A closer look at flyover land

Tsk, Bob the Trainer

Gettin' nasty with a beloved local restaurant on Twitter, where they can't even fight back? Bad form, Bob the Trainer and Jillian Michaels.

Friday food

What is our great state known for, culinarily? Is it our Scandinavian heritage, with lefse and lutefisk and various decadent pastries? The rich (and increasing) ethnic variety, including eastern European groups, Asian, and Hmong? Is it the rising stars of the foodie corner, people like Tim McKee and Isaac Becker?

Apparently not. 

Friday food

It's that time of year--time for gifts. Lots and lots of gifts. Why not some food gifts?

Over at WCCO, I wrote about Minnesota gifts in general and included a couple of food ideas.

Sapsucker Farms has wonderful locally produced honey and organic maple syrup. (I speak from personal experience.) Order now, and you'll have it in plenty of time. And remember--I actually helped (sort of) with the maple syrup process there this year.

Locally made wine--yes, there is such a thing! You could give a gift from Minnesota's oldest winery, the Alexis Bailly Vineyard outside of Hastings. For a complete list of Minnesota wineries, check out this site.

Your giftee prefers beer to wine? Not a problem. Surly, Schell, Lift Bridge, Lake Superior Brewing Co., Fulton, and Summit are all locally produced beers. A longer list is here.   

If there's a coffee lover on your list, you can't go wrong with Peace Coffee. It's my brew of choice every morning.

Cheese lovers are easy to buy for too. Find a tasty goat cheese from Stickney Hill, or some hearty Amablu blue cheese from Faribault Dairy, or a wide variety of cow's milk cheeses from Eichten's, or some lovely artisan cheeses from Pastureland (Pastureland also makes delicious butter). Note: you can contact the producers directly, or check with one of the many fine food co-ops around the Twin Cities, as often you'll find them available in the stores. Check out the Wedge, Mississippi Market, Seward Coop, Lakewinds Natural Foods, and Linden Hills Co-op for selection (and for other Minnesota cheese not listed here--not to mention other local food products!). 

Minneapolis and St. Paul both have wonderful local food shops that have a wealth of gift opportunities. In Minneapolis' North Loop, check out Local D'Lish, where you can choose from a wide selection of locally made pastas, salsas and sauces, sweets, or perhaps a gift card for a cooking class. On St. Paul's Grand Avenue, the Golden Fig has a great collection of local foods and can custom-build a gift box for you. Be sure to check out their local cookbook section as well.

And gee, as long as you're buying fine local foods for others for Christmas, don't you deserve some for yourself too?

Friday food

When I worked on my first book, I knew another writer on the east coast who was working on a similar guide for her region. She complained about the way she was treated when dining alone. I smugly thought, well, there you go—here in Minnesota, people are nicer. I was always treated well when eating alone.

That was then, this is now, and Minnesota Nice has shown its passive-aggressive underbelly. This summer, much to my dismay, I found myself treated not as well as one would expect when one is a smiling, please-and-thank-you-and-the-food-is-wonderful kind of diner. Especially the kind of solo diner who ate at off times to avoid taking up table space that could be used by larger, more lucrative parties at busier times. Or chose to sit at the bar and order off the menu for the same reason.

I know all solo diners aren’t as sympathetic to the restaurant’s plight of having one person taking up a table of four, while dozens are waiting; one night in Grand Marais, I poked my head in a restaurant that had a long line and saw a woman taking up a such a table, reading a book, fork dangling from her hand unused as she was apparently quite swept up in the story. I badly wanted to go up to her, take the book out of her hand, and whack her across the head with it.

So: restaurants? When you have a polite solo diner? Here are some cautionary tales from my roads.

1.    When I enter your fine establishment, don’t look behind me and say “Only [or Just] one tonight?” How about “Dinner for one?”

2.    If the host smiled at the party in line before me, it’d be nice if they smiled at me too, instead of looking disappointed.

3.    Call me crazy, but if my server is going to explain the day’s specials to tables with two or more people, it’d be nice if s/he would explain them to me, not just assume I listened in when they were described elsewhere.

4.    Shocking, I know—but just because I’m a woman alone doesn’t mean I might not like a beer or glass of wine. I’m middle-aged and frumpy, I’m not looking to pick anyone up and party ‘til I drop, but after 14 hours on the road with 40+ stops, I might like a libation of the adult variety.

