PastaPresta Opens In SoNo Marketplace

I try to not over indulge in carbs. So when I have a bowl of pasta it needs to be something special. And, I don't know about you, but I love fresh pasta. I love the lighter texture and better flavor. With that said, as you know, I am a slacker and never take the time to make my own homemade pasta. That's why I was excited to hear about PastaPresta, which just opened in the SoNO Marketplace.

They make fresh, hand-made pasta using farm fresh ingredients and seasonal produce. According to their website: They only use organically grown semolina, durham and whole wheat flours. They use Pete & Gerry’s brand heirloom eggs from New Hampshire. Plus, they use heirloom tomatoes, spinach, arugula, mushrooms, beets, garlic, red pepper and other produce from farms in Connecticut and upstate New York.

Photo: Susan Borgen

As someone who works with her husband, I appreciate that PastaPresta is a husband and wife team - Bill and Meri Erickson of New Canaan, CT. They spent years living abroad and loved the sense of place, season and community surrounding food and the local markets. They wanted to bring a piece of that lifestyle back home to Connecticut.

PastaPresta offers traditional egg, spinach and whole grain pasta and raviolis. Additionally, there will be special weekly flavors highlighting seasonal ingredients such as heirloom tomato, roasted garlic, beet, arugula, and more. Things like spaghetti, linguini, fettucini or pappardelle can be cut to customer’s specs. They also make unique shapes including casarecce, gigli or campanelle. Much to my delight they also make the thick spaghetti-shaped Bucatini. In my house growing up, bucatini was the only choice for a spicy marinara sauce. It's not very easy to find as a dried pasta let alone as a fresh one. This is reason enough for me to travel to Norwalk and see what PastaPresta is all about.

The opening of PastaPresta also marks the U.S. debut of the patented Pastation by Pama Parsi Macchine s.r.l. of Rome, Italy, a leading global manufacturer of pasta machines. This single machine is a pasta maker, ravioli machine and sheet cutter all in one. You'll be able to watch this machine in action.

“Besides the theatre of watching us make our fresh pasta, and discovering what new tastes will be showcased each week, we hope that our customers will come by often to chat, to connect and to share the friendly marketplace experience we so enjoyed every day in Europe,” said Meri.

PastaPresta is located in the SoNo Marketplace at 314 Wilson Avenue in South Norwalk, CT. They are open from 10am to 6pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.pastapresta.com.

Have you been to the SoNo Marketplace? Have you tried PastaPresta yet? What did you think?

March Against Monsanto in Danbury

On Saturday, May 25th at 2pm is the worldwide March Against Monsanto. Activists across the globe are participating in this day of protest against Monsanto’s products and practices. There are events scheduled on six continents, in 36 countries, totaling events in over 250 cities.

In Connecticut there is a march scheduled in Hartford. And, I recently discovered that there also is going to be a march right here in Danbury.

So, what's it all about? Well, here's the statement from the official March Against Monsanto website.

Why do we march?

• Research studies have shown that Monsanto’s genetically-modified foods can lead to serious health conditions such as the development of cancer tumors, infertility and birth defects.
• In the United States, the FDA, the agency tasked with ensuring food safety for the population, is steered by ex-Monsanto executives, and we feel that’s a questionable conflict of interests and explains the lack of government-led research on the long-term effects of GM products.
• Recently, the U.S. Congress and president collectively passed the nicknamed “Monsanto Protection Act” that, among other things, bans courts from halting the sale of Monsanto’s genetically-modified seeds.
• For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup.
• Monsanto's GM seeds are harmful to the environment; for example, scientists have indicated they have contributed to Colony Collapse Disorder among the world's bee population.

What are solutions we advocate?

• Voting with your dollar by buying organic and boycotting Monsanto-owned companies that use GMOs in their products.
• Labeling of GMOs so that consumers can make those informed decisions easier.
• Repealing relevant provisions of the US's "Monsanto Protection Act."
• Calling for further scientific research on the health effects of GMOs.
• Holding Monsanto executives and Monsanto-supporting politicians accountable through direct communication, grassroots journalism, social media, etc.
• Continuing to inform the public about Monsanto's secrets.
• Taking to the streets to show the world and Monsanto that we won't take these injustices quietly.

