Monday, December 3, 2012

'Tis the Season: Sassaka (aka Bacon Butter!)

The lumberjacks in northern Italy know how to keep warm. Centuries ago--even before salame was a widespread Italian tradition--the tree huggers of Udine along the Slovenian-Italian border needed a way to keep meat on their bones...and to keep their recently butchered harvest from spoiling.

In their cool cellars, they cured pork belly and silky back fat under a splash of red wine spiked with garlic, salt, and whole black peppercorns. Both sides went into a cool smokehouse so the sweet smoke permeated the cured slabs but didn't render the fat.

The lot was finely chopped and blended with crushed sweet onions to make a paste that could be sealed in jars or rolled into logs. Kept cool and covered, the flavor-packed schmear would keep for months as the lumberjacks moved through the northern Italian forests.

To warm up from the inside out, those ancient foresters only had to toast a slab or two from their hearty loaf then spread on a thick layer of the sassaka. On top of hot toast, the "bacon butter" warms and begins to render for an addictive snack layered with sweet, smoky, salty flavor.

Come into the Goose soon for your allotment of bacon butter! We've revived this traditional recipe with all-natural, pasture-raised Duroc pork from Gunthorp Farms in LaGrange, Indiana.

Prep at your table is simple. Squeeze the sassaka out of the its package and let it come to room temp, about 20 minutes. Cut slices of crusty bread (we've always got local Amelia's loaves at the Goose!) and slather on the bacon butter while the toast is still hot, red plaid flannel optional.

Any leftover sassaka can be kept tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge. If properly stored, it'll keep till New Year's. But with flavor like this, we wager there'll be a need for seconds before 2013, Mr. Bunyan.
 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Now hiring: Enoteca staff!

Goose the Market is currently accepting applications for a part-time Enoteca position. Please apply in person at 2503 N Delaware St. ideally between the hours of 2-4pm. No phone calls, emails, or social media inquiries, please.

At the Goose, our team is passionate about great food and good people. Sharing this passion means learning about a quickly rotating selection of products, maintaining a great attitude & team spirit in a fast-paced work environment, and effectively interacting with guests to provide exceptional front-line customer service.

The Goose's Enoteca--a casual place to drink wine--combines retail sales of beer, wine, and dry goods along with food and wine service from behind the bar and table side. Menu changes are frequent so maintaining & effectively communicating exceptional product knowledge is key. Applicants should be self-starters who can prioritize tasks and accomplish them independently and reliably all while keeping our customers the number one priority. Prior experience serving, plating dishes, and working with beer and wine in a professional setting is beneficial.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Gobble, Gobble, Goose: order your Thanksgiving Turkey


Just a few clucks, er, clicks, and your name goes on the list for the tasty birds happily fattening up at Gunthorp Farms in LaGrange, Indiana. Greg Gunthorp has been tending a flock of all-natural, free-range, melt-in-your-mouth turkeys, and Chris dedicated the inaugural episode of Cooking with the Goose to make sure your bird is brined to perfection. Check out the episode, print a ready-made ingredient list for easy shopping, and get Chris' recipe.


Turkeys are available through on-line orders only. And when you place your order, you can tell us where and when you'd like to pick up your bird. Choose Goose the Market or Smoking Goose! We'll have your entire order ready at your chosen location and at your chosen date/time: the Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
 
Plus, one online turkey order will be selected at random to win a free turkey!

P.S. Man cannot live by turkey alone.
Don't forget the sides! Along with your turkey, place your order for lilly-gilding essentials:

Turkey Stock
Apricot, Chestnut & Tarragon Turkey Sausage
Goose's "Just Add Water" Brine Kit
Red & White Wines we've selected especially for turkey & all the trimmings

Monday, October 15, 2012

Vinyl Vibrations & Libations celebrates American Cheese Month

Things are getting cheesy this month for October's Yelp Vinyl Vibrations & Libatons. To celebrate American Cheese Month, we're putting together a purdy, curdy sampling of some of Indiana's delicious farmstead cheeses. Local cheesemakers will be on hand to sample out their lovely lactose bites and give a behind-the-scenes look into their whey cool craft. We'll be sampling out some special releases from Upland that evening, too! Got some cheesy records too good not to share? Bring 'em to spin 'em for October's Vinyl Vibrations & Libations!