5.    When I’ve closed the menu and set it on the table, I’m probably ready to order. It’d be really quick and easy to take my order before the table of four giggling women who sat down after me, but I know you’re expecting a big tip from them. Which leads to my next point…

6.    I try to be a generous tipper and an understanding diner, but when you repeatedly spend time fawning over the four women descending rapidly into drunken stupidity (and I’ve had both male and female servers do this), then rush by my table without taking my order/asking how my food is/refilling my water, I start to get cranky. Especially because…

7.    The table of four drunk women, who apparently got started before they arrived at your establishment, have ordered a round of drinks and an appetizer to share. I, who haven’t eaten for eight hours and did a considerable amount of uphill hiking, ordered a drink, a salad and entrée and will probably want dessert and coffee. Meaning that if the drunk gigglers don’t order more, guess what? My tab will be higher than theirs.

8.    Well, that is, if you remember to offer me dessert, instead of clearing my dinner plate and bringing my check. Before toddling off to hand out dessert menus to the drunken four who will drool over it before declaring they can’t eat another bite.

The first time I ran into a variation of this on my travels this summer, I thought it was an anomaly. But no—it happened again and again and again. I generally try to stay positive on this blog, so I’m not going to name names. Besides, quite often it wasn’t overt rudeness, just an overwhelming sense of “she’s alone, so she’s not worth the extra effort.” That’s so shortsighted—what’s to say I won’t be back tomorrow with a crew of people, or won’t recommend them to others based on how I was treated?

Instead of a hall of shame, how about a hall of fame: restaurants where I was treated as if I’d brought in a table of 10 big spenders:

Lange’s Cafe in Pipestone.
New Scenic Café north of Duluth.
Gunflint Tavern and Wild Onion Café in Grand Marais.
Sha Sha Resort on Rainy Lake.
Pedal Pusher’s Café in Lanesboro.  

Friday food

The final entry for Book Week is the recently published Shefzilla, by Heidi's chef Stewart Woodman. You may remember the devastating fire that destroyed Heidi's earlier this year, but the good news is, besides publishing a cookbook, Woodman is getting ready to reopen Heidi's in a new location.

In the meantime, you'll have to make do with his book, which isn't exactly making do. This is a lively, fresh book, full of intriguing and yet doable-sounding recipes, which often come with Woodman's often-playful commentary (his Chopped Liver recipe starts: "Don't make this recipe. No, I mean it. You will never look at liver the same way again; you may even consider yourself a fan. Don't say I didn't warn you."). The premise is that you can eat well--healthfully, sustainably, enjoyably--at home. Some recipes sound "gourmet," like Foie and Lentil Crepes with Hibiscus Syrup, while others, such as homemade potato chips, are easy comfort food.

Woodman explains his approach to this combo of recipes this way:

"Cooks differ from foodies in a significant way: first and foremost, they love not just to eat but to cook as well. Foodies love to eat; they may have dined at some of the world's great restaurants and have extraordinarily refined palates. But the little old lady who cooks, who stands over the stove for the sheer joy of it, who never traveled a lick and never ate at the great restaurants--she knows as much or more about food than the most well-traveled foodie ever will.

"The result of this cultural divide is significant. The foodie in me tends toward wanting to consume the latest trend or fad, while the cook in me simply wants to eat good food...with every risotto, with every dish I cook, I fall more deeply in love with the craft. It's alchemy, and every cook shares the basic need to try to create gold from lead. Foodies may laud the result, but only cooks can truly appreciate what it took to achieve it."

This is a bright, colorful, visually appealing, and highly readable book. Oh, and guess what? Luscious recipes to boot.

My thanks to Borealis Press, which sent me a review copy and gave me permission to reprint the following recipe (all recipe notes are from the book, not from me).

