summer at home

herbs (from left): cilantro, oregano, thyme, basil

I'm taking a needed break from Japan posts to revel in being at home. After a very busy first half of the summer, I've greatly enjoyed the past couple of weeks--shopping at our town's farmer's market, cooking with herbs from our backyard, reading on the back steps.

our "new" table & buffet: Matt's great-grandparents' set & his grandmother's tablecloth

Summer Bean and Tomatoes Bruschetta
from Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool
Makes 12 servings

I halved everything and this made a nice light dinner for two along with a kale salad. I used a very nice Italian loaf from a Milwaukee-based bakery and a box of incredibly sweet mixed cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market. This really tastes like summer.

1 c miniature or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c sliced fresh basil
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz small green or wax beans (I used some of each), cut diagonally into 1/2-in pieces
12 thick diagonal slices whole grain or hearty Italian bread
6 oz fresh goat cheese, such as chevre
freshly ground black pepper (addicted to Penzey's four-peppercorn blend!)

Preheat the broiler. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. (Note: If you're making this as an appetizer with a pasta dish, consider blanching the beans along with the pasta to conserve energy and water. Or if you're a real planner, blanch the veggies you'll need cooked for the week all at once and store in the fridge.)

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, oil, vinegar, and salt. Toss to coat well. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add the beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes or until tender-crisp (I preferred them pretty soft so they were easier to eat in the bruschetta topping.) Drain and rinse with cold water. Add to the tomato mixture.

Place the bread slices on a broiler pan. Broil for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on one side. Turn the slices and brush each with some of the juices from the marinated tomatoes. Broil for 2 minutes longer, or until browned. Remove the bread and place on a large serving platter, moistened side up. Divide the cheese evenly among the bread slices and spread over each.

Scatter the tomato mixture over the cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

umami

At the beginning of March was the grand opening of Madison's new ramen and dumpling restaurant, Umami, on Williamson Street.  It's tucked up into a residential stretch, so if you blink, you might miss it.  The Wednesday before the grand opening we tried a sampling of their menu for their "soft opening".  We've had our eye on the development of the restaurant since the fall, so we were were thrilled when we finally got to try the food.

The restaurant's shell is a quaint old home that looks like it could have come out of a Miyazaki movie, but the interior is surprisingly modern with great atmosphere.  We sat at the bar, which had a rough-hewn feel reminiscent of the ramen-ya where we ate at in Tokyo mixed with a sleek contemporary feel complete with backlighting.

We started out with tasty salads, which were not particularly Asian, but definitely solid.  The inclusion of some not-so-Japanese items on the menu will prove helpful when we take less adventurous friends and family to Umami--and we certainly will!

 

 

We did not get shots of the gyoza (dumplings) since for the soft opening we were served passed dumplings on a platter.  We enjoyed the traditional pork dumplings, but surprisingly liked the chicken and mushroom best.  The pork bun and tuna poke were both impressive--the pork bun with a nicely cooked piece of pork belly on a fluffy steamed rice bun, and the poke a pile of fresh raw tuna tossed in a pleasantly spicy and gingery sauce.  This from a woman who would never have considered eating raw fish a few years ago.

pork belly with hoisin and pickles on a steamed bun

 tuna poke

The main event--and honestly the reason we went--was the ramen.  Matt ordered the thicker, richer tonkotsu broth topped with pork and I tried the lighter miso broth with chicken.  They also had a vegetarian option that we did not try.  I had not had miso ramen previously, and that might be why I was surprised at its lightness.  The miso ramen had a nicely cooked egg and tender chicken on top, but I still preferred Matt's (perhaps because a richer broth is what I'm used to) and ate a lot of his noodles.  Tonkotsu broth is cloudy, salty, fatty, porky--definitely multidimensional--and the flavor seemed to soak into the noodles more than in the miso bowl.  I didn't get any of the pork, but Matt (obviously) liked it and wished there had been more.  Ultimately, both bowls had that essential smell and flavor of ocean that typifies Japanese food and took us right back.

 tonkotsu ramen with pork (left) and miso ramen with chicken (right)

My dessert order was a no-brainer--green tea creme brulee.  The tea flavor was not overwhelming, but present.  I always enjoy a good creamy creme brulee with a nice crackly crust, and this hit the mark.  Matt's ice cream sandwich was fine, but not a stand-out.  I'd go with the brulee again next time.

 green tea creme brulee

chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich

For their first week in operation, Umami made a great first impression.  I look forward to trying their menu again and taking others there for the variety of tasty dishes and fun atmosphere.

nostrano/madison

Wow.  It's been ages since I last blogged here.  This semester I discovered that I can only maintain one blog at a time.  My grad class blog had a grade attached to it, so of course it took precedent.  I probably wouldn't bother reading it unless you too are a library grad student.  I have months of recipe photos backlogged, but the summer and fall ingredients I used in those are no longer available, so they can wait!

