Monday, July 22, 2013

The Goose Gang Guide: staff picks on what's honking hot this week (Jordan)

Jordan gets behind the counter at both Gooses (er, Geese?).

By day he helps the Smoking Goose team make meat treats and on evenings and weekends, he slices cheese & charcuterie for guests here at Goose the Market. That full schedule keeps him busy...and hungry.

That's why local Amelia's Focaccia is at the top of his list. Delivered to Goose the Market fresh each morning, "it's the only bread I eat sandwiches on," he says.

Jordan likes that the generous slab of herby bread dotted with bits of toasty cheese is easy to cut into four squares for four sandwich servings. "After cutting it in four, I cut each piece in half the long way for my sandwich top and bottom," he explains. "It's got so much flavor and is nice and soft."

Those filling focaccia sandwiches help keep up Jordan's strength between his two jobs but also between rides.

When he's not at either Goose, you might find him peddling Indy guests in his licensed pedicab. "We worked the Brickyard 400 and MotoGP," Jordan says. "We're getting a day permit so we can pedicab during the Chelsea/Inter game, too." Hmmm, with a focaccia & salumi sandwich in hand, Jordan's customers may just know which team he's rooting for!

Friday, July 12, 2013

The Goose Gang Guide: staff picks on what's honking hot this week

Not all the kids in La Porte grow up eating South American soul food...

Kevin's Brazilian mom fell in love with his Hoosier dad during a teaching exchange. So in a corner of Indiana, Kevin and his siblings grew up around a table laden with Brazilian home cooking. Feijoada--Brazil's traditional black beans and rice--is still his top pick if he had to choose his last meal

Another Brazilian tradition, the churrasco, may have inspired Kevin's passion for protein. He knows it's as much about the grilling and the party as it is about the time honored tradition of butchering and sausage making.

After culinary school, Kevin took his meat parade to Virginia where he interned with local butchers and charcuterie producers. Earlier this spring, he joined Goose the Market's staff as another assistant manager.

So what's in the case this week that's keeping Kevin hungry? He's craving a break from the southern continent with fresh, whole rabbit from Gunthorp Farms in LaGrange, Indiana.

"You can't go wrong using rabbit shoulders and legs for a twist on coq au vin (lapin au vin?), but my favorite way to prepare it is super easy," he says. "Keep it whole and season the outside with olive oil, salt & pepper. Stuff the cavity with fresh herbs and veggies then roast for about an hour or so at 350F."