Edible Indy Winter 2017 | No. 27 by Edible Indy

edible

Issue 27

Winter 2017

INDY

Celebrating the Bounty of Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, Indianapolis and Beyond

Eat. Drink. Read. Think. Local.

Heart & Soul of Cooking

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Contents DEPARTMENTS 2

HOOSIER THOUGHTS

CELEBRATING FOOD

IN THE KITCHEN: PORK CHOPS, COTTAGE PIE AND CABBAGE Local chef brings small-town English roots WR KLV :HVWŤHOG UHVWDXUDQW

10 FOOD FOR THOUGHT: FOOD WASTE FINDS A HOME ,QGLDQDSROLV FKHIŅV QHZ EXVLQHVV FRQFHSW RIIHUV D VXVWDLQDEOH ZLQ ZLQ ZLQ 20 EDIBLE ENTREPRENEUR: GROWING UP ON A STAINLESS STEEL COUNTERTOP Ross Katz celebrates a year with 5RRVWHUŅV .LWFKHQ 22 AT HOME: CURRENT EVENTS &LUFXODWLQJ ZDWHUV RI VRXV YLGH FRRNLQJ D JRRG ŤW IRU H[ 1DY\ PDQ 42 THE CHEF’S SHELF: TOOLS RULE )LQG RXW ZKDW WKHVH WRS ORFDO FKHIV KDYH LQ WKHLU KRPHV 48 Last Bite

FEATURES

RECIPES

Winter’s Root Salad

Mama’s Brisket

SMOKE, ROOTS, MOUNTAIN, HARVEST This fRRG EORJJHU WXUQHG D OLIHWLPH RI PHPRULHV LQWR DQ $SSDODFKLDQ VW\OH FRRNERRN

24 THROUGH THE LENS $ IDPLO\ VXSSHU WR WKH SRZHU RI

37 Fried Green Tomatoes

35 COOKS WITH HEART & SOUL

Pan-Seared Halibut with Corn Risotto in Curry Sauce

THE FARMER &RXQWU\ ER\ WXUQHG FRXQWU\ FRRN THE SOUTHERN BELLE +RZ WR PDNH SHUIHFW IULHG JUHHQ WRPDWRHV THE FITNESS GURU Fit to eat, literally THE ISLANDER %ULQJLQJ ,QGRQHVLDQ IDPLO\ UHFLSHV WR *UHHQVEXUJ THE FAMILY MAN &RRNLQJ IRU ORYH

&29(5 &RYHU SKRWRJUDSK\ E\ /DXUHQ 0F'XIŤH 6HH VWRU\ RQ SDJH 7+,6 3$*( $QJHO IRRG FDNH E\ +HDWKHU 6FKURFN 6HH VWRU\ RQ SDJH

Don’t miss our exclusive online story about Denver Wade and his San Francisco cooking roots on our homepage at EdibleIndy.com. edibleINDY.com

Hoosier Thoughts

t this time of year I can smell, in my mind, all the pies and cinnamon rolls being prepared from scratch in my grandmother’s kitchen while the snow gently fell upon the fields. The real hot chocolate, slightly scorched with mini marshmallows melted together and sticking to the rim of the cup, makes me giddy to this day. Grandma Yoder was the heart and soul of cooking to me. She fed us with love and nothing less. In researching the stories for this issue, we found everyone has a story where food is celebrated, many times with no professional training, but purely for the joy of cooking. While we embrace the snowy season and prepare to greet a new year, we wish with great happiness to introduce you to our new managing editor, Colleen Leonardi. Colleen’s resume includes her continuing role as editor in chief for Edible Columbus in Ohio and as a successful writer. We look forward to rewarding our readers with continued elevated stories, photography and resources, and working together with Edible Columbus and our new team, which will allow us to strive for journalistic excellence and more powerful contributions from our community. We thank our former editors Shauna Nosler and Rachel Russell for all they have contributed to Edible Indy and we wish them the best in their new endeavors. May you enjoy every page of this issue and then pay it forward. Hoosier hugs and happy winter,

edible INDY

PUBLISHER: Rubenstein Hills LLC EDITOR IN CHIEF; Jennifer L. Rubenstein CFO: Jeff Rubenstein MANAGING EDITOR: Colleen Leonardi CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Shauna L. Nosler COPY EDITOR: Doug Adrianson DESIGNER: Cheryl Angelina Koehler WEB DESIGNER: Edible Feast STAFF Caryn Scheving, Graphics Heather Shrock, Photographer

Jennifer and Jeff

Letter from the editor

irst, thank you, Jennifer and Jeff, for your warm welcome to Edible Indy. I’m thrilled to bring my love of Indy, our region and all of the loyal-to-local food communities to the pages of our magazine. Cooking makes me happy. Quite simply, the pleasure of gathering beautiful ingredients, talking to my mom and dad about their versions of chicken soup and then taking time in my own kitchen to cook for people I love—it’s the most fundamental blessing. And when winter whistles outside with its cold snows and my hearth is abuzz with pots, pans and music, well, I feel loved and my heart grows merry and light. It’s true. And it’s true for the folks featured in our winter issue. Reading these stories touches memories in me, reminding me of why cooking is so natural: It reminds us to nourish each other. It’s a cycle of reciprocity that has withstood the test of time—a delicious circle that will never be broken. I admire the folks in this issue for cooking with heart and soul. For you have certainly tasted the difference between a bowl of chicken soup made with heart and soul versus not. And that difference is what makes food nourishing. From chef Christopher Adkins and his mission to eliminate food waste (page 10) to Tim Shefferly and his passion for cooking for his family (page 40), each story in this issue inspires. I’m a Midwest girl with a lot of heart. I look forward to hearing what’s on your stove this winter, in praise of this growing circle of cooks with heart and soul. Eat Well, Love Well, Live Well,

Colleen

edible INDY Winter 2017

ADVERTISING Jennifer Rubenstein jennifer@edibleindy.com 317.489.9194 Please call or email to inquire about becoming a member of our advertising partnership and show your support for the local food culture in central Indiana.

EDIBLE INDY TEST KITCHEN SPONSOR Market District CONTACT US Edible Indy PO Box 155 Zionsville, Indiana 46077 317.489.9194 info@edibleindy.com (GLEOH ,QG\ is published quarterly (March, May, September and November). Distributed throughout central Indiana and by subscription elsewhere. Subscriptions are $32 for one year and can be purchased online at EdibleIndy.com or by check to the address above. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, then you probably have not had enough wine with your healthy food. Please accept our sincere apologies and, if it’s important, please notify us! Thank you. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. © 2017 all rights reserved.

