Author: katherine-cox

At this point, we’ve all been eating our fair share of fresh vegetables—salads, sandwiches, grilled kebabs, more salads—and it’s time to think up some new things to do with the end-of-summer produce. Horse and Hound Gastropub‘s herbed zucchini and corn fritters put a savory, buttery finish on the summer flavors, and don’t require too much time in the hot kitchen! The frying doesn’t compromise their light texture, and the yummy chive and garlic flavor mixes perfectly with the sweetness of the corn.

With Horse and Hound’s recipe, frittering away vegetables is a good thing.

Sauce them up any way you want (or not at all!); they’re very versatile. "We serve them with Luther’s house-made spicy mustard sauce as well as a house-made chili jelly sauce," says owner Brooke Fedora (Luther’s her husband). Other options? Make a quick pepper sauce by puréeing some roasted red peppers with sour cream, salt and a bit of lemon zest, or whip up a spicy garlic sauce with yogurt, salt and garlic that’s been pulverized with a mortar and pestle. This recipe makes a big batch; if you’re serving them at a party, you can make bite-sized versions, no forks required.

Horse and Hound’s Zucchini, Corn, and Herb Fritters

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. habanero sauce
4 Tbs. grainy mustard
1 1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
3/4 cup zucchini, grated
1/2 cup fresh corn
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup chives, chopped

Heat oil in a large pan to 350°. Combine flour, salt, pepper and baking powder in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, butter, habanero sauce, mustard, garlic, zucchini, corn, parsley and chives; mix well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork. Do not over mix. Drop batter in heaping teaspoons into hot oil, frying for about three to five minutes or until golden brown. Yields 18 fritters.

Whenever I shoot off the "top three restaurants in Charlottesville" question to friends and acquaintances, the C&O pretty much always gets a spot. The revolving seasonal menu plus French countryside atmosphere make for a hell of a dining experience, and there’s that mysterious feeling of timelessness down in the bistro (where, incidentally, my favorite dates usually occur).

C&O’s elegantly prepared local rainbow trout will send you over the moon.

Their preparation of local rainbow trout stays true to the general character there—elegant, classic and oh-so-tasteful. The standard mirepoix is made with a trio of aromatic vegetables (usually onion, carrot and celery as in this recipe), but the additions of white wine, cream and fish stock amplify the traditional flavor and give it a rich, velvety finish. If you want a bit of variation, test out another combination of aromatics: parsnips, shallots, leeks, chiles and bell peppers could be selected to complement the flavor and texture of the fish. Chef Pete Jaketic points out that this dish has much presentation potential, advising that you can cut the parchment paper open at the table. He notes, "The release of steam is impressive, and it smells delicious.

C&O’s Local Rainbow Trout in Parchment with Mushrooms and Mirepoix

Mirepoix:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbs. finely chopped onion
1 Tbs. finely chopped carrot
1 Tbs. finely chopped celery
1 bay leaf
8 peppercorns
1 1/2 cup pinot noir
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fish stock
salt and pepper

Sauté vegetables in olive oil over medium heat with garlic, stir in bay leaf and peppercorns. Add pinot noir, reduce, add heavy cream and fish stock, continue reducing until veggies are tender, salt and pepper to taste. It should be a thick, nonwatery reduction.

Mushrooms:

2 Tbs. olive oil or butter
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cap portobello, diced
1 cap shiitake, diced
1 cap chicken of the woods, diced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Heat pan to medium, add oil and garlic. Toss in mushrooms, stirring frequently, then add wine. Add fresh thyme, sauté 10 minutes or until tender.

Trout:

1 whole trout with head and tail
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare a whole or half sheet of parchment paper according to size of fish. Butter with brush. Put salted and peppered fish on paper, place a spoonful of the mirepoix on top and spoonfuls of the mushroom mixture beside, and add a sprig of thyme on top. Fold parchment over fish, creasing paper twice where the lengths meet at the top. Continue to tuck and fold until tight, closing sides so that moisture is retained. Bake on sheet for about 15 minutes. When papio puffs, it’s filled with steam: It should be puffed for at least 10 minutes to ensure that it’s properly cooked. To present, cut an X in the top of the paper and fold open like a flower.

