Category Archives: Boston
Weekend Indulgences
One strategy we use to get out of the house and into the city is a subscription to the Huntington Theatre Company. The tickets are for the Saturday matinee, which leaves the option for a lunchtime or early dinner adventure. Seven guaranteed Saturdays in Boston.
This week’s production was in the South End, at the relatively new Calderwood Pavillion. The show was The Luck of the Irish, written by Kirsten Greenidge and directed by Melia Bensussen. The subject of this play was a little-known slice of Boston history, “ghostbuying”. This was the practice in the mid-20th century where upwardly mobile minorities, in this instance an African-American family, used the cover another family, a white Christian family, to buy a home in an otherwise white neighborhood. Half a century later, the white family asks for their house back. The timeline moved artfully from the 1950’s to present day, weaving the current day story between the grown grandchildren of the original African-American family and the aged Irish couple with the story of the young grandparents and the young Irish couple. We enjoyed the production, and it provided lots of fuel for discussion afterwards.
Saturday was a beautiful day, so after the show, we stopped by The Salty Pig on the back side of Copley Square for a drink and snacks at an outside table. What’s not to love about a restaurant with a menu that has one section of salty pig parts and another section of stinky cheeses. We crafted our own platter with porchetta, salami, and chicken liver mousse along with some strong-flavored cheeses from Vermont. We rounded out the plate with some olives and pickled peppers. It was a fun place to hang out, and we’ll be back.
We were home on the early side and were still craving something more to eat. Have you ever tried an instant hot chocolate cake? You mix individual portions in mugs and zap them for a few minutes in the microwave. I had imagined the cakes to be runnier, like molten chocolate cake, but they were a little overcooked. The recipe I started with was for just one cake, and Howard and I had a lengthy discussion about whether the same timing applied to two cakes or whether the time needed to be adjusted. I need to work on the timing, but they were very promising. No advance planning needed, and near instant satisfaction. This is a keeper.
Instant Hot Chocolate Cake
Makes 1
Adapted from this recipe
¼ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ beaten egg (2 tablespoons)
3 Tbsp cream (or milk)
3 Tbsp canola oil
Splash of vanilla extract
Handful of chocolate chips
In the biggest mug you have, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt with a fork. Add the egg and blend it in. Add cream, oil, and vanilla. Continue mixing until just combined. Now scatter the chocolate chips on top of the mixture. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, until puffed.
If you make two (what else would you do with the other half an egg?), try testing after 2 minutes. I cooked 2 cakes together for 4 minutes and it was too long. My guess is the perfect amount of time will be around 3 minutes. When I figure it out, I’ll update this post.
Sunday Suppers: Potsticker Soup
Saturday, we took an excursion to Boston to see the Huntington Theatre’s matinee of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The plan was to have a quick lunch at the Prudential Center’s Food Court before the show. Our usual favorite there is a bowl of Boston Chowda chowder, but as we passed through, I noticed a new place, CheeseBoy, serving grilled cheese sandwiches, a favorite of mine. It was fast, but tasty! I had a simple grilled cheese (American cheese on Italian bread) with pickles added. Howard had a fancier grilled cheese sandwich (Cheddar on rye) with bacon and pickles. All around, a good fine.
Sometimes, after a matinee, we’ll stay in the city for dinner, but we headed home to relieve Bella. We decided on more fast food for dinner. Five Guys opened nearby in Burlington, and we wanted to check it out. We made the mistake of ordering regular hamburgers, instead of little ones. That’s a double instead of a single, and a single would have been plenty. Next time, we’ll know.
So, today, healthier homemade food seemed in order. There’s nothing like a soup when trying to eat a lighter meal. I found a bag of Trader Joe’s potstickers in the freezer, so I put together an Asian-flavored soup. Chicken stock was simmered with aromatics to flavor the broth. Then, I added carrots and leeks and cooked them until they were no longer crispy. Then, the frozen dumplings cooked in the broth. Finally, I wilted baby spinach in the soup, garnished the bowl with cilantro and Sriracha, and it was dinner. The soup was hearty, but at the same time, not heavy, and most importantly, delicious!
Potsticker Soup
Serves 4
8 cups chicken stock
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons black vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin on the diagonal
1 leek, white and light green part only, quartered and sliced thin
1 pound bag of frozen potstickers (chicken, pork, or vegetable)
4 cups baby spinach, washed
Cilantro leaves
Sriracha
In a large soup pot, combine chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes until the broth tastes gingery.
Add the carrots and leeks and simmer until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add frozen potstickers, and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, and cook until it just wilts, just a minute or two.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves and a squirt of Sriracha.
A Plateful of Happiness 