Week of September 14

Those beautiful bivalves are not shown actual size. They are "countnecks" which is a name for the smallest size of hardshell clam. More to come on the clam front - I'll be posting a great recipe tomorrow.

This week's meals are the fruit of some serious digging through my Google Reader's starred folder. I am always tagging recipes and ideas to try and quite a few new ideas made it into the queue this week. I'll let y'all know how they turn out.

Menu for the Week
Sunday
Thai beef rolls with sweet chili sauce (from Serious Eats)
Grilled eggplant
Tomato salad with cilantro and roasted peanuts
Jasmine rice
Peach hand pies (inspired by, but not following Smitten Kitchen's recipe)

Monday
Turkey burger sliders
Cole slaw

Tuesday
Zucchini-ricotta cheesecake (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)
Green salad

Wednesday
Out on the town

Thursday
Broccoli rabe ravioli (from our trip to Venda ravioli in Providence) with tomato sauce
Green salad

Friday
Grilled hot dogs
Cole slaw
Truffle fries (thanks Jaden's Steamy Kitchen and Cookthink!)

Drink of the Week: Basil Smash

With the summer drawing to a close (it was in the low 40s yesterday morning), I am trying cram in a few more herbed cocktails while I can still pluck fresh herbs from the garden.

This is a basil-y take on a mint julep, and since I just found a bottle of Jim Beam rye, I thought I'd try rye instead of the traditional bourbon. There's also a drink, another julep variation, we've both had (and loved) at the Eastern Standard called the Whiskey Smash. The Smash calls for lemon slices to be added in with the mint.

So here's my variation on the Mint Julep and Whiskey Smash. Both drinks are traditionally served over crushed ice. I didn't feel like pulling out the ice crusher (yes, I own one), so I took the "up" road instead.

Basil Smash

In a mixing glass, muddle together:

• 2 1/4" slices of lemon
• large sprig of basil
• 1/4 ounce of simple syrup (or 2 teaspoons sugar)
  

Add ice, and

• 2 ounces rye

Shake until very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a basil leaf and lemon twist.

Review: The Riverview

The Riverview
20 Estes St, Ipswich, MA (978) 356-0500 (no web site)
Cash only

The Riverview is an Ipswich landmark and a hidden gem. Locals know it, but outside the Ipswich area, it's pretty unknown.

The Riverview is good at pizza. Really good at it, which is a good thing because that's all they make. Their pizza is a thin crust style, which depending on where you grew up might be called "New England" or "Greek-style". Their sauce is flavorful and not too sweet and the kitchen is liberal with the toppings.

The menu is pretty easy to figure out, and, as you might be able to see, the Riverview is very reasonable. One pizza with an assortment of toppings will run you about $7.00. For most folks, a single pizza is enough for one. It does reheat well though, so feel free to order enough to take home.

Beware, when your pizza comes to your table, you will be starving (there can be a bit of a wait when the place is hopping - all weekend really). Watch out; the sauce will be molten, so don't scarf that first slice down if you value your tongue and tastebuds. Pull a slice onto your "plate" - really a sheet of waxed paper - and let it cool off a little first.

If you're in the area, do stop in for a bite. The Riverview's got a full bar so you have a drink while you wait for dinner. They do a lot of takeout also, so feel free to call ahead if you'd rather eat at home.

Tuesday's Tomato Haul

This is a collection small and cherry tomatoes I picked today. The little round yellow ones are Sun Golds, the yellow oval ones are Yellow Pear and the red ones are Juliet.

I cannot endorse Juliet enough. She is a mini-plum tomato. Incredibly prolific, early ripening and its actually tastes good, even raw.

I ended up slicing the Yellow Pear and Juliets in half, tossing them with oil and salt and roasting them for an hour to make an oven-roasted version of a sundried tomato (and forgot to take any pictures of the process, sigh).

The Sun Golds get eaten raw or put into martinis.

Monday Night Corn on the Cob

Thank goodness for gardens. Dinner tonight was a nice plate of tomatoes and corn, with some cheese and salami on the side.

Farmer Bob had two kinds of corn today: Silver Queen and Butter and Sugar. I got three of each so we could hold a comparative tasting during dinner.

That was the plan anyway. We pretty much just scarfed it all down. From what I remember, the Silver Queen had a more pleasing "snap" to the kernels, but the Butter and Sugar tasted "cornier".

Either way, both varieties were delicious and made for a lovely centerpiece to our dinner. Go get some local corn before it's all gone for the season!