Tavolo, Porchetta & La Caja China

Roasting a pig at home seems like a lot of work. It brings to mind a large spit, over a fiery grill, where the pig is carefully rotated for many hours. However, it doesn't have to be that difficult, not if you own a La Caja China roasting box. It mainly takes time and patience.

The “Caja China”, a Spanish term for “Chinese box,” has a murky origin, some saying it in began with Chinese immigrants to Cuba. However, we can trace the origin of La Caja China, which is a brand name for one of the most popular types of these roasting boxes. Roberto Guerra, a Cuban living in South Florida, heard stories from his father about a roasting box in Havana's Chinatown during the 1950s. Roberto took that idea and in 1987, started selling La Caja China. The roasting box is roughly six feet long, generally composed of wood and steel, with a place for charcoals atop the box. The meat is placed inside the box and the heat from the top does all the work.

Recently, Chef-Owner Chris Douglass (of Ashmont Grill and Tavolo) and Chef de Cuisine Nuno Alves (of Tavolo) took delivery of a La Caja China roasting box and their first foray was to roast a pig, to make a Ligurian Porchetta. They purchased a 212-lb., nine month old, Berkshire pig from Brambly Farms in Norfolk. After some butchering, Nuno assembled the porchetta, placed it into the roasting box and let it cook, with minimal attention needed. This is only their first endeavor with La Caja China, and in the future, they may use the box to roast turkeys, cook lobsters, roast lamb or other items. It is a versatile item and between the two restaurants, I am sure it will see much work.

Roughly half way through the cooking cycle, I got to check out the work in progress, in the parking lot of Ashmont Grill. That is Chef Nuno above, checking on the porchetta.

An inside view of the two, long porchetta roasts in the box.

A close-up of one of the porchetta ends, with the stuffing visible.

This shows the skin browning on one of the porchetta roasts, which will soon enough become a delectable, crispy treat.

For Tavolo’s Porchetta Festival, customers could order a three course Ligurian meal for only $25, with optional wine pairings. An excellent bargain on a Wednesday evening. And the restaurant was very busy that night, and it seemed that many of the guests ordered the porchetta. I was invited as a media guest, and sampled the same dinner as the other guests.

I began the evening with a Time Travel ($11) cocktail, made from Maker's Mark bourbon, St. Germaine and Aranciata. Bourbon & pork is a good combination. The cocktail was only mildly sweet, with lots of orange and vanilla flavors, and a hint of floral elements. Refreshing, I enjoyed the drink and think it did pair well with pork.

The firs course was Mini Stuff Peppers, with rice, leeks, basil, and fontina cheese. The three different colored peppers made for a nice presentation, and the stuffing was a good blend of flavors, complementing the fresh peppers.

The second course was the Brambly Farms Porchetta, cooked in the La Caja China roasting box, and accompanied by an artichoke salad. Ah, roast pig, what a delight! The skin, easily separating from the fat, was crunchy and flavorful, almost the hardness of some candy. I think the crispy skin is one of the best parts of a roast pig. The rest of the porchetta was delicious too, tender and tasty, with a nice melange of spice notes. The roasting box worked its magic and all those hours of slow cooking worked out quite well.

Dessert was a Ligurian Lemon Cake, with whipped cream and raspberries. It was a light, moist cake and the lemon flavor didn't overwhelm. And after the rich porchetta, this dessert felt right.

I am looking forward to seeing what Tavolo and Ashmont Grill do with La Caja China in the future.

Do you own a La Caja China? If so, what are your thoughts about it?

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Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
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1) The City of Boston and Boston Common welcome Earl of Sandwich, created by the direct descendant of John Montagu, the Earl who invented the sandwich in 1762. Earl of Sandwich had a grand opening earlier this week on November 12.

“We are looking forward to the grand opening of our newest location on the historic Boston Common. As we celebrate 250 years of the sandwich, there is no better location for us than inside the country's oldest city park. It is an honor to be here,” said Robert Earl, chairman of Earl of Sandwich. “The success we’ve experienced at our other 22 locations has proven that the quality of our food and dining experience will bring guests back time and time again.”

