Fresh From the Farm: Eggs

Last year, I moved from the city to the suburbs. While attending the Open House, we noticed that the neighbors next door had a chicken coop and several hens. Chickens? In this old suburb? Unexpected, but OK.

I have come to love the hens -- they are hilarious and cluck loudly whenever they lay an egg. Although I've yet to enjoy fresh eggs from the neighbors, I recently tried out the next best thing in my 'burb: Owen's Poultry Farm.

I picked up a dozen fresh eggs from Owen's store (bargain! they're cheaper than the eggs from the grocery store) and excitedly brought them home. This morning, I poached the eggs and served on an English muffin with sliced avocado. It was a beautiful thing!

Taste of Cambridge

Get ready for small plates and big flavors -- Taste of Cambridge is back, with this year's event being held in June. The event is moving from its Technology Square location to new digs at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square.

For several years, I was a big fan of Taste of Cambridge -- lots of innovative food from leading area restaurants, wine/beer included in the ticket, proceeds going to charities and all enjoyed with friends on a gorgeous summer evening. I last attended in 2007 and was disappointed in the quality of the restaurants, as it seemed the likes of Qdoba were being brought in to fill table spaces.

With the change of venue, perhaps it's worth another try? (Qdoba is not listed on this year's list of restaurants. Hooray!) Also new for this year: Kid-price admission for $15. Awesome idea!

• When: Thursday, June 18 from 5:30 - 8pm
• Where: Charles Hotel
• Parking: $5, validated at the Charles Hotel
• Cost: $50 in advance, $15 for kids 6-12
• Includes: All you can eat, plus 4 drinks

Slow Food on Campus

Boston Globe recently published a piece on slow food on campus. Holy Cross is doing a twice-monthly dinner featuring a leisurely meal of locally-grown food and getting the fast-paced college kid to sit down, relax and eat.

It's an interesting concept. In general, I'm all for it: better quality food for the college kids, better for the producers, a chance to relax over dinner and best of all -- a change from the humdrum college cuisine (I think I ate pasta and sauce at least three nights a week when I was at school). The flip side is the same flip side for all slow food -- where it's just a little disturbing that we have to have a slow food campaign in the first place.

Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

On Friday night, Glenn & I grabbed a quick bite at Hungry Mother (which is fast becoming my favorite restaurant). The side dish for my entree was browned Brussels sprouts and parsnips. I thought they were good, but Glenn flat-out loved them and practically licked the plate clean.

Cruising the supermarket, I figured I could do an interpretation of the dish and tweak it a little bit. I'm not much of a fan of Brussels sprouts, but I do love leeks. Seriously, in restaurants, if an entree has leeks as a side dish, I will order the entree on that basis alone. So, with that in mind, I swapped out the Brussels sprouts and cooked up a winner!

Braised Leeks & Parsnips

• 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-2" chunks
• 3 leeks (white and light green parts), cleaned, quartered and cut into 1-2" slices
• 1 oz pancetta (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
• olive oil
• 1/3 - 1/2 c. chicken stock
• salt & pepper

Cook pancetta in a large pan on medium heat, until it starts to crisp and gives off all its fat, about 5 mins. Transfer pancetta to a paper towel to drain. Keep the pancetta fat in the pan and add the parsnips. Toss in the pan with salt & pepper and leave in a single layer for 4-5 mins until one side is seared. Toss again and sear for an additional 4-5 minutes. Add leeks and cook 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add the chicken stock, reduce heat and simmer ~5 minutes. Remove lid and let the remaining liquid cook off. Transfer to serving platter, top with pancetta and enjoy!

Sandwich Upgrade

Usually, I bring my lunch to work. This often involves leftovers from the night before, or, in more depressing situations, a bowl of Special K and a banana. However, from time to time, I get more creative and put together some knock-out sandwiches. There are precious few lunch options near my office, so whenever I get ready to dig into my sandwich, co-workers jealously eye it and ask where I got it from. Invariably, they are disappointed when my response is "I made it," and I take a little victory in having a delicious lunch!

Salami Sandwich

• 1 foccacini roll, from Trader Joe's (my new favorite!)
• 3 slices Genoa salami
• goat cheese, room temperature (or at least a few minutes out of the fridge)
• roasted red pepper
• romaine lettuce
• balsamic vinegar, for drizzling.

Spread goat cheese on one side of bread. Add salami, a few leaves of romaine and some cut-up roasted red pepper. Drizzle with a little balsamic. At lunch time, warm up in a toaster oven for a few minutes. Enjoy!