Critiques, Cravings and Conundrums From the Madison Food and Dining Scene
Small Dishes |
06/29/11Four for the FourthCome Independence Day, it’s a given that most of us will be attending a picnic or cookout; more likely the latter. The idea of sitting on the ground and eating cold food out of a basket is now more nostalgic than appealing. Cooking in the backyard—like most everything else—has gone high tech with gas grills than rival a Maserati in both style and cost. The menu has changed as well and for many a wienie with yellow mustard on a doughy bun is just too pedestrian. However, the Fourth is a celebration of all things American. Granted we have become so multicultural than increasingly that gets more difficult to define. For me the holiday would be incomplete without certain classic summertime favorites. The list of entrees is... |
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06/15/11Peas in our TimeGrowing up, peas—the kind in inedible pods that must be shelled—were the most popular green vegetable. Inevitably they were canned or frozen; inevitably included in Swanson TV Dinners. Not that fresh ones weren’t available, but the season is short so all the more sweet. I anticipated the first peas of the season every bit as much as asparagus and strawberries. Sadly, those days are gone. Super markets today—excluding the snow and sugar snap varieties—seem to avoid selling them. Probably because people don’t buy them since preparation involves tedious hulling. Fortunately, fresh peas are still available seasonally at farmers’ markets and gourmet markets. Trader Joe’s even sells them out of the pod in plastic bags.... |
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06/08/11Frozen AssetsA lot of folks around here argue over which is better, ice cream or frozen custard. As far as I’m concerned they’re all good—ice cream, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, gelato, sorbet, granita and sherbet. The number of brands and varieties of frozen fabrications that come in every shape and size at the supermarket today is staggering. And it’s not just about dairy any more with creamy frozen desserts concocted from rice, coconut and soy as well. The list of specialty flavors offered by Gourmet stalwarts like Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs has grown so long, that they are often rotated seasonally to accommodate available freezer space. There’s no shortage of places in town to chill out either. Come summer, lines form at... |
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05/25/11Salad DazeTis the season for salad. Granted, it’s available in some form or another all year long, but come warm weather and it shines. For me, it’s the only time of year salad satisfies as an appetizer, side dish or entrée. For some, salad is synonymous with mixed greens and globby dressing. What a pity. If variety truly is the spice of life then indeed it’s what makes salads worthy of praise and praise I will a few of my local favorites. Marigold Kitchen. They call it the “Spanish frittata salad”—a combination of roasted new potatoes, chorizo, tomatoes and onions on a bed of arugula and frisée; garnished with manchego cheese. Especially intriguing is the romesco vinaigrette made from an improbable mix of... Posted at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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05/18/11Sauce à la AméricainLet’s face it, whether you barbecue or grill, there’s only so many ways you can cook it. The heat source—charcoal, gas or wood—may vary, but whether it’s slowly smoked pork shoulder or beef brisket, grilled spare ribs or chicken, the goal is to give the meat that much coveted smoky flavor. You might add a rub or marinade before cooking, but what really sets one recipe apart from another is the sauce. Properly speaking, a sauce is a condiment and usually applied near the end of cooking as a glaze or served on the side with the finished product. (A mop is the term for a basting liquid applied during cooking—usually made with less sugar so it won’t burn so easily.) Mention “barbecue sauce” and that tomato-based stuff... |
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05/11/11Change You Can Believe InSometime in Wisconsin the change of seasons is more a state of mind than a date on the calendar. Spring this year has been disappointing; wet and wishy-washy; big on hope but short on substance. Harbingers of warmer weather can be misleading: I’ve seen robins in the snow and shorts on State Street when it’s barely above freezing. So, what are the sure signs that warmer weather is truly here to stay…at least until October (or hopefully, September)? Sorrel. Most likely found in the backyard, I’ve spotted this spring herb at Metcalfe’s Market and occasionally at the Farmers’ Market. Finding it is well worth the effort. Sorrel has a flavor similar to spinach but much sharper. Like rhubarb leaves, it contains... |
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04/23/11Dining DetourThere hasn’t been such commotion on Willy Street since 1976. That’s the year when a prefabricated box was dropped at the corner of Brearly Street, flaunting the Taco John logo. Public sentiment soon led to its removal and a reflection about any future development. Much has changed since then, but the neighborhood hasn’t lost any of its quirkiness or charm. In the intervening years, though, it has rightly earned a reputation for being the city’s Restaurant Row … and now … Bakery Boulevard might be appropriate as well. This year the upheaval is the result of our annual summer reparation, road construction. I hope this inconvenience will deter few from enjoying some of the city’s most interesting and... Posted at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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04/17/11That's Eye-talian!I love modern Italian cooking—Lombardino’s and Nostrano are two of my favorite restaurants. But just like sometimes I’d rather have a burger than a steak, sometimes I can’t face another pizza with arugula and truffle oil or pasta whose name I can’t pronounce. When that happens it’s time to return to the red sauce circuit. Italian-American food is a cuisine in itself—not just in Madison, but around the country. All Italians that came here brought with them a rich tradition of food and eating—but not always the same tradition since they came from numerous regions with remarkably different tastes and cooking styles. Over time, traditional recipes changed, as an accommodation to both the availability of ingredients and local... |
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04/10/11Spring CleaningSince I’ve been writing this blog—since June, 2008—I’ve received many requests for recipes for dishes I’ve written about or mentioned. So, I thought now was a good time to share a few of them. Overwhelmingly, the most requested recipe is for jambalaya. There really isn’t a “best” recipe since it can be made several ways and I do and love them all. What follows is probably my day in, day out favorite. The original version served a church basement so I’ve scaled it down for home consumption. To make really good jambalaya requires really good andouille—and in this case, tasso. Both can be difficult to find in this neck of the woods. Both can be ordered from the Cajun Grocer. Seafood... |
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04/05/11Green Eggs and HamIt’s obvious that pastel colored eggs and chocolate bunnies at Easter are pagan symbols, long part of the celebration of spring. Like many holiday icons—including the Christmas tree—they predate Christianity. How the ham got to be popular at Easter is a little less clear, at least for many of us today who think of it as that pink stuff sold refrigerated at the supermarket. First of all, a ham is the thigh (upper portion) of the hind leg of a pig. Today, most are cured with brine injected into the meat. Sugar or honey is usually added along with nitrites to produce the nice Porky Pig color. Better quality hams are smoked over hardwood—hickory and cherry being the most popular—but sometime just sprayed or injected with liquid... |
I found my interest in writing by accident. My training and first job was as a graphic designer. Unemployed, the only employment I could find in advertising at that time was as a copywriter. Somehow, I convinced Richard Newman & Associates to hire me. Later I learned they were desperate. Madison has been my home off and on since 1957 (nonstop for the past 31 years). I write about food, which I love. – Dan Curd
