Happy West Virginia Day!

I was scanning the web, looking for a topic of inspiration for tonight's post, and stumbled upon the fact that today is West Virginia Day! This brought me to another bright idea: A new recurring post on the blog! When it's a state's special day, I will feature a dish from that state in my post. This will not only help us all learn more about our good ol' USA, but the things we want to eat when we visit new places. This is definitely in keeping with the Wiki Project I wrote about last week, mycitycuisine.org. I tried searching for a list of all the state days but can't seem to find one, so I'm going to need your help! Comment on this post with your state's special day, so I can be sure to include it in this series!

from Flickr - by fsmphoto

Supposedly invented in 1927 in Fairmont, WV, miners began bringing pepperoni rolls to lunch with them. These soft bread rolls were baked with pepperoni inside, and could also include cheese, tomato sauce and banana peppers. Apparently, they are popular throughout the state, and can be found in convenience stores, bakeries, and local restaurants. I really couldn't post this entry without the inclusion of this very special website, The Pepperoni Roll Homepage. This website is amazing! It's got recipes, restaurants that serve pepperoni rolls, and it even tells us that in Virginia, pepperoni rolls are illegal because the meat is baked inside the roll. Crazy, right!?

from Flickr - by Author Erica Rivera

Another thing I learned while researching West Viriginia is that the ramp originated here. I wrote briefly about ramps in a past post, I believe, but they are seriously delicious, and now that I know that there are ramp festivals held in the state of West Virginia, I have a feeling I will be making a concerted effort to attend. The ramp is a wild leek that looks a bit like a scallion, with a very potent scent that is quite reminiscent of garlic. They are delicious in salads, but the season for them in Massachusetts is a short one. I tried to find them for a recipe on this current menu, but alas, I think I just missed them. I also found a website all about ramps, including recipes and some of the festival dates. Richwood, West Virginia is the Capital of Ramp Country!

from Flickr - by Harris Graber

I think we learned a lot about West Virginia today! I had no idea that ramps originated in this state, and I would definitely like to try one of those pepperoni rolls sometime...reminds me a bit of a calzone, no? So all you readers out there, send me info on your state's special day, and tell me what delicacy you couldn't live without. I'll try and keep up with the states and feature them as the days pass!

Tip of the day: When working with a new ingredient, do your research. Read about it, check out some other recipes to see what flavors tend to meld well with it, and most importantly, taste it. Don't throw something into a pot without knowing what flavor you are throwing in there. That's the best way to broaden your palate!

Steamer Clams and an Artichoke!

We're going to do things a little differently today. I don't have a "mise en place" picture to start off this post, because the recipe didn't really call for any prep work - amazing right? It was more measuring and combining, stirring and dipping...so that's exactly what I did. The recipe, "World's Best Fried Clams," comes from the Stonewall Kitchen Harvest cookbook. The menu mentions pairing these clams with a frisee and spring ramps salad, which I was really excited to try, but alas, I couldn't find either frisee lettuce OR ramps (I think I just missed the season for those) at the store. So instead, we had some more of those beautiful Globe Artichokes from Whole Foods ... STILL on sale!!

I don't know if I can commit to the title of this recipe, because I've had some pretty good fried clams in my day, but these were REALLY good, and I'll place them up there at the top, at the very least. While the recipe called for shucked steamer clams, I actually just bought a bag of shelled ones, and shucked them myself. I think it was probably much cheaper that way, and it's not difficult to get them out of their shells. You just need to come to terms with the fact that you are killing them as you do it. I know, I know...but I love raw oysters, and you do the same thing when you shuck those, so I've become a bit more heartless about the whole thing. Don't judge me! :)

So, I shucked the steamer clams and placed them in a bath of whole milk. They stayed there until I was ready to fry them, just soakin' it in! In another bowl, I beat an egg, and mixed it with a 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 3/4 cup of cornmeal, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, some salt, some pepper, and a few splashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco.

I poured an entire bottle of canola oil into a cast iron pan and set it to heat. I used little drops of leftover batter to test the oil. When the drop of batter bubbled and floated to the surface quickly, it was time to fry those clams! That's always a good way to test your oil, with a small amount of whatever you are frying...then you'll know if the heat is correct for that specific ingredient. Once the oil was ready for frying, I transferred the clams from the milk bath to the buttermilk batter and let them swim around for a minute...coating them thoroughly.

Frying the clams in batches, let them cook for about 2 minutes, and then spoon them out to a paper towel. I only did about 8 or 9 of them at a time, so it took a few batches to get them all cooked, but you get a more even fry if they aren't over-crowded and touching each other.

I threw together the ingredients for a tartar sauce: mayonnaise, capers, parsley, lemon juice, chopped cornichons, scallions, salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce. That made a great dipping sauce for the clams. I also poured a little bowl of that Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette from the other day to use as a dipping sauce for the artichokes.

This meal was very refreshing, and worked perfectly for a hot evening such as this. It was light, yet filling, and totally easy to pull together. 

A Busy Weekend

This was a busy holiday weekend! I didn't get to the grocery story like I said I was going to, but I did get a new current menu uploaded to the site, and I have a list in place! I finished up a lot of the leftovers from the shower...it was the last days for those things, so I enjoyed a lot of gazpacho on this lovely, hot weekend in the Boston area.

from Flickr - by Dorian Susan

I spent a lot of time outside this weekend, and not a lot of time in the kitchen, so I don't have much to report. However, I went out for a few good meals...and dining al fresco is now IN SEASON! Good company, good food, and an outdoor patio are my definition of a good time! Tomorrow, it's back to work, and back to the everyday grind. My laundry hamper is calling my name and I will get to the grocery store, I promise! Stay tuned for a whole new list of recipes, with a strong focus on crisp veggies, fresh herbs, and spring inflections.

from Flickr - by Wild Wend

Gone are the turnips, parsnips and celery root...and good day to the spring ramps, crispy cucumbers, fresh mixed greens...and some fried clams thrown in for good measure...because it's not Boston in the summer time without some fried clams!

P.S. I think the Farmer's Market by my office has started up again! I will report back after tomorrow - I can't wait to see what they have to offer!