the arugula files

Italian Sausage, Arugula, and Squash Soup

 
Fall, is that you?  I didn’t recognize you since you are wearing sunglasses, a tank top, and sweating like Sarah Palin at a press conference. 

Welcome to DC where there is no such thing as fall.  It's 85 degrees today.  I hate to sound nostalgic, but I miss fall in Boston.  Big sweaters, crisp air, and apple picking are a few of my favorite September things.  Last year I went apple picking in DC.  When I asked where the Macintosh apple trees were, the farmer laughed and asked if I was a Yankee.  I told him I had never played baseball in my life.  Apple picking just isn't the same without Macintosh apples, especially if it's too hot to drink warm cider.

I’ve lived in DC for twelve years and while there is a long list of things I love about this city, I will never stop complaining about the weather. 

Here’s a soup to welcome fall.  It tastes good no matter where you live.

I HEART Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay makes me smile.  This short video shows him picking snails from his garden with his kids.  It's a sweet video, especially the kid's reaction to the taste of cooked snails. Ramsay has a terrific series that highlights him traveling around and catching his own seafood.  It's better than the food network.

Catching king crabs in Norway.

Trapping crayfish.

Diving for scallops.

Spear fishing sea bass.

Keswick Creamery, Pennsylvania

Cheese is my favorite food.  I couldn’t live without it, although I try to limit my cheese intake to one meal a day.  I accomplish this goal only about half the time. My favorite local cheese is from Keswick Creamery.  Keswick makes their cheese with milk from Jersey Cows and sells it at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. I think the prices are fair and affordable—about $5.00 for a block of feta.

My favorites types are Dragon’s Breath, a hot pepper jack, and the Feta de Provence, which combines creamy feta with rosemary, basil, tarragon, and lavender flowers.  This cheese is so good you can sprinkle it on some fresh bread, drizzle it with olive oil, and you have yourself a delicious lunch. 

Lemon Poppy-Seed Tea Cake

I tend to like lemon-y cakes.  This recipe, from Martha Stewart's Every Day Food, is lemonlicious. 

Figs and Bacon, Avec Eric

I've been looking for figs at the Farmers Market with no luck. My goal, when I eventually find them, is to make something salty and sweet, like this little treat from Eric Ripert's toaster oven madness series.

Where to Eat Maryland Blue Crabs

If you have ever set crab traps, you know that live blue crabs are aggressive and will charge at you when approached.  I learned this after my first and only attempt at crabbing.  I was staying at a summer house in Virginia appointed with some crab traps and a small dock.  Fascinated by the whole catch-my-own dinner experience, I cut up a few chicken breasts, placed the bait in the trap, and waited.  The next day I found one lonely crab in the trap. He was mad as hell.  When I tried to take him out, he snapped, charging at me with the confidence of a Spanish bull.

I've heard that blue crabs hurt when they bite, sort of like a long, mean pinch from your older brother, so I got a set of kitchen tongs.  The crab saw the tongs as his opponent in the ring, so to say, snapping at them every time I reached into the trap.  With help from Marcus, I finally got him out, setting him in a pail while I decided how to prepare him.  Then it hit me, I didn't want to kill this crab.  I couldn't do it.  He was a fighter.  I know it sounds absurd, but he wanted to live too badly.  So I brought him down to the river, turned the pail over, watched him run off the end of the dock, and plop into the water like a fat kid performing the last canon ball of the summer.

Clearly, I have no career in the fishery arts.  Now if I want crabs, I rely on someone else to catch 'em and cook 'em. And for that there is no better place than Cantler's Riverside Inn, in Annapolis, on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Cantler's is a Maryland institution.  For about 35 years, crab men have docked their boats and sold their catch to the restaurant.  Cantler's steams the crabs for about 12 minutes in old kegs converted to steamers.  I wonder what a live crab thinks when they are placed in a steamer and all of a sudden it's raining Old Bay?     Don't think about it.