To see if there is an event happening where you live, you can check out the listing on the March Against Monsanto website.

For more information about GMOs, visit the Non GMO Project website.

Review: Bistro 7 in Wilton

Bistro 7 in Wilton hosted a special tasting event in celebration of it's new menu. And, you know when a farm-to-fork restaurant invites me to a tasting event I'm not going to turn it down.

This restaurant has been on our "need to visit" list for a while now. We'd heard such good things but just never got down there - like driving 15 minutes is so hard. Well, this special event was just the push we needed.

Background
The restaurant is owned by Breno Donatti and Matt Criscuolo. It is part of the Jazzeria restaurant group which also includes Toozy Patza (in the same plaza), Piccolo Pizza & Pasta Jazzeria in Ridgefield and Wilton Pizza & Jazzeria. What makes B7 stand out is that it is farm-to-fork with a seasonally changing menu. During the peak local growing season, Breno said about 80% of their produce comes from local farms and, of course, during the off-season its about 30%. There is an obvious passion for quality with all the ingredients even if they aren't available locally. I was really excited to learn from Breno that this year they are putting in a restaurant garden for things like herbs, lettuces and tomatoes. They are a member of Slow Food.

Atmosphere
The vibe of B7 is warm and very inviting. It's dimly light with exposed brick walls and lots of wood. The walls are dotted with large black and white photos and classic black and white movies (sans sound) are projected against the back wall.

Menu
B7 is open for lunch and dinner. The menu is broken down into Burgers and more, Big Plates, Smaller Plates, Salads and Sides. I loved that where appropriate they include notes such as V for vegan, GF for gluten free and VT for vegetarian. At lunch there's also a prix-frixe option. Oh, and there's a bar menu too.

Drinks
There is a full bar with all the classics. They offer a small but top-notch selection of beers on tap, a variety of beer in bottles as well as a great selection of wines. Then, there are the B7 originals. We were treated a drink called Sage Advice featuring organic vodka, sage infused simple syrup, blackberry chambord glaze and fresh squeezed lemon. So. Good. The drink was well balanced (aka not too sweet). I think it's perfect for brunch, which they have on Sundays.

On To The Tasting

Hors d'Oeuvres
As guests arrived we were treated to a trio of hors d'oeuvres. The first was a smoked salmon cream cheese toast with red pepper, dill and chives. It was creamy, crunchy and fresh. Not fishy at all. A second round of the salmon was served in a Belgian endive leaf. I actually enjoyed it even more with the crispy lettuce.

The second item to come around was a thin slice of seared swordfish topped with sauteed veggies and wasabi mayo served on a crostini. Usually, I'm not a big swordfish fan. This little bite might change my mind. Surprisingly, this was my favorite hors d'oeuvre of the night. The wasabi mayo pulled all the flavors together and again, it wasn't fishy at all.

The third nosh was crispy prosciutto wrapped shrimp topped with a rosemary honey mustard served in an endive leaf. While all the ingredients in this were things we love, but it wasn't our favorite. But make no mistake we did enjoy it. We were big fans of the combination of bitter lettuce, sweet sauce and salty prosciutto.

1st Course: Homestyle Tomato Soup made with organic, heirloom tomatoes and topped with grilled cheese croutons. It was like marinara sauce in a bowl - herby, chunky and so good. And really, how can you go wrong with grilled cheese croutons? They melted in your mouth. I could eat a big bowl of this and be happy.

2nd Course: Quinoa Salad with carrots, apples, sweet potatoes, and raisins dressed with an apple cider vinaigrette. The words fresh and crisp immediately came to mind with the first bite. The hint of sweet from the raisins paired so well with the tart apple and earthy quinoa. This would be a great salad to order on a hot summer evening. Refreshing!

3rd Course: Pan Seared Scallops with tarragon pesto, mushrooms, bacon and succotash featuring red beans, corn and snap peas. The crisp veggies were a nice compliment to the scallop which just melted in your mouth. The tarragon pesto, for lack of a better word, was effervescent. We seriously fell in love with this pesto.