In 1762, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, came up with the ingenious idea of putting meat between two slices of bread. Now, 250 years later, the current 11th Earl and the rest of the Sandwich family remain passionate about the world’s most popular quick food that carries their name. Joining forces with entrepreneur Robert Earl, the first Earl of Sandwich restaurant opened in Orlando, FL at Downtown Disney in 2004.

All Earl of Sandwich locations bake fresh artisan bread with every hot sandwich order and meats are roasted daily using traditional family recipes. The new location will feature signature hot sandwiches including The Original 1762, a sandwich of freshly roasted beef, sharp cheddar and creamy horseradish sauce all on freshly baked artisan bread. Earl of Sandwich will also serve a line of wraps, fresh, hand-tossed salads, high-quality soups, a kid’s menu, and other side items. The restaurant will feature fresh, premise-baked treats – cookies, brownies, muffins, and bites, and Earl of Sandwich will offer a full array of cold beverages, including the delicious Earl’s Lemonade.

Beginning spring 2013, Earl of Sandwich’s breakfast menu, serving a choice of five made-to-order hot breakfast sandwiches, will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant will immediately offer take-away service.

Earl of Sandwich will be open from 11AM to 4PM, seven days a week (normal hours will resume in spring 2013). There are 14 hot sandwiches available, all priced at $6.99:

2) Owner & Chef Brian Poe is bringing his fall bounty to The Tip Tap Room in Beacon Hill. Poe’s new autumnal infusions take his signature “tips” and “taps” concept to new seasonal heights.

For appetizers, Poe will now offer the following: Baked Brie (St. André brie, coriander-citrus roasted beets, warm mushroom vinaigrette - $11.75); Wild Mushrooms (sautéed with soy-chive vinaigrette, charred tomato tips - $9.75); Boar Meatballs (spicy ginger-cilantro-garlic broth - $13.95); and, a Mashed Sampler (a shareable tasting of horseradish, goat cheese, creamed corn, olive tapenade mashed potatoes - $5). These will add to Poe’s starter mainstays including the Rock Shrimp ($11.75), Potato with 7 Bacon Tips ($10.95) and Cheese & Cracklins ($10.75). Chef Poe also is now offering an Autumn Salad (maple-roasted pecans, roasted pumpkin, blue cheese crumbles, cranberry-sage vinaigrette - $9.95) and Grilled Baby Bok Choy (sauté of snap peas, Thai chilies, caramelized shiitakes, grilled tofu, sesame-soy vinaigrette - $10.95) in addition to the Romaine ($9.95) and Endive, Radicchio & Arugula ($9.95) salads. All salads come with option to add the “tips” of your choice ($6.50; swordfish –$7.50; wild game – $10).

The Tip Tap Room’s “tips” selections features five refreshed proteins and a vegetarian option. In adding to serving up daily wild game creations (including elk, kangaroo, yak, ostrich, pheasant and venison), Poe’s standard “tips” include the following: Turkey (sage-peppercorn marinade, cranberry fennel slaw, creamed corn potatoes - $11.95); Steak (house marinade, horseradish potatoes, cherry pepper, bordelaise - $14.75); Lamb (mint-shallot marinade, minted lamb glaze, goat cheese potatoes, watercress, tzatziki - $15.95); Chicken (lemon-lime-yuzu-herb marinade, rice, cucumber corn slaw - $12.95); Swordfish (artichoke, olive tomato, bell pepper-parsley salsa, tapenade potatoes, haricots verts, citrus-herb cream - $16.95); and, Tofu (grilled vegetables, tomato-basil salad, avocado, spinach - $12.75). Poe also griddles up three burgers available in Steak, Lamb and Turkey preparations.

