October 2013

fresh catch the allure of fly-fishing

kings of delmar ∙ top 3 jelly doughnuts ∙ eco-chic dining in st. charles s t. 2013 lo u is’ i n d e pe n d e nt cu l i n a ry au th o r it y October

sau c e m aga zi n e .co m

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whole or in part, of the contents without permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While the information has been compiled carefully to ensure maximum accuracy at the time of publication, it is provided for general guidance only and is subject to change.

The publisher cannot guarantee the accuracy of all information or be responsible for omissions or errors.

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St. Louis, MO 63103 editorial policies The Sauce Magazine mission is to provide St. Louis-area residents and visitors with unbiased, complete information on the area’s restaurant, bar and entertainment industry. Our editorial content is not influenced by who advertises with Sauce Magazine or saucemagazine.com.

Our reviewers are never provided with complimentary food or drinks from the restaurants in exchange for favorable reviews, nor are their identities as reviewers made known during their visits.

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contents october 2013

13 A La Carte

Reviews 21 new and notable: Prasino

by Michael Renner

25 Nightlife: Hiro Asian Kitchen

36

28

by Matt Berkley

26 Cook’s Books: More than Hummus

by Catherine Klene

Home cooking 28 Vegetize it: Paella No Problema Paella

by Kellie Hynes

31 The ultimate: French fries

by Meera Nagarajan

34 One ingredient, 3 ways: Onions Worth the Tears

by Dee Ryan

36 By Popular Demand Companion's Granola bars

features

39

cover details

39 Short List

Last course

Jelly doughnuts

48 Stuff to do

By Byron Kerman

by byron Kerman

50 a chat with: The

42 Rite of the River

Three Kings

When fly-fishing calls

by Ligaya Figueras

by Julie Cohen

watercress and rainbow trout from Westover Farms p. 42

Photo by Greg Rannells Correction: The illustration accompanying the “Expert Pick” in the September issue mistakenly depicted Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Café’s chef Casey Shiller instead of chef Dana Holland.

kings of delmar p. 50 top 3 jelly doughnuts p. 39 eco-chic dining in st. charles p. 21

= recipe on this page

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We’re (obviously) big proponents of print here, yet we can’t help but squeal at all that the digital age offers. Did you know how many ways you can enjoy Sauce Magazine these days? From your computer screen to your tablet, even your phone, the options are nearly endless. Here are a few ways to connect with us all month long. Thanks, Internet. We owe you one.

Glazed cipollini onions with carrots, p. 35

TUNE IN Since opening Blueberry Hill in 1972, owner Joe Edwards continues to play a pivotal role in the growth of The Loop. But Edwards isn’t alone in his quest to make the strip on Delmar Boulevard a vibrant place to eat and drink, as evidenced in this month’s chat with the owners of Three Kings Public House (p. 50), a more recent addition to the ‘hood. Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 KWMU’s Cityscape Friday, Oct. 11 at noon and 10 p.m., as Edwards and Three Kings coowner Ryan Pinkston discuss the nonstop action in one of the most popular dining destinations in St. Louis.

GO FISH After reading about the allure of fly-fishing in Julie Cohen’s “Rite of the River” (p. 42), wow your friends by preparing the trout recipes from The Tavern Kitchen & Bar (p. 46) and Panorama (p. 47). Still can’t quit the fish? Head to saucemagazine.com/blog this month for step-by-step instructions for filleting trout and three fish finishing techniques inspired by trout dishes from Pomme Restaurant, Basso and Hendel’s Market Café & Piano Bar. And after that? Well, it’s time to go fish.

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paella photo by laura miiller; trout photo by greg rannells

KEEP COOKING Each issue of Sauce is filled with tasty recipes to make at home, whether you want to use the bounty of the season (One Ingredient, 3 Ways, p. 34), make a vegetarian meal (Vegetize It, p.

28) or try your hand at re-creating a popular dish from a local restaurant (By Popular Demand, p. 36). But once you’ve mastered those, don’t take off the apron just yet. The cooking continues online all month long. Go to saucemagazine.com/blog throughout each week for more recipes featured in columns like Baked, By the Book, Just Five, Meatless Mondays and Wheatless Wednesdays.

October 2013

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letter from the editor

Sifting through weathered menus of St. Louis restaurants long closed – Nantucket Cove, the floating Lt. Robert E. Lee, and Stan Musial and Biggie’s – brought back memories of rare family dinners out (They didn’t happen often as one of four kids.).

But among those stained menus (The earliest in the collection dates to 1865.), were also some from area restaurants that have withstood the test of time: Kemoll’s, The Tenderloin Room at The Chase Park Plaza and Schneithorst’s, to name a few. The restaurant biz is tough. Staying afloat one year brings a sigh of relief. Ten years? Well, that’s something. Half a century? Now that’s longevity.

This month marks the 12th anniversary of Sauce in print. While we’re young compared to some local establishments, we’ve been around long enough to have followed the course of many restaurants as they’ve matured through menu changes and chef changes, often thanks to dedicated staff who’ve stuck around long enough to retire.

(Our condolences to the Tony’s restaurant family on the recent death of Stefano Dima, retired waiter captain who served at the venerable dining institution for nearly 40 years.)

At Sauce, we’re glad to cover these storied people and places that have played a part in shaping St. Louis’ vibrant culinary scene. We’re also excited to provide a first glimpse of new restaurants, such as those featured in this month’s Hit List (p. 19). Keep your eye on them. We sure are.

Clockwise from top: Sauce executive editor Ligaya Figueras sits in the Special Collections department at the St. Louis Public Library’s Central Branch; weathered menus from Stan Musial and Biggie’s, Culpepper’s and the Lt. Robert E. Lee are among the restaurant menu archives in Special Collections; Figueras doesn’t leave home without her prized library cards.

Oh, and about SLPL’s menu archive: Go check it out. You don’t need a library card, but membership does have its privileges.

Cheers,

PHOTOs by elizabeth jochum

M

y library card is more important to me than my credit card. I have two, actually: one for the St. Louis Public Library, the other valid at the nine branches that participate in the Municipal Library Consortium of St. Louis County. I carry these cards everywhere – just in case I find myself near a branch and the books in the 640s (Dewey Decimalspeak for the culinary arts section) are beckoning. I could gladly spend an entire afternoon buried in the stacks, which I recently did after learning about the St. Louis Public Library’s restaurant menu archive in its Special Collections department at the beautifully renovated downtown Central Branch.

Ligaya Figueras Executive editor

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EAT THIS

The Scotch egg at The Scottish Arms could be served cold, and we’d still order it. Anytime. Any day. It’s a dish that’s greater than the sum of its parts; a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg is encased in house-ground Berkshire sausage, coated in breadcrumbs and baked to a golden crisp. In short, it’s a salty protein bomb that conveniently fits in one hand, Photo by carmen troesser

which is great when you’ve got a beer in the other.

The Scottish Arms • 8 S. Sarah St., St. Louis • 314.535.0551 • thescottisharms.com

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MAKE THIS sauce-less orecchiette active time: 15 minutes

Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, and you can make it in just a few short minutes, especially when it’s sauce-less orecchiette. Remove the casing from 1 pound of spicy fresh sausage and brown in a deep skillet over medium heat. While the sausage cooks, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Blanch 1 bunch of Broccolini for 1 minute, then transfer it to a bowl of ice water. Once cool, drain it and roughly chop. In the same pot, boil 1 pound of dried orecchiette pasta 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time. Transfer the al dente pasta to the skillet with the sausage, along with the Broccolini and ¼ cup of pasta water.

Cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat, toss in ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese and serve. – Meera Nagarajan

photo by carmen troesser

For a nicely spiced sausage, try Salume Beddu’s Fiama, $9 per pound. Salume Beddu, 3467 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314.353.3100, salumebeddu.com

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With Oktoberfest season in full swing, there’s no better time to grab a crisp, frosty lager. Right here in town, Old World ingredients and traditional brewing techniques are being embraced by innovative craft brewers who are producing unique contemporary lagers that prove as complex as they are drinkable.

Taste your way down this short list of exceptional local lagers. – Matt Berkley

A Seat at the Bar Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

ted and jamie kilgore USBG, B.A.R. Ready, BarSmart and coowners/bartenders at Planter’s House (opening soon)

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Stammtisch This German Pilsner is a new headliner for Urban Chestnut’s reverence series. An homage to the smooth yet substantial social brews that covered many a beer hall tabletop, this easy sipping golden pils is crafted with a blend of three varieties of Hallertau hops from the old country, as well as Strisselspalt hops from the nearby Alsace region of France.

cory king Certified Cicerone, head brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales and founder of Side Project Brewing

Ferguson Brewing Co. Munich Dunkel German Perle hops and aromatic malts combine for a hazy, copper red dunkel that’s smooth with a toasty finish.

The Civil Life Brewing Co. Vienna-style Lager One of the best craft lagers of late, this amber-colored beer fashions itself from early versions of Vienna-style lager made in 19th-century Mexico by immigrant brewers from Austria. Brewed with Northern Brewer and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops, this one begs to be sipped on a sunny patio.

Schlafly Schwarzbier (Black Lager) Schlafly’s German Schwarzbier gets its dark brown appearance from carefully roasted chocolate malts. Neither as thick as a porter nor as creamy as a stout, this medium-bodied (bordering on light-bodied) black lager is still full of flavor and holds the aromas of coffee, walnut, caramel and dark chocolate.

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glenn bardgett Member of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board and wine director at Annie Gunn’s

One of the most diverse spirits in our repertoire is Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy. This full-bodied brandy is still owned and operated by the Laird family, who has the distinction of being America’s oldest licensed distiller; its License No. 1 was granted in 1780. The brandy is both 100 proof and 100 percent apple-based, giving it amazing resilience in cocktails. It’s so versatile that you can substitute it for the standard base spirit in any of your favorite classics: Manhattan, Cosmopolitan, sidecar, Negroni or French 75. As the leaves start to fall, grab a bottle and enjoy the dark apple, vanilla and subtle maple notes that Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy will bring to your cocktail.

When we talk about wine, we often refer to varietals and styles associated with certain regions. The same is true in the world of beer. One of the most famous brewing regions is in and around the city of Munich in the German state of Bavaria. Credited with the Munich dunkel and Bavarian hefeweizen and renowned for its Oktoberfest, this area is rich in brewing tradition.

Try a Hofbräu Dunkel, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier or Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier for a taste of old Germany.

I’ve had many “wow” moments in my wine life, but sitting at a table recently with 90-year-old vintner Miljenko “Mike” Grgich ranks highly. We were at his Grgich Hills Estate in Napa Valley tasting the beautiful Chateau Montelena 2010 chardonnay and reminiscing about the famed Paris tasting of 1976 when his Chateau Montelena 1973 chardonnay bested all the entries from France’s famed Burgundy region.

That experts chose a California wine stunned the wine world, putting Napa firmly on the map as a wine-producing region worthy of attention. The winery’s chardonnay is still a flagship white among California wines and its 2010 is a relative bargain at about $40. Pour a glass and have your own “wow” moment. For a double “wow,” sip it while reading George M. Taber’s Judgment of Paris, which recounts the legendary event of ’76, or watch Bottle Shock to get the Hollywood take.

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illustrations by vidhya nagarajan

lager love

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hit list

3 New Restaurants to Try This Month

2

Baida 3191 S. Grand Blvd., 314.932.7950, baidarestaurant.com

1

THE DOCKET PHOTO BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

The Docket 100 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, 314.977.4615, thedocket. cafebonappetit.com

You don’t have to be a law student or white-wig wearer to visit Saint Louis University’s School of Law’s new restaurant, The Docket. With a grab-and-go counter for breakfast, a lunch buffet, an a la carte menu for lunch and dinner, and a fully stocked bar, there’s something for everyone in this modern, industrial corner space (Just make sure to keep your lawyer jokes to a whisper.). On our docket? The lamb kebab. A skewer of tender hunks of lamb sandwiched between red onions and tomatoes, and bookended with figs is topped with mint and house-made tzatziki.

The pizza funghi also successfully pleads its case – portobello, cremini and oyster mushrooms, tarragon, mozzarella, shaved Asiago and roasted garlic truffle oil adorn a Roman-style thin crust. It’s served with scissors for easy sharing; although, we advise eating the whole thing.

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Eleven65 1165 Technology Drive, O’Fallon, Mo., 636.329.0065, eleven65.com

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Add Moroccan to the array of ethnic dining options on South Grand. At time of press, Baida was serving up the flavors of Morocco at lunch and dinner only as a buffet, but an a la carte menu is expected to launch in a matter of weeks. The buffet is a smorgasbord of classic Moroccan starters, entrees (A tajine?

But of course.), sides and sweets. Fill up on an array of colorful legume, grain and vegetable salads, a flaky beef-filled pie (M’Lwee) and succulent Cornish hen bathing in a rich saffron broth. Finish with a slice of citrusy orange cake (pictured) crowned with dates and a sweet sesame glaze.

Upscale, casual restaurant Eleven65 offers new American cuisine in its contemporary space in O’Fallon, Mo. Executive chef Erick Brown has focused his largely locally sourced menu on modern interpretations of American classics like steaks, pork chops and Cobb salads. Start with a beet and strawberry salad (pictured), whose fruit, veggies, candied pistachios and field greens get tied together with a generous grind of black pepper, sweet-tart balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese mousse. Leave full and satisfied after ordering the roasted vegetable pizza: a crisp, thin crust smeared with a thick layer of pesto, topped with handfuls of diced zucchini, mushrooms, sweet onions and a drizzle of sweet-smoky Banyuls vinegar. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 19

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reviews

new and notable: PRASINO p. 21 nightlife: HIRO ASIAN KITCHEN p. 25 cook’s books: MIDDLE EASTERN BOOKS p. 26

New and Notable: Prasino

by Michael Renner • Photos by Jonathan Gayman

A

t Prasino, the new mini-chain restaurant in St. Charles, the employees say PRÄH-suh-no. The translation app on my phone says PRÄH-see-no. Tomato or tomahto, prasino is Greek for “green,” as in “environmentally sound.” The St. Charles spot is one of four locations for the 4-year-old family of restaurants self-billed as eco-friendly. It’s also the chain’s first foray outside of Chicagoland.

Prasino’s business plan is driven by eco-friendly kitchen practices, energy and water-saving appliances, and as many locally sourced raw ingredients as possible. Your server will spend a good two minutes explaining just how environmentally PRASINO conscious Prasino is, to the point 1520 S. Fifth St., St. that you’ll look around for the Charles, 636.277.0202, Greenpeace seal of approval. prasino.com Among the eco-friendly features: natural cleaning products, webbed bar chairs made from recycled seatbelts, reclaimed Missouri wood through Forest Stewardship Council, wine bottles refashioned into water glasses and recycled cardboard boxes laser-cut into lighting fixtures. Even the paints and sealants used in the building are enviro-friendly.

Your server will then spend another two minutes explaining that as much as 75 percent of the produce is sourced within 30 miles, the meat is antibiotic- and hormone-free, the seafood is sustainable and wild-caught, and the water is filtered. It’s a lot to take in.

