Head baker and manager Ben Tock of Bricco Panetteria in Boston's North End. (Photo by Mark Micheli)

I wrote a story for the Boston Globe about a North End bakery that specializes in old world Italian bread.

I thought a Globe photographer was scheduled to take photos at the same time I was at the bakery. When he didn’t show up, I took back-up photos.

Later, I found out he came and took the photos at another time. Those photos were used to accompany the article. I hate to waste anything, so I’m sharing some of the photos I took here. Surprisingly the one taken by the Globe and used with the article is nearly identical to one of the photos I took (above).

Old World Italian Breads Are Baked in an Alley in the North End

By Mark Micheli
Boston Globe Correspondent

The ingredients (as noted in the sign) are what sets this bread apart from others made in the U.S. (Photo by Mark Micheli)

From the moment you turn off busy Hanover Street in the North End and into the alley, you know you’re in for a treat. A sign reading “Fresh Artisan Breads ” hangs on an old fire escape. Open the glass door at the end of the lane and the heady smell of fermenting yeast and flour rises up the stairs. Who knew a trip to a bakery could end up being a five-minute escape to Europe?

Restaurateur and North End resident Frank DePasquale opened Bricco Panetteria about a year ago to supply handmade Italian and French breads to his eateries. The tiny bakery is located in an alley behind Bricco. “I really didn’t think people were going to find it,” says DePas-quale, owner of Trattoria Il Panino, Mare Oyster Bar, Umbria Prime, Bricco Ristorante & Enoteca, and the new Quattro Ristorante-Grill-Pizzeria. “It’s almost like the traditions in Italy or France, where you go down an alley and find a little hidden secret.”

People are finding it. Once inside, you head down a flight of stairs and see one or two bakers working in a small white-tiled room. They’re rolling dough, pulling bread from the ovens, or stacking loaves on a large rack. Head baker and manager Ben Tock, 23, is making 1,300 loaves “on a good day,” he says. The Johnson and Wales grad worked at Au Soleil, the catering arm of L’Espalier and Sel de la Terre.

All of the breads are made by hand, following old world practices and recipes developed by Tock. (Photo by Mark Micheli)

Breads include ciabatta, a French sourdough miche, which is a puffy round, a baguette stuffed with Parmigiano and prosciutto, and the best-selling olive baguette. All have a crisp crust with a little char and lots of holes in the crumb, like you’d find in an Old World bakery. That was what DePasquale had in mind: to bring back the bread he enjoys on frequent trips to Italy.

“It’s very different,” says Michele Topor, who runs Boston Food Tours and has lived in the North End for more than 40 years. “The bread stores we’ve had are great, but they’re more Italian-American. This is more authentic, very flavorful, more airy and chewy.”“We use unbleached, unbromated flour, which is hard to come by,” Tock says. The baker also uses some white, silky 00 Italian flour. “We don’t use any additives or preservatives. And there’s no added sugar.”

Tock explains that breads are made with preferments, using a piece of dough that has fermented for 12 to 18 hours before mixing it with more flour, water, and salt to make a final dough. Because of this, all the breads take between 18 to 36 hours to make. “This fermentation allows for more development of flavor,” he says. “It allows us to get the nice texture, the crumb.”

Getting to this point took time. Before the store opened, Tock worked on the recipes to get them just right. Some of the breads took only a week or two, but others, like the French sourdough miche, took two months to perfect.

“The processes are old methods, but the way I do it down there is my way.”

Bricco Panetteria 241 Hanover St. (rear), North End, Boston. 617-248-9859,www.bricco.com.

This soup is great all year, but much appreciated on a snowy day.

This is soup season. And with more than two feet of snow dropping in the Boston area in less than 12 hours, we’re in the thick of it.

What better soup is there to help weather the storm than stracciatella, sometimes referred to as Roman Egg Drop soup? My mother used to make a version of this.

Here’s a quick recipe for Spinach Stracciatella Soup:

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth (About 8-10 cups. Use your favorite. Homemade is easy and economical. See recipe below.)
• Pasta for the soup (I like cheese or meat tortellini for this soup, but you can use any short pasta such as bow ties or fusilli.)
• Chopped fresh spinach or a 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
• Eggs (2 large, beaten)
• Parmesan cheese (About one cup, grated. Please, use the imported. Or at least freshly grated Romano or Pecorino. The stuff you buy in a jar in the supermarket isn’t cheese. It’s more like plastic.)

Make sure there's plenty of grated parmesan cheese for each person to add to their serving.