Third Thursday of each Month, so next up:
October 18, 5:30-7:30pm
Goose the Market's Enoteca (21 and over only)

Celebrating American Cheese Month with...
Traders Point Creamery: complimentary samples & meet the new cheesemaker!
Jacobs & Brichford: complimentary samples from this brand new creamery in Connersville
Upland Brewing Company: complimentary samples of their latest seasonals, Harvest Ale & Teddy Bear Kisses.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

New Enoteca position available: now accepting applications!

Goose the Market is currently accepting applications to work in our Enoteca. Please apply in person at 2503 N Delaware St. ideally between the hours of 2-4pm Monday-Friday. No phone calls, emails, or social media inquiries, please.

At the Goose, our team is passionate about great food and good people. Sharing this passion means learning about a quickly rotating selection of products, maintaining a great attitude & team spirit in a fast-paced work environment, and effectively interacting with guests to provide exceptional front-line customer service.

To work in our Enoteca, prior experience serving table-side, plating dishes, or working with beer and wine in a professional setting is desirable.

Friday, August 31, 2012

We're growing! Accepting applications for Manager

Goose the Market in Indianapolis, Indiana, is accepting applications for Manager and Assistant Manager.

This full-service butcher shop works with local, domestic, and foreign producers to stock handcrafted foodstuffs including charcuterie, cheese, dry goods, beer, wine, and, of course, fresh meats. Offerings also include ready-to-eat sandwiches, gelato, coffee, small plates, and wine and beer by the glass. The team staffing the shop is passionate about great food and good people, and sharing this passion means providing exceptional front-line customer service.

The Manager is responsible for directing and executing the overall vision for the shop including managing people, products, and operations.

People in the shop include staff and guests. The Manager is responsible for the staff's schedule, training, continued education, and overall performance. Because premier customer service is key to Goose the Market's success, the Manager is also responsible for ensuring that people visiting the shop have a superior experience.

Products in the shop include a quickly rotating selection of prime foodstuffs. The Manager is responsible for stocking shelves and racks with products that represent the best in good, clean, and fair production. This means working directly with producers and importers near and far in person, in writing, and over the phone. The task also requires responding to customer requests and staff suggestions, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of potential new products and their availability, analyzing budgets for cost and profitability, and training staff on new products.

Operations provided by Goose the Market encompass services to the public (like custom butchering, assistance in menu planning. executing pre-orders, and much more) as well as the general working operations that keep the shop moving. Since the Manager is responsible for all these operations, the Manager must have hands-on experience in all aspects of the shop's operations which can range from making sandwiches and washing dishes to managing 500+ Thanksgiving turkey orders to structural upkeep and equipment maintenance. Besides these physical operations, the Manager is also responsible for financial operations including budgeting and POS systems.

The Manager should have at least 1-2 years professional experience working with budgets and fulfilling managerial duties. A passion for good food and drink is required along with strong interpersonal and communication skills. The Manager can expect to work with an Assistant Manager in executing some aspects of the position (including routine product ordering, staff management during individual shifts, and every day operations) as well as working with the owners of Goose the Market in developing and acting out the overall progression of the business. This salaried position involves about 50 hours per week on average.

Applicants for the Manager position should submit cover letter, resume and/or CV, and salary requirements to jobs@goosethemarket.com or by mail or in person at 2503 N. Delaware St. Indianapolis IN 46205. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible in anticipation of starting work no later than October 15, 2012.

Goose the Market is also accepting applications for Assistant Manager. While assisting the Manager in executing the overall vision for the shop including managing people, products, and operations (as described above), the Assistant Manager is responsible for everyday operations which include hands-on leadership of the shop's butchering routine in addition to custom cuts for special orders. Routine ordering, directing staff during individual shifts, setting and executing menus for sandwiches and small plates, managing product rotation, and providing exceptional front-line customer service, and training staff are also part of the Assistant Manager's responsibilities. This salaried position involves about 50 hours per week on average.

Applicants for the Assistant Manager position should submit cover letter, resume and/or CV, and salary requirements to jobs@goosethemarket.com or by mail or in person at 2503 N. Delaware St. Indianapolis IN 46205. Applications should be submitted before as soon as possible in anticipation of starting work no later than October 15, 2012.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

We're hiring meat mongers!

Goose the Market is currently accepting applications for meat monger positions. Please apply in person at 2503 N Delaware St. ideally between the hours of 2-4pm. No phone calls or social media inquiries, please.

At the Goose, our team is passionate about great food and good people. Sharing this passion means learning about a quickly rotating selection of products, maintaining a great attitude & team spirit in a fast-paced work environment, and effectively interacting with guests to provide exceptional front-line customer service.

