A Day at the Market: North Market Spices

     There nestled in the North-West corner of the North Market is probably the highest concentration of flavor in Downtown Columbus, a place where volatile essential oils rattle the seeds that bind them, where piles of gold(en Curry)  and Crystal(ized Ginger) abound, the very same wealth that lead (an admittedly bewildered) Christopher Columbus across the oceans to the shores of The New World, behold: North Market Spices!
     That's where I met Ben Walters, a man of above average height and jovial disposition, and the figurative Dragon to whom this treasure horde belongs. After a few quick greetings we retired to the upper deck of the Market where it was quiet enough to speak.

C-Bus D.- "So how long have you been in business, and was it always here at The North Market?"

B.W.- " 2 years, and yeah, this is our first and only store so far."

C-Bus D.-" Wow, I'd imagine the rent here is crazy, especially for a first business."

B.W.-" No, not really. The Market is actually built as a kind of small business incubator. They want to foster small local businesses, no big chains, they don't want anything like that here."

C-Bus D.-" So, when did you find food? I mean, when did it become more a part of your life than just sustenance?"

B.W.-" It kind of started early in high school with my hate for leftovers. I'd come home late from Hockey practice and not want to reheat something. But it really blossomed more, you know, when I was in college and I was the only person who knew how to cook. If you wanted a home cooked meal I was the guy to go to for it."

C-Bus D.-" So, what got you into spices specifically?"

B.W.- " I've always liked to add flair to my food, you travel via your palate to different areas of the world. But really what got me into the store was sort of a lack of access to decent spices. There are a few other stores in town, but the one I was mostly going to in college, I could never really get there when they were open 'cause I lived and worked in the down town area. It was really just impossible to get there when they were open. Then one day I was sitting here having lunch with my Father and something had closed in the market and I said 'God, I hope they put in a spice store!' And he said, 'Ben, that's a great idea.' So I filled out an application, went through the whole process and here I am."

C-Bus D.- "So you just sort of threw it together on a whim?"

B.W.-" Yeah, I'd never done any sort of business before and it's my life now."

C-Bus D.-" So, what's your process when you make your house blend spice mixes?"

B.W.-" Sometimes it's just me playing around with different flavor combinations. Sometimes it will be a customer who brings me a blend from somewhere else that they just can't get anymore and I'll either get very close or exactly reconstruct it for them. Sometimes restaurants will come to me and they want something blended specifically for them and I'll come up with a few bases and whichever one they like I'll refine. For example, yesterday I came up with a new blend for a new taco truck, well a food truck, called 'That Food Truck,' opening this Saturday(July 14th 2012). They wanted something custom for them and I threw together a few things till they found the one they liked. It ended up really good, they were really impressed, I was really happy with it, and it was really different from anything else I've come up with before."

(Short break in the interview while we nerded out talking about how amazing Columbus food culture is...)

 C-Bus D.- "Before I found North Market Spices I had to do most of my spice shopping online, which is nice when you already know what the spices are but it feels like a gamble buying things you're not familiar with, unlike here where you can see and smell the spices first. The rest of my spice shopping was split up between about 8 specialty ethnic grocers. And honestly, after shopping around so much I can say your prices are really reasonable."

B.W.-" That's kind of the point of being here. I don't want to feel like I'm gouging people. I want a high quality product at an accessible price, and like you mentioned about going so many places, I try to buy as much of that hard to find specialized stuff and centralize it because I know there is a demand for it. "

C-Bus D.- "So, while on vacation you're on a boat, and an errant wave washes you into the briny deep. Struggling to survive you latch onto a piece of floating debris and pass out. When you come to you're on the shore of a beautiful but entirely deserted island. It turns out that the 'debris' you latched onto happens to be a solar powered temporal stasis chamber containing a lifetime supply of one spice, what do you hope is inside?"

