Cuisine
August 2014
Chesapeake Current
Priceless
TM
Local Dining & Gracious Living
Photo of La Bella Italia in Friendship Cover Colburn, Photo by Danny Douglas Photography (www.DannyDouglas.com) by David colburnimages.com.
Luscious, Juicy, Ripe Tomatoes! See Page 8
ABSOLUTELY
delicious!
CHESAPEAKE CURRENT CUISINE™ is a magazine insert in the Chesapeake Current™ and also distributed as a stand-alone publication in high-traffic locations throughout Southern Maryland. It’s all about gracious living, fine food, and locally-owned restaurants and pubs on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Owner, Executive Editor & Publisher Diane Burr Account Executive Call or email today for advertising information: ads@ChesapeakeCurrent.com Affordable ads for every business and every budget! Barbara Colburn (410) 867-0103 Graphic Design Guru Mackie Valdivia Staff Photographer Dave Colburn, ColburnImages.com Office Administrator Norma Jean Smith Distribution Team Tamara Timmermann Kyndal Christofferson Web Administrator Hannah Burr Visit us online at ChesapeakeCurrent.com Chesapeake Current Cuisine™ P.O. Box 295 North Beach, MD 20714 (410) 231-0140 A sister publication of the Chesapeake Current™ Locally owned and operated. We promote “Buy Local” and we don’t try to send your business to St. Mary’s County! Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. No content or images may be used without express permission from Bayside Partners, LLC. There are no authorized inserts in this issue of Chesapeake Current Cuisine. Please contact us immediately if you find any materials inserted into this publication and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine August 2014
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Here is just a small sampling of our abundant menu! Chicken & Veal Dishes Chicken Contandina
Seafood Specialties Lunch
9.95
Chicken breast sautéed with mushrooms, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, broccoli and spinach in a light marinara sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Dinner
13.95
Tender calamari and little neck clam served over linguine pasta
Linguine Vongole
Chicken Marsala
8.95
11.95
Little neck clams in your choice of w served over linguine pasta
Chicken Saltinbocca
9.95
14.95
Jumbo shrimp sautéed in a spicy ma served over linguine pasta
Chicken breast sautéed with mushrooms and marsala wine, served with a side of spaghetti
Chicken breast, topped with spinach, mozzarella and prosciutto in a garlic white wine sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Chicken Piccata
8.95
Chicken breast sautéed with capers, white wine and lemon sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Veal Parmiginana
Homemade style. Served over spaghetti
Veal Contadina
12.95
9.95
13.95
10.95
14.95
Tender veal sautéed with mushrooms, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, broccoli and spinach in a light marinara sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Veal Marsala
9.95
13.95
11.95
15.95
Tender veal sautéed with mushrooms and marsala wine, served with a side of spaghetti
Veal Saltinbocca
Tender veal, topped with spinach, mozzarella and prosciutto in a garlic white wine sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
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Linguine Clams & Calam
Chesapeake Current Cuisine August 2014
Shrimp Fra Diavolo Shrimp Alfredo
Jumbo shrimp in a light alfredo sauc
Linguine Mare Chiara
A medley of seafood with white or re served over linguine pasta
Fettuccine Shrimp & Sca
Jumbo shrimp and scallops in a crea served over fettuccine pasta
Linguine Mussels
Fresh mussels in your choice of whit served over linguine pasta
mari
For Pasta Lovers
arinara sauce,
allops
amy rosé sauce,
te or red sauce,
Spaghetti Puttanesca
7.95
11.95
Salsiccia Florentina
7.95
11.95
Salsiccia Napoletana
7.95
11.95
Choice of homemade tomato or marinara sauce
Lunch
10.95 8.95
Dinner
13.95 12.95
6.95
Combination of olives, capers, basil and marinara sauce
Sliced Italian sausage sautéed with spinach and roasted peppers in olive oil and garlic over penne pasta
9.95
Sliced Italian sausage sautéed in marinara sauce. Served over penne pasta
9.95
13.95
Baked Ravioli
7.95
11.95
9.95
13.95
Penne all’ Arrabbiata
6.95
9.95
11.95
16.95
Penne alla Vodka
7.95
11.95
Spaghetti della Mamma
6.95
10.95
ce, served over fettuccine pasta
