Tag Archives: Za

Preserving the Season, Corn.

Go to your local farmers’ market. Do it this week before it’s too late; the season will be over before you know it. Make it happen, grab several ears of corn, and process them. It’s just too easy not to do it. A little bit of effort provides you with delicious local corn throughout the year.

Corn from my local farmers’ market.

Here’s what I do: I shuck the corn, discard the husks, and wipe away the silk. Then, using a large, sharp knife, I cut the kernels off the cobs, making sure to cut as close to the cob as possible without cutting too deep; you don’t want hard bits of cob in with the kernels.

Shucked.

You could stop there, bag and freeze the kernels, and be done. However, I add a couple more steps to preserve even more corn flavor.

Corn cobs and kernels separated.

First, using the back side of the same large knife, I scrape the cobs, releasing the germ and some corn pulp that I will add to soup or risotto for a deeper corn flavor.

Scraped cobs for that little bit extra.

The other thing that I do is bag and freeze the cobs; I will use them to make the corn stock that I will use for soup and risotto.

The scraping do add up.

Another thing that I have done in the past is dry the cobs and use them in my smoker, adding a nice sweet smoke flavor to whatever I am smoking; this works best with fish and pork.

Cobs, kernels and scrapings bagged and ready for the freezer.

At EVOO, we did this every summer to smoke bluefish for our very popular Cob Smoked Bluefish Fillet with Corn Risotto, Grilled Zucchini, Tomato-Basil Relish and Spiced Popcorn.

EVOO’s bluefish with corn 3 ways.

Keep in mind that when the local corn season ends, Za’s very popular Corn Za will also be done until sometime next July. Get it while you can!

Corn Za.

Preserving the Season, Poblano Peppers

Poblano peppers.

I love poblanos! Their mild earthy bitter pepper flavor is something I look forward to every summer. Every so often you may find one that is quite spicy, however that is not the norm.

For many years, at the height of the season, late summer, I have bought several pounds of poblanos to process them for use throughout the year.

Red and green poblanos on the grill.

Here’s what I do: on my outdoor gas grill set to high heat, I char the peppers, blistering the skins, which loosens the skin so that I can peel them, as well as cooks the peppers. After charring them, I let them sit covered, at room temperature, this step steams them a bit, which also helps loosen the skin for easier peeling. I then peel, de-stem and de-seed the peppers. From there I separate them onto small ziplock bags and freeze them for later use.

Separated into small bags and frozen poblanos

They are quite versatile, and I use them in several ways; this year, I have already made a batch of corn-poblano chowder. Throughout the year, I will use them in salsas, on salads, as a topping for baked potatoes, in enchiladas, and in chili. I also pick the nicest, most intact ones to use for making rellenos; for this dish I leave the peppers whole, making a slit from the stem to the tip, so that I can remove the seeds. I then stuff the pepper with whatever filling I choose at the time; chicken, beef, roasted butternut squash, and cheese are some of my favorites.

A blast from the past, a dish that was on EVOO’s autumn menu back in 2021: Poblano Chili Relleno with creamed corn and fresh tomato salsa.

With not too much effort, poblanos can be a year round staple in your local kitchen too.

Preserving the Season- Tomatoes.

Once again, it’s that time of year; where did the summer go? It’s time to preserve the summer’s local bounty, starting with canning tomatoes.

Here is a pictorial of how I canned more than 2 cases, about 50 pounds of local tomatoes. 40 pounds came from Verrill Farm in Concord, MA; the remaining 10 pounds were from my backyard garden.