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Edible Contributors at Home As this issue’s focus is home cooks, we asked this issue’s contributors to share a favorite unconventional at-home remedy or kitchen tip. Here’s what some of them have to say:

Charity Singleton Craig

Alexis Price

I substitute honey or maple syrup for sugar when I cook and bake. I use ⅔ to ¾ the amount and, depending on the recipe, may add a tablespoon more flour to even out the consistency. Charity Singleton Craig brings words to life through essays, stories, blog posts and books. She is the author of My Year in Words and coauthor of On Being a Writer. She is regularly published at various venues, including In Touch Magazine and Tweetspeak Poetry. She also is the owner of Frankfort Writers Center, offering writing services and services to writers. #FKDULW\VLQJOHWRQFUDLJ _ &KDULW\6LQJOHWRQ&UDLJ FRP

In the colder months, I like to warm water, orange peels, cinnamon and cloves on the stove. It leaves a cozy, autumnal scent throughout the whole home, and it’s much cheaper than any candle. At an early age, Alexis Price channeled her love for food and writing into her very own line of cookbooks that baked on the shelves of her grandmother’s kitchen.

Lori Darvas I never boil-over potatoes, thanks to a tip I learned years ago: Wipe the rim of the pot with canola oil before you boil. Lori Darvas is a Carmel-based freelance writer, wife and mother. When she’s not freezing on the spectator side of a soccer field, she can be found cooking, crocheting or spending countless hours browsing the internet. Her freelance career helps her pay at least some of the bills her teenage daughters accrue.

Brogan Dearinger I use coconut oil for everything from frying breakfast potatoes to facial moisturizer. Brogan Dearinger was our summer editorial intern and now writes for us as a freelancer. She has a degree in journalism and international studies from IU and hopes to someday be an editor of a travel magazine.

Shauna Nosler I put newspaper in my running shoes after running in heavy rain—it soaks up excess moisture. Does that count as unconventional? Shauna Nosler is a freelance writer and contributing editor for many organizations including Meijer, USA Track & Field, Seafood Nutrition Partnership, the Indianapolis Star and the national news organization U.S. News & World Report. After a year as EI’s managing editor, Nosler has recently stepped away to concentrate on her freelance career. #VKDXQDQRVOHU _ 6KDXQD1RVOHU FRP _ 7KH0LGZHVW0HUPDLG FRP

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Jennifer L. Rubenstein Every few weeks I mix distilled vinegar and baking soda in a jar and wash/rinse my hair with it. It strips any buildup out of my hair and it feels squeaky clean. Jennifer Rubenstein is Edible Indy’s editor in chief. She regularly contributes to the Last Bite, and takes photography while working in the community to connect youth with real food. @edibleindyjenn

Heather Schrock Heather Schrock is a freelance photographer. +HDWKHU6FKURFN FRP _ #KHDWKHUDVFKURFNb

Leah Singer Boil hot water in the microwave for coffee. When the water is heated through, wipe down the inside of the microwave with a towel. This daily ritual keeps you caffeinated and the appliances clean. Leah R. Singer is a freelance writer in Terre Haute. A Midwest transplant from Southern California, she writes stories about life in Indiana to help people understand individuals living in Middle America and outside the coastal bubble. She is the former managing editor of the Red Tricycle Spoke Contributor Network. Her work has appeared in USA Today, the Indianapolis Star and Terre Haute Living as well as other publications. #OHDKVBWKRXJKWV _bOHDKUVLQJHU FRP

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edible INDY Winter 2017

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edible INDY Winter 2017

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In the Kitchen

PORK CHOPS, COTTAGE PIE AND CABBAGE This chef brings small-town English URRWV WR KLV :HVWŤHOG UHVWDXUDQW

“N

By Alexis Price | Photography by Heather Schrock

ever repeat.” That’s the motto bestowed upon Tob y Miles’s restaurant, Rail. Since opening in April 2014, it has had 24 menu changes but a lunch special has never been duplicated. “We get bored very often,” says Miles, referring to himself and his wife, Melanie, who co-own the restaurant. After he graduated Ball State University with a journalism degree, Miles found that his print-design background didn’t translate well into what is now a digital-oriented profession. So, he channeled his roots—and it made perfect sense. His mom, after all, was a caterer and he had always enjoyed cooking. “I fell in love with the challenge of it,” he says. “I started to bound from kitchen to kitchen to kitchen. I had this terrible resume of eight months at this place, eight months at this place.”

edible INDY Winter 2017

What’s in it? Take a bite out of some of the dishes that make Rail stand out from other farm-to-table style restaurants. &KDOODK PHOW (upper left) Out of the six sandwiches on the menu, this one might show the deepest of Miles’s roots. Challah, a braided bread, holds together the unique combination of pear preserves and shaved Brussels sprouts. A little brie and cracked pepper tops off the sandwich, along with mustard from Local Folks Foods. | $8 &RWWDJH SLH (center) Miles compares this dish to shepherd’s pie. Rather than containing lamb, the cottage pie at Rail is infused with lightly fried, and then stewed pot roast. Vegetables—including mashed red potatoes—DQG JUDY\ ŤQLVK off this traditional English meal. 'LQHUV FDQ HYHQ ŤQG WKLV GLVK RQ the kids’ menu, priced at $6.50. A smaller plate? Sure. Less ťDYRU" 1RW D FKDQFH _ 3RUN FKRS (upper right) This 13-ounce slab gets smoked and grilled before it is served with wild mushrooms, creamed spinach and shallot gnocchi. Rail owners and visitors consider it the house dish. “…the most tender chop I ever recall eating. *UHDW ťDYRU JUHDW FRPER RI ťDYRUV ZLWK WKH UHVW RI WKH plate. The absolute star of the evening,” one Yelp reviewer said. | $21 %OHX UDUHELW (on the board) The appetizer channels a dish called Welsh rarebit. Much like its inspiration, Rail’s version includes cheese sauce baked onto a piece of French bread. Rail uses Bier Brewery beer and a bleu cheese–cheddar hybrid. This “small plate” is complete with wild mushrooms. | $8

He and his wife, who met when they worked together at the now-closed Kelties, drove by an old, beat-up barn a few years ago. The red structure stood out in the middle of town. “It didn’t make much sense,” he says. No power. No water. No heat. No air. When the couple approached the landlord about turning the barn into a business he said, “No way, it’s not going to work.” About a year later, the first floor of the farm-to-table eatery opened.