B.W.- (Obviously struggling) "Ooooooooh, always soo hard to answer....Oh man, my tastes always change so much.. If I HAVE to choose I'm going to have to go with our new 'Gunslinger Rub'. It's a really spicy Habenero rub. It's got a great flavor and a great heat, and its spicy enough I could probably use it to preserve some stuff. My favorite thing to do with that is just rub it on some chicken wings and grill them, so simple. And it's not a traditional Southern Style Rub, we left the Sugar out of that one. We sweetened it with Sweet Smoked Spanish Paprika and Sun Dried Tomato Powder, plus Habenero has that sort of fruity sweetness along with the heat. "

C-Bus D.-"What do you hope is not in the chamber?"

B.W.-" Hmm... What do I not use? Man, I guess, and it's not that I dislike Orange Zest, 'cause I do like it. But I guess it'd be Orange Zest, I enjoy it, but I think I could make it without it."

     And with a few minutes of discussion about spices, this column, The North Market, and Columbus food our interview wound down. (I ended up trying the Gunslinger Rub, it was pretty bitchin' but I wouldn't recommend it for people who can't handle heat.)

The North Market
Trigger Fingers Made with North Market Spices 'Gunslinger Rub'

Baba Yaga Ganoush

     Smooth with a subtle smokiness and a lingering bite, our Baba Yaga Ganoush  is a great dip or sandwich topper, low in calories and fat and high in flavor. If you're wondering why I related this Middle-Eastern favorite with a Russian folk tale I have just three words for you, "Mortar and Pestle." Look it up.

Here's What You'll Need:

1 Large Eggplant (about a pound and a half)
2 Tablespoons Tahini
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Black Sesame Seeds
2 Teaspoons Applewood Smoked Sea Salt
1/2-1 Teaspoon Habenero Powder

Here's What You'll Do:


1. Poke holes all across the skin of your Eggplant with a fork, the more holes the smokier your Baba will taste.
2a. (For those with an Electric Stove) On a foil lined cookie sheet place your Eggplant under your Broiler on high, rotating every few minutes to evenly blacken the skin. The longer you go with this step the more of a smokey flavor your Baba will develop as the smoke from the burnt outer skin makes its way in through your previously poked air holes.
2b. (For those with a Gas Stove) Using tongs (and an oven mitt, I hope you guys already knew this part) rotate your Eggplant over a medium flame from one of your burners allowing the skin to blacken evenly.
3. Bake your Eggplant for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until tender enough that a fork meets little resistance at the center.
4. Allow to cool. And scoop the insides into your largest Mortar and Pestle (or Food Processor if you're feeling lazy) and grind to a paste with all other ingredients, saving the Sesame Seeds for last and just giving them a quick stir in.
5. Gobble that shit down on some crackers, or tortilla chips, or even the traditional flat bread of your choice.

Restaurant Review: Park Street Cantina

     Nestled behind the North Market (a place I still have yet to really explore) lies The Park Street Cantina, a place oozing with it's own distinctive charm. Enormous portions, reasonable prices, and a plethora of house made sauces make The Park Street Cantina a notable addition to our beloved city. Mary and I both had a great time on both of our Park Street visits, the first being during Origins Game Fair when we once again failed to make it to the North Market before it closed.  The place is just plain cool, the decorations are neat, there is a weird ass claw game where you catch live lobsters, you can sit on a swing at the bar (which I hated while eating, but started to enjoy after the first pitcher of Margaritas), and the servers are super friendly in a way that suggests they are genuinely nice and not putting on an act(after a decade in the food industry I can spot the 'server act' and it makes me want to slowly choke the life from someone). That being said, besides the house made salsa and the 'Ultimate Mac and Cheese' which were fantastic, the food was kind of bland. I tried burgers and wraps, beef and chicken fajitas and tacos between the two visits and it was all very very okay. Maybe it was very authentic and I'm too used to jazzed up over spiced U.S. style Mexican food? I don't know, I just wasn't impressed.


Final Ranking
C+ (The food isn't bad for the price and at the quantity. They have great happy hour specials, a great staff, and all in all the place is just a great time waiting to be had. I expected more wow factor from the food than I got.)