4th Course: Cilantro Lime Sweet Potato Tacos with organic spicy tofu, black beans, organic bell peppers and zucchini. OMG! Everything this evening was delicious, but we decided this dish was our absolute, runaway favorite. We easily could have put away an entire dish of these bad boys. We love spicy and these were perfect. Killer. We need more.

5th Course: "Baby Come Back" Rib with cole slaw. The meat was slow cooked for three hours then grilled. It was just the right amount of done - a gentle pull and the meat easily came off the bone. The homemade BBQ sauce was lightly sweet. I'm picky when it comes to cole slaw and not a fan of the typical goopy, overly mayo stuff. This was not that. It was crispy and you could actually taste the cabbage. The fresh slaw was a nice compliment to the savory, sticky rib.

6th Course: Crispy Branzino with red onions, celery, peppers and kalamata olives. The fish was amazingly light, flaky and oh, so crispy. Loved the crispiness. Here is where my opinion departs from my lovely husband. I'm not a fan at all of black olives. I always find their taste overwhelming. For me, as usual, the olive flavor in this dish was too strong. I know, it's my own weird hang-up. On the other hand, Renato loved the flavor they added to the dish and didn't think they were strong at all.

7th Course: Dessert Medley of creme brulee, fudgy brownie topped with toasted walnut and caramel sauce, and white chocolate bread pudding. The flavor of the creme brulee custard was spot on. The bread pudding had a lovely, gentle vanilla and spice vibe. Our favorite was the brownie. We really loved the deep chocolate taste combined with the crunchy walnut and sweet caramel. It went down awfully easy.

Special nod to our server Robert. He was fantastic, always making sure the pacing of the dinner was to our liking and frequently checking on us. He suggested a fantastic Sauv Blanc from France to pair with the Branzino dish. He even let us sample another Sauv Blanc from Chile just to compare flavors. We're not fancy folks, but we do love attention to detail. Sometimes it's all about the little things. So when my fork was cleared with one of the courses, he immediately was there with a clean one. I didn't have to say a word. Yeah, I like that.

Thank you to Breno, Matt and everyone for a wonderful evening. Thumbs up. In a nutshell yes, we'll be back for more.

Bistro 7
Farm-To-Fork Restaurant + Bar
991 Danbury Road (Route 7) . Wilton, CT
203.587.1287
www.bistro7wilton.com
Twitter: @bistro7wilton

Open daily 11:30am - 10:30pm
Sunday Brunch at 10am

iPhone Photos by Renato Ghio

Preview: Whole Foods Market Danbury

For all the items that I can't get at my usual round of farm stands and farmer's markets there will be a new option in town - Whole Foods Market.

The grand opening of the 35,000 square foot store is this Friday, May 17th.  The opening celebration kicks off at 8:30am with a bread breaking ceremony followed by storewide tastings, special sales, giveaways and other fun stuff. As part of the grand opening the store's first 350 customers will get a free pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast and a free pound of raw, peeled shrimp. Plus 5% of the day's sales will be donated to the Danbury Museum and Historical Society.

As luck would have it I was invited with other local bloggers and media to a preview tour of the new store. Here are some fun highlights from my sneak peak:

Produce
They do try to source locally when possible. In this case local also means regional. You'll find items from local farms like The Hickories (Ridgefield) to artisans and farms from upstate NY, NYC and New Jersey.

Seafood
In most traditional supermarkets I seriously struggle finding sustainable options. Whole Foods will not carry any seafood in the red "Avoid" category of the Seafood Watch Guide by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. If the list changes, so does what they carry. Additionally, in many instances they buy direct from Northeast fisherman. I'm not an oyster fan, but for all of you who are, they will carry oysters from Westport Aquaculture.

Meat
Whole Foods works with the Global Animal Partnership to certify producers' animal welfare practices. There is a 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating System. Right now the system is for pigs, chickens, turkeys, and cattle. All producers they carry are least at Step 1 - no crates, no cages. Step 5 means the animals lived their entire lives on pasture and were slaughtered on farm.

GMO
You may have already heard this, but it bears repeating: Whole Foods has announced that by 2018, all products in US and Canada stores must be labeled if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Whole Foods is first national grocery store to set a deadline for GMO labeling. As a store they aren't taking a side in the debate but believe customers have a right to know and decide for themselves. They have partnered with the Non-GMO Project and already have products as verified free of GMOs.

