Gloucester Seafood Display Auction-Hake

Pictured below is hake.  Hake is commonly used in fish cakes.  It’s a good white meat fish.

Back when we used to handle fish an old time fisherman- Leo the Flounder would hang out in the mornings and tell old waterfront stories.  He spent a good part of the last ten years of his life down the dock, sipping coffee and keeping us informed on what was happening around town.  He was a character a real waterfront character and I miss him.

Anyway, about twice a year Leo would make a big pan of (poopieties) – not the right spelling but sounds exactly the way it is spelled.  Poopieties were hake fish cakes fried up in the good Italian olive oil.

When we had a big trip of hake we would give Leo a couple of steakers (large hake) and he would fry up a batch.  The thing I loved about them and I’ll never forget was the amount of garlic he would use.  He’d try to kill you with the garlic.  We would normally be working so hard that we would pound down a ridiculous number of poopieties and then as the day went on and you were sweating you could smell it coming out your pores.

Good times-  I miss you Flounder.

Gloucester At Dawn- George’s Coffee Shop 4:50AM 7/29/09

Trupiano’s Sausage At The Cape Ann Farmer’s Market

Don’t forget- You can now get Trupiano’s Sausage at the Cape Ann Farmer’s Market!  Thursdays at Harbor Loop.  For more info click the link- Cape Ann Farmer’s Market

Ryan and Wood Distillery Tour Part IV

Click Picture to view the video-

Erik Lorden- Vows To Wear Burger King Hat To Chagrin Of Entire Family

When Erik Lorden, my buddy and the owner/chef at Passports stopped by to pick up lobsters yesterday he was wearing this Burger King Hat.

He vowed to wear it all day long much to the chagrin of his entire family.

I think he’s ought to check the ventilation in the kitchen, he must not be getting enough oxygen to his noggin.

Ryan and Wood Distillery Tour Part III

click to view
click to view

Lat 43 Crispy Fish Buritto

This fish burrito at Lat 43 is my favorite dish in Gloucester currently.  So damn good.

Look for video with Latitude 43 bar manager Brian tomorrow

Lat 43 Fish Buritto, originally uploaded by captjoe06.

R and W Distillery

As Bobby Ryan said to me in our tour “We like to name our vessels after significant Gloucester vessels“.  Here you see what Bobby was talking about with the two fermentation tanks named Adventure and Thomas E Lannon.

Look for part two of our video tour at 1PM

R and W Distillery, originally uploaded by captjoe06.

Knockabout Gin, Folly Cove Rum and Beauport Vodka
Knockabout Gin, Folly Cove Rum and Beauport Vodka



Ryan and Wood Distillery Tour Part II Video

click to play video
click to play video

R and W Distillery Barrells Of Rum

Look for part two of the video tour at 7AM

R and W Distillery, originally uploaded by captjoe06.


Ryan and Wood Spirits Distillery Tour Part I

click to play video
click to play video

Bobby Ryan at Ryan and Wood Distillery

Yesterday I stopped up to see Bobby Ryan, half of the Ryan and Wood Team and a good friend of the family.  The boys are doing something special up in Blackburn Park.  Something our entire community can be proud of.

They are one of only three distillers in Massachusetts.   Crafting spirits-vodka, gin and rum to exacting standards.

Here is a link to the R & W Distillery website

You can tour the facility, well worth a visit.

Look for the first of a four part video series this morning at 8AM

It’s Native Strawberry Time!

It’s Native Strawberry Time!

Just about Father’s Day you see the signs popping up at every farm stand on Cape Ann.  It is native strawberry time!  This is what strawberries should taste like and we wait all year for them!  These are the recipes from episode #8.

Here are some recipes to expand your mind about how you might use them-two savory and one sweet dish–easy to make and sure to be a hit with your Dad too!

These are the recipes from episode #8 of Inspired Cooking.  The show airs on Cape Ann TV Tuesdays at 8:30, Fridays at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 am.  I hope you will watch!

Native Strawberry Salsa with Mangoes and Cilantro

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2/3  cup orange juice

Juice of one lime

1 mango, diced

3 cups native strawberries, hulled, one cup mashed, two cups chopped

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno (or fresh, if desired)

Salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and juices.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with blue corn chips for a great presentation

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil

*this recipe serves 2-3 people

½ recipe Double Duty Herb Vinaigrette

1 1-1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin, cleaned

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup chicken stock

Mixed salad greens

1/2 cup goat cheese

1/2 cup blueberries

pitted black olives

3 tablespoons basil, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Place pork in a large zip top bag.  Pour vinaigrette in bag and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.

About an hour before serving, toss together strawberries, vinegar and sugar in medium bowl.  Set aside.

