Middle West Meals

more August goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:45:00 +0000

In addition to the always beloved tomato + anything good = deliciousness and fish fry (good anytime of year, I'd say) suggestions, a few people have kindly pointed out additional food-related things that make August worth enjoying.

"tomatoes squaredcircle"
photograph by Liz West, some rights reserved

So, in no particular order, my friends/readers/husband suggest that you also check out the following events:

African Unity Festival, featuring Taste of Africa - August 14 & 15 - Sounds like a great event, with lots of elements, including food!
Saint Thomas Aquinas Sausage Fest - August 21 & 22 - "Beer, Brauts, Music & More" - They had me at the alliteration. Not sure that Thomas Aquinas had booze, sausage and tunes in mind when he was working on his trinity arguments...
Harvest at Home - August 29 - Second Helpings' fundraiser, featuring a smattering of local food delights and drinks, too. Stuff your face to fight hunger. (The husband was displeased that I neglected to mention this in my first August-love post. Maybe I'm trying to keep nepotism at a minimum?)

If you've got another suggestion, please share!

even cuter vegetable bags

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Okay, I've mentioned vegetable bags before as part of my greater less-guilt-ridden kitchen efforts. But I still haven't purchased them. Instead, I make grocery clerks and baggers throughout Indianapolis persnickety by suggesting that they should deal with slightly damp vegetables. Because the average grocery staffer will overzealously use three or four paper towels per drop of water on their check-out surface, I'm actually hurting the planet with this practice.

Today, I believe that I found the answer to this planet-killing situation. Dear reader, behold, the cutest vegetable bags seen to date, found via Twig & Thistle.

Vegetable Bags from Wonderthunder $20 for four bags - pretty awesome.

These pretty bags also come in blue and red, but it looks like you'll have to pre-order them, as Etsy seller Wonderthunder.

Oh, August, I love you!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Despite a temperament and complexion better suited for rainy Spring and blustery Autumn, August is my absolute favorite month to live in Indiana. It's taken many years for me to come around to this conclusion, and several factors have influenced me. Meeting Ben mid-summer in 2002 was a factor, as was the increasing strength of over-the-counter sunscreen. But...

Being a food-obsessed woman, I must credit August's outsize contribution to eating in central Indiana as a pivotal element of my August love. Local produce is amazing in August. The State Fair happens in August. And August also hosts many local food events and cultural festivals. To be honest, Ben's quick salsas that first August had me completely smitten. I mean, he's great on his own, of course, but when you add in perfectly ripe tomatoes, garlic and cilantro, well, he's irresistible.

the potato spiral that 8 members of my family devoured in
less than 45 seconds at last year's State Fair - no shame

In an effort to spread the August love around, here are some food highlights for the coming month:

August 7 - 23 - The Indiana State Fair will offer up fried cheese, fried pizza, fried potato curls, and some other not-fried stuff like lemon shake-ups and lots of meat, in addition to tons of displays from Indiana's food producers. My favorite spot - the 4H contest winners.
August 10 - 23 - Devour Downtown provides access to a wide range (some awesome, some...) restaurants with special multi-course meals for $30 per person - and sometimes $30 for a couple.
August 22 - Hoosier Beer Geek's 3rd Anniversary Roundtable - you must get $30 tickets in advance to enjoy a wide variety of beers and food. Designated Driver tickets available, too.
Throughout the month - tons of events happening with the Slow Food Indy folks!

I know that I'm missing tons of good times - what would you recommend? I must know immediately!

finer things - simple dessert and guest-contributed wine

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Last night, Ben and I had our friend Andy over for dinner, to brainstorm for an event Andy is planning. In between talk of DJs, marketing, twitter and - yes - pirates, we had a really nice meal. I made sauteed tomatoes with garlic, green onions and tarragon, as well as harissa-spiced green beans and zucchini. Ben modified his regular polenta recipe, adding fresh corn and skipping the handfuls of cheese; Parmesan and harissa just didn't sound like a great match. The dishes balanced creamy, spicy and sweet, and took advantage of the super-fresh vegetables available at the height of summer.