For some seasonal “taps,” The Tip Tap Room’s kegs are brimming with selections like Harpoon Cider, Ipswich Oatmeal Stout and Sam Adams Octoberfest. Poe is also sure to bring in a rotating selection of seasonal specialty brews that rotate regularly from local breweries.

3) The Mandarin Oriental has recently launched The Parlor, a pop-up afternoon tea lounge. Located fireside in the Lobby Lounge, The Parlor will feature daily visits from the Holiday Treat Trolley, adorned with gingerbread man decoration kits for children, tea sandwiches, sweet confections, old-fashioned hot cocoa from Pastry Chef Oralia Perez, warm apple cider and signature hot toddies. The Parlor will be open from 2pm-6pm daily throughout the holiday season.

Some of the menu items include:
Rum Toddy: Bacardi oakheart rum, lemon juice, clove honey
Apple Toddy: Calvados v.s.o.p., lemon juice, cinnamon, clove honey
Scotch Toddy: Johnny Walker black scotch, domaine de canton
Bourbon Toddy: Makers Mark bourbon, lemon juice, clove honey
Tea Sandwiches 
--Foie gras mousse with spiced pear
--Turkey and cranberry
--Smoked duck with apple compote
--Scottish salmon, brown bread, cucumber
Oralia's Pastries 
--Eggnog creampuff
--Spiced pear tart
--Grasshopper verrine
--Homemade marshmallows
--Duo of macaroons

4) For the third consecutive year, hundreds of residents of Concord will line Walden Street here to welcome the Largest Wheel of Italian Cheese in the Western Hemisphere. A 400 lb. Crucolo cheese, from a tiny hamlet in the Trentino region of northern Italy, is expected to be at The Cheese Shop of Concord at 29 Walden Street, at 3:30pm on Thursday, December 6. Crucolo is a mild, rindless cow's milk cheese and I find it to be quite a delicious cheese.

The Crucolo will arrive in town via old fashioned horse drawn cart and The Crucolo Dancers, a high-spirited troupe of students from Concord Academy, will prance alongside the horse cart while brandishing large chunks of cheese … and generous free samples of canederli, an authentic northern Italian recipe made with crucolo.

Canederli are bread dumplings which often accompany meat stews and roasts. The word 'canederli', in fact, derives from the German or Austrian 'knödel.' Canederli are 'cucina povera' (cuisine of the poor), as they are made of inexpensive ingredients: stale bread moistened with milk and bound with eggs and a small amount of flour. However, the mixture is often enriched with cheese and speck or prosciutto. There are several variations of this regional dish, but the most common is with cheese. Once the dumpling are cooked, they’re either served "dry" with butter, or in a bowl of broth.

A proclamation will be presented, officially naming it Crucolo Day in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The public is invited to attend Crucolo Day and the event will occur rain or shine. You will also be able to have photos taken with the cheese. The crucolo sells for $19.99/lb and last year sold out in less than 14 days.

5) Piperi (pronounced pip-AIR’-ee) is the Greek word for peppercorns, but it's also a new, Mediterranean-inspired, fresh food concept from chef/co-owner Thomas John (former executive chef of Au Bon Pain and Mantra) opening Monday, December 3, on street level at One Beacon Street, in Government Center. Piperi's unique flatbread sandwiches, bountiful salads and mezze plates -- each bursting with nutrition and flavor -- will be made to order, served fast to take out or eat in.

You will find Piperi's find affordable choices listed on on a blackboard menu. First, choose from an array of grilled meats, vegetables or falafel. Next, choose one of several Mediterranean toppings and sauces. Ingredients are then heaped atop one's choice of signature Gozi™ flatbread or crisp greens, or served as a mezze plate with rice pilaf.

Gozi™, baked hourly on the premises, is a modern interpretation of gozleme, a traditional hand-rolled pastry from Turkey. The baking process creates circles in the dough that resemble eyes, or "göz" in Turkish. Gozi is similar to pita, but thinner and bolder flavored.