First, using a small sharp knife, I cut the core out and put a shallow X, just through the skin on the opposite side of each tomato.
I then blanched the tomatoes, in several batches, in simmering water for not more than 30 seconds, then I placed them in an ice bath before removing and discarding the skins.
A bucket full of peeled tomatoes.
I then cut all the tomatoes in half along the equatorial line.
I then gently squeezed out the seeds, reserving and straining them, pouring some of the strained liquid into the pot with the peeled and seeded tomatoes. I wanted to have some liquid in the pot for when I started to cook the tomatoes; this will cut down on the possibility of burning the tomatoes before they break down from the heat in the pan.
50 pounds is a lot of tomatoes! This 4-gallon pot is almost full and all set to be cooked.
The tomatoes are on the heat and are starting to break down.
After about 45 minutes on medium-high heat, the tomatoes were fully cooked and mostly mushy. At this point, I ran them through the coarse die of a food mill.
Hot milled tomatoes are ready to be placed in mason jars.
All jarred up, in a simmering water bath for 15 minutes.
50 pounds of tomatoes worked down to 13 quart jars.
Jars are dated only with the year. I won’t be doing more tomatoes this year, so the year is the only date that I need.
Put-up in the cellar for use throughout the following year.

Za Photos, Coming and Going

Here is another post about the photos adorning the walls of Za. All photos were taken by me, all of which were taken by whatever Android phone I had at the time. I am an avid photo taker; if I see something that I think would be a good image, I take it. Because of sheer volume, I have ended up with some great photos, most of which provide me with some fantastic memories.

The photo for this post is actually 2 photos, taken about 10 minutes apart.

I was sailing- no surprise there; we were en route from Massachusetts to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and we needed to make a fuel stop in Charleston, South Carolina. As we left Charleston Harbor I noticed this shrimp boat, “Stormy Seas,” heading into port, presumably with a full load of Carolina White Shrimp iced down in its hold.

The scene was picturesque: sunshine, blue skies, flat seas, outriggers extended, nets hanging, seagulls swarming. It was a clear photo opportunity, and I took it. As “Stormy Seas” passed, I saw another opportunity: a photo of her stern. I thought it would be really cool if the photos came out well enough that I could enlarge them and hang them next to each other. It worked out well, they look great hanging next to each other on Za’s men’s room wall.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Recipe

At Za we have always made our own desserts. We almost always have some sort of cheesecake on our menu; our most recent version is this salted caramel one. Salted caramel seems to be everywhere these days- candies, cookies, sauce, coffee flavoring, I’ve even seen it as a whiskey flavor; there is a simple reason for that…It’s delicious.

Cheesecake is easy to make, it just takes a bit of time. You have to have the correct pan, a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. And you need to plan ahead, you can’t decide at 4pm that your going to make a cheesecake for that nights dinner party. This cheesecake recipe calls for you to bake it for an hour and a half and then it needs to set, preferably overnight, before it can be cut and enjoyed.

So, if you have a springform pan and the time to prepare this recipe, you wont be disappointed.

At Za we serve this cheesecake with some homemade chocolate sauce, freshly whipped cream and cashew – coconut crunch.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the time, or desire, to make it for yourself, we will be happy to make it for you.

Za Photos, Above the Clouds

In January of 2024, I was skiing at Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire with my son Shane when I took this photo. It was kind of a crappy ski day, below the clouds it was raining, in the clouds you couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you and above the clouds it it was quite cold.

We spent as much time above the clouds as possible. Fortunately Cannon has a lift, the Cannonball Quad, that operates on the top 30% of the mountain, we looped on this lift most of the day.

On the summit there is a lookout tower. We decided to doff our skis and trek to and up the tower. Once on top we were rewarded with an outstanding view.

This photo is of the Lafayette Range, which is directly across from Cannon with Franconia Notch laying between the two mountains. When I saw the view I new that I had to take advantage of the photo opportunity.

I love this photo, In particular I appreciate the desolate coldness of it. It appears as though I used I black and white filter for it, I did not, the colors show true to the day. Of course, the best thing about this photo is when I look at it I remember the day that I got to spend with my son.

Here are a few more photos from that day.

Za Beers

I’m taking the same approach with the beer we serve as I do with the food we serve. “Keep it Local” this has been one of our mantras since we opened.

It used to be, a restaurant’s beer list had to be exclusively mass marketed beers, not necessarily good beer. Often times these beer lists were written by your beer distributor. These beers typically included mega brands such as Budweiser, Heineken (YUCK!), Miller Lite etc.. If you were really daring you would include such obscure brands such as Corona or even Amstel.

Then it became okay to add a “craft” brew or 2, Sam Adams did start a revolution, but you still had to offer the staples.

