Tale Tuesday: What a Pearl

In the oyster of life, Susan Eichholtz has found her pearl. After a science degree and a decade as a medical research biologist, Susan bravely cracked the shell of making her passion her profession by giving up the lab for culinary school in Kentucky.

With her cooking degree and lots of dreams, she returned to her hometown Indianapolis where her mother was battling cancer. Tragically, her mother lost that fight in 2008 but not before sharing one more pearl of wisdom with Susan: act on those dreams before it's too late.

Three months later, Susan was behind the stove in her own Pearl Bistro, named with a tributary nod to the national symbol of lung cancer, a pearl ribbon. As a casual lunch spot and eclectic dinner cafe on Indy's northside, Susan keeps the seasonally changing menu focused on local products and always comforting but interesting, familiar but deliciously surprising.

Between grilled brioche, Susan spreads PB's special sweet and tang sauce that buffs up the glimmer of swiss and Smoking Goose Smoked Turkey Breast. Pearl Bistro's BLT gets lettuce and tomato along with Susan's rosemary-mint mayo and Smoking Goose Lamb Bacon.

'Nduja: get a little spice in life

The Smoking Goose is bringing the real heat to this early summer with a spicy new salame that's got a real kick.

That kick comes from the toe of the boot...geographically speaking. In southern Italy's region of Calabria they've been layering heat with local peppers and pork to make a soft, spicy salame with a long history.

Some say the short & stout salame was influenced by the French centuries ago while others are sure it was roving Spaniards who influenced early Calabrians along the coasts. It's hard to argue the origins with our mouths full, but maybe the biggest clue is it's name. The locals in the old country call this salame 'Nduja -- pronounced kinda like in-do-yha -- which brings some of the same sounds as andouille, the French salame that some hungry historians are sure inspired 'Nduja.

With the original 'Nduja as our inspiration, we're making our own all-local Indiana version. Like the traditional Italian salame, we started by grinding and blending pork shoulder, belly and jowl. We spiked the rich, soft mixture with dried Calabrian peppers then stuffed natural casings that are about 3 or 4 inches wide, like the Italians use. Here's where we made it our own: our 'Nduja saw the inside of our gravity-fed cold smoker for 10 days before dry curing for 8 weeks.

That layer of sweet smoke rounds out the delicious bite of hot, floral, and earthy Calabrian peppers for a slice that's a little more firm than the original 'Nduja but layered with even more intense and complex flavors. The soft center of the salame is spreadable on warm bread for a simple first course, but since our 'Nduja is firm enough to slice paper thin, we'll take it to top a pizza, dress a salad or soup, or stir into sauce for cut pasta or lasagna. Come to the Meat Locker quick before this batch of 'Nduja disappears.

Tale Tuesday: Joe's Tale

Growing up the youngest of six didn't mean slim pickings for Joe Lazzara. In northern Indiana, Joe's family ran a Sicilian fruit and vegetable market that gave Joe a healthy appetite for good food and hard work. His dad lead by example and lived the family motto: give your personal attention, follow up, and have a sense of urgency.

Advice like that (and a good meal) took Joe far and wide as a successful salesman on the road for work. He sought out the best meals and then tracked down the cooks who put that great food on his plate. When he came home to Indiana, he'd learned that all those fancy chefs were hungry for the same products he'd grown up seeing in his grandparents' market: fresh, local, all-natural foods.

So those are the same qualities that Joe stocks in his own butcher shop and fish market in Carmel, Indiana. And they're the same attributes that make Smoking Goose goods fill Joe's shelves. Look for our Garlic Sausage, Andouille, Lardo and more at Joe's, and stop by on Saturday, March 31st, 1-3pm when Josh will be hosting a complimentary tasting of Smoking Goose meat treats!

New menu: Smoking Goose dishes at Flat12 Bierwerks

The meaty menu of plates we're serving up at Flat12 Bierwerks taproom each week is always changing. Check out this latest addition:

available Thursdays & Fridays 4-7pm and Saturdays 12-5pm
No reservations.

Braunschweiger, Pork Rinds
Soup (check the chalkboard for what’s stewing)
Kitchen Sink Sausage, Peppers, Sweet Onions, Half Cycle IPA Mustard, Buns
Asparagus Salad, Pancetta, Shallots, Boiled Egg, Truffle Vinaigrette

Lamb Pot Roast
Corned Beef, Cabbage, Red Potatoes
Coppa Di Tessa, Shallot Marmalade
Pork Ribs, Apple Slaw, Potatoes, Caraway, Half Cycle IPA Mustard
Porchetta, Salsa Verde, Ciabatta
Crispy Duck Wings, White Grape Mostarda, Smoked Grana Padano
Cassoulet – White Beans, Duck Confit, Garlic Sausage, Salt Pork, Tongue
Sasquatch- Big Potato, Meat (check the chalkboard for recent sightings)
Charcuterie Plate

Tale Tuesday: Over the river and through The Boot--Enoteca Emilia

Just across the river, there's a piccola portion of bell' Italia just waiting to show off The Boot. Last summer, Jeremy Luers--a chef who trained with Mario Batali at his NYC Babbo ristorante--cooked up a carefully selected menu to bring the simple, delicious traditions of Emilia-Romagna to Cincinnati with Enoteca Emilia.

To pair with a healthy selection of bianchi and rossi Italian juice, Chef Luers serves up cicchetti (classy but unpretentious Italian bar snacks) that spin from plates of salumi and cheeses to to salads, pasta, pizza, and dessert. While northern Italy is the inspiration, the boundaries of Chef Luers' kitchen stretch only to the same lengths that guide a true Italian cuoco: seasonal, local, delicious.

Check out Enoteca Emilia's charcuterie selection where Smoking Goose's Smoked Elk Terrine and Soppressata get the spotlight. Chef Luers' new spring menu makes its debut next week, and we won't ruin the tempting surprise...except to give lipsmacking hints like Merguez and Lamb Bacon. But before it disappears, we'll pull up a chair to order his Bucatini all'Americana, a steaming plate of pasta richly dressed with tomato, black pepper, pecorino romano, and Smoking Goose Guanciale.

Tale Tuesday: Georgetown Market

For nearly 30 years, Georgetown Market has been a family business committed to helping our community "Eat Better, Live Well and Feel Our Best." With groceries and ready-to-eat staples for vegans and meat-eaters alike, owner Rick Montieth along with his sons Brett & Andrew and a team of long-time employees stock the goods to keep us feeling, well, good.

Since Smoking Goose uses only all-natural, pasture-raised, family farm proteins, the folks at Georgetown know our meat treats are good both ways, too. Slow curing and naturally smoking all by hand means the Smoking Goose recipes and natural ingredients make for a bite that's good all the way around.

At Georgeotown Market long with organic produce, their build-your-own juice bar, and a expertly stocked Natural Living section, look for Smoking Goose's all-good, all-natural Beef Pastrami, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Mexican Chorizo, Smoked Turkey Breast and more.