Stone Hearth Pizza Co. - Local, Sustainable, and Delicious

Last night, I had the opportunity to sit down to a true local dining experience at Stone Hearth Pizza Co. in Porter Square.  I had definitely heard about Stone Hearth Pizza before but I never thought of it as anything more than just another pizza company in the Boston area.  But I was surprisingly happy to find that Stone Hearth Pizza is so much more than that.

I arrived at the Cambridge location a little after 6:30 PM to dine with nine other fabulous food bloggers and social media whizzes courtesy of Citysearch Boston.  The restaurant is small with about forty seats available that were kept full throughout the evening.

We were greeted by the Stone Hearth Pizza Chef Michael Ehlenfeldt who spoke to us at length about Stone Hearth Pizza's menu and direction, which includes:

• An ever evolving menu that incorporates a healthy blend of premium organic and sustainable ingredients that are locally produced, whenever possible;
• Staying local by working with over fifty New England vendors and producers;
• Featuring a seasonal, rotating list of local, craft beers, including some of my favorite Allagash and Cisco Brewery beers; and
• Offering gluten free pizza and pasta.

I really liked how Michael explained his focus on using local and sustainable ingredients but mindfully balancing that with the extra costs that come from purchasing ingredients that aren't out of season or mass-produced.  His ideology really resonated with me and I was eager to learn more from him throughout the evening.  While a restaurant's mission is important, we can't forget about focusing on what the food tastes like and Stone Hearth Pizza was definitely a success on this front too.

We started out with a glass of Original Sin Hard Cider as we were happily bombarded with some tasty starters that included a roasted eggplant dip, mozzarella-stuffed beef meatballs, the most divine ricotta and pickled asparagus and ramps.  The Parmesan flatbread, made with organic dough in an oven-fired grill, was addictive.  The picture below shows about half of what was remaining of just one of the plates at our table. None of the diners could get enough of it!

And the marinated olives were gorgeously plump and briney.

Although I'm not a huge fan of gazpacho, this traditional tomato gazpacho was a welcome relief with yesterday's high temperatures.

And the gazpacho went well with the light Allagash White, which is one of my favorite beers from Maine.

We were then onto the salads, which included a traditional Caesar and a mixed field greens salad featuring asparagus (from Michael Ehlenfeldt's own garden in New Hampshire) and some delightful radishes.  But my favorite was by far the arugula and portobello salad topped with thin slices of a locally-sourced Parmesan-like cheese.  I especially enjoyed the salad while sipping on Nantucket's Cisco Brewers' Whale's Tale Pale Ale.  I visited Cisco Brewery a few summers back and I am always thrilled when a local restaurant or bar carries their beer.

But of course, the main attraction were the pizzas and we tried almost all of them with our family-style dining!  Some of my dining companions loved the Bean (garlic oil, white bean spread, fresh mozzarella, sauteed red onion topped with a spinach salad) and the Farm Fresh (garlic oil, roasted cherry tomatoes, charred peppers, Yukon gold potatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, mozzarella topped with prosciutto).

But I was distracted by the Prosciutto Pineapple pizza which made up half a pie with the BBQ Chicken.

And I could NOT stop raving about the pesto pizza that had huge dollops of pesto and ricotta cheese.  This was by far my most favorite slice of the night!

The pizzas were all served on thin whole wheat crusts and went down smoothly went some additional fabulous local beers that I have never tried before.  First up was Pretty Things' Jack D'Or, which had a gorgeous label.

And our last beer was the dessert-like Allagah Curieux, which is barrel-aged with a hint of bourbon flavor in it.

As if the evening wasn't fabulous enough, Michael Ehlenfeldt provided us with our own basil plants to take home.  I couldn't think of a more perfect way to send the message that Stone Hearth Pizza Co. is about staying local and sustainable.  I think we were all in agreement that this was the best swag party favor ever.

Thanks Citysearch Boston for a fabulous evening and for introducing me to Stone Hearth Pizza Co..  I couldn't fall in love more with Stone Hearth Pizza for it's message and mission, while never compromising in taste or flavor.  Although there are no locations in my neighborhood, I know that this won't deter me from becoming a repeat customer for years to come.

Stone Hearth Pizza has three locations in the Boston area, including Belmont, Needham and Cambridge.  The Cambridge location is at 1782 Massachusetts Avenue, located a short walk from Porter Square T Station.

Sweet Summer Ziti with Spicy Sriracha Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip

Last night, I was feeling incredibly stressed out.  Work has been so overwhelming for me in so many different ways and I was looking forward to coming home and cooking a simple but tasty meal for dinner.  Even at the end of the worst days, I find that cooking dinner can help me clear my head and relax.  While I can never quiet my mind during yoga, there is something so therapeutic and calming about preparing ingredients and tasting flavors to make a dish.