About 15 years ago, you could get away with not offering the national mega brands, however, you had to be prepared for the backlash. “WTF no Budweiser, I’ll just have water” was a common response and not the one we wanted, after all we are in the business of selling beer.

Going forward a few more years we were able to get to the point that we were just serving regional craft beers; New England and New York, which was a big step in the right direction. Enough restaurants were doing the same thing, costumers began to expect a good beer list. And with such a great selection of beers to choose from it was an easy transition. The hardest part was just deciding which great regional beers you wanted to try next.

Now, I am trying to make our beer list as local as possible. One of the hurdles for me is that people expect to see several different breweries on a list, not just a couple. My thought is if you go to a brewery, and most of them are busy, you are only offered that breweries beers. No one complains about that. Also traveling in Europe most restaurants offer just one breweries beers; I’m sure that they are receive financial benefits for doing so. That said, I wanted to make our list as local as possible.

Currently our 12 beer list consist of only beer from within greater Boston with the vast majority coming from the Arlington Brewing Co. and the Medford Brewing Co. If I could get all our beer offerings from these 2 breweries I would, I’m working on it.

These are 2 breweries where I have a personal relationship with the them, I know the people and I want to support them.

One of the Arlington Brewing Co. main people is the father of 2 former Za employees, one of which was a schoolmate of my son. One of their delivery people is another one of my son’s former classmates. These are my neighbors, people that are regular Za customers, they support us, we support them.

As for the Medford Brewing Co. it’s less than 2 miles from Za and the it’s place I go to for a beer with friends, it’s my local. When I place my orders it’s with one of the breweries 2 owners, and the other owner makes the deliveries. This is the type of business that I want to support. Also, on Sunday late morning’s the brewery sponsors a run, it’s casual, not a race. You go at your own pace and decide your own distance. Most people chose between 3, 5 or 7 mile, predetermined routes that all start and finish at the brewery. Nick, one of the brewery’s owners is often running along with us.

By limiting the number of breweries, we are not sacrificing quality. Both the selection and quality of the beers these breweries offer are top notch.

So, the next time you dine at Za, have a beer, most likely it will be from one of these 2 breweries.

Drink a beer or 2, and help us support our local business partners.

Cheers!

Za Photos, Under The Pier

I love this photo for many reasons. It’s Martha’s Vineyard, one of my all time favorite places. I have so many wonderful memories rooted in M.V., as a kid on my parents boat, as a young adult on my own boat, as an adult renting homes with family, friends and my kids. This public fishing pier juts out over Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs near the ferry dock, you can see the ferry dock in the background.

This photo prompts memories from many M.V. experiences. Early ones such as falling off the back of my parent’s boat, Bridget, named after my Grandmother, while docked in the harbor (I was about 5). Trying to grab the brass ring while astride the backs of the Flying Horses’ carousel’s ponies. So many ice creams at Mad Martha’s and Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium; fudge and saltwater taffy at Murdick’s Fudge Shop. Later memories of getting engaged in Oak Bluffs, on the beach at sunset. My niece was conceived in one of the rental homes (not that I witnessed this, it’s family folklore). Midnight doughnut runs to Back Door Donuts. Taking long walks along the beach, checking out the Gingerbread Houses or to the East Chop Lighthouse, and even longer bike rides. Jumping off the “Jaws” bridge, watching my kids jump off the “Jaws Bridge”.

There are some music related memories as well. Beach Road Weekend Concert in 2022 featuring Wilco, Jason Isbell, Mt. Joy, Lord Huron, The Avett Brothers, Emmylou Harris and many more. A young woman shimmying herself up and down on me at a Toots and Maytals show at the now shuttered Atlantic. This was while I was standing next to and obviously with my then fiancé Colleen, we still laugh about that. Drinks and local musicians playing at The Ritz and at the also now shuttered Rare Duck.

I took this photo in July, 2024, when we rented, for the third time, the perfectly located home between Circuit Ave and Inkwell Beach, which was great for everyone, an easy walk to either downtown with it’s restaurants, cafes and shops or to the sand and sunshine of the beach.

Here’s a few more recent M.V. photos that are not on the walls of Za.