Our meat mongers can expect work during their shifts to include engaging guests, responding to questions, filling & packaging orders, cutting proteins, portioning cheeses, slicing charcuterie, making sandwiches, stocking, doing dishes, and more all while in the public space of our open shop.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

We're hiring! Want to join our gaggle?

Goose the Market is currently accepting applications for an enoteca position. Please apply in person at 2503 N Delaware St. ideally between the hours of 2-4pm. No phone calls or social media inquiries, please.

At the Goose, our team is passionate about great food and good people. Sharing this passion means learning about a quickly rotating selection of products, maintaining a great attitude & team spirit in a fast-paced work environment, and effectively interacting with guests to provide exceptional front-line customer service.

For the enoteca position, prior experience serving table-side, plating dishes, and working with beer and wine in a professional setting is beneficial.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Come quick for Smoking Goose's latest release: Ossabaw Brasolara

Smoking Goose went back 200 years to source the ingredients for their latest meatastic release.

In collaboration with Connor Prairie—an interactive history park reenacting early nineteenth-century life on the Indiana prairies—Goose owner Chris Eley worked with livestock manager Kevyn Miller who raises Ossabaw pigs just as early Hoosier settlers did centuries ago. The breed’s history trots even further back than 1820s Indiana. These small pigs are descendants of wild boars in Spain, but farmers of yesterday and today prize them for their highly marbled, ruby red meat.

Back at Smoking Goose, Chris and his team transformed six of these historically-raised hogs into their newest protein production: Ossabaw Brasolara. Along with a splash of crisp, organic Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the Smoking Goose team spiked ground Ossabaw pork shoulder with sea salt, black pepper, garlic and orange zest before cradling whole, hand-trimmed Ossabaw coppa inside natural beef casings. Curing and dry aging for over eight weeks creates an intense and sweet slice laced with citrus and old world spice.

The extremely limited production of our hand-tended Ossabaw Brasolara means a lucky few can catch the delicious culmination of two eras in Indiana’s food history. (Time travel by taste? At the Goose, it’s our favorite way to go.)
Since the Ossbaw Brasolara won't be available to the public at Smoking Goose, come on over soon to Goose the Market (at 2503 N Delaware St.) for your portion!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Father's Day Package: Beer, Beef & Bleu

Too many ties, too much soap on the rope--give Dad a gift in good taste this Father's Day, Sunday, June 17! The Goose's Three B's Father's Day Package includes:

Beer
Brand new to Indiana as of this week, the Collesi Brewery's "Nera" is a prime example of the incredible craft movement now brewing in Italy. This 16.9oz bottle of stout brings robust but elegant old world flavors, satisfying bubbles, and a clean finish--perfect for the rich & creamy French blue melting over a manly ribeye still smokin' from the grill.

Beef
Blank Angus raised all-naturally on pasture by farmer (and father) Dave Fischer in Jasper, Indiana, provide the whole ribeye's we're trimming by hand into the hefty, boneless, 12 oz. ribeye steak that's made for Dad's plate.

Bleu
This cow's milk cheese from southern France has been made since the early 19th Century when a rogue roquefort producer began experimenting with his herd's rich milk and the bleu he'd developed on rye bread baked right on the farm. Still today, the intensely creamy slice balances rich herbal flavors with the irresistible bite of salty blue pockets. Four ounces mean Dad gets a snack while the grill heats up and a slab to top his master ribeye, too.

Pre-order required
Call 317-924-4944 or stop by the Goose to order your Father's Day Three B's Package ($30) for pick up Friday after 2pm or Saturday.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

another stork at the Goose

This next generation is guaranteed to have good taste.

From all of us at the Goose, congratulations and lots of love to Meat Monger Ryan and Jessica of Recess. These proud parents would like to introduce Olin Andrew, born May 29, 2012. Mom, Baby, and Dad are all doing well!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Girls Pint Out Cuts to Craft in review

Thanks to the great group of gals who came out for Monday's Girls Pint Out Cuts to Craft beer and cured meat tasting!

By popular demand, below are a couple of the resources we discussed during the evening and the menu of pairings...


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Easter Sundries: Egg-ceptional holiday eats from the Goose

Carrot sticks and chocolate eggs may fill the kids' baskets, but a little bunny told us you want meat for Easter...and we're all ears.