What I did:

To make homemade chicken soup, I usually buy a roasting chicken and cook it for dinner one night and then after a day or so (when most of the meat has been picked off clean), I use it to make the soup as follows:

• HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP
• Drop the carcass into a large soup pot. If it’s a tall pot, cover it with about four inches of water. If it’s a wide pot, cover it with about 2 inches of water. Add a carrot, a celery stick, maybe an onion, some salt and pepper.
• Boil it for an hour or more. Take out the carcass and strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large plastic container.
• Put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning skim off the fat. You can now use the broth as you see fit.

Bring the broth to a slow boil. Drop in the tortellini (or short pasta of your choice) and cook until nearly done. Then drop in the frozen spinach and about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

Cook until spinach and tortellini are done and the broth is just simmering.

Stir soup and slowly pour in the beaten egg in a continuous stream. Continue stirring until the egg is cooked.

Add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

Some other soups to consider making during the storm:

• Ribollita Soup
• And our Signature Soup: Root Soup

Some other comfort foods to get you through the winter:

• PASTAS:
• Mac and Cheese for Adults
• Lasagna, From the Figs Table (Todd English)
• Pasta Carbonara
• Easy Weekend Pasta, Part II
• OTHER COLD WEATHER DINNER IDEAS:
• Biba’s Mother’s Fried Meatballs (Polpette)
• Geneva’s Quick Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo
• Breakfast for Dinner: Gingerbread Pancakes
• Chicken (or beef, or veal) Parmesan

Find more recipes in the Food section.

La Tourte De Blettes translates to Swiss Chard Pie. But don't let that fool you. This can be served as a sweet dessert or the main course for a light supper.

Here’s a savory sweet pastry from southern France. I made this from a recipe card I picked up in the market in St. Remy last summer. Although there was an English translation, it wasn’t that good and so I had to figure out a few things, including the conversion of some measurements from grams to ounces.

I also used a 10-inch round springform pan instead of an 11 x 8 x 1 inch tart pan (who has one of those?) and so there was leftover dough to make a few apple turnovers.

Although the mixture of ingredients may sound strange — mixing swiss chard with raisins and parmesan cheese — they work well together to create a dish that can be served as a main course with a salad or as a dessert. It’s a sweet and savory tried-and-true classic that has been enjoyed in Provence for many generations.

The torte before the top layer of dough was put on.

Ingredients for the pastry dough:

• Flour (About 4 1/2 cups)
• Eggs (2 large)
• Sugar (2/3 cup)
• Butter (2 sticks or 8 oz. of softened butter)
• Salt (just a pinch)
• Water (About 1/2 cup or a little more; just enough to make the dough)

Ingredients for the filling:

• Swiss chard (1 bunch or about a dozen large leaves)
• Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup, grated)
• Brown Sugar (3/4 cup)
• Golden Raisins (4 oz., I used regular dark raisins but the recipe calls for light golden ones)
• Marc or Grappa (Just enough to cover the raisins to marinate them.)
• Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
• Pine nuts (4 oz.)
• Eggs (2 large)
• Apples (about 1-2 large, peeled and sliced)
• Powered sugar (just enough to dust the torte after it’s cooked).

I used the leftover dough from the tart to make a couple of apple turnovers. See recipe below.

What I did:

Combine all of the ingredients for the pastry dough in a small bowl, adding the water a little bit at a time at the end until most of the flour and ingredients are absorbed and a good ball of dough is formed.

Turn out the ball of dough onto a floured board and knead several times until the ingredients are mixed well and a smooth dough is formed. Form a ball with the dough, put it back in the bowl, cover with a towel and put in a cool place (the refrigerator is a good spot). Let rest about an hour.

Soak the raisins in either Marc or Grappa in a small bowl. Let rest about an hour.

Wash the swiss chard and strip it from its stem (you can throw out the stems or save for another day). An easy way to do this is to make your hand like a cat’s claw and drag the stem between your forefinger and middle finger. Boil swiss chard in a covered pot for just a few minutes. Take it out. Drain well and chop it. Place it in a bowl.

Drain the raisins and add to the bowl with the swiss chard. Add all other filling ingredients, except for the apples and powdered sugar, and mix well.

Butter your tart tin or springform pan.

Cut pastry dough into two equal pieces. Roll out one of the pieces on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin until it’s flat (about 1/4 inch thick). Cut dough to fit your tart tin or springform pan with some dough coming up the sides. Press the bottom and sides of the pan with the dough.

Add the filling. Top with the peeled and sliced apples.