Cooking with what’s available Until age 9, Miles lived in a small English town of about 60 people. And of those 60 people, about 50, he guesses, were farmers. Residents would trade goods with neighbors, rarely visiting the grocery store. “It was all about getting what we needed for couple days and cooking with that,” he remembers. “We had a milk delivery man, cobblestone streets, thatched roofs. That was my childhood. I don’t think I had a cheeseburger ’til I was 9 or 10.” Dishes would usually focus on four to five ingredients. He remembers learning to love lamb and Brussels sprouts. He would often eat a combination of these two things, plus carrots,

in his youth. Some of these British-style dishes found their way into Rail. The challah melt, a sandwich on the Fall 2017 menu, consists of pear preserves and the familiar mini cabbages. But despite the two dozen menu changes, two dishes have stayed the same: pork chops and cottage pie. “The pork chops are my babies,” Miles says. He uses what is actually a British preparation of ham—a traditional brining and cold smoking method. “It’s the dish that means the most to me, not only because it’s our top seller,” he says, adding that even if it was the worst selling item on the menu, he’d still keep it. When asked about the future of Rail, Miles’ response aligns with the restaurant’s mantra: never repeat. “Our regulars are the best damn regulars you could ask for,” he says. “I know their kids’ names, their pets’ names. They call and ask what I have planned for this week. I don’t think we could re-create that anywhere if we tried. If we ever decided to do something it would be very different.” 5DLO _ 3DUN 6W :HVWŤHOG _ RailEpicureanMarket.com edibleINDY.com

Food for Thought

FOOD WASTE FINDS A HOME Indianapolis chef’s new business concept offers a sustainable win-win-win By Leah R. Singer | Photography by Jennifer L. Rubenstein

edible INDY Winter 2017

hristopher Adkins is a chef with a mission. Every Wednesday evening, he can be found preparing fresh dinners for upwards of 200 attendees at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. But it’s the ingredients in those dinners that really get Adkins excited, and inspired the idea for Ingredient Trading Company (ITC)—a concept that supports his ultimate food mission: food preservation. Adkins’ business idea is simple: ITC will be a conduit between restaurants and Indiana farmers and agriculturalists. Restaurants can purchase produce that typically goes unsold, and then use that to prepare dishes to serve as well as value-added products to sell, such as salsa, jam and pickled items. “Farmers always have excess produce and it typically is turned into feed or compost,” says Adkins. “By buying excess produce at cost, local farmers can make money from their crops. At the same time, it reduces food waste.” The idea of restaurants cooking with local produce is not new, but the idea of one distributor working with dozens of farmers and restaurants is a new business model for the Indianapolis food industry. While ITC is still in the developmental stages, Adkins is partially practicing this concept at St. Luke’s. Adkins was hired to create the Wednesday-night dinner served to members and guests of the congregation during its educational programs and classes. Susan Farquey, director of the program ministries at St. Luke’s, believes this concept fits in nicely with the church’s mission. “We really want to provide a healthy meal that tastes great and supports local farmers,” she says. “We don’t want to buy all premade meals. We want to do what we can to make sure people live a healthy life.” The challenge for restaurants is how to serve meals comprised of local ingredients in a cost-effective way. This is what Adkins, a chef and entrepreneur, is looking to do.

From chef to business owner Adkins was raised in Lawrence Township. When he was 20 years old, he took a culinary class at Ivy Tech Community College and immediately wanted to learn more about cuisine. He attended New England Culinary Institute for three years and was drawn to the curriculum that focused on sustainability. This is where Adkins developed a passion for preservation. “I love understanding preservation methods and extending the seasons,” he says. After culinary school, Adkins interned at Michelin star-rated restaurants in Chicago and New York City. But he wanted to return to his Indiana roots and have an impact in the local economy. He worked as a line cook at Spoke & Steele, and a sous chef for Garden Table. It was during this time that Adkins began thinking

about how shared agriculture can help restaurants and farmers. He realized his interests were more than simply cooking delicious food, but sustainability as well. “I want to make a difference,” he says. “That’s probably why I’ve always been on the fringe of this industry.” So when the opportunity to be the chef at St. Luke’s presented itself, Adkins realized this was the occasion he was looking for to marry the desires to cook and practice sustainability. “Restaurants are often focused on preparing specific cuisine,” he says. “I believe there’s a balance and medium out there, and this job has given me the chance to do that.”

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Future challenges and opportunities Adkins hopes to have the business license by the end of 2017. He has already secured partnerships with Annabelle’s Gardens and Garcia’s Gardens, and is building awareness with other Indiana farmers. One of the challenges is illustrating to the farmers that selling unused produce to him at cost would be more beneficial than holding out for full-price purchase offers. “Many farmers are hesitant to release their produce because they hope it will sell,” says Adkins. “But what many don’t realize is that if it doesn’t sell, it turns to waste. But by selling to me at a lower cost, they will still be compensated and the food won’t be wasted.” He also hopes to create a business where restaurateurs and chefs can make a livable wage, even when purchasing local ingredients rather than in bulk from larger and less expensive distributors. “I can’t name a chef with a great retirement plan,” he says. “These are people working 60 to 70 hours per week, providing a service to customers. I want to be doing this when I’m 50 and beyond. And I want to be healthy and happy about it.”

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Everyone has bought one too many bananas and let one turn just a bit too brown to eat on its own. Here are eight ways you can use overripe produce and eliminate waste in your own kitchen. •

Use tomatoes to create pasta sauce and freeze the ﬁnish product.

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Mash overripe bananas to create a quick banana bread or mufﬁns.

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Boil your abundance of carrots, celery, onions, garlic and herbs with water to create vegetable stock.

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Cut up fruit and place in plastic bags or containers in the freezer for smoothie starter packets.

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Cut up extra fruit such as apples, strawberries, etc., and slowcook them to create jam.

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Chop up tomatoes, onions and garlic for fresh salsa.

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If you have too many lemons or limes, zest and squeeze the citrus. Zest can be used in future baked goods, and juice can be frozen for future meals.

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Infuse your water with cucumbers, lemons or berries you are not planning to eat.

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Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest This food blogger turned a lifetime of memories into an Appalachian-style cookbook %\ &KDULW\ 6LQJOHWRQ &UDLJ _ 3KRWRJUDSK\ E\ /DXUHQ 0F'XIŤH isit Lauren McDuffie’s blog and you’ll understand quickly the heart of her tagline “an open-ended love letter, culinarily inspired.” McDuffie crafts beautiful stories about her personal life and family history. But what about the food? Isn’t McDuffie a food blogger? “Food gave me something to write about,” says McDuffie, a longtime freelancer who was looking for a creative outlet and, after she began experimenting with photography, “something to aim my camera at.” That doesn’t mean McDuffie isn’t passionate about the food. “It’s how I show people I care,” she says. “I love how food has a way of bringing people together, and how breaking bread is a mechanism for community and relationships.”

edible INDY Winter 2017

She brings that same sensibility to her work. Known for her moody, rustic images, McDuffie styles photo shoots and writes blog posts at “Harvest and Honey” to tell the story of food in her life, including memories, aspirations and more. “I shoot the blog photos to give people a feeling of what it would be like to cook or eat together,” she says. “I want to inspire readers to get into their own kitchens but also to remember their own stories.”