Terry Knudson has been raising lambs since he was 11 years old. Today, his twin boys, Conner & Hunter, along with his wife Jane work with him at Viking Lamb, their Morristown, Indiana, farm that supplies Indy's best chefs with tender, tasty, all-natural , and humanely raised lamb. Chris wrote this recipe for Roasted Leg of Lamb--rich with garlic, rosemary, and a sherry vinegar pan sauce--with Viking Lamb in mind.

Call 317-924-4944 to pre-order for pick up
March 30 -- April 7.
We highly recommend pre-ordering as Easter cuts sell out each year!

Lamb from Viking Lamb in Morristown, Indiana
Bone-in Leg of Lamb: $9/lb
(whole leg about 9 lbs; half leg about 5 lbs)
Leg of Lamb Deboned, Rolled, and Tied: $10/lb
(whole about 6-7 lbs; half about 4 lbs)
* Remember, other cuts of lamb like loin, shoulder, and racks are also available!

Whole rabbit
Raised all-naturally on Indiana's own Gunthorp Farm in LaGrange, Indiana: $9/lb--averaging about 3 lbs each

Limited Release
Sugar Cured Easter Hams
Cut from Duroc hogs raised all naturally on Gunthorp Farm in LaGrange, Indiana, these boneless hams are cured with maple and brown sugar before smoking over cherry wood. The Smoking Goose is preparing a limited release of these fully cooked, unsliced, heat-and-serve Easter hams.
$9/lb--only whole hams (6-8 lbs each) are available
Call 317-924-4944 to order and pick up at Goose the Market.
Call 317-638-6328 to order and pick up at Smoking Goose.

Applewood Smoked "City Ham"
We're curing and applewood smoking hams from Gunthorp Farms. They're available bone-in or boneless, but either way they're fully cooked, unsliced, and ready to heat-and-serve.
Boneless City Ham: $6.50/lb (hams are about 6-8 lbs each)
Bone-in City Ham: $5.75/lb (the smallest bone-in ham is 10 lbs)

Brûlée Sugar for finishing your Easter ham
For an additional $2 each, let us know if you'd like our housemade spiced sugar for finishing your ham (or pork loin or short ribs) with a sweet and savory brûlée crust. Instructions will be included with each pre-ordered packet, but you'll need to provide your own blow torch.

Call the Goose to reserve your Easter treats: 317-924-4944 or hop over to check out the goods!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

"Green" Beer at the Goose!

There once was a drinker so weak
On St. Paddy's green beer she would seek
Now her friends tell her
"Go to the Goose cellar!"
She's become a proud Hoosier beer geek.

A little Irish ditty to introduce some of the crafty, Irish ales now in the Goose cellar for your St. Paddy's Day imbibing. From Dublin's first brewpub, Porterhouse Oyster Stout, Red, and Wrasslers XXXX Stout.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Cupid uses an arrow but the Goose has what really works

Valentine's Day is less than a week away! Order our V-day Dinner for Two package and all you have to concentrate on is the lovin'.

Order by 3pm Mon, Feb. 13: 317-924-4944
Pick up Tues, Feb. 14
$75 gets you...

  • choice of Fischer Farms dry-aged 16oz boneless ribeye OR 16oz New York Strip ready for the pan or the grill
  • 1 whole live lobster ready for the pot
  • 2 servings housemade orange zest & cardamom bread pudding ready to heat & serve
  • 1 bottle Cercius Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010 (85% Grenache, 15% Syrah; 93 pts, Robert Parker) ready to set the mood

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Flavinoid Fix: organic stone ground chocolate now at the Goose

Taza Chocolate crafts stone ground chocolate from bean to bar.

Their direct-trade-certified cacao means a fair wage for the Mexican chocolate farmers they know by name. And the company founder even hand-carved the granite millstones still used by Taza today.

Stop by the Goose for Taza's 60% Dark Organic Chocolate Baking Squares, Ginger-infused Organic Chocolate Baking Squares, and Organic Roasted Cocao Nibs.

What to do with Taza's treasures? We're hungry for Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies, Chocolate Beignets with Coffee Creme Anglaise, and Nib Dip.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Batali is in the Playoffs: Sandwich of the Year

Just in time for the Superbowl, 46 Indiana sandwiches are facing off to claim Sandwich of the Year. The Goose's own Batali sandwich is in the running! Cast your vote here then come and order one here.



Only the top sandwiches will move on to the next round. You can make the Batali part of the Sweet Sixteen with your vote before Friday, Jan. 6th!