Comment

will travel for food: a trip to ole miss and a chat about cooking in the south.

road trips are just the best.

I realize not everybody feels this way, so allow me to state my case. Perhaps one of the most wonderful things about living in this vast expanse of land called the United States is that we have thousands of miles of fabulously beautiful country to explore. Plus, we all know the old adage, "life is a journey, not a destination." Sometimes if we take our time with the journey, we'll find all sorts of unexpected destinations along the way.

So Obe and I love road trips and our favorite place to drive to, lately, is New Orleans. Admittedly, in the 1,400+ miles between Denver and New Orleans there is a whole lot of, well, nothin'. For two days. From the seemingly endless, flat fields of east Colorado all the way through Kansas to the miles of swampy highway through Louisiana, it's easy to conclude that there's nothing to see.

lots of beautiful old buildings in this lovely little college town in mississippi.

lots of beautiful old buildings in this lovely little college town in mississippi.

But of course, there are tons of places to see in between and we learn something new each time we make the trip. We learned that driving all the way to Nashville in a torrential, multi-state downpour will slow you down enough to miss dinner in music city, altogether, despite leaving Denver at 4:30 in the morning (womp womp). After crashing in Nashville for the night but not getting to spend any time there at all (which made me sad, because Nashville is wonderful), we hit the road and drove all the way back across the breathtakingly beautiful, lush landscape of Tennessee down through northern Mississippi to finally stumble upon the green, wooded, tucked-away little town where Ole Miss and the Southern Foodways Alliance happen to be. And we learned that it's a lovely little place.

ole miss. ain't she purty?

ole miss. ain't she purty?

Obe and I found the Southern Foodways Alliance website when we were looking for information about some of the great ingredients that go into Louisiana cooking. It is a veritable treasure trove of information about food culture across the South, packed with oral histories, recipes, short films and interviews with Southern cooks, and so much more. It's kind of my favorite place on the internet (one of them, anyway). So when we realized they were located right on the way to New Orleans from Nashville, we knew we had to stop and say hello.

in which i try not to look awkward and end up looking awkward. wait, where should i put my foot?

in which i try not to look awkward and end up looking awkward. wait, where should i put my foot?

The timing could have been better, we discovered, as we pulled up to campus and saw that clearly it was graduation day and the place was swarming with kids in cap and gown and proud parents and here we were like, "Hey, can you talk to us about food?!" But still, the kind folks at the foodways office took some time out of their extremely hectic-looking afternoon to sit for a spell and have a chat with us. We were grateful.

the creaky stairs in the beautiful observatory building where the southern foodway alliance gets to live.

the creaky stairs in the beautiful observatory building where the southern foodway alliance gets to live.

We talked about the unique food cultures of the South, and were shown a map of the areas they cover. We spoke about some of the efforts they're making to give voice to all the people out there who are maintaining some very old, and sometimes pretty weird, food traditions and doing amazing, delicious work in restaurants, farms and everything in between. We talked about restaurants and food in New Orleans and perhaps most importantly, we talked about Middendorf's.

Just before you cross Lake Maurepas, as you drive south on I-55 to get to New Orleans, there's a very old and very special restaurant called Middendorf's (in the South, they swallow up all those d's and it gets pronounced more or less like min-dorf's) in a tiny town called Manchac. We were told that the original owner, Josie Middendorf, was credited with inventing "thin fish" and that we had to get some. Made with catfish, the flesh is cut very, very thin and then breaded and fried. The result is a crispy, crunchy "fish chip" for which the restaurant has become best known.

these guys are keepin' it real.

these guys are keepin' it real.

So now we had a mission. By the time we left Ole Miss, we calculated that we had exactly enough time to get to the restaurant about half an hour before they closed, so we knew we were cutting it close but we were determined and hungry. Once we got to Manchac it was dark and absolutely pouring rain and we had been eating road food for two solid days and we were exceedingly enthusiastic about putting some gumbo and thin fish and shrimp in our faces. It might have been the exhaustion, or the thrill of finally arriving super close to our final destination, or the spirit of Josie and her restaurant taking us over, but either way, the meal tasted amazing.

we started with gumbo because that's how we do.

we started with gumbo because that's how we do.