Piperi is committed to making socially responsible purchasing decisions; its produce is sourced from local grows whenever possible. They use only fresh, carefully chosen and complementary ingredients and spices. Antibiotic-free and humanely-raised chicken and sirloin, never frozen, will be marinated and grilled in small batches to retain their tenderness. Vegetables are roasted a la minute, to preserve color and flavor. Sauces and dressings will be made from scratch on the premises. Cooking is done with virgin olive oil, and with fresh herbs and spices.

Prices generally range from $6.50-$8.00, and they also serve breakfast sandwiches, priced $4.00-$4.50.

6) Chef Deborah Hansen of Taberna de Haro in Brookline has recently expanded her restaurant. I was there recently and the additional space is very cool with a nice bar. The restaurant now stocks even more Spanish wines, over 300, and has expanded their Sherry list to 27, with more to be added. That means they probably have the largest Sherry selection of any other local restaurant. Big kudos to Chef Hansen for her Sherry passion and promotion.

In addition, Taberna de Haro now offers a special Roasted Suckling Pig dinner on Tuesdays. They obtain the pigs, a Yorkshire-Hampshire cross breed, from a co-operative farm in upstate New York. The pigs weigh only about 16 lbs. and the roasting process takes over 4 hours, creating a crackling crispy skin. The dish costs only $25 per person and comes with potatoes and carrots roasted in the pan drippings. As there are only about 16 portions per pig, you should get there early to ensure you get a portion. If you have ever had roasted suckling pig in Spain, you know how delicious that dish can be. I will visit Taberna de Haro soon to check out this dish.

7) On December 11, at 6:30pm, Legal Sea Foods will prepare to welcome the New Year with their final Legal Holiday of the season: Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013. Legal Sea Foods will dish and pour a three-course pairing menu filled with holiday cheer in Park Square’s 10,000 bottle wine cellar.

FIRST COURSE
Fried Oyster Fritter (ancho-tamarind aioli)
Simmonet-Fevbre Cremant de Bourgogne, NV
SECOND COURSE
Wood Grilled Swordfish (roasted quinoa salad, black mission fig compote) DeMorgenzon "DMZ" Shiraz, Stellenbosch, 2009
THIRD COURSE
Crispy Cinnamon Bunuelos (dulce de leche, vanilla ice cream)
Fonseca 10 Year Tawny Port

Cost: $40 per person (does not includes tax and gratuity)
Reservations required by calling 617-530-9397

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Post 390: Pigs, Bourbon & Beer

Heritage Pork? Check! Bourbon? Check! Beer? Well.....

Each month, Chef Eric Brennan of Post 390 hosts a special Farm to Post dinner. This is a three-course Prix Fixe menu, offered all month, which showcases local ingredients from one specific farm, fishery or similar producer. I was invited as a media guest to a special event to check out their latest menu, a "Pig Out" showcasing the products of Brambly Farms. I did not see a menu beforehand so it was all going to be a surprise for me.

The new Brambly Farms "Farm to Post" Menu offers 3 courses for $48, or $65 with wine pairings. You get a choice for each course from 2 different selections for Appetizer, Entree and Dessert. The special event I attended was different from the usual Farm to Post menu, though some of the same dishes and items are on both menus.

This was my first time dining at Post 390 and I was impressed with its decor and ambiance. The first floor is their Tavern, which has a more casual menu and feel while the second floor is the main dining room, with an open kitchen, private dining areas, and more. The upstairs area is more elegant, a great place for a romantic date or a business dinner.

I enjoy open kitchens, which I have always said show confidence in the cooking staff.

The dinner event presented the bounty of Brambly Farms, located in Norfolk, and the owners, Ted and Sandra O'Harte, were present at the dinner. They operate a pasture raised farm and raise 5 heritage breeds of pig, including Berkshire, Large Blacks, Tamworth, Red Wattle, and Gloucestershire Old Spots (like Dalmatians with lots of spots). They have maybe 100-150 pigs on their farm, and they also raise chickens and have had other animals as well at times, though some were killed by fisher cats.

