Tag Archives: Di Bruno Bros

Cioppino

Cioppino

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Neither of us were familiar with Rockfish, but we were curious about it one Saturday when Otolith Sustainable Seafood was selling it at the Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market. We asked about what it is like and the purveyor explained that it was a firm white fish that holds up well to a lot of flavor and suggested it was good for fish stews. I happen to be a big fan of Cioppino and Brodetto, so we decided to try to make a fish stew and I am glad we did because it turned out fantastic.

At the time we bought the Rockfish, we also picked up some shrimp from Otolith and then bought some clams from Di Bruno Bros.

I loosely based our stew on this cioppino recipe from the Food Network. I made some slight variations, but the amounts were pretty much the same as in the recipe. The process is somewhat time consuming but pretty easy.

I began by frying some onions and after they cooked for a while, added garlic and crushed red pepper. After that cooked a bit, I added tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and wine. We didn’t have any fish stock, so I used a combination of chicken broth and clam juice and it worked just fine. I also did not have a bay leaf and had no substitute. I did add some dried basil and oregano. I let all that simmer for about 1/2 an hour.

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At the end of the half hour, I added the clams until they opened and removed them.

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I then added the shrimp and Rockfish and cooked them for about 5 minutes until done. I added the clams back in and then served it in bowls with a nice hunk of bread.

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I look forward to trying a fish stew again in the near future. I would like to try it with proper fish stock and a bay leaf. I feel lucky that we have access to such great fresh seafood which will make this dish a success even in light of some minor compromises.

Book Review: Di Bruno Bros House of Cheese

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About a month ago, we received this very special book, Di Bruno Bros House of Cheese, by Tenaya Darlington. We are huge fans of Di Bruno Bros, our local cheese store, so we have been eagerly awaiting the book’s release. I have read it cover-to-cover and am very impressed; I think it is exceptionally well-written, and indeed one of the most enjoyable food books I’ve read in recent memory. The excellent photographs by Philadelphia local (and an alum of Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design) Jason Varney make the book a pleasure to look at (read: drool over) as well as consult.

After reading the book, one of the first cheeses we ran out to buy from Di Bruno Bros was this lovely Berkswell

The book is organized by cheese “personalities” rather than specific style, dairy type, or region, which I think works really well. I confess that I don’t care for this method of organization when it comes to wine, since in the case of wine I’m more apt to know exactly what I want, but it works for me when it comes to cheese, because I have much less specific knowledge and would definitely be looking for cheese to match a certain mood or function. I think this organization not only makes the book more accessible, but it also makes it easier to design well-rounded cheese plates that showcase a variety of styles and flavors.

Cheese plate at Resurrection Ale House in Philadelphia: Midnight Moon, Kunik, and Rogue Smokey Blue (all featured in the House of Cheese book)

Each cheese entry has associated food and beverage pairings, which I think are fantastic. In the beginning of the book, I was pleased to find so many cheeses that pair with sparkling wine and rosé, since summer is coming up and that’s what I’m bound to have on hand. As I progressed through the book to some of the bolder personalities, I was equally pleased to find plenty of pairings with red wine, dark beers, and even cocktails and spirits. The gin pairings were a special thrill, as I never would have imagined such a thing; I look forward to picking up some Juni or Pecorino Ginepro to try them out! There is definitely something for everyone and for every occasion in here. Some of the craft beers mentioned in the book are more specific to the Philadelphia region, which on the one hand adds to the book’s local character, but on the other hand might not be as accessible in other parts of the country. The only thing I wish it had was a sort of “reverse-pairing” index in the back, to co-locate all the cheeses that go with a certain wine, for example, but perhaps that’s just the librarian in me.

Jet Wine Bar in Philadelphia offers many of the cheeses in the book: this plate features gorgonzola dolce, morbier, and truffle tremor

The cheese profiles are interspersed with great recipes, serving tips, anecdotes, and all kinds of useful information. Each chapter has a cheese board suggestion, as well as an educational “Cheese 101,” such as how to pair cheese with beer. When I first opened the book, I jumped straight to a section on “how to taste cheese,” so I could learn more about the descriptors before I even started reading.

Talula’s Garden is another great place in Philadelphia to try many of the cheeses in the book: this plate features La Tur and Testun al Barolo among others

Although I was familiar with maybe 20-25% of the cheeses in the book, there were so many more that I hadn’t tried that I enjoyed reading about. I’m actually quite inspired to start a project to try all the cheese in the book I can that I haven’t already had (with the associated pairings!). Some of them are featured on cheese boards of local restaurants, but I feel so lucky that I’ll be able to try most of these at my local Di Bruno Bros.

One of our recent shopping trips to Di Bruno Bros

I feel like I learned a lot by reading the book, not only about specific cheeses and pairings, but also about cheese styles and cheese making in general. I learned more about the people behind the cheese making process and the people behind the cheese counter, many of whom I have an opportunity to meet in person, between Di Bruno Bros and the local cheese makers who visit Philadelphia farmers’ markets. I learned more about the Di Bruno Bros approach to cheese, which explains why I see certain cheeses at their stores and not others.

This particular cheese is not in the book, but we learned much about local dairy farm Birchrun Hills in the book, and then had the opportunity to try their cheese at the Headhouse Farmers’ Market.