Bricked chicken

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The menu also is a bit overwhelming, being a culinary mash-up (more like a paintball fight) of everything from trendy tacos to sushi rolls. There are small plates, flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, sides and entrees, while the vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian dishes are labeled accordingly. For a chain restaurant of this size that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is located off a major interstate in a suburban area, low expectations would not be out of the question. However, Prasino has figured out saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 21

review new and notable: PRASINO The menu boasts “farm-to-table ingredients,” a familiar term to executive chef Tony Marchetto, given his time in Bill Cardwell’s kitchens (Cardwell’s at the Plaza, BC’s Kitchen). A perfect example: the gorgeous house salad comprised of mixed greens, sunflower seeds, goat cheese, red onions, orange segments and juicy ripe strawberries (it was still the season) lightly dressed with a vinaigrette. The menu allows for sharing or assembling a meal from myriad components. Salad plus flatbread makes for a good combo, especially if the flatbread is topped with bacon, caramelized onions and white cheddar, fragrant with a hint of fresh thyme. The wood-fired wheat crust is thin and crisp, sliced eight ways and served on a wood plank.

how to make a large restaurant ecologically responsible and vibrant, while paying attention to what matters most: distinctive food and drink.

The best way to begin a meal is with a drink. While the bottled beer is heavy on national craft brews, all 14 beers on tap are Missouri-bred, including a rotating selection from Bat Creek brewery in Bowling Green, a Prasino exclusive. The cocktail list is solid and extensive, replete with small-batch spirits and housemade syrups and bitters. The wine list is

equally impressive, with a broad selection of organic, sustainable, charitable and bio-dynamic wines from small, familyowned wineries. There also are offerings rarely seen around here, including wines from Greece and Austria. Even more impressive – and lacking in many St. Louis restaurants – is the inclusion of rosés (France and Portugal) and Missouri wines (Cave Vineyard 2009 norton, Chaumette 2012 chardonel) by the glass.

Of all the beverage menus I’ve ordered from this year, Prasino’s is the most varied, exciting and affordable.

Entrees are listed under the rubric “big” and range from wood-fired tofu to strip steak. I love the simplicity of bricked chicken, a traditional Italian technique that blisters the skin until shatteringly crisp but keeps the meat juicy. The airline-cut breast was made bright with a good douse of white wine, lemon butter, parsley and shallots. Prasino sources its chicken from Amish farms in Illinois.

These birds aren’t pumped up; they taste like chicken. Served on a bed of sauteed kale with halved, roasted potatoes sprinkled with smoked paprika, the meal hit that sweet spot of comfort.

A dish of pappardelle noodles, cooked to the proper chew, provided a Jackson Pollack palette of color, showcasing the season: yellow squash, verdant arugula, ruby cherry tomatoes and fragrant herbs. Where the chicken was comforting and satisfying, the pasta was fulfilling but light. The Chicagobased restaurant gives a nod to its new city with St. Louis pork steak, a thick, boneless cut that is rubbed, smoked, cooked sous vide in a Fitz’s root beer barbecue sauce

and finished on the grill. More tender than anything from my backyard grill, it was a sticky-sweet mess with a hint of heat.

On the side, a jalapeño corn biscuit and a mound of cooling shredded jicama and Granny Smith apple slaw. Tacos are all the rage, and Prasino’s didn’t disappoint. Four double-wrapped corn tortillas were held together by one long skewer, with fillings from a pork belly-scallop combination to vegetarian chorizo seitan. My short rib taco was stuffed with meltingly tender pulled meat and topped with Mexican cotija cheese, avocado and pico de gallo.

During my visits, servers were gung-ho about the place and well-versed about the dishes. But sometimes confidence superseded fact: The tortillas are from La Tropicana in south St. Louis, not Companion; brut is not wine; and rosé is not red wine (To be fair, the last two were more likely miscommunication between server and bar.). And it’s odd that the coffee served at Prasino is from Chicago and not from a St. Louis roaster.

At 8,500 square feet with seating for 280 inside and 100 outside, Prasino is as eco-normous as it is eco-chic. On packed weekend nights, the volume in the bar and dining area is as loud as the ceiling is high. The space feels inviting though, with massive floor-to-ceiling, gleaming, custom-made glass wine coolers (energy efficient, of course) and dark wood flooring (reclaimed, of course).

While the newcomer sits on a banal location: the former site of Noah’s Ark, now known as The Streets of St. Charles at Interstate 70 and Fifth Street, Prasino defies the expected trappings of size and location with a scratch kitchen, an environmental focus and above average food. No translation needed.

AT A GLANCE: prasino Don’t Miss Dishes bricked chicken, short rib taco

Vibe polished yet comfortable, rustic yet contemporary, loud and louder

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Entree Prices $16 to $29. Smaller plates run $7 to $16.

Where 1520 S. Fifth St., St. Charles, 636.277.0202, prasino.com

When Mon. to Thu. – 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 8 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., Sun. – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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review

Nightlife: Hiro Asian Kitchen

nightlife: hiro asian kitchen

by Matt berkley • Photos by jonathan gayman

wafts of steam escaping before a server ceremoniously pops the wooden hatch.

The dumplings, overstuffed and delightful, are complemented with a savory ponzu dipping sauce. Guests will likewise make short work of the lotus leaf-wrapped sticky rice. Not to be confused with a lighter lettuce wrap, this starter Hiro Asian Kitchen features a hearty 1405 Washington Ave., mix of shiitake St. Louis, 314.241.4476, mushroom hiroasiankitchen.com strings, chicken and lap cheong (minced Chinese sausage), resting on a mass of gorgeously soft and sticky rice (Think the best you’ve had anywhere on South Grand.). Likewise significant are oversized noodle bowls such as the Singapore Spicy Ramen, a bright red amalgamation of full-size shrimp, thick egg noodles and tangy broth.

I

n a time when simplicity, local sourcing and a “less is more” philosophy hold sway over so many bar owners and restaurateurs, it’s hard not to grin at a new establishment bucking all trends and, if anything, erring on the side of ostentation. Inside its chic little address in the nexus of Washington Avenue, the former Smash Bar and Sugar Lounge space has been reborn as Hiro Asian Kitchen. Part Pan-Asian eatery and part after-hours cocktail lounge, this ambitious newcomer is a bastion of excess.

Imagine if Benihana and P.F. Chang’s tied the knot and decorated their new downtown loft. That’s a close approximation to the look of Hiro – tastefully flashy. You can tell the owners threw some serious coin into this futuristic Asian-fusion redesign, which maintains a lively atmosphere throughout the night. Above the restaurant and main bar is an “ultra” lounge space, which caters to a young, after-hours crowd that packs the house until close (currently with the help of a DJ who spins house music and pop

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hits most Fridays and Saturdays). Lounge goers enter up a flight of stairs and down a hallway to a slick little loft space, which overlooks the restaurant below. Not so much a dance spot, the lounge (probably the most minimalist space in the joint) has a handful of benches, drink tables and a small but well-stocked bar. The upstairs crowd rolls in around 10 p.m. weekend nights, overwhelming the lounge (and the hapless bartender) and pouring over into the downstairs bar or outside to grab a cigarette on the street-side patio space. The restaurant also is flush with well-dressed groups of friends and the odd date night couple who mills around the enormous main bar or cozies up in one of the many bright wooden booths lining the opposite wall.

Nothing is small or subdued about Hiro, where, akin to the decor, even the small plates are substantial. Take for example the dim sum platter – a generous sampling of shrimp, pork and Shanghai soup dumplings served inside a chic little bamboo basket with

Like the food and furnishings, the drink menu follows a scattershot philosophy.