Cheese & Specialty Foods
Cheese wonderland, that is all I have to say. And, you can ask for a sample of anything before you buy it. Oh, and there was a towering display of Chocopologie (Norwalk) truffles right around the corner from the cheese department. They are exclusively made for Whole Foods. Just pointing it out.

Bakery
They will carry Wave Hill Breads (Norwalk) and a few other regionally made breads in addition to lots of in-house made options. All their cakes are made with natural food dyes so don't expect any other-worldly colors in the frosting. I love a bit of nostalgia so it was fun to hear about their retro sweets roll-out. Think natural versions of the classics like Yodels and Twinkies. They even have "natural" versions of gummy candies, all made without high fructose corn syrup.

Coffee Bar
The store will carry locally roasted coffee in addition to larger brands. At their coffee bar all the beans are certified Fair Trade and roasted on site. The coffee bar will also feature Kelvin (Brooklyn) all natural slushies.

Burgers & Shakes
What makes the Danbury location feel a bit special is the Burgers & Shakes bar, an homage to Marcus Dairy. The store, which if you're not familiar with the area, sits on the former site of Marcus Dairy - a local classic dairy bar restaurant. The Whole Foods version will feature burgers, push-cart style hot dogs and of course made-to-order milkshakes. As a side note, as another way to honor the history of the location, there are "dairy" related decorative touches throughout the store like old fashioned milk jugs and crates.

Community
As a way to be a part of the community, Whole Foods Market Danbury has dedicated 5% day grants throughout the year to four other local organizations: The Ridgefield Playhouse, CityCenter Danbury, The Land Trust of Danbury and Plow to Plate of New Milford.

Okay, so that's just a few of the highlights. For me, Whole Foods is a cool new addition to Danbury.

What's your favorite thing about Whole Foods? Do you have one nearby? How far have you driven just to go to one?

iPhone Photos by Renato Ghio

Asparagus with Baked Ricotta

Baked ricotta. If you haven't made it before, you need to. You can add this to the list of things I never thought to do before, but should have done.

I knew it was going to be good as soon as I saw the recipe in an Organic Gardening magazine article about a new cookbook by Deborah Madison. I immediately pinned the recipe to my kitchen bulletin board as a reminder to get all the ingredients right away.

Baked ricotta is simply delicious. The sky is the limit when it comes to flavor combinations and uses. Sweet or savory. Appetizer or dinner. You can get creative and I love that.

Of course I ventured away from the original recipe pairing it with fresh asparagus instead of peas. I also omitted the shavings of Parmesan cheese on top.

One very important thing before we get to the recipe: The baking time of the ricotta can vary a lot, depending on the amount of moisture in the ricotta. Drain out as much of the liquid as possible. I didn't drain my ricotta all that well and the cooking time was about double what the original recipe called for. I wasn't in a hurry so it didn't matter. However, getting as much liquid out as possible before you start is probably a good idea.

Asparagus with Baked Ricotta

(adapted from Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison)

Serves 2 for dinner

Ingredients

• 1 cup, high quality ricotta cheese
• Olive oil
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 5 sage leaves, minced
• 1 bunch, fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup, water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly oil a small ceramic baking dish, about 6 inches in diameter.
3. Drain the ricotta by putting it in a colander lined with cheese cloth and pressing out the excess liquid.
4. Pack the drained ricotta into the oiled baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and bake 20 minutes or until the cheese has begun to set and lightly brown.
5. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and dried thyme over the top and continue to bake until the bread crumbs are browned and crisp, another 10 minutes.
6. When the cheese is finished baking, heat the butter in medium-sized saute pan over medium heat.
7. When the butter foams add the onion and sage and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
8. Add the chopped asparagus and lemon zest along with 1/2 cup of water.
9. Simmer until the asparagus is bright green and tender, about 5 minutes.
10. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Divide the baked ricotta between two plates. Top with the asparagus and serve.

Have you made baked ricotta? How do you normally serve it?

An Evening At The Butcher Shop

It was with much anticipation that we headed to Butcher's Best in Newtown for Chef Michael Bick's first farm-to-table dinner of the year. We not only brought our appetites; we brought friends.

