It's Clambake Time!

Exclusive for the BACK BAY SUN

It’s Clambake Time!

By C. Paul Luongo

Roger Berkowitz, Chief Fishmonger and President, LEGAL SEA FOODS with 30 locations on the East Coast offers these two exclusive recipes for a delectable clambake,
indoors or out!


Outdoors (for 4)

Ingredients –

4 chicken lobsters
4 lbs. cleaned steamers
4 lbs. cleaned mussels
4 ears of corn
1 large piece of chorizo
Rockweed or seaweed (available at Legal Sea Foods)
Softened herb butter for brushing

Step 1 Place lobsters in salted boiling water for 2 minutes.
Remove, drain well and cut in half lengthwise. Brush
meat side with herb butter and place on hot grill.
Continue basting until meat is cooked through (approx. 5-6 minutes)

Step 2 Soak seaweed in cold water for several minutes. Remove and
shake off excess water. Arrange seaweed on hot grill and nestle
clams and mussels in seaweed. Cover grill and remove shellfish
when they pop open, (approx. 10-12 minutes). Discard any mussels
or clams that do not open.

Step 3 Place unshucked corn on hot grill and cook until tender,
(approx. 10-12 minutes)

Step 4 Cut sausage into four equal pieces and place on hot grill for
approximately 10 minutes.

Step 5 Divide clams and steamers between four plates and place an ear
of corn, piece of chorizo and one lobster on top.

Step 6 Serve with melted butter on the side.


Indoors (for 2)

One pot lobster bake.

Ingredients

2 chicken lobsters 2 lbs. cleaned steamers
2 lbs. cleaned mussels 2 ears of corn
2 small pieces of chorizo 1 cup of white wine
1 cup of water 2 diced shallots

Step 1 Place 2 lobsters on the bottom of a large oversized stock pot.

Step 2 Layer the mussels and clams on top of the lobsters.

Step 3 Create a final layer with the corn and chorizo

Step 4 Pour wine, water and shallots over everything and cover with a lid or
aluminum foil.

Step 5 Cook over medium heat for at least 30 minutes or until all the clams and mussels have opened.

Step 6 Divide clams and mussels between 2 plates and place an ear of corn, piece of
chorizo and one lobster on top.

Step 7 Serve with melted butter and liquid from the pot on the side.

Alternatively, save yourself all this work and effort and walk or drive to your nearest LEGAL SEA FOODS location (there are 3 in Back Bay) and for only $36.95 you can dine regally without all the work and enjoy this sumptuous feast in a comfortable setting year-round!

C. Paul Luongo is President of
C. PAUL LUONGO COMPANY, Public Relations
& Marketing, Boston

Easter Sunday

Exclusive to the BACK BAY SUN

Easter Sunday, April 12th 2009

Easter, the principal festival of the Christian church year, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. The origins of Easter date to the beginnings of Christianity, and it is probably the oldest Christian observance after the Sabbath (observed on Saturday). Later, the Sabbath subsequently came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection.Many of the cultural historians find, in the celebration of Easter, a convergence of the three traditions - Pagan, Hebrew and Christian.But it is pointed out by some that the Easter festival, as celebrated today, is related with the Hebrew tradition, the Jewish Passover. This is being celebrated during Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew lunar year. The Jewish Passover under Moses commemorates Israel's deliverance from about 300 years of bondage in Egypt.The Feast of Easter was well established by the second century. But there had been dispute over the exact date of the Easter observance between the Eastern and Western Churches. The East wanted to have it on a weekday because early Christians observed Passover every year on the 14th of Nisan, the month based on the lunar calendar. But, the West wanted that Easter should always be a Sunday regardless of the date.To solve this problem the emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in 325. The question of the date of Easter was one of its main concerns. The council decided that Easter should fall on Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. But fixing up the date of the Equinox was still a problem. The Alexandrians, noted for their rich knowledge in astronomical calculations were given the task. And March 21 was made out to be the perfect date for spring equinox.The dating of Easter today follows the same. Accordingly, churches in the West observe it on the first day of the full moon that occurs on or following the Spring equinox on March 21., it became a movable feast between March 21 and April 25.Still some churches in the East observe Easter according to the date of the Passover festival.The preparation takes off as early as on the Ash Wednesday from which the period of penitence in the Lent begins. The Lent and the Holy week end on the Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection.

Here are some special Boston restaurants to celebrate the Easter holiday!

MEIL BRASSERIE PROVENCALE BOSTON at the INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, 510 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, 617 747 1000. The Easter Brunch is served 11AM – 1PM,
$57 per person, children 12 or under, $25 per person.
Brunch includes a salad station, raw bar, carving station (lamb & prime rib), hot station (vegetable, artic char) omelets, crepe station, desert station.

