Love at first bite
Chefs share dishes they served to woo sweethearts
Imadef food is love, then chefs are Cupids.
With Valentine's Day on the horizon, lovebirds will soon be nesting in cozy corner booths at romantic restaurants around Boston. But if you'd rather plan an amorous evening at home, we collected recipes from local restaurateurs that have sweet stories attached. From a first pasta feast to a family recipe saved for the perfect match, these are dishes that
some favorite foodie folks fall in love. They might do the same for you. NANNY’S STUFFED ARTICHOKES
By Greg Califano, owner of Volturno
Today, Greg Califano is the man behind Volturno, a pair of certified Italian eateries in Worcester and Framingham best known for their certified Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas. Growing up, though, his most beloved bite was his grandmother's stuffed and braised artichokes. “One day I asked my grandma if she wanted to share my artichoke heart with me,” Califano said. “She replied, `Gregory, you only share your “heart” with the girl you will marry.' ” Nanny knows best, so Califano never shared the recipe until he met now-wife Jenny. She was, quite literally, the woman who won his (artichoke) heart.
NANNY’S STUFFED ARTICHOKES
4 large artichokes
3 c. breadcrumbs 3 garlic cloves, minced
finely
1 t. salt
A t. black pepper
1 c. grated parmesan 1 c. pecorino romano 1 c. chopped parsley
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
Mix all ingredients except the artichokes in a bowl to make a breadcrumb mixture. Trim the artichokes, removing the stems to make the artichokes flat. Then cut the leaves of the artichokes to remove any sharp points from the tips of the leaves. Separate the leaves by pulling them open to enable the stuffing to go into the leaves. Stuff each leaf with the breadcrumb mixture and put more of the breadcrumbs over the top. Place the artichokes into a pot and stand upright; add water until 1⁄4 inch over artichokes and add an additional 1⁄4 cup olive oil. Cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat, adding more water as needed, until tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Drizzle with more olive oil and some of the cooking liquid.
CHOCOLATE MUDSLIDE COOKIES
By Brian Mercury, executive pastry chef at Oak + Rowan
Before he became one of Boston's best pastry chefs, Brian Mercury, a former “People's Choice” award-winner from Food & Wine magazine, used his sweet treats to woo his now-wife when they were working together at a local country club. “I used to bribe her with baby banana splits to help me clean my station so I could talk to her,” Mercury said. “Then one night I baked her a dozen of the chocolate mudslide cookies to take home because I knew how much she liked them. Soon we were dating, and now we're married for 11 years with two kids. The power of chocolate!”
CHOCOLATE MUDSLIDE COOKIES
2 oz. butter 3 oz. unsweetened baking
chocolate
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate A c. cake flour
1 t. baking powder
D t. salt
3 eggs
1 D c. sugar
A t. espresso powder
1 t. water
A t. vanilla extract
2 c. chocolate chips
Melt butter and both chocolates together. Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Whip espresso powder with eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fold egg mix and chocolate mix together. Fold in flour mix until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. Let firm in fridge for about an hour. Bake cookies at 325 degrees for about 14 minutes. Makes 20 cookies.