Remove pork from the bag and pat dry.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large oven safe sauté pan, heat oil over high heat.  Sear pork tenderloin on all sides until browned.  Remove pan from heat and place in oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 for medium rare, about 5-10 minutes.   Remove pork from pan, place on a plate and cover lightly with foil to keep warm.

Return pan to stovetop.  Over medium heat add stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring the stock to a boil and add strawberry mixture and reduce heat.  Warm strawberries through.   Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Slice pork tenderloin, arrange on the plate, top with strawberry sauce and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Serve with mixed greens tossed with Double Duty Herb Vinaigrette, black olives, and blueberries and topped with crumbled goat cheese.  Enjoy!

Double Duty Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh basil

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons white wine

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup canola/vegetable oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk everything together in a medium bowl.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Orange Kissed Strawberry Shortcake

3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled; 1 pint crushed with potato masher 2 pints quartered, reserve 6 berries for garnish

2 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as triple sec or Cointreau)*

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Orange Shortcake:

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

½ teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 stick butter, frozen

2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated

1 egg, beaten

½ cup light cream plus one tablespoon for brushing

1 tablespoon half-and-half

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1-2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix crushed and quartered strawberries with sugar.  Set aside while preparing biscuits

Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and 3 tablespoons sugar.

Using large holes of box grater, grate butter into dry ingredients. Toss butter with flour to coat. Add grated orange zest.  Use pastry cutter to finish cutting butter into flour.  Mix beaten egg with ½ cup light cream; pour into flour mixture. Toss with fork until large clumps form. Turn mixture onto floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.

Gently pat dough into 9- by 6-inch rectangle and cut 6 3” squares with a sharp knife. Place biscuits 1” apart prepared baking sheet, brush dough tops with one tablespoon light cream and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

When ready to serve, place heavy cream in a cold bowl and whip with vanilla extract and powdered sugar to taste.

Split biscuits in half and place ½ on serving plate.  Spoon on berries and a bit of whipped cream.  Top with remaining biscuit half, more berries and finish with additional cream.  Top with a reserved whole strawberry and enjoy!

*the very bottom line-if you don’t feel like making biscuits, dont.  Just brush the biscuits with a little of the orange juice or liqueur, make sure to “orange-ize” the strawberries and top with the whipped cream–heck–you can even buy the whipped cream at the store if you want to–I won’t tell!  Just enjoy strawberry season!

Virgilio’s The Video Interview

click to play
click to play

Virgilio’s Sausage Parm Sandwich

I’m gonna say it straight out- for the very best sub roll in the entire universe it’s Virgilio’s.  I love my Sclafani’s sandwiches and bread and all but if you are just talking sub roll Virgilio’s sub rolls are just incredible.  Every sub shop in America should be using them if they care about having the best.  It’s not even open to debate.  They are light and soft on the inside and just the right texture on the outside, complimenting whatever meat you throw in there.

Look for my interview at Virgilio’s at 8AM

Gloucester Seafood Display Auction- Grey Sole

Here’s some grey sole at the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction.

Within the first couple of years with my wife we were sitting at her parents house and somehow the topic of fish came up.  My mother in law told me she didn’t like flounder, but she loved sole.  I told her that sole is a flounder.  There’s a lot of people who don’t really know their fish.  I must admit as much fish as I’ve eaten in my lifetime if someone fried a fresh haddock or a cod fillet I’d have a hard time distinguishing the difference (and I’ve eaten tons).
My personal favorite types of fish in order of preference- fried whiting, baked haddock with the breadcrumbs, raw tuna, fried grey sole or yellowtail flounder, sockeye salmon.
Favorite shellfish- The Mrs’ Lobsterolls, steamed lobster with bernaise dipping sauce, baked stuffed littlenecks with my mothers’ stuffing recipe, Mexican Campeche brand shrimp with cocktail sauce, fried clams, mussels fra diavolo (extra spicy).
Look for part two of the video from the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction at 8AM

Virgilio’s Italian Bakery Cookies

It was a while since I’d been in Virgilio’s but they are doing great things down there.  They took the store to a whole new level.

Virgilios Italian Bakery Cookies
Virgilio's Italian Bakery Cookies

Nicole Bogin- Manager Cape Ann Farmer’s Market

Since when are managers supposed to have this much fun?

The Cape Ann Farmers Market Is Rockin
The Cape Ann Farmer's Market Is Rockin

Smiles Abound At Cape Ann Farmers Market
Smiles Abound At Cape Ann Farmer's Market
New Coffee Roaster At Cape Ann Farmers Market
New Coffee Roaster At Cape Ann Farmer's Market
Sassy River Sauces At Cape Ann Farmers Market
Sassy River Sauces At Cape Ann Farmer's Market