ed sauce,
Dinner
Spaghetti Al Pomodoro
ms in a light marinara sauce,
white or red sauce,
Lunch
10.95
14.95
Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese in a light tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese
Spicy marinara sauce, with fresh basil and imported parmesan cheese Mushrooms and ham, in a delicate creamy vodka rosé sauce Noodles in a delicate tomato sauce, with choice of meat sauce, meatballs or sausage
11 West Friendship Rd • Friendship, MD 20758 8.95
12.95
410-257-1062 HOURS:
Monday-Thursday 10AM-10PM • Friday & Saturday 10AM-11PM Sunday 11AM-9PM (June - August open til 10PM) Lunch Served Daily Until 3 PM Visit our three other locations: Bella Italia in Arnold Piazza Italia in Glen Burnie Bella Italia in Annapolis 1460 Ritchie Highway Arnold, MD 21012 Tel.: 410-757-3373
7710 Ritchie Highway Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Tel.: 410-590-4990
609-B Taylor Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401 Tel.: 410-216-6061
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What’s
About the Author: A graduate of the Baltimore International Culinary College and a member of the United States Personal Chef Association, Gwyn Novak of Prince Frederick has been cooking and writing about food for more than 20 years. She has worked in numerous B&Bs, country inns, and country clubs on the East Coast. And now, as a native of Southern Maryland, she offers her special skills as owner and chef of No Thyme to Cook, to help you improve yours in the kitchen. No Thyme to Cook offers cooking classes for couples, adults and children. See their web site at nothymetocook.com for the schedule, call (443) 624.5048 or email info@nothymetocook.com.
Cooking? Tomatoes: Enjoying Summer’s Finest!
By Gwyn Novak
T
here are few foods better tasting than a perfectly ripened summer tomato – particularly when you sandwich it between two slices of toasted bread slathered with mayonnaise and piled high with applewood smoked bacon and crisp romaine lettuce. It’s the one garden treat I wait for all year long. No hothouse substitutions will do. But despite their tremendous popularity today, tomatoes didn’t always have such mass appeal. In fact, at first they were considered nothing more than weeds found growing amid the maize and bean fields of the early Incas. Indigenous to the Andes Mountains, these fragrant “weeds” were domesticated in Mexico by the Aztecs who also gave them the name “tomatl.” Considered to be a symbol of good fortune sent by the gods, tomatoes were carried back to Europe with the conquering Spanish in 1523. While these “love apples,” as the English referred to them, met with great success on the continent as ornamentals, Europeans had absolutely no intention of eating them, believing them to be poisonous. And it wasn’t until the early 1800s, when tomatoes were used extensively in Italian kitchens, that Europeans first began eating them. Since then their popularity has soared, and so have their available varieties ranging from plum to globe, cherry to tomatillo. Plum and Roma tomatoes have a meaty flesh and less water making them suitable for cooking in soups and sauces, while the more traditional round or globe varieties contain a much larger percentage of juice and a considerably thinner skin. As a result, they make a great choice for slicing, stuffing and cooking. Cherry or grape tomatoes are available year round and, if left in a paper bag to ripen in their own gases, offer a reasonable alternative to summer’s finest. Tomatillos, a less familiar tomato variety essential to Southwestern and Mexican cuisine, is a small yellow-green fruit wrapped in a papery husk. Their firmer consistency and lack of juice make it a perfect choice for salsa. When buying toma- toes, look for fairly firm, but not hard, fruit with unblemished skin that is deep red in color. Truly fresh tomatoes also have an intense, earthy aroma. Fresh tomatoes don’t require refrigeration, particularly if they are still slightly unripe. In fact, refrigerating them will only ruin their flavor. Just leave them on a windowsill until the ethylene gas they emit naturally turns them red. If you’re growing your own tomatoes, wait to pick them until they are fully ripe as vine ripening imparts a much Heirloom tomatoes. Photo by Margaret Tearman and courtesy of Greenstreet Gardens.