I have a full-blown obsession when it comes to gumbo, so I ordered it almost everywhere we went in New Orleans. This one, being my first bowl of the trip, tasted pretty great although I can't say it was the best (I'll tell you where the best gumbo I had in New Orleans was in a soon-to-be-posted blog. Oh, the suspense!). Nevertheless I found it deepy satisfying in my state of hunger and excitement and this was just our first course. Did I mention how much I adore the soft, pillowy, ultra-refined bread of the south? It's everywhere and in abundance. And there's always room-temperature butter to be found. 

so many crispy things and the intoxicatingly sweet, rich, buttery barbecue sauce drowning our shrimp.

so many crispy things and the intoxicatingly sweet, rich, buttery barbecue sauce drowning our shrimp.

But we were here for thin fish and thin fish we ate. Along with more bread (always more bread), hushpuppies, cole slaw, and a big plate of Louisiana BBQ shrimp - another dish that I can rarely resist ordering from any New Orleans menu. The thin fish was crispy with a sturdy cornmeal crust coating that famously slender slice of catfish. The shrimp were plump and drenched in sweet barbecue and butter. I liked them best of all, but I am a true lover of shrimp. Random fact: in my teen years as a vegetarian slash pescatarian, sometimes shrimp was the only pesc I ate. You might've called me a shrimpatarian. But I digress, the food was all so good and I feel a little bit like letting out a deep, wistful sigh as I gaze at that picture of our meal. These are just a few of the things that make Middendorf's such a special place. 

thanks for the amazing meal, people of middendorf's. we will be back.

thanks for the amazing meal, people of middendorf's. we will be back.

Our trip was off to a great start. And we hadn't even arrived at our destination, yet.

Comment

Comment

local goods to discover at the denver flea.

sometimes twitter is just the best.

While many of us have a love/hate relationship with social media, I find that outlets like twitter can be quite useful for finding out what's going on in the food world. I follow tons of local businesses, food news sites, and fellow food bloggers who are all posting the latest and greatest information on All Things Culinary. It was one of my favorite local preserves makers, Red Camper, who posted on twitter that they would be at The Denver Flea, and I was all like "What the heck is the Denver Flea? I want to go to there!"

And so we did.

hey look! local vendors as far as the eye can see. it's almost like heaven.

hey look! local vendors as far as the eye can see. it's almost like heaven.

Even though the skies looked pretty threatening all evening, the rain clouds kept away from City Park as the crowds of Denverites milled around tent after tent of local food, beer, jewelry, clothing, furniture and more. Some of my favorite folks were there, reppin', like The Real Dill with their beautiful and delicious pickles, Svper Ordinary from The Source with their interesting and artful items, Corvus Coffee with their artisan coffee, and a newly-discovered favorite, the Bakin' Bakery truck.

donuts made with bacon fat? the answer is yes.

donuts made with bacon fat? the answer is yes.

This magical black truck is pumping out the best donuts I've ever put in my face. Literally. I went for their Vanilla Bourbon donut, made with a cakey donut dough that's got the distinctively savory taste of bacon fat, then covered in a boozy vanilla bean glaze with little bits of bacon. We tempered our enthusiasm and got a large one to share, but I'm pretty sure I could have wolfed down an entire dozen all by myself. 

moments later, the three of us inhaled this thing like it was our last meal on earth. 

moments later, the three of us inhaled this thing like it was our last meal on earth. 

Another discovery at The Denver Flea was local jewelry maker, Native Clutter, who sells beautiful handmade and vintage jewelry (like those pretty gold earrings pictured below) which you can purchase online, or at my favorite Denver boutique, and one of the best places in town for locally made jewelry, Fancy Tiger Clothing. I also found a new preserves maker called Puff's Preserves, who makes boozy artisan jams using Colorado spirits. 

denver_flea_purchases

I purchased Puff's weirdly wonderful watermelon, rum & sea salt jam. Her blackberry lavender is the most popular, owner Kirsten Farabi told me, but I had to go with the watermelon because it sounded so unusual (and I'm a sucker for pretty, bright pink things). After just one taste I was already dreaming of how I wanted to eat through my jar this summer: whisked together with lime juice and tossed with fruit salad, spread onto cream cheese biscuits, melted down and mixed with a little minced jalapeño and poured over grilled chicken. And there are definitely some cocktail ideas floating around in the ol' noggin (but then again, aren't they always?).

still can't believe it didn't rain all over us. the denver flea was meant to be.

still can't believe it didn't rain all over us. the denver flea was meant to be.

It just goes to show that Denver is a really neat place to live. After living in Colorado for over 16 years and working in the food biz for nearly 10, there are still so many cool new things to discover, and old favorites to fall in love with all over again. The Denver Flea was a great way to do that, and a fun way to spend an evening with friends! But next time I'm getting my own donut.