Since it was still fairly warm out, I decided to make a very simple summer pasta dish for dinner.  I put a pot of water on the stove to boil along with a few dashes of salt. While my pasta water started to heat up, I prepped my ingredients by mincing a few large cloves of garlic along with chopping up half a large white onion.  I slowly sauteed the garlic and onion in a pan on medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.

By this time, the water began to boil and I  dropped the ziti into the pot.

As the pasta began to cook, I added some pre-cooked sliced sweet chicken sausage to the pan with the softened onion and garlic.

I then added some still frozen peas and a small carton of delicious organic grape tomatoes.

When the pasta was done cooking, I drained it and added the ziti to the pan with the vegetable and chicken sasuage mix.  I also added a bit of the pasta water, a drizzle of olive oil and a bit more red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.  I tossed the pasta, vegetables and chicken sausage together and then covered the pan while keeping the heat on low.

I wanted to make a quick side vegetable dish to go along with the pasta.  Usually I would make a side salad but I was in the mood for something different.  Since I had a bag of baby carrots in the refrigerator, I decided to make a veggie dipping sauce for it.  I had plain lowfat 2% Chobani Greek yogurt on hand and I decided to make this the base of my dip.

I also included some finely chopped white onion, a few minced garlic cloves, and lemon juice to the dip.

To add some spice, I started out by adding red pepper flakes and cumin, along with some salt and pepper to taste.

I threw all of these ingredients in the food processor and pulse it smooth.  When I tasted it, something was misisng so I added a bit of Sriracha sauce and a bit more lemon juice.

By putting together these simple ingredients, the end result was a spicy and tangy dipping sauce that went along perfectly with a side of baby carrots.

The carrots and dipping sauce were a great cold and crunchy side to my warm summer ziti dish. 

I loved that the chicken sausage, grape tomatoes and peas added sweetness to the pasta which contrasted well with the salty grated Parmesan cheese that I topped the pasta with at the last minute.  I love making summer pasta dishes without the heavy red sauces because the pasta seems so much lighter, fresh and vibrant.  With last night's heat wave, this was a perfect summer ziti dish.

What do you like to make on a warm summer evening? 

Return Visit to Tupelo

About a year ago, I made my first visit to Tupelo at Inman Square.  I had a really wonderful dining experience and was especially impressed by the attentive service.  This past Friday, I made a return visit and was happy to find that the service and Southern comfort food was consistently outstanding.  We started the evening off with a few beers at the bar while we waited for our table.  I started out with the Tusker Lager and after a few cold sips, our table was already ready for us.  At our table, B and I proceeded to order a gluttonous selection of plates, including:

Complimentary Corn Bread - The corn bread was sweet and crumbly, just the way I like it.

Southern Spiced Turkey Meatballs with French Bread for mopping up - The turkey meatballs were so moist and not dense at all.  While I appreciated the thought of sopping up the broth with the French bread, I wasn't too impressed with the bread entirely and was content just to enjoy these flavorful meatballs.

House pickles - This small side dish carried big flavor with pickled cucumbers, carrots, onions and peppers. If you love pickles as much as I do, this is a must-order at Tupelo.

Glazed St. Louis ribs with bourbon jalapeño BBQ & coleslaw - B asked for this appetizer dish to be made into an entree and our attentive server was happy to accomodate him.  The entree portion had a bit more ribs along with an additional side of the hominy mashed potatoes.  I stole a bit of the ribs and they were so tender with a deliciously sweet glaze. 

Cajun Gumbo with Pulled Chicken & Smoked Andouille Sausage - This giant bowl was full of such smoky spicy deliciousness and I was happy to find generous portions of tender pulled chicken, smoky andouille sausage and okra in the mix.  I loved every bite but the serving was huge so I took about half of it home.  B actually took home a decent amount of his ribs as well.

Abita Turbodog - This is dark New Orleans beer went perfectly with my spicy gumbo and with the chocolate goodness of our dessert selection as described below.

Mississippi Mud Pie with Bourbon Ice Cream - Although I tend to stay away from desserts that involve dense chocolate, this was seriously so addictive.  I especially liked the bourbon ice cream, which added a nice creamy contrast to the chocolate.

From start to finish, Tupelo provided another stellar food experience and the service was once again attentive and pleasant.  Plus, I think Tupelo has some of the best menu prices around with ginormous portions that make for great leftovers.
 
Tupelo is located at 1193 Cambridge Street, Inman Square, Cambridge, MA.