Local, organic, health-conscious, supremely tasty…what more could you want out of lunch? There’s a lot more revolution at Rev Soup these days, and the good, healthy folks of Charlottesville are thrilled. The little Downtown kitchen is steeped in the virtue of clear communication—the origins and farming methods of almost every ingredient are posted on the walls, some of it even coming out of the owner’s garden—and the new Corner location (on 14th Street) boasts much of the same, but it’s bigger.

Revolutionary Soup’s Tomato Basil Bisque gets fresh (as in fresh herbs) with us.

The Tomato Basil Bisque is a spot-on choice for any season, served up with a fresh salad or a fat, melty grilled cheese. To do it right, use fresh herbs; though the oils in dried herbs are more concentrated, freshly picked translates into a richer, deeper flavor. (Another tip for all herb-laden recipes: If you’ve got fresh parsley, you can use it to boost the taste of your dried herbs by sprinkling them together while chopping.) If you’re not familiar with the term "sweat" in cooking, imagine the opposite of sautéing—rather than cooking over high heat to retain the moisture, you’re trying to get the food to release its juices by heating it gently in liquid or oil.

3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic
2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup dried basil
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
2 lb. garden ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 cups tomato purée
2 qt. chicken stock or water
1 pint heavy or light cream
salt and pepper to taste

Roast garlic cloves in olive oil until garlic is a light golden brown. Remove garlic, set aside, and reserve oil. Sauté onion over medium heat in garlic oil, then add carrot and sweat for five minutes. Add basil, marjoram, oregano and thyme and sauté for an additional two minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, purée, roasted garlic and stock/water. Simmer about 30 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add cream and purée with hand blender. Salt and pepper to taste.

For those of us who thought romance was dead, landscaper Claudia Sacellary’s story offers a glimmer of hope—in the form of reconstruction. In 1981, only a few years after she moved in, her Batesville home burned down due to faulty wiring, leaving only the foundations. In that space today is a vibrant garden terrace brimming with color and life; even the chimney is bedecked with flowery growth, and Claudia’s artful textural combinations marry well with neat Victorian-style arrangements. My favorite bit of the garden is an old, dead peach tree that she trimmed into an arm shape, surrounded with luscious green plants that cling to it (plus tall, straight sprays for contrast, and bright blooms), and effectively turned into a living sculpture.

Once she and her husband were installed in their home, she found that she couldn’t ignore a longing for the wild outdoors, and a small landscaping business was born. That bud has grown considerably over the years, and now she’s a full-blown workaholic: Some of her latest projects include the Terraces at First and Water streets.—Katherine Cox

"The three houses here were built in the late ’30s/early ’40s, for people who worked on the farm. My mother-in-law, a countess from Hungary who had come over as a displaced person, owned it originally. She was teaching at Hollins where I was at school, and I met her son…for a young person, the whole saga was incredibly romantic. And those Hungarian men were born, bred and raised to charm women, and they did a good job of it. It was right out of the movies. You just didn’t have a chance.

    “I was living here at the time that our house burned, in 1981. I was gone for an hour when it happened, and I came back, and you know…denial takes over so quickly, and I said to myself, ‘I haven’t started a fire, I wonder what that is…’ When we started cleaning it up, I thought I’d like to use the good stone foundations that were left, so I made a little terrace, and I could even still use the chimney—we used to cook in it, hotdogs and things.

    “Now it’s the common area where we have a huge party around the solstice in June; everybody who lives here can join in if they wish, along with people who have lived here before who have become good friends.”

What’s your favorite spot at home? Tell us about it at abode@c-ville.com.

