The Boston Globe - 07.08.2019

G4 The Boston Globe WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019

ByGaryDzen

GLOBESTAFF

I

am not the target de-

mographicfor Natur-

days, Natural Light’s

strawberry lemonade

“drinking beer” that

launchedin February, just

aheadof Spring Break.

My first suspicionthat

Naturdays and I might not be

right for eachother came after

pullingup Natural Light’s

Twitter and findingreferences

to shower beers and Sunday

scaries. A company rep con-

firmed that the beer is market-

ed toward “21+ millennials,

but not limited to that audi-

ence.” Because I have an open

mind and take beer journalism

seriously, that wasreason

enough for me to give it a shot.

What is a “Naturday,” you

ask?

“It mightbe a Naturday if

you’re sendinga “U up?” text

at 2 p.m.” reads one company

brandedtweet,

Daniel Blake, senior direc-

tor of value brandsat Anheus-

er-Busch, says the termwas

popularizedon socialmedia

by fans of the original Natural

Lightbeerincorporating the

drinkinto their weekends.

“A Naturday is whenyou

get a perfect mix of friends,

vibes,and adventureand it all

culminates in making epic

memories,” says Blake, using

“vibes” and “epic” two more

times thanI usually care to.

Natural Light launched in

1977 as Anheuser-Busch’s first

reduced-calorielight beer. I

haven’t had a Natty Light since

college, but I don’t remember

it beinga good beer. (Current-

ly, with more than 1,000 re-

views, it gets a 1.08-out-of-5

rating on RateBeer.)

I wasdrawn to review

Naturdays in part to try some-

thing different, and in part be-

causesweeter, lighterflavors

are increasingin popularity. A

recentChicago Tribunestory

citeda statistic that the coun-

try has spent $389 million on

hard seltzer during the past six

months, and that White Claw

is now a top-25 brand among

all beers. Otherdata showthat

most hard seltzer drinkers

were previously beer drinkers.

“We noticedan opportunity

in the market,” says Blake. “We

saw that in the beer category,

drinkers were developingpref-

erences for fruit-forward and

sweeter drinks.... We knew

that a great-tasting, fruit-fla-

vored,and affordablypriced

beerwould appeal to a lot of

people.”

But would it appeal to me?

While doingresearch for this

story I read a Vox article head-

lined “Millennials are drinking

less beer. So beeris becoming

morelike juice,” whichquoted

a young womanwho had tried

and liked Naturdays and after-

wardmade a good point:

“Naturdays, of course,is

not a beer designedwiththe

professionalcraft beer review-

er in mind. It’s designed for

someone like Megan, or some-

one like me, a womanwho

loves fancy double IPAs but

who’s alsobeen known to

throw down $3 for a Mang-O-

Rita at my local bodega.”

Withthat context, I recent-

ly cracked a couplecans of

Naturdays on a summer Satur-

day and tried to open my mind

to them.And... maybe it’s

just my snobby craft beerpal-

ate, or maybe the vibe wasn’t

quiteright, but I cameaway

unimpressed. There’s nothing

delicate about Naturdays, in-

cluding an overpowering

strawberry flavor that’s like

something you’d get froman

order at JambaJuice. I like

lemonade but couldhave used

more tartness here.If I wanted

somethingsweet whose flavor

I didn’t have to think about,

I’d reach for a White Claw.

“If it’s a party, maybe,” said

a woman my age who took a

sip and,like me, doesn’t at-

tendmany parties.

Which isn’t to say you

shouldn’t drink Naturdays,

but hopefullygives you a bit

more context as to what you’re

getting into if you do.

GaryDzen canbe reachedat

[email protected].

BOTTLES

NATURAL LIGHT

It’s Naturday, I’m not in love

Serves 4
The Spanishdish pisto is very similarto Frenchrata-
touille— sauteedonions,eggplant, zucchini,bell pep-
pers,and plumtomatoes addedto a big skillet in layers.
Whenthe vegetablesare ready, make indentationsin the
mixtureand add eggs. Cover and cookthemfor about
eightminutes.This hearty version includesbrownedser-
rano ham,whichis sprinkledon the finisheddish.It’s a
one-panfarmers’market meal. Just add crusty bread.

3tablespoonsolive oil
2ounces serrano ham or prosciutto, chopped
1onion, chopped
3cloves garlic,finely chopped
½teaspooncrushedred pepper
Salt, to taste
2mediumzucchini,trimmed,quartered length-
wise, and chopped
1small eggplant, cut into ¾-inchpieces
1red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and
chopped
5large plumtomatoes, cored and chopped
4tablespoonschoppedfresh parsley
4eggs, each cracked into a smallbowl

1.In a large skillet over mediumheat, heat the olive

oil. Add the hamand cook,stirring, for 2 minutes,or

untilit is lightlybrownedand crispy. Witha slotted

spoon,transferthe hamto a plate.

2.Add the onionand cook,stirringoccasionally, for 5

minutes,or untilit beginsto soften. Add the garlic,

crushedpepper, and a generouspinchof salt. Cook,

stirringoccasionally, for 1 minutemore.

3.Add the zucchini,eggplant, and bell pepper. Cook,

stirringoccasionally, for 8 minutes,or untilthe vegeta-

bles are softenedbut still have somebite.

4.Add the tomatoes and 2 tablespoonsof the parsley.

Cook, stirringoccasionally, for 5 minutesmore.Taste

the mixtureand add moresalt, if you like.

5.Turn the heat to low. Withthe backof a spoon,make

4 indentationsin the vegetable mixture.Add the eggs

to the indentationsand sprinkleeachwithsalt. Cover

the skillet and cookfor 8 minutes,or untilthe egg

whitesare firm but the yolksare still soft.

6.Sprinklewiththe hamand remaining2 tablespoons

parsley. Serve fromthe skillet.ClaudiaCatalano

Makes9 large sandwiches

Roll this cheese-biscuit doughinto a square(it’s OK if

your cornersare slightlyroundedand yourdoughmore

rectangularthansquare),thencut it into 9 piecesso

there’s no waste and no rerolling. The doughis made

withParmesan,Romano,and provolonecheese,sea-

sonedwithpaprikaand cayennepepper, so it has lots of

flavor. It bakes into large biscuits, whichyou sandwich

withsliceddeli turkey, Dijon-mayo, fruitchutney, and

some peppery arugula.These little sandwicheshave ev-

erything.

BISCUITS

3cups flour

2½ teaspoonsbaking powder

¼teaspoonbaking soda

½teaspoonsalt

½teaspoonpaprika

¼teaspooncayenne pepper

10 tablespoons(1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) cold

unsalted butter, cut into smallpieces

1cup mixed grated Parmesan and Romano

cheese

3slices provolone cheese, finely chopped

1egg yolk

‚cup plain yogurt

¾cup wholemilk, or more if needed

1.Set the ovenat 375 degrees.Linea large bakingsheet

withparchmentpaper.

2.In a large bowl,whiskthe flour, bakingpowder, bak-

ing soda,salt, paprika,and cayenneto blendthem.

Scatter the butter over the mixtureand usinga pastry

blenderor 2 bluntknives,cut the fat into the flourmix-

ture untilit is reducedto pearl-sizebits. Rub the mix-

ture between yourfingertips for a minuteor two to re-

ducethe butter to smallerpieces.Sprinklethe cheeses

on top and stir themin witha rubberspatula.

3.In anotherbowl,whiskthe egg yolk,yogurt, and ¾

cup milkto blendthem.Pour the egg mixtureover the

flourmixture.Witha rubberspatula,stir the mixture

untilit comestogether, workingin the floury bits at the

bottom of the bowl.If the doughseemsdry, add more

milk,1 tablespoonat a time.

4.On a lightlyflouredsurface,lightlypressor roll the

doughto an 8½-to-9-inchsquare.Witha knifedipped

into flour, make 2 horizontalcuts and 2 vertical cuts to

form9 biscuits. Transferto the bakingsheet, spacing

themabout2 inchesapart.

5.Bake the biscuits for 25 to 30 minutes,or untilgold-

en and firm to the touch.Transferto a wire rack; cool

completely.

FILLING

½cup mayonnaise

2tablespoonsDijonmustard, or more to taste

Squeeze of lemon juice

1poundsliced turkey

Large handfulfresh arugulaor other small

greens

¾cup fruit chutney

1.Cut eachbiscuit in half and keep the tops nearthe

bottoms.

2.In a bowlstir the mayonnaisewiththe mustard and

lemonjuice.Spreadthe mayonnaiseon the bottom bis-

cuits. Dividethe turkey amongthem.Add arugulato

each.Spreadthe top biscuits withchutney and set them

on the bottomsto formsandwiches.Lisa Yockelson

Spanishvegetables with eggs(Pistoconhuevos)

SEASONALRECIPES

WHAT TO COOK THIS WEEK

CLAUDIACATALANOFOR THE BOSTONGLOBE

Tu rkeysandwicheson cheese biscuits

SHERYL JULIANFORTHE BOSTONGLOBE

5k or 5miler /Sept. 21

SpectacleIsland

#IslandRun

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