Our first stop was at Artisan Boulanger Patissier at 12th and Morris. We stopped here to get a little fuel for our walk . I got the almond crescent which is always amazing (especially the chocolate one). It was light and flaky on the outside with sweet soft almond paste inside. I’ve also had the bread here before which is also delicious if you can get it before they sell out

Our next stop was Varallo Bakery at 10th and Morris. The inside of the bakery is inviting and old school. The case full of cookies and confections stretches all along the side of the bakery, it looks quite majestic. Here I just got some cannolis for the taste test challenge.

Next stop was Termini Brothers Bakery on 8th st. near Dickinson. As far as the building goes Termini is the most impressive. It looks like you are stepping back into 1950, made even more believable by the old Italian dudes rocking It’s Amore on a guitar and accordian. At Termini’s they have an island in the middle full of delicious confections and helpful ladies come to take your order.  I got some cannolis and some Florentine cookies which blew my mind. The lady also gave me a little taste of the peanut butter cheese cake which was so sumptuous I would fail hard to try to even attempt a description of its deliciousity.

The next stop was at Isgro’s . The smell of the bakery wafts all down Christian St. if the wind is right, and it was as we walked closer and began salivating uncontrollably. The shop is small but full of a wide variety of delicious cookies and pastry. Also worth checking out is their Easter ham pie when the season is right, it will blow your mind.

We then walked back to the cannoli showdown arena and prepared for the main event.

I began by marking the bottom of the plates so we would know the bakery. Then I chopped the cannolis into bites for all to judge.

Everyone grabbed a bite from each plate as it was passed. Our discriminating taste buds were alight with sugar, flour and ricotta. The criteria was simple: taste, texture, and overall yumminess. All three options were good, but one stood out. After voting it was decided… drum roll…. Isgro’s has the best. The texture of the shell was crisp but not overdone, the filling was light and not too sweet, and overall was the top cannoli. As a side note Warsteiner goes excellently with cannolis

Everyone on the tour gathered in the big vat room where the magic happens.

our knowledgeable tourguide

big vats full of wart (i think)

After the room with the big tanks we got to the room where the yeast works its magic:

Next step was the room where they work with the yeast which wasn’t too interesting so I didn’t take any shots.

Finally we ended up in the bottling area.

some weirdo

Next came some beer and food. The beer is great (of course), I got a couple Storm Kings. Their food is tasty and reasonably priced too. I could easily see becoming a degenerate lush if I lived in Downingtown

Aimee and Dan

It was altogether a nice place and it made me want to drink even more Victory beer than I already do ( <3 Golden Monkey).

Ingredients:

Pasta -

• 3 cups semolina flour
• 5 eggs (4 for dough, 1 for sealing the ravioli)
• 1/2 cup of water
• extra flour if needed
• 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

Filling -

• 2 lbs. ground veal
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• bread crumbs
• 3 eggs
• grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• basil
• 3 medium sized onions
• 3 bunches green onions
• olive oil

Tools:

• pasta machine
  

  pasta machine

• ravioli wheel
  

  ravioli wheel

resting dough

I made the dough first since it needs to sit for a while so the wheat can get hydrated. I first mixed the eggs, oil and water and slowly poured it into the flour. My dough started out a little sticky and needed more flour. Once it got a nice smooth consistency after kneading for a while I put some flour on the bottom of a bowl, then put the dough in and covered the bowl with plastic wrap.

browning meat

After the dough was resting I began browning the meat in some olive oil. I only added a little salt at this point since the whole filling will need to be seasoned later. Once all the meat was browned I let it cool for a while so it wouldn’t cook the egg. After that I sauteed the onions and garlic and added those to the meat. Then I added some salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, egg and cheese to mixture. I then added a tiny bit of breadcrumbs to soak some of the moisture in the mix.

filling mixture

dough ball after resting

Once the mixture was all set it was time to roll out the dough in the pasta machine. After resting the dough should be nice and elastic and impress nicely if you push on it with your finger. I only needed the roller section, not the fettucini attachment so I removed that. Each time i put the dough through the rollers i patted it in some loose flour to keep it nice and pliable. Once it was rolled out I tried to make 2 even lengths and I brushed some egg on one side.

Once the dough is rolled out I portioned out small filling balls for each ravioli. I then placed the egged length of dough on top and made sure it was well aligned to the bottom length to ensure even raviolis. I then used the flat blade on the ravioli wheel to section off each individual ravioli. I then pressed down on the top of the dough to flatten out the filling and remove the air. Next I pressed on the edges around the ravioli to seal the whole thing. For the final seal I ran the edging wheel on each side to acheive the nice ravioli look. When the ravioli is well formed I patted it in flour and then put it on a drying rack so it wouldn’t stick to the others.

