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Look closely - Snack Size Fluffernutter is sitting in the tree, perched on a knot about 12 feet from the ground, placidly cleaning herself. Super cute. She went to get her shots today, but still does not have a home. Please e-mail me if you have any interest in an adorable half-Himalayan and/or her raggedy muffin Himalayan mom, they are very sweet. Visit House of (Mostly) Black Cats for the rest of this week's felines.
This started out as my attempt to make something healthy for dinner to make up for not visiting the gym yesterday after eating chorizo corn dogs for lunch (more on that later). Sadly, after I took a bite of my good canned tuna procured from Sunflower Market, I remembered something about tuna mayonnaise. Last week I was listening to my Good Food podcast from KCRW (you should, too) and they were talking about tuna mayo; then at dinner on Sunday, Husband mentioned that when he was in Italy, he was served raw veal with tuna mayo over, and my willpower was gone. I brought out the trusty Silver Spoon Cookbook
Once the salad was assembled, I laughed at how it looked like something out of this fantastically old copy of The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook I have kicking about (from 1980). This cookbook has recipes for eggs in aspic and cherries jubilee - things I have never actually seen in the flesh, only in old cookbooks.
But the salad was tasty nonetheless, and I think my tuna mayo will be really good on sandwiches later today, after I hit the gym, of course.
Resist the urge to skip the anchovies - they're delicious, you just might not know it yet. Once chopped and pureed, you won't even be able to distinguish them other than to note your concoction tastes especially savory and delicious, thanks to them.
Retro Salad with Tuna, etc. - Serves 1
for the dressing - makes roughly 1/2 cup
1/2 can good quality tuna packed in olive oil (no substitutions!! No water-packed tuna ever!!)
yolk from one hard cooked egg
3 tbsp good mayo (I like Kewpee brand, from the Asian grocery store. It has MSG)
5 anchovy fillets, finely chopped if they seem especially "hairy"
1 tbsp capers
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
4-5 dashes Tabasco
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Place ingredients in bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, or place in a bowl and puree with a stick blender, as I did. Don't use a lot of salt, as you have a few salty ingredients in already; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Remove 2 TBSP of the mixture and set aside. I wouldn't keep this mixture in the fridge longer than 2 days; fortunately, it's really tasty, and I think you'll find using it up won't be a problem.
For the salad:
1 handful of nice red leaf lettuce or whatever you like; I received red and green leaf lettuce in my CSA this week, so used that
1 handful arugula
1/2 can good tuna (see note above)
10 olives, pitted and roughly chopped*
1 hard cooked egg, sliced (really good ones, from my CSA - YUM!)
1/4 red bell pepper, cut into very small dice
good extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Wash the greens in several changes of water until they are clean and then spin dry. Place in a large bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil; add the reserved tuna mayo and toss together; place on a plate. Arrange the tuna, egg and olives atop the greens in a manner pleasing to the eye and sprinkle with the chopped red peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. *A note on the olives - I really like the hot mixed olives from the Mediterranean market in Clintonville, corner of Dodridge & High - they add a nice surprising bit of heat to the mixture, but you can add plain old kalamatas or whatever you like. I served my salad with little premade Melba toasts covered with more tuna mayo and garnished with an anchovy bit and a pepper bit, just because I could; here's an alternative, aerial view:
There are plently of fun things to do in Columbus this weekend - get out and do all those things you've been meaning to do all summer. Of course, the rain might put a bit of a damper (ah-ha, I kill me) on things, but that's just Autumn in Central Ohio. Time to break out the raincoat.
First up, tomorrow night is the Columbus Food & Wine Affair. For $100, you can sample food from all of Columbus' best restaurants and taste lots of wine you might not otherwise be able to afford (at least all at once). Bonus: I'll be there cooking! Yes, that's right folks, I will be dusting off my chef coat (worn most recently at last year's F & W affair) and assisting Chef (ably, I hope). I should be the happy, rosy-cheeked one (we get to try the wine before you do). Don't forget there is an industry tasting beginning from 2pm - 4pm. Bring $5 and proof of your industry status (pay stub or business card) and taste through the wines. You can also attend two seminars: Bordeaux vs. California Cab at 2:15pm and Single Malt & Blended Whiskeys at 3:15pm (yikes, wine and whiskey - I'll definitely be rosy cheeked!)
Next up is the Columbus Italian Festival, located on Lincoln st. at 4th Street in Italian Vilage, at St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic church. Admission is $5, and tickets for Italian Festival and Oktoberfest can be purchased for $10 at Cafe del Monde on 4th St at Lincoln. The festival begins Friday the 29th at 5pm and goes through 6pm Sunday night, October 1st.
