Russo's To Table with Professor Orquiza

Last Wednesday Slow Food had their annual Russo's to Table dinner with Professor Orquiza, Asian American Studies professor and professional chef (shameless plug: take his Asian American Immigration class focused on food culture next semester!). 

The objective of the event is to go to Russo's market in Watertown, pick up the fresh seasonable produce available, and start a menu on the fly. Sophia, Slow Food President, and Orquiza ventured to the market and brought back butternut squash, quail eggs, a steak, mushrooms, leafy greens, apples, and many other delicious foods. 

At 5:00pm, Slow Food and other guests gathered in the Lake House kitchen to start cooking. 

The butternut squash soup had already been made, so guests helped themselves to these bowls of delicious warmth, topped with roasted pine nuts, croutons, and cheese crisps. 

To help the dinner process along we were assigned different task like taking out pomegranate seeds,

preparing the steak,

cracking quail eggs for the pasta sauce, which proved to be really difficult, 

baking dessert yummm,

and boiling water for the pasta, really difficult when you have a temperamental stove (Sorry Sophia!).

Check out that awesome shirt she's wearing! It's the Wellesley Slow Food logo t-shirt and the two versions are dark blue shirt with blue logo and white shirt with black logo (for tie-dying).

(Email sgarcia@wellesley.edu if interested in a shirt)

The salad was already prepped: arugula with fig, dragon fruit, and lychees. 

No one could take their eyes off that red fruit!

As we waited for things to start cooking, Orquiza showed us some pictures of gigantic butternut squash they found at the market.

Then he got started on the pasta sauce!

Cream, sage, thyme, butter, salt, and cracked pepper...what more could you want?

Scrambled quail eggs were tossed in at the last moment to thicken the sauce. 

Who's ready for some good food? 

And the steak hasn't been cooked yet! 

Cooked in butter and thyme, seasoned with salt and pepper. Orquiza told us to make sure we were constantly basting the meat in order to keep it juicy. To make sure we don't overcook, the meat should be about as tender as the skin between your pointer finger and thumb. 

The delicious butter from the steak was used again for the mushrooms. 

Bon appétit! 

Don't forget the apple crisp! 

With the sounds of laughter and conversation, mixed with the delicious smells of a home cooked meal, Thanksgiving break didn't seem far away.

Come join us at our final event of the SEMESTER!

DECEMBER 10TH IN ANDERSON FORUM

JAM SESSION: FEATURING LOCAL CONCORD GRAPE, TOMATO, CRABAPPLE, AND MANY OTHER JAMS! ALL SERVED WITH FRESH BAKED BREAD AND CHEESE.

WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN PERFORMING AT THE EVENT. MUSICIANS, SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS, ALL ARE INVITED! 

PLEASE EMAIL: asun@wellesley.edu if interested.