Mardi Gras Meats: laisser les bonnes viandes rouler

At the Goose, we like to think Fat Tuesday comes once a week. But today is the big one: Mardi Gras! Stop by the Goose for your Cajun and Creole fixings and join the parade.

We've stocked the case with treats for Louisiana lovin'. Our creole mustard chicken sausage is savory and sweet with just a little kick. This loose sausage is like a string of beads...it goes with everything and turns any average dinner into a party on a plate.

Cut from the pork shoulder, tasso is a Cajun staple. Peppered and smoked, each bite of the Goose's tasso is packed with flavor and lends aromatic sweetness, a spicy bite, and piquant porky flavor to any dish. In Acadiana, you can bet tasso is in the jumbalaya but Cajuns also use it to flavor braised veg, stews, gravy, even crab cakes.

The Goose's andouille is inspiring...which we always suspected but confirmation comes from bayou-raised Jane, a regular Goose customer who grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, and married a Cajun with a good appetite. "His parents are foodies," Jane writes. "Food is a regular topic for the entire family with many recipes exchanged."

We get the impression that a lot of those exchanged recipes are originals, dishes that nod to tradition but let Jane and her family learn more about their heritage products in a new time and a new place. "Your andouille gave me the opportunity," Jane wrote to the Goose when she sent the following recipes that get us hungry for Mardi Gras meals.

Butternut Squash and Andouille Gratin
The sweet vegetables and smoky sausage make a delicious contrast. For more sweetness, sweet potato can be used in combination with squash.
1 medium butternut squash (3 1/2 - 4 lb)
4 shallots, pelled and halved across equator
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 oz andouille, halved lengthwise then cut into slices 1/4" or thinner
3/4 cup half-and-half
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
2 cups grated firm, nutty cheese (like Gruyere)

Heat oven to 350F. Using a Y-peeler or very sharp knife, peel the butternut squash . Cut in half and remove the seeds (a butter curler does this job easily). Chop the squash into 3/4 to 1" chunks. Combine with shallots in a alrge bowl and toss with vegetable oil. Roast squash and shallots until tender, 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the andouille in a dry skillet then drain on paper towl. Set aside.

Raise oven temperature to 400F. Return roasted vegetables to the large bowl and mash coarsely with a potato masher or pastry blender. The layers of the shallots will seperate; if not, rub gently between fingers to seperate them. Add the andouille, half of the half-and-half, and salt and pepper to the bowl. Fold into the squash. Pour mixture into a 1 quart au gratin dish or shallow casserole. Pour reminder of half-and-half over top and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edge, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Fingerling Potatoes with Andouille
1 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil, split
1 large onion, halved then thinly sliced
2-3oz andouille, halved lengthwise, then cut into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh Italian parsley to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash the fingerlings with water, drain in a colander. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp olive oil and toss in colander to drain any excess liquid. Spread on a jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with sides and roast till just done, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While potatoes are roasting, heave a heavy-bottomed large shallow pan or a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl remainder olive oil around the bottom and add sliced onion. Cook till onions are lightly browned, stirring periodically. Lower heat to medium, add andouille and rosemary, stirring to blend. Cook for 3 minutes more. Add fingerling potatoes, stirring into onion mixture. Cook 5 more minutes to finish potatoes. Turn off heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes to marry the flavors. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Making the Batali Blush

Ah, shucks, folks. Thanks for getting out for lunch and getting out the vote!

We're honored that our sandwiches took the top prize in Metromix Indianapolis' Best of!

The Goose is up for Best Sandwiches

If you think the Goose puts it between bread like no other, click here to vote for us!

The Goose has been nominated for Metromix Indianapolis' Best Of in the Sandwich Category. Votes will be counted until Feb. 27...or about 18 meals (i.e. sandwiches) from today.

Valentine's Dinner for Two: the Goose will give you the goods,,,the moves are up to you

Have you seen Cupid lately? That boy likes to eat. Keep him happy and he'll save an arrow for you and your guest when you pre-order the goods for a romantic dinner for two from the Goose.

