By Alexis Abel
Every holiday season, my favorite gifts to give, or receive, are culinary in nature. The year following a trip to New York City and dinner at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, I received the Mesa Grill cookbook under my Christmas tree. Though I’m no Iron Chef, cooking with that book has resulted in many memorable, spicy nights.
Another year, I received a drool-worthy bright red Kitchen Aid mixer that has since taken up permanent residence on my kitchen counter. That lovely mixer has beat, mixed and whipped its way into my heart and made me its willing culinary slave.
Culinary gifts create memories that last far beyond the glitter of the Christmas lights. To help you create a special culinary Christmas for your favorite foodie or wannabe chef, here’s my list of fabulous food gifts from some of my favorite local businesses.
Another year, I received a drool-worthy bright red Kitchen Aid mixer that has since taken up permanent residence on my kitchen counter. That lovely mixer has beat, mixed and whipped its way into my heart and made me its willing culinary slave.
Culinary gifts create memories that last far beyond the glitter of the Christmas lights. To help you create a special culinary Christmas for your favorite foodie or wannabe chef, here’s my list of fabulous food gifts from some of my favorite local businesses.
1) For the Meat Lover:
Splurge: Grain-finished, free range beef from Hollenbeck Farms.
Established in Elmwood, Nebraska in 1901, Hollenbeck beef is all-natural and hormone-free. Cattle are free range grazed and finished on a vegetarian diet of grains, alfalfa and hay. After being locally processed, the meat is dry-aged for 21 days, cut, flash frozen and vacuum-sealed to ensure freshness.
Hollenbeck offers a variety of meat packages, including the Elite, a package of four 7 oz. bacon-wrapped fillets, four 14 oz. rib eye steaks, four 12 oz. KC strip steaks and four 12 oz. sirloin steaks for $199.99.
Steal: Hollenbeck’s Family Favorite Gift Pack.
This contains two 12 oz sirloin steaks and four hamburger patties. At $29.99, it’s a modest way to bring some gourmet flair to your next family cookout.
You can order any of these products at Hollenbeck’s website or you can visit them at their kiosk in Gateway Mall during the month of December.
2) For the Veggie Lover:
Splurge: A share in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
One local option is Common Good Farm in Raymond, Nebraska. Common Good Farm offers an 11-week share of their weekly harvest for $320, beginning in late May through early August. A full share yields 10-12 lbs of produce each week, enough for a family of four. In spring, expect fresh lettuce, peas, turnips and radishes. Late summer harvests can yield carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, beets and garlic.
The CSA can also be split with a partner for a fee. Common Good Farm is currently taking pledge forms for their 2010 season, making this a perfect holiday gift for you favorite vegophile.
Steal: A jar of Ely Farm’s pickled asparagus or pickled bell peppers for $7.50.
Ely Farm, located in Grafton, Nebraska, began as an FFA fresh asparagus production project, but developed a pickled asparagus recipe that took off across the state. The pickled asparagus are crunchy and flavored with dill and garlic. They’re great on a relish tray or as a garnish in a Bloody Mary.
Both products are available at local grocery stores across Lincoln.
3) For the Meat & Veggie Lover:
Steal: Dueling Chefs: A Vegetarian and Meat Lover Debate the Plate.
This cookbook is by local chefs Maggie Pleskac of Maggies’s Vegetarian Restaurant and Sean Carmichael of Chez Hay Catering. The chefs debate the merits of their favorite cuisines as they try to one-up each other, recipe for recipe. The book features 88 recipes including tempeh and quinoa, roasted capon and chickpeas in coconut sauce, falafel and beef brisket with blueberry barbecue sauce.
Available now in paperback for $24.95 through the University of Nebraska Press or at local book stores. From now until December 18, the press is offering a 25% discount on all orders through their site. Click “Holiday Sale” for more information.
4) For the Fine Diner:
Splurge: A gift certificate for the Flatiron Café in Omaha.
In 2008 and 2009, Flatiron’s chef Jennifer Coco was a semi-finalist in the “Best Chef Midwest” category for the James Beard Foundation Awards, one of the culinary world’s highest honors. Entrees at this New American restaurant are expensive, ranging from $30-$45, but excellent reviews indicate that the price is right for the tantalizing offerings you’ll find. Plates on their menu include rib eye steak with black and white truffle butter and seared scallops in saffron cream.
Steal: A gift certificate for bread&cup in Lincoln.
This little café has become one of the most popular restaurants in Lincoln. Owner and chef Kevin Shinn makes nearly everything from scratch and sources most ingredients from local farms and vendors. In addition to soups, sandwiches, bread and pastries, bread&cup serves nightly entrees, ranging from $10-$20, that vary with the seasons and the whims of Chef Shinn.
Entrees recently gracing their menu included hickory-smoked meatloaf made with grass-fed local beef and potato gnocchi with tomato and pancetta. bread&cup also boasts an interesting and affordable wine list and a selection of draft and bottled beers.
5) Stocking Stuffers:
OPA-O’s Original Spice Mix for Corn Chip Dip, Coney Dog & Sloppy Joes
$1.99 per packet at local grocery stores.
This sodium-free spice blend, developed locally by Stewart Olson, can be mixed with ground beef or soy meat to flavor a variety of recipes, including sloppy joes, coney dog sauce and chip dip.
Bandiola Spices
$5.99 each, available in Chicken, Rib, Pork, Steak, BBQ & Popcorn varieties. Available at local grocery stores or online.
Michael Gouchnour started Bandiola in March 2009. Inspired by the diverse flavors he’s encountered traveling the world, his Bandiola spice blends are available in six flavors.
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