Monthly Archives: August 2015

The Oar House Deck, in Portsmouth, NH is a great location and the food is outstanding…  I had the opportunity to have lunch there today and I was very impressed, I haven’t had a Reuben Sandwich for ages and I was not disappointed.  For those of you out there that are gluten free, this place is great. The photo below is with gluten free bread, and it was a brand that I haven’t had but it was perfect.  For the record, a Reuben is a hot sandwich, normally on grilled rye bread with corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing.  Ok, I wouldn’t recommend this every day, but on occasion it’s a great treat!

Matt Becker

Live from Matt’s House

My favorite summer soup!  There’s nothing better than fresh gazpacho with tomatoes from your garden.  Make sure the tomatoes are fresh, and don’t forget to take the skin off of the tomatoes – the best way to do this is boil water, cut an X from the bottom of the tomato, blanch them in the boiling water for about 2 minutes and then immediately place them in ice cold water.  The skin will come right off.  Enjoy the summer!

Matt Becker

Live from Matt’s House

I must say, this is one of my favorite Robert Johnson songs.  It always has been.  Robert wrote “Love in Vain” in 1937.  He wrote if for Willie Mae Powell, who is mentioned in the song.  John Hammond, Jr. (the son of John Hammond, who discovered Bob Dylan) made a documentary on Robert Johnson, called, “The Search for Robert Johnson” in 1991.  I would highly recommend this for any fan of the blues.  One of the best parts of the documentary was when Hammond interviewed Willie Mae (who was once Robert’s girlfriend) and played for her “Love in Vain”, where Robert calls out her name in the song.  She never knew about the recording.  She was visibly surprised and filled up with emotion as she remembered Robert in that time.

Here are three recordings….  The original 1937 version from Robert Johnson, a Rolling Stones version from 1995 and an Eric Clapton version from 2004.  My favorite version of “Love in Vain” was by the Rolling Stones on the “Let if Bleed” album in 1969.

Matthew Becker Portsmouth, NH

Live from Matt’s House

Thank you goes out to Paul and Kim McStowe for having their annual party!  It was a great time…

Matt Becker Portsmouth, NH

Live from Matt’s House

Off of the album “Let it Bleed”, this is the only song that Keith Richards sang completely on a Rolling Stones record.  I think the era of “Let it Bleed” and “Exile on Main St.” was their best work….  All these years later, they’re still on tour!  Below is the lesson from James James on YouTube (also Privettricker – which this is taken from).  Below that is a live version from Keith and Ron Wood in 2013.  Love that slide guitar from Ron Wood….

Matt Becker Portsmouth, NH

Live from Matt’s House

This is off the tribute album that Eric Clapton put together with friends Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks and Don White.  The album features 16 beloved JJ Cale songs.  Eric has often stated that JJ Cale is one of the single most important figures in rock history.  JJ passed away at age 74 in July of 2013.

This is a great version of Call Me The Breeze, which was made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd in the mid 70’s.  It was also made famous by my good friend, Mike Lewis of the Mike Lewis Band….  He kept telling me I would sit in on that song during his next gig, but for some reason, I only play Rolling Stones songs with the band!

Matt Becker Portsmouth, NH

Live from Matt’s House

Looking for a healthier way to make lasagna?  My friend, Chris Levin, who works with me at Morgan Stanley brought in the biggest zucchini’s I’d ever seen last week to share with the office.  This inspired me to make a gluten free Zucchini Lasagna!  I sliced the zucchini in 1/4 in strips (the long way), layered them with marinara sauce, fresh sliced tomato, fresh basil and oregano (from my garden), made a boursin cheese (light cream cheese blended with salt, pepper, garlic and basil) to replace the ricotta cheese.  I also added some parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  It was perfect on a summer night!

Matt Becker Portsmouth, NH

The Spice and Tea Exchange, that’s how!  I highly recommend this site, The Spice and Tea Exchange, it’s a great place to go, not only to buy spices, but to learn more about them and how to use them.  They also have a blog that posts recipes on a regular basis.  Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed…

Matt Becker

Live from Matt’s House

Portsmouth, NH

This post started with a fly fishing trip on the East Outlet off of Moosehead Lake in Maine.  It’s a beautiful place and the fish are abundant.  My good friend, Travis Keltner and I go every year.  We stay at “Maynards in Maine” and fish all day.  Nothing better than cooking fresh trout and salmon riverside!

Below are photos from dinner with my parents last night.  We cooked the salmon on the grill.  I like to keep it simple.  I put some spices on the fish, placed lemon and butter inside of the fish and added some sliced oranges.  Make sure it’s cooked all the way through, but make sure not to overcook it…

For our appetizer, we had Green-Winged Teal Duck (given to me by Travis Keltner – my fishing buddy), which were brined overnight in water, apple cider vinegar, orange juice and a little sugar.  I basted them with a gluten free Orange Sauce (found at Fresh Market) and grilled them for only a few minutes.  I like to cook them rare and have them sit for a few minutes to set up as med rare.  I sliced them up, drizzled a little fresh juice from an orange on them and served them with crackers.

Matt Becker works as a Vice President for Morgan Stanley in Portsmouth, NH

Matt Becker – Live from Matt’s House