Roll out the remaining piece of dough. Place it ontop being careful to seal the ends by pinching it all around. Take a fork and prick the top so that steam can escape while it cooks.

Place in a 350 oven until golden. This took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check it from time to time to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Cool on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Makes a good light supper with a salad or serve after dinner as a fine dessert.

(APPLE TURNOVER BONUS: If you have left over dough, simply roll it out. On one half, add peeled and sliced apples with some brown sugar, cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and a slice of butter. Roll over other half of dough to cover apples. Seal edges. Brush with cream or milk. Prick with fork to create several steam holes and cook in a 350 oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Makes a nice after-school or after-work snack).

Other recipes from our trip to southern France include:

• Cantaloupe Gazpacho With Crispy Prosciutto
• Chard Stuffed With Risotto and Mozzarella
• Tomatoes Stuffed With Pasta Salad
• Patata Ball in Tomato Sauce

Find more recipes in the Food section.

This is pseudo Mexican at its best.

You won’t find many recipes on RootsLiving that use processed food. But today we’re making an exception because this one is tasty, easy to make and has been pleasing crowds for decades.

I made it yesterday, Super Bowl Sunday, because if there’s one day of the year that calls out for processed food, this is it.

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken tenders (1-2 pounds)
• Rice Pilaf (2 boxes, Near East)
• Refried beans (1-2 cans)
• Taco Seasoning (1 packet)
• Monterey Jack Cheese (1 package of shredded)
• Onions (2 small or medium, chopped)
• Water (about 3/4 cup)
• Salsa: (About 1/2 cup)
• Olive oil (1-2 tablespoons)

What I did:

Make the rice pilaf according to package directions.

Saute onion in olive oil and cook until translucent.

Add chicken and brown on both sides.

Sprinkle taco seasoning and salsa over chicken. Add water. Stir and cook until some of the water evaporates and chicken is done or just about done. Do not overcook.

Heat up the refried beans in a small pot.

Spread rice evenly in the bottom of a baking dish.

Spread a line of the refried beans down the middle.

Put cooked chicken on both sides of the refried bean line.

Sprinkle cheese all over.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Give yourself a break and use lemon juice from a bottle and garlic powder from a jar.

It’s that time of year again when all of the tasty RootsLiving recipes of the holiday season catch up to you in one startling moment as you step on the scale.

BMI? WTF is that? I’ll worry about that when my body mass shifts so I can see my toes again.

It’s time to take drastic measures. Clear out all of the holiday goodies you’ve collected from your pantry and cabinets. Push what you can down the throats of your kids (Sorry Michelle O. but they tell you on airplanes to put your own oxygen mask on first before you assist small children).

Everything else that is sweet and so tempting? Bring it to work (it’s every fat man for himself) or toss it (and then send a check to Bread of Life so you won’t feel so guilty about wasting food).

Now comes the hard part: watching what you eat by counting calories (or Weight Watcher points) and exercising more than your usual jaunt to the fridge. But you need a plan and one that includes low-cal snacks so you don’t sabotage your day by getting ferociously hungry and then pigging out on chips.

Popcorn is great. Buttered popcorn is even more satisfying but just one tablespoon of salted butter can add 102 calories. And one tablespoon isn’t worth buttering the bowl.

So instead of butter I used lemon juice last night and it was great, satisfying, and if I didn’t think too much about it, I’d swear I was eating buttered popcorn: all for just 125 calories. That’s just 2 points for those on Weight Watcher’s. Here’s what you do:

Lemon Garlic Popcorn

Make two cups of popped popcorn using oil (Hot-air popcorn doesn’t satisfy and microwave popcorn is just plain toxic.)

Squirt 1/4 cup of lemon juice on it.

Add salt and a pinch or two of garlic powder.

Then something magical happens. The high-note bitterness of the lemon, combined with the low-note savoriness of the garlic, helps you trick your mind. Forget about the lemon juice and the garlic. Tell yourself you’re eating buttered popcorn.

You can almost believe it. But it won’t matter because it tastes so good.

This cocktail should be served half-full. Read on to find out why.

I made up this cocktail this afternoon with some help from my Facebook friends. I asked everyone to contribute at least one ingredient. I then chose a few, threw them in a cocktail shaker and created this recipe.

Although two people suggested gin (”because you can make that in a bathtub if you have to,” said my friend Elizabeth Comeau), I opted not to use that because gin is a tricky thing to mix with anything else. Instead I chose a base of cheap whiskey (”because I think we’re all going to have to tighten our belts”).