Crafting a culinary memoir And readers are responding. “Harvest and Honey” earned a finalist distinction in Saveur’s Reader’s Choice Best New Voice Award. McDuffie’s blog also was one of two 2017 winners of the International

Association of Culinary Professionals’ Best Narrative Culinary Blog. But the highest honor McDuffie has received so far was landing a cookbook deal with Chronicle Books. Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest, part memoir and part cookbook, is slated for publication in April 2019. The cookbook, which McDuffie hopes to make “accessible and interesting for cooks at all levels,” is organized by season and includes collections of recipes that connect to the personal stories she writes. The cookbook could be categorized as Southern or Appalachian cuisine, but McDuffie, who was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, when she was 12, is quick to clarify. “It’s not an Appalachian cookbook. It’s a cookbook with a setting,” she says. “Appalachia is a colorful place and often isn’t represented well. There’s grit to this part of the country, but also a warmth.” McDuffie, along with her husband, a chief surgical resident, and their two children, relocated several times over the last 10 years, including stints in St. Louis and Washington, DC. For now, Indianapolis is home, though her stories and recipes have a strong hint of the culture and cuisine of her Appalachian roots. It was this multiplicity of McDuffie’s life reflected in her writing that first caught the eye of her agent. “Rarely have I seen a cookbook proposal that had so many layers,” says Deborah Ritchken of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. “Her personal story of growing up in eastern Appalachia was reflected

in the chapter openers, and the headnotes also wove her personal story. Yet the recipes are modern and forward-thinking. They are reminiscent of the food she grew up with but are not decidedly Southern which, for me, was a plus because they are recipes for a broader range of reader.”

Getting the deal While McDuffie’s approach to cookbook writing may be unique, the story of how she landed the cookbook deal is not. Basically, she followed the script so many other writers of all genres have followed: the idea, which came to her in a café; the Google search for “how to write a cookbook proposal”; and the multiple rejections. One turndown was particularly memorable because a potential agent called to tell her that her cookbook would never be published. “But that call ended up being really helpful because he told me how to make my cookbook stronger,” McDuffie says. She took his suggestions, revised her proposal and submitted it to a few more agents. A week later, Ritchken called. In addition to her unique approach, another thing that set Lauren’s proposal apart was the photography. Ritchken explains, “Most cookbook proposals arrive either without photographs or with iPhone shots,

)RRG EORJJHU DQG SKRWRJUDSKHU /DXUHQ 0F'XIŤH Photograph of Lauren courtesy Amy Gray, Silver Pebble Photography edibleINDY.com

which is fine, but Lauren’s photography created a complete package.” Having her own photos in the book alongside her recipes and stories was critical to McDuffie’s vision. “Imagery is a huge part of what I do,” she says. “Recipes without the photos wouldn’t have felt like my book.” Now deep in the trenches of putting the book together, McDuffie has had to change a few things. For one, she approached recipe testing much more formally. For her blog, she creates and tests recipes one at a time. For the book, she wrote all the content and recipes first and then spent several months testing each one at least twice before turning them over to a team of testers. Also, McDuffie adjusted the composition of her photos: She describes the blog photos as “mood forward” and the book photos as “food forward.” As well, McDuffie created her own presets in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to make editing her photos for that “moody, slightly gritty look” easier and more consistent for the book. But mostly, the cookbook serves as an extension of the work McDuffie has been doing all along after starting “Harvest and Honey” four years ago. “It’s a perfect combination of all the things I love. I’m so glad I pulled the trigger on that first post,” she says. “Writing a book has been a goal for a really long time, and it took me falling into food blogging to figure out the book I wanted to write.”

edible INDY Winter 2017

From Process to Plate Edible Indy: How long does it take you to set up the shoot and how many shots does it take until you find a handful you love? Lauren: It varies, how long setup time is, but I often plan what I want the shoot to look like while I’m cooking—kind of compose it in my head first—so when I actually start doing it, it goes pretty quickly. This shoot took a couple of minutes to pull props and set up, but then I took 75 to 80 photos once I started. I usually shoot for an hour, sometimes more. But then again, I literally always shoot with my 4-yearold and 2-year-old around and they add an interesting level of distraction and adventure to the whole process.

Lauren loves props, so where do some of them come from? The wooden platter is from HomeGoods. The flatware is all from an antiques store in Louisville, Kentucky. The purple napkin featured here and on pages 17 and 19 (and on the cover!) was given to me by my mother-in-law. It was her mother’s. The two plates on page 17 are from Etsy.

Photos with a wider angle are from Lauren’s set, pre-edited and cropped. It’s SOOC (straight out of the camera) and intended to show a typical setup: black curtain, natural light, wooden boards, props, etc.

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edible INDY Winter 2017

How she gets the shot Lauren McDuffie shoots on a Canon 6D using one of two favorite lenses: 35 mm 1.4 and a 100 mm 2.8 macro. She uses natural light and F-stops 4 and 5.6 for flat overhead layouts and slightly lower setting for closeups. Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, she edits to sharpen, lower the temperature and boost the clarity and luminance of her photos.

Lauren McDuffie’s tips for taking great food photos Keep things simple. Photos with too much going on tend to be distracting and hard to follow. Embrace negative space and let one or two major subjects stand out. Start with your smartphone. Even if you don’t have a DSLR camera, you can still take great photos. Take an extra second to adjust the exposure for better light and zoom to better frame your images. Don’t strive for perfection. Sometimes shots of food that’s messy or in medias res—in the middle of its narrative—can be more interesting than a perfectly plated dish. Use an editing app; it can add a lot to your photos, and most mobile editing apps are free. McDuffie recommends VSCO and Snapseed. Try black and white. If you can’t find or generate great light for your photos, try editing them in black and white. Capture motion: a server passing by, a hand grabbing a utensil, steam rising from a dish or someone slurping a noodle. Still images can imply movement, if you’re patient enough and snap away until you nail the right shot. Want to learn more? Lauren McDuffie is co-hosting a creative food photography and styling workshop in April 2018 with the acclaimed Italian food blogger and photographer Valentina Solfrini. The workshop will be on the tiny Italian island of Procida in the Bay of Naples. Watch for details at HarvestAndHoney.com.

“Although, this is an example of a shoot where the styling was everything—sometimes that aspect is more important than the editing. I didn’t do quite as much editing for these photos as some others. I mostly edited for mood, rather than to correct errors or fix anything. I created a preset for myself in Lightroom that I often use to achieve the moody, vintage look in my photos. I bump up certain colors—blues, greens and pinks, mostly—as I think the brighter colors help balance out some of the moodiness or graininess that I often employ as well.” edibleINDY.com

Final Plate Winter’s Root Salad Serves 4 5 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces 10 radishes, halved 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided 2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more as needed 7 slices cooked bacon, chopped (cook per package directions) 5 cups baby arugula (or to taste) ¾ cup crumbled goat cheese (or to taste) 1 head garlic ½ cup mayonnaise ½ cup buttermilk 3 teaspoons whole-grain mustard Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a large baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or spray regular foil with nonstick spray. Trim the root and top off the garlic bulb, slightly exposing the cloves. Place head of garlic on foil, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in foil and set aside. In a large bowl, toss together potatoes and radishes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Transfer the veggies to the baking sheet and place in the oven along with the garlic packet. Roast everything for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the veggies halfway through, until the potatoes and radishes are tender and golden brown. Transfer the roasted potatoes and radishes to a large bowl and add the bacon, arugula and goat cheese. To make the dressing, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb into a blender. Add the mayonnaise, buttermilk and mustard. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Toss the salad with the roasted garlic dressing and serve warm.

