Editor’s note: Below is the Thursday, July 3 edition of The Corner Table, our weekly newsletter about the Madison dining scene. It’s produced by Lindsay Christians and Beck Henreckson. If you want to receive it in your email inbox every Thursday (it’s free!), subscribe at captimes.com/newsletters.
Clamshell? Shut it! It’s a hot herb summer, and I don’t want to look at another tiny, sad container of rosemary until well into October. My fridge is full of bunches of cilantro and dill (which we don’t grow, but the farm does). I get handfuls of basil every time I prune. Thanks to the rain, my parsley is going gangbusters; my spearmint is bushy; and its trailing Indian cousin is overflowing its container.
When I’m not snipping chives for potato salad and sprinkling my salads with marigold gems like a fancy lady, I’m getting saucy. Swap out parsley for anything you want in this simple salsa verde. Grilling meats? Make chimichurri. I love dill in a creamy, yogurt-y sauce, and it’s marvelous in this Silver Palate classic with anchovies, garlic and capers. Tarragon is so good in a marinade for chicken. I’m not tired of basil pesto yet. And we cocktail a lot with mint (mojitos!) but I love it in fruit salads, too.
My plans for the holiday weekend include dry-aged, bone-in pork chops on the grill. If you’re doing hot dogs or precooked sausages/brats, my friend Liz did a taste test last summer for Serious Eats — she says to spiralize your dog for more surface area. My husband just brought home the first CSA cabbage the size of our cat, so I’m probably making slaw too? The farm is cranking out root veg, so I’m sprinkling smoky-hot urfa biber pepper flakes onto carrots and turnips, drizzling them with honey and serving them on top of whipped feta. Plus a big handful of herbs, of course!
Chive laugh love. Stay cool this holiday weekend! — Lindsay
*What I’m listening to: Benson Boone. (He’s playing Summerfest tonight and I’m not going but it’s fine, he’s here for someone else.) 1990s Madonna. Chuck Brown and DC Go-go. Laufey’s jazzy “Lover Girl.”
Tibetan dumplings come with tomato chutney soup or plated at The Globe in Madison. The Globe has announced a new Indian restaurant on State Street.
Restaurant news
The owners of The Globe have announced a new spot, Ashirwad Indian Restaurant, set to open soon at 128 State St.
A new cafe called Dreamy Teazy had its soft opening July 2 at 1297 N. Sherman Ave., serving boba tea and pastries. Social media indicates Tuesday-Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with an afternoon break between 2-3 p.m.
Laotian restaurant Sern Sapp had its soft opening at 1146 Williamson St. on June 26 and intends to be open through the holilday weekend.
Peaches from the Tree-Ripe Fruit Co. truck.
What’s on our table
Ah, Willy Wonka, where’s smell-o-vision when you want it? These gorgeous, aromatic, super ripe peaches came from the Tree-Ripe Fruit Truck. My colleague Mike Kornemann brought them into a meeting this morning, and the aroma was intoxicating.
Any peaches that don’t go straight into my face will become topping for a grilled peach sundae with salted bourbon-caramel sauce. This (and Nigella’s watermelon feta salad!) is the taste of summer. — Lindsay
Lindsay Christians is an editor for the Cap Times. Lindsay oversees the newsroom’s coverage of food, arts and culture in the Madison region. Email story ideas and tips to Lindsay at [email protected].
Please consider supporting Lindsay’s work by becoming a Cap Times member or sponsor. Sustaining local journalism in Madison depends on readers like you.
