Notable Edibles

Pick a plate of pickled ... whatevers

Black Market’s pickle plate is the Mass Ave restaurant’s version of a charcuterie plate or cheese board, featuring the likes of picked ramps, Swiss chard stems and an egg—

with a dollop of peanut butter. Photo by Erica Sagon

With its rustic, industrial décor, a menu that sources from local farms and two communal tables to encourage mingling among diners, Black Market seems like just the place you’d find a charcuterie plate or cheese board.

But this Mass Ave newcomer is turning heads with a little snack that isn’t found at other Indy restaurants: a pickle plate.

Consider it a $5 wakeup call to your taste buds before the main course, says Micah Frank, Black Market’s chef and co-owner with Ed Rudisell. The pickle plate is sweet and sour, and most of the time, it doesn’t even have pickles in the traditional sense.

You might find ramps that have been pickled with Asian influence, quick-pickled Swiss chard stems and an Indian spice pickled egg. The plate is finished with a dollop of homemade peanut butter, a nod to the memorable PB-and-pickle sandwiches that Frank’s grandma made when he was a kid.

“We’re trying to show people that pickling is very versatile,” Frank says. “You can pickle almost anything, from beef tongue to cucumbers.”

The house-made plate changes with what’s on hand—and what might otherwise be thrown out, like Swiss chard stems.

The rest of Black Market’s menu features seasonal, from-scratch cooking. It’s a place where the kitchen “isn’t living off recipes,” Frank says. Picture the likes of pork schnitzel, ale-steamed mussels and grilled flatiron steak. Duck from Maple Leaf Farms and produce from Big City Farms are among the bevy of locally sourced ingredients.

Details: Black Market, 922 Massachusetts Ave.; 317-822-6757; blackmarketindy.net —Erica Sagon

To-do list: Going Local Week

Sunday

Brunch—Eggs from neighbor’s chickens, Bjava coffee, homemade jam on toast Supper—Pizza on the grill: local cheeses, garden-fresh tomatoes and basil; Huber Winery’s Starlight Red wine and W. H. Harrison Governor’s Reserve bourbon

Monday

Lunch—BLTs with homemade mayo Supper—Asti Pepper Bruschetta*, grilled chicken and cipollini onions, Mallow Run’s rhubarb wine

Tuesday

Lunch—Panini with homemade pesto, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella Supper—Okra, Chicken and Tomato Stew*, brown rice, local beer

Wednesday

Lunch—Outing to City Market, food truck fare Supper—Frittata with onions, zucchini, local cheeses

Thursday

Lunch—Goose the Market sandwich Supper—Sam’s Meatloaf*, Sweet Potato Oven Fries*, OvenRoasted New Potatoes with Rosemary*, local barbecue sauce

Friday

Lunch—Traders Point Creamery cottage cheese, Asian pears Dinner—Wine tasting at New Day Meadery, followed by Mass Ave Wine Shoppe’s Cow Pie pizza

Saturday

Lunch—Egg salad pita Dinner—Grilled leg of lamb from Lawson Farms, roasted beet salad with Fair Oaks Farms’ bleu cheese, Robert’s Rustic Garlic Bread*, Hoosier Negroni (Heartland Distillers’ Prohibition gin, campari and sweet vermouth over ice with orange wedge garnish) Going Local Week, Indianapolis’ celebration of local food, returns Sept. 4–10, and with no central event we’re free to celebrate however we want, wherever we want. Shop farmers’ markets, dine at restaurants that source locally, cook at home with ingredients from the area and pour a glass of Indy wine after work.

With such endless possibilities, we wondered how the event’s founder and super locavore, Victoria Wesseler, would spend Going Local Week.

“Going Local Week for us is really no different than any other week of the year,” says Wesseler, who grows most of her own fruits and veggies. “We usually eat at least one, two or three local foods at every meal.”

But what’s routine for Wesseler is inspiration for the rest of us. Here’s a day-by-day preview of what (and where) Wesseler will be eating during Going Local Week. Recipes for dishes marked with an asterisk (*) can be found on Wesseler’s blog, www.goinglocal-info.com.

—Shawndra Miller

Asti Pepper Bruschetta

By Victoria Wesseler

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling on the bread 4 Asti peppers, seeds removed, cut into ½inch-wide strips* 1 cipollini onion, cut into ¼-inch slices 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus two large whole cloves, cut in half, for the bread 4 slices Italian bread, 1 inch thick Salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 2. Add the peppers and cipollini.