Saturday Re-Cap: Graduation & Girls Night Out

This weekend was another gorgeous weekend and it was jam-packed full of lots of friends and celebrations.
First, my friend KK graduated from Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School with her Masters in Business Administration on Saturday.  This has been a long journey for her as she squeezed in evening classes and exams amidst her busy work and Ironman training.  Here are some photos of her graduation:

Waiting to be called...

Getting her graduate robe and degree on stage (sorry for the blurry photos)...

Greeting our happy graduate!

We couldn't be more proud!

Afterwards, we headed off to Stephanie's on Newbury where we had prime seating and indulged in pitchers of sangria, calamari, a tower of onion rings and a delicious Cobb salad for me.  I was thrilled to be asked to join KK in her special day of celebration and her friends and family were so happy to toast to her bright future.

After lunch, I took a well-needed afternoon nap and then headed over to Rocca for girls night out.  I've never been to this restaurant before and we got to catch up with drinks in their lounge and then headed upstairs for a leisurely dinner.  The food was outstanding, especially the house ricotta and the lasagna, but the service was unreasonably slow with forgotten drink orders and empty glasses.  Still, I'd like to make a return visit there - perhaps for a date night.

After dinner we headed to Ginger Park for cocktails....and photos....

And then to Eastern Standard for more cocktails and fried pickles...before calling it a night.  It was another fantastic Saturday...which makes it hard to head back to work on Monday....

How was your weekend?

Wednesday Re-Cap: Teresa's Graduation

As most people know, I'm a bit of a workaholic and hate taking time off of work unless it is completely necessary. But when my friend Teresa asked me to come to her graduate school commencement ceremony yesterday, I knew that there was no way that I'd ever miss it.  You see, over the years, T and I have been through thick and thin together.  We've had many ups and many downs but I've realized that in many ways, we have become family together.  So with a heart full of joy and pride, I was thrilled to celebrate T's huge accomplishment as she graduated from Lesley University with her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Guidance Counseling.

Here are some photos of the special day:

We got there early to stake out good seats for the commencement...

Our friend Joelle gave one of the student commencement speeches...

Waiting in line to be called on stage...

She's done it!

A picture of the happy graduate with her family...

And her other family...

After the graduation, we headed to Stephi's on Tremont where her cousin had arranged for a private dining room with complimentary bubbly and appetizers.  We then headed to the North End for a graduation party with all of her close friends and classmates until the late hours of the evening.

Once again, I'm so proud of T for this huge accomplishment and I was so proud to be there to cheer her on yesterday.  The road to her graduation hasn't been easy, which may have made it all the more worthwhile.

xoxo

Potato Crusted Cod and Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

On Sunday night, after a wonderful late lunch on the patio at Bouchee and wandering around the SOWA Open Market, B and I were completely wiped out.  We wanted to make something for dinner that was quick and easy but still tasty.  We looked through our freezer and decided to cook the frozen potato crusted cod that Sea Cuisine sent over for me to try out.

Since I had such a great experience with my previous Sea Cuisine frozen fish, I knew that the cod would be equally delicious.  The preparation for the fish was very simple and we put it on a cooking tray in the oven at 375 degrees for twenty-five minutes.

While the fish was cooking, we decided to make two simple sides to go with the fish.  The most obvious was a very basic salad with Olivia's Organics spring mix salad with a sliced vine-ripe tomato, sliced cucumbers, sliced avocado, and aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

While the salad was refreshing, we wanted to make something that didn't really go with the meal but we both really wanted to make.  We saw a recipe for cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers in the most recent issue of Everyday Food.  Our friend M makes something very similar as an appetizer for parties and we both really wanted to make it ourselves.  We went to Savenor's Market and picked up half a dozen jalapeno peppers.

After the peppers were washed, B sliced them in half and I de-seeded them.  We saved a few seeds aside to put in the cheese stuffing.  I shredded a generous quarter cup of the aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

I then added half a package of cream cheese and added the jalapeno seeds, fresh cracked black pepper and salt.  Using a small spoon, we delicately spooned the stuffing into the jalapenos.

B placed the jalapenos on the tray with the fish and broiled it for about ten minutes.  The end result was a very simple but surprisingly delicious dinner.  The cod was delightfully moist with a thick potato, cheddar and chive crust.  The crust was so flavorful that it didn't need any sauce.  While the salad was a light and refreshing side to the fish, the spicy jalapenos added a nice rich and cheesy goodness to the meal.

Better still, the meal made great leftovers the next day.  I added some canned tuna to the salad for lunch and we reheated the jalapenos for dinner, which added a delicious golden brown crust to the cheese.  Although the jalapenos were a strange addition to our meal, I know that I will definitely repeat it for an appetizer some time.

Have you ever seen a recipe that you had to try out right away? What was it?