Comment

Comment

because brunch. and challah.

there's something totally irresistible about brunch. 

It might be that the warmer weather stirs something up inside us all, this time of year. We get the uncontrollable urge to bust out of the house when it's finally the weekend and find a patio somewhere with lots of sunshine, eggs and bottomless mimosas. Amiright?  

oh, hello, french toast.

oh, hello, french toast.

I also love that somehow we get to eat whatever we want when it comes to brunch. Whether it's a whipped-cream and maple syrup covered stack of chocolate chip pancakes or just a bowl of wholesome oatmeal, basically you can eat anything from straight up dessert to well, just breakfast. 

And did I mention the day drinking? Anyway, I could go on and on about my love for brunch but the point is, you should have some. Immediately, if possible. How, you ask? I say let's start with challah.

holla.

holla.

Everybody needs a use for leftover bread. That is, if you eat bread, which you should because it's delicious. But look to different cultures around the world and if they eat bread, they are sure to have developed some delicious dishes that make good use of the stale stuff. Bread pudding, panzanella, fattoush, and croutons are all clever and tasty examples. French toast just happens to be my favorite.

it's a french toast party and everyone's invited.

it's a french toast party and everyone's invited.

The formula is really simple: you need eggs and milk or cream or both. I almost always use a combination of whole milk and half and half because that's what I usually have on hand. From there, the possibilities are many. You can go the savory route and add salt and pepper, you can go the sweet route, as this recipe does, and add vanilla and some kind of sugar like maple syrup. You can even get crazy and add a little whiskey, grated lemon zest, cinnamon or even hot sauce, if you're extra sassy.  I won't judge.

As far as bread goes, French toast can be made with just about any kind you like, but to achieve true Brunch Bliss I insist you try challah. The result is light and fluffy in texture with a toothsome, almost cakey bite. Challah absorbs liquids with great enthusiasm, so just a light dip in the batter pool is all you need for each slice. In fact, this recipe makes exactly enough batter to be absorbed by four big, thick slices so if you let the bread linger in there too long you won't have enough liquid for your last slice. You're better off airing on the side of less batter versus more, anyway, because too much batter is impossible to undo and results in a soggy, eggy, sorry pile of mush, hardly worthy of the name toast. 

The only other thing you need is a trusty pan and plenty of butter. A shallow frying pan or cast iron skillet are excellent choices, although I'm also quite fond of dusting off the ol' grilling pan for this purpose, too. Not that it makes any difference taste-wise, but grilled French toast is just pretty. Once you've cooked up your toast, the rest is up to you. I am a big fan of serving it up simply with a (very generous) drizzle of maple syrup and maybe a pat of butter. Some folks (and most restaurants) love topping their sweet toast with more sweet stuff, like berries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and more. Savory French toast works with any number of things, especially just a perfectly poached egg and a few slices of bacon. So what are you waiting for? Go get your brunch on!

Challah French Toast
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup half & half (or cream, if you're feeling fancy)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T maple syrup
Pinch of salt
4 thick (about 1-inch) slices of challah loaf
2 T butter (or so), for frying
Maple syrup, to serve

Directions

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, half & half (or cream), vanilla, maple syrup and salt in a shallow dish. 
2. Place a large pan over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Dip each bread slice in the batter, coating both sides (don't allow bread to soak or it'll absorb too much liquid and get soggy). After the fourth slice, all the liquid should have been absorbed. 
3. Fry each slice in hot pan (adding more butter as necessary) until the toast is nicely browned and just a little bit crispy around the edges, about 3-5 minutes per side. 
4. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve immediately.

 

Comment

Comment

get your greens.

this is the story of a simple salad.

No endless chopping of vegetables.  No dressing.  Hell, you don't even need to bust out the whisk!  Because salad is awesome, and anybody who tells you different is a dirty liar who doesn't have a great simple salad recipe in their repertoire (promptly point them toward this one, please).

now that's a sexy salad.

now that's a sexy salad.