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Whiskey (A shot)
• Beer (About 4 oz.)  (Bob McKenzie suggested Miller, “because it’s the champagne of beers” but I had to use Pabst Blue Ribbon, because that’s what I had on hand)
• Some lemon juice (About 3-4 tablespoons) and a few dashes of Angostura bitters (it’s been a bitter battle, no?)
• Simple syrup (1 Tablespoon) (Because putting an end to this political crapshoot and not having to hear about it again will be sweet)

What I did:

Fill a cocktail shaker with several cubes of ice

Add whiskey, beer, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters.

Shake it up (not too much or it will explode — or go over the cliff).

Now pour half of it in a glass and pour the other half out for the government (as suggested by my friend Kenny Hogan). Thanks all!!

Happy New Year,

–Mark and Trish

A few of these recipes are misfits, but still very good.

There are some foods I make every year around Christmastime. They are tried and true classics that continue to make taste buds happy year after year. And each year, I also try some new recipes. Some stick and become a classic, others fade away either because they didn’t deliver on their promise or simply because of neglect: like a broken doll on the Island of Misfit Toys in the “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” TV special.

Here are a list of winning recipes. Most I make every year. But there are a few neglected misfits too that are worthy of a new chance in a New Year. We’ll start with the desserts because this time of year is so sweet:

DESSERTS:

Chocolate Bread is more of a snack than a dessert but anytime you eat it, it's delicious.

1.) Pane alla Cioccolata (Chocolate Bread): This lightly sweetened bread is great with a cup of coffee or a glass of red wine. You can spread cream cheese over it, but Mascarpone cheese is better.

2.) Chocolate Bark (Christmas Gift): The only thing that would be easier than making this sweet treat would be going out and buying it.

3.) Cenci (Florentine Rags): Cenci are a deep-fried Florentine winter treat, made from Epiphany to Mardi Gras.

4.) Christmas Befana Cookies: My grandmother, Bruna, made these Befana cookies every Christmas.

5.) Chocolate Kahlua Rum Balls: Another quick and easy treat to make. Makes a good gift too.

APPETIZERS:

Ribollita is a hearty soup for a cold December day.

6.) Ribollita Soup: One of the most loved recipes in the RootsLiving collection. Who knew, Tuscan Bean Soup, would be such a crowd pleaser?

7.) Asian Shrimp Salad: Trish found this recipe in an old cookbook a previous tenant left in her apartment about 30 years ago. It has become a traditional Christmas Day appetizer.

SIDE DISH:

8.) Nan’s Mashed Potatoes (with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream): No Christmas Roast Beast would be complete without a side dish of this. It puts the “comfort” in comfort food.

ENTREES:

Shrimp Saute can be served as an appetizer or as the main dish.

9.) Shrimp Saute (For the New Year): I made this for the first time last year, but it’s a keeper. From Joshua’s Restaurant in Wells, Maine.

10.) Best Lobster Stew Recipe, Ever!: The recipe is from Morrison’s of Portland, Maine. It’s even easier to make if you have your lobsters steamed when you buy them.

11.) Pizza: Cheese and Fig & Proscuitto (from Figs Restaurant): My grandmother made pizza every Christmas Eve. This recipe is a combination of her pizza, Julia Child’s pizza, and Todd English’s pizza.

12.) Breakfast for Dinner: Gingerbread Pancakes: In these last, short, dark days of December sometimes it’s nice to stay in your pajamas all day and have breakfast for dinner. Here’s a suggestion in keeping with the holiday spirit.

This is the cocktail set that inspired a night fit for a Mad Man.

My parents had this cocktail pitcher and glass set from the 1960s and it’s been sitting on a shelf in the RootsLiving butler’s pantry for years gathering dust. So we decided to put it to good use by throwing a 1960s dinner party.

We knew the night would have to start off with some cocktails so deciding on that was no problem. We made a pitcher of Manhattans.

But food for a 60s dinner party could go several ways. Should we go the bean sprout hippie route complete with grass brownies for dessert? Or should we go the chic fondue route, a la Mad Men style?

We chose the latter, minus the fondue.

If you haven't had iceberg lettuce in awhile, try this.

We served the Manhattans with appetizers of deviled eggs, tiny pigs in a blanket, and potato chips with onion dip.

For the main course we had beef stroganoff, served with a wedge salad.

And for dessert we had ambrosia, made with Cool Whip.

Surprisingly, some of the easiest things to make got the most raves: don’t underestimate a good onion dip or the power of Cool Whip.

