Culinary Smackdown – Cindie's Part of Our Entry for Battle: Oktoberfest

It’s that time again. Stephie of Small Girl Adventures was chosen as the winner of the August Smackdown winner by last month's host, Grumpy Granny (GG was otherwise occupied this month, traveling from Colorado to San Francisco from her epic swim around Alcatraz!). For this month’s contest, Stephie elected Oktoberfest as our theme. She’s already up with her post here, so head on over and check the comments for links to what the other participants came up with this month.

As for Cindie and me, after last week blew up on both of us, we ended up modifying our original plan to make sauerbraten (basically, German pot roast marinated in vinegar and red wine), one of my favorite German dishes. There’s nothing difficult about throwing beef into the marinade, then braising it 3 to 7 days later (the longer in the marinade the better, I say). But I didn’t get to the store early enough last week to make that happen, so we switched our entrée to sausages and kraut and forged ahead with the sides we had originally planned. Every time we’ve cooked together this summer we’ve tried to adhere to the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle. This time we think we finally achieved it. And I managed to remember to take some step-by-step photos along the way. So let’s roll.

HOT SLAW

This side was Cindie's baby, and she approached it the same way I often tackle recipes I haven’t made before. She googled several variations, then combined what she liked about each into her own version, which I had the foresight to ask her to write down while she was prepping. (It's always harder to remember after the fact, especially with a full belly.) I’m doing my best to read her handwriting as I transcribe here.

5 slices bacon, cut up, fried and drained

Keep the the bacon grease.

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped

Add these to the warm bacon grease and saute until translucent. Season with salt, pepper, celery seed, and whatever else you choose. Caraway seed would be good, but Cindie's not a fan. We also declined to go the cinnamon-nutmeg-brown sugar route. We like our slaw vinegary.









1 large or 2 small heads of red cabbage, heart removed and thinly sliced

(You might want to beware of small cabbages. Cindie came to the conclusion later that the ones she'd purchased were old, with the outer layers removed, making them look smaller.)

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place melted butter and olive oil in the bottom of a casserole dish, then add alternating layers of raw sliced cabbage and the sauteed onion, apple, garlic mixture, ending up with top layer of cabbage. Add the crisp bacon.

Vinegar - oops, Cindie forgot to note how much she used. She used white wine vinegar because that was what she had on hand. I'd say cider or red wine vinegar would work just fine too.

Place the casserole in a 350 degree oven for at least an hour, turning twice.

Cindie wanted her hot slaw to retain some cabbagey crunch rather than braising it for several hours. An hour at 300 didn't get the raw cabbage cooked, so she bumped up the temp and cooked it some more. Eventually she had to add some more liquid - beer and hard cider worked great.


SAUSAGES AND KRAUT

This is dead simple, especially if you have good sausages and fresh sauerkraut to work with. Neither of us can resist the great sausages from Cincinnati sausage artisans like Kroeger's and Eckerlin's at Findlay Market or Avril-Bleh's on Court Street. Turns out Cindie had overbought, and frozen, an interesting array from our food forays over the summer, and this was a perfect time to use them. I headed to Avril's on my lunch hour last Friday for a couple pounds of their fresh kraut (Cindie's favorite). And I couldn't resist adding one of my own faves, smoked seafood brats from Lobsta Bakes of Maine, in Newtown (more about them in an upcoming post).

We had so many different kinds that we piled them into a Dutch oven (sprayed first with vegetable spray - Cindie always does that).

Put them in a 350-degree oven, uncovered, until the brats (yep, those are those giant ones from Eckerlin's) start to puff up and split.

Dump the sauerkraut and some beer on top of the sausages and continue to bake until the kraut is warmed through.







ETA: Here's my part of our entry for Battle: Oktoberfest - potato pancakes!

Lunch on Main: Around the World in 80 Dogs?