the simple supper

All of that was good, but the highlights of the evening for me were the wine that Andy brought, a Barone Di Valforte Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007 from Goose the Market's wine club and the plum clafoutis that cooled in the kitchen while we ate dinner.

the awesome finale

The clafoutis is one of life's great dessert dishes, too seldom used. The process is simple - (1) gather some fruit, (2) slice it if it's large and arrange it in a pie plate, (3) pour a crepe-like batter, rich in eggs and laced with sugar's extra sweetness over the fruit, (4) bake, and (5) let it rest briefly before sprinkling with powdered sugar. The almost-custard that develops is heavenly and a lovely foil for a starch-heavy main course, like polenta or pasta. A clafoutis is also a great way to use stone fruits (cherries, apricots, plums, etc.) that are just coming into their peak right now. Enjoy them after dinner, just barely cooled, and save a few pieces for a morning or mid-day snack the next day. I guess it's clear what I had for breakfast today...

The recipe I used is from Orangette - one of my favorite simple dessert sources. My only modification was to use reduced-fat milk, because that's what was around, and to use slightly less sugar (1/3 cup minus a Tablespoon), because my plums were sweeter than usual.

Review: Naisa Pan-Asian Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:11:00 +0000

The newest addition to the many mid-range restaurants popping up in Fountain Square - or at least the newest to me - is Naisa Pan-Asian Cafe. My family gathered there to celebrate a birthday recently, and Naisa served us well, accommodating meat-eaters and -abstainers alike.

Details
Address - 1025 Virginia Avenue, Indianapolis Phone - 317-602-3708
Hours - Monday to Thursday - 11am - 3pm & 4pm - 9:30pm
Friday to Saturday - 11 am - 3pm & 4pm -10pm
Dinner entree cost - $8 - $13

Food
To begin our meal, our server brought out little bowls of fried crispy wonton skins, paired with house-made duck and mustard sauces. Both sauces are a great deal more special than packet-bound and jar-sourced accompaniments that most restaurants serve. The mustard is zingy without being bitter, while the duck sauce was far less sacchrine and more fruity than any other duck sauce I've had. From the variety of appetizers - veggie spring rolls, shrimp tempura, seafood cheese wontons and steamed vegetable dumplings - the dumplings were the clear stand-out, with shredded vegetables encased with a spinach wrapper.

Though we could have made a meal with the ample "small plate" appetizers, we excitedly ordered a variety of entrees from Naisa's menu, which is composed primarily of Chinese dishes. At the non-meat end of the table, we ordered three dishes to share - the garlicky triple greens, ma po to fu and stir fried rice noodles. I'm not certain that I would have enjoyed any of them quite so much in isolation as I did side-by-side. They were each delicious, but felt like a whole meal when they filled a plate together. One other diner had the chicken rice noodles and, while the flavor was good, he found them a bit oily. The triple greens are particularly good, and the greens vary depending on what ingredients are freshest. Naisa distinguishes itself from many other mid-price restaurants with a focus on freshness and flavor; cilantro and basil leaves, as well as hints of acidity and a measured approach to frying, make their dishes bright and surprising.

Naisa offers tea service, presented in an iron pot at the table, which I recommend. We were all much too full for any dessert.

Atmosphere
Naisa's simple surroundings, carefully selected and calming, allow the food to be the center of diners' experience. For the most part, the interior and mood of Naisa is that of a focused cafe - plenty of space for quiet chatter and no overly ornate or gaudy surroundings to distract diners from enjoying the two most important things at any meal - the food and the company. One little caveat - the table we sat at, which was actually two tables pulled together, felt a bit too large for a six-person party. I waved to my mom, seated at the far end of the table, but didn't get to talk much.

Service
The service was fine, but not extraordinary. Reading others' accounts of their trips to Naisa, I'm a bit sad that our server seemed disinterested in both our experience and the full menu, because others seem to have had wonderful, attentive service. Nothing was terribly wrong, our experience just wasn't warm and welcoming. I'm not sure how to capture my issue with it - a lack of eye contact, a coolness toward certain people in the party, a general spaciness, but one thing unequivocally bothered me... Maybe this is a special peeve of mine, but I hate being in a large party and having the server affirm one person's order, but not the rest. And, in the course of the evening, our server reminded me of this special irritation, telling my stepdad that he ordered the "best thing on the menu" while not even giving an approving nod after others' orders.

Overall
Mostly-apathetic hipster server aside, I will definitely be eating at Naisa again. Even if the rest of the food had not been delicious and fresh - which is was - those veggie dumplings are an undeniable draw. The food has soul and freshness, both of which matter mightily to me.

tv obsession - Diary of a Foodie

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Every once in a while, from the muck that normally constitutes food-focused television, something truly good emerges and then I become obsessed. Thanks to a suggestion from two very trustworthy people recently, my new obsession is Diary of a Foodie, a show co-produced by Gourmet magazine and public television. And it's not just my sister and Mark that like it, the show is a James Beard award winner.

But more than that, it is good television. Diary of a Foodie fills the screen with lively shots of food and cooking. The featured food consistently inspires, with its new-to-me combinations of flavors and intriguing background stories. The producers share about incredibly diverse cuisine, but they do it on a human scale by allowing chefs, eaters and growers to describe the food. This approach makes the show feel like a great conversation with people who are thoroughly entranced by food, but who aren't snobbish or close-minded about sharing that excitement.

Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie airs locally on WFYI-3. My DVR is set to record every episode, so I can watch it again and again. I'd recommend that you do the same.

BlogINDIANA coming up!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:15:00 +0000

I've been invited to join the Foodie Panel at the upcoming Blog Indiana 2009 conference, happening August 13th & 14th. Last year's event was great - I got to meet a slew of local bloggers, some who I knew about and some who I should have known about and learned much. This year, the organizers have developed a nonprofit summit on Friday of the conference, something near and dear to my nonprofit heart!

In other words, if you're a local blogger, nonprofit professional, social media producer or marketer of anything, I would definitely recommend that register for the conference.

Oh, and this is some great fire under my patootie - watch out for my official Return to Hardcore Blogging in the following weeks.

eat it now: Indiana strawberries

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:05:00 +0000

Have you had an Indiana strawberry yet, one from a little box picked up at a farmers' market or - even better - one you picked yourself? I'm really hoping that your answer is yes. And if it is not, well, behold, my five reasons that you really, really should rush out and get some of these little red berry jewels for your eating pleasure.

A Box of Strawberries - Courtesy of posted notes on flickr
And they're from Waterman's!

1. Those strawberries at the supermarket aren't real strawberries. Yes, the packaging states that they are strawberries and I'm sure that they're somehow distantly related to the ones that taste good, but they just don't taste like strawberry. Fresh & local strawberries do taste like strawberry.

2. These fresh, local strawberries also taste like summer. As of today, the muggy warmth that typifies an Indiana summer has arrived. The pay-off for that thick air is that we also have some delicious produce and start-of-summer strawberries hint at the bounty to come.

3. Indiana strawberries will stain your lips and fingertips. That's just fun stuff, people.

4. Fresh, local, not-engineered-for-produce-case-stability strawberries are urgent. You must eat them now, before the turn the corner toward the land of too-ripe. They beseech you to eat them.

5. You can't go wrong with a strawberry dish. They're all yummy. Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry milkshake. Strawberry-rhubarb anything. Strawberry sundae. Strawberries in your salad. Strawberry dipped in chocolate. Strawberry, all on its lonesome.

summer excitement question

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:34:00 +0000

I'm heading up to Michigan for a work training for the next few days, but have a question for you all while I'm away...

What food-related or Indianapolis/Indiana-based event, item or experience are you most looking forward to this summer?

a little hint about why I'm excited for summer

insanely simple: fresh pasta and zucchini

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Beyond the super-delicious croissant kick-off to our vacation, I also picked up some super-fresh pappardelle from the Nicole-Taylor's stand at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. It was the perfect ingredient for a simple, easy summer lunch - fresh pasta with zucchini.

the basic ingredients

Nicole-Taylor's Pasta & Market will open at 1134 East 54th in Indianapolis in the near future, headed by local favorite Tony Hanslits, previously of Something Different and currently of the Chef's Academy and Infusion Restaurant & Cocktails. Nicole-Taylor's will offer a range of plain and flavored pastas, which should each be marvelous - the pappardelle was delicious.