Sauté, stirring often, until they are just softened but not browned. 3. Add the garlic slices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside while you toast the bread. 5. Grill or toast the bread and rub each slice on one side with the cut half of a garlic clove. Discard the cloves after using them. 6. Place the bread, garlic-rubbed side up, on a serving plate, drizzle with the olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. 7. Divide the pepper mixture evenly among the 4 bread slices and serve immediately.

*Note: Red bell peppers can be used in place of the Asti peppers.

Okra, Chicken and Tomato Stew

By Victoria Wesseler

Makes 4 servings

10 cups cold water ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided 8 cups okra pods, fresh or frozen, ends removed and cut into ½-inch rounds* 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves 1 cup white onion, thinly sliced 1½ cups chicken broth, preferably homemade 4 cups canned diced tomatoes with juice, preferably homemade canned tomatoes ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cups of hot white or brown rice

1. Put the water, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt into a large bowl and add the fresh or thawed frozen okra. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for an hour. 2. Remove the pods, letting the liquid drain from them back into the bowl. Discard the liquid in the bowl. 3. Put the drained pods in a large strainer and rinse them under cold running water. 4. Place the drained and rinsed pods on several layers of paper towel or a lint-free cotton kitchen towel and pat them dry. 5. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 6. Add the chicken breasts and brown them on each side, about 4–5 minutes per side.

Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a plate. 7. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. 8. Add the okra to the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning. 9. Add the broth, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to the onion/okra mixture and bring to a boil. 10. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. 11. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Spoon some of the okra mixture over the chicken breasts to cover them. 12. Cover the pan and gently simmer the stew for 20–30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over the hot white rice and serve immediately.

*Note: You can use frozen okra in place of fresh okra. If using frozen okra, thaw and drain it before adding it to the lemon/water mixture.

An American rum, born in Indiana

Indiana’s first sorghum rum is hitting store shelves this fall, and it’s no Captain Morgan. Matt Colglazier, left, and Stuart Hobson, Called Sorghum, this spirit is reviving an all-but-forgotten right, make Sorgrhum at Hobson’s crop and turning heads to Indiana’s craft distilling scene. It Heartland Distillers in Indianapolis. sources sorghum cane syrup collected from small farms in southern Indiana and is made in small batches at Heartland Distillers, the Indianapolis company that makes Indiana Vodka, Prohibition Gin and other spirits. Sorghum comes in two varieties: a white rum that is set to debut in September and a bourbon-barrel-aged dark rum that will follow in October. The aged rum matures in used oak barrels for eight weeks, which gives the spirit its darker color and imparts additional flavor, including vanilla and toasty notes. The white rum is not aged and has a lighter flavor. Sorghum comes from Colglazier and Hobson Distilling Company, which is an offshoot of Heartland Distillers. Stuart Hobson is Heartland’s founder and distiller, and Matt Colglazier is Hobson’s Bloomington-based business partner who came up with the idea to use sorghum cane syrup. Rum is traditionally made from sugarcane, and this new spirit is a departure from the tropically flavored varieties out there. “It tastes like a rum, but it’s got a lot more flavor packed into it,” Hobson says. Using sorghum “produces a fuller bodied, more earthy flavored rum. There’s no burn when it goes down.”

Sorghum is an old sugar source and one of the earliest cultivated crops, but it fell by the wayside when sugarcane proved to be a cheaper and more productive supply.

Whether you prefer to blend the sorghum rum into a piña colada or drink it straight, raise a glass and toast to this Indiana original.

For a store locator, visit www.sorghum.com.

—Erica Sagon

Sorghum is an old sugar crop that is being used to make Indiana rum.

Photos courtesy of Colglazier and Hobson Distilling Company

Hoosier-made dishes for homegrown food

The crisp autumn weather is a perfect excuse for entertaining friends and family. Spiff up the presentation of your locally sourced appetizers, sides and desserts with these serving dishes made in Indiana.

Clay City Pottery has been making traditional stoneware (pictured below) for six generations. Retailing at $22 and available online at claycitypottery.com, their 10-inch stoneware pie baker is microwave- and dishwasher-safe and perfect for serving up your homemade apple or pumpkin pie.

Serving a hearty chili or garden-grown vegetable stew in these Oak Grove Pottery soup mugs (top photo) is sure to warm your guests’ hearts as well as their hands. These sturdy mugs in autumn shades of green and pecan cost $16 each and can be found at oakgrovepottery.com or the Ferrer Gallery at 62 W. Main St. in Nashville.

Show your Hoosier pride by serving out-of-town guests a cheese and seasonal fruit spread on this state-shaped breadboard, crafted from kiln-dried hard maple by Whetstone Woodenware and available at whetstonewoodenware.com for $15.50.

—Marcia Ellett

Photos courtesy of companies

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