Oh, how tasty a nice, chilly martini sounds, right about whenever.  Especially when it’s made with fresh fruit…skip the smoothie and down an “eXpress” at the X Lounge! It’s not exactly vitamin-enriched, but it’s packing a healthy dose of courage (and I’m sure that the pomegranate juice does something good for you). Get some fresh summer berries to make yours—if you’ve got wineberries or blackberries in your yard, give those a shot in place of the raspberries. If you know you’re not going to take time out to make pre-drink purée, there’s much to be gained by people-watching from the Lounge’s second floor.

Instead of being a smoothie operator, get cool with the X-Lounge’s eXpress Martini.

There’s a lot of contention in the martini world: It’s now the age of the vodka martini, though connoisseurs revolted at its introduction, pointing out that the drink had been made with gin and vermouth for decades. Before that, they argued over how much vermouth should be added. One jigger. One handful of vermouth-coated ice. One drop, swirled around the glass. Alfred Hitchcock’s recipe was “five parts gin and a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth.” Honestly, I’ll take the fruity vodka version any day.

The X Lounge’s eXpress Martini

1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp sugar
2.5 oz. citron vodka
1 oz. pomegranate juice
splash of fresh lemon juice
lemon wedge

For the raspberry purée:
Put raspberries and sugar in a small pan, cover with water, and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently and press berries with the back of a spoon while bringing to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool.

For the martini:
Add purée, vodka, pomegranate juice and lemon juice to a martini shaker full of ice. Shake well, strain into a chilled martini glass and serve garnished with the lemon wedge.

Raw foods—and I’m not talking sushi—are starting to make appearances on gourmet menus across the country, namely owing to a tremendous amount of flavor and a wide variety of health benefits. Integral Yoga is the only spot in Charlottesville with a deli case full of prepared raw delights, including soups, salads and desserts. According to staff member Jean Majewski, raw (also called living) food has not been cooked, pasteurized, or exposed to heat over 110°, but it’s not as exclusive as you might think—the dessert list in particular is extensive, and you can feel pretty excellent about it since you’re getting goodies like antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

There’s boring ol’ tea and then there’s Integral Yoga’s Strawberry Thyme Fudge Bars—we know where we’d prefer to get our antioxidants.

There’s more where Majewski’s decadent Strawberry Thyme Fudge Bar recipe comes from. You might already know that you’re killing a vast percentage of the nutrients in food by sticking it in the crock pot, but she notes that cooking also destroys enzymes that help you digest, sending you straight to the couch in a post-meal stupor. “The primary benefit of a living food diet is that your body does less work to get more nutrients,” Jean adds. Ask for her at IY.

Strawberry Thyme Fudge Bars

Chocolate Fudge Layer:
1 cup dried cherries
2 cups pitted dates
1 cup raisins
1 cup cold-pressed coconut oil
2 cups raw cocoa powder or carob powder
   (or a combination)

Soak the cherries, dates and raisins in fresh water until soft (about 30 minutes), blend until smooth in a food processor. Add coconut oil and blend until smooth, then add raw cocoa powder and blend until thoroughly mixed. Spread evenly in a rectangular tray lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate until solid, about 1 hour.

Walnut Crumble Layer:
2 cups raw walnuts
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. raw agave syrup or honey

Coarsely chop walnuts in food processor, then add cinnamon, nutmeg and agave syrup and grind to a fine, crumbly texture. Press evenly into the exposed surface of the fudge, then turn it out of the pan onto another tray so that the walnut crumble layer is on the bottom.

Vanilla Cream Layer:
1 cup raw cashews
4 pitted dates
1 Tbsp. cold-pressed coconut oil
1 fresh vanilla bean or
   1 Tbsp. non-alcohol vanilla extract
1 quart diced strawberries
Fresh thyme leaves

Soak the cashews in 2 cups fresh water for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Soak the dates in enough water to cover them until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Split the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Blend the seeds and all the other ingredients until smooth in the food processor, then spread evenly on top of the chocolate fudge. Top with diced strawberries and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.

Makes 16 squares.