I am thrilled that Nicole-Taylor's is moving close to my home. Being too cheap to buy a pasta-maker and too lazy to roll and cut my own, proximity to this shop will surely be key to regular fresh pasta consumption at our home. (Jolene Ketzenberger from the Star also has an article about Hanslits' pasta today - lovely coincidence, huh?)

the finished dish

This weekend's consumption involved a super-simple combination of lightly sauteed zucchini rounds, fresh pasta, salt, pepper, a little bit of heat from our treasured Vulcan's Fire Salt and a splash of half and half. I adore zucchini that is just-barely cooked, with just a touch of browning.

To make one serving of this dish:

Slice up a half a zucchini into thin half-rounds and saute it in a pan over medium-high heat, with a light coating of olive oil.
Meanwhile, add one serving of pasta to rapidly boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, until al dente.
Season the zucchini generously with salt and pepper.
Take the pan off the heat, add a splash of half and half, mix the pasta into the zucchini and pile it into a bowl.

the best start for a mini-vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Ben and I took a mini-vacation this past weekend, a stay-at-home sort of break. Vacations are all about tone for me. Even if I'm staying in town and probably working on the house or garden a bit, I want to feel like there's a bit of luxury involved.

To set the tone of our ultra-long weekend, I ran to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market on Saturday. In addition to some veggies, a jar of green tomato marmelade and some fresh pasta (more on that, later), I dropped by Rene's tent and got two croissants - one plain, one almond.

the glorious almond croissant from Rene's

Have you had the almond croissant from Rene's? If not, I implore you, please, to get up immediately from whatever it is you are doing and scour the city for one of these amazing, buttery, nut-filled and -topped treats. Please. (I've seen these goodies at the Rene's actual bakery, the Monon Coffee Company and the Best Chocolate in Town.)

Spice Explosion for Second Helpings

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:25:00 +0000

Today is the day. Renee, the Second Helpings crew, a whole bunch of Indianapolis food devotees and I will gather at Second Helpings after work to celebrate and connect at our Spicy Meet & Greet. And it's not too late to RSVP...

What are we celebrating? The fact that people are stepping up to the tune of more than $350 to add a little bit of flavor to Second Helpings' work! See who's donated over at Feed Me Drink Me, where Renee has posted the most up-to-date donation roster.

I'm also thrilled that we'll get to share Second Helpings' work with our community. Here's why I think everyone should know about their work:

Because of the 2,900+ kids, adults & seniors who dine on Second Helpings daily.

Because of the 500+ regular volunteers (and staff, too) who prepare all
those meals from food that would otherwise go to a landfill.

Because of the amazing culinary students who utilize the Second Helpings
training program to transform their lives.

You can add your own spice to Second Helpings' pantry - just check out the list below of unclaimed spices and make a contribution by emailing Ben Shine at ben (at) secondhelpings (dot) com.
Spice donation or no spice donation, we'd love to see you tonight!

$35 Donation: Mint
$25 Donation: Cumin (need 2)
$20 Donation: Garlic tub, Thyme leaves (need 4), Ground Chili (need 5)
$14 Donation: Cajun Seasoning
$10 Donation: Marjoram or Dill
$8 Donation: Coriander, Savory, Cinnamon, Chives or Fennel

plans for the near future

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Sometime very, very soon, I would like to buy some of this:

photo by frangit, licensed under creative commons

So that I might make at least one of these:

Rhubarb and Raspberry Yogurt Pops at La Tartine Gourmande
Rhubarb Bars (maybe with Tecate), previously recorded here
Rhubarb Nectar from Canadian Living (look at this pretty picture)
Orange and rhubarb crepes at vegalicious
Lentil and rhubarb curry found originally in Peter Berley's The Flexitarian Table

What will you buy and cook this week?

