This is one of the reasons that Market Basket thing was important:
That’s about £39.83. On the kitchen island below is what I got for that today. It includes about a dozen pounds — weight, that is — of veg, six pounds of beef and pork, a pound of deli meats, and a one-pound wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano — the real stuff, from Italy and everything, which I ran out of last week. That total would easily be above $90 at other supermarket chains in the area, with one or two likely exceeding a hundred dollars.
Guess what I’m making a double recipe of tomorrow. The clue is in the peppers. (The answer: Comfort Diner Meatloaf.)
The five dozen eggs, the dozen ears of corn, and the four pounds of tomatoes in the background are from two farms in Harvard, Massachusetts. They were $19/£11.45 — no charge for the two dozen smaller pullet eggs that are perfect for use in recipes when you know that a large egg is exactly 2 ounces with the shell. They’re too small for Ann the Egg Lady to sell, so she sometimes throws in a couple dozen when I visit to buy the larger eggs.
I went down every aisle in this Market Basket, #37 (of 71), and nearly everything was already fully stocked — 97% complete, I’d say — and this just sixty hours after the crisis resolution. I stopped to have a gander at the next Market Basket down the road and they were more like 92% stocked, with a noticeable amount of empty shelf space. That second MB is not even a year old, so I’m guessing they’re prioritising the stores that have been around the longest first. In any case, I think my analyst- and media-shaming estimate of under a week will be easily met at all the stores.
The pork case in store #37
Fruit and veg also fully stocked
My full disclosure statement is that two items I wanted were at neither of the two stores: ground veal and fresh basil. I don’t strictly need the veal for the meatloaf and I recently took delivery of a large bag of vibrantly green dried basil from The Spice House in Chicago, so no big deal.
I also drove past the Market Basket still under construction that’s just ten minutes from my house, happy that now it won’t end up a sad derelict and a painful reminder of what could have been. This wasn’t taken whilst moving, by the way; I was at a red traffic light.
my golly what a haul ! No and I can’t believe you got all that for 61 bucks.
I’m especially curious about that parmigiana reggiano. What does that go per pound ?
As for the coming meatloaf, bet your kitchen smells nice ! Made such a big one two weeks ago that we just finished the last bits yesterday as a sloppy joe. At first I thought serving it at either lunch or dinner was a bit much, but when I overlooked it for some other thing from the fridge that i had prepared ahead of time, everyone in our moving crew said where is that meatloaf ? So had to give in.
Letting it sit for a day after making it is a good idea too..I’ve learned that when making meat pates. But I’m guessing you won’t be able to wait. Mom and I both burned the roof of our mouths trying it straight out of the oven !
Off topic
But have you seen Iran’s full scale wooden Nimitz?http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/04/04/these-satellite-images-show-irans-construction-of-a-fake-u-s-aircraft-carrier/
I hadn’t seen those nifty satellite photos, but at the old place I did post a ground-based photo:
I just cooked the test patty and it’s scrumptious — my double recipe seasoning memory seems to be good. No salt or pepper adjustment was needed.
I like the ease of handling and forming the chilled mix, so I will be waiting a few hours as it firms up in the fridge and there will be good insinuation of flavours in that time.
The Parmigiano-Reggiano is $12.99 a pound at Market Basket; my wedge weighed in at $12.18 and was the single most expensive item in that haul, of course. It wasn’t on sale, that’s its regular price at MB. I found the same brand on a few web sites and everybody else seems to price it at $19.99 a pound.
Gosh ! Wow ! Most parmiggianos go from 24 to 29. 99 in New York City …Murray’s Cheese which has the best stuff has those prices. It is a good 1 1/2 years old and you can even eat it just off the block with a piece of fruit . An expensive dessert I grant you, but very satisfying !
For grating, I use Grana Padano which is its brother. That goes for 19.99 a pound. Grana Padano is made in exactly the same way as Parmiggiano Reggiano but just outside the physical boundary of where you can legally call your cheese Parmigiano. And for grating, good enough for me !
In France we are sold Parmigiano Regianno that is three years old and so ONLY good for grating not for eating right off the chunk. In fact we can’t get anything any younger. Italy saves it all for local consumption.
If you haven’t tried a young Parmigiano, put it in your list of things to try. It’s like a candy that you will never tire of. It’s sweet and full of umami, so watch out ! You can blow your taste buds out pretty easily and it takes quite a long period to remake your “palate”.
Indeed these 2year + cheeses: gruyere, emmenthal, aged mimolette, are popular the world over and full of umami ! Like ketchup and tomato paste, umami is the main reason for their popularity.
The Ambriola that Market Basket sells is 24 months old and is made inside the Denominazione di Origine Protetta. It’s definitely edible on its own and so a good happy medium age, I think. The one MB used to sell, Il Villagio, was also 24 months and DOP, but I think this one tastes a bit nicer at the same price.
I conked out early last night and never baked the meatloaf, so I have that occasional advantage of a forthcoming elaborate dinner with practically no work on the day. All I need to do is pop those loaves in the oven, strip the corn (and juices, of course) for Better Than Granny’s Creamed Corn, and peel carrots and potatoes.
So glad there was a happy ending to the Market Basket story—i was following it each day. Funny how we get attached to our local stores, even the chains. My local chain (multi state) was bought up by Royal Ahold, who thought they could treat it like your Stop & Shop….and it’s been a mess. 25, 30, 40 year employees are gone, in-store bakeries –gone, in store butchers–gone, familiar labels–gone, customer service, gone. Haven’t stepped foot in there in 2 years, except the day I needed a bottle of water NOW.