Projo Food Blog

Providence Journal Food Editor Gail Ciampa dishes here

August 2009 Archives


We savored in the pouring rain

7:00 AM Mon, Aug 31, 2009 | | Comments (1)
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Saturday's Savor Providence to benefit Trinity Rep had a challenge: Tropical Storm Danny. Had this been a traditional "Taste of" kind of event, it would have been held in a single spot, with food tastings set table by table. Rain......

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The most wonderful time of the year - harvest season

7:00 AM Sun, Aug 30, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

To all who love local food and produce, this is the season. Want to check what's coming up on the harvest calendar? I have two for your convenience. The first comes from Farm Fresh RI and SEMAP, Southeastern Massachusetts......

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Take a roastery tour today in Middletown

BZ0705_Roaster_1_07-05-09_R.JPG 7:00 AM Sat, Aug 29, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Custom House Coffee, 796 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown, (401) 842-0008, offers regularly scheduled tastings and roastery tours every Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event starts with a tour of the roastery and a roasting demonstration, and concludes with a......

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Tom's Market of Coventry to open second store in Warren

NY1F5450.JPG 7:00 AM Fri, Aug 28, 2009 | | Comments (2)
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Tom's Market in Coventry will be opening a second location in Warren. This is good news for East Bay food lovers. Manager Glenn Place reports they will be setting up shop in the former Market at Cutler Mills (which......

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The best fresh tomato dish ever

LB0602_PLAZA 2.JPG 7:00 AM Thu, Aug 27, 2009 | | Comments (1)
By Gail Ciampa    Email

The Plaza Grille on DePasquale Plaza in Providence is long gone but its wonderful owner Fran Whiting shared a most wonderful recipe before she retired. It's a tomato and penne dish made with fresh tomatoes, basil, a touch of......

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Learn to make bruschetta (and more) tonight

NY1F3183.JPG 7:00 AM Wed, Aug 26, 2009 | | Comments (1)
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Learn how to prepare shrimp bruschetta on grilled garlic bread, traditional Greek salad, and Moussaka at Smithfield's European Cafe & Restaurant tonight. This lesson will be followed by a meal of the same. Demo is at 6 p.m and......

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Got blight? Next time try local tomato seedlings.

3:36 PM Tue, Aug 25, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

LATE BLIGHT IN THE NEWS = BUY LOCAL SEEDLINGS! This info comes from the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP) is a nonprofit organization which helps agricultural enterprises in nearby Southeastern Massachusetts. The group offers links that explain the basics of......

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Dining Out: Morin's serves up satisfaction for all tastes

12:01 AM Tue, Aug 25, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Michael Janusonis    Email

The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer The shrimp appetizer at Morin’s ($4.50 for one skewer, $7.99 for two) delights the eye as well as the palate. View Morin's menu Morin’s serves up satisfaction for all tastesBy Michael JanusonisJournal Arts Writer......

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Dine with your dog today at Pizzico in Providence

NY1F8360.JPG 1:02 PM Mon, Aug 24, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Take your dog out for "Date Night" at Pizzico Ristorante today, Monday, August 24 from 3-8 p.m. He or she will enjoy a 2 course meal prepared by Pizzico bartender Colleen, who is owner of Puffalumps Delicacies. For $5.99 per......

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Plan now for Saturday's Savor Providence

fd0227_secret_1_02-27-08_S393LC9.jpg 9:23 PM Sun, Aug 23, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Savor Providence, a roaming event at local restaurants to benefit Trinity Rep is set for Saturday, Aug. 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. An impressive lineup of Providence restaurants will offer a taste of a signature dish or classic......

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Chez Pascal food on the road

FS_11272.JPG 7:00 AM Sat, Aug 22, 2009 | | Comments (1)
By Gail Ciampa    Email

The new Chez Pascal food truck will be out this afternoon on the side of the restaurant at 960 Hope Street. How convenient is that if you are stopping by the Hope High Farmers' Market in Lippitt Park. Some highlights......

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What have you never eaten that most people have?

9:32 AM Fri, Aug 21, 2009 | | Comments (4)
By Gail Ciampa    Email

Driving in to work this morning, I was listening to ESPN radio. But it wasn't all sports talk. In the crazy haze of summer conversation, Erik Kuselias and Tim Kurkjian stepped away from baseball and football as they filled in......

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Shaw's markets among stores recalling mac-and-cheese

4:35 PM Wed, Aug 19, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Features staff    Email

Supervalu Inc. (SVU:NYSE), the parent company of Shaw's Supermarkets, on Tuesday recalled one of its frozen-food products because it may be contaminated with bacteria. The Culinary Circle macaroni-and-cheese product may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, a common form of bacteria......

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NYT restaurant critic Frank Bruni

Bruni and Berman.JPG 7:00 AM Wed, Aug 19, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni is stepping down from his post. This allows him to be seen in public without blowing his mystery cover. He's on Nightline tonight (ABC 11:35) to talk about his old job and......

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No-cook Italian ices, lemon and strawberry

12:12 AM Tue, Aug 18, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

GRANITA DI LIMONE (Lemon Ice) 12 cups crushed ice Juice of 12 lemons 6 tablespoons sugar, approximately 12 lemon slices for garnishing Fill sherbet glasses with the crushed ice. Place in freezer until ready to serve. Mix lemon juice......

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Too hot to cook: Cold food and a Mojito sundae

crabroll.jpg 6:40 AM Mon, Aug 17, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

The dog days are here, and we're not turning on the stove. Tonight, we bought a rotisserie chicken, sliced it and made sandwiches with homegrown tomatoes. If the heat stretches out through the week as forecast, we'll need to diversify.......