 This is something of a rarity ’round here: German cuisine, all rich and hearty and soaked in alcohol. The Bavarian Chef serves up a number of mood-lifting delights, but since most people can hardly get out of their chairs once they’re done, perhaps this relatively lighter dish is appropriate to start you off at home. (I was initially after the roasted red pepper soup recipe, but it’s a guarded family secret.) The sweet-savory blend goes perfectly with meat dishes, especially pork and sausage, and it’s also excellent with dumplings or pierogi. I put this out there because I’m hoping it will inspire someone to open a pierogi shop in Charlottesville.

Light German food? The impossible is possible with The Bavarian Chef’s Apple Cabbage.

From the first entry on the ingredients list, this recipe clearly serves a houseful of ruddy-cheeked, beer-drinking men, so half or quarter it if your dinner plans are less rowdy. It presents a full, tangy flavor that doesn’t need to be eaten in huge portions; just enough to complement the rest of your plate. If you’re up for it, try making Wiener Schnitzel: pound your meat of choice 1/4" thick, salt and pepper it, dredge it in flour-eggs-breadcrumbs, and fry it in a fairly obscene amount of hot oil. Prost!

The Bavarian Chef’s Apple Cabbage

2 heads red cabbage, julienned
1 medium yellow onion,
   diced into small brunoise
2 cups diced apples, preferably Granny Smith
2 cups red cooking wine
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups sugar
3 cloves
2 bay leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients (except cornstarch and water) into a large pot. Cook on medium heat until cabbage is tender, about one hour. Combine 1/2 cup cornstarch with one cup water and slowly stir into pot until red cabbage thickens. Remove from heat and serve.

Have a favorite restaurant dish? Want us to inquire about the recipe? Write to tastes@c-ville.com with your request.

Serving up homemade, homestyle chow since 1982, Tubby’s is a Charlottesville classic—it’s outlasted most of the city’s restaurants by at least a decade. Consistent satisfaction and affordable prices hold up its reputation, and down-home flavor is served up with familial generosity. Owner John Fragale’s Italian heritage inspired the addition of spaghetti and meatballs to the Tubby’s American-style menu of burgers, subs, potato salad and the like (all made on site, of course). Fragale’s parents owned the original Tubby’s sandwich shop across the street, and after a good stint in the design business, John felt called to drop his New York career and carry on their legacy. “I worked in a deli during college, and I think it just got into my blood,” he laughs.

Classic taste: Since 1982, Tubby’s has been giving our taste buds what they want, like this Grilled Sesame Chicken Salad.

The grilled sesame chicken salad is proof of how varied the Tubby’s menu is, and lots of folks like that about the place. Simple veggies, flavorful meat, crispy noodles—very satisfying. I think I would make mine with a soft, crumbly cheese, like goat or feta, and leave out the corn kernels. And I might have to get a little dish of the spaghetti and meatballs for good measure.

Tubby’s Grlled Sesame Chicken Salad

Tossed Salad (proportions are to your liking):

Crisp lettuce
Sliced tomato
Sliced cucumber
Shredded carrots
Shredded mixed cheeses (Tubby’s’ is a mixture of cheddar, Monterey Jack and American)
Chinese crispy noodles
Corn kernels

Sesame Dressing (makes 1/2 cup):

1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs. honey, warmed
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. sesame oil

Prepare chicken:
Bake a whole boneless, skinless breast of chicken (fresh or frozen) at 325° for about an hour. Make sure not to overcook the chicken. When finished baking, place the chicken on the side to cool.

Prepare dressing:
In a bowl, whisk sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and crushed red pepper to taste. Whisk in olive oil and then slowly mix in the sesame oil. Whisk until it is emulsified (either by hand or food processor).

Prepare salad:
Hand tear the lettuce. Add tomato, cucumbers, shredded carrots, mixed cheese, Chinese noodles and corn. Slice the cooled chicken breast and place in a hot skillet with half the sesame dressing (save the other half for dressing on the side) for about three minutes. Top the salad with the sesame chicken. Serves one.

Have a favorite restaurant dish? Want us to inquire about the recipe? Write to tastes@c-ville.com with your request.