“This salad comes together so easily and is absolutely packed with flavor. I love the idea of warm salads in the wintertime, and this is one that plays on repeat in my kitchen all season long.” 18 18

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Edible Entrepreneur

GROWING UP ON A STAINLESS STEEL COUNTERTOP

Ross Katz invites local patrons to belly up to the bar for a shot of Viking Blod, a honey mead with hibiscus. A must try.

Ross Katz celebrates a year with Rooster’s Kitchen By Alexis Price | Photography by Jennifer L. Rubenstein

or Ross Katz, opportunity knocked the day after he turned 25. After interning at Ram Restaurant and Brewery during college, he had worked his way up to assistant manager of the six-state chain’s three Chicagoland locations. The regional manager had a question for him: “Would you want to move to Indianapolis?” “I don’t know why I would,” Katz replied. “I don’t know what’s out there.” A promotion to general manager of the downtown Indy location, for one thing. And so Chicago-born Katz became a Hoosier. That was 2009. Fast forward a couple of years and he was selling software to restaurants. His boss was in town from New York. She had never stepped foot in Indiana and had no clue how to sell to Midwesterners. Katz was beyond frustrated. “Right there over coffee at 9am I just told her, ‘I quit,’” he recalls. “She was stunned because it was in the first hour of a two-day ridealong she was going to do with me.”

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Within a month, he began putting together the plan for his now restaurant, Rooster’s Kitchen. Originally he was aiming for Broad Ripple, but negotiations with landlords were not favorable. Then came an unexpected call about a spot on Massachusetts Avenue, he met with the landlords and decided, “This is a great fit.” Done. Rooster’s Kitchen had a home.

Born into entrepreneurial spirit Katz says his dad instilled this entrepreneurial spirit in him. “My father always said, ‘Do your own thing. Go out and create your own life.’” Growing up around food he realized his parents possessed a similar ambition. A true love story, during high school his parents met at a Chicago-style hot dog stand, where the owner gave Katz’s dad a few bucks, winked and told him to take her on a date. Quickly, they became a couple, married and later opened up their own stand, having to sell it once they began having kids. His dad eventually went

into food service sales, always wanting to open up another restaurant. Young Katz delivered produce from his dad’s company, sparking the restaurant bug. “My parents joke that I grew up on a stainless steel countertop,” Katz laughs. He has applied his elbow grease to the counters of pizza places in his hometown of Chicago, at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis and now at his own place on the east end of Massachusetts Avenue. “We’re kind of that Mass Ave. story, so it works,” he says. “We’re an independent restaurant. I wouldn’t really call us artsy, but we aren’t the typical establishment—we aren’t the burgers-and-fries chain restaurant.” One glance at the menu and this is evident: No burgers. No fries. No chicken. No ranch dressing. “That’s been a struggle for us because we have to educate the public as well as try to produce a product they’re going to like,” he says. “It’s been interesting. We want to be different and show that you don’t have to fall in line.” The restaurant has been through two menu revisions since its opening in October 2016 and now includes a $10 lunch. Yet the brisket melt, “Mama’s Brisket,” has always been a crowd favorite—and will always be Katz’s personal favorite. “It’s actually my mom’s recipe,” he says. “So, it’s a touch of home for me.” Rooster’s Kitchen | 888 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis | 317.426.2020 | RoostersIndy.com

Mama’s Brisket Recipe courtesy Rooster’s Kitchen

Serves 10–12 10–15 pounds brisket with cap 3 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons pepper 1 tablespoon granulated garlic 2 tablespoons dehydrated onions 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin 4 stalks celery, cut in 2-inch pieces 3 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces ł FXSV EHHI VWRFN HQRXJK WR ŤOO WKH SDQ KDOIZD\ Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix together all spices in a small bowl and set aside. Remove the brisket from packaging and trim some of the larger hunks of fat, leaving some of the fat for ťDYRU DQG WHQGHUQHVV 5XE EULVNHW ZLWK VSLFH EOHQG FRQFHQWUDWLQJ WKH PDMRULW\ of the blend on the meaty areas.* Lay carrots on the bottom of a large roasting pan to create a “rack” for the meat to rest on. Place the brisket on top of the carrots and cover with the onions and celery. If you have extras, just pack them in around the brisket. Fill the roasting pan about halfway with beef stock, making sure not to rinse off any of the spices. Wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Braise brisket at 350° for at least 7 hours. Brisket will be done when it’s fork tender and the juices run clear. Allow brisket to cool slightly in its juices. Remove brisket from the pan and strain the juice, allowing it to settle, skimming off as much fat as possible. Trim any remaining fat that did not render, and slice to your preference. Serve with some crusty bread and au jus. *It will look like a lot. Remember: This is a thick piece of meat. It will take more spice mix than expected to season it completely. edibleINDY.com

At Home

Chris Kerrigan’s sous vide steak with baked potato and grilled asparagus.

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hris Kerrigan is no stranger to good food. Growing up in New England—Dover, New Hampshire, to be exact—Kerrigan knows what it’s like to have a vast supply of fresh seafood and, at the same time, to be part of a family that didn’t frequent chain restaurants. And it’s those two things combined that led Kerrigan from an early childhood to enjoy the benefits of good food. A Navy veteran, he used to guide pilots to land their planes on aircraft carriers in rough ocean waters. Nowadays, with just as much precise care, he “directs” a well-appointed home kitchen that includes a number of specialty cooking utensils, doing so with the love and devotion necessary for mouthwatering meals.

Home fries, gwumpkies and the secret to perfect mashed potatoes “I remember really taking an interest in cooking around the seventh and eighth grade,” says Kerrigan. “The first thing I recall cooking regularly is home fries,” which, believe it or not, taught him a lot—like not walking away from a cast22

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iron skillet filled with hot oil on the stove, and the benefits of baking soda when faced with a grease fire. But there are other things about cooking that Kerrigan learned young. “Some of my favorite memories with my mother were in the kitchen,” he says, adding that chicken cordon bleu was the go-to for special occasions. “That was probably the first ‘grown-up’ dish I learned to make. More than a few dinner parties were had at my house before high school dances where I’d whip up that rich, cheesy, saucy dish. That recipe has stayed with me, in my head, throughout the years and has seen its share of adaptations.” Kerrigan also recalls his grandmother’s cooking … “I had a Polish grandmother who was quite proud of her gwumpkies [Polish stuffed cabbage]. They were awful! I remember dreading going to Sunday dinner for those unholy pouches of overcooked cabbage stuffed with pork that contained enough whole peppercorns to last the average home cook a lifetime.” Grandma Stella did redeem herself—or at least his young self ’s version of her—when she’d make mashed potatoes. “It wasn’t until I was in my 30s, long after her passing, that I learned her secret quite by accident: It wasn’t an ingredient, but

“Putting your heart and soul into a meal for someone else to enjoy is the ‘X’ factor that no ingredient can replace.” —Chris Kerrigan

rather her serving bowls. Apparently old plastic Cool Whip containers impart a ‘special’ flavor to hot mashed potatoes that can’t be duplicated—and probably shouldn’t! But they were tasty.”

