Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1125082
89 the grill, and then strip the corn off the cobs and sauté it with butter. To make it fancy, we can add lobster and some herbs and serve it as an appetizer." The company's 80-acre Gibbet Hill Farm in Groton grows over 100 different kinds of fruits and veggies for its restaurants. "My parents are from Italy and have a great garden, so growing up I learned to appreciate cooking with fresh- picked produce," says Capone, who notes that the farm emails his chefs weekly to let them know what's available to order. When buttery, green fava beans appear, Ca- pone plans to fold them into a risotto at Ban- croft & Co., as well as puree them with garlicky basil oil to serve with bread. With the farm's 40 different heirloom tomato varieties, he'll make a rich tomato bisque. Tomatillos will become a salsa verde to serve with grilled meat, and vegetarians can order the Gibbet Hill Farm seasonal vegetable plate, a soft, charred array of what the garden yielded that week. "Last year we had peaches," says Capone, "which I sliced thin and served with burrata, chopped pistachios, pesto, and fennel pollen." This year, it will all depend on the weather. Paul Callahan, executive chef of Ceia Kitchen + Bar in Newburyport, relies on niche farmers and foragers for much of his produce, like the New Hampshire forager who brings him wild mushrooms and Japanese knotweed. "It looks like baby asparagus and has a lemon flavor," says Callahan of the knotweed. "We sauté it and call it 'fake asparagus.' This year I might steam and toss it with butter, escargot, and grapes as a small plate." Red pine cones are another wild edible Callahan favors. He buries the young cones in brown sugar to yield a syrup that he folds into ice cream. "It's not what you think," he says, referring to the implied resinous taste. "It's more subtle and really delicious." For microgreens, Callahan turns to the res- taurant's bartender, who also owns Dowie Farm in New Hampshire, where Callahan lives. "We often use the greens as garnishes, and if she has baby mustard greens, I'll turn them into a salad or use them in a main dish, like duck." Callahan also favors "the carrot guy" at Three River Farmers Alliance in New Hamp- shire and often visits nearby Stout Oak Farm on his way to work for lettuces. "Their salad greens are the best—so fresh," enthuses Cal-