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White sangria for a hot day

whitesangria.jpg 12:47 AM Sun, Aug 16, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

An inexpensive sparkling wine does fine in this recipe for white sangria. For the blend of fruits, use whatever is seasonal -- these will cost the least and taste the best. WHITE SANGRIA 1 cup mixed cut fresh fruit (such......

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Better ideas for using the zucchini bounty

turkey-stuffed-zucchini.jpg 1:24 AM Sat, Aug 15, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

I'm tired of reading recipes for zucchini that mostly add tomatoes, a little garlic and onion, and stop there. So I was pleased to see that Jen O'Callaghan at the Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph had gone beyond the obvious in Zucchini......

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Ceviche: Chilled fish 'cooked' by a citrus marinade

ceviche-a.jpg 6:41 AM Fri, Aug 14, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes writes, The first time I made ceviche, I was amazed. I could actually see the lemon and lime juice turning the color of the fish from translucent pink to opaque white. The acid from the......

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Football food: Recipes for tonight's Patriots game party

9:53 AM Thu, Aug 13, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

During the 2008 Patriots season, we gathered recipes that are good to serve people who are watching TV in comfortable chairs, snacks for the nervous and pumped. Tonight, the Pats play their first preseason game on TV against the Philadelphia......

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Recipe: Fresh tomato pie from a family-farm restaurant

tomatopie.jpg 11:09 PM Wed, Aug 12, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Photo / The (S.C.) State / Kim Kim Foster-Tobin Stono Farm Market's Tomato Shed Cafe on Johns Island, S.C. is known for its tomato pie made from tomatoes grown on a family farm. The Columbia (S.C.) State does a......

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Indoor clambake a lot less work than the feast on a beach

indoorclambake.jpg 4:10 PM Tue, Aug 11, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

True clambakes -- pits filled with steaming rocks and seaweed on the beach -- are major productions. You can fake it indoors though -- it's a one-pot meal. Make sure to use a very big pot. Seaweed not required.......

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Dining Out: Delight in Mediterranean flavors at North End Café

12:01 AM Tue, Aug 11, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Michael Janusonis    Email

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch These long and crunchy chicken tenderloins, accompanied by a drizzle of mild Dijon sauce, are one of three skewer offerings at the North End Café, 1058 Charles St., North Providence. View North End......

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Tickets to a Pats game await N.E. recipe contest winners

6:10 PM Mon, Aug 10, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

This contest for tailgating recipes that include cranberry ends Sept. 1. If that seems early, the NFL Preseason starts Thursday night for the Pats, who play the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. The game is......

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Update: Sauteed fresh corn, green beans, red onion make modern succotash

succo.jpg 10:52 AM Mon, Aug 10, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Updated Monday, 10:52 a.m.: After blogging this Friday (see below), I picked up a half-dozen ears of fresh corn from a roadside stand Saturday with this recipe in mind. Last night, my daughter and I made it and served it......

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Mutant squash from the garden

squashman.jpg 10:56 AM Sun, Aug 09, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Photos / Sheila Lennon My daughter brought over a squash from a plant in her garden that wishes it made lemons, and tries, left. We paired it with the Siamese-twin squash at right from our garden. Even when cut......

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Tuck some fruits on your grill as a salad, side or dessert

grilledfruit_npr.jpg 5:04 PM Fri, Aug 07, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

With a long holiday weekend ahead, I went looking for some easy grilling beyond the usual suspects. These grilled fruits are easy, and would be fine to snack on cold later. Natalie Moore at NPR (Grilling Your Dessert) notes, Grilling......

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Distinct tastes balance on Indian tapas plates

satvic_thali.jpg 11:49 AM Thu, Aug 06, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Gail mentioned last month that Chef Sanjiv Dhar, right, of Rasoi in Pawtucket and Kabob and Curry in Providence would be cooking up a special all month. The press release: Every evening from 5:30pm - 9pm... Rasoi is offering a......

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NYT's next restaurant critic makes a mean Sesame Noodles

sesamenoodles.jpg 2:43 AM Thu, Aug 06, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

New York Times photo / Tony Cenicola Sam Sifton's Sesame Noodles. Sam Sifton, cultural news editor of the New York Times, has been named to succeed Frank Bruni as that news organization's restaurant critic. His Wikipedia biography: Sifton graduated......

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Meaty ragu sauce experiment turns out delicious

ragu.jpg 5:59 AM Wed, Aug 05, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Pamela Reinsel Cotter    Email

Mushroom ragu / AP Photo My husband remembers tastes much better than he does recipes, so when he told me he wanted to make "ragu sauce" -- not the name brand, but the beef-based northern Italian, stew-like sauce he......

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Julia Child's illustrated recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon

beoufb.jpg 3:17 PM Tue, Aug 04, 2009 | | Comments (14)
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Photo / Knopf Doubleday Boeuf Bourguignon, from Julia Child's recipe Before going on vacation, Gail Ciampa wrote a story about Julia Child that will appear in tomorrow's paper, and is online now at projo.com: Child and her editor changed......

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Dining Out: Food, drinks as exquisite as views at Fluke in Newport

12:01 AM Tue, Aug 04, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Gail Ciampa    Email

The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires Fluke’s Shellfish Pan Roast is a feast of scallops, clams, mussels and shrimp in a savory broth, served with grilled bread. View Fluke's menu Dining Out review: Food, drinks as exquisite as views......

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Food fest, auction at Castle Hill Tuesday to benefit Farm Fresh RI

3:20 PM Mon, Aug 03, 2009 | | Write a comment
By Sheila Lennon    Email

Journal files At the 2007 Local Food Fest at Castle Hill, Newport, Randall Page, left, of Portsmouth, fills his plate next to a striped bass. Local Food Fest 2009, a benefit for Farm Fresh Rhode Island, happens at Castle......

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