DV]W TRfXYe gd de`cV S`fXYe Kerrigan says he really started cooking when he was stationed in Washington, where there was an ample supply of fresh seafood. But being a poor sailor, he says, meant most of his dinners were self-caught rather than storebought. “I recently received a comment on a food picture I posted on social media from an old Navy roommate telling me he missed my cooking. I remember walking him through a shrimp and pasta dish that he was going to make for a prospective girlfriend. He got the girl, so I’d say the dinner was a hit. “I had planned on going to culinary arts school when I got out of the Navy, but I chose another path (to get married and have a family) and don’t regret it. Restaurant life isn’t the easiest on a family. I feel like I have the best of both worlds now.” Today, Kerrigan is an operations supervisor for the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center. His busy schedule has led him to experiment with different cooking techniques, as he says the process isn’t just a means to a meal, it’s therapeutic. One of the methods Kerrigan has learned over the past few years is sous vide—a process of submerging vacuum-sealed food into a water bath heated to a precise temperature. “Most of the time, getting the correct temperature from sous vide cooking is only one of the steps needed for that perfect ‘whatever’ you’re cooking. There can be a lot of prep work prior to placing your food into the bag.” Steak is what Kerrigan says he cooks the most using the sous vide method, but he says one would be hard pressed to find something that can’t be cooked sous vide. “Vegetables, eggs, desserts, cocktails, nacho cheese … I even came across a recipe that uses sous vide for making ice cream this morning.” But by far, he says, the best thing to sous vide is meat: pork, chicken, lamb or beef, as well as heartier fish like swordfish and salmon. He suggests anyone wanting to try sous vide cooking also bear in mind, that once the food comes out of the water, you still need some kitchen skills to finish your dish like a pro. “You can use a torch to finish your steaks or other protein,” he says, “and using a torch to cook with is pretty cool.” But a cast-iron skillet works much better.

HYRe :d D`fd GZUV 4Ē\Z_X0 There are two primary types of devices used to cook sous vide. The first is an immersion circulator, which contains a programmable heating element as well as a pump (similar to an aquarium pump) to circulate the water. The unit— about the size of a coffee grinder—is placed into a container of water with the food to be cooked. The other device is a self-contained unit about the size and shape of a bread maker. Commonly called a sous vide oven, it heats and circulates the water. “I prefer an immersion circulator since it allows for greater flexibility on the size and number of things I can cook at once,” Kerrigan says. “Cooking eight to 10 flank steaks at once isn’t possible in a sous vide oven, but putting an immersion circulator into a 4.75-gallon Cambro container will sure do the trick.”

EYV 3V_V«ed `W D`fd GZUV “One of the biggest benefits I’ve found is cooking for large groups of people,” Kerrigan says. “I had a group of 14 friends over for a steak and poker night, and the preference for how they liked their steaks ranged from rare to well done. Starting with the well done and working backwards, I cooked in batches lowering the water temp to the next lowest doneness. When everyone arrived, and was ready to eat, I simply had to take the steaks out of their bags and sear them. Getting that perfect temperature every time is obviously a big plus.” Want to learn more? Check out Indiana’s own Chef Thomas England’s recently published Cooking Sous Vide: Richer Flavors - Bolder Colors - Better Nutrition; Discover the low temperature, vacuum-sealed method for cooking perfect food every time (DK Publishing, 2016). Order it from your favorite local bookseller. Support local!

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THROUGH THE LENS A family supper to the power of 12

Photography by Heather Schrock

implicity and restrained energy reside in equal measure at the Reynolds home. There is a sense of great planning and attention to detail alongside a hearty dose of flexibility. Tom, a lawyer, and Kristie, an avid learner and teacher to their 10 children, hold to a slower, more deliberate pace. They have a view of life that makes ample space for gathering around a large farm table, seated on benches built by Tom, to share simple meals and the space where food, faith and family coincide. Supper is where the heart lies. —Heather Schrock

The Table “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” —Ronald Reagan 24

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In the Kitchen “People who love to eat are always the best people.” —Julia Child

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Nostalgia The strings were tied, it was freshly washed, and maybe even pressed. For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed. The simple apron that it was, you would never think about; the things she used it for, that made it look worn out. She may have used it to hold some wildflowers that she’d found. Or to hide a crying child’s face when a stranger came around. Imagine all the little tears that were wiped with just that cloth. Or it became a potholder to serve some chicken broth. She probably carried kindling to stoke the kitchen fire. To hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire. When canning all her vegetables, it was used to wipe her brow. You never know, she might have used it to shoo flies from the cow. She might have carried eggs in from the chicken coop outside. Whatever chore she used it for, she did them all with pride. When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest. I’m sure the apron that she chose, was her Sunday best. —Tina Trivett

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Sweet Daughter “Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.” —Craig Claiborne 28

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Emotions “Every lesson I learned as a kid was at the dinner table. Being Greek, Sicilian and Ruthenian—we are an emotional bunch. It is where we laughed, cried and yelled—but most importantly, where we bonded and connected.” —Michael Symon edibleINDY.com

Family Supper “The tradition of Sunday feast accomplishes more than just feeding us. It futures us.” —Chef Jon Besh

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Cooks with Heart &Soul O

ur stories featured in Cooks with Heart and Soul unite people with a common bond: They all love to cook. What brings people to the table to eat is the same ingredient that brings people to the stove to cook. My friends, it’s the thing that makes us human: heart and soul. And it’s what makes good food so resonate for everyone, no matter your story, past or future. We celebrate these five folks, their love and their heart-warming, living-giving meals. Enjoy. —Colleen Leonardi

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The Farmer

Country boy turned country cook By Lori Darvas | Photography by Heather Schrock

op into Wilson Farm Market in Arcadia over the fall and winter, and you might see a six-foot-two guy in cowboy boots puttering around the kitchen. That’s Scott Wilson, son of the market’s owners and the chef behind the venue’s renowned angel food cake. Wilson, 41, knows a little bit about failure: When it comes to angel food cakes, there are no guarantees. But he’s nudged his success rate up over the past three years, from about 50% to 85%, by reducing the variables. He reserves one oven for angel food cakes only, stocks up the finest ingredients and mixes everything by hand. “You really don’t know how a cake is going to turn out until you bake it,” he says.