Prior to the dinner, we watched a brief video about the farm, plenty of photos of the operation and animals. It is worthwhile to understand where your food comes from and knowing the pork was from a local farm is another benefit. The O'Hartes, who seemed very personable and down to earth, also answered our questions during the course of the dinner. Our meal featured the meat from Berkshire and Large Blacks pigs, as well as eggs from their chickens.

Initially, as we mingled before the dinner began, there were some passed hors d'oeuvres, including a Pate and a Lobster BLT (with a nice chunk of fried lobster). In addition, we began with a delicious cocktail, the Peach n' Pig Bacon Infused, which is made with house-smoked Bulleit Bourbon, Punt E Mes, homemade peach simple syrup, homemade bitters, and a grilled peach garnish. It was smoky with a mild sweetness and nice vanilla and peach flavors. It was a well balanced drink and I ended up drinking them throughout the meal as its flavors went well with our various pork dishes.

After that cocktail, the rest of the courses were paired with various beers, mostly local, and though I tasted all of the beers, none of them really appealed to me. The beers included: Pretty Things Jack D'Or, High & Might Purity of Essence, Jack's Abby Smoke & Dagger, Berkshire Brewing Co. Octoberfest and North Coast Old Rasputin. The beer lovers at the table all seemed to enjoy the pairings and I do give them credit for using mostly local brews.

Our first course was Egg Drop Soup with Crab and a Pork & Florida shrimp potsticker (which is on the the current Farm To Post menu). The soup, which uses farm eggs from Brambly, is very flavorful, better than many of the egg drop soups you find at inexpensive Chinese restaurants. The potsticker sits atop charred scallion aoili with aged mushroom soy sauce. The shrimp is Fedexed directly from a fisherman in Florida, and is never frozen, which is certainly very unusual and compelling. A nice, firm pasta held a burst of shrimp flavor with hints of pork. A tasty addition to this Asian inspired dish.

Next up was the Roast Thai Cured Pork Belly with Mango, Jicama and Scituate Lobster (which is on the the current Farm To Post menu). The pork belly was prepared in a similar manner to Pekin duck, marinated and later hung to dry. A nice blend of Asian spices complemented the juicy, tender pork. Heritage pork has such flavor that standard pork can never match. There was plenty of sweet lobster in the crisp, acidic and refreshing mango and jicama salad.

The Maple-Rosemary Bacon Wrapped Scallop came with succotash, tasso, and liquid corn on the cob. The large, tender scallops were complemented by the salty bacon as well as the sweet, buttery corn. As I have said before, I think scallops and corn is a killer combination. The tasso also added a little smoky edge to the dish.

The Grilled Spice Rubbed Pork of Loin was accompanied by a pulled pork & pear fritter with a prune plum-ginger pork jus. The fritter was absolutely killer and it is an accompaniment to one of the entrees on the current Farm To Post menu. The fritter had a delightful crisp coating with lots of moist, flavorful pork and accents of pear. I could have eaten a plate just of these fritters. The loin was also excellent, with tasty spices complementing the savory pork. But the fritter stole the show in this dish.

For dessert, we ended with Apple Pie with vanilla ice cream (which is on the the current Farm To Post menu). Though it seemed like there was no pork in this dish, not even bacon, there actually was pork fat used in the pie crust. The thin, crisp apple slice atop the ice cream was addictive and the ice cream was creamy and delicious. Though the pie was good, I think it would have been much better if served warm rather than cold. As we left, we received some chocolate covered bacon as a parting gift. Superb!

Service was excellent, and the food was impressive. It is great see to Post 390 showcasing local farmers, and exposing their customers to the local bounty. The Peach n 'Pig was a delightful choice to accompany each dish. Check out the Brambly Farms menu this month, and Post 390's future Farm to Post dinners as well. I am going to have to return now to check out their regular menu, and also see what other interesting cocktails they have concocted.

Who doesn't love pork?

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