Find them online at: http://www.parkstreetcantina.com/

Some Kind of Salsa

Pictured with Tortilla Chips

     Salsa is one of America's most popular condiments, second only to ketchup (or well ahead of ketchup if you go by cost instead of volume, which would be silly.) The problem with salsa is that it is expensive, can be ridiculously over salted, and if you try a lot of different types instead of sticking with the first brand that you enjoy, you're in for A LOT of disappointments between salsas that are worth eating.  So here is a basic salsa recipe that you can fuck around with and customize. In addition to the normal measurements I'm going to include a quick note as to what each ingredient brings to the salsa flavor wise.

Here's What You'll Need:
4 Diced Medium Tomatoes (Sweet and tangy, Tomatoes make up the body of your salsa)
1/2 Diced Red Onion (Sweet with a bit of bite)
1/2 Diced White Onion ( Tangy and somewhat Spicy)
1 Clove Minced Garlic (Garlic brings.... well you know, Garlic flavor)
3 Sprigs Minced Cilantro ( A classic Salsa flavor Cilantro tastes light and Springlike, but also sort of soapy, in a good way)
1 Lime worth of Juice (Freshness and acidity)
1 Tablespoon Sriacha Sauce (Heat, lots of heat)
2 Teaspoons Agave Nectar (Sweetness that mellows some of the harsher flavors and helps them meld)
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Kosher Salt (Salt doesn't make things salty unless you add way too much, it makes all of the other flavors more vibrant.)
1 Teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper ( Spice and flavor)

Here's What You'll Do:

1. Mix everything together.
2a. Enjoy it.
2b. Don't enjoy it, then modulate the amounts of all these ingredients until you do like it, then write your new ingredients list down as your own personal salsa recipe and blow your friends minds with it.

More coming soon.

     Sorry about the delay folks but an ATM machine ate my bank card and I have no other access to my money until the new card arrives. No trouble eating because I've got a packed pantry but it's difficult to pick up the odds and ends for new recipes when you're broke. Oh well. I should be able to access my money again by the 24th and then we'll see what's cooking.

Strawberry Smoothie Mini Cakes

     Hey, people! This is my first post on the C-bus Digest.  I've been behind the scenes the whole time....watching you through the screen....waiting to strike with furious food knowledge.

Except not really.  I'm not very into the whole blog writing thing.  It's not my deal.  I've mostly been Will's kitchen assistant, restaurant buddy, and food photographer (speaking of photographing food, I WILL be taking better pictures! I just found my camera cord so I don't have to use the phone camera.)

     What brought me to writing a post was my recent recipe experiment.  Strawberry brownies. No chocolate, just awesome berry flavor and none of that strawberry cake mix or nesquik bull. 

Originally, I was looking for a thick, fudgy consistancy and tons of strawberry flavor, but during tonights 1 a.m. baking excursion I created something marvelous and unexpected.

Fluffy, delightful and moist with a thin, delicate, glazy crust of sugar. They don't quite seem like cupcakes to me. There's something different about them, in my opinion, but I'll call them cupcakes.

This recipe makes a LOT of mini cupcakes.

What you need:

1 cup room temp margarine
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
1/4 cup strawberry yogurt
1/4 cup strawberry jam
1/2 cup strawberry guava juice
a dallop of honey (about a tbsp)
(optional) 1 tsp Mango Amchur powder

     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your mini muffin pans with cups. Spray the muffin papers with Baker's Joy, too. They stuck to our paper cups pretty well.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Feel ashamed as you 'sift' it with a whisk because you don't own a sifter....yet. Set it aside.

     This is the 'smoothie' part! Pull out your blender and throw the berries, yogurt, jam, juice, mango amchur, and a dollop of honey in there, then  blend well. Taste it. Its pretty good. Make your room mates taste it too. Set it aside.

     Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Whisk in those eggs, vanilla, and maybe a drop or two of red food coloring.
   