As previously mentioned, this weekend is also Oktoberfest, located at Grant & Livingston in German Village. The festival begins Friday at 5pm and goes through Sunday, Ocober 1st at 8pm. Admission is $8.
In non-food events, local NPR station WOSU has built a digital media center at COSI; this weekend is their debut and there are many events scheduled. Visit the website for complete details.
Of course, there's also some sort of football game happening this Saturday. This means industry professionals will be standing around Saturday night with little to do. If Saturday is your only day to go out, but you hate dealing with the crowds and the harried service, and you don't care about football, this is the time to go out. Support us, please!
Pierogies are one of those really nice comforting foods. If you've never had them, the concept is something akin to ravioli, that is they are a filled dumpling, but the dough is different from pasta dough. In addition to flour and egg, there is a little sour cream (usually), which produces a slightly tangy flavor. The filling is frequently centered around potato, with onions, cheese, bacon, or really anything added in. I chose plain old potato and onion pierogies from Krystina's yesterday, and even had the opportunity to see the owner working on a new batch by hand. Krystina's has about 10 flavors of pierogies (I also bought kraut filled, and I'll let you know how those are, too) ranging from blueberry to mushroom. They also have a large selection of sausages and cured meats and make a wide variety of yummy desserts. I can vouch for the tiramisu, which I tried yesterday. It was full of nice tangy-sweet cheese flavor, with just the right amount of coffee - it might be the best homemade I've tasted in Columbus so far.
Info: Krystyna's Delicatessen 1453 Grandview Ave Columbus (northwest side) 614.488.2860. To read about the first time I visited Krystina's, click here.
First a picture of dessert, and then we'll get on with the recipe: 
Pierogies with Italian Sausage, Squash, Peppers & Onions - serves 2
12 pierogies, preferably from Krystina's, if you live in Columbus. If you're in Cleveland, you have even more options
1 small butternut squash, peeled, gutted, and cut into 1/2" chunks
Olive oil
2 links sweet Italian sausage, or 1/2 pound bulk
red pepper flakes
1/2 large onion, red, white or whatever you have on hand
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" chunks
2 tbps golden syrup, honey, or brown sugar
4 Tbsp butter
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
If you pierogies are frozen and you don't have time to thaw them out, blanch in salted boiling water until they float, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Blanch the butternut squash in salted boiling water for about 8-12 minutes, until it is just soft, drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat a little olive oil and then brown your sausage, seasoning with a little red pepper flake if you like. When the sausage is cooked through, add your onion and cook for about 4 minutes or until it is just starting to brown and soften, then add the red bell pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until it is just starting to soften. Add the butternut squash, stirring to incorporate everything, and then add the golden syrup (or honey, or sugar), tossing the pan to coat everything. Place this mixture in a bowl and set aside.
Return the empty pan to the stove and turn the heat up to high. Place the butter in the pan; when it melts, you should have enough to liberally cover the bottom of the pan. Brown the butter by allowing it to foam and subside; keep the heat on high, but don't allow the butter to burn (there should be enough residual olive oil and pork fat to keep it from burning). When it starts to smell nice and nutty, add your pierogies carefully, season liberally with salt and pepper, and brown them on all sides; this takes about 2-3 minutes per side. Carefully turn with tongs to ensure each side is nice and brown, then remove them to serving plate. Add the sausage mixture back to the pan and toss it in the hot brown butter for about 2 minutes over high heat, seasoning liberally with salt and pepper (especially pepper!). Check for seasonings; you want a nice balance of rich, spicy and sweet (at least I do); this might require a little dash of Tabasco, but you can serve that at the table if you wish.
I finally managed to get the newly daytime job free Husband to drive all the way to Polaris with me to go to Ha Long Bay. So far he's only had my soggy leftovers, but has still proclaimed them tasty. There are a few repeats from my previous visits, but I just can't help it - their summer rolls and hot & sour soup are just must-eats for me. I wish Ha Long Bay were closer to me. As a matter of fact, I wish any Vietnamese restaurant was nearby. I hope someone is listening. . .
