My new favorite nosh in town: Twenty Tap

by The Part Time Chef 7. November 2011 15:04

I do love to cook, but mostly I love food.  Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, so we went out this past Saturday to a new place a friend of his recommended.  Usually, we don't have terribly high expectations of a restaurant, but we do go in with an open mind, always.  Twenty Tap met, exceeded, and phenomenally blew any idea of an expectation that I might have formed in the furthest region of my mind.  Simply put, it was fabulous and easily the best meal I've had in a tavern in Indy in over five years.  

The menu is small at TT, a fact I always find promising.  I like a chef and kitchen that figure out how to do a few things with excellence, rather than try to please every palate walking in the door with dozens of offerings.  TT's menu focuses on locally sourced produce prepared rather simply with interesting flavor combinations.  This is also how I like to cook, so I was a big fan from bite one.

Between the two of us, we tried several beers, a charcuterie plate, an Italian burger, and a Wrath burger.  The charcuterie plate had several stars, including terrine of pork and fig, local cheese, and olive oil poached olives.  In fact, this appetizer was so good that we wondered if the burgers could possibly live up to the starter.  We were pleasantly surprised, as the burgers were great.  Each of our sandwiches combined bold flavors with fresh, local meat NOT overcooked and assembled along side fresh-cut seasoned french fries.  Just to be extra special, I tried the horseradish aioli, and now, feel like I need to go back and try all the other aiolis.

Rather than prattle on and on about how good this meal was, let me put it simply:  if you like approachable, fantastic pub food, you really must try Twenty Tap.  It's the best of its kind in Indy, bar none.   

 

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Tags:

sausage | Slow Food | Restaurants

Carnival Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Sausage, and Dried Fruit

by The Part Time Chef 1. November 2011 12:29

I love this time of year...the weather is crisp, football is on, and some of the tastiest veg is in season.  About this time, I like to get creative with some of my favorite fall flavors, and I like it best when I can use local and seasonal ingredients.  While some people find the stripey, colorful winter squash fabulous table decor and little else, I find them tasty, appropriate, and perfect for a dish like this.  

Oh, and if you're in Indy and you haven't tried Good the Market's new Smoking Goose products, put your shoes on right now and go get some...their stuff is the best I've tasted.

2 medium carnival or acorn squash 

3/4 c. wild rice, cooked 

2T. golden raisins 
1T. dried cranberries 
1/4 c. apple cider 

2 links garlic or Italian sausage  (I used locally smoked Smoking Goose Garlic Sausage)
1 c. diced onion
2/3 c. diced celery
1T. fresh thyme

4 T. slivered, toasted almonds 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and turn upside down in 1/2 inch of water in an oven-safe pan.  Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bring raisins, cranberries, and cider to a boil and then remove from heat.  Allow to stand while you cook the sausage and such in the next step. 

Meanwhile, remove sausage from casing and cook over medium-high until no longer pink.  Mix in onion and celery and sprinkle with kosher salt, then cook for about five minutes, or until veg starts to soften. Mix in the thyme and season liberally with black pepper.   

Mix fruit and cider into the sausage mixture, and cook for five minutes, or until liquid evaporates.

Stir together rice and sausage mixture.  Stuff this mixture into the squash halves and mound up.  Top each filled squash half with 1T. almonds and bake for 30 minutes.

 

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Cooking | Recipes | Seasonal Eating | Slow Food | winter squash | rice | sausage

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