The Kraken, Lunch on Main's Mediterranean-inspired hot dog with red pepper hummus,
tzatziki, chunky feta, and sliced pepperoncini

I don’t know how sixth graders these days celebrate their birthdays. But in my girlhood, it was customary to invite all the girls in your class (our mothers didn’t want anyone to feel left out). One classmate’s birthday party stands out in memory. Not just because it was a perfect summer afternoon for splashing in the pool and having a backyard cookout, but because it was where I had my first Avril’s hot dog. Turns out my classmate was related to the Avril family that founded the Court Street butcher shop and sausage-maker in 1894, now Avril-Bleh’s. Her mother also provided “ordinary” hot dogs, in case the Avril dogs proved too spicy for our tender 12-year-old palates. I’ve come to love Avril’s hot dogs, and pretty much all the other wursts they make themselves.

Restaurateur Adam Easterling must share my affection, because he uses Avril’s 1/4-pound dogs exclusively in his expanded hot dog menu ($5 each) at Lunch on Main. And then takes them a step – or three – further. LOM offered a series of hot dog specials over the summer and is now bringing them back, a couple at a time, during the fall and possibly into winter. The most popular will remain on the menu.

The Voodoo Child, topped with Lunch on Main’s own jerk sauce, black beans and rice, red bell pepper strips, and sauteed onion with papaya

I hear the Caribbean-inspired Voodoo Child will be one that sticks around. It’s tasty, and packs plenty of heat!

The Bob Cobb, topped with fresh tomato, greens, hard-boiled egg,

bacon, and Lunch on Main's homemade bleu cheese dressing

If you’d like something cooler to complement the kick of an Avril’s dog, you can’t beat the Bobb Cobb – one of my favorites – and it’s on the menu this week! I would never have thought to put a Cobb salad with a hot dog, but this combination works.

The Conquistador, with LOM's homemade black bean and corn salsa, lettuce, 

sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla strips

Lunch on Main’s hot dogs, like all their sandwiches, are served on breads from one of Cincy’s best bread bakers, Shadeau Breads. And you can always count on freshly sourced veg to perk up your LOM ’wich.

This place has become one of my downtown noon-meal mainstays since it opened almost two years ago. The sandwiches are hefty and satisfying at an across-the-board $6.50, and a thoughtful combination of fresh ingredients and housemade condiments goes into each.

The Main

Like the red onion marmalade and roasted fennel that accompany pastrami and Swiss on Shadeau multi-grain bread in The Main.

The Red Meat

Or the horseradish sauce and sprouts that go with the roast beef and smoked gouda on a Shadeau baguette in The Red Meat.

The Bleu Bison

Or The Bleu Bison (it’s made with chicken, not buffalo meat), a grown-up chicken salad sandwich with all the components of traditional buffalo wings, like celery and LOM’s creamy homemade blue cheese dressing, plus heat that stops just short of making you wish for a cold beer to wash down some hot wings when it’s only lunchtime.

I'm a pretty darn loyal customer when I find a lunch place I like, but I also appreciate it when my favorite vendors keep things interesting by changing up my options. Lunch on Main has started offering wrap specials, like the turkey-asiago wrap, pictured here with their signature tomato-basil soup.

Turkey and asiago in a tomato-basil wrap, with 

baby spinach, carrot, cucumber, and ginger-sesame mayo

They make a few wraps fresh each day, and when they're gone, they're gone. My turkey-asiago wrap was served cold, appropriate for the raw veg inside, and the tomato-basil flatbread it was encased in was fresh too. I'm looking forward to trying LOM's latest, a roast beef and cheddar wrap, with lettuce and horseradish sauce.

Lunch on Main always has a soup or two to round out your meal. In addition to their tomato-basil, which is almost always available, they're currently serving up clam chowder. And I'm hoping that if I ask really, really nicely, they'll bring back this spectacular squash and apple soup I had last autumn.

Lunch on Main Squash and Apple Soup, with (Legends of the) Fall Turkey sandwich

From time to time you'll also find interesting mac 'n' cheeses on the menu (from buffalo chix, to turkey + bacon, to Philly cheesesteak versions), as well as salads and Buckeye brownies and Streetpops. LOM was the kitchen home to newcomer Streetpops before Streetpops decided to move into Fork Heart Knife's old location, and continues to offer these yummy frozen pops.