TAJ HOTEL, 15 Arlington, Street, Boston 617 598 5255 for restaurant reservations.
Easter Buffet on the Roof, 17th Floor, Easter Bunny, Seatings at 11AM and 2:30PM.
Adults $88, Children 4-12yrs, $44. Includes Shirley Temple or soda for toasting.
Buffet includes appetizers, Indian cuisine, Mediterranean Charcuterie and salads, sushi presentations, egg-travagent breakfast selections, pan-seared salmon, chicken breast, scallop with risotto, carving stations with lamb and prime rib and artistic dessert fantasy buffet.

FAIRMONT COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL, Oak Room, 138 St. James Avenue, Boston 617 267 5300.
Easter Buffet, $45 Adults, $20 children (6-12), children 5 and under free.
11AM to 2PM, reservations required. Buffet includes honey glazed ham, three pepper crusted rib eye of beef, seared crab cakes, truffle rubbed organic chicken breast all with spring vegetables and light horseradish whipped potatoes, eggs, Kobe burger, New York Strip Steak and a dessert buffet.

Happy Easter!

C. Paul Luongo is President
C. PAUL LUONGO COMPANY, Public
Relations and Marketing, Boston

St. Patrick's Day

ST. PATRICK’S DAY, Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Boston - St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years.

On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.

However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.

Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.

Here are some recommended places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Boston!

The Beehive, 541 Tremont Street, Boston, is celebrating St. Patrick's day in a more traditional style. Kicking off their "Bee Irish" festivities at 5.00pm on the 17th of March, the Beehive promises traditional Irish "comfort food" such as Wild Irish Salmon Shepherd's Pie and Lamb Stew, as well as traditional Irish music from Hogan's Goat and plenty of Guinness of course. There is no cover charge for this event that promises to be one of the biggest in Boston on St. Patrick's Day.

Other Boston Irish pubs include the BLACK ROSE, DILLON’S, CLERY’S, and the PURPLE SHAMROCK.

CPL

C. Paul Luongo is the President of C. Paul Luongo Company,
Public Relations & Marketing, Boston

Public Relations Financial Stimulus Plans

At Last! Public Relations Financial Stimulus Plans
now available in the United States and Canada!

Boston- C. PAUL LUONGO COMPANY, Boston, Public Relations & Marketing throughout the United States and Canada is offering new clients a Stimulus Plan custom-tailored to meet their objectives at reduced prices to fit any budget.

Call for details.

CPL

C. Paul Luongo is the President of C. Paul Luongo Company,Public Relations & Marketing, Boston

Valentine's Day

Exclusive to THE BACK BAY SUN

VALENTINE’S DAY, Saturday, February 14, 2009

According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius-II had issued an edict forbidding marriage.

When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, would not make good soldiers.

So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage. Valentine, a bishop, seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested.

The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the Roman gods, to save him from certain execution.

Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after.Valentine thus became a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name.The Valentine's Day card tradition spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest cards was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London.


In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Here are some very special places to celebrate VALENTINE’S DAY in Boston

TOP OF THE HUB, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 15th
$250 per couple, beverages, tax and gratuity not included
Live entertainment.

The Menu

Kama Sutra
Tempura Oysters, Tomatillo Sauce, Creamy Masa, Pico De Gallo
Or
Pastry Quiver Full of Cupids Arrows
Poached Asparagus Wrapped in Black Forest Ham, Baked Puff Pastry & Cheese Fondue, Rosewater Hollandaise
Or
Love Potion #9
Champagne & Mussel Soup, Caviar Cream

* * *
*Cuban Coffee Cocoa Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Slow Roasted Pineapple, Star Anise Vanilla Bean Compote, Pasilla Banana Mole Sauce
Or
Rosemary Scented Rack of Lamb
Celery Root & Sweetheart Potatoes Gratin, Honey Glazed Baby Carrots, Pomegranate Gastrique
Or
*Grilled Beef Tenderloin
Winter Black Truffle & Goat Cheese Soufflé, Braised Artichoke, Bordelaise Sauce & Mustard Cream
Or
*Pan Seared Salmon
Red wine Risotto, Parmesan Broth, Nasturtium Butter, Haricot Verts

* * *
Rocket Arugula
Spiced Spanish Almond Sweet 100’s, Stilton Cheese, Jerez Tomato Vinaigrette

* * *
Raspberry Chocolate Cake
Cherry Brandy Truffle, Godiva White Chocolate Sauce, Cherry Coulis

Other places to celebrate VALENTINE’S DAY in Boston include AVILA, BAMBARA, BEACON HILL HOTEL & BISTRO, BEEHIVE, BRICCO, Café Fleuri, LANGHAM HOTEL, DAVIO’S, HAMERSLEY’S BISTRO, PERSEPHONE, RADIUS, SAGE, SEL DE LA TERRE, TARANTA, TURNER FISHERIES, UNION and the FAIRMONT COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL.

CPL

C. Paul Luongo is the President of C. Paul Luongo Company,
Public Relations & Marketing, Boston