I only boiled them a couple at a time so they had space to move and the water didn’t cool down too much. Fresh pasta cooks much quicker so they only took around a minute each. I was being lazy so only canned sauce and some fresh grated cheese was used, but it was certainly delicious.

final product

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs or so of lamb
• 2 bay leaves
• rosemary
• oregano
• basil
• dried minced shallots
• thyme
• garlic powder
• crushed red pepper
• a can of white kidney beans
• a large can of peeled tomatoes
• i cup of lentils
• 1 tray of baby bella mushrooms
• 1 fennel
• 1 large or 2 medium yellow onions
• 2 large shallots
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 4 red potatoes
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• 4 slices of bacon
• chicken stock
• 2 medium sized zucchinis
• butter

The first step is to make a marinade for the lamb. I did this the day before using some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar. I first trimmed excess fat from the lamb and removed the tough connective tissue. Then I put the meat in a freezer bag and added the spices and then shook it up to ensure even distribution. I then left this in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day I heated up my stew pot with some olive oil, then I put in the slices of bacon. Once the bacon was fairly cooked I began browning the lamb in the beautiful bacon grease. Make sure not to put all the lamb in at once because it won’t brown as well if the pot is crowded. I browned it all in 3 batches or so, removing the browned meat as I went.

After the meat was browned I began working on the aromatics. I added some olive oil and butter and began sauteeing the onions and fennel, then the shallots. Once those were almost done I added the garlic. When the garlic was nice and fragrant I chopped the mushrooms and added those to sautee for a little while.

Once the mushrooms had softened I threw in the can of tomatoes. I increased the heat and began to simmer the mixture with the tomatoes and paste they came in. After they simmered for a while I added the chicken stock, beans, chopped zucchini and chopped potatoes.  I also added a little salt and pepper, as well as basil, thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper and rosemary. Once all the seasonings were added it was time to put the lamb back in the pool. I then put the heat on low and covered it with a lid, stirring occasionally.

After 2 hours or so add the lentils. I added mine too soon and they didn’t stand up well to the 3 hour simmer. At this point I removed the meat so I could take it off the bone. Please note the meat will be really hot so you should let it cool until it’s safe to handle.

After taking the meat from the bone put it back in the stew. I let it stew for around 3 hours total, until it reached a nice thick stew consistency. The meat was super soft and delicious. At this point it is primed and ready for you to enjoy with some bread and butter.

• 2 delicata squash
• garlic powder
• salt
• raw sugar
• dried shallots
• balsamic vinegar
• pepper
• olive oil
• butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds out. Put down a sprinkle of salt, then the garlic powder. Next add a little raw sugar to coat the top, then the shallots and sprinkle the whole thing with a tiny bit of vinegar. Then drizzle a little olive oil on top. Place the squash skin side down in a dish and add 1/2 inch of water and a tiny bit of olive oil to the dish to avoid burning.  Cover in aluminum foil and bake for around 35-45 minutes.

Once the squash is done cooking the flesh should be soft and easily scooped from the skin. Scoop the flesh into a bowl, add a tablespoon or two of butter, then salt and pepper to taste. Then enjoy!

• 3 zucchinis
• 1 medium sized onion
• 4 large cloves of garlic or a bunch of little ones
• basil
• oregano
• crushed red pepper
• garlic powder
• dried minced shallots
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then chop your veggies.

Next heat up a pan on medium heat and add some olive oil. Once the pan is hot add the onions.

Once the onions have cooked for a little while and begin to get translucent, make some space in the pan and add some extra olive oil. Then throw the garlic in the open space to begin cooking.

When the onions and garlic are done remove from heat. The onions should be fairly translucent but not browned.

Take an oven safe dish and spread some olive oil around the bottom. Then take zucchini slices and arrange them to cover the dish.

Next, get your spices ready.

Spread a little olive oil on top of the zucchini slices, add a sprinkle of salt, then add a couple shakes of the other spices. You can go heavier on the basil but don’t go crazy with the oregano.

Then throw on some of the cooked onions. Add another layer and repeat the steps until you’ve used all the zucchini and onions.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the zucchini reaches your desired state of doneness. I like mine a little underdone.

• 1 cup raw sugar
• a bunch of salt
• a packet of sazon
• dried minced onion
• dried minced shallots
• adobo
• basil
• oregano
• rosemary
• crushed red pepper

• scallops
• bacon
• sriracha sauce
• garlic powder
• salt
• toothpicks
• olive oil

Begin by washing the scallops and removing the feet, unless you like them. After washing, dry with a paper towel. Salt lightly and add a little bit of garlic powder, not enough to coat it.

Take a strip of bacon and fold it in half along the length to make the bacon about as wide as the scallop. You can then cut the bacon in half or leave it the full length for extra bacon-y goodness. Then apply a thin line of sriracha to the bacon lengthwise.

Take a scallop and roll the bacon around it. I found it worked best for me to leave the bacon on the cutting board and then rolling the scallop up the bacon strip. Try to keep the bacon tight so it binds to itself, it shouldn’t be too loose otherwise it will fall off. Once the scallop is wrapped tightly impale it on a toothpick, pressing the toothpick into the loose end of the bacon strip to pin it down.

Fill a saute pan with a little olive oil. Not much should be needed since the bacon fat will render after some time on the heat. Cook the scallops on medium heat until the bacon starts to get tight around the scallop. The scallops won’t get cooked thoroughly at this point but the bacon should be fairly brown and secure on the scallop. After this step pull the scallops from the pan, and cook on a grill at medium high. This will fully cook the scallops and give you nice grill marks.

Eat and know that the heart attack is totally worth the delicious flavor of salty bacon scallops.