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine August 2014
fuller flavor to the fruit. You’ll just have to fight off the deer for your crop. If you’re not growing your own, stop by one of the many local produce stands that pop up this time of year or one of the local farmer’s markets. But get there soon and often! As is the case with all summer produce, the season for tomatoes is a fleeting one, so enjoy it while you can. Fresh, fully ripened tomatoes showcased There are many varieties of tomatoes with just a splash of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, available locally. freshly cracked black pepper, a crush of garlic, and aromatic basil leaves are one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy these fruits of the season. But don’t skimp on the bread. Pick up a great crusty loaf with a soft, chewy interior texture. You’ll need it to hold up to the juice of the tomatoes. Oh, and be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand!
Tomato-Basil Bruschetta
• 1 whole grain baguette, ½” sliced • 4 cloves garlic, cut in half lengthwise • extra virgin olive oil • 4 fresh tomatoes, roughly diced
• 4 leaves fresh basil, cut on the chiffonade • Sea salt • Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°. Rub each slice of baguette with the garlic. Then brush lightly with olive oil. Bake in the oven until the bread gets crisp and toasty – about five minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. While the bread is toasting, combine the tomatoes, the fresh basil, the leftover garlic, a bit of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Season to taste. Spoon the tomatoes over the baguette slices. Serve immediately. Serves 4 Make your own fresh Bruchetta.
Local Farmer’s Markets Tuesdays - Calvert Memorial Hospital Parking lot adjacent to Route 2/4 in Prince Frederick. 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. through. Nov. 25. Thursdays - Parking lot adjacent to the Riverwalk in Solomons. 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Through Nov. 20. - Cedar Grove United Methodist Church Parking Lot, 5965
Deale-Churchton Rd. in Deale 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Through Oct 30. Fridays 5th Street & Bay Avenue in North Beach. 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Through Oct. 3. Saturdays Calvert Fairgrounds, Route 231 in Prince Frederick. 7:30 a.m.-noon. Through Nov. 22.
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Well Done! Celebrating a Life Well-Lived
Whitey Schmidt, 75 you love crabs, rockfish and/or oysters, T Ifchances are you may have at least one of
his famous Chesapeake Bay cookbooks on your shelf. Arnold Louis “Whitey” Schmidt – noted cookbook author – and “crab guru” has passed away. He went peacefully at his home art studio in Crisfield, MD across the bay on the eastern shore on Fri., July 18, 2014. He was 75 years old. Known as the Chesapeake Bay’s Blue Crab Guru, Schmidt authored 11 popular books on the region’s cooking, culture and people. Schmidt’s first book, The Official Crab Eater’s Guide (1985), marked a milestone in the history of Bay country cooking. It became a popular staple at regional bookstores, and remains in circulation today. As part of the launch, Schmidt founded Marian Hartnett Press in Alexandria, VA. This early success allowed him to quit his “real job” working for the family business – Tab Tire – in suburban Washington, D.C. He moved to the Eastern Shore and began pursuing his passion for cooking and writing full time. He would go on to publish the books Seaside Dining: Views to Dine By… The Chesapeake Bay Crabbiest Cookbook… The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Cookbook… The Eastern Shore Cookbook… and many others. Schmidt has been profiled in countless newspapers, magazines and television documentaries. The list includes Southern Living, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Bay Sailor, 14
Coastal Style, Washington Post, Frederick Magazine, Soundings, Sail Magazine and Maryland Life. He was also featured in Maryland Public Television’s award-winning documentary “Eatin’ Crabs Chesapeake Style.” He was had also made the trek over to the western shore to sign his cookbooks at Bayfest in North Beach. Along the way, Schmidt served as a judge in numerous seafood-cooking competitions, from Annapolis to St. Michaels and beyond. He claimed to have eaten in more than 275 crab houses in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. In recent years, Schmidt increasingly devoted himself to painting. He worked mainly in watercolor and acrylic. He filled his home and studio with canvases – most of them focusing on Bay country themes and, of course, the blue crab. Before his death, Schmidt founded Chick’n Neck’r Art with his son Matthew Schmidt. The company is devoted to creating paintings and sculptures exploring Eastern Shore themes. Over the years, Schmidt covered his Crisfield property with vegetable gardens, wood sculptures, vintage signs, antiques and artworks from around the region. An avid gardener, Schmidt regularly used fresh vegetables and herbs to enhance the flavors of the recipes he tested in his kitchen (a.k.a. the “Crab Lab”). H i s e n o r m o u s wooden patio table, extending some 15 feet, has hosted countless crab feasts. The guest lists have i n c l u d e d luminaries from
Chesapeake Current Cuisine August 2014
Whitey Schmidt.
