Neighborhood Kitchens visits Pawtucket - Providence's East Side and Rasoi

By Margarita Martinez   |   Tuesday, May 21, 2013   0 comments.

Spring is my favorite time in New England. In Providence and Pawtucket, the trees, bushes, and flowers are in bloom along the streets surrounding Blackstone Boulevard and East Avenue, creating a lovely canopy to stroll beneath. One particularly lush place to visit at this time of year is the Slater Mill Museum. Located in downtown Pawtucket on the Blackstone River, the Slater Mill Museum has a park bordered by blooming trees and the historic textile mill buildings. Built in 1793, the Old Slater Mill was the first successful textile mill. Today individuals and organizations can visit the Old Slater Mill to enjoy the grounds and to learn more about life during the Industrial Revolution in New England.



Another great reason to visit Pawtucket in the spring and summer is to see the Pawtucket Red Sox play at McCoy Stadium. The PawSox are the farm team for the Boston Red Sox and sports fans can watch major league prospects play baseball at McCoy for a fraction of the price of a game at Fenway. I am particularly partial to the PawSox since they invited me to throw the first pitch during my visit! I didn't quite make it over the plate, but I am proud to report that my pitch had only one hop before landing right in PawSox catcher Daniel Butler's mitt.



Pawtucket is also home to the delicious Indian restaurant Rasoi, located right where Hope Street in Providence turns into East Avenue in Pawtucket. Within a short walk there are great bakeries, the James Beard-nominated Cook and Brown Public House, the specialty olive oil shop Olive del Mondo, a BBQ joint, the Lippitt Park spring and summer farmer's market, and lots of restaurants and cafes. There is even an Indian specialty shop, Not Just Spices, with ingredients for preparing Indian meals at home. These will come in handy after our visit with Chef Sanjiv Dhar at Rasoi Restaurant.

Bistro 5's Fried Calamari

Monday, May 20, 2013   0 comments.

Learn how to make Chef Ettore's take on the classic calamari dish, a fried calamari with sweet and spicy tomato chutney. 

Watch Neighborhood Kitchens: Recipe Fried Calamari on PBS. See more from Neighborhood Kitchens.

 

Fried Calamari with Sweet and Spicy Tomato Chutney 
 
Ingredients
 
Sweet and Spicy Tomato Chutney
1 tbsp diced ginger
2 cloves of diced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
3 pints grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 tsp chili flakes
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp champagne vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
 
Fried Calamari
2 cups flour
2 cups semolina
2 tbsp salt
1 cup Calamari rings and tentacles
Vegetable oil for frying
 

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Bistro 5's Meyer Lemon Risotto With Seared Sea Scallops

Monday, May 20, 2013   0 comments.

Learn how to make Bistro 5's Meyer Lemon Risotto with Scallops and Peas. 

Watch Neighborhood Kitchens: Recipe Meyer Lemon Risotto on PBS. See more from Neighborhood Kitchens.

Meyer Lemon Risotto with Peas and Seared Sea Scallops

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup fresh Peas (blanched)
6 large scallops
2 qts fish or vegetable stock
2 tbsp butter to cook rice
2 Meyer lemons
2 shallots
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup white wine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

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Bistro 5's Cantucci and Vin Santo

Monday, May 20, 2013   0 comments.

Learn how to make Bistro 5's Cantucci with Vin Santo.

 

Watch Neighborhood Kitchens: Recipe Cantucci and Vin Santo on PBS. See more from Neighborhood Kitchens.

Ingredients
 
1 cup almonds
¾ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
white wine (preferably Italian)

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A visit to Medford and Bistro 5

By Margarita Martinez   |   Tuesday, May 14, 2013   0 comments.

Most people don't think of Medford as being a culinary destination, but that just adds to the hidden gem appeal of Medford businesses. There is a Modern Pastry location, so those in Medford do not have to endure the North End crowds in order to get great cannoli. If you live in New England and cook Japanese food, then you probably know about Ebisuya Japanese Market, which is a great place to get Japanese ingredients and imports, such as Japanese candy and magazines.


 (Patricia Alvarado Núñez/WGBH)
And there is Bistro 5, an Italian restaurant owned by Chef Vittorio Ettore. Right off of the West Medford stop on the Lowell Line, this restaurant truly feels like stepping into another place and time. The lush gold and red colors and fabrics create a very moody and intimate experience perfect for enjoying the food of Tuscany. The ambience and food make you feel a bit like you're at Carnival, but without the crowds, floats, and parties.