Truth is, all you really need is a few great ingredients. In this case, I used some absolutely gorgeous, peppery mizuna from Oxford Gardens, a nearby farm run by geeky soil scientists who grow some of the most delicious vegetables I've ever put in my face. I also used my favorite local chèvre, made by my favorite local goat farmer slash cheese maker, Andrea, of Broken Shovels Farm. The other key ingredient is preserved lemons. These are not always easy to find (although if you happen to live in Denver you can get them at Marczyk Fine Foods) but they are, in fact, incredibly easy to make.  And boy, are they worth it with their bright, salty, lemony, almost otherworldly flavor that adds unbelievable depth to tons of different dishes. Lastly, some really good olive oil.  I always have the cheap stuff on the counter by the stove, to use for just about a million different things, but I keep the good stuff in the pantry and reserve it for pouring on a plate and dipping with bread, finishing soups and such, or for drizzling over sexy salads like this one.

These are all ingredients that are readily available to me, but you can use this recipe as inspiration to create something great that's easy for you, too. Another delicious combination would be arugula, roquefort, and salt-cured olives. Or maybe spinach, pecans and dried cherries.  Can you see the formula?  Greens + fat + concentrated flavor. All you need are three delicious things, a drizzle of good oil, salt and pepper if you like (although with this recipe, the preserved lemons already add the salt for you.  Score!) and you're riding the salad train all the way to Pleasuretown. Top it with a fried egg and you're officially my new best friend.

IMG_9593.jpg

The best thing about a simple salad is that when you keep the right assortment of fresh vegetables, good quality fats, and flavorful pantry staples on hand, then you'll have the ability to throw one together in under five.  For reals. You can save the fancy crispy-fried shallots and julienned peppers and carrots for another day.  All of those things are delicious but they take time and effort that we cooks just don't always have.  And what's the really great news?  If you find some simple combinations that you really love, you can throw a salad together so fast you might just be tempted to... wait for it... eat more salad! So grab a big bowl and let's get started...

mizuna, chèvre and preserved lemon salad. 

4 oz mizuna, washed well and dried
2 T preserved lemon (about 1/4 lemon), finely chopped
2-3 T chèvre, kept cold until ready to use
Drizzle of olive oil (about 2 teaspoons)

In a large salad bowl, toss mizuna and preserved lemon together until combined, and the greens get a nice coating of salty, lemony goodness.  Crumble all but a couple of teaspoons of the chèvre over the salad and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Lightly toss and garnish with remaining chèvre.  Serve immediately.

Comment

Comment

goats are the coolest.

go visit a farm.

Every weekend, if you can.  (I can't.  But I wish!)  Or at least when you're feeling especially bogged down by your busy city life and all it's many obligations and noises and routines.  When you feel like just getting back to basics and enjoying the simpler pleasures of life and filling your nostrils with the fresh, earthy scent of hay and manure.  Go visit a farm.

Broken Shovels Farm.

Broken Shovels Farm.

The other Sunday, I took a trip to Broken Shovels Farm. It's a tiny, rustic farm in Henderson, just a short drive from the city, and it has a wonderful, wholesome feeling to it as soon as you step on the grounds. There are lots of happy goats prancing around like they own the place (they do).  Several of the sweet mama goats come up to you and lean in, like a big dog would, to be pat on the neck. This time of year the place is absolutely teeming with baby goats of every size, some tiny enough to hold.  Which is the best. You might even be lucky enough to find one that is vociferous and you get to hear that weird but adorable bleat, which is also the best.  

Obe with his new best friends.

Obe with his new best friends.

All the many adorable goats aside, what's great about this place is that you can feel the love that goes into every aspect of their operation. The mamas know their names since the farm is small enough for Andrea, the goat farmer, and cheesemaker extraordinaire, to make sure they all have some individualized attention each day.  The babies are allowed to nurse with their mamas, which means that Andrea is able to get less milk, overall, but the quality of the yield is incomparable. 

they even get to use this old car as their own personal jungle gym.

they even get to use this old car as their own personal jungle gym.

And can we talk about the cheese?  Broken Shovels makes the best chevre I have ever tasted. No joke.  Bring it to room temperature and it takes on a light, fluffy and spreadable texture that tastes tangy but mild, surprisingly rich and luxuriously creamy.  Not to mention her French Cherry flavored chevre with sweet cherries and herbs de provence and the many other chevre and sweet spread combinations she makes. 

I keep a tub of Broken Shovels chevre in my fridge at all times.  I find myself mixing it into salad dressing, adding it to salad, crumbling atop some grilled or baked meat, mixing in my scrambled eggs, spreading on my bagel or toast, and just so many other things.  Everybody needs some more chevre in their life. Especially when it comes from Broken Shovels Farm and the happiest goats in Colorado.

this little girl is all smiles.

this little girl is all smiles.

Comment