Lunch on Main's name is pretty straightforward: They serve lunch only, and they're located on Main Street (633 Main Street, to be exact, which is on the west side of the street between 6th and 7th - in the same block as Izzy's, but on the opposite side of the street and a tad farther north).

There's a lot of interesting food going on inside LOM's unimposing storefront, however. They may not have 80 different hot dogs on the menu yet, but I admire them for keeping things fresh enough to manage their turnover, and creative enough to be interesting. Check out what Adam and his friendly crew have to offer, and where they'll take things next.

Old and New - My First Blogiversary

Sorry to be cryptic with yesterday’s quick post (you'll find a better pic and fuller explanation below), but the day marked one year since I started blogging, and I wanted to acknowledge the start of year #2. While some people take to the gym or resolve to diet after the turn of a new year, it’s amazing how many people start their blogs on or about Jan. 1.

I don’t generally make New Year’s resolutions, but when I received a digital camera for Christmas in 2009, I was eager to start using it. Hoping to join in some friendly blogging cook-o-rama’s I’d been following from afar, I’d been mentioning a digital camera on my holiday wish lists for some time. Last year Dad said he and Mom finally decided I must be “serious” about wanting one, and it may be the best Xmas gift I’ve ever received (even better than both the easel and zither I received at age 5).

My camera, and blog, have led me to a new creative outlet, an expanded awareness of what other bloggers and food enthusiasts are doing, and an unanticipated experience of community. Putting together my little (or, more often, long - lol) posts has often helped me refocus my energy away from day-to-day frustrations, and I can't count how many times my spirits have been lifted by a kind word, a gorgeous photo, or a quirky story shared by my blogger friends.

It took me a while to go public – various technical blogger stuff to figure out, a number of draft posts deleted. When initially faced with page design options, I hesitated to add a tag line or try to encapsulate what I do in a pithy “about” item on my sidebar (is there anything that hasn’t already been said by the gazillion food bloggers who’ve come before me?). Besides, I wanted give my little blog a chance to grow up and see what it wanted to be. And while this remains a food-focused blog (sometimes I eat out; sometimes I cook in), I’m happy to let it continue to grow and meander where I choose to take it.

What’s been more interesting is where my blog has taken me. I’ve gained lots of new recipes and picked up great cooking tips from others. Although I still have a long way to go, I’ve learned a lot about photography from observing how other people do it, and experimenting and practicing myself. I’ve also been following the local food scene more closely, and making a point of, yes, backing away from the computer and getting out of the house to explore what some of Cincinnati’s talented, hard-working food vendors are up to.

My oft-referred-to friend Cindie has kindly aided and abetted me in these pursuits, and this fall we evolved a new ritual – our “food days out.” It started when we made reservations for an event sponsored by Buick that promised a free opportunity to see Marcus Samuelsson and taste his food in exchange for test-driving a car. We made our reservations early and arrived a little after noon on the appointed day, only to learn the event had been pushed back to 2:00 p.m., with no attempt by organizers to contact us. We were hungry and skeptical, eyeing designer waters, Sunchips, and the prospect of a long wait. So we decided to skip the shilling she-bang and head to the nearby neighborhood of Northside instead.

We had a great lunch at Melt Eclectic Deli, my first time there with camera in hand, Cindie’s first time period. We both chose "Halvies" with 1/2 sandwich and 1/2 salad portions. I went for the white-cheddar-laden Artichoke Melt on foccaccia, with artichoke-spinach spread plus artichoke hearts and sliced tomatoes, coupled with Greek salad and sundried-tomato dressing.

Cindie chose a roast beef sandwich with potent horseradish sauce and the Blue Gingered Pear Salad with toasted walnuts, blue cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette.

In much better spirits after our bellies were full, we wandered down Hamilton Avenue to the bakery/lunch/brunch spot Take the Cake (too bad I was too timid to try to snap any pics of their lovely dessert case or stylish interior and that my photos of their delicious red-velvet whoopee pie didn’t turn out). Then we walked back up the street to Melt’s sister business, Picnic and Pantry, a great little carry-out featuring fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, produce, baked goods (lots of vegan options) – and Columbus-based Jeni’s ice cream! I picked up some fresh salads and this fresh-from-the-oven lemon-pesto zucchini bread.

