Thank you nature and neighbors. Cucumbers, kale, zucchini, basil, oregano, and arugula – so much lush greenery and fare to prepare. Can’t wait to make the zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta I once had in a local Italian restaurant Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms. Hope you are enjoying your garden!
Bread and butter go together, but how about pairing the pre meal staple with something new. Dip bread in puréed roasted red pepper, Putnam Market Spinach dip, spicy bean salsa, chili infused oil, or a balsamic/oil combo. Grab a baguette or loaf and dip into something deliciously different.
Last week my family vacation took me to the sea and that means seafood! Marvel at a chef’s creation with a humble offering of the sea – Pan Seared Sea Bass With Fava Beans and Pea Risotto and a sweet Chili Glaze – Grandpa’s favorite after 7 nights of fine dining. Skylar’s favorite hairstyle – my first fish tail braid.
Vacations are about discovery and last week my daughter Emma discovered a coconut on a beach in Grand Cayman. She was determined to crack it and share the bounty with our family. I discovered that out of the 18 members on our trip, at least a dozen devoured the amazing coconut muffins offered at our final breakfast. Food brings my family together and at Putnam our family brings food to you!
This wheel of Beaufort arrived weighing 90 pounds. It is meaty, buttery, and caramel-y, with a foundation of fresh grassiness that comes from cows grazing on Alpine pastures.
Big in size and flavor.
It’s the season of fresh greens and I love eating salads…the more colorful the better. Dress your salad for success with flavors from Stonewall Kitchens, a signature Putnam Market combination, or create your own salad dressing.
A stroll through the farmers market inspires the foodie in all….sweet strawberries with a dollop of Creme Fraiche , tender, local asparagus featured a pesto pasta dish, 8 ball zucchini grilled, then dressed with balsamic… So many reasons to love local fare. Stop and see us for help preparing your meal.
My new obsession is grilling pizza. I start with home-made dough (store bought will do).
Our white pizzas demand the best cheese, roasted garlic and arugula (which I am growing).
Fresh mozzarella, gruyere or fontina melt beautifully. Slide it on the grill.
Five minutes later… yum.
For most of the last century Puglian wine had no separate existence of its own. It was made and sold to be blended into the more famous red wines of the North, adding the fruit and alcoholic strength that they naturally lacked. Better technology and viticulture changed all that.
Cantina Cantele Salice Salentino Riserva DOC 2010
The Salento peninsula is home to Salice Salentino. This narrow peninsula, the heel of the boot, as it were, is close to the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea which cools the vineyards at night, keeping acidity in the fruit and refreshment in the wine.
Food: hard cheeses, chacuterie, roasted meats,
In the morning this amphitheater of vineyards gets the sunshine first; the slope gives each vine a clear view of the sun. There is little or no topsoil on the slope and the bare rocks retain and reflect heat up towards the maturing, and soon-to-be wonderfully, uniformly ripe grapes.
Roberto Ferraris Barbera d’Asti DOC 2012 is a lively, beautifully ripe Barbera with a good balance between berry fruit and spice on t
he palate while remaining faultlessly refreshing and mouth-watering
Food: anything with a tomato-based sauce as well as roast chicken/pork.