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Wilson found his recipe through an Amish group of workers who were renovating the market a few years ago. They referred him to one of their mothers, who shared her recipe and gave him some tips. Wilson built upon the recipe, accepting that he might have to fail several times before he would succeed. But today, the cakes are a big hit, whether they’re mixed with apricot, raspberry or just plain vanilla. The cakes retail for $8.99, are preservative-free and taller and lighter than the mass produced cakes. “People absolutely love the angel food,” Wilson says. “A lot of times they’ll never make the floor once they go into production, because they’ve already been ordered.” As for those failures, Wilson might try to save them. If half a cake comes out well, he’ll sell it at a reduced price. Or, he’ll eat it. The plain ones are his favorites, although he has a weakness for the crispy parts that spill out of the pan. Wilson, a self-proclaimed country boy, grew up watching his mother and grandmother throw down wholesome family dinners. Meals were the heart of his family, and young Scott gravitated toward the kitchen to learn more about what brought the ingredients together. Today, Wilson assumes most of the cooking responsibilities for his wife, Amanda, and their blended family of five children. The country boy has become a country cook. A pot of green beans includes smoked sausage, onions and garlic. “Good cooking can’t necessarily be taught. The wannabe chef needs to have the desire, first,” he says. “Some of my teenagers are beyond hope. I don’t know if I can teach them anything. But our 4-year-old, she’s like I was. She wants to pull up a chair and be at the stove and help.”

The Southern Belle

How to make perfect fried green tomatoes By Shauna L. Nosler | Photography Jennifer L. Rubenstein

“I

loved to bake when I was little,” says Betsy Amirhamzeh. “Always in the kitchen with mama—pies, cakes and oatmeal cookies—every time it snowed.” Which, she says, it did every winter in Greensboro, North Carolina. “Mama said the oatmeal gave us more energy. We’d use extra butter, no raisins, and slightly overcooked them so they’d be crunchy. We followed, more or less, the recipe on the back of the Quaker Oats box.” A native of North Carolina, Amirhamzeh grew up eating hearty home-cooked meals—the kind of meals that scream Dixie and bring smiles to everyone’s faces. “Mama cooked every night. I loved, loved, LOVED, her fried chicken with rice and gravy,” she says. “And my grandma’s peach cob-

bler and baked mac ’n’ cheese and my church’s Brunswick stew that was served every year at our annual fundraiser.” Today, Amirhamzeh says she cooks those dishes for her family the exact same way her mother and grandmother did, and she still enjoys baking. But over the years her cooking skills have developed, even gotten a bit international. She met her husband, Arman, in college and after they married she learned to cook a few of the traditional Persian dishes from his home, Iran—dishes like koobideh, an Iranian kebab usually made from beef or ground lamb, and chelow, a golden-brown rice dish similar to a pilaf, only with a crispy crust. “The kids are always really excited when I cook a Persian meal,” she says. But, although they love the exotic flavors and textures, her Southern cooking is always a big hit, on any given night. And one of her signature dishes is fried green tomatoes—a Southern favorite even before 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café and the 1991 movie based on it. I have been lucky enough to try Amirhamzeh’s version and all I can say is, “Towanda!” Betsy’s tips for making fried green tomatoes akin to the ones served at the Whistle Stop Café: •

Use green tomatoes—really green, no red and no yellow.

•

Rinse tomatoes and gently dry them.

•

Cut tomatoes into ⅓-inch-thick slices.

For the coating: In one bowl combine equal amounts cornmeal and flour (she uses whole-wheat white flour and cornmeal), and a dash of salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine two eggs with ½ cup milk. Dip sliced tomatoes into dry mix, then wet and then dry again. “To cut the bitterness, a lot of times people sprinkle a little sugar on the tomato before dredging in the flour and egg mixture. The most important thing is to dip the tomato in the flour, then egg and flour again. There has to be a thick coating created.” Heat canola oil in a cast-iron skillet. “My mama always told me to check if the oil was hot enough before I put anything in it otherwise the tomatoes will turn out burnt and soggy. I put a couple droplets of water on my fingertips and sprinkle them into the oil. If the water pops back up, the oil is ready.” Layer the bottom of the pan with the tomatoes, making sure they don’t overlap. Fry until they start to brown around the edges. “Then I flip them and I keep flipping until they turn golden. Once both sides have a nice golden color, remove them onto a paper shopping bag to drain the grease. “I like to eat them when they’re hot or room temperature. They are fun to dip into a marinara or pizza sauce but I like them just as they are.” edibleINDY.com

The Fitness Guru Fit to eat, literally

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arly Dunnuck is not a big fan of the term “clean eating.” The co-owner of Urban Fitness Studio in Bloomington isn’t averse to minimally processed foods and organic meats and produce, but she doesn’t want her clients to think they’re breaking the nutrition law if they occasionally indulge. “I talk about how we can nourish our bodies and how we can improve our health and our immune system and our digestion,” Dunnuck says. Dunnuck grew up on 15 acres. If she wanted a snack, she’d go outside and pick it. She’s kept that obsession with fresh ingredients, locally sourced foods and in-season ingredients and tries to instill it in her health and fitness clients. Food is a huge part of staying healthy, Dunnuck says. She learned to cook by watching her mother and, as an adult, watching various cooking shows. Now she cooks for her partner, Rebecca Walter. Right now, Dunnuck is on a broth kick. During the week, she’ll stash food scraps in a bag in her refrigerator. Onion skins, broccoli stems, leftover herbs and other ingredients go in the bag for safekeeping. When she has a good collection, she’ll roast a chicken, turkey or some other cut of meat. The bones go into a pot with filtered water and her kitchen scraps, and sit on the stove for four hours or more, 38

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filling her house with a delicious aroma and creating the broth she swears by. She’ll use the broth for her mother’s chicken soup; as a liquid in stir-fry, quinoa or other grains; or just straight from the cup. “I love sipping it,” she says. “It is really good after a workout—it’s a little treat. It has collagen. It helps me with fatigue. It helps with digestion. Sometimes I start my day with a little cup of it before I have my coffee.” Dunnuck relies on local farmers markets and grocery stores for many of her ingredients, changing her menus as the seasons change. A seafood menu in the summer gives way to chicken, bison and pork. Darker greens like kale and roasted fall and winter veggies round out a menu. When clients ask Dunnuck about making healthier eating choices, she recommends starting with a food journal. Writing down everything they eat helps people identify where they need to make changes. She also recommends eating a good meal before going to a holiday party, to cut down on temptation. Be polite, she says, but don’t be afraid to turn down a holiday treat if it’s not part of your diet. “Create a script. Tell them it looks beautiful and you’re sure it’s delicious, but you’re going to pass today,” Dunnuck says.

