Inspiration

Many people have inquired, " Where do you get your inspiration from?" As a chef, I honestly get thoughts and ideas from many different sources. Seasonal ingredients are, in my belief, the most important source of inspiration to all chefs. Every once in a while, we get to travel and experience the different cultures and cuisines abroad. From the pictures above, most would gather that I was recently in Spain. However, these shots were actually taken in Puerto Rico.

Heavily influenced by the Spanish, namely Ponce De Leon and Christopher Columbus and those after them, the city of San Juan, in particular the section known as San Juan Viejo or "Old San Juan" is full of Spanish architecture and cuisine. We were lucky enough to be told of a really authentic tapas bar in Old San Juan that was located in a hotel that was originally a convent dating back over 350 years. I must say that we really enjoyed our experience. I was definitely inspiried by the simplicity and freshness of the dishes and tried to incorporate some of this philosophy in our new Spring Menu. I think that we definitely accomplished our goal.

Eat and Live Well

Chef Anthony Boccella

House Made Focaccia

We are excited to announce that we will be serving home made focaccia. Like most restaurants, our bread was being outsourced to local bakeries. We loved the products and appreciated thier craftsmanship. However, I have always wondered if I could possibly replicate some of the great tasing breads I have had. I experimented with a few different recipes and philosophies and have come up with, what I think, is a great tasting focaccia. We will be serving the focaccia with all of our panini at lunch service and also with our bread service at dinner. Tell me what you think and enjoy.

Eat and Live Well
Chef Anthony Boccella

Spring Is In The Air

First off, I must apologize for the lack of new info posted. I have slacked off a bit and I am sorry for that. Now that's out of the way, I have so much to report on. First and foremost, Our Spring Menu is due to be released on Tuesday, April 28th. We are all very excited to get things rolling and are looking forward to everyone trying all of the new dishes. We are offering our bistro menu Tuesday through Friday. This menu features an abundant assortment of small plates and mid-sized entrees that are perfect for the upcoming warm weather. We will also be offering our regular dinner menu Tuesday through Saturday as usual. Here are a few pictures to hopefully wet your appetite.

I don’t know about you, but I am completely dependent on my morning coffee. My routine when I get to the restaurant in the morning is to head straight to the coffee machine. And with the weather the way it has been, I find myself returning to the machine quite frequently throughout the day. So the following news is very exciting to me personally and I am sure to you as well. Starting next week, Tuesday, February 3rd to be more specific, we will begin offering locally roasted One Village Coffee of Souderton, PA. I am extremely excited because of the level of product that One Village Coffee produces.

A few facts about the coffee:
One Village Coffee roasts their beans in house from single origin coffee beans. This way, one can really get a flavor for the region where the beans are grown

One Village Coffee is a participant in the Rainforest Alliance and is Fair Trade Certified. These noble distinctions separate them from most producers by being part of a movement that helps preserve lands, empowers farmers and enables workers to invest in their lands and communities.

I could go on and on. But the point is that we are happy to be associated with a local partner who is great things for the world community and not to mention makes an outstanding cup of coffee.

We will be serving in the following coffees in our French Press:

Sumatra- dark roast-caramel, spice, chocolate with a hint of citrus
Sumatra Decaf- decaffeinated by natural water process, chemical free
Peru

http://www.onevillagecoffee.com/

Winter Menu-Small Plates

This season, we are going to try something a little different. We are introducing small plates to our menu. I can'y wait to get started with these new dishes. Above is a sampling of what we will be doing. We will also be offering a larger selection of cheeses in addition to our current supply of locally produced cheeses. This is a great addition to our dinner menu and is great way to start a meal.

Winter Menu-Appetizers

After a slight delay, the arrival of our winter menu has finally arrived. Tuesday January 20th will be the first night of our new menu. We are all very excited about the changes. These are a few of the new appetizers we will be featuring. I hope that you enjoy them, and I would love to hear your feedback on our new dishes.

Eat and Live Well

Chef Anthony Boccella

House Made Potato Gnocchi-New Menu Item

Our new winter menu will be released the second week of January and we are very excited. This dish is one of my favorites and I hope it will be one of yours too. I was trying to accomplish a few things when making this dish. I wanted to introduce an ingredient that not everyone may be familiar with. Oxtails are one of my favorite cuts because of the great potential that they posses if prepared properly. They must be cooked slow and low for a good two hours to reveal thier true greatness. The second reason, was to highlight one of my true culinary passions.....homemade pasta. This craft was passed down in my family through the generations and I am glad that I payed attention to my mom when she would make fresh pasta on almost a weekly basis. This menu we are featuring house made potato gnocchi. Now, I know what you are thinking........another gnocchi that is heavy and just weighs you down. I know, I have had them before too;however, I can assure you that these are different. I worked on my recipe several times to get the right flavor, consistency and texture and am really happy with the result. The gnocchi are light and flavorful and work very well with the ragu. This is truely a terrific dish. You will not have to wait much longer....they will be introduced in just a few weeks time. More dishes to come this week. Enjoy.

Live and Eat Well!
Chef Anthony Boccella

Potato Gnocchi

Idaho Potatoes 3lb.
All Purpose Flour 2 cups+extra flour set aside
Farm Fresh Egg 1
Kosher Salt pinch

Peel the potatoes and cut into equal size pieces(for even cooking.)
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Run the cooked potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer. (achieves a light, fluffy texture) Refrigerate the potatoes until cool.
In a large bowl, Place the potatoes in the bowl and create a well in the center. Add the egg and pinch of salt to the center of the bowl and wisk with a fork. Sift the flour over the potatoes. Using a fork, slowly bring the flour and potato to the center of the well into the eggs and incorporate. Once the egg is visibly absent, start using your hands to completely form the dough. Knead for a about 3-4 minutes until a ball of dough has formed. Use the extra flour to keep the dough from becoming too sticky. Once the dough has formed wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 min. When you are ready, form pieces of the dough into ropes or dowels and cut off 1/2 in. pieces. Using a fork, press the ends of the fork into the pieces of cut dough and pull towards you. The dough will roll towards you and create the signature indentations which characterize the gnocchi. Cook in boiling, salted water until the pasta floats and serve with your favorite sauce. Enjoy.