Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro, Madison, WI

I don't know how I got to mid-life without finding out that Madison, Wisconsin is such a cool city. A few years ago, Joe and I explored the city while I was exploring graduate schools. I found that it's cosmopolitan, homey, and hip all at the same time. The city circles pretty Lake Mendota and Lake Monona and the University of Wisconsin perches at the lake shore. It's definitely worth a visit.

While we were there, we had dinner at Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro, a Wine Spectator recommendation. Located in a strip mall, the restaurant is dark and intimate, decorated in warm colors and clean, modern lines. Since we were there during school break, the restaurant was very quiet. The enormous wine list is displayed on an iPad, and the food list is a mixture of interesting small plates and upscale American dishes.

Because I was celebrating the end of a semester, we started with glasses of Segura Vividas brut cavas wine. We were in the mood to share, so we ordered the baby spinach salad with figs, proscuitto, pistachios, and maple vinegar. It was certainly one of the best plates of the evening.

Next we had the blackened mahi-mahi with mango butter and butternut jicama slaw. Perfectly done, melt-in your-mouth goodness.

Joe loved the lamb cheek sugo with caramelized fennel and feta, and I liked it too, even though I'm not a big fan of lamb. It came with a delicious herbed spaeztle. It's great to start seeing these noodles on restaurant menus!

Our last dish was a portabella mushroom ravioli with port wine cream and brandy-cured foie gras. It was spectacular. If we'd had any room, I would have ordered a second one, but the portions are ample and we were full.

Joe enjoyed a  Picos del Montgo Tempranillo, from Spain, and a Sherwood Pinot Noir, from New Zealand. He loved both of them. I was happy with my cavas but glad for a taste out of each of his glasses.

Altogether, it was a wonderful dinner - great food and a nice romantic evening. The only thing that marred it slightly was our server, who had an excess of personality and not enough work to do. He was a little obtrusive, but also knew the menu well and made excellent wine suggestions.

We'd definitely go back again - I've read it gets very lively on the weekends!

Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro
601 Junction Rd Suite 9
Madison, Wisconsin 53717
Open every day, 4:00 pm - 12:00 am

Phone (608) 664-9565
Website http://www.eno-vino.com

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Quick Ham & Peas Pasta Salad

This cool and satisfying pasta salad can be ready in 15 minutes or less. It's perfect for a night when you are out of time for dinner and it's too hot to spend much time in the kitchen, anyway. If you like sweet relish better than dill, switch it up, and add extra dill if you'd like a bit more fresh herb taste.

This salad comes together even quicker if you buy pre-shredded cheese and cubed ham.

Ingredients

1 box pasta shells (or other medium pasta)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
10 oz ham, cubed
8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup dill pickle relish
2 cups Cheddar Bacon Ranch dressing (more or less, to taste)

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the peas to the boiling water 3 minutes before the pasta is done. Drain the peas and pasta and rinse with cold water. Keep in the freezer while you chop up the other ingredients.

Stir together the chopped vegetables, ham, and cheese. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the pasta, vegetable mixture, and salad dressing. Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.

Makes 6 main-dish salads.

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Moong Daal (Indian Yellow Lentil Stew)

An Indian friend of mine says that moong dal soup is good food when you're ill - they serve it to women recovering from childbirth and people with upset stomachs. I made this one day when Joe and I were recovering from summer colds. We did feel better! The basic recipe can be a little bland to help invalids, but it can be spiced up a bit for an everyday dish.

This is a surprisingly filling and low-fat vegan meal. We like it with a spoonful of strong Indian garlic pickle. Add savory, chewy garlic naan for a vegetarian dish (naan often contains yogurt or sour cream). You can scoop the stew right out of the bowl with a pinch of naan; it's perfectly good manners to eat this with your fingers.

By the way, if you go to a store that stocks lots of Indian food, you may notice a stunning array of different beans, peas, and seeds. Each has a slightly different taste, texture, and use. Moong, or Mung, dal is a small yellow lentil that usually has its outside skin removed. Dal is a generic term for lentil.

If you want to learn more about Indian spices and ingredients, the Cook's Thesaurus is a great resource.

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked moong dal without skins

1 small yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

2 small green chilies (optional)

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp grated ginger

½ tsp Asofetida powder (optional)

4 cups vegetable broth

Directions

Cook mung dal in a pressure cooker or boil on the stove until soft.  This will take about 15 minutes in the pressure cooker, or about 45 on the stove. Heat a medium saucepan or frying pan, then add the oil. Cook onion, cumin, pepper, and garlic in oil, then cook turmeric, ginger, and asofetida powder. Add the vegetable broth and lentils and cook until smooth and soupy, mashing the lentils slightly so that they smooth out. Indians sometimes use a star-shaped tool on a stick, rolled between their hands, to make the lentils more creamy. Here Sheilja is using that utensil.

Serves 4-6.

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Cheddar-Dill Biscuits

Last weekend a friend gave us four pounds (!!) of pickling cucumbers, so we picked up some fresh dill and canned six pints of kosher dill pickles. A little dill goes a long way - most of the bunch of dill was left over after canning. I made an avocado cream soup Monday night, stirred up some cheesy drop biscuits to go along with, and added some chopped dill to the biscuit recipe.

Man, I was glad I did. These seriously easy cheddar biscuits were fluffy and flavorful, and just as tasty the next day for breakfast. Usually I like a pat of butter on my biscuit halves, but these didn't even need it.

I'll be posting the avocado cream soup recipe next week - it was fabulous hot for dinner, and cold for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
5 tsp cold butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup sharp cheddar, grated
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a cookie sheet.

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Stir the cheese, dill, sour cream, and milk into the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together well. Scoop 12 mounds of dough onto a baking sheet and bake until puffed and pale golden, about 15-18 minutes.


Makes 12 biscuits.

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Cactus Salad (Ensalata de Nopales)

If you're looking to try something new and different this salad is definitely an interesting one to try! Nopales are the paddle-shaped leaves of the prickly pear cactus. They are often eaten in Mexico and Central America; prickly pears are sometimes called tunas and are also eaten and made into jellies.

You can buy nopales in a can, or buy fresh paddles at Hispanic stores. At our local store, there's a talented guy who cuts out the mean little spikes ahead of time, which is a big time saver and is ouch-free for the buyer. If you are preparing the cactus yourself, cut out the stickers and eyes, and slice off the tough outer edge around each paddle. If you use canned nopales, make sure you drain and rinse them first.

Nopales are eaten after they are cooked, and I think they taste like asparagus. This salad is definitely an interesting and tasty way to try new vegetables. I bet you'll be glad you did.

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 large nopales paddles, cleaned and diced

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup Cotija cheese

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp spicy brown mustard

1 tsp oregano, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium skillet, saute the garlic and cactus in oil until the vegetables are tender and the nopales are no longer sticky, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Toss together the sauteed vegetables, jalapeno, onion, romaine, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese. Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and oregano, and drizzle over the salad. Toss well before serving.

Serves 4-6.

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