Culinary Smackdown: Cabbage with Sausages and Grapes

Herewith my usual last-minute entry for the Culinary Smackdown, hosted this month by Grumpy Granny. I'm delighted by what my long-time Smackdown peeps contributed this month for Battle Cabbage. And to welcome some fabulous newcomers to this friendly foodie fray! Click on over to GG's host post here to find links to everyone's entries in the comments. Stay tuned for her announcement of this month's winner, who will win bragging rights, the opportunity to post a Culinary Smackdown winner badge on their sidebar/wall, and in turn become next month's host, judge, and "theme-picker."

This month I borrowed from a Mario Batali recipe that had me at the thought of cooking grapes for the first time. I substituted ingredients all over the place, failed to measure anything, and still managed to whip up something I'm not disappointed to call supper.

I had a sweet white onion on hand, so didn't go out of my way to buy a red onion.

I found seedless red grapes, which I suspect are different than Batali's recommended "wine or purple grapes."

I went foraging in the freezer for sausages and came up with some Roasted Red Pepper Italian Sausages from Carfagna's – a wonderful market and butcher shop that is as much of a must whenever I visit Columbus as, apparently, are stops at Jungle Jim's and Ikea whenever KY food bloggers come to Cincinnati.

I had the last little bit left in a bottle of red wine vinegar, and didn't worry whether it measured 4 tablespoons or not.

And then there was the cabbage. Foolish me, I picked up bok choy, thinking the delicate little head sitting next to it was Savoy cabbage when (I learned after googling images after my shopping trip) it was the called-for Napa cabbage after all. Oh, well. My honkin' big bok choy would not go to waste.

Although the recommendation of grilling the sausages sounds like a fine one, I browned mine in a Dutch oven while I sliced my onion and cabbage and plucked the stems from my grapes.

After removing the sausages, I wilted the onion, then added the sliced bok choy gradually (thickest to thinnest) to compensate for what I guessed would be its cooking time variance from Napa cabbage. Impatient and on the clock, I put the lid on the Dutch oven to hurry the cabbage cooking time along. Then added the grapes, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and bok choy greens. Topped with the sausages, here's dinner tonight.

Warning: Cooked grapes are hot! But I really liked my quick taste of this combination. Now I'm off to taste it for reals, with a glass of red wine, and settle in for the finale of Top Chef. I would be a happier camper if I could be rooting for Chef Ed Lee tonight. But after eating at his restaurant, 610 Magnolia in Louisville a couple of weeks ago, I can't complain.

I'll be around to check out the rest of the Smackdown entries later. And you can betcha a big post about 610 Magnolia is in the works. Plus more from other great KY restaurants I've visited in the past 1+ month.

Happy Smackdown, happy Leap Day, and thanks to all my talented and marvelous bloggy friends!

xoxo, eggy

Cheers to Birthdays! Meadowlark in Dayton, Ohio

My birthday month travels have, thankfully, now concluded. But before they did, a last-minute trip north to visit friends in Lima was in order. Because girlfriends don’t let girlfriends celebrate birthdays alone.

Lima friend Tricia had planned to celebrate her own February birthday with a visit to friends in Kansas City. When that fell through (sigh, so many of my friends are feeling the tug of caring for ailing and elderly relatives), she and Amy decided to throw a par-tay at home. Of course, Becky and I decided to drive up.

Becky suggested we stop in Dayton for lunch on the way – her treat, for my birthday. I recalled a Dayton restaurant I’d loved from another trip with our foursome, Meadowlark, where we’d enjoyed a fine brunch and I tried migas (scrambled eggs with corn tortilla strips and other goodies) for the first time.

Since that pre-camera, pre-blog meal, Meadowlark has moved into a new location a couple miles off I-675, not more than 10 minutes total from I-75. It’s one of those “don’t let the strip center fool you” locations – this one larger than the last, where we waited nearly an hour for an open brunch table. It’s a warm, contemporary space filled with cool artwork. And great food.

Becky and I didn’t arrive until around 3:00 on Saturday afternoon, so I have no idea how long the wait might be at their new digs at peak times. (Meadowlark's website says they accept reservations for 5 or more and let smaller parties call ahead to get on the waiting list.)

Clearly people will wait for food this fresh! Here’s my grilled chicken sandwich, on crusty bread from Dorothy Lane Market. Accompanied by roasted tomatoes, tapenade mayo, and – best of all – thin slices of batter-fried lemon, it was a knock-out. I want to try my hand at those fried lemon slices at home.

Becky was equally enamored with her fresh haddock sandwich. Sandwiches come with frites or vinaigrette-dressed fresh greens. We both opted for the greens, which were some of the most truly fresh I’ve encountered at any restaurant.

Meadowlark also does salads, specialty pizzas and mac + cheese at lunch, and a more wide-ranging dinner menu. There are plenty of veggie options, and their proteins are sourced from the likes of Smoking Goose Meatery in Indianapolis and Niman Ranch.

Becky was happy to try out a couple of craft beers from their extensive selection, including a gluten-free sorghum beer. Since I was driving, I opted for the Meadowlark Virgin Mary at the top of this post, a more than satisfying beverage that includes beet juice in addition to traditional Bloody Mary ingredients.

So how was your weekend? Are you ready with your Battle Cabbage entry for the Culinary Smackdown?

Our host this month is Grumpy Granny, who is already up here, with a dreamy red cabbage and sweet potato lasagna. Head on over to link your Battle Cabbage post in GG's comments section, and check out all the other swell entries for this friendly little monthly blog-cooking competition. I always come away with such inspiration from the other participants – and I'm tickled to see our group growing! Deadline isn't until Wednesday, so am hoping to squeak in with an entry of my own despite a busy month and cabbage-purchasing faux pas (: