Henderson County Foodie

Recipe of the Week 5/14/07: Welsh Leek Soup

2007-05-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

You know, readers, life is funny... one moment, you're swelling with pride over the addition of your new Recipe of the Week feature. But, before you know it, a week has passed... and you realized that you forgot to post a new recipe for subsequent Mondays, after the first.

As your consolation for this disgracefully late Recipe of the Week, I have an extra special yummy offering for you: Welsh Leek Soup. The delicate, earthy flavors of the pureed-smooth soup are a wonderful compliment to soft, white breads that would be overpowered by intensely flavored soup. My mother prepares this recipe on the Feast of Saint David, March 1st.

4 large leeks
1 onion
4 potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups water
2 egg yolks
Salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pepper

Carefully wash the leeks and cut them into narrow strips. Peel the potatoes, slice them, and cook them in the water with a pinch of salt until soft. Mince an onion, mix with the leeks, and saute in the butter until soft, but not brown. Add to the potatoes. Wehn the vegetables are cooked fully and quite soft, put them through a fine sieve, and return to the liquid. Beat the egg yolks and with the cream; add a little of the hot soup to temper the eggs, stirring vigorously. Add to the rest of the soup, season to taste, and serve.

Note: Cracked black pepper is not only a perfect flavor component to compliment the soup, but is also a visually appealing addition.

Mangia!
--Seguin

Recipe of the Week 5/7/07: Baby Portabello Linguine

2007-05-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to HCfoodie's first ever Recipe of the Week! The site will now be updated with greater frequency, as I share some of my favorite recipes with you, the foodie at home.

This week's recipe was formulated by myself, during a week-long stretch of time when my mother and I were hurrying to rid ourselves of an excess of pasta and cheese before it all spoiled. Pasta Fest '07 was a resounding success, and this was one of the better dishes.

This is a clean, simple, nourishing vegetarian dish, that follows the authentic Italian ideal for cooking: start with good ingredients, and there will be no need to hassle yourself with complex preparation methods.

Baby portabello linguine

8 oz. uncooked linguine
1 tablespoon salt for pasta water
6 baby portabello mushrooms, slivered
1 tablespoon butter
1 scallion (green onion), minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Begin by bringing ½ gallon of water to a boil with one tablespoon of salt. Add linguine and cook until aldente, about 8-13 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté baby portabellos in butter with scallion and salt over medium-high heat until mushrooms are reduced and slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and hold. Return pan to medium heat, and sauté garlic until the flavor is developed and the garlic is softened, about 1 minute.

Once the linguine is cooked to desired consistency, strain it into a large bowl and add mascarpone and parmegiano reggiano cheeses. Stir and toss to melt the cheeses, then add sautéed mushrooms, garlic, basil, rosemary, olive oil, and pepper. Garnish with more fresh grated parmegiano reggiano cheese, if desired, and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Mangia!
--Seguin

More like, AppleBOO's: Applebee's of Athens (review)

2007-04-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

I know what you're all thinking... have I lost my mind? Why would anyone waste their time reviewing an Applebee's? They're all exactly the same!

Well, dear reader, allow me to respond to your assessment with a resounding, "Nuh-uh." Applebee's of Athens is shoddy, shoddy, shoddy. If it were an average Applebee's, or even a particularly great Applebee's, I wouldn't spend time writing this review, because the dishes at Applebee's are designed to be tasty, with minimal effort put into preparation. The supplies are shipped to each restaurant with most of the hard work eliminated, so that putting out each individual plate is a fast, easy procedure. So, when I come across an Applebee's that can't get its act together, I feel the need to speak up.

Applebee's of Athens was an average establishment when it first opened, matching any other Applebee's in flavor and quality of each dish. However, I first noticed this past June that the quality of the food was seriously slipping. The noodles in one of my friends' chicken parmesan were overcooked, and another friend's soup portion was inadequate. Every dish had a sloppy presentation, the onion peels were soggy, and the french fries were oversalted.

Hoping that the establishment was just going through a bit of a funk, and that quality would improve over the course of a few months, I agreed to return with my sister and her friend last month. I was met with flavorless, inadequately seasoned beef, and more of those pert-near-unbearably-salty fries.

I think the issue with this particular Applebee's is that they are far too busy for their own good. It generates a lot of local interest for being the only family-style restaurant in the area. The place was packed on a Tuesday night. That probably sounds like a dream come true for any restaurant owner, but if one's management skills are limited, then it is possible for a restaurant to become overly busy, and the quality of the food can suffer.

I don't hesitate to publish an unflattering review, because a little less business might be good for the place, and because your dining experience could certainly be better. You can get a better hamburger at Whataburger for far less money. Dining at Applebee's of Athens is an unpleasant experience, and not even the attemptedly august presence of Tyler Florence's Ultimate Face staring up at you from the menu lends credit to this unprofessional establishment.

D

Mangia (at somewhere other than Applebee's of Athens)!

--Seguin

Your blogger ruins everything, discovers a wealth of support

2007-04-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning: Your blogger saw the greatest food-related disaster via misunderstanding since January 31st, when puckish Top Chef runner-up Marcel Vigneron misplaced his kona kampachi fish before the finale, and was unable to utilize it as a component in his third course. Unlike Marcel, however, my own error was not due to having two unmotivated saboteurs as sous chefs. I'm just a little dyslexic (and a little bit rock 'n roll, but that's neither here nor there).

This past week marked the annual Henderson County Livestock Show, and the attached Project Show, an arts and crafts expo open to 4-H members. Throughout the course of five very busy days, I managed to complete nine baked items for the event: a 3-layer white cake, a coconut cake, a brown sugar bundt cake, a buttermilk cake, a turtle cake, a toffee-chip cheesecake, a chocolate tart, some chocolate-glazed pecan bars, and some chocolate chunk coffee cookies. All from scratch, of course. On Wednesday, I awoke at 5:00 AM to show rabbits, arrived back home in the evening, and spent no less than 7 hours finishing all of the icings and glazes for my various offerings (only the buttermilk cake could stand alone without embellishment). I stayed up until 3:00 AM completing and assembling all of my dishes. I was awake and on my feet for 22 consecutive hours, and by the time I went to bed, my feet literally felt like they were on fire.

When I awoke just 3 hours later and packed all of my stuff, I felt triumphant that I had achieved so much, and relieved that I could go home in just an hour and take a very long nap.

Imagine my chagrin when I realized that I had arrived 45 minutes too late, and that my entries would not be accepted. I had misread the schedule, and thought that entries were due at 10:30 AM, instead of 8:30 AM. In actuality, entries were due on the grounds by 8:30, and judging was scheduled to start at 10:30. D'oh. As I put the "sexy" in "dyslexic," I did not catch that difference. I was absolutely devastated that I would not get to exhibit my projects, since cooking is one of my greatest passions. I wept. And hollered. And then I wept some more.

As I went to water and feed my rabbits, tears were still streaming down my face, and I had to explain what happened to many different people in my vicinity. My friends Eric and Jessica caught wind of the fiasco, and sought to help me through a period of great anger and disappointment in myself. They suggested that we start an impromptu bake sale for a competition that our shotgun sports 4-H club was hosting on Saturday.

It was a great relief for me to be able to do something useful with my projects, rather than just going home and having their presence be an unwanted reminder of what a fool I had been. Though, I was still a little bit upset that I would not get to hear people's comments. Because of this, I was actually relieved when a goat shower passed by our table and ripped me a new one, Anthony Bourdain-style, by informing me that the billowy icing on my white cake looked "sick... like a cream cheese frosting." I was going to shoot back at her that a cream cheese frosting is nowhere near that fluffy, but I was a bit stunned at her exhibition of such a discerning palate, since she was a rather spherical young woman.

Chunky nay-sayers aside, our table gathered a lot of interest from some very sympathetic family friends, and my items sold out in about 45 minutes (except the chocolate tart, which we had reserved to eat ourselves as celebration/therapy). We pulled in a cool $200 to go towards buying trophies and belt buckles for our competition.

At the end of the day, I realized that, what would have been a mere contest between myself and others, turned into a stirring display of goodness and charity, from the people whose idea the bake sale was, and from the chivalrous customers, each one a family friend, and each one probably not really that interested in the items for sale, but wanting to help a person in need. When I stumbled and fell, others were there to pick me up, taking what would have been a meaningless contest and turning it into a true feast of love. And that, dear readers, is exactly why I have dedicated my life to cooking and the food industry... the desire to bring people together and make them happy. Thank God for missteps such as these, which reveal themselves to be blessings.

Greatest love,

--Seguin

Mangia!

The (huh?) Jacalito Mexican Grill of Eustace (review)

2007-03-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today, we will be exploring the delicious offerings of the incongruently named "The Jacalito" restaurant of Eustace.

Before we talk about the food, though, I simply must ask... what's with the name? The Jacalito? Why not "El Jacalito," or "La Jacalito?" Was there some confusion over whether the gender of the word "jacalito" is feminine, masculine, or neuter? Was a Spanish translation of the word "the" considered treacherous in this time of national uncertainty at the hands of illegal immigration? Or were the owners just afraid of getting their butts sued by the founders of "El Jacalito" of Austin? To my great lament, the world may never know.