Sometimes it hits: the Hiro Sangria, a pungent and well-flavored mix of house wine, sake, ginger liqueur, honey and a little orange liqueur. Sometimes it misses: the Washington 1405 cocktail, a sugary and sad waste of good whiskey. Serious drinkers should resist the urge to try anything that even hints at being too sweet. Unfortunately, most of the cocktail and martini menu falls into this trap. An exception would be the Drunken Samurai, a fun little mix of Maker’s Mark and plum wine. When left to their own devices, the bartenders perform more than admirably with non-signature cocktails. It also helps that the bar is reinforced with an outstanding selection of hooch, a variety of sake ready for traditional service, as well as a collection of smooth Asian beers on draft and in bottle. Not to be outdone, management also has included a thorough wine list with a handful of smart and reasonably priced Malbecs, cabernets and pinot grigios from across the globe.

At times Hiro might seem overtaxed in its attempt to be everything. It’s a Chinese place. It’s Vietnamese. It’s Japanese. It’s Thai.

It’s also a lounge and, hey, a great spot to catch the game. (Did I mention the two massive flat-screens, which dominate the main bar?) It’s all over the place. But it’s also a hell of a lot of fun.

order it: Hiro Asian Kitchen

The Drunken Samurai is a fun little mix of Maker’s Mark and plum wine.

The dim sum platter includes a generous sampling of overstuffed shrimp, pork and Shanghai soup dumplings, complemented with a savory ponzu dipping sauce.

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Modern Flavors of Arabia: Recipes and Memories from My Middle Eastern Kitchen by Suzanne Husseini

review Cook’s books: middle eastern books

More than Hummus Middle Eastern dishes are as diverse as the cultures that hail from this ancient region.

Still, a few things are constant: vibrant spice blends; fresh, seasonal ingredients; and a hospitality that reigns supreme in the kitchen. These cookbooks offer instruction for everything from pilafs to sweet, nutty desserts – many with heartfelt memories from generations past. Join us every Tuesday at saucemagazine.com/blog as we cook and reveal recipes from these books. Then, enter to win a copy to add to your own collection.

– Catherine Klene

Balaboosta: Bold Mediterranean Recipes to Feed the People You Love

by Einat Admony

Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

The Lebanese Kitchen by Selma Hage

Malouf: New Middle Eastern Food by Greg and Lucy Malouf

Expert pick: Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij

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illustration by vidhya nagarajan

After 30 years in business, Hamishe Bahrami could probably whip up Cafe Natasha’s bevy of flavorful Persian dishes in her sleep. She and her husband, Behshid, are the St. Louis authorities on mouthwatering kebabs, delicate rice dishes and dozens of other traditional Iranian offerings. But even the experts need a refresher now and then. With so many regional cuisines in Iran, Bahrami uses Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies by Najmieh Batmanglij for inspiration and reference, particularly for soups, spice mixtures and rice dishes. “So far, it is one of the best ones there is,” Bahrami said. “It’s really good for someone who wants to learn Persian food.”

October 2013

October 2013

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vegetize it vegan paella p. 28 the ultimate: FRENCH FRIES p. 31 one ingredient, 3 ways onions p. 34 by popular demand granola bars p. 36

No Problema Paella

BY kellie hynes Photos by Carmen Troesser

For paella perfection, use the Peregrino brand of bomba rice. Order it online at Tienda. com.

Buy this 15-inch paella pan at World Market. $15, World Market, 24 Brentwood Promenade Court, Brentwood, 314.918.7800, worldmarket.com

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October 2013

T

he signs were there. Zucchini piled up like unpaid bills.

Twenty-minute recipes that felt 18 minutes too long. An empty sea salt container I couldn’t be bothered to recycle or replace. When I served scrambled eggs for the third dinner in a row, this home cook had to admit she was burned out.

The obvious solution was to check into a hotel with fabulous room service. The practical solution was to undertake a culinary challenge. Maybe mastering a tricky dish would bring my cooking mojo back.

Paella is a rice-and-things dish that hails from Valencia, on Spain’s eastern coast.

The “things” vary, but typically include meat, seafood and veggies. The best part about paella – besides eating it – is the special vocabulary paella aficionados use. Your pan is a paellera. Your sauteed vegetables are sofrito. And while you might call burnt rice a mistake, paella folk call the crust that forms on the bottom of the pan a socarrat.

Any dish that specifically instructs you to overcook the rice is right up my alley, so I bought a paellera and assembled the ingredients to make vegan paella.

Ironically, the rice was the hardest thing to find, since standard white rice won’t do. Instead, you need a short-grain rice that will soak up the flavorful broth but not stick together like sushi rice. The most authentic paella rice is the bomba variety, which hails from Spain and is hard to find in St. Louis. You can either order it on the Internet or make do with a medium-grain rice like the calrose type.

Paella is traditionally cooked over an open fire. I put the paellera on my Weber grill, sauteed the vegetables, added warmed broth and rice, and watched it all go up in smoke. Seriously.

Me: “Ahem, it’s a paellera, and it’s totally supposed to do that.”

(It’s not supposed to do that.)

This was the precise moment I learned that the secret to paella lies not in any one ingredient, but in how well you manage the cooking temperature.

Which means paella isn’t something you make from a recipe, it’s something you make from intuition. Like learning to drive a manual transmission, you have to practice over and over until you get the timing down (and the burning smell goes away).

So how do you manage the heat? I achieved the ideal temperature in my 22-inch Weber by starting hardwood briquettes in a 12-inch chimney. I also learned that you can open and close the bottom vents on a Weber – less airflow equals less heat and vice versa. This is particularly helpful when you want to calm the fire while you simmer the rice.

Not a fan of charcoal grills? The good news is that it’s much easier to control the heat on a gas grill. If you can add some wood chips to get the smoky flavor, so much the better. It is possible to cook paella indoors. It’s not authentic, but you can get pretty darned close if you skip the paellera and use a cast-iron skillet. The skillet fits on the burner better than an oversized paellera, and the cast iron will conduct the heat evenly.

It took me four days, three pounds of rice, two bags of charcoal and one gallon of vegetable broth to nail the technique and remember why I love to cook. The way paella spins a handful of basic ingredients into a spectacular meal is something truly magnífico.

Vegan Paella 6 to 8 servings 4 cups vegetable broth (If using bomba rice, increase vegetable broth to 5 cups.)

2 tsp. smoked paprika 1 pinch (15 to 20 threads) saffron ¼ cup olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 large green bell pepper, diced 1 large red bell pepper, diced 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tsp. minced garlic 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid 2 cups short- or medium-grain rice 2 oz. chopped parsley • Light a charcoal chimney filled with just enough briquettes to make a single layer of coals in the barbecue kettle.

• In a medium pot, warm vegetable broth over medium-low heat. Add smoked paprika and saffron, gently crumbling the saffron between your fingers. Heat broth until hot but not boiling.

• When the briquettes are covered in white ash, spread them evenly across the bottom of the kettle. Place a 15-inch paellera on the grill over the charcoal. Pour the olive oil into the paellera and swirl until the oil coats the bottom.

• Add the onion to the paellera and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peppers and eggplant, and saute until lightly brown and soft, about 10

minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and diced tomatoes with liquid.

Cook 5 minutes longer.

• Add the rice to the vegetable mixture, stirring to coat the rice in the sofrito. Add hot vegetable broth. Spread the rice evenly in the paellera and stop stirring. Close the lower grill vents slightly to decrease the temperature so as not to scorch the rice. Let simmer about 30 minutes, untouched, until the broth is absorbed and a golden socarrat forms on the bottom of the pan.

• Remove the paellera from the grill, cover with aluminum foil, and let it rest 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve directly from the pan.

Stove instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute the vegetables in a 12-inch cast-iron pan or other heavy, ovenproof skillet. Add the beans and diced tomatoes with liquid. Cook 5 minutes. Add the rice and hot broth, smoothing the rice evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Bake uncovered, without stirring, for about 30 minutes, until the broth is absorbed. Finish on the stovetop over medium-high heat, 3 to 5 minutes, until the socarrat forms.

Kellie Hynes is a home-cook extraordinaire and award-winning writer. Hynes was recently honored by the Association of Food Journalists, which named "Vegetize It" Best Food Column in its 2013 food journalism competition.

The conversation went like this: Husband: “Your fire is too hot.”

Me: “It’s fire. It’s supposed to be hot.”

Husband: “The paint is melting off the pan.”

October 2013

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October 2013

the ultimate

french fries

Photo by CARMEN TROESSER

French fries seem so simple because everyone starts with the same handful of ingredients: potatoes, salt and fat. Yet the results are as different as a shoestring fry and a waffle fry. What’s the best spud? Which fat is first-rate: vegetable, beef, pork, duck or even goose? Techniques run the gamut; soak them, rinse them, cut them this way, cook them that way. Frites-lovers, rejoice! We’ve done the legwork, so you can make the ultimate french fries on the first try. Tuck in. – Meera Nagarajan

October 2013

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home cooking the ultimate: french fries

the recipe

nts the ingredie

The ultimate French fries 2 lbs. large russet potatoes 1 quart peanut oil 1 cup duck fat Kosher salt

The potatoes

Russet. They have a low moisture content, which decreases oil absorption, yielding a fluffier, crispier fry.

The oil

Refined peanut oil, for its high smoke point.

The wild card

Duck fat. It seasons fries in a way that salt never could, imparting a deep, rich flavor.

Fabrique Delices Rendered Duck Fat $11/7-oz. container, The Wine and Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com

Graisse De Canard Gold Classic (Rendered) Duck Fat $19.50/12-oz. container, Kitchen Conservatory, 8021 Clayton Road, Clayton, 314.862.2665, kitchenconservatory.com

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• Peel the potatoes. As each potato is peeled, place it in a large bowl filled with enough cold water to cover, which keeps it from browning. Cut the peeled potatoes into 3 ∕8 -inch batonettes and return them to the bowl of water.

• Rinse the potatoes until the water runs clear by dumping the water, refilling it with fresh cold water and swishing the potatoes. Repeat 3 times. Once the water runs clear let the potatoes soak; an overnight soak is best, but 30 minutes will do in a pinch. When ready to fry, transfer the potatoes to a kitchen towel and dry completely.

• Pour the peanut oil and duck fat into a Dutch oven. Heat the oil and duck fat until the liquid reaches 350 degrees. Then raise the flame to high. Using a spider, lower the potatoes into the hot oil. (The temperature will decrease to about 275 degrees, but keeping the flame on high will assure that the temperature quickly increases to 300 degrees, the ideal temperature for this first round of frying.) Fry for 8 minutes, adjusting the flame to maintain the temperature at 300 degrees. Use the spider to remove the fries, which will still be pale in color. Transfer the fries to a sheet pan to cool to room temperature.

• Meanwhile, raise the flame under the Dutch oven until the oil temperature reaches 400 degrees.

• Once the fries have cooled to room temperature, return them to the Dutch oven.

Fry 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

• Use the spider to transfer the fries to a large heatproof bowl. Toss with a generous amount of salt. Serve on a paper-lined plate or tray.

TIPS Rinse, repeat, soak Rinsing and soaking draws out excess starch, which keeps the potatoes from sticking together during the frying process. It also results in a fluffier fry that is tender on the inside with a crispy exterior.

Euro dipping Fries are a European invention. So when dipping, why not do it Euro style? Axe the ketchup and go for mayo, the perfect counterpart to a quality french fry. For a kicked-up mayonnaise (with a touch of the USA), combine 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot pepper sauce with ½ cup mayonnaise.

tools Don’t guess at the temperature of the oil. Use a candy/deep-fry thermometer, and you won’t end up with soggy fries or burnt fries and a smoky kitchen.

Adding raw potatoes to hot oil will dramatically decrease the temperature of the oil.

A heavy-duty Dutch oven will retain heat better, helping to maintain a steady temperature. * Because highly refined peanut oil does not contain peanut allergens, most individuals with peanut allergies can safely consume it.

October 2013

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home cooking one ingredient, 3 ways: onions

ROAST CHICKEN WITH CLOVE-STUDDED ONION 4 to 6 servings 5- to 6-lb. chicken, giblets removed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 4 tsp. freshly chopped thyme, divided 1 bay leaf 2 small white or yellow onions, peeled and cut in half 4 whole cloves 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp. lemon zest 1 tsp. lemon juice

Worth the Tears

By Dee Ryan | Photos by laura miller

O

nions get a bum rap for making you cry and for fouling your breath.

Prepare a sharp, peppery salad with a raw onion as the base and, yes, you may seek some mouthwash. But introduce heat, and the intensity tones down. The flavor becomes mellow and sweet. When grilled, roasted, fried or stewed, this kitchen workhorse is more than worth the tears you’ll shed.

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• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

• Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Place the thyme stems inside the cavity. Place the bay leaf on the outside of 1 onion half and affix it to the onion using a whole clove. Pierce the other 3 onion halves with 1 clove each. Place the onions inside the chicken cavity.

• Combine the butter, 3 teaspoons chopped thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon salt into a paste. Massage half of the paste underneath the chicken skin. Massage the outside of the skin with the remaining paste.

• Tie the legs together with butcher string.

Place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan on a rack. Bake 1 hour.

Remove from oven. Let rest 15 minutes.

• Remove the onions from the cavity, discarding the cloves and bay leaf. Place the onions in a saucepan. Pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup and refrigerate 15 minutes.

• Carve the chicken and cover with foil.

• Remove the measuring cup from the refrigerator and skim off the fat. Add the remaining drippings to the saucepan with the onion. Cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes. Using a fork, mash together the onions and the drippings. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon chopped thyme.

Spoon the onions over the chicken and serve.

October 2013

ONION STRINGS 4 to 6 servings 1 red onion, very thinly sliced 2 cups buttermilk 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup medium-grind cornmeal 1 Tbsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper 1 to 2 quarts canola oil, for frying • Place the red onion in a dish and cover with buttermilk, tossing to coat. Soak 1 hour.

• Mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, pour 1 to 2 quarts canola oil, enough to fill 2 inches of the pot. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.

• Using tongs, remove ¹∕³ cup onions from the buttermilk, place into the flour mixture and toss to coat. Shake off excess flour and carefully place the onions in the hot oil. Use a spider or a long-handled metal slotted spoon to lightly break up the onions; do not let them clump together.

• As soon as the onions turn golden brown, about 2 minutes or less, use the slotted spoon or spider to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat in batches.

October 2013

GLAZED CIPOLLINI ONIONS WITH CARROTS 6 servings 1½ lbs. cipollini onions, peeled (can use pearl onions) 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 cup vegetable broth ¹∕³ cup orange juice 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 Tbsp. molasses 1 tsp. orange zest 1 tsp. crushed coriander seeds 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch disks Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Cilantro, for garnish • Cook the onions in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water. Trim the ends.

• Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden.

• Stir in the vegetable broth, orange juice, balsamic, brown sugar, molasses, orange zest and coriander.