the worlds of publishing, art and cooking. “Pop loved nothing more than cooking for a house full of friends. He put all his passion into everything he did,” says son Matthew. In his youth, Schmidt – a native of Washington, D.C. – starred on Suitland High S c h o o l ’ s basketball team. He beat out his friend and eventual U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) for the presidency of his senior class. Schmidt claimed it was the only election Hoyer ever lost! Schmidt was also a great lover of jazz, including Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra and others. His work and his charismatic personality attracted hundreds of friends. Many would visit his Crisfield home – often without advance notice. Regardless, they were always met with great food, drink and Schmidt’s famous stories. Through his work and life, Schmidt has touched thousands of individuals. He will be missed – but his work will live on. Schmidt’s son Matthew is taking the reigns at Marian Hartnett Press and Chick’n Neck’r Art and plans on releasing several new volumes in the future. A memorial service will be on Sun., Aug. 17, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at the Stanley Cochrane American Legion Post # 16 in Crisfield. Donations in the name of Whitey Schmidt can be made to the Maryland Waterman’s Association, 1805A Virginia Street Annapolis, MD 21401. Bradshaw & Sons Funeral Home in Crisfield handled arrangements.
What’s
Cooking? 2012 Winning Dish: Chesapeake Oyster Rockfish Ceviche & Cucumber Granita.
Ah, Shucks!
Celebrate Oysters at Festival
in white wine, sautéed in F lambéed lemon butter, fried and served with
chipotle grits - chefs of all skill levels are invited to test their original oyster recipe against the best, in the 35th National Oyster Cook-off! A panel of food experts will choose nine of the most creative and mouthwatering recipes to take part in the oyster cook-off on Sat., Oct. 18 at the 48th Annual St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival in Leonardtown. Three chefs will compete in each category - hors d’oeuvres, soup/stew, and main dish.
The top recipe from each category will receive a cash prize, ranging from $150 to $300. Out of the top three contestants, a Grand Prize winner will be chosen and awarded an additional $1,000 and an engraved silver tray along with the bragging rights that come with a national title. The Peoples’ Choice and Best Presentation winners will also receive honors. All nine contestants will enjoy a night’s stay in the Lexington Park Hampton Inn and receive an invitation to the Oyster Festival opening reception.
Participants must email their recipes to Kelly Barnes at Kelly.barnes1@maryland.gov by August 31, 2014 to enter. The Oyster Festival, including the U.S. National Oyster Shucking Championship and the National Oyster Cook-off is organized by the Rotary Club of Lexington Park. The Oyster Cook-off is supported by the Maryland Department of Natural of Natural Resources Seafood Marketing Program, the St. Mary’s County Department of Economic and Community Development and the Rotary Club.
Bring the whole family! Water slides, fun attractions for all ages - young children to adults!
410.257.1404 Located at 4079 Gordon Stinnett Ave. Chesapeake Beach
chesapeakebeachwaterpark.com August 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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CRAB CAPELLINI
$16.99
AVAILABLE THROUGH AUGUST
MARYLAND JUMBO LUMP CRABMEAT SAUTﾃ右D WITH SLIVERED GARLIC, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL. TOSSED WITH VINE-RIPENED TOMATOES, FRESH BASIL AND SERVED OVER ANGEL HAIR PASTA.
CBRESORTSPA.COM 410.257.2735
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