We were energized to sample Northside’s great food scene (across town for me, and even farther for Cindie) and delighted we’d made the trip.

On a roll, and with plenty of our allotted Buick afternoon left, we headed to Findlay Market, which we’d both frequented in the past, but, I’m sorry to say, hadn’t been to in quite a while. We’ve fallen in love with Findlay all over again!

This particular Saturday happened to be the weekend Fresh Table opened, and its stunningly displayed prepared foods were impossible for me to resist that day or on any subsequent visit.

I could kick myself for failing to pick up a slice of their updated version of a much-beloved pie from Mecklenberg Gardens' heyday (with a nutty crust and chocolate filling topped with mocha whipped cream) last time I was there. But who knows what sweets and savories I'll find on my next visit? Fresh Table offers a wide selection of rotating dishes, many made with products from other Findlay vendors, including produce from Daisy Mae's, which is open year-round and, I learned recently, delivers downtown on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Sign up for their e-newsletter to receive weekly updates of what's available.

Another old favorite we’ve fallen in love with again is Avril’s (nka Avril-Bleh’s), on Court Street, with its house-made, house-smoked sausages, hams, and more. Cindie found “real” city chicken (with veal) there for the first time in eons, got an awesome ham there for a family holiday party, and is on standing orders from her father to pick up Avril’s fresh sauerkraut whenever she can.

Since that day, Cindie and I have made a point of scheduling our “food days out” at least once a month, trying new (to us) restaurants in addition to our now de rigeur trips to Findlay and Avril's.

One glorious fall Sunday, we started with brunch at forkheartknife, which opened last summer to considerable, and well-warranted, buzz.

This cozy community spot, with only a few tables inside but outdoor seating when weather permits, features food you would make at home if you were as talented as the fhk chefs. Comfort food, locally sourced, artfully made, with thoughtful twists.

The restaurant/catering business's wildly popular brunches (now served Saturdays as well as Sundays - they’ve also shifted their two weeknight dinners to Wednesdays and Thursdays) usually include a strata or two made with bread from Blue Oven Bakery, eclectic veggie, yogurt and fruit dishes (like the apple-beet salad above lightly dressed with lemon oil), baked sweets, and awesome potatoes in various forms. Chorizo, applewood-smoked bacon, and other pork products make their way into some of the dishes as well. The menu, posted on butcher paper, changes each week and is posted on fhk's facebook page. (Click the image for a closer look.)

Another weekend, Cindie and I started our day with lunch at Terry’s Turf Club, hoping that if we arrived near the noon opening time on a Saturday, we might avoid the long waits that have only gotten longer since this little Eastern Avenue gem filled with vintage neon signs was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” Huzzah, there were a few people ahead of us waiting for Terry’s to open, but once it did, we were able to walk right in and take a seat.

We started with an appetizer of belotta ham from Spain, served antipasto style with greens, a rich goat cheese, and black garlic (preparations of this dish, and others, apparently change often at the whim of the chef). Then we moved on to Terry's gourmet burgers and split an order of fresh-cut fries cooked in duck fat. Cindie was a bit overwhelmed by her foie gras-topped Beef Wellington burger (the burgers themselves are enormous and rich, and we both ended up asking for to-go boxes). I ordered my burger with triple creme brie and the house burgundy wine sauce with wild mushrooms and truffle, every bit as succulent as I'd been led to hope for. The crisp, hot duck-fat fries were a knockout! Cindie's been wanting to try duck-fat fries ever since I told her I'd had them at Hot Doug's in Chicago, and these did not disappoint.

The best thing besides our burgers and duck-fat fries: the fruity "elixirs" - Cindie ordered mango; I went for blood orange.