Add the carrots.

• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Stir occasionally, adding water if necessary.

• Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 35

home cooking

By Popular Demand: granola bars

Eaten a dish at an area restaurant that you’d do just about anything to make at home? Email us at pr@ saucemagazine.com to tell us about it.

Then let us do our best to deliver the recipe By Popular Demand.

Companion’s Granola Bars Courtesy of Companion’s Josh Allen 24 servings For the filling: ½ cup sugar ¹∕³ cup packed brown sugar ½ tsp. sea salt 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 ∕8 cup honey 1 Tbsp. vanilla 1 large egg ½ cup cake flour 1 Tbsp. milk ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, roasted ¹∕³ cup sunflower seeds ½ cup chocolate chips ½ cup pecans, chopped ¼ cup dried cranberries

Companion 8143 Maryland Ave., Clayton, 314.721.5454; 9781 Clayton Road, Ladue, 314.218.2280; companionstl.com

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For the base: 1¼ cups packed brown sugar 3 sticks unsalted butter 1 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. sea salt 4½ cups rolled oats 2 cups all-purpose flour • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• To make the filling, use a stand mixer to blend the sugar, brown sugar, salt, butter, honey and vanilla at low speed for 1 minute. Add the egg. Blend for another 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl. Add the cake flour and milk and mix for 1 minute on low. Add the seeds, chocolate chips, pecans and cranberries. Using a wooden spoon, stir to incorporate. Set aside.

• To make the base, cream the brown sugar, butter, honey and salt. Gradually add the oats and flour until a crumb-like consistency forms. Do not overmix.

• Add half of the granola bar base to a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Press into an even layer.

• Add the granola filling on top of the base and spread evenly. Add the remaining bar base on top and gently press to evenly cover.

• Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until set. Let cool completely before slicing.

October 2013

photo by greg rannells

The granola bars at Companion are so good. Can you get the recipe? I am not sure if they are a dessert or a healthy alternative to dessert, but they are so good. [I] may not want to know how many calories, [but] the name “granola bar” makes us think “healthy.” – Susan Kottler

October 2013

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October 2013

Photos by CARMEN TROESSER

A jelly doughnut: the red-headed, red goop-filled stepchild of the doughnut shop. Does anyone still eat it? Or, more important, should we? In an era of avant-garde bacon-maple, Fruit Loop, bubble gum gonzo deviations, the humble jelly may seem as outmoded as the eight-track tape. And yet, after crisscrossing the metro area and sampling every jelly doughnut in our increasingly wide path, we’ve found that when injected with consideration, it’s a breakfast (or anytime) treat certainly worth savoring. – Byron Kerman

Kruta Bakery

Pastaria

The Donut Stop

300 St. Louis Road, Collinsville, Ill., 618.344.1115, facebook.com/krutabakery

7734 Forsyth Blvd., 314.862.6603, pastariastl.com

1101 Lemay Ferry Road, 314.631.3333, thedonutstopinc.net

The creative bakers at Collinsville’s Kruta Bakery have miniaturized the jelly doughnut into raspberry-filled, pillow-shaped doughnut holes called “Jimmies.” These cute little jellies, which disappear in two bites, have fewer calories, less guilt, less mess and might just be a stroke of genius: Some days you don’t need a sugar bomb, merely a sugar rush. Jimmies are available every day the bakery is open, and if you’re so inclined, special order them with custard rather than jelly.

October 2013

The Italian bomboloni doughnuts available at Pastaria on the weekend brunch menu are a revelation. Bomboloni are less sweet than their American counterparts ­– a doughnut for adults, if you will. While the filling changes each week, we can attest that the low-sugar Concord grape (made with local grapes) is bursting with flavor (while actually tasting like real grapes), and like the doughnut itself, isn’t cloying. This may be the jelly doughnut you’ve been waiting for. Order one with brunch as a tantalizing appetizer for the rest of the meal.

South County’s The Donut Stop is hardcore. This familyrun shop makes the light, tender doughnuts of fantasy daily. The Stop always offers a raspberry jelly-filled doughnut, but it also makes blueberry-, lemon- and apricot-filled varieties on weekends and by request. The chunky blueberry filling, in particular, kicks the standard raspberry goop to the curb. Order it topped with powdered sugar for a winning combo (and a day-long guilty reminder when you get powdered sugar all over your shirt).

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Rite of the 42 I SAUCE MAGAZINE I saucemagazine.com

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river October 2013

when fly-fishing calls by julie cohen photos by greg rannells

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t was late spring. The days were lengthening, the flowers were blooming, and, most important, the bluegill were spawning. A man in his early 40s and his 6-year-old daughter stood side by side on the edge of a lake. Helping her wield a fly rod more than twice her height, he taught her to flick her popper fly over the spawning beds. Between the bluegill hovering over their eggs and the largemouth bass hungrily loitering nearby, the man and his little girl quickly caught a bucketful of fish. But her elation over such a great catch turned to worry on the car ride home. Unable to fathom eating them and having already been told they wouldn’t work as pets, she begged her father to let the fish go. The man finally gave into her plea and stopped at a local hospital with a pond brimming with beautiful goldfish. “No one is allowed to fish here, so they’ll be safe,” he said, dumping the bucket into the shallow water. She then watched, horrified, as the bass promptly chased and swallowed goldfish after goldfish.

This was my dad’s idea of “hooking me early.”

Growing up, I loved to rummage through my dad’s basement office, running my fingers along iridescent beads, furry pelts and sparkly threads. To a non-fisherman, his small, cluttered space, also decorated with his favorite found treasures – rocks, turtle shells, turkey feathers, arrowheads, tumbleweeds – looked more like Ernest Hemingway’s writing den (if he also crafted Mardi Gras masks on the side), than a studio for a serious fly fisherman (i.e. one who doesn’t buy flies that “cost more than a sandwich”). Although I moved out of my parents’ house over a decade ago, a part of me stays with these flies; it wasn’t lost on my dad that the Blonde Leech, one of his favorite flies for trout fishing, requires the same shade of hair as mine, my sister’s and our golden retriever’s.

Into early adulthood, fly-fishing continued to play a minor, yet ever-present role in my upbringing. The first time an ex-boyfriend met my dad, within an hour, they were in the backyard practicing casting. My dad patiently instructed – “Careful not to let your rod go past 1 o’clock.” – yet silently judged the boy’s coachability and whether he naturally favored his elbow over his wrist when forward and back casting. Months later when we ended our relationship, my dad reminded me of the day when he noticed the boy’s inability to feel the line lay out behind his cast. He told me that right then he knew the boy would never be worthy of me, but he had waited to tell me because some things I just had to figure out for myself.

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Even when I played no part in my dad’s fishing, I still reaped the benefits. At least one time a week, if not several, my mom was frying, baking, poaching or searing the bluegill, catfish, bass or trout that my dad had caught that day. Or she was pulling a vacuum-sealed salmon or halibut fillet out of the freezer from a trip earlier in the year. For my family, to order fish at a restaurant was like ordering a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It just didn’t make sense.

These days, I’ve adopted the annoying and nonsensical adult habit of always thinking I’m too busy to do anything, particularly when the activity has no guaranteed yield for my time spent. So fishing trips with my dad have been pretty rare this last handful of years.

Yet, this summer I felt a compulsion to make the time. For several months, I’d been noticing Missouri trout dishes on what seemed like every menu in town.

Each time I ordered this local fish, I felt a peculiar mix of nostalgia and guilt. In my early years, I only fished for the rush of the catch, taking for granted what I now realized I missed – the process, the plodding and the primal satisfaction of eating something I had caught.