Names, however, are not too important. The Jacalito is a quality establishment, and therefore, I feel as though a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (Unless, or course, you called your restaurant "The Scarf 'n' Barf." Then... you know. Actually, since I don't know what "Jacalito" translates to, this may very well be the actual name of the place. So maybe I'm better off not knowing the truth, after all.)

The Jacalito stands in the space that was formerly occupied by another Tex-Mex restaurant, the name of which escapes me. All I remember is that it started with an "M." (Mercados? No, that's in Tyler...) The previous restaurant offered about the same quality food, but with a very dingy-looking, depressing atmosphere. (Oh, "Menendez?" No, wait, that's DEFINITELY not it...) The floor was of bare, unpainted concrete, and the walls were constructed with cinder blocks painted a worn-looking white. The place was very bland and colorless, and not at all conducive to relaxing with your friends and enjoying a pleasant meal. The Jacalito has solved this problem with the use of some very warm, soothing colors, including textured terra-cotta walls. The floors are now a deep maroon shade, making them look more wooden than stone-like. And, thankfully, the very large windows are now tinted, so that you don't get the awkward feeling that someone on the street is watching while you eat. This huge difference leads me to believe that, if the "M" restaurant had taken atmosphere into consideration, they may not have gone under.

The ambiance is pleasant, and so is the food. It's very classic Tex-Mex (with a little more Tex than Mex), like my grandmother used to make (and this is a HUGE compliment, believe me). The dishes are simple, well-cooked, and pleasantly spiced. The vegetables are always crisp and fresh, and the fried tortilla products (chips, taco shells, tostadas, etc.) are fresh-out-of-the-oil warm. The cooks obviously have respect for the quality of the food, and can afford to keep the dishes simple by merit of the quality of the ingredients.

The service is fast, the prices are fair, and the menu is extensive. There are literally about four pages worth of menu options, and all that I've tried thus far are delicious. The Jacalito offers enough variety for patrons to make frequent visits without ever feeling bored.

One criticism I do have is that these people do not know how to build nachos. When I ordered the nachos, they put the meat on first, followed by the cheese and other toppings. This caused the chips to get soggy, as they absorbed all of the grease from the meat. Nachos should always be assembled so that the cheese goes on the chip first, so that that soft, mildly fatty layer can be a barrier between the crisp chip and the moist toppings. If you want the nachos (and you DO want the nachos, of the chicken variety; the meat is well-seasoned and succulent), ask your server to specify to the cooks that you would like the cheese to go on first.

Overall, The Jacalito is a nice establishment that offers nourishing, uncomplicated food, in a pretty and suitably rich-looking environment.

B+

(Recommended: Sour cream chicken enchiladas, chicken supreme nachos)

Mangia!
--Seguin

Welcome to Henderson County Foodie!

2007-03-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am your blogger, Seguin. I am an aspiring chef, and your new guide to the wide and wonderful world of the Henderson County culinary arts.

The purpose of this blog is to put the spotlight on the restaurant scene in my area. There is a wealth of fine local establishments which... alright, in all honesty, I just really wanted to start a food blog, and this is the only plausible subject on which I could write. I may be a bit of a bore to those who keep track of the internet foodie scene. I am not as witty as Charlus or Miss XaXa of Amuse-Biatch, nor do I have as intimate a knowledge of food as Keckler of Television Without Pity. What I do have, however, is a playful palate, and a willingness to experiment and share my love of food. I have always been of the opinion that the small-town restaurant scene is seriously overlooked. This is not San Francisco, or New York, but we do have some surprisingly great food in our area, and it's time we were proud of it. I am absolutely obsessive about food, and I look forward to sharing my tips for dining out, and ruminations about food and chefs in the media, with those who share my passion.

In this blog, I plan on providing restaurant reviews, general food musings (with a little snark sprinkled in for good measure), and, hopefully, an interview or two in the future (let me dream, please!). Admittedly, I will be posting a few articles which are not HC-centric, but I plan on keeping the focus mainly local. This may end up becoming a fairly general food blog, but I want to include plenty of materials to help others in my area get a taste of what's available to us, while at the same time, never shutting out other foodies around the world.

You may be asking yourself, "Isn't this whole thing just an exercise in pretentious scrutiny by a big fish in a small pond?" Why, yes! Yes, it is. See you at the next post!

Mangia!
--Seguin