Order before Friday, Feb. 11, at 5pm (317.924.4944) and you can pick up this mood making menu on Friday, Saturday, or Monday (Feb. 11, 12 or 14). The package is $75 and includes...

• one whole live lobster: these cold-water reds are over a pound and we'll poach 'em for you if you like, just let us know when you order
• half bottle of bubbly: toast your love, toast the day, toast the lobster, make a toast to toast; the dry, subtle, and elegant bubbles of this bottle match the stars in your eyes
• Fischer Farms beef striploin steak: raised all naturally on the pastures outside Jasper, Indiana, and hand cut by Goose truly
• La Valentina Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: a lip smacking red wine from central Italy with dried cherries, leather, and anise in the nose and a long finish piled with dark plums and spice...it's the sip to kiss that steak
• dessert for two: Rene's Bakery is layering raspberry buttercream between rich chocolate pastry and chocolate glaze
• your choice of gelato to serve with Rene's chocolate affair

Truffle Love: certified organic oils and honey with black and white truffles

Rosario Safina grew up in Brooklyn and used his business degree to work for gourmet mail order catalogs. His first truffle experience? Eating pre-cooked white truffle scraps straight from the jar...in a word: disappointing. "I was a bit perplexed," Rosario says. "It tasted like a sponge soaked in chicken broth and dirty feet."

That first impression didn't last long after Rosario met a 79 year old Italian man living in New Jersey. He imported fresh truffles from Italy during the peak of their early, early spring season. As the old Italian cut light-catching shavings from a fresh white truffle, he talked about not having any children to teach his tradition. Rosario listened...and ate. The meal and the old man's stories changed Rosario's opinion of truffles and his future. "It was a world of difference," he remembers.

After learning to hunt truffles in Italy and navigate the business of bringing them into the U.S., Rosario started distributing his prizes from the back of his car. "I'd pick them up from the airport, load them into the back of the station wagon, and go directly to the restaurants."

Today Rosario bring us the only certified organic products using real truffles. His organic olive oils infused with black or white truffles or porcini are gathering national attention for their complexity of flavor and extraordinary quality at reasonable prices. Just a couple drops on simple, lovingly prepared dishes is a transformation. Seared skirt steak, toasted cheese, mashed potatoes, even pop corn...the dishes don't have to be complex, but prepared with care and dressed with da Rosario truffle oils, the whirl of flavors makes a luxury of dinner.

Rosario's Organic White Truffle Acacia Honey will be featured during the Wine & Chocolate Tasting we're hosting this Friday evening, but it's on our shelves now, too. Just a little dollop is decadent over nutty cheeses, vanilla bean gelato, or drizzled down a seared duck breast.
Stop by the Enoteca for a complimentary sample of Rosario's truffle and porcini oils.

Gigha Bite: even your computer will want to eat this

Now on the menu in the Goose's Enoteca, Pickled Cucumber Halibut from the Isle of Gigha in Scotland is the mega bite.

The half-mile wide island has been community owned since its residents bought the island's deeds in 2002. Wind turbines power the entire island and provide income for its inhabitants since they can export net power to the mainland. These Cucumber Halibut are raised on a certified organic diet by small, family farms who raise their fish a sustainable, replenishable and controlled way. Their production is small so the fish are quite limited...but often requested. Their fatty filets have a clean, fresh, full flavor along with a subtle and silky texture.

Chris pickled the Cucumber Halibut and paired with the Goose's house made wild boar tasso, a porky slice that's cured and rubbed with pepper and cayenne before hot time in the smoker.

In the glass, the options are many next to this plate. First, we'll reach for Matteo Correggia's Arneis. This little rascal of a grape brings bright citrus and refreshing stoniness next to the wild flavors of a Scottish treat. Stop by the Enoteca for a plate and a glass soon!