 (Patricia Alvarado Núñez/WGBH)
Like most Americans, I love Italian food. When I speak to people about Neighborhood Kitchens and ask for restaurant suggestions for our show, the most recommended type of cuisine is Italian. I prepare Italian food often, grow lots of basil and tomatoes, and keep lots of good olive oil, pasta, garlic, and vinegar on hand to quickly prepare delicious Italian-style meals - imagine my excitement at traveling to West Medford to learn how to cook Tuscan food with Chef Ettore!


 (Patricia Alvarado Núñez/WGBH)
I loved his tips for making risotto and biscotti. These are items that I make at home, but I learned about the heritage of these dishes and how to make them better from Chef Ettore. For instance, while I have made biscotti, at Bistro 5 I learned how to made cantucci, a drier form of biscotti enjoyed in Tuscany. I am also used to enjoying my biscotti with espresso, but this time I enjoyed it as a lovely dessert by dipping it in a sweet glass of vin santo.

Chef Ettore, a chef with a joyful passion for life and food, truly knows how to include people in the process of cooking great cuisine. Along with Bistro 5, Chef Ettore owns A Tavola in Winchester just north of West Medford. In Winchester, Chef Ettore runs a “Seed to Plate” program at Ambrose Elementary School. He has a garden at the Sandborn House Historical and Cultural Center where he teaches 4^th and 5^th

 (Patricia Alvarado Núñez/WGBH)
grade students how to plant, harvest, cook with, and compost ingredients. The program culminates with a meal prepared by Chef Ettore and the students and shared with the teachers, parents, and students using ingredients grown throughout the year. It is obvious that Chef Ettore wants to pass on to the younger generation a passion for food, from eating it to growing and sourcing it, just as his family and community did for him while growing up in Tuscany. Those of us who participate in his “Seed to Plate” program and visit his restaurants are reaping the rewards.

Pho Le's Vietnamese Mango Salad - Goi Xoai

Sunday, May 12, 2013   0 comments.

One of the most popular salads sold at Pho Le is made with very firm, green mangoes marinated in a garlicky, pungent fish sauce.




Goi Xoai (Green Mango Aalad)
 
Ingredients
 
Salad
1 green mango
¼ lb peeled and deveined shrimp
5 Vietnamese coriander leaves
1 tbsp fried shallots
Chopped peanuts
 
Fish Sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
Thai chili pepper

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About Neighborhood Kitchens

Building on a 34-year history of producing Latino and multicultural programming, WGBH’s award winning La Plaza team has a new offering — Neighborhood Kitchens, a series about the exploration of culture through food. Every week the show offers a unique window into immigrant communities in New England.

Saturdays at 4pm and Sundays at 6:30pm on WGBH 2
Fridays at 7:30pm on WGBH 44

Margarita Martinez
Margarita grew up in the Bronx and Ossining, NY with a Puerto Rican father and a Franco-American mother. From making her first empanada as a teenager visiting Argentina to her lifelong search for authentic Mexican food in the Northeast, Margarita has always had an insatiable appetite for Latin American food. Margarita is also passionate about acting and music. She graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU with a BFA in Drama.

On the Go

In each episode, host Margarita Martínez visits a different ethnic restaurant and learns three delicious recipes from the chef. She also explores the restaurant’s neighborhood, discovering hidden gems along the way. Join her as she learns about new ingredients, new cultures, and new neighborhoods. ¡Hasta pronto!

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Find a Neigbhorhood Kitchen

Margarita's Neighborhood Visits

»Boston's South End:
    Orinoco and Teranga
»Boston's Back Bay: Casa Romero
»Boston's North End: Taranta
»Roxbury: Merengue
»Boston's Beacon Hill: Scampo
»Cambridge: Muqueca and Oleana
»Boston: Bristol Lounge
»Somerville: Dosa Temple
»Lawrence: Cafe Azteca
»Lowell: Simply Khmer
»Fresh from the Fish Market
»Jamaica Plain: Tres Gatos
»Dorchester: Pho Le

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Topics

• Neighborhood Kitchens
• NK Recipes

 

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