Try the ginger lemonade - a little on the sweet side, but nicely matched with hot ginger and maybe a little palm sugar. First up, summer rolls - filled with mango and papaya, these are summer rolls with a twist - included in the usual filling of rice noodles and herbs are crunchy bits of fried wontons. They're so addictive:
Next, the aforementioned hot and sour soup. I asked Husband if he was going to order any and he said no - just wait 'til it comes, I said, you'll see how good it is. Totally different than any other hot and sour soup I've seen. It's filled with white fish, pineapple, okra, tomatoes, and bean sprouts, and is a nice rich balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet:
Husband had the Vietnamese street noodles: flat rice noodles tossed with ground pork, beef, tomatoes, eggs, scallions and peanuts. It had this aroma - not unpleasant, mind you - but strange: it smelled exactly like a Whopper. I don't know what it was, but it was a little bizarre. Tasty, though:
I chose the tamarind shrimp after my first choice, twice cooked pork, was sold out. The presentation was beautiful: somen noodles were wrapped around about 5 shrimp tails, and then the whole thing was fried, resulting in a crunchy, rather indulgent experience. The tangy tamarind sauce was spiced to very American levels (read: not as hot as promised), but that was fixed with a little of the ubiquitous garlic chile paste. The shrimp were placed on a bed of soothing preserved daikon radish, cucumbers and lettuce and served with a bowl of rice on the side. Definitely something worth having again:
If you're lucky enough to live or work near Ha Long Bay, you should visit it a lot. The menu is really extensive, and there should be plenty to try before you tire of it.
Info: Info: Ha Long Bay Asian Kitchen 8489 Sancus Blvd Polaris/North Columbus 614.436.4087 Original review
If you would have awakened (it's right, I looked it up; I know, it didn't sound correct to me, either...) to the scene from my window yesterday morning, I think you would have made the same decision I did. It rained all night long, and when the alarm sounded at 7am, I got up and looked out the window: gray, dark, wet. The backyard full of puddles and mud. I returned to the bedroom to get a shirt, and Husband and cats looked so snuggly I said, the market can wait, and crawled back under the covers. We so rarely get the opportunity to postpone our day, I think we should seize it whenever possible.
By 8:30 I was ready to give it another shot and, lo and behold, although it was still gray, it was warm and only slightly drizzly. I was off. It seems a few of the farmers also decided to take a rain day, especially at the North Market. I guess the growing season is beginning to wind down. It's almost time to repost Thanksgiving recipes. Oh, wait, not yet? Oh good.
My CSA box this week included green bell peppers, butternut squash, carrots (pictured above), this lovely head of leaf lettuce with edible flowers (pictured below), more lettuce, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, arugula, red bell peppers, and the forgotten.
I also purchased a lot of basics at Dearsman Farms - zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and the first Brussels sprouts of the year.
From the Worthington Farmer's Market, I was all about buying enough protein for the week - from Oink!Moo!Cluck! farm, it was some sweet Italian sausage, pork chops, and chicken breast (kudos to having reasonable chicken prices), and from Curly Tail Organic it was a pack of pork chorizo.
I also bought these cute little dumpling squashes (do I have plans for you) at Pop and Judy's patch, along with some more arugula (can't get enough!); they have a leafier, softer arugula than my CSA has, which, although hotter and great in pasta, is a little tough for salads.
And! There are a few nice things about this time of year to soften the blow of the coming cold, gray winter: the aforementioned Brussels sprouts and squash, and one of my favorite things to wait patiently for, the first Honeycrisp of the year, from Gillogly Orchards - get there early, because they only have a few trees.
Get out there and enjoy what's left of the market, folks. We only have about 4 weeks left and then it's over until next year. . .
I'm not even sure I can recall how this came to happen, but at some point Ike discovered that good, cold water came from the fridge. We have a stool in the kitchen (which is supposed to be for Husband to sit on and keep me me company whilst I'm cooking or vice versa) for the kitties to sit on and look out the back door at the various neighborhood cats and birds milling about, and one day it was pushed up to the fridge, which was the perfect height for kitties to drink water. Now they all wait their turns for new water. I keep trying to teach one of them how to push the button for more, but so far it hasn't worked. They get more excited over this than they did when we used to give them treats (they're on diets now, no treats). You can visit this week's other feline friends at Chef Sarah Jane.
Mimi:
Abe:
Ike:
My guests are always amazed by the pepper-milling power of the pepper mill I use at work. In this completely unscientific study, I will show you why it's the best. Although I only have it going up against one other mill, keep in mind I used to work at Williams-Sonoma and I know all about pepper mills. I've been using this pepper mill for years - I probably use it 20-35 times a night, five nights a week, and at home, and I still love it. You will, too. I promise.
This pepper came from the medium grind setting on a $60 pepper mill:
And from my favorite $25 Magnum pepper mill:
Pictures were taken from the same distance, of course. Sur La Table sells this pepper mill for $40, but it can be purchased at most restaurant supply stores for $25. In Columbus, you can try Wasserstrom (2777 Silver Drive) or Polster (585 S. High St) Restaurant Supply stores. You can even purchase a handy holster like I have for another $13.
The links on this page go directly to my review or mention of the restaurant; if the restaurant has a website, there will be a link in the review along with other contact information.
