Front Burner

My first Front Burner entry involves Twizzlers. And later Doritos plus Budweiser. It’s a long story that begins with a slow, pinkly smooth sunset over South Dakota’s Badlands. It ends with a quiet, blue-green sunrise over grasslands. I’ll stick to the food part.

With night falling and the asphalt between me and the nearest town/anything, Rapid City, South Dakota, stretching fast behind me, my lack of food didn’t concern me. I was aiming straight for the tiny town of Scenic. The New York Times has cited the Old Longhorn Saloon as having the best burger and coldest beer in the middle of nowhere. As the sky turned from dark purple to a matrix of stars so dense it looked silver, I pulled the last Twizzler from the dashboard and imagined bellying up to the bar beside tattooed Tony and his biker gang who call the saloon their local watering hole. But Scenic was dark as I approached, including the Old Longhorn Saloon. Closed on Mondays. It was Monday.

It is somewhat difficult to see Sí coming up North Lombardi Street. The white building, with its two small windows and wooden door blends into the apartments of Richmond’s trendy Fan District. As I walked by, only the unassuming illuminated sign caught my eye.

I continued up the block to Kuba Kuba, where I fully expected to find a juicy hunk of mojo-marinated roast pork. It was New Year’s Eve, however, and Kuba Kuba was closed. I was glad their staff could enjoy the holiday with family and friends, but it was a bummer nonetheless.

Reeling, I remembered the white wall, the small windows, and the glowing Sí. I stood outside for a moment and read the menu. Tapas. Comparatively expensive (frequently mediocre) small-plates restaurants are everywhere right now and I am kind of over the concept, but it was getting late and the Scandinavian-modern decor and conversational buzz drew me in.

of P*NG in NYC.

Here's one recipe we tested in our test kitchens and you can view it in our April 2008 issue. I love the salty sweetness of the whipped condensed milk topping. Mango Pudding Recipe by Pichet Ong

Versatility says a lot about a recipe. Any dish should taste good, provided you spend the time and follow the instructions. For me, though, the difference between a good recipe and a great one is versatility. Rick Tramonto’s Mini Veal Meatballs with Caramelized Onions is a perfect example: The tiny, tender meatballs are mild enough to serve as a base in any number of other dishes.

We recently reviewed Rick’s new book, Fantastico!, and I could hardly wait to try out some of his small plates. Food editor Kim Sunée suggested we invite some guests and sample a few recipes. The guests were pleasantly surprised by the walnut-size pork/veal bites. Their favorite aspects were the crisp bottom and the meat’s lack of greasiness.

My mind was sufficiently altered by the caramelized onions and syrupy balsamic vinegar, but I had to figure out what to do with an extra 40 meatballs. It’s always better to overestimate, though perhaps not by that much. Here are a few of my ideas:

Lasagna - my Aunt Nancy always uses tiny meatballs in her lasagna instead of plain old ground beef or sausage. These are perfect; just spread them liberally between each layer of pasta. (Or have fun and use only one meatball. Like a king cake, whoever finds it would be entitled to royal treatment, good luck, or dish detail. You decide.)

Six months ago the thought of buying, let alone softening, gelatin was a remote one. There are some products that aren’t inherently compelling, and to me gelatin is one of them; I just can’t shake images of jiggling neon colors and Bill Cosby commercials. It was only after reading Pichet Ong’s  Mango Pudding recipe and writing about it for Cottage Living’s April issue that I could actually see myself purchasing some and willingly using it. The idea of “softening” it was a bit confusing, so I spoke with Kristi Crowe from the Cottage Living Test Kitchens.

She explained that softening gelatin is crucial, because it won’t gel otherwise. She went on to say that it can be purchased in two forms: sheets and granules. There is no real difference between them, only that the latter is more common in the United States. Both must be softened in a little cold liquid before being dissolved in a warm (not boiling) liquid or fruit mixture. Exposing the gelatin to cold water causes it to swell and helps it dissolve smoothly when heated. In this Mango Pudding, the softened gelatin is added to the lukewarm mango mixture so that it will melt and disperse before the pudding is chilled. 

Photo by mcbarnicle.

Honestly, there isn’t much I can say about Jogging in a Jug, except that it isn’t a joke. It happens to be quite real. I found it while walking down the drinks aisle of the Mountain Brook Western supermarket.

I forget what I was looking for at the time, but the title, the 70s-inspired graphics, and the monstrous health disclaimer (lawsuit, anyone?) stopped me dead in my tracks: “There is no scientific evidence that Jogging in a Jug provides any health benefits.”

Good job smoking them out FDA, we can all rest easy now.

It’s nice to see the government get involved when companies claim their product “cures or alleviates heart disease, arthritis, lethargy, dysentery, constipation, swelling of the legs, and muscle spasms; substantially lowers serum cholesterol and triglycerides; improves the condition of the circulatory system; cleans internal organs; prevents or reduces the risk of cancer, leukemia, heart disease, and arthritis; provides the same health benefits as a jogging regimen; stabilizes blood sugar levels in insulin-dependent diabetics; … and aids in recovery from viral diseases.”

(Oh, and we tried it. If you like chilled apple cider vinegar, you should give it a go. Otherwise, stick to prune juice or, you know, actually jogging.)

Photos by Rex Perry.