apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Sense of Place: The Food of New England

2008_07_09-NewEnglandCuisine.jpgAfter sharing all our favorite flavors of New England, we couldn't leave you without a few recipes to tempt your taste buds!

Whether you live in Boston or Santa Fe, a transplant from a different coast or a native yearning for home, these dishes will land you smack dab in the bays and rocky hillsides of New England.

 
 

New Englanders take advantage of what they have while it's in season, preparing them in simple ways to show off their best flavors. This applies to everything from strawberries to lobster!

Breakfast
Red Flannel Hash (Beet and Pototo Hash--great with a fried egg on top!)
Johnny Cakes (which are from Rhode Island and don't let anyone tell you otherwise)
Old-Fashioned Indian Corn Pudding
Everything with a big helping of maple syrup, of course...

Dinner
Potato and Celery Root Gratin with Smoked Haddock (Finnan Haddie)
New England Fish Chowder
New England Clam Chowder
Lobster Pot Pie
Lobster Rolls (the recipe says to serve on dinner rolls, but they're really best on hoagie or hot dog buns!)
Backyard New England Clam Bake (sandy beach encouraged, but not required)

Dessert
Fruit Cobbler (baked in an oven)
Blueberry Grunt (covered and cooked on the stovetop)
Boston Cream Pie

Extras
Anadama Bread
Boston Brown Bread
Cranberry Relish with Apple Cider

What other dishes would you add to this list?

Related: Celebrate Seafood Dinner at the New England Aquarium

(Images: WalkingGeek licensed under Creative Commons, Emma Christensen for the Kitchn, and Elizabeth Passarella for the Kitchn)

Tags

Recipe Roundup, Inspiration, Local - East Coast, Travel, New England, sense of place

Related Links

Share

Comments (8)

I am not sure Rhode Island can claim the Johnny cake.

posted by emilyalane on 2008-07-09 14:49:27
view emilyalane's profile

That lobster roll picture makes me want to get on a plane to Maine right this very minute! YUM!!!

posted by lemongelatin on 2008-07-09 15:44:27
view lemongelatin's profile

A lot of the things we think of as "Thanksgiving" stuff is also New Englandy, like pumpkin pie, and things involving butternut squash (even though this New England girl goes with an Italian influence for her butternut squash soup). There's also Cheddar cheese soup, and the "New England Boiled Dinner" which is a close cousin to the "corned beef and cabbage" people break out on St. Patrick's Day. (Personally, I'm not a fan, but your mileage may vary.)

My family is a supplier for Ocean Spray, so I have to make a pitch for cranberry things, and thus: Cranberry nut bread. Recipes abound. (I use my grandmother's recipe, myself, but I ain't givin' that out to nobody.)

My family's clambakes were also very, very close to the clambake recipe you link to -- we didn't have any chicken and we'd have fish filets instead of the lobster, and would add sweet potatoes to the mix. But it still all got cooked together like that, which was what made the recipe work.

posted by empresscallipygos on 2008-07-09 17:05:56
view empresscallipygos's profile

Your lobster roll recipe sounds great but like chowder recipes it's subject to regional variations. Here in Connecticut we serve them hot, covered in melted butter, on a split top hot dog roll, preferably grilled.

posted by reubenclamzo on 2008-07-09 19:46:12
view reubenclamzo's profile

You forgot some of the best Rhode Island foods!

-Coffee Milk
-Hot Weiners
-Dough Boys
-Clam cakes
-Sea snail salad
-Birch beer

Don't be hatin'.

posted by scaram0uche on 2008-07-10 02:01:25
view scaram0uche's profile

Um. Bostonian here. I've never heard of Indian Pudding as a breakfast dish. It's my father and grandfather's favorite dessert. And it takes 3 hours or so to cook!

Not breakfast.

posted by feathers on 2008-07-10 16:45:11
view feathers's profile

When in Rhode island, don't forget the frappe and cabinet!

posted by reubenclamzo on 2008-07-10 18:53:50
view reubenclamzo's profile

Scaramouche - yes to Coffee Milk and Clam Cakes - you must be either from Southeastern Mass, New Bedford Fall River area or RI.

What about Clam Boils! WE ate these more than clam bakes.

Chorico and peppers.

Del's Lemonade.

posted by Tazer on 2008-07-27 13:28:32
view Tazer's profile