Or in this case Eye Produce. I took a photography class at the deCordova over the winter with hopes of becoming chummy and proficient with my DSLR. It was a great introductory class for anyone interested in going beyond the little green box, tulip or running man settings on your camera. One of my favorite homework assignments was to shoot color. What better place to do that than at one of my favorite places to shop for groceries: Russo's.

If you are interested in learning more about Russo's, check out my post: The insider's guide to shopping at Russo's. In the meantime, take a gander at my homework and get inspired to cook up a storm this weekend.

By now I'm sure everyone is completely stuffed with Turkey, sides and dessert. My tight pants are proof that I am. Putting this post together is an unnecessary reminder that it is time to start exercising again. But this also reminds me how much I enjoyed cooking up a storm for our family on Thanksgiving.

Here is a photo diary of the recipes we tried this year... and will be pulling them out again next year. I know... I'm already thinking of next year's Thanksgiving. It was that good!

fresh cranberries, sugar, orange zest

30 minutes later: cranberry sauce

click here for recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food 

Saute turkey neck and giblets with mirepoix until deep brown

straining gravy base

toasted bread cubes (farmhouse bread from Russo's)

Sauteed leeks, apples, celery, herbs, & dried cranberries

New England Sausage, Apple and Dried Cranberry Stuffing ready to be baked

 
Click here for Bon Appetit's New England Sausage, Apple, & Dried Cranberry Stuffing

Turkey brine kit courtesy of Wilson Farm

Dissolve brine mixture in water

fresh 14 lb turkey from VT via Wilson Farm

Nighty-night turkey

I am the Anal Retentive Chef

Turkey and carrots ready for roasting

Sauteed brussel sprouts with bacon

Turkey's done

Stuffing's done!

thickening the best gravy in the world

Finally - we eat!

Today's cooking assignment: Legumes

For those of you keeping score, this is my first test recipe in getting my family to try new flavors, ingredients and dishes. My kids do not do legumes. They'll only eat the rice when served Beans and Rice. Baked beans are pushed to the edge of the plate. They like saying "Edamame" more than they like eating them. Hummus? Forget it.

Perhaps I needed a killer recipe that would get my family to sing the praises of this vegetable (and no, it's not a magical fruit as we were led to believe as kids). Who better to turn to for inspiration than Mario Batali and Hugh Garvey and Matthew Yeomans, authors of The Gastrokid Cookbook. They write, "If a restaurant like Babbo is giving this away to each and every diner, that's the first sign that this is an incredibly cheap dish to make. The kids love this. The parents love this. The wallet love this." I had to make this! Get the recipe here - Roasted Chickpea Bruschetta from The Gastrokid Cookbook


The Good: The flavor profile (as they say on Bravo's Top Chef) was amazing. Briny olives, balsamic vinegar complemented the chickpeas very well.

The Bad: Roasting the chickpeas dried them out too much for my taste. Serving them on slices of baguette was somewhat cumbersome as everything kept on rolling right off.

Grade: B. The five year old popped a handful in his mouth and confessed he enjoyed it. I think using quality olives (from Russo's of course!) and roasting minced garlic with the chickpeas for the last few minutes helped enhance the flavors.

Tucked away on an industrial road along the Charles river in Watertown is "The food lover's food store" a.k.a. Russo's. Because there are a lot of food lovers in the greater Boston area, navigating the place can be challenging. Tiny aisles, tons of people, not to mention a crazy assortment of produce that makes you stop and admire (it's hard not to touch the buddah's hand).

There are tons of resources on why Russo's is so great (be sure to check out @foodiemommy's blog post: Why I would clone Russo's). I wanted to take a different spin, and since we shop at Russo's multiple times a week, I thought I'd share my top 10 tips and traps to avoid.

1. When to go: Or I should start with when not to go - the weekends, the day or two before a major holiday and lunchtime. It can be an absolute zoo with lines winding to the back of the building. If you need to go on a weekend, get there when it first opens. During the week, we like to go before lunch as everything is still fresh and fully stocked. Late afternoons are good because this tends to be a bit more quiet. 

2. Parking: If you're coming from Watertown Sq., park in the lot to the left of the building. You may have to dodge some of the delivery trucks coming and going, but this lot has a better flow than the original lot. You also avoid the traffic light by parking in this lot.

3. Cart v. Basket: If you're only going for a few items, definitely grab a basket. You will thank me when you can deftly maneuver around the traffic jam of shopping carts.

4. Flowers & Plants: There's a good chance you will want to add a bouquet of flowers or potted plants to your shopping list after you see what is available (and at reasonable prices). My advice is to purchase your food first then buy plants/flowers. There is a register for plant sales just outside the entrance.

5. Pantry items: Russo's has a great variety of pantry items from dried pasta, to fish sauce, honey, chocolate, marinades - you name it. But because these items are stocked below the produce, it's pretty tough to find a specific item since there are no aisle markers. Not to mention poking around down there holds up cart traffic. My advice is to make note of some of the items for another trip or explore during slower periods.

6. Breads: Russo's bakes most of their bread on premises. For fresh out of the oven goodness, you will want to get there when it opens. By mid-late afternoon, most of it is gone. They will even slice a loaf of bread for you (Farmhouse is our favorite).

7. Deli counter: Russo's deli counter is small but offers top quality artisan meats. It can be chaotic, and this corner of the store can get jammed pretty quickly. Be sure to check out the menu of freshly prepared sandwiches (and order by the cheese counters).

8. Rosticceria: Russo's has a small but delicious assortment of prepared foods . This area can get especially packed around dinner time. Not always available and even hard to find is their fresh baked pizza for only $1.25 for mongo, deep-dish style slices. We've had luck getting a slice or two just before lunchtime.

9. Treats: Russo's offers tons of baked goods - from cookies, to pies, to cakes and pastries. You almost can't go wrong with any of it. But if you are there in the AM, check out their scones and muffins by the salad bar (ha!). Outstanding.

10. Checking out: There are limited registers, so the line to check out can get pretty long. Because the registers are in tandem, the registers closest to the front of the building often get overlooked. There is a line for 6 items or less - so take advantage of that if you qualify. But don't be surprised if that line is packed with folks buying a pie or flowers on a holiday.

Oh yes, one last word of advice. Small carts and small aisles can get nuts with more than one kid.

Happy shopping!
Russo and Sons
560 Pleasant Street
Watertown, MA
617-923-1500

After watching last week's No Reservations, I was jonesing for some cured meat. I'm talking about the real deal - prosciutto di Parma. Russo's in Watertown is my supplier (along with almost everything else in our fridge and pantry). If I'm starting to sound like an addict, it's because I pretty much am one when it comes to savory, porky goodness.

There are tons of great recipes for prosciutto. But I needed to find a dish that I knew my boys would love. Something with pasta and cheese. And for me, something I could whip up in no time - pasta with prosciutto and peas (adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast). Tip: the shells do a great job hiding the peas from little ones who don't like their peas!

INGREDIENTS:
12 oz medium shells
2 Tbs butter
1 large shallot (finely chopped)
1/3 cup half and half
1 package frozen peas, thawed
8 slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 Tbs finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water; drain pasta and return to the pot

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a large skillet, melt 1 tbs butter over medium-low heat; add the shallot and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the half & half, peas, and prosciutto; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the peas are heated through (3-4 minutes)

3. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Pour the sauce over the past; add the Parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and enough of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as desired. Serve immediately; top with additional Parmesan.