     Pour your blender-full of berry flavor into the butter mixture. Whisk it until its consistancy is uniform.
Whisk in the flour mixture about a half cup at a time. Whisk it until it is, once again, smooth. Scrape the sides as you go.

     Fill your cupcake cups about 2/3's full each.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until springy when gently poked and a toothpick comes out clean.

Om Nom Nom Rings

     Onion rings, that delectable taste treat oh so many of us love to... treat like the weirdo cousin of the French Fried Potato. Oh sure, they're cool enough when they're hanging around, but much like Arnie from 'Hey Arnold!' you generally forget all about them five minutes after they leave. No more! Onion rings kick ass and you should be ashamed of yourself for hurting their feelings. After a long and tearful heart to heart I decided to help them step up their image and take their rightful place in the world of appetizers and side dishes as the bold and blazing star of the culinary world that they are, and should have always been. Really, they just needed a change of wardrobe, out with the soggy, droopy, old rags they usually wear and into a crisp spicy new get up that will make you go, 'Om nom nom, sweet thing, om nom nom...'

Here's What You'll  Need:

1 Large White Onion (cleaned and sliced into 1/4 inch rings, or thicker if you think you can handle all that flavor)
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Cornmeal
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Peppercorn ( I used Peppercorn Melange)
2 Teaspoons Onion Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Chicken Base
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Oil for frying

Here's What You'll Do:

1. Combine all of your wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Combine all of your dry ingredients in a separate medium bowl.
3. Place your Onion Slices into a zip seal bag with half of your Flour Mixture and shake vigorously.
4. Pour remaining flour back into its bowl.
5. Take your rings out of the bag and one or two at a time drop them in your liquid mixture making sure to coat them evenly.
6. Pull them from the liquid and, trying unsuccessfully not to drip all over your counter, place them back into your flour mixture.
7. Pull the flour over the rings and press down on them with your open palm gently but firmly. This helps ensure that the flour adheres properly. At this point you can repeat steps 5-7 as many times as you want, though we here at The Columbus Digest would recommend against doing more than double dipping.
8. Drop rings one at a time into a preheated electric deep fryer or a Dutch Oven filled with about 6 cups of Canola or other frying oil. (Mary and I have a regular, Wal-Mart purchased Fry Daddy Electric Fryer, it's pretty damn convenient, resealable to keep your oil fresh for a few uses, and we feel like it was worth the $25.)
9. After about a minute flip each ring, a minute after that pull them out and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
10. Quickly wipe off your counter, I wasn't messing with you in step '6.' you probably dripped shit everywhere and it'll be the Dickens to get up if you let it dry.
11. Eat the Hell out of those onion rings, maybe with some ketchup that a wandering Hobo accidentally dropped a Basil Leaf into the way we did, or maybe with our Black as Midnight BBQ Sauce, or Wasabenero Sauce.

Spring Chicken Salad

     Light and refreshing, this dish trumpets that Spring has sprung with a burst of fresh fruit and fresh herbs. Though a quick warning, this is a bit more involved than some of our recipes...

Here's What You'll Need: For the Lime Mango Vinaigrette 
1 Small Ripe Mango (Peeled, Pitted, and Diced)
1/2 Cup White Vinegar (or Rice Wine Vinegar)
1/4 Cup of Clover Honey
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Juice from 1/2 Small Lime
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Lime Zest
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Here's What You'll Do: For the Vinaigrette 
1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Run through food processor on highest setting for 30 seconds.
4. Allow to cool completely.

Here's What You'll Need: For the Chicken
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 of your Lime Mango Vinaigrette

Here's What You'll Do: For the Chicken
1. Place your Chicken Breasts into a zipper seal storage bag and pour half of your Vinaigrette over them.
2. Squeeze as much of the air as possible out of the bag and seal it.
3. Give the bag a good shaking to evenly coat the Chicken and allow to marinade for 45 minutes.
4. Bake Chicken for 45 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Allow the chicken 5-10 minutes to cool and slice into 1/4 inch thick slabs.