The good folks at Vivace can really make things happen with seafood, and that makes for tough decisions…tiger shrimp? Mussels? Clams? So if it’s your first visit, go for all three. The Stuffato matches the flavors of the sea with white wine, garlic and lemon, and some rich, creamy risotto to boot—it’s not exactly dietetic, but a good proportion of the fat is olive oil. It’s way too tasty to worry about your diet, anyway, but unlike many restaurants, Vivace also has a good number of low-fat items on the menu.

Now. On to the making. A little pre-prep terminology sesh, for any non-gastronomists: butterflied refers to the cut one makes down the center of the shrimp, leaving the head and tail connected to prevent it from splitting completely. The sides are then opened to make a butterfly shape. To ensure that they absorb flavor, press the “wings” flatter with the side of your knife. A chiffonade is achieved by slicing herbs or leafy greens into thin strips—for a simple shortcut, roll the leaves tightly into cigar shapes before cutting. “This dish captures summer for me and for our guests at Vivace,” says chef Landon Saul.

Vivace’s Stuffato

For the Risotto:

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 Tbs. roasted garlic
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream whipped to a stiff peak
2 Tbs. freshly grated parmesan
     
Heat a large, nonstick pan to medium and add minced onion and olive oil; sauté until translucent. Add rice and toast until you can smell a nutty aroma. When the rice is toasted, add the white wine and cook for four minutes or until the wine is evaporated. Reduce heat to medium. Add salt, pepper and roasted garlic, and the stock a little at a time. Stir as little as possible. When the rice is tender, fold in the heavy cream and grated parmesan.

For the Stuffato:

8 little neck or cherry stone clams
8 black mussels or green mussels
1/4 cup of fresh calamari (optional)
1/4 cup diced red ripe tomatoes
2 tsp. roasted garlic
2 cups white wine
1/4 cup clam broth
8 large shrimp peeled, deveined, and butterflied
4 basil leaves chiffonade
1 lemon (1/2 for wedges, 1/2 for juicing)
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. minced parsley
    
Add olive oil to hot pan and add clams, mussels, tomatoes, garlic, white wine and broth. Cover and cook until the shellfish open. Place risotto in large bowls and arrange open shellfish around risotto. Add shrimp, basil, lemon and butter to pan and cook through. Add shrimp and remaining pan juices to the bowls. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with crusty Italian bread. Serves two.

Have a favorite restaurant dish? Want us to inquire about the recipe? Write to tastes@c-ville.com with your request.

Bellair Market never lets me down for perfect picnic lunches, and here’s one of the many reasons why: freshly made tomato-avocado salad with hearts of palm, all bright and tantalizing in the cold case. It’s a simple dish, and in my opinion, you can’t find enough of those any more—a good chef magnifies the flavors of a few choice ingredients, rather than blending them into oblivion with every spice in the cupboard. “In cooking, as in all arts, simplicity is a sign of perfection,” said Curnonsky, the Prince of Gastronomy. Hear, hear.

Bellair Market’s Tomato-Avocado Salad is simply delicious

Now, to get this recipe really, really right, you’re going to need to be picky about the details. Go to the farmer’s market for the tomatoes, unless you’re growing some yourself. And massaging some salt onto the chopped pieces draws the juices out, which makes them a more flavorful, less sulfuric addition—if you want them milder still, dice them. Most importantly, the olive oil shouldn’t be the stuff you cook with: This is the most serious mistake that people make when dressing a cold dish. Good extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil is usually the key to a magnificent salad. I like the unfiltered Ranieri (gold foil-wrapped) at Foods of All Nations.

Bellair Market’s Tomato-Avocado Salad

3 lbs. Roma tomatoes,
   cut into bite-sized pieces
1 whole red onion, sliced
1 bunch chopped parsley
4 avocados, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 can hearts of palm sliced into rounds,
   or 1/4 lb. sugar snap peas, slightly
   blanched

Dressing:
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. black pepper

Mix dressing ingredients in bowl. Toss avocado into bowl of dressing to keep from turning brown. Add other ingredients and you’re done! Serves 15, but can be halved or quartered.