No, I didn’t become a serious fisherman overnight just so I could order trout amandine at The Tavern with a clear conscience. In fact, my dad and I have only been able to squeeze in a few trips

in the past few months, and we, mostly, didn’t catch much.

I’d watch the trout watch me as we’d start our song and dance all over again.

Sure, there’s been one or two A River Runs Through It moments where I would be standing in a cold, clear creek, listening to the swish of my line as it effortlessly danced across the cloudless, blue sky. After a cast, my fly disappeared, and I would yell to my dad, “I think I’ve got one!” I didn’t reel too fast, which would break the line, but instead allowed the 12-inch trout to run and dart and hurl its body through the air into brilliant, shimmering arcs. When I finally reeled it close, my dad landed it in his net, and we ran our hands over its wet, shiny skin, marveling over its beauty and noble fight. Then, without wincing, I cleaned it on the bank, using the technique my dad taught me. With just two cuts, one pull and one push, I removed its guts, gills, fins and bloodline so that in less than 30 seconds, it was ready for a grill.

But even after just a few outings – even when I don’t catch anything or the river is catch-and-release – I have rekindled my romance with the sport and the fruits of its labor. I can more clearly conjure the frustration of peering through clear water at a trout that refuses to bite and the consequent exaltation when one finally does. I can picture the tight loop my line makes on the rare perfect cast. I can imagine the strange sensation of cold water rushing around waders that keep my legs and feet bone dry. And I can marvel at the velvet touch of a trout belly when I’m holding it underwater, letting the water glide over its gills before releasing it back into the stream.

More often though, I was squinting at a ball of line, once again, so inexplicably tangled that I had to break it off and retie my fly. Or I was slowly wading over to my dad, so he could pick out a new fly because I’d been watching the trout ignore mine for what felt like days. He’d pull one of the gazillion little boxes out of his fishing vest and trade my Wooly Bugger for another bizarrely named fly that was sure to get a bite, even though the last one came with the same vote of confidence. In my oversized footy pajamalooking waders, I’d stumble-step back to my spot while my dad warned me about not letting the trout “sense my presence.” Then,

Even though I’ll never be the fisherman my dad is, catching fish for my family until their brains explode from too much vitamin D, the river calls me too. And by returning to the water, I remember my reverence for all it has given me.

Want to catch trout? Check out Missouri Department of Conservation’s website to plan your next outing: mdc.mo.gov/fishing/ places-fish/trout-areas. But before you go, learn to tie your own flies and master the basic fly-fishing cast at T. Hargrove Fly Fishing Inc., located at 9024 Manchester Road: thargrove.com/flytycst.html.

Recipes on pages 46 and 47.

October 2013

October 2013

Westover Farms Missouri fly-fishing resort 546 Hwy. BB, Steelville, 573.743.6284, westoverfarms.com

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Trout Amandine Courtesy of The Tavern Kitchen & Bar’s Justin Haifley 2 servings ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, divided ¼ cup ground almonds ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs ½ Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste ½ lb. French green beans, ends trimmed 2 shallots, thinly sliced Freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 “clear cut” rainbow trout* (4 fillets) Juice of ½ lemon • Mix together ½ cup butter, ground almonds, panko breadcrumbs and ½ tablespoon salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

• Blanch the green beans in a pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes.

Drain and set aside.

• In a 10-inch pan, saute the shallots in the remaining butter until translucent. Add the green beans and saute 2 minutes, until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

• Gently season the fillets with salt and pepper. Using an offset spatula, spread 2½ tablespoons of the almond butter evenly on the flesh side of each fillet.

• Heat a 12-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Place two fillets butterside down and sear for 3 minutes.

• With a spatula, carefully flip the fillets and cook 2 more minutes, until almost cooked through. Repeat with the other fillets.

• Place two fillets on each plate and squeeze the lemon juice over them.

Garnish with the cooked beans and serve. * When purchasing trout, ask the fishmonger to clear cut your purchase.

Clear cut means the trout’s belly flap is trimmed, and its head, pelvic fins, tail and dorsal fin are removed. It’s also butterflied and deboned. All that remains are two fillets.

The Tavern Kitchen & Bar 2961 Dougherty Ferry Road, 636.825.0600, tavernstl.com

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When a fresh trout comes through the door, in no time, the writer's mother whips up trout amandine by dusting the day’s catch with flour and seasonings and then pan searing it in olive oil and serving it with sauteed almonds. So simple. So good. For a foodier version of this classic dish, try chef Justin Haifley’s take (pictured), served at The Tavern Kitchen & Bar.

October 2013

Roasted Local Trout Fillet Sandwich Courtesy of Panorama’s Edward Farrow 4 Servings 11 oz. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for searing fish and grilling bread 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 6 thyme sprigs 10 basil leaves, divided 14 tarragon leaves, divided 4 8-oz. trout fillets, pin bones removed* 1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 mint leaves 4 medium-size heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 slices Companion Rustic Olive bread ½ cup cooked farro Petite herb leaves (basil, tarragon, mint, fennel fronds), for garnish 2 oz. fennel, shaved very thin Lemon zest, for garnish

Panorama 1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, 314.655.5490, slam.org/dining

• In a small bowl, mix 8 ounces of the oil with the garlic, thyme and 6 leaves each of the basil and tarragon to create a marinade.

• In a shallow dish, cover the fillets with the marinade and refrigerate 2 hours.

• In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and remaining 3 ounces of olive oil to create a lemon vinaigrette.

• Finely chop 4 basil leaves, 8 tarragon leaves and 4 mint leaves and place in a large bowl. To the bowl, add the diced tomatoes, 3 ounces of the lemon vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

• Remove fillets from marinade. Pat dry.

Heat a large pan over high heat. Add a light coat of oil to the pan and decrease the heat to medium-high. Add 2 fillets, skin-side down, searing until golden. Flip the fillets and turn off the heat. Remove fillets from the pan after 1 minute.

Repeat with remaining fillets.

• Drizzle each slice of bread with oil and then season with salt and pepper. Grill the slices until lightly toasted.

• Mix the cooked farro with the tomatoherb salad. Drain excess juice.

• To assemble: Top each slice with a fillet, like an open-faced sandwich. Put an equal portion of tomato-farro salad on each plate; garnish with petite herb leaves. Toss the shaved fennel in with the remaining lemon vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the sandwiches with the fennel. Garnish both the trout and the tomato-farro salad with lemon zest. * For step-by-step instructions for filleting trout, go to saucemagazine.com/blog.

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stuff to do:

this month

by Byron Kerman

Belleville Chili Cook-Off Oct. 4 and 5 – 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Downtown Belleville, 618.233.2015 bellevillechili.com Chili reminds you that you’re alive – and you will survive the winter with the aid of your internal combustion engine. With more than 70 vendors, be sure to pace yourself at Belleville’s 30th annual salute to the sludge of life. Besides chili of all varieties, you’ll find festival foods, a 5K run and 60,000 instant friends.

Grove Fest Oct. 5 – 2 to 11 p.m., Manchester Avenue at South Boyle Avenue, 314.535.5311 thegrovestl.com As the Grove gets more fun and funky, so does Grove Fest, a celebration of the vibrant venues on Manchester Avenue between Kingshighway Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue.

Food and drink vendors at the festival will include Atomic Cowboy, The Gramophone, HandleBar, Layla, Meyer’s Grove, Sameem Afghan Restaurant, Sanctuaria Wild Tapas, the new Taha’a Twisted Tiki and others. We hear that honey harvested from Chouteau’s Community Garden will be sold there, too.

Stay for the live music, interactive art and street performers.

