Can’t get more “New England in the Spring” than with this classic clam & squid salad from the current edition of Edible Rhody and Al Forno‘s Chef David Reynoso. The addition of the fava beans and scallions anchors it to the season, and allows for more adventurous parings.

Try it with the Brasserie Dupont Foret for a perfect ‘surf & turf’ pairing. The Saison’s well-integrated spice notes balance the earthiness of the fava beans and richness of the squid.

As for wine, we really enjoyed the salad with Camp Chardonnay. This is not your typical California butter bomb — it truly is more like a fine white Burgundy. Bright lemon, green apple and fresh herb flavors make it perfect match to the clams and favas.

Cheers and Bon Appetit!

WARM CLAM AND CALAMARI SALAD WITH FRESH FAVA BEANS AND SCALLIONS
Executive Chef David Reynoso, Al Forno, Providence

Ingredients
24 littleneck clams, washed and scrubbed
½ cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove
1 pound cleaned calamari, cut into rings, tentacles left whole
2 pounds fresh fava beans, shells and skins removed (should yield about 1 cup)
4 scallions, thinly sliced, placed in ice water
½ cup loosely packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Maldon Sea Salt

Place the clams, wine, garlic and ½ cup of water in a large covered pan. Steam the clams over medium heat. Check the clams after about 5 minutes and place the open clams into 4 warm bowls. Continue steaming, checking every few minutes, until all the clams have opened and been distributed evenly between the bowls.

Add the calamari and fava beans to the pan, stir constantly and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the calamari is firm.

Remove the garlic clove. Drain all but 1½ cups cooking liquid and add the scallions, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice to the calamari. Divide the calamari and fava beans among the 4 bowls. Finish each bowl with a pinch of sea salt. Serves 4 as a first course or light supper.

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So your team hasn’t made it to the big game. So what. We can think of at least one reason why this could be a good thing: You now have more time to pay attention to the food on the table and the drink on the bar than the action on the field. And sure, yes, ok, your standard suds will be just fine with traditional game day fare. But put in a touch of extra effort, people – it’ll make game day that much more delicious.

Here are the brews we’ll be drinking when watching the two teams vie for their big fancy rings.

Smokey Sausages with Doppelbocks. The German beer’s big, strong and dark maltiness is a natural fit with the smoky meaty flavor of cocktail sausages & pigs in a blanket. We’re reaching for the  Weihenstephan Korbinian Doppelbock for its figgy, nutty roastiness.

Bowls of Chili with Big IPAs. A classic marriage of a hot-spicy chili with the hop-spicy IPA. We’re going for the sticky, hoppy, bold Lord Hobo Boom Sauce IPA.

Buffalo Wings & Blue Cheese Sauce with German Pilsners. The crisp, floral and refreshing German pils will balance out the wings’ addictive cheesy, spicy goodness. And the classic Bitburger Pilsner fits the bill for us every time.

Potato Chips & Onion Dip with Saisons. Nothing’s easier than ripping open a bag of chips and dipping them into a can of good old creamy, herbal onion dip. Nothing, that is, except cracking opening a bottle of a saison, whose herbal and spicy notes will balance that creamy dip. Allagash Saison, anyone?

Enjoy the game and may the best team win!