Recap Night: Some Recent Happenings

The past weeks have provided various culinary adventures in and out of the kitchen that warrant summary.

• Brunch at Marx Cafe





• A Sunday or 2 ago, we ended up at this local cafe for Brunch.  While the burger and crab cake that we each had were well above average, the really noteworthy experience at this cafe was the Karl Marx theme.  And nothing says dictatorship of the proletariat like Discover.

• Around the House

• Pasta Night: As previously mentioned, for da super bowl we went super Jewish excessive and got stuff to make pizza in addition to the smorgasbord that we actually served.  Our stomachs remained unprepared for pizza, so we used all the toppings for a simple pasta night. Rather than sauteing the veggies, I roasted mushrooms, red pepper, garlic, and tomatoes, then baked everything for just a bit with pasta, feta cheese, sauteed spinach.

• Lamb Night: We put on our fancy pants and did it up with lamb chops. Broiled medium rare a la Mark Bittman (just salt and pepper) in the trusty cast iron grill pan. Roasted the asparagus. Then this polenta came along and nearly stole the entire show. Polenta is a highly undervalued side dish that can can be made quicker than rice. 2 parts liquid (I use chicken broth made from better than bouillon) to 1 part corn meal. Bring the liquid to a boil and then slowly whisk in the corn meal. Add salt and pepper, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally until it reaches the desired consistency. Add liquid as needed. I added a bit of milk while simmering. When it was abut done I added in a little surprise,  blue cheese.  Molly says this this meal was decadent,simple, satisfying, and quick. A lovely meal on a regular old night. 

• Amish Diner

For reasons that I shan't get into, we recently found ourselves heading towards Chicago from D.C.  Anytime we drive, Molly and I turn to the books of Jane and Michael Stern, whose Roadfood books and website provide a slightly more dignified and thoughtful guide to America's down home eatery than other more popular figures. On many trips along the Indiana toll road, I have wanted to stop at the Village Inn in Middlebury, IN.  But we never passed by at meal time. . . until now. Middlebury is surrounded by Amish communities and we dodged many a horse-drawn buggy as we made our way to lunch.  

Molly ordered the fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes,gravy, and coleslaw.  The sides were good but not exceptional.  I ordered a BLT, and corn mush. I did not know what corn mush was when ordering. The menu said it came with syrup. Our served told me that old men order it and that the really weird old men order it with headcheese (the Amish version being a thick and hot bowl of ground meat presumable from a pig's head and I'm guessing liver too sitting in a bit of warm liquid). Obviously I got my mush with headcheese. The mush itself was basically deep fired sticks of polenta. The headcheese actually had a pleasant meaty and mild flavor. My server was clearly horrified that I ordered it, but according to Molly I got approving glances from an Amish woman seated at a nearby table (I think my facial hair may have confused the situation. The BLT was awesome too.  

Then things got real.  According to the Sterns, this place is all about its pies,particularly its Old Fashioned Custard Pie, another Amish tradition.  But as our meal was ending, all the pie was starting to sell out and we couldn't locate our server.  When we finally did, they only had pecan pie.  I don't love pecan pie, and Northern Indiana doesn't seem like a hotspot for the stuff.  But then, a miracle occurred. The servers conferenced by the pie cooler and realized there was another custard pie. I triumphantly claimed a piece. In the end both pies were excellent with buttery crusts and that sense of freshness that separates the champions from the herd.  [But I still think pecan pie is an inferior overly sweet concoction, but Molly really liked it.]

We left with out bellies full and look forward to returning on one of our all too frequent jaunts down the Indiana toll road.