Try to get a seat outside by the river.  Order some steamed crabs and shrimp, and a few beers.  Settle in. Forget about the rest, "like time is not a thing for you to lose." 

How to pick a blue crab like a pro video.

Notes on the sustainability of Maryland blue crabs.

Candy Freak: Kit Kat Dark

If you have ever tried a Kit Kat Dark raise your hand.  Not many of you have, right? I was under the impression that Kit Kat Dark was new. I, like Charlie, had found the golden ticket.  Turns out I was wrong. Wrong and duped.

My Kit Kat Dark fascination started at a gas station in the middle of Mocton, Canada, where I found it sitting next to a Milky Way bar.  I was excited; it was a road trip, and finding unique junk food in a gas station is all you have.  I was on the fence thinking about whether or not I should buy the Kit Kat when my friend Denise came up and whispered, “that, my friend, is a rare find.  You just can’t get those in the States.” I bought it agreeing to split the bar with Denise. 

When I returned to the car, I was taking photos of Kit Kat Dark, and thinking about what I would say on this blog. HEY EVERYBODY, GUESS WHAT I FOUND. That is when my sister, from her high horse in the back seat, informed me that Kit Kat Darks have been around, “like, forever" and Denise had totally duped me.  “The next thing you’ll tell me is that you found a Snickers with almonds! Ha!” said my sister.  I looked at Denise and she grinned.  She might as well have been wearing a chocolate mustache. 

That is when I remembered that Denise is a candy freak.  Every night on our vacation she served three candy bars on a fancy dinner plate, chosen very selectively at the Canadian food co-op.  I've seen her reach deep into her pocket, find one M&M and some lint, and plop both her mouth. Denise would dance naked in a field of gorillas for a candy bar.  She would have said anything to get me to buy that Kit Kat.

Turns out, Kit Kat Dark bars were issued in 2002.  I'm six years late for the party.  For the candy nerds out there here’s a time line for the Kit Kat candy line.  By the way, if you haven’t read Steve Almond’s book, Candy Freak, you should; it’s delightful. 

• 1931 - The KIT KAT wafer bar is introduced.
• 2000 - The KIT KAT BIG KAT wafer bar is introduced.
• 2002 - KIT KAT Limited Edition White Chocolate wafer bars and Dark Chocolate wafer bars are introduced.
• 2003 - KIT KAT expands its limited edition line to include mint and orange flavors.
• 2004 - KIT KAT BIG KAT Limited Edition White Chocolate wafer bars and KIT KAT Triple Chocolate wafer bars
• 2004 - The KIT KAT White Chocolate wafer bar is made into a year round product.
• 2005 - KIT KAT Extra Crispy wafer bar is introduced.
• 2006 - KIT KAT wafer bar undergoes a formula change and features creamier chocolate.
• 2007 - KIT KAT Caramel wafer bar is introduced.

Oh, and the Kit Kat Dark was tasty, but I think I like the milk chocolate version better.

Ella's Pizza

If you find yourself searching for a casual place to eat near Gallery Place, try Ella's Pizza.  The wait, if there is one, is usually manageable, the service is top notch, and the tab is affordable. The trick at Ella's Pizza is knowing what to order.  Unfortunately, many of the pizzas are bland and disappointing, and the crust isn't good enough to carry the pizza without tasty toppings.  The margherita, in particular is a BIG let down. Here's a list of the pizzas I've tried that deliver on flavor:

• genovese (potato, parmesan, prosciutto, pesto)
• lombardi (caramelized onions, gorgonzola, rosemary)
• polpotini (ella's meatballs, tomato sauce, leeks, parmesan)
• melanzane (eggplant, tomato, red onion, yellow peppers, black olives, goat cheese)
• pucillo (prosciutto, arugula, tomato, smoked mozzarella)

Ella's has great happy hour specials (bar only) from 4 to 7 pm.  Try the sangria!