Dinner from last weekend is fresh on my mind, so here goes!  We like to have excuses to try pricier restaurants and my birthday's as good a reason as any.  Matt and I went to Nostrano on Saturday night, a brand new restaurant on the Capital Square.  I would call it loosely Italian, with several pasta dishes and house-made Italian-style meats.  The atmosphere is great in there, with old architectural pieces and pretty bottles giving the place a modern yet comfortable feel.

charcuterie plate: (clockwise from top) grilled focaccia, salsiccia, caponata, piparras, turkey liver mousse, pate campagnola, salame nostrano, fingerling potato salad

 We had read that their charcuterie plate was excellent, and unsure as we were about liver-based snacks, we gave it a try.  I knew I would like the salsiccia, pickled peppers, and smoked shallots.  What surprised me was how much I liked the pate with smoked pork (bottom left) and turkey liver mousse (bottom right, my favorite!).  If you are a connoisseur of fine meat platters, please don't read my amateurish exposition too carefully.  But if you are a newcomer to charcuterie (like I was) and iffy on the merits of chopped and formed liver (as was I), let me assure you that both the pate and mousse were delicious.  The mousse we've decided must be something like a turkey liverwurst and tastes like a soft, smooth, smoky summer sausage.  The pate is harder to compare, but both items were pleasantly meaty and fatty.  I am very glad we tried everything.

crispy chicken thighs & boudin blanc, bacon, pickled honeycrisp apples, arugula, fennel puree

Our entrees were just as good as the starter.  Matt had the chicken thighs, which had some of the best-cooked chicken skin I've ever tasted, on top of juicy and moist meat.  The boudin blanc was a vaguely anise-flavored house-made chicken sausage with a very fine texture.  To my husband's relief, the fennel puree did not taste like fennel.  This is a benefit to the licorice-flavor-averse, but would disappoint those looking for the fennel flavor as advertised.  The lightly-dressed arugula salad made for a well-balanced plate. 

 

braised beef short ribs with gnocchi, cipollini, ceylon cinnamon, swiss chard, and microgreens

I think balance is one of Nostrano's strengths.  A bite of tender short rib, pillowy gnocchi, and smoked cipollini was heavenly.  Then the swiss chard with what tasted like a bit of citrus offered a nice break from the heaviness of the meat and potatoes.  Again, one of the flavors advertised was not pronounced--the cinnamon.  I'm not sure whether it is to the chef's credit that the cinnamon was not overpowering or whether I should have expected more of a punch of flavor.  In any case, the dish was very satisfying (sorry the picture is fuzzy--it was pretty dark in there).

 

finanziera: brown butter cake, roasted pears, hickory nuts, maple gelato, pomegranate sauce

Dessert was interesting.  My dessert, the finanziera,  was ultimately what drew us into Nostrano, and it did not disappoint.  It's hard to go wrong for me with maple, pears, and butter.  Matt, however, did not find any dessert that really suited his preferences.  He went for the crema, which was more of an "interesting experience" than a lick-your-plate bonanza like mine was.  Matt's verdict was "not bad" but not something he'd order again. 

crema: milk chocolate cream, pumpkin sponge, olive oil gelato, px sherry, roasted pumpkin and cranberries

Matt and I agreed that for a restaurant in the first few months of its life, Nostrano is on the right track.  We've recently tried two other new restaurants on the square, Graze and Cooper's Tavern, and Nostrano is my favorite (though comparing them is really comparing apples and oranges--more about Graze later).  If they lent difficult winter ingredients such appeal, I will be happy to return to Nostrano to see what they do with bright, fresh summer ingredients.  Anniversary dinner, here we come!  

ks treats

Wow. It's been a month since my last post. I've been really busy with the end of the school year (almost done!) and traveling. We went to Kansas for a long weekend and had a great time with all our friends there. And we also ate A LOT.