Nikki's artichokes

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Sometimes, daily life challenges me just enough that I have to take a blog pause. Then, it gets hard to come back - last time, it took me over a month.

But I came back because my friend Nikki posted a pretty picture. I needed to share. I waited a couple of weeks, because I wanted to make sure you guys were still around.

thank you, Nikki!

Friends are good for reminding me how amazing food is and how much it deserves my attention.

Spicy Meet & Greet - Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:12:00 +0000

The spice-raiser leading up to the Feed Me/Drink Me & Middle West Meals meet-up at Second Helpings is off to a great start!

As of today, here's the current donation tally:

Cheryl: 1 Black Pepper
Steve and Twyla: 1 Rosemary, 1 Rubbed Sage
Maggie: 1 Tarragon
Andy: 1 Garlic or Chili
Nikki: 1 Black Pepper
Andrea/Circle City Socialites: 1 Crushed Red Pepper (of course the roller derby gals pick "Crushed" Red Pepper!)
Vicki: working with vendors
Kirsten: 2 Cumin
Renee: 1 Lavender, 1 Clove and 1 nutmeg
Shawn: $10
Chuck: $20

There are still plenty of spices to choose from, but we're off to a great start for helping out Second Helpings!

(Lovely picture is "Spice Market In Provence" by flowerwine on flickr.)

pantry upgrade: real grenadine

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:46:00 +0000

When I was little, I had a massive love for Max & Erma's, a love that clearly didn't survive my transition to adulthood, based on the visit I made to one location a few years back while in a sentimental mood. (You can't go home again and Thomas Wolfe and all of that? I guess it's true for chain food.) Why did I love Max & Erma's? Two things - Shirley Temples and Fried Mozzarella.

And, true to form, I still love any drink, adult or otherwise, with a dash of sweet redness. Still, the overly sweet corn-syrup and dye concoction that many people would have you believe is grenadine is in fact a cheap, not very tasty impostor. The original recipe for grenadine involved sugar, yes, but also lots of pomegranate seed juice. Ever since reading about real grenadine on Chow a while back, I've been thinking about making my own or trying out the Stirrings version.

Life is busy right now, and pomegranate juice is expensive, so I bought a bottle of the Stirrings version from Fresh Market before Mother's Day, to make a fun little brunch cocktail for my wonderful mom. The Stirrings version was good, though perhaps a bit less pomegranate-y than I had hoped for. Still, it's a huge upgrade from Rose's red corn syrup, and I heartily recommend it to you as a pantry upgrade!

Previous pantry upgrades:
Tamari (ditch your Kikkoman)
Buckwheat Soba Noodles (make some room on your pasta shelf)
Tomato Paste in a Tube (double-strength and fridge-friendly)

Spicy Meet & Greet

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Regular readers know of my ardent affection (pre- and post-dating Ben's employment there) for Second Helpings. This month, I'll be bumping that up a notch with a very special co-blog effort...

The much-esteemed Renee from Feed Me/Drink Me and I will join forces with Second Helpings on May 21 to help out their food rescue and culinary training program by hosting a food community get-together.

Here's the deal: Second Helpings need spices! In order for their culinary students to learn, they need a pantry full of herbs and spices. Renee and I think that you - our readers - are the perfect people to add some extra flavor to their culinary education. So, we've created a little spice/herb drive and we're asking you to contribute!

"home to the spice pharaoh's" by drspam

Which herb or spice will you add to the Second Helpings pantry?
$35 Donation: Black Pepper (need 2), Mint
$25 Donation: Cumin (need 4) (Kirsten – 2), Oregano, Crushed Red Peppers
$20 Donation: Garlic tubs (need 2), Thyme leaves (need 4), Ground Chili (need 6), Tarragon
$14 Donation: Cloves (Renee), Rosemary, Cajun Seasoning, Nutmeg (Renee)
$10 Donation: Marjoram, Basil, Parsley or Dill
$8 Donation: Rubbed Sage, Coriander, Savory, Cinnamon, Chives, Fennel or Lavender (Renee)

Want to ante up and sponsor a spice? Contact Ben Shine at ben at secondhelpings.org or 317-632-2664, ext. 29, and reserve your spice of choice. Then join us on May 21, to check out Second Helpings in action, celebrate our effort, and hang out with some fellow bloggers, food writers, chefs, and food lovers in person!

