Escarole and Bean Soup

Courtesy of a co-worker...I really need to make this one myself!

Escarole and Beans – 4 - 1cup servings

2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 – 4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Head escarole, approximately 1 Lb., washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 14 oz. cans cannellini, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons Freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation:
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for a minute or two. Add the escarole and stir to coat with the oil. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the escarole begins to wilt. Stir in the beans. Lower the heat, add up broth, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for five to ten minutes.

To Serve:
Divide equally among four soup bowls, garnish with 1 teaspoon Parmesan. Garnish with homemade croutons.

ENJOY!!!

What's the deal with dogs anyway...

It's summer - most people like a dog on the grill (no, not Lassie-dog, she's to busy saving dumb kids that jump down wells), and everyone has their favorite: Ball Park Franks, Oscar Meyer Wieners, Nathan's, Hebrew National, etc. (You can actually go to Rateitall and check out which brand consumers think makes the best one.)

As far as I'm concerned though, this is one food item that the Jewish people got right (gelfite fish is the one they got wrong! but that's a topic for another day). The Jewish people don't mess around when it come to their dogs - mostly because they have strict slaughter rules and they don't eat pork, but hey, if it makes the dog better, I am all for rules! They make it with 100% beef, that was slaughtered in Kosher dietary law requirements; they add quality seasonings and that is it! (Read: no miscellaneous items from off the factory floor as fillers or ground up pork hooves or bones). Kosher dogs, made by a Jewish company, tend to be the most flavorful dogs and cook up the best with the fewest health side effects (sans much of the salt, fat, preservatives, other additives etc that many of the major non-Jewish brands have). I feel as though I can vouch for hot dogs as being an 'ok' food since working at Jewish hospital I have realized the dogs are for sure the highest quality item we have! I know funny, right!

But in all seriousness, you want to be sure you read the ingredients on the package. Some brands are full of nitrates which can cause terrible headaches, especially in children who eat hot dogs all the time. A high quality hot dog is an acceptable part of summer time, but just as with anything you don't want to eat one more then 1-2x/week. Top them with things like tomato slices, pickles, mustard, fresh chopped onions etc, and the dog can be a whole meal! Watch out for toppings like bottled relish and ketchup which contain lots of high fructose corn syrup, and shoot for fresher toppings like the ones listed above and shown in the picture. (The dog in the photo has tomato slices, pickle spear and a mild-hot pepper - aka 'Chicago Style' dog). Some fresh corn on the cob will definitely round out the grilling adventure!!

ENJOY!

Restaurant Week Boston - Returns

Open Table's Restaurant week - Boston returns next month. Over 180 restaurants in the Greater Boston area participate August 14-19 and 21-26.

Pricing: (alcohol not included)
2 Course Lunch = $15.11
3 Course Lunch = $20.11
3 Course Dinner = $33.11

So check out Open Table to make a reservation - spots go fast at many of the participating eateries!

ENJOY!!

Today's Groupon

Groupon today is 1/2 off at Sibling Rivalry, which is a South End staple for reasonably price, higher end food that blends some fusion with some eclectic ideas about food pairings in the setting of "Modern American". The whole concept of Sibling Rivalry starts with the Chef owners - two brothers, who each create their own "dueling" menu using the same main item (ie scallops) so that each item is on the menu two different ways. You are given 1 paper menu that contains all the options from both chefs. You can pick and chose from both chefs, but it is a fun idea that you could order from Chef David and you dinner date could order from Chef Bob and YOU could be the judge as to who did a better job!

Check it out - and at half off - how can you lose :)

July 21st...

Looking for something to do on a random Thursday night with a group of friends?? Kingston Station in Downtown Crossing is hosting a 4 course Narragansett pairing on July 21. The food accompaniments (because let's face it, food is a side dish to beer) for this inaugural event will feature Littleneck clams in a tomato saffron broth, a ginger vinaigrette-doused crab & avocado salad, and braised short ribs with wild mushroom potato risotto. Waiters will be serving up big pours of 'gansett's brewer's bock, citrusy summer ale, and malty porter (which will apparently ignite the formation of some ridiculous bags under your eyes overnight!) So give Kingston Station a call and make a reservation so you can "Git yourself a 'gansett!"

Some Deals

Groupon today: 1/2 off tapas @ Estragon in the South End, Boston.

Oceanaire is having a wine and oyster pairing special. 1 bottle Kim Crawford wine with 1 dozen oysters for $36.95. I would personally recommend Wellfleet oysters, but I'm biased since I hail from Taxachusetts :) See Oceanaire website or previous blog about my experience at Oceanaire for locations.

Amelia's Trattoria in Cambridge, is doing dinner and movie, where you can purchase movie tickets for $6 a piece (tickets have no restriction as to time of day movie can be seen and do not have an expiration either)when you pay your dinner bill. Pretty good deal I would say!

X Factor

Who's tried the 'X Factor'? No, I'm not talking about a TV show - it was a TV show wasn't it? I am talking about JP Licks 29 calories per ounce soft serve - yes you heard that right - 29 calories per ounce of glorious soft serve! The newest flavor is Black Currant. Per their own email:

Yogurt X, if you didn't know already, is our tart and tangy frozen yogurt that's full of Probiotics and active cultures. It's non fat, has less sugar than regular frozen yogurt, and a refreshing dairy flavor that just has to be tasted. It seems we've created a (friendly) monster - now Black Currant joins our growing list of incredible flavor twists.

Check out the soft serve flavor rotations! There are no nutrition facts listed on the website - per Federal law they don't have to have them until they have 20 locations and currently there are only 10 JP Licks stores in the greater Boston area, so for my patients out there I can't attest that any of you would be able to enjoy these flavors unless they are the sugar free ones, but if you are taking your family, ask the girl behind the counter, she might have a nutrition facts sheet there for you to look at.

Hard Ice Cream July flavors: (Click on link for flavor descriptions)
Fresh Peach
Butter Cashew
Fresh Cucumber
Sugar Free Vanilla
Bailey's Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Triple Berry Sorbet
El Diablo (yes the devil!!!)
Raspberry Lime Rickey Sorbet
Fresh Watermelon Sherbet
Fresh Mojito Sorbet
Strawberry Banana Lactose Free
Chocolate Chip Low Fat Yogurt

ENJOY!!!

That's how you do a chicken club

My aunt's chicken club sandwich, which was super delicious! Try as it is, or give the 'redone' version a try with some slightly healthier options.
3 slices white bread, toasted
chicken from a rotisserie chicken (as much as you want)
1 thick slice provolone cheese, melted over middle slice of toast
2 slices crispy bacon
2 leaves lettuce
3 slices tomato
mayo
2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
1 chunk feta cheese to put over toothpicks

REDONE:
2 or 3 slices multigrain grain bread toasted, made with 100% whole grains
chicken from a rotisserie chicken
2 oz goat cheese (do not need to melt - can just spread over bread)
2 slices turkey bacon or 1 slice really high quality smoked bacon
2 leaves lettuce
3 slices tomato
stone ground mustard or a Bavarian beer mustard
2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
cucumber pieces to stick on top of toothpicks