News for Foodies: 08.08.13

    The Great Food Truck Derby will bring a caravan of mobile food vendors to the Hayground School tomorrow afternoon from 4 to 7. Tickets are $60 for adults and $20 for children and include drinks as well as one serving from every food truck, with at least 20 expected to be on site. They can be ordered at the Web site of the event sponsor, EdibleManhattan.com.

A Quarter Century

    Nick and Toni’s restaurant in East Hampton is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a menu full of classic items that have been the most popular or memorable dishes served throughout the years.

    Beginning today, steamed mussels with white wine and garlic, a 1988 concoction, will be on the menu, along with two items from 1989, beet ravioli with poppy seeds and grilled rabbit with roasted Vidalia onions and sweet fennel. Also to be offered will be panzanella, which appeared on a 1990 menu, linguini with shrimp, lemon, and arugula, and Cataplana — local Little Neck clams, mussels, shrimp, and Merguez sausage — both a la 1994, and a 1994-style salad of bitter greens, balsamic-roasted Vidalia onions, and crumbled blue cheese. Smoked bluefish pate will be the amuse bouche for the week, and desserts to be offered — “serious chocolate cake,” tiramisu, and vanilla ice cream with espresso — will be made by Toni Ross, one of the restaurant’s owners and the founding pastry chef.

    During the celebration, which began on Saturday, Nick and Toni’s is donating a percentage of its food sales to food pantries in Springs and East Hampton.

Gazpacho Competition

    The Amagansett Farmers Market is once again holding “Souper Tuesdays,” a day when soups made by local chefs with local ingredients will be featured. Next week will bring a gazpacho competition.

    Farmers will work with chefs to create their entries, which will be judged by Laura Donnelly, The Star’s restaurant critic. Participating farms and food producers are Quail Hill Farm, Balsam Farm, Amber Waves Farm, Bhumi Farm, Lisa and Bill’s Fresh Vegetables, Pike Farms, the Milk Pail, and Amagansett Sea Salt. The chefs will include Jeff Schwarz, Susan Spungen, and chefs from the Amagansett Farmers Market and Nick and Toni’s.

    From 6 to 8 p.m., the soups will be served for $12 per serving, or $10 if you take along your own bowl. There will be tastings of local wines, organized by Michael Cinque of Amagansett Wines and Spirits, and live music by Escola de Samba Boom.

Home Canning Workshop

    Mark Vosburgh, an expert in canning who has been canning fruits, vegetables, soups, jams, and jellies for 15 years, will give a workshop on home canning using salt, vinegar, and seasonal produce at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor next Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  The presentation will include information on the history of canning, principles of safe food handling, equipment, and food preparation, as well as water bath and pressure canning methods, and troubleshooting. The program will take place at the library’s temporary location on Water Street.

Beer and Barbecue

    After having received a license, Smokin’ Wolf barbecue in East Hampton can now serve customers some beer to wash down their barbecue selections.