I grew up in the town of Bourne in the predominantly Italian-American village of Sagamore, where my grandparents had settled after emigrating from Northern Italy. It was a simpler life back then. My family and I bought free-range chickens (and fresh eggs) from Joe Rigazio’s farm on the other side of the bridge, and milk and cream were delivered to our doorstep from Roberti’s Dairy in Sandwich. Most people had gardens in their backyards and grew their own grapes for making wine. I picked blueberries in the woods and sold them for carnival money (half went in my bucket, the other half went in my mouth).
There wasn’t much in terms of a restaurant scene. On Friday nights my dad would bring home lobsters from the marina, which my mom would boil. I wouldn’t eat them because I didn’t like lobster or fish. But one of my favorite food memories involves lobster. My great-uncle was a professional chef in Connecticut. When jovial Zio visited my family, he would make a variety of cacciatore-style dishes, and the one still vivid in my mind was lobster combined with a delicious rich tomato sauce. I would avoid eating any lobster, but I used to dunk a piece of our local “horn” bread into the rich sauce, relishing the complex flavors without realizing I was tasting traces of lobster.
Food prepared by my grandmother was very important to our household. Over the years I’ve written about the instinctive knowledge and wisdom these Italian immigrants had about food and cooking. My passion for these highly skilled women in the Italian Sagamore area led me to want to document their wisdom and recipes.
I left Cape Cod to go to art school in Boston, and then I moved to Chicago to pursue a career in the art and design world. My childhood love of food and cooking continued to be a large part of my life. I eventually moved back to the Cape. Here I re-created my life as a food stylist and author. I live about 10 miles from where I grew up, in an 1840s farmhouse on more than an acre of land. In some ways life is the way it was when I was growing up: I have chickens for fresh eggs and eight assorted fruit trees, and I pick blueberries from the bushes in my own yard. All season long I go clamming, and in November, when oyster season starts, you will find me on the flats. Today lobster is one of my favorite foods.
Like most things in life, change is inevitable. The small, friendly community of Sagamore that I knew as a child is quite different today. Many of the women who showed me how to make special Italian dishes and gave me their recipes have passed on, along with their loving traditions. But one of the most important changes taking place on the Cape became very obvious once I was back. As in many parts of the United States, the idea of “buy local, eat local” was taking off. Today the farm-to-table movement on the Cape has become firmly established, and local and organic are words you hear all the time.
From early spring to late fall, I see chefs working with local farmers and purveyors to get the freshest possible products. However, one real difficulty on the Cape is our short growing season. To compensate, some farmers have greenhouses to extend the season. Some Cape farmers are also starting to produce their own pork and lamb.
The emphasis on sustainable fishing cannot be denied. As the fishing industry has changed, aquaculture has grown. Many people have oyster grants, and an aquaponic farm grows hypotonic vegetables and fish in a recycling system. Oyster farming has also expanded, and you can find Cape Cod oysters from here to New York.
In addition, a number of cottage industries built around food and food products have sprung up around the Cape. Small companies and individuals make and sell a variety of products such as jams, jellies, breads, and textiles.
Today you can find more and more people living off the land and making a living with what is available to them on Cape Cod. And this is helping Cape Cod become a food destination as well as a popular tourist spot.
Cape Cod is more than just fun clam shacks offering fried clams and clam chowder. Yes, there are many good ones, but today there is so much more. There is a new energy in the restaurant and food world. European chefs are moving to the Cape and starting their own restaurants. You can find Italian, Brazilian, Mexican, and French restaurants, but there is always that touch of Cape Cod cultural DNA in each restaurant, fresh and local. Chefs are reinventing some of the old New England classics. For example, one has updated traditional clam chowder by replacing white potatoes with sweet potatoes. Another adds lobster to the classic Benedict; instead of the classic cheesecake, lavender and goat cheese are added.
Some chefs’ dishes included in this book may seem complicated at first, including Twenty-Eight Atlantic chef James Hackney’s caramelized scallops. This is really a number of recipes within one. Instead of making the entire recipe, however, you could make the pea puree for one dish, or use his gnocchi recipe for a first course with a light marinara sauce or just a sage butter.
This book follows the same road a visitor would take when visiting the Cape. Everyone goes over the Sagamore or Bourne Bridge and travels down Route 6 or turns off to Route 28 or Route 6A. The book does the same thing. It winds through the fifteen towns and their respective villages to explore each town and its environment through a new lens. I talked to chefs about the food they serve and where they get their produce and products. I attended the annual scallop and oyster festivals, and I tasted many of the products the local cottage industries have to offer.
I have tried to make this more than just a cookbook by adding my own remembrances, thoughts, and experiences about the Cape. This is my Cape Cod, the place where I have a picnic after a day at the beach and celebrate special occasions with friends and family with dinner at home or at one of these fine restaurants. Join me for this food journey along the Cape; it will be fun, with a variety of fresh, local delicious food!
Fresh Littleneck Clam Chowder
(Serves 4–6)
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided
3 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
½ cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 bay leaves
2 cups sea clam juice
½ cup peeled and grated russet potato
¼ cup peeled and grated sweet potato
1 cup heavy cream
12–16 littleneck clams, shells scrubbed of sand
1 (6-ounce) sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine 4 tablespoons butter and the bacon in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart pot over medium-low heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the bacon is crisp, stirring often.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the onions, celery, and bay leaves; sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the clam juice and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.
Add the grated potatoes, stirring constantly, until potatoes are softened and chowder starts to thicken, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, take out the bay leaves, and use an immersion blender to puree the chowder base.
Return the chowder to the pot. Stir in the cream and return the pot to medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often.
Add the clams, diced sweet potato, remaining 4 tablespoons butter, thyme, and Tabasco; return to a simmer and cook, stirring often, just until clams open and potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, divide the opened clams among soup bowls, and ladle the chowder over them.
Wine suggestion:
Pinot Gris has a tendency toward textural richness, which is perfect for this rich clam chowder. Chill a glass of Pinot Gris from Oregon with its pretty pear and almond blossom flavors and feel the bliss.