And you know it's going to be a fun evening when you're handed a glass of champagne as you walk in the door. I must say that the butcher shop made for a quaint dinner setting.

It was with bubbly in hand that we made our way around the room, chatting with friends new and old, and noshing on a trio of passed hors d-oeuvres. First to come around was a mini duck burger on brioche bun with shiitake mushroom ketchup. As you know I do not eat mushrooms, but decided to give it a whirl. Much to my delight it wasn't overly mushroomy, just a hint of earthiness matching well with the richness of the duck. The next bite-sized treat was a Mediterranean ratatouille with zucchini, squash, red pepper, tomato and Arethusa Farm goat cheese nestled into a crunchy sun dried tomato tartlet. The final pre-dinner delight was grilled lamb loin on a potato raft with tzatziki. This was irresistibly good. The crisp, light potato backdrop for the tender, rare thin slice of lamb on top accented with the tangy tzatziki was a beautiful combination. I think I sampled more than my fair share, because you know, I had to share details with you. Yeah, that's it.

Before we knew it, it was time to be seated and enjoy an amuse bouche of asparagus leek soup and grilled cheese with truffle. I am not always a fan of truffle, often finding the flavor to be overpowering. The soup was bright like spring and the hint of truffle in the grilled cheese wasn't too much but rather helped to round out the flavors.

A crisp mixed greens salad with rice wine ginger vinaigrette was a nice palate cleanser to ready us for the remaining courses. As the wine flowed, our next course was beet gnocchi with walnut sage butter. Um, awesome! If this had been the only course I would have been happy. Not only did it taste fantastic but the color was just so amazing.

Next came a spicy seared diver sea scallop with yuzu kosho pesto atop wilted beet greens. The heat from the yuzu kosho pesto was killer - not too hot, but just enough to linger on your palate. Thumbs up.

The last course was dusted grilled NY strip loin with wild mushroom ragout over saffron-curry Israeli couscous. I think I hit my mushroom max at this point, so I didn't quite eat it all. I will say however that the steak was cooked perfectly.

It was a delicious meal and just when we didn't think we could eat another thing, well, it was time for dessert. When dessert is bite-sized you don't have to feel quilty for sampling all the options, right? Well, that's what I tried to convince myself of as I savored pieces of cappucino brownies, limoncello curd tarlets and white chocolate s'mores. At our end of the room the hands down favorite was the s'mores creation. I also really loved the lightly sweet and refreshing limoncello curd tarlets.

I've said it before but I'll say it again good friends, fun conversation, and great food make for a wonderful Sunday evening.

You can check out the Some Thing's Fishy website for info on Chef Bick's upcoming farm-to-table events.

And, on a side note, if you haven't been to Butcher's Best you should go. It's like the butcher shops I remember from my childhood where they have great meats and know how to prepare them.

iphone photos by Renato Ghio

Herbed Cheese and Beer Bread

I have a plethora of cookbooks sitting on a kitchen shelf. A few are covered in splatters and stains from frequent use, others have barely a crack in the binding. I look at the some of the spines and recall flipping through them years ago and how I planned to cook my way through them. Of course, years have passed and I've only really tried a handful of the recipes in each. It doesn't seem right.

Thus, on a whim, I decided to randomly select one of those dusty books and make something from it. The lucky contestant was the Williams-Sonoma The Best of the Kitchen Library Baking cookbook.

I don't make very many quick breads, other than zucchini bread, so I skipped to that chapter and found one that not only looked good, but was also one where I actually had most of the ingredients. The winning recipe was for a cheesy herbed beer bread.

I was really happy with the way it came out. The beer gave it a subtle yeasty background flavor, which helped the cheese flavor pop. I will definitely make this again.

Herbed Cheese and Beer Bread

(ever so slightly adapted from Williams Sonoma

The Best of the Kitchen Library Baking cookbook)

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for greasing the loaf pan
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the loaf pan
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1, 12 oz. bottle of beer (Brooklyn Lager)
• 1 cup grated cheese (aged asiago)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
3. In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sage.
4. Stir in the beer and cheese until completely combined.
5. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepped loaf pan and spread evenly.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Have you been inspired to revisit a cookbook that's been gathering dust on your shelf?