  • The top of the pier
  • We rented this house three times
  • My kids sailing in Vineyard Sound on our friends boat
  • Colleen and I at the East Chop Lighthouse.
    Colleen and I at the East Chop Lighthouse
  • Nellie, Dan, Colleen and I having dinner at Jimmy Seas
  • Colleen and Nellie in East Chop
  • Statue in Menemsha
  • Sailing out of Menemsha
  • Oaks Bluff Harbor
  • My family with my dad in Gay Head
  • The cliffs, Gay Head
  • An ignored sign
  • Shane mid-air from the “Jaws Bridge”
  • My son and nephew getting ready to jump from the “Jaws” bridge
  • Edgartown Light
  • Steamship Ferry

Za Photos: Grace’s Place

I’ve been told that dogs are colorblind, that may be true. Another truth is that Grace here enjoyed this tranquil and reflective lakefront sunset moment as much as I did, even though I saw it more vividly.

I took this photo in August of 2019.

While enjoying some adult beverages, we walked the short distance from our family vacation home in Moultonborough, NH, to a public beach on Lake Winnipesaukee so that we could check out the sunset. We often saw Grace and her human family at the beach catching the sunset, socializing and savoring their own beverages.

It seemed to me as though Grace was digging the whole scene. She was sitting there very regal like, watching over everyone, all the while contemplating her dog issues. It’s no surprise that I took a bunch of photos of the sunset, which was pretty great by itself. However, as I was watching Grace I knew that I needed to capture her in the moment.

Here are a couple of more photos from the same night, these photos are okay, but the one with Grace is a keeper.

This is Toby, my brother’s black lab who loves little more than he loves being in the water.

No dog sunset. Dogs make (almost) everything better.

Za Photos, Motif #1

I showed this photo to my slightly older and immensely wiser brother, Steve, when he referred to the building as Motif #1, I didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about. I thought what the f*#k is a Motif #1. Now that I am writing this post I thought that it might be prudent to find out the origin of it’s moniker. So I googled it…

This Boston Magazine article has all the information that you will need-

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/05/23/motif-no-1-rockport/

To me this iconic red fishing shack is synonymous with Rockport, it brings back memories of summer visits on my father’s boat(s), as well as on my own sailboat, where we would just tie up to the pier and head into Rockport, usually for ice cream. I have even docked at the pier overnight on a couple of occasions. No one ever said we couldn’t and we never gave it a second thought. Now, I’m sure you would be asked to leave or you would have to pay some outlandish fee to tie up to this or any other pier in Rockport.

I took this photo in June of 2021. It was a hot day and we were still dealing with the effects of COVID 19. Colleen and I were off from work, EVOO was still closed and the kids classes were all online. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and have some quality family time. We headed up to Rockport, do a little sightseeing, a possible plunge into the frigid North Atlantic at Front Beach, followed by local seafood at The Lobster Pool.

Taking the photo wasn’t as easy as it should have been. We parked in a public lot near the Motif, not a hundred yards from where I took the photo. It was a picturesque day, I saw the little red building that I always associated with Rockport and I started directly to the end of an apposing pier, where it looked like I would be able to take advantage of what looked to be great photo opportunity. I didn’t get 10 yards before a professional looking woman holding a clipboard said that I couldn’t go any further along the pier. I shrugged and kept going, I wanted this photo. By the time I got to the end of the pier and quickly took my photos, the woman was right behind with the back-up of a couple more officious looking people, still yapping that I wasn’t supposed be there. She was saying something about having rented the space for the afternoon. I recall saying something about it being a public space and for her to have a nice day. After we backed away we noticed that there was a film crew there. I have no idea what they were filming, however I do know that they didn’t want to film me.

Anyway, I took the photos and they came out great. Now when I see the photo on Za’s wall, with that one shot, I have 3 generations of memories, my childhood with my parents and siblings, being there on my own sailboat, as well as being shooed away by some film people with my kids.

Recently a longtime guest of ours asked if they could buy the photo; they also claim to have some family memories of Rockport. Being a businessman, who am I to say no, we sold them the photo. Don’t worry, I have the original and have already ordered another enlargement to made, it will soon adorn the wall of Za once again.