Though we were fortunate to receive a complimentary print copy, I also ended up purchasing an ebook copy so that I can reference it on my phone while I’m cheese shopping or dining out.

Since finishing the book, I’ve already tried several new cheeses from the book at Di Bruno Bros (Berkswell and Isle of Mull), at Headhouse Farmers’ Market (Birchrun Hills Fat Cat and Blue) and on cheese plates while dining out (La Serena). Tom and I look forward to making our way through more cheeses in the book, as well as trying out the recipes and parings, and chronicling them here on the blog.

Di Bruno Bros. Cheese Guide: Wedges, Pairings, and Recipes from Philadelphia's House of Cheese
Di Bruno Bros. Cheese Guide: Wedges, Pairings, and Recipes from Philadelphia’s House of Cheese

Eggs with Asparagus and Duck Proscuitto

Spring Brunch with Eggs, Asparagus and Duck Prosciutto

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Our long weekend began with a very easy and super tasty brunch.

I roasted some asparagus that we got from A.T. Buzby Farm at the Headhouse Farmers’ Market last weekend with duck prosciutto from PorcSalt.

Asparagus and Duck Prosciutto

I put that over toast. I used Three Seed bread from Big Sky Bread Company that we got at the Fitler Square Farmers’ Market.

Asparagus and Duck Prosciutto

I cooked some eggs, from Hillacres Pride, sunnyside up and placed them over the asparagus, prosciutto and toast. Finally, just added some salt, pepper and domestic parmesan from Di Bruno Bros. I dressed the plate with a couple of fresh strawberries that we got from Highland Orchards.

Eggs with Asparagus and Duck Proscuitto

Very simple and incredibly delicious. It all begins with fresh, local ingredients. We’re thrilled that our farmers’ markets are getting their spring stride and having more choices.

Prosciutto-wrapped Cod

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Last weekend we were inspired to try this recipe for Cod Wrapped in Prosciutto from Philly Food Lovers. Aren’t most things better when wrapped in prosciutto? It was worth a try. We got some fresh cod from Shore Catch at the Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market and some prosciutto classico from Di Bruno Bros, and we were good to go.

The recipe calls for a simple paste made from sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil. I used 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes from Highland Orchards (from the Fitler Square Farmers’ Market), 1 chopped garlic clove (recipe didn’t call for it, but come on, it’s garlic), 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I forgot to get basil but had parsley on hand), and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. A small food processor would come in handy for blending this, but I made due with a mortar & pestle to make a more chunky paste.

I lined a baking sheet with foil and greased it with olive oil, then laid out enough slices of prosciutto for the length of the filet (this turned out to be 5 slices). I placed the fish on top of the prosciutto, then covered it with the sun-dried potato paste, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and drizzled with more olive oil. Then I wrapped the prosciutto up around the fish on both sides, and used 1 extra slice of prosciutto to cover the thickest part of the fish.

 

After that, we baked the prosciutto-wrapped cod for 20 minutes at 400° F.

It came out really well; we enjoyed the delicious and flaky fish, as complemented by the tomato and prosciutto. Much like our prosciutto-wrapped chicken legs, this is definitely something we’ll try again. Thanks to Philly Food Lovers for the idea!

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Jalapeño Scramble

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Luckily, both our local farmers’ markets are year round. Granted, there aren’t as many vendors as during the rest of the year, but considering it is winter, we’re glad that we still have some nice options.

We had another successful trip this morning and I came back and made a simply wonderful brunch. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do and picked up a few good things to complete the dish.

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Jalapeño Scramble

We had eggs from Highland Orchards that we got last week, and, among other things, we picked up a shallot for this dish from them today. We got some curly parsley from Hilltop Farms and spinach from Down Home Acres. We got the scallops from Jersey Shore Catch.

As good as the farmers markets are, we always have to supplement. We’re fortunate to have great local places to choose from. For our brunch today, we got a Jalapeño and four slices of applewood bacon from Di Bruno Bros.

While the bacon was frying, I chopped the shallot and pepper. I cooked the shallot in a frying pan with some olive oil until they started to soften and then added the Jalapeño.

When the bacon was done, I dried it on some paper towels and then crumbled it. I was tempted to sear the scallops in the bacon grease but decided that was a bit too decadent. I poured the grease out and then deglazed the pan with some white wine. I added some smoked olive oil to complete the sauce. The olive oil was the one non-local thing I used. For Christmas, Holly’s brother had sent us some olive oils from We Olive in California.

I scrambled 4 eggs with a splash of heavy cream and then added that and the crumbled bacon to the shallot and Jalapeño and kept stirring to keep it nice and fluffy.

I set all this aside while I prepared the scallops. I heated up a pan with some high heat vegetable oil. I coated the scallops with some salt and pepper. When the pan was nice and hot, I added the scallops and cooked them for a couple of minutes on each side.

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Jalapeño Scramble

We complemented the eggs and scallops with a simple spinach salad. I drizzled some of the sauce on the scallops and served it with some French bread from Big Sky Bread and Terriero Proseco (also not local).

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Jalapeño Scramble

Brunch was delicious and a perfect way to start the weekend!