We'll chow down on snacks, prepared by Class 54 of the Second Helpings Culinary Job Training program, as well as the Best Chocolate in Town and Cabot Creamery, sip some wine, and get a chance to take a look around.

What spice to choose? I'm donating two tubs of Cumin - my second favorite spice (cardamom wasn't on the list). Renee chose Cloves, Nutmeg and Lavender - a lovely combination of her favorites.

Here are the details!
5:15-6:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 21
Second Helpings
Eugene and Marilyn Glick Center
1121 Southeastern Ave
RSVP: Me, Renee, Facebook or Ben Shine

Abita Root Beer at Goose

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Picking up a post-work-workshop sandwich* at Goose yesterday, I spied a funny little bottle with an Abita label on the bottom shelf of their drinks-grains-cheeses fridge. Abita is well-known for their Louisiana-brewed beer, but I had no idea that they made a root beer.

The label boasted that the Abita root beer was made with real cane sugar. That's about all I need to sample a new soda, and I'm usually pleased with the milder sweetness, but I am rarely blown away. Abita's root beer was so, so good, made with spring water, herbs, vanilla and -surprise- yucca for foam that, indeed, it blew me away. With its balance of herby-rooty flavor and mellow sweetness, Abita root beer may be my official summer obsession of 2009. (See evidence of my Vietnamese bun obsession of 2008 here.)

*How wonderful is it that the Goose staff will whip up a salmon pastrami sandwich, when it is completely not on their menu, and do it so very well? Wonderful, friends, extremely wonderful.

Mother's Day = Brunch Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Why is Mother's Day all about brunch? Who mandated that for moms, brunch was the ideal meal? The holiday itself was created way back in 1912 by Anna Jarvis, with the intent to celebrate the value and impact of mothers. More history is readily available, but I haven't yet discovered who mandated this brunch-focused policy for feeding honored mothers.

brunch - from morenewmath.com

Who am I to fight tradition? In honor of both brunch and Mother's Day, I've assembled a list just for you of exciting menus and treats for you and your mom. Please enjoy!

Great ideas from all around the web:

Oh, Crap! It's Mother's Day! menu at Chow
Easter Brunch Recipes from 101 Cookbooks
Make Ahead Brunch at Whipped

Brunch ideas previously seen on Middle West Meals:

Ginger-Hibiscus Iced Tea
Ebelskivers, of course
Teensy pancake short stacks
Easy sandwiches (great for brunch picnics!)
Rhubarb Bars
Gift for mom: Spicy Pepita Ginger Bark (for my mom, it couldn't be spicy)

Taste at Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Several weeks have passed since I dined at Taste for their relatively new dinner service, several weeks since I had two lovely Wednesday-night meals. In addition to lazy blogging and a busy life, I think the primary source of my delay in writing about my Taste experiences is my struggle with the After-Taste moniker. "Aftertaste" just isn't a word I normally use with glee or memories of yummy meals. And the meals I've had at Taste are certainly in the good-to-delicious category. So in my nitpicky word-obsessed style, I'll be referring to their evening offerings as "dinner at Taste" and referring to them with happiness.

drinks @ Taste

I've eaten at Taste twice now for dinner, once with a group of ladies and once with Ben. Taste takes on a different mood in the evening, with the new-ish interior and its deep tones creating a cozy atmosphere. The low lighting builds on this cozy and stylish mood. The decor and the service worked remarkedly well for my occasionally boisterous group of friends, situated in one of the six-seater round booths. But it also worked well for my dinner date with Ben, which felt intimate, special and just-informal-enough.