Some notes on reviewing - whenever possible, I visit a restaurant more than once, especially if I have a negative experience. Unfortunately, I pay for all of these dinners myself and can't always go three or four times before declaring the restaurant certifiably horrid. Whenever I have a connection with a restaurant, I will make it known; I have been in the restaurant business awhile, and there are several restaurants where I am friends with the owners/chefs/whatever and I simply document my dinner because I wouldn't be able to give them a fair shake. If you have any questions or would like to see a restaurant covered, send me an e-mail. These aren't all reviews - occasionally there is just a mention or picture of what I had there. For more notes on reviewing, click here and here.
My original Top 5 - Dinner, Lunch and Late Night
Second annual Top 5
Hopefully in alphabetical order:
5 Star Asian Cuisine
Alana's, Brunch revisit, Harvest Dinner revisit, revisit
Akai Hana/Restaurant Japan
Barley's - Burger Visit
Basi Italia, Lunch revisit
Biddie's Coach House
Brio Tuscan Grille
Burgundy Room Dublin
Cafe del Mondo
Cafe Istanbul
CoCo's Grille
El Arepazo, revisit
Flatiron Burger Visit
General Tso's
Guiseppe's
Ha Long Bay, revisit
Handke's
Japanese Oriental, fluish revisit
Jeni's Ice Cream, again
Kihachi, omakase revisit, revisit
Lac Viet
La Tavola
Latitude 41 lunch visit, Burger revisit.
Mimi Cafe.
Northstar, revisit
Northstar North
Pistachio
Queen Bee Burger Visit.
The Refectory, bistro menu revisit
The Top Steakhouse
Restaurant Japan
Rigsby's, snacking revisit
Rosendales
Rossi Bar, revisit, Burger Revist
Silla
Spagio
Tensuke Market
Thai Orchid
Whole Foods Trattoria
Winds Cafe
It is cold here in Central Ohio! Okay, that might be exaggerating a wee bit, but I have the window open in my office and it is currently 63 degrees. I would close the window and warm up, but there are kitties looking out over the traffic, so I'll just add another layer. . . we are scheduled for light patchy frost this evening.
The chill in the air has finally got me thinking about the Autumn and Winter, and the hearty dishes we can enjoy during those months. Although this dish is inspired by Mediterranean ingredients, I always think of lentils as an Autumn food, especially when blended with sausage - or one of our favorites, with curried apples. French green lentils might be a little hard to find at first, but resist the urge to buy them at Whole Foods or another gourmet store where they will be highly overpriced. They can be found for a fraction at Indian or Mediterranean groceries, such as Patel Brothers (Kenny Square shopping center, corner of Kenny and Old Henderson and the Northwest side) or at Mediterranean imports, a new favorite of mine, (which is at the corner of Ackerman and High street in Clintonville, next to Houndog Pizza and the late great Turkish Cuisine, a few blocks north of Hudson).
This dish is lightly spiced with paprika and garlic, and you could certainly add some chile flake or something to make it a little spicier, but I liked sticking with the hearty, earthy flavors inherent in lamb and lentils, as well as the typical spices found in chorizo (namely paprika).
Lentils with Lamb Chorizo and Feta - serves 2-4, depending on hunger of Husband
1 cup French green lentils, picked over for rocks, sticks, or other non-nutritive matter
2 lamb chorizo style sausages (note on source below); or other Mediterranean lamb sausage, or pork chorizo
1/2 large red onion, chopped into medium dice
1 red bell pepper, chopped into medium dice
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp balsamic or sherry vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika (if you haven't used your in awhile, go out and buy some fresh - you'll probably wonder why you've overlooked it for so long)
salt
freshly cracked black pepper
good extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces good feta - choose French for a mild flavor, or Greek for a tangier flavor - this is another product I like to buy by the pound at Mediterranean Imports in Clintonville; they have about 7 different varieties
Simmer the lentils in stock or water for 30-45 minutes, until they are soft. The nice thing about French green lentils is they hold their shape nicely after being cooked. Drain the lentils and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a little olive oil. Remove the sausage from the casing and crumble (if you are using a pre-cooked sausage, chop the sausage, with the casing, into a medium dice) it into the pan, browning thoroughly until cooked through, then add the onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the red peppers and the garlic and cook for minute or so, and then add the red wine, vinegar and the stock. Add the lentils to the pan and stir everything together. Add the paprika, a few pinches of salt, and about 10 grinds of pepper. Taste to check seasoning. Turn the heat up to high and simmer to reduce the wine and stock. You should end up with a nice ragout of lentils with very little extra liquid. Taste seasoning and adjust as needed. Place lentils in bowls and drizzle generously with good extra virgin olive oil and crumble over an ounce of feta.
A note on sources: I bought this fantastic lamb chorizo from Northridge Organics at the Worthington Farmer's Market; I'm not sure where you could find something similar, but another lamb sausage would work fine. Just for the record, the onions, peppers, and garlic all came from this week's farmer's market as well.