Apparently not “house-made,” as one sign suggests (Cindie inquired of our friendly waitress and was shown a jar bottled in California), but refreshing and delicious straight-up or with a splash of club soda. No doubt these full-flavored juices would be great spiked as well. P.S. Terry's doesn't have a website, but you can find info on its facebook page, which says it's currently closed for a few days for kitchen expansion and ensuing inspections. The kitchen work sounds like it's among the expansion plans mentioned in this article. Cindie (who always requests a booth) would be happier to go back if they had more comfortable seating than tall stools at both bar and tables. I, on the other hand, would happily return to try more of Terry's menu, as long as the wait is not prohibitive.

Despite the dismal economy, I am invigorated by the many fine new local food businesses that have launched in the year I’ve been blogging, as well as established businesses that continue to thrive and hone what they do. People are focusing their businesses in all sorts of creative ways, carving out their own strategies to reach a slice of the local food-dollar pie, and often partnering with each other. It's a great time to be a food lover in Cincinnati.

But of course blogging isn’t just about who and what you cover on your blog; it’s about connecting with other people. And that’s the biggest thing I did not anticipate a year ago. Cincinnati food bloggers don’t seem to comment much on each other’s blogs. Nor, for some reason, do the readers of AllTopChef, where a lot of my blogging hours have gone since I joined that blogging team in September.

So it's been fascinating to discover that I have readers - and new friends - from across the U.S. and even around the world. This blogging thing has allowed me to meet a wider spectrum of individuals than I would ever have chanced to meet otherwise. Some share my affinity for food and cooking; many have other fascinating interests and talents. I am richer for the opportunity to glimpse the corners of the world in which they live, and the corners of their minds they choose to share. Nothing could have brought that point home more movingly than the blogger party/fundraiser this New Year’s hosted by Boxer, which raised nearly than $1500 for our various causes - and was a whole lot of fun to boot!

I thank all my friends in the blogosphere, as well as my family, for your support, inspiration, and kindness. My dad has turned out to be one of my biggest supporters, talking up my blog to friends and relatives and encouraging me to contact them - "with instructions" :) My sister reads and even comments when she can, and I am looking forward to the Ingredient-of-the-Month Club she is creating for me this year, not only for the opportunity to try some new foods but also as fun blog fodder. My aunts, who I vacationed with in California in September, could not have been more receptive to my cooking, eating, and blogging interests, and it was my very artistically inclined Aunt Jeanette who created this lovely thank-you card from hand-made paper after our trip, which I posted yesterday.

In addition to the eggplants on the front are a cluster of grapes on the back, in fond memory of our many winery visits.

Finally, thanks to Cindie for 40 years of friendship. Yikes, we're getting old. But I love it that our friendship keeps reinventing itself - and that we keep eating so well.

Looking forward to more food and blogging friendships and adventures in 2011,
eggy

. . . COOK IF I WANT TO

Where are those back-up singers when you need 'em? When my actual birthday rolled around, we were just beginning to dig ourselves out of nearly ten inches of snow. So plans for going out to dinner with friends were postponed and I had to come up with an alternate game plan, preferably without having to drive to a grocery store. On my lunch hour, I walked to Avril-Bleh's, a great old-fashioned meat market downtown that makes its own sausages. When I'd stopped in the week before to pick up Andouille for my seafood stew, I spotted their "wagon wheels," flank steak wrapped with asparagus and provolone, which would be perfect, and easy, for my solo celebration. I also purchased a smoked potato, because, well, when presented with the prospect of a smoked potato, how could I resist? Unable to leave well enough alone, I transformed it into a riff on Appleton potatoes using other ingredients I had on hand. My sister picked up the recipe while staying at the Appleton Inn in Massachusetts, and it is one of my favorite versions of twice-baked potato. I had bacon and sour cream on hand, substituted Swiss cheese for cheddar, and added diced roasted red pepper left over from last weekend's rouille in place of green onions. By the time I doctored it up, I couldn't taste much smoke from the smoked potato, but it was tasty nonetheless. Some asparagus with leftover Sauce Maltaise rounded out my birthday dinner plate. Dessert was a chocolate cordial cup filled with Grand Marnier-laced marmalade mascarpone cream and topped with toasted almonds. These cups are tiny little things, but cute as a proverbial button. Just the right touch of sweetness to end my meal.