Here are the recipes:

Appetizer/Cocktail Hour

• Manhattan Cocktail (I used Bulleit Rye Whiskey.)
• Vodka Collins
• Deviled Eggs
• Tiny Pigs in a Blanket
• Potato Chips with Onion Dip

Main Course

• Beef Stroganoff (This recipe varies from the traditional by serving it over sourdough toast rather than noodles. I also used Delmonico steaks, cut up into 1-inch pieces instead of the tri-tip roast.)
• Wedge Salad (This made me like iceberg lettuce once again.)

Open up a few cans and you've got ambrosia.

Dessert

• Ambrosia Salad (I omitted the maraschino cherries and instead used some canned fruit cocktail. I also forgot to buy marshmallows but the dessert was fine without them and plenty sweet.)
• Tom and Jerry Cocktails (This is a very old favorite, especially in winter. If you’ve never tried this you’re missing out on some great cocktail history. Make it with coffee for an after-dinner dessert.)

This is a good recipe to keep in your repertoire now that colder days approach.

Here’s a quicker and easier recipe than Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon.

With temperatures in the 40s yesterday I was looking to make something in my dutch oven. So I looked on the Staub website and found this recipe. It’s time consuming (needs two hours in the oven) but pretty simple to make and dirties only one pan: your dutch oven.

Once you crisp the bacon, brown the beef, and saute the mushrooms, you throw everything back into the dutch oven and wait 2 hours for it to be done. I don’t have the steamer insert so I didn’t make the potatoes as described in this recipe on the Staub website. Instead I opted for mashed potatoes and some crusty bread.

Beef Bourguignon (From the Staub Website)

Ingredients:

• Salt, to taste
• 5 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, stems removed and cut into quarters
• 2 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup beef broth, divided
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 lb. whole pearl onions, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 3 cups red Burgundy wine or Pinot Noir
• 1 bouquet garni
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Find more recipes in the Food section.

A small plate of gnocchi can be served as an appetizer or as a main course.

In most anything in life, you have to work with what you have. And in cooking, the seasons dictate what ingredients are best or available. On a recent trip to Calareso’s Farm Stand in Reading, Mass. I was intrigued by one pound packages of pumpkin gnocchi.

Now I’ve cooked gnocchi before, usually in a tomato sauce, but the savory pumpkin flavor needed something else. So I brainstormed. Pumpkin pie is good with whipped cream so I opted to go with a cream sauce and a little hint of nutmeg.

But this wasn’t going to be dessert. I had to keep it (dinner) real. Cheese would help keep the dish on the savory side and I decided the nutty taste of fontina, combined with some freshly grated imported parmesan cheese would do the trick.

I then imagined all of this gooey, sweet, savoriness melting in my mouth, but it was missing something: a healthy clean foil to the heavy richness. I decided it needed some greens. I had some broccoli rabe on hand and decided to give it a go.

The result was a sweet, savory, gooey piece of heaven, offset by the bitterness of a good healthy green vegetable. The icing on this savory cake? Thinly sliced almonds.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin gnocchi (1 pound)
• Fontina Cheese (4 ounces, chopped up)
• Imported parmesan cheese (1/3 cup or to taste)
• Heavy cream (About 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
• Scallions (About five or six, chopped)
• Broccoli Rabe (1 small bunch, cleaned of leaves and stems. Keep only about an inch or two of stem after the floret. Cut florets in half length-wise.)
• Almonds (About 1/8 cup, sliced thin)
• Nutmeg (A small dash, just a few specks. Be careful.)
• Salt, pepper (to taste)

What I did:

Steam broccoli rabe until done, but not soggy. Don’t overcook. It should have some bite. (I used a large pasta pot with a colander insert and steaming basket. It’s one of my favorite and most used cooking tools. )

Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water for about three minutes (just until they float). Don’t overcook.

In a saute pan cook the scallions until translucent and then add the cream, heating it up, but don’t let it boil. Add a small dash of nutmeg: we’re talking a few specks here. Nutmeg is very strong and can easily overpower a dish. Taste it. You just want a hint of nutmeg flavor. You can always add more if you like, but once you put it in, you can’t take it out. Be careful!

Add cream sauce, fontina cheese, parmesan cheese, sliced almonds, and broccoli rabe to the cooked gnocchi and stir until cheese melts and everything is well blended.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a side salad.

Serves three to four people as a main course. Gnocchi is very filling. You don’t need much for each serving.

Find more recipes in the Food section.