Too Hot to Cook...

It's terribly hot and humid, so I'm trying to avoid any cooking beyond boiling water. Also, going away this weekend, so I'm trying to use up leftovers. And I had friends in town last weekend. So my apologies.

BUT, I do have some restaurant recommendations, since I had friends in from out of town.

Two favorites that I can recommend heartily were on the agenda this past weekend.

First, dinner at Addis Red Sea.

Addis Red Sea has two locations, one in the South End and one in Porter Square. We'd previously only been to the South End location (across from the BCA) but visited the close to home Porter location this Friday night.

I only get veggie dishes, but everything I've ever tried there is good...collards, lentils, potatoes and carrots, you name it, it's yummy. Their injera is spectacular. Jen got beef and Sandy got chicken and they also enjoyed their dishes.

And the coffee is to DIE for. Any coffee lovers, you must try their Ethiopian coffee. It's the only coffee that I can drink without any cream or milk, because it isn't bitter at all. And it's amazing, and comes in tiny cups that make it feel like a ritual.

And of course, brunch at Centre Street Cafe.

When we left JP, the hardest thing was leaving the restaurants that we loved (though it was probably good for our wallets).

Centre Street Cafe has local artwork on the walls, local veggies in the food, a specials menu that rocks the weekend, and a set of regular dishes that always satisfy. My standby is the Potatoes Santa Cruz, which marries home fries with fresh veggies, cheddar cheese, and pico de gallo. Their stratas and omelets are made with whatever is fresh and local, their waffles and french toast come buried in fruit, and there's not a bad item on the menu.

And one leftover-loving recipe to tide you over until it's cool enough to really cook:

Ricotta-Pesto Pasta

Pasta
Pesto
Ricotta
Salt
Pepper
Pine Nuts


Cook 1/2 box of small to medium pasta in a shape of your choice until al dente. In a medium sized bowl, mix about 1/2 to 1 cup ricotta (left over from last week's ziti) with an equal or slightly lesser amount of pesto (fresh or storebought - I had a little of both, so I mixed and matched). Add pasta and fold until blended. Add salt, pepper and pine nuts to taste.

No soundtrack today, since I avoided the kitchen while the water boiled, but here are some links.

Links

Addis Red Sea
Centre Street Cafe