Taste does things a little bit differently than other dinner locations, encouraging visitors to order from snacks, salads, tartines, mains and sides all at once. Each dish is delivered to the table as it is made - a challenge for me, because I do always want to wait for everyone to have food. The salads and tartines should be familiar to Taste's lunch regulars; they're not exact matches, but most tend to follow similar flavor combinations as the lunch menu offereings - fresh and bright combinations of produce, seasonings and, often, dairy (beet with citrus, tomato and corn with blue cheese), with a couple of departures from European flavors which rely on soy, daikon or seaweed. Like the salads, the tartines reflect a strong European heritage and a connection to Taste's lunch menu.

The main dishes, the sides and many of the snacks are the real surprise and treasure at Taste's dinner service. Taste's guacamole upgrade, an avocado puree served with house-made plantain chips, and the feta-spinach sauce are both fun, little snacks, but there are so many more that sound well-worth ordering. Some examples of next-time snacks: warm olive bowl with cumin, deviled eggs smoked trout, and truffled eggs.

Taste doesn't offer vegetarian mains, though there is plenty to make a meal out of between the other menu items, but there is a nice balance of seafood, fowl and meats. The sauces are truly the main-dish stars, special and yummy. Ben raved about his pork loin, while my favorite main - so far - is the salmon in pommery-mustard sauce. Mains come unaccompanied; order one of the ample sides to bulk up the meal. The creamy polenta was almost as good as Ben's homemade version, my favorite polenta in the world.

The wine list is moderately sized and moderately priced. Taste also offers select wines in quartinos, little carafes of wine that make it easier to pair a few wines with your dinner. Our server hadn't tried much of the wine; that would be a nice addition to their preparation. Taste serves cucumber-water in recycled Trader's Point dairy bottles, a sweet and refreshing constant in the meal.

Desserts are, as always, well prepared and balanced. Taste's desserts may be decadently rich and served up in share-worthy sizes, but they are not overly sweet. In other words, do try to save some room, the tarts, cobblers and nutella panini are all worth it.

Dinner is only available on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 pm - a perfect reason to celebrate life and food on a weekday! Taste's dinner service isn't cheap, but it isn't overpriced, either. Check out the dinner menu online to get a sense of prices.

Learning to Love Your Utensils

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Kitchen utensils don't get the love they deserve. What do they get for all the assistance they provide to us in the kitchen? They're tossed around, crammed into over-stuffed "stuff" drawers and generally neglected.

All of this is true, but out in the world, there is one special Etsy artist championing kitchen utensils - Dazeychic. Check out her visual ode to spoons, forks, spatulas and the egg beater below.

You can buy the prints in singles, too, if you want to play favorites with your utensils. I'd choose the one featuring endangered egg beaters (and whisks), below, but they're all super-cute. Just check out her shop.

pantry upgrade: buckwheat soba noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Beyond my well-documented adoration of pomegranate molasses (see berries & brie, pomegranate yogurt & a rave about the ingredient here), walnuts (see spinach-walnut pasta & Lobio) and cheddar (see this risotto, Irish-American fondue, these tamalitos, creamy potato-corn chowder & this shepherd's pie), there are many other ingredients in the world that need love. Enter the latest ingredient to be featured as a Middle West Meals official pantry upgrade: buckwheat soba noodles.
Soba takes about 5 minutes to cook up, can be used in a bazillion ways and is yummy. The buckwheat adds a little bit of bonus nutrition in the form of rutin, a nice little glycoside that fights free radicals and has antioxidant properties.

Last night, wanting to use up some little bits of produce and a half-block of tofu, soba handily came to the rescue, for a yummy vegetable-tofu soba bowl. I pulled together a quick teriyaki sauce (kind of like this) for slices of the tofu and thin sweet potato moons, which combined nicely over a medium heat. Meanwhile, I cooked and drained the soba, which I tossed with a few handfuls of baby spinach, a big clove of garlic, minced, and a drizzle of tamari in a medium-hot pan. Finally, I heated up a little bit of garlicky stock and prepared a quick salad of pea shoots, hot sesame oil and lemon juice. Into big bowls, I piled the spinachy noodles, tofu-sweet potato mixture and pea shoots, finishing each bowl off with a ladle or two of the stock. And, heavens to Betsy, it was delicious!

