested recipe in my repertoire, Asparagus Gribiche blends the smoky, nutty taste of grilled asparagus with an old fashioned dressing that typically accompanies cold meats. Everyone who tries it wants more! I first had it at a Slow Foods dinner at the Inn at Castle Hill in Ipswich. The guest chef was Amanda Lydon (formerly of Truc and Upstairs on the Square and now at Straight Wharf Restaurant in Nantucket). She served this dish as a first course and blew everyone away. Given the limited capabilities of the Inn’s kitchen, Amanda had her sous-chef grill the asparagus over the stove burner flames using tongs.

Armed with the concept, I promptly started researching and experimenting with gribiche sauces until I arrived at the following version. Gribiche is essentially a mayonnaise, but it is made using hard-boiled eggs. The yolks make the sauce, the chopped whites are part of the garnish. It’s a very useful sauce, and I think it would work well as a topping for all sorts of grilled vegetables and also for grilled or baked fish.

Gribiche Sauce

• 3 hard-cooked eggs


• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard


• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar



• 1 garlic clove, finely minced


• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves


• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives


• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves


• 2 teaspoons capers, drained


• 2 cornichons, finely diced (gherkins or other small dill/sour pickles)


• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Separate yolks from the whites. Cut the whites into strips, then cut into small dice. Set aside.
Put the yolks in a mixing bowl and mash into a paste. Add mustard and salt and mix thoroughly.
Whisk in the olive oil a little at a time until the mixture begins to emulsify and thicken. You can then add the rest of the oil in a steady stream while whisking. Whisk in the white wine vinegar in a slow stream. The final consistency should be velvety, but still runny (i.e. not as thick as mayonnaise).
Add the garlic, herbs, capers, cornichons and ½ of the reserved egg whites. Mix well and taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.



















Grilled Asparagus

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed

You can grill the asparagus over charcoal, on a gas grill or using a grill pan. Not surprisingly, charcoal provides the strongest flavor, but all three methods work well.
Grill the asparagus stalks for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. The asparagus should be crisp/tender with some char marks (the combination of char flavor and gribiche is what makes this dish work).
Remove from the grill and place on a serving platter.
Drizzle the sauce over the asparagus. Garnish with the remaining egg whites.
Serve immediately.

Slow Roasting Fish
It’s May and it’s pouring rain. After a dry start of the year (four inches behind in rain), the floodgates have opened and it’s been pouring for days and will continue for days to come. It’s a good thing I guess. The plants love it, the crops at Appleton Farms will get a good start and I’ll have time to cook and write. It’s been a tough and upsetting week on a lot of levels, so a little solace from food and wine can only be good. I have such a backlog of recipes to post. Maybe it’s best to start with a quick and easy one… slow roasted fish.

I first read about this cooking technique in Michael Schlow’s cookbook, “It’s About Time” [Steerforth Press 2005]. He is the chef and owner of Radius in Boston, which is probably the most New York-like Boston restaurant. Expensive, chic and creative. Anyway, his book has a recipe for slow roasted salmon with cabbage, bacon and dill. Unlike typical recipes, he cooks the salmon in the oven at 250° for about 20 minutes. The lower roasting temperature has numerous benefits. The fish has a better consistency; its stays very moist, and it doesn’t smell up the house the way broiling or pan roasting does. I made the dish and loved it. Shortly thereafter, slow roasted fish started turning up at other Boston restaurants. Upstairs at the Square in Cambridge does an amazing job with slow roasted cod. Having just read a book about cod fish, “Cod” by Mark Kurlansky [Penguin Books 1998], I was especially attracted to the dish. Subjected to massive over fishing, fresh cod is getting rarer and harder to find. Interestingly, cod has historically been more frequently consumed in its dried and salted form. Fresh cod is mild and falls apart quickly into large flakes if over cooked. Slow roasting, however, cooks the cod perfectly. It stays together, gets a wonderful translucent white in color and becomes a delicious foil for any number of herbs, spices and/or sauces. I’ve used this method successfully for salmon, cod and halibut, but I’m sure it will work for other types of fish. Here’s how to do it.

Ingredients

• Cod fillets – as thick as you can find. I like about 1 pound for two people, others aim for about 6 ounces per person. If the cod has a thin end, you can fold it over to gain thickness.


• White wine – just enough to put a quarter inch or so in the roasting dish.


• A few pats of butter


• Salt, pepper, pimenton, chopped herbs

Method
Heat the oven to 250° (I’ve also had success at 300° when I need it to cook a little faster).
Put the fish is a shallow baking dish a little larger than the filet. Add the wine. Put a few pats of butter on the top, salt, pepper and sprinkle with herbs or spices. I especially like using sweet, smoky pimenton. Roast for about 20 minutes, but check frequently to avoid overcooking. Baste if you like each time you check. Remove when the fish just starts to flake. It will be a different consistency and color than higher temperature roasted fish, but it’s done. Top with your choice of sauce, or simply use the liquid from the roasting pan. Enjoy!