Here's What You'll Need: For the Salad
Your favorite salad "Fixins"
4-5 sprigs of fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)
Juice from the other 1/2 of that Lime, you know, from before

Here's What You'll Do: For the Salad
1. Mix your usual Salad ingredients with the Cilantro and Lime Juice
2. Separate into 3-4 bowls and top with Chicken Slices
3. Drizzle remaining Vinaigrette over your salads.
4. Enjoy the sensation of a fine damn Spring Day blossoming in your mouth.

Restaurant Review- Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace

     The first time you hear the name, Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace you'll probably laugh, then you'll ask if that is a real place. Well, it is, and despite it's name it's really a very clean establishment. Set right in the heart of down town on 4th Street, Franks still feels like a hidden treasure tucked away in 'The Discovery District'.

   
     Upon entering you'll first notice the decor, off beat hand painted posters for musical legends and sports greats, using just enough clutter to evoke the feeling of a filthy dive without any of the dirt, stains, or spills and their immaculately clean kitchen is open and visible not thirty feet away.
     Since I'm newer at this blogging business I don't usually carry photographer release forms on me, so I didn't catch any photo's of the crowd but it was an eclectic mix from middle aged men talking sports to hipsters probably trying to eat a new item before any of their friends so they can become disgusted with it when it catches on, from soccer moms to a guy who looked so stoned the painting of The Rolling Stones kept looking at him like it was worried.
     Matt, our server, was friendly and talkative without being disruptive to our meal. He was very knowledgeable about the restaurants expansive selection without giving unsolicited advice or opinions.

     

    Now on to the single most important aspect of any restaurant, the food. I always try to make at least 2 forays to an establishment before I review it, preferably with a few friends in tow so I can nibble off thier plates and get a broader view of what the kitchen is capable of doing. At this point I've had about six of Franks hot dog offerings, and they have all been excellent. Pictured above clockwise are: Onion Rings (big, juicy, Onion Rings, the kind that actually have a big ring of onion inside, not the more common onion powder flavored corn chip tasting mother fuckers you see everywhere. These are onion rings worth hopping on a bus  to down town for...), The Seoul Dog (topped with deliciously spicy 'why won't you kiss me' Korean Kim Chee), and The Slappy Pappy's Super Sloppy ( my arteries may never be the same, but they will ALWAYS look back at this heaping mess of a hot dog with fond memories and hopes for many happy returns.) The price for everything shown above: about ten bucks, well worth it for the quality ingredients, creative flair, and amazing flavors.

Final Ranking

A+ (Great food at great prices, unique decor, great service, and a ton of culinary creativity, Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace turn Hot Dogs from what you eat when the burgers run out into a show stopping flavor powerhouse.)

Plus I saw this on the way in... how sweet is that?!

Dirty Franks Online

Potato Candy?

     Yes, Potato Candy, soft, creamy, delicious, puzzlement inducing. The most common reaction when I mention Potato Candy is, 'Potato What? Eww!' The most common reaction when people try it for the first time is, 'Oh wow, that's amazing! There are potatoes in this?' Now normally I try to give you folks neatly measured recipes but Potato Candy is more magic than science so you really just have to do it by gut feel.

Here's What You'll Need:
1 Mashed Potato
A LOT (I mean it, have a ton of it on hand) of Powdered Sugar
Some Peanut Butter

Here's what you'll do:
1. Put some mashed potato into a large mixing bowl and start mixing in powdered sugar till it forms a thick dough. In the famous words of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, 'DON'T PANIC.' When you first start mixing in the Powdered Sugar it will turn into a weird thin gruel, just keep adding more until it thickens.
2. Place the dough between two sheets of waxed paper and roll it out into a long thin sheet.
3. Spread a layer of peanut butter across the sheet of dough leaving about 1/2 an inch clearance on each edge.
4. Roll the dough up as tightly as possible (which is usually not very) and allow it to set for 30 minutes.
5. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices and allow to set an additional 30 minutes so that they harden and are no longer sticky.
6. Eat those tasty little spud sweets.