Best of Missouri Market Oct. 4 – 6 to 9 p.m.; Oct. 5 and 6 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Missouri Botanical Garden, 314.577.5100, mobot.org Best of Missouri Market at the

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Missouri Botanical Garden gets bigger and better every year. Look forward to more than 120 vendors, including Market newbies like Gobble Stop Smokehouse, Ludwig Farmstead Creamery, Rick Jordan Chocolatier, Zettie’s Confections and J.R. Kelly Co., The Horseradish House. Browse produce, flowers, plants, herbs, candies, meats, cheeses, baked goods and much more from area farmers and producers. Don’t forget the crafts, live music, food court and cow milking for kids.

History on Tap: Bevo Mill and Dutchtown Oct. 16 – 5:30 to 9 p.m., Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center, 225 S. Skinker Blvd., 314.361.9017 mohistory.org We’re just gaga about these pub-centric neighborhood tours coordinated by the Missouri History Museum. This month’s focus, the Bevo Mill and Dutchtown areas, features stops at three very different bars: Al Smith’s Feasting Fox, Grbic Restaurant and The Civil Life Brewing Co. Historian Michael Allen displays relevant artifacts at the museum, then offers presentations, apps and drinks at each stop. Call for reservations.

Craftoberfest Oct. 17 – 5 to 10 p.m., Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., 3229 Washington Ave., 314.783.7666 craftoberfest.com Craft beer and indie arts and crafts share the spotlight at Craftoberfest. Urban Chestnut’s beer garden, lit by lanterns for the event, will play host to more than two dozen local October 2013

indie crafters and vendors of vintage wares.

Buy fun stuff and munch on Strange Donuts while you quaff Winged Nut Chestnut Ale or Count Orlok Black Pumpkin Ale, to name just a few drafts available at UCBC. Look for live music, prizes and tarot readings, too.

Classes at The Wine Merchant Multiple dates – 6 p.m., The Wine Merchant, 20 S. Hanley Road, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com Let us now praise the educational and bibulous classes to be held this month at Clayton’s oenophile heaven, The Wine Merchant. Intro to Blind Tasting (Oct. 5), Wine 101 (Oct. 10), Wine & Food: Pastaria (Oct. 15), Deluxe Wine & Cheese (Oct. 19), Champagne! (Oct. 25), Say Hello to Single Malt Scotch (Oct. 26) and Whiskey Cocktails (Oct. 29) are but a few of the fun-sounding liquor classes. Be a lifelong learner.

sponsored events Sauce Magazine’s Food Truck Friday Oct. 4 – 4 to 7:30 p.m., Tower Grove Park, 314.772.8004, saucefoodtruckfriday.com From tacos to bagels (and don’t forget the cupcakes), there’s something for everyone at this free monthly event. The fun continues at the after-party at Mangia Italiano at 3145 S. Grand Blvd., from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

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Downtown Fall Fest Oct. 12 – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 10th to 14th streets on Washington Avenue, downtownfallfest.eventbrite.com The Downtown St. Louis Restaurant and Bar Association hosts Downtown Fall Festival to raise funds to increase police and safety initiatives in the area. More than 70 restaurants and retailers from downtown will participate, along with two stages of live music and a kids and sports area. Pets welcome.

Harvest Festival Oct. 20 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Road, harvestfeststl.com Join Sauce magazine to celebrate the best that autumn has to offer. Harvest Festival will feature harvest foods from St. Louis restaurants and local beer from breweries like Schlafly, Perennial Artisan Ales and The Civil Life Brewing Co. Area growers and artisan food producers will sell fresh local honey, apples, Kakao chocolate and other seasonal foods at a farmers market. Artists and crafters will showcase and sell their handmade wares. Families also can enjoy games, live bluegrass music and more. Tickets available online.

Parker’s Heritage Collection Celebration Oct. 24 – 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Missouri Athletic Club, 405 Washington Ave., 314.539.4470 This event celebrates Heaven Hill master distiller Parker Beam’s seventh edition of Parker’s Heritage Collection, a special selection from the finest barrels of bourbon in Heaven Hill’s warehouses.

Since Beam was recently diagnosed with ALS, Heaven Hill will make a $20 donation per bottle sold to the ALS Foundation in Beam’s name. Tickets available by phone. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 49

A Chat with the Three Kings Derek Deavers, Derek Flieg and Ryan Pinkston, owners of Three Kings Public House, found their throne in the former Riddles Penultimate space on Delmar Boulevard two-and-a-half years ago. Deavers is the behindthe-scenes biz brains, Pinkston handles day-to-day operations, and Flieg stocks the bar with craft beer so popular that the pub switches three to four of its 21 tap handles on an average weekday.

But there’s more than just brisk business happening at Three Kings.

Why did the three of you open a pub together?

DD: All three of us went to college together. We worked in the restaurant business there … so when this place came about…

DF: I was out of work, that’s why.

RP: I grew up down here. I always thought it would be fantastic to have a place in The Loop.

How’s being in business with friends?

DD: If you get in a fight with your business partner who’s just your business partner, animosity builds. If it’s friends or family, you just talk it out. You get mad, and the next day it’s fine.

RP: Business being good takes the stress off.

DF: I’m just easy to get along with.

How did the name Three Kings Pub come about?

RP: We kicked around a lot of names.

DF: I liked The Lion’s Gate.

RP: Falstaff’s. There was a lot of imagery. The character of Falstaff … with that being a former brewery, it didn’t really work out. The other name of Falstaff is Plumb Jack. But there’s numerous Plumb Jacks. We knew we wanted to do the pub thing. We wanted to have a crest.

DD: Flieger was surfing the Web. He found this place, Three Kings Pub, in England that had just closed down.

RP: The king imagery also [referenced] … the [University City] lions. We wanted people that live

down here to realize that we realize the history. We’re a U. City Loop bar.

DF: I wanted to turn this into a hockey bar and call it the Dump & Chase, but I got nixed on the vote on that.

What’s your favorite part about being in The Loop?

RP: The Loop is getting a rebirth – Mission Taco coming in and Nico and Tavolo V. When the trolley comes in, Wash U. building [student apartments], getting a world food market down here – all those things are going to just continue to make this an area that’s really vibrant.

DD: You have the greatest collection of restaurants and bars with the best craft beer on tap. You have Cicero’s, which is one of the forefathers in this. You move down with us, Pi, Moonrise, Mission and The Good Pie going in, which really focuses on [craft beer].

What do former Riddles customers say?

RP: In the beginning, we had a lot of people that came in and asked, “Are

you going to do what Riddles did?”

Sometimes people walk in and, even with the sign, they’re like, “Oh, we thought we were at Riddles.”

What’s the fastest you’ve ever run out of a beer?

DF: About two-and-a-half hours.

It was a Friday night. We ran out of something. I was like, “Just throw in the Game of Thrones beer.” And then it was gone. It’s called Ommegang Iron Thrones.

It’s a real top-notch brewery out of Cooperstown, NY. Derek, what’s with the ski caps you wear?

DF: I don’t know. I’ve been wearing those for 10 years.

RP: Here’s Flieg’s M.O.: He dresses in the summer like it’s winter, and he dresses in the winter like it’s summer. We’re trying to find a Three King one for him, but he’s like No. 1 Blues fan.

DD: Every time we try to get new uniforms for him to wear, he vetoes them.

Who’s the real king?

DF: I don’t want to be the king.

RP: There are three people. We vote.

– Ligaya Figueras

Photo by ashley gieseking

From left: Derek Deavers, Derek Flieg and Ryan Pinkston

Three Kings Public House 6307 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.721.3355, threekingspub.com

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