Lunch: we tried The Burger Stand at Dempsey's. If you live in the Lawrence area, I very highly recommend you go there. We can't eat any other burgers for awhile. These were that good.

Matt's: Kobe burger with pickled red onions, truffle butter, and microgreens on brioche bun

mine: blackened patty with Maytag blue cheese, Granny Smith apple chutney, and microgreens on brioche bun

Truffle Fries: potato fries tossed in truffle butter and Parmesan cheese with roasted garlic/Parmesan sauce, homemade cherry-pepper ketchup, and guadillo chili dipping sauce

Everything was unbelieveable. We had amazing wine at our friend's family's vineyard in the afternoon. Then, dinner: THE best onion rings from Free State Brewery. We had been craving those for some time. Unfortunately, no pictures.

Dessert: one of our favorite Lawrence restaurants, Pachamama's, with one of my all-time favorite desserts.

Molten Brown Sugar Cake with seasonal berries, fromage blanc sherbet, berry coulis, crunch, and almond tuile

And this was all in one deliciously hedonistic day!

warm-weather finds

vintage, $20, altered to fit

60s rattan purse, Etsy, $12
sunglasses, Urban Outfitters

Ever since I went to Kansas and saw my friend Cass with an adorable rattan purse, I've been a woman obsessed. I was thrilled to find this one in near-perfect condition.

swimsuit, vintage, $17

Though it looks blueish, the swimsuit is actually a royal purple. It came with two different tops, but this is the one I prefer.

1 chicken 3 ways: the final chapter

Tonight, last week's chicken finished its journey in a pot of spring vegetable soup.


I made the stock for this soup earlier in the week. I'm enjoying this newly developed habit of making slow-cooker stock after finishing a chicken meal. Once we cleaned the chicken off all of the bones, I threw them into the crock pot with vegetables and water and let it go overnight. Then I chilled the stock, drained off the fat, and made a quick vegetable soup with it. My only issue with the soup was that the herbs I added were somewhat harsh. If I had better planned ahead, I would have thrown herb stems in while the stock was cooking. Always use herb stems only as the leaves get weird and gross.

All of these things are optional and can be adjusted to fit the recipe you'll be making with the stock. I always use onion, carrot, garlic, and peppercorns, then add some aromatics. For Asian cooking, I used pieces of ginger. For Mexican cooking, I put in cilantro stems. I like the suggestion from Nourishing Days to keep carrot, onion, and celery scraps in a bag in your refrigerator or freezer until it's time to make stock. I'm sure this could be vegetable broth if you wanted to leave out the chicken, though I've never tried it.

Chicken Stock
adapted from Nourishing Days

leftover chicken carcass (plus uncooked wings if you have them from a cut-up chicken)
1 large carrot or 2-3 small ones, peeled and trimmed
1-2 celery stalks or leftover tops, roughly chopped
1 small or 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
peppercorns
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
stems from herbs such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, or marjoram (or whatever you have!)
1-2 tbsp of any vinegar (I used apple cider for this one, rice wine and plain white for others)
1-2 tsp kosher salt (optional, depending on what you'll make with the stock--don't salt if you'll be making risotto)

Dump everything in a small crock pot. Fill to the top with filtered water. It is suggested that you let it sit for an hour to allow the vinegar to extract minerals from the bones--I've been too impatient to wait quite that long. Then put the slow cooker on low. I've let mine go for 20-24 hours, which makes a pretty dark and strong stock. I've read that others only go for 8-12. I think you can do whatever's convenient for you. Let cool, strain out the solids, and refrigerate. When the fat has congealed on top, strain again to separate the fat and either use or freeze for later use.

Spring Vegetable Soup
adapted from Spring Chicken Soup in Real Simple, April 2007

homemade chicken broth (above)
1 large turnip or 4-6 baby turnips, scrubbed and cubed
4 carrots and 4 parsnips, peeled and sliced into coins
8 oz asparagus, sliced into 1-in pieces (I didn't have this)
10 oz frozen or fresh green beans
1 beefsteak tomato, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat chicken broth in soup pot until simmering. Add vegetables and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper as needed and serve with crusty bread.

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