Slow Cooker Ribs

Serves 4-6

2 ½ pounds beef chuck boneless “country-style ribs”
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
5 shallots, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
½ bottle last night’s leftover red wine (assuming there is any)
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 bunch parsley stems, tied together with twine
About 4 cups beef stock
¾ teaspoon fleur de sel or ¼ teaspoon truffle salt

1.    Season ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan large enough to hold the short ribs in one layer on high heat, add 1 tablespoon canola oil, and brown half of the short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes total, transferring to a bowl when done. Repeat with 1 tablespoon of oil and remaining ribs.
2.    Reduce heat to medium. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil and add vegetables (shallots through celery) to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and place vegetables in slow cooker.
3.    Using the same sauté pan, reduce wine by half over medium heat.
4.    Arrange short ribs over vegetables, add reduced wine, herbs (thyme through parsley), and enough hot beef stock to cover meat. Cover and cook on high 4 to 5 hours, until meat is very tender but not dry.
5.    Discard herbs; serve ribs, juice, and vegetables over your favorite mashed potato recipe. Finssh with fleur de sel or truffle salt, as desired.

 

Friday food

Recently the fine folks at Voyageur Press sent me an advance copy of this:

The Fresh Girl's Guide to Easy Canning and Preserving. It gave me quite a chuckle. Not because the book is silly--it's not; but because the fine folks at Voyageur Press obviously don't know my history with canning.

Growing up, my parents both had full-time jobs. My dad worked for the state highway department, which meant long hours in the summer. In addition, they had a side business as wedding photographers. When's the busiest time for weddings? Summer, of course.

Oh--and they also had an enormous garden from which many things were preserved.

We did not have air conditioning.

So picture, if you will, a comfortable Minnesota home. Here you have two adults who are tired from their full-time jobs. Come Saturday in August (which, at the time anyway, was the most popular wedding month, not June), they spend a long day taking wedding photos, sometimes at more than one wedding (you can bet this involved pantyhose for my mother, in many non-air-conditioned churches). Sunday comes around, blisteringly hot--day of rest? Not if the tomatoes are ripe. It's canning day.

Take two tired, hot, cranky adults, and put them in the kitchen all day with hot steaming pots on the stove, keep them on their feet peeling and slicing, and for heaven's sake, don't give them A/C.

If you're envisioning some kind of idyllic family scene, sorry, you lose.

I associate canning with misery and bad tempers. And the occasional exploding jar of tomatoes.

So having this book show up on my doorstep made me smile, in a very wry way. There could not be a worse person to send it to.

But, fond as I am of Voyageur Press, I figured I'd at least give it a look-see.

You know what? It's a pretty nice book. It even includes a step-by-step DVD. I also like that the woman on the front, while appearing young and confident, could potentially wear a pair of jeans larger than a size 2.

It presents the pros of canning and even some gardening tips. Each page has a reasonable amount of information, not so much as to be overwhelming. There's a good but not scary discussion of safety. Science is present, but not so much as to intimidate non-scientific types like me. Different techniques are covered, and there are plenty of illustrations to make things visually interesting. Finally, there are several recipes, both for basic canned foods and more elaborate items, like soups, stews, and sauces.

Overall, the tone is reassuring and confident. I'm still not 100% convinced. But the book makes it look easy and not so very stressful...and I'm not a wedding photographer...and I have central A/C...and my tomato plants are producing like crazy...

Friday food

This may seem a little odd, as I'm about to tell you about a product from somewhere other than Minnesota. But, it's because of a fun little trade I recently did with Debra, who lives in Peninsula, OH, and is a lovely woman (go read her blog). I don't remember the roots of the trade, but it centers around our mutual love of coffee. I love the local purveyor Peace Coffee, and Debra has her own Ohio version: Hippie Coffee.

Seriously, now--were there ever two companies more destined to be involved in a trade than Hippie and Peace??

Debra upped the ante by including a mug made herself (she designs and creates beautiful pottery over here). Note how the colors work with the coffee packages. Debra also rose to the occasion by not letting my challenge (noted on the package when I mailed her the Peace Coffee: "My peace can beat up your hippie") and keeping things, well, peaceful.

It's great coffee, and a beautiful mug, and a lovely reminder that other communities have wonderful local businesses and products, and it's a fine thing indeed to exchange them and learn about them. Thanks, Debra!!

Friday food

Recently I was contacted by Voyageur Press and asked if I'd like a review copy of a recent cookbook, The Minnesota Table. (I'll let you guess what my answer was.)

It arrived, and I thought, well, isn't that a pretty cover, and cracked it open to see what kinds of recipes were included.

There are plenty of recipes--delicious recipes, focused on the kinds of foods that are raised in Minnesota. But to call it a collection of recipes would be a grave understatement. This lovely book is more of an exploration of the Minnesota foodscape, covering all kinds of topics--it's almost like an essay collection with recipes, rather than a cookbook (although there are tons of recipes too).