In Indianapolis, you can always get buckwheat soba noodles at the Good Earth and Saraga.

Other recipes to check out:

Buckwheat Pasta with Kale at the New York Times
Garlic Soba Noodles at 101 Cookbooks
Nigella's Cold Soba Noodle Salad

sign of summer: pop-ups

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Since I wasn't a chocolate-adoring child, the ring-a-ding of a neighborhood ice cream man (person?) meant push-ups for me. Aside from the occasional drumstick, it was all push-ups all the time for me. When the weather warms up past 60 degrees and the sun shines, like yesterday afternoon, I can almost taste the cold, creamy, orange-esque goodness that only push-ups can offer.

Which is why I am ga-ga over this adorable drawstring bag, on sale for $9 at the Curiosity Shoppe. Not only is it fair-trade, it's also produced by the awesome people at Yee Haw Industries, the very same people who made Ben's Evel Knievel print and his workhorse print, two of my favorite gifts I've ever given.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:03:00 +0000

Have a great St. Patrick's Day. If you aren't dining out on corned beef and cabbage, then you might enjoy these recipes:

Enjoy the holiday and please do not drink green beer. That only makes leprechauns cry.

rustic winter tomato soup with fried egg

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:44:00 +0000

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (thanks to my sister Jen & Mark Bittman!) helped me rediscover my love of eggs. By relegating eggs to breakfast and brunch, Americans often miss out on what can be a satisfying and protein-rich addition to salads and entrees. But the greatest tragedy born of this egg discrimination is our national failure to regularly add poached and fried eggs to simple soups. So, without further ado, I offer you a little dish that I hope will bring a dinner or lunch time egg into your life - rustic winter tomato soup with fried egg.

This soup recipe is a combination of two tomato soup recipes from How to Cook..., one built for fresh tomatoes and the other wintertime variation designed for canned tomatoes.

The flavor in this dish does rely a bit on special ingredients:

I highly recommend using local and super-fresh eggs. Stop by the Good Earth, the Winter Farmer's market or Locally Grown Gardens to pick some up. If this isn't your normal egg-purchasing pattern, you might be surprised at the sometimes-florescent orange color of these local gems.
San Marzano tomatoes are the best canned tomato, in my opinion, and they work very well for this recipe.

One other note, before you head into this recipe - please, please, please give runny yolks the chance they deserve. For years, the delicious yellow goodness that flows from a properly fried or poached egg frightened me. City Cafe's eggs Benedict - with tomato in place of the ham - changed all that for me. I haven't looked back since.

Recipe: Rustic Tomato Soup with Fried Egg
serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small onion or 1/2 of a medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
leaves from 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
3-4 cups of vegetable stock
salt and black pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
4-6 eggs, one per person

Prepare the soup - Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Drain the can of tomatoes, reserving their juice. Cut each tomato in half, lengthwise, and place cut side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 25-35 minutes, adding a bit of water, reserved tomato juice or stock if the pan dries out.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, cook the onion and carrot for five minutes. Add in the garlic, tomato paste and thyme leaves. Stir and cook for about two more minutes, until the garlic is fragrant but not browning. Add the vegetable stock and reserved tomato juices, bring the mixture to a boil. Add the tomatoes to the pot. Reduce the heat to a simmer. and cook until vegetables are completely tender - about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender), blend the soup into a thick mixture.

Prepare the eggs - Heat the oil in a pan or on a skillet over medium-high heat. Leave plenty of room between eggs, if you have space to cook more than one egg at once. Break egg into a ramekin and pour it onto the heated, oiled surface. When the egg begins to solidify, slide a spatula under the sides of the egg. When the white is just-shy of fully solid, flip the egg over for about 30 seconds and remove promptly. For extra-luxurious eggs, baste the top of the egg with the pan's oil while frying. Refresh oil as needed.

Finish it up - Ladle the soup into bowls and carefully slide an egg in the middle of each bowl. I add freshly cracked black pepper and - occasionally - some hot sauce to my egg. Serve with thick, toasted slices of multi-grain bread.