The Islander Bringing Indonesian family recipes to Greensburg By Lori Darvas | Photography by Jennifer L. Rubenstein

ayasari Effendi was just a child when she started working at her grandmother’s restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia. She and her cousins would line up and chop onions, “bunches and bunches of onions,” she says. “We didn’t have daycare or anything like that, so our parents brought us to the restaurant when they worked.” Effendi’s childhood experiences turned out to be a blessing for locals in Greensburg, where Effendi opened Mayasari Indonesian Grill in 2012. There, she shares some of her favorite dishes, like rending daging, a beef curry that can be made mild to spicy depending on the customer’s tastes, and sate ayam, a chicken sate that is a favorite of Effendi’s husband, Richard Mays. Effendi came to the United States in 2004 to pursue a computer science degree at Purdue University, moving to Greensburg in 2006 to work at Valeo Engine Cooling. When she was laid off in 2009, Mays suggested she take her cooking passion and turn it into a restaurant. Indonesian food relies on layers of flavor, using local spices like nutmeg, Mays says. The food isn’t spicy like Indian, although patrons can ask for an extra kick when they order off the menu. Instead, it is an intentional combination of spices in an order that lets the flavor build up as it cooks. For instance, Effendi’s chicken sate starts with chicken breasts marinated at least 24 hours. She prepares her peanut sauce slowly, starting with two ingredients and adding additional ingredients one at a time. Each ingredient has its moment to shine before the next is added. The marinated chicken is threaded on skewers, grilled and served with extra peanut sauce for a delicious treat. As she developed her restaurant menu, Effendi tweaked her recipes to appeal to her American patrons. “Authentic Indonesian food is very dry and spicy, but I have to be local,” Effendi says. “I have to tweak it a bit to be juicier. Around here they like the gravy. I add coconut milk and more seasoning.” Effendi tries to buy local as much as she can. Over time, she has developed relationships with local farmers to source her ingredients like tomatoes, bok choy, cayenne pepper, cabbage, carrots and green beans. She relies on her grandmother’s recipe for tempeh, an Indonesian soy product that produces a tofu-like product. Tempeh starts with soybeans, which are split in half and washed five times. Once cleaned, they are boiled, dried and fermented over a couple of days to become soft and edible. Tempeh can be used as a meat substitute or a side dish.

Even Effendi can’t live on Indonesian food alone, though. Mays says his wife is “a sucker for fried chicken.” Effendi concurs. “Fried chicken,” she says. “I make it myself.” Mayasari Indonesian Grill | 213 N. Broadway St., Greensburg | @MayasariGrill

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The Family Man

Cooking for love Written and Photographed by Jennifer L. Rubenstein

im Shefferly, a friend, a husband, a father and, most of all, a family man. His nickname to everyone who knows him is, appropriately, Sheff—the love cooked in his kitchen speaks volumes about who this man is and what he values most. His devotion to food began as a child, watching his mother cook a scrumptious meal after a long day of work. He eagerly anticipated every bite and absorbed every cooking lesson she gave him. Tim is married to his beautiful bride, Nekko. They have two sons together, Burke and Quinn, and currently reside in Fishers. As a stay-at-home dad, Tim takes his job very seriously making food and nutrition a priority for his family. Mandatory Sunday dinners are opportunities for him to teach his sons how to prepare the meals they eat. The routine of cooking together and sharing meals around the table allows them to share the impacts of their days while building trust and love for a lifetime. Favorite dishes Tim loves from his sons? Quinn’s farm-fresh scrambled eggs with cheese and Burke’s roasted marshmallow shake, which involves the use of a torch. (What man wouldn’t love that?) Recently the family took a trip of a lifetime to Portugal. The food and drink there were life changing. “We had a meal at the Michelin-star restaurant Lab by Sergi Arola at the resort Penha Longa in Sintra. Our meal was the best food experience not only I’ve ever had, 40

edible INDY Winter 2017

but my family as well. The flavors and delicate care that went into the preparation of our culinary adventure was remarkable. We gave the kitchen a round of applause as we walked past them.” One of the remarkable dishes was veal sweetbreads roasted in spices with roasted pumpkin purée, carrots and fennel topped with orange and ginger jus. The dish arrived on a small grill plate with smoking chips under it to continue adding flavor—a dish you dream about for the rest of your life. Tim’s newest infatuation is cooking seafood. His latest recipe? Pan-seared halibut with corn risotto in curry sauce.

Pan-Seared Halibut with Corn Risotto in Curry Sauce Serves 4 HALIBUT: WR RXQFH IUHVK KDOLEXW ŤOOHWV 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt Pepper Heat oil in sauté pan on medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, place the halibut in the pan skin side up. Sear 1 side for ł PLQXWHV )OLS ŤVK DQG FRQWLQXH WR FRRN IRU DGGLWLRQDO PLQXWHV 5HPRYH VNLQ DIWHU ŤVK LV FRRNHG DQG VHW DVLGH Place halibut over a bed of corn risotto and top with the curry sauce. CURRY SAUCE: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced 1 small red onion, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 3 tablespoons Thai curry powder FXSV FKLFNHQ RU ŤVK VWRFN 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup cream Juice of 1 lemon

powder. Add the stock and bring to a slight boil. Cook for at least 90 minutes, strain sauce and put back into the pan. Add the butter and cream and simmer on low. If your sauce is too spicy, add lemon juice until desired heat. CORN RISOTTO: 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup chopped shallots 2 cups Arborio rice 4–5 cups chicken stock Kernels from 2 ears corn, cut off the cob 1 cup cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter A pinch of salt ½ cup grated Parmesan Heat oil in a wide saucepan on medium-high. Sauté shallots for 2–4 minutes, until slightly translucent. Add the rice and stir frequently for 2–3 more minutes. In a separate pan, heat the chicken stock. (This will allow the stock to be added to the rice when hot.) Carefully add enough chicken stock to just cover the rice. Stirring constantly, add the stock little by little and continue to stir. Once the rice cooks down by half, add the corn and cook until rice is nearly done. Stir in the cream, EXWWHU DQG VDOW :KHQ WKH ULFH LV ŤQLVKHG FRRNLQJ VWLU LQ WKH Parmesan. The rice should be creamy and tender.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Sauté the apple and onion for 5–8 minutes; add garlic for another minute, then stir in curry

NOVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 3

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The Chef’s Shelf

TOOLS RULE By Brogan Dearinger | Layout by Caryn Scheving

edible INDY Winter 2017

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A`ĖZ_X Corn with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Celebrating one kernel at a time Photography by Jennifer L. Rubenstein

Edible Indy Winter 2017 | No. 27

Articles inside

THE CHEF’S SHELF: TOOLS RULE

Pan-Seared Halibut with Corn Risotto in Curry Sauce

Fried Green Tomatoes

SMOKE, ROOTS, MOUNTAIN, HARVEST

Winter’s Root Salad

Mama’s Brisket

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: FOOD WASTE

EDIBLE ENTREPRENEUR

AT HOME: CURRENT EVENTS

IN THE KITCHEN: PORK CHOPS

COOKS WITH HEART & SOUL