The book is organized in a thoughtful way. Each chapter takes on a month in the calendar year, but rather than starting in January, the book opens in April, which makes perfect sense--because isn't that when farmers are starting the process of growing food and when we start seeing signs of fresh life at farmers markets and local food stores?

Along with seasonally relevant recipes, each chapter includes interviews with individual farmers, histories of specific foods, preservation tips, recommendations for pick-your-own farms and pumpkin patches, and how to make the best of the winter months when there's little fresh produce to be had (hint: bison chili is just the thing).

Author Shelley Holl traveled all over the state in search of hidden gems, family tips, little-known techniques, and everything else she could find. As if that wasn't enough, she also provided not just most of the photographs, but several beautiful and playful original watercolor illustrations that liven up the book. The recipes were developed by B.J. Carpenter, and as far as I can tell, their partnership was ideal, because this book is a gem.

(FYI, Shelley Holl will be at the Edina Art Fair all weekend, and B.J. Carpenter, along with editor Maurrie Salenger, will be at the Minneapolis Farmers Market Saturday morning. Stop by, say hello, buy a copy, get it signed!)

What's a recommendation for the fine month of June? Try this:

Minted Sugar Snap Peas
Serves 4

1 lb. sugar snap peas
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, spearmint if possible, stems removed
2 tsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. water; mineral or charged will add a little zip
Coarse sea salt

1. Top and tail sugar snap peas by pulling off stems and threadlike strings. Slice peas on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove mint stems, layer leaves on top of each other, and finely mince.

2. Place peas, mint, butter, 2 tbsp. water, and a sprinkle of salt in a medium saute pan; bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook about 3 minutes. The peas should be bright green, tender, and coated with emulsified butter and water.

Friday food

This is, unfortunately, a post short of decent photos. I had my good camera with me, but the batteries died, and I didn't have any extras with me (bad, bad blogger), and it was dark in the cafe, and all I had was my cell phone, and...excuses, excuses. Please don't hold it against the venue. Not its fault at all.

The Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar in St. Paul. Specifically, in Lowertown, adjacent to the Lowertown Farmer's Market.

I'm so sorry my pictures were crappy. This is a fine place to while away your time, sipping your coffee drink of choice, and it turns out they also have good food.

This was the weekend special, a breakfast quesadilla, made of eggs, black beans, and cheese, served with a wonderfully zippy salsa and sour cream. Also? I liked that it was only the size of half the dinner plate, not the full dinner plate. Even at that, more than I needed, but any time I see an eating establishment not serving super-sized foods, I feel like I should give them a thumbs up for the effort.

Tasty indeed. And my cuppa joe was hot and freshly brewed, and the people behind the counter were warm and friendly. It seems to be a neighborhood hangout, with lots of small groups relaxing and chatting away.

Also--at least for the time being--they are offering artworks for sale, themed around the upcoming St. Paul Winter Carnival. Not all the paintings are directly about the Carnival, but about winter in Minnesota itself:

Stop by and check it out.

Shrimp truck is a' comin'

I know, it's not Friday, but today is about food, because the guys with the trucks from Fabian Seafood will be in town this weekend. They should have wild Gulf shrimp and blue crab meat, and who knows what else. I know--buying fish off a truck seems a little scary. But I tried it last month, to good effect.

 

Yup--big trucks, little tent, lots of fish on ice.

 

Yes, I know, it looks dicey. But then I saw this:

 

Beautiful whole red snapper! I took one home and baked it. Yum yum yum. I also have shrimp and crawfish tails in the freezer.

Looking for some tasty fish? Here's where you can find them this weekend:

Thursday  July 16th
     
Richfield            Noon - 6pm     Jun-Bo Chinese Restaurant
                                                    Nicollet @ 494   
        
Spring Park      Noon - 2pm    4311 Shoreline Dr


Maple Grove     3pm - 6pm     O'Ryans  Marathon  Station
                                              I-494 & Bass Lake Rd   


Friday   July 17th

Minnetonka       Noon - 6pm    IN - N - OUT Gas and Food
                                                   15114 Highway  7  (1/2 mile west of 494)
     
Saturday   July 18th

Apple Valley       10 am - Noon Only        Pahl's Market    6885 W 160th 
                                                               (1/2 mile East of Cedar)