20 Questions with Galen

The local food scene in Baton Rouge features some devoted young farmers and Galen Iverstine is the meat guy, passionate about feeding the community delicious pasture-raised beef, pork, chicken and turkey. He thinks on his feet, always ready to adapt to any situation. I met Galen the week after I relocated to Louisiana, calling him as a complete stranger to ask about getting involved with flood relief in the Baton Rouge area. He was serving barbecue to the residents in his parents’ neighborhood while they cleaned up from the 2016 flood. I offered that my daughter and I could come out and make pancakes and our friendship was forged.

For this interview, Galen and I met for a cool drink at French Truck Coffee. He had just done a next level hand-washing tutorial with his staff at the butcher shop and met with me before heading home to make dinner for his kids while his wife went to girlfriends’ night out. Each day since, he and his staff have devised and revised plans to continue to serve their loyal customers during this unprecedented time. I’ve stopped by their fan favorite shop each day this week to find them doing brisk business a few customers at a time while also packing bags for home delivery. In a time when hugging isn’t advised, it’s really great to shake the hand that feeds you!

What’s your 20 minute recipe? 20 minutes is the time period I have to cook! Every recipe in my house starts with 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice. I slice Bavette steak from the shop into really thin strips across the grain, do a quick marinade and stir fry it with vegetables. This one’s my go to and I change it up with different spices

What’s your favorite city? Lahaina, Hawaii on Maui. I worked there for five months when I took a hiatus from school at 21. It was the perfect time to do it. I went back and visited with my wife for our honeymoon.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? This is so hard, I don’t wanna make anybody mad. We always go to Beausoleil. They were my first customer. Service and menu are great. They have great classic cuisine and great cocktails and it’s always well executed.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? The liquor that’s left from a pickled something. The Cultured Guru pickle brine is really good. It’s fermented so it adds depth and funk to whatever I’m cooking. I like to pour a little in a pot of soup.

Who taught you to cook? My parents taught me the basics and I have learned from a lot of the best home cooks in Baton Rouge.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Spaghetti and meatballs cuz I make a damn good spaghetti and meatballs! I do some bone-in meat that falls off in the red gravy that takes all day to cook. I do the meatballs 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork and 1/3 Italian sausage. Please don’t put sugar in your gravy! I follow it exactly the way my grandmother made it and put a whole carrot in to sweeten the whole pot while it simmers.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Guy Clark.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee. 100 percent! French press. I brew the Parish State of Mind from Titan Coffees. We sell it in the shop.

Date night—at home? or out? Out if we can pull it off. We have designated the first Friday night out with another couple. We go try out the new place in town.

Most stained cookbook? I have a couple of really stained pages in John Folse’s big book. The carrot cake and Gumbo Tips are great. I don’t use a lot of recipes, I’m just looking for guidance.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Chef’s knife, tongs and a good spatula.

Staple childhood comfort food? My grandmother’s roast, rice and gravy. Or her spaghetti and meatballs. If she invited you for dinner you would drop everything and be there in five minutes. She always made this great salad with a minced-to-powder blend of celery, parsley and green onion tossed in. I still make it today.

Go-to olive oil? I like the ones from Red Stick Spice for finishing. Most of my high temp cooking is done with avocado oil. I really like a good butter.

Ideal grilled cheese? The one from Chelsea’s circa 2006.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Thomas Jefferson. He’s an agrarian, so smart. It’s really cool touring Monticello.

How do you like your toast? Medium/just browned with an uncomfortable amount of Kerrygold butter.

Favorite pizza topping? Italian sausage.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Don’t overcomplicate it. The most sustainable way to cook is to buy ingredients you can use in multiple platforms throughout the week.

Three things next to your stove? Salt, spoon rest and a big Boos Block cutting board

What’s your favorite sports team? I ride dirt bikes, that’s my sport. Just started back this year. I do enjoy an LSU baseball game.

Freestyle stir fry! This one features what I had in my produce drawer: mushrooms, red bell pepper, carrot, green onion. Cilantro and broccoli microgreens make a fun and flavorful garnish.

Galen’s Bavette Beef Stir Fry with Basmati Rice

Galen describes the bavette steak as ‘such a great cut of meat that nobody knows about’ and after testing the recipe as he suggested, I’m a believer! I will now be stocking 1 pound bavettes from Iverstine’s Butcher Shop in my freezer. He tweaks the recipe to match the veggies he has on hand and spices the stir fry accordingly. Galen confessed he doesn’t have room for the clutter of kitchen gadgets. I did test this recipe using my birthday gift rice cooker for the rice and I am hooked. The ingredients here are as I tested

• 1 1/2 cups Basmati rice (cooked according to package directions)

• 1 pound bavette steak, frozen/partially thawed and thinly shaved across the grain in diagonal slices

• 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided use

• 2 fat garlic cloves, minced

• spoonful of hot chili oil or good pinch of crushed red pepper

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

• 2 carrots peeled and cut julienne (there’s a peeler for this and it’s a great kitchen gadget!)

• 2 green onions, sliced

• chopped fresh cilantro for flavorful garnish

• broccoli microgreens for garnish, optional

START the rice. After it boils, reduce heat to simmer and cover. it will be ready to fork fluff when your stir fry is done. Or let the rice cooker do the work for you.

TOSS the sliced beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the minced garlic and the chili oil or crushed red pepper. Set aside for a few minutes to marinate while you prep the vegetables.

HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and cook for about a minute, then toss and stir fry another minute or until the meat is mostly browned. Using tongs, remove to a bowl, leaving the juices in the skillet.

ADD the mushrooms to the skillet and cook stirring for a few minutes until just tender, then add the bell pepper and carrot. Cook another minute or three until the bell pepper softens. Add the 1/4 cup soy sauce and scrape the pan to get all the good bits incorporated.

ADD the cooked beef back to the skillet and stir in the green onions.

SERVE over rice, garnish as desired with cilantro and microgreens, more chili oil or crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lime if you like.

20 Questions with Joy

A native of Ventura County, California, Joy Marr now calls Fayette County, West Virginia home. I met Joy when I moved to nearby Charleston as a newlywed in 1992. She was long established by then, working with Class VI River Runners, wearing every hat on an outdoor adventure business roster. We met on the bank of the Gauley River where she prepared a gourmet feast in a makeshift kitchen for the overnight rafting guests at the halfway mark. I was lucky enough to dine al fresco after a thrilling white knuckle day of West Virginia whitewater, ready to jump back in the next day.

Her productivity is impressive: she multitasks with the local foods scene, maintains an active fitness schedule, runs a cooking school and catering company as well as River Rock Retreat, casual accommodations near the rim of the famed New River Gorge. She nurtures everyone in her midst from her fabulous garden and kitchen and is quick to deliver a meal to a friend in need of comfort.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I call it Salmon with Greens, etc… I keep wild caught salmon filets in my freezer. I season them and cook them frozen with the lid on so it’s almost like poaching. I go roaming in my fridge to get my greens and any extra bits I find. She is giggling. I throw everything in there! I have two skillets going while I unload the dishwasher.

What’s the most challenging place you’ve cooked a meal? Cooking on the Gauley River overnights. I’d light 20 pounds of charcoal in the big grill and cook huge sirloin roasts, whole salmons. We’d have cast iron Dutch ovens full of corn pudding. Then roll out big breakfasts for the rafters in the morning. No running water or electricity. It was pretty outstanding!

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? The Station. They’ve really found their footing! Their menu and presentation are great and they have a neighborhood-y vibe.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Yuzu Kosho. I got some in South Korea and had to restock it with an online source. It can go everywhere!

Who taught you to cook? I learned from my mother and great grandmother. We always had lots of family over. We would have an assembly line of tamale making. Also my mom showed us every cooking step so we knew how to follow a prep list.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate cookbook

What’s on your cooking playlist? I’ve gotten into the Moody Blues lately, it’s been fun!

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? All three. I was making my own Kombucha. I love making chai with ‘all the stuff’

Date night—at home? or out? Mostly at home

Most stained cookbook? It’s a 3-way tie: Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, New Basics (follow up to the Silver Palate), and Martha Stewart’s big blue book. I have staple recipes from all of these.

Indispensable kitchen tool? A good kitchen knife, it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Staple childhood comfort food? Red posole or menudo. I grew up with huge pots of these on Sundays. I will pull the car over when I travel if I see a place serving it. I am transported to my great grandmother’s house the minute I taste it.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Ruth Reichl. I’ve been reading all her books. She has a great appetite for food. She’s fascinating!

Go-to olive oil? California Olive Ranch. I do a tasting in my cooking classes. People are always so shocked at the difference!

Ideal grilled cheese? Thick cut sourdough spread with mayo on the outside of each slice. Inside spread with mustard butter and slabs of Dubliner cheddar. I cook it slow to melt the fat slices of cheese.

Favorite pizza topping? Black olives, the classic on pizza.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? The Kitchen Porch on Martha’s Vineyard with Jan Buhrman. I met her at a yoga retreat. I love her personality.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Sharpen your knives! I teach some simple techniques in every cooking class. The students are always amazed! It makes your time in the kitchen so much more pleasurable.

Three things next to your stove? JQ Dickinson salt, fresh pepper grinder, and some hot chili pepper olive oil my nephew gave me.

What’s your favorite sports team? L.A. Dodgers, the one sport I enjoy with my dad.

a frozen salmon filet sizzles in minutes with Joy’s smart cooking technique.

Joy’s Salmon with Greens, Etc…

less of a formatted recipe and more of a freestyle: For each serving you will need a spoonful of olive oil, handful of chopped onion or one green onion cut into 1-inch pieces, a clove or two of smashed garlic, 3-4 cups/handfuls of fresh greens (kale, spinach, mixed baby greens), supplement with extra goodies from your fridge, such as a few mushrooms, sprigs of wispy herbs, lemon if you have it, small spoonful of Gochujang for some spice. salmon filet (4 to 6 ounce each), olive oil to film the skillet, small pat of butter, salt & pepper.

HEAT olive oil in two 10-inch skillets over medium heat, one for the greens and one for the salmon. Add the onion/garlic/greens+extras and herbs to the skillet and toss with tongs, season with s&p, squeeze in some lemon and add Gochujang if using. Keep half an eye on this while you get the salmon going in the other skillet. Cook until tender

SPRINKLE the frozen salmon on both sides with s&p and lay it skin (or skinned) side down in the skillet. Smear the salmon with about a teaspoon of soft butter and put the lid on (if your butter is straight out of the fridge, you can grate it with a cheese grater, onto the top of the salmon. Just a bit, makes for a tasty ‘sauce’ as if you butter-poached it).

COOK, covered, for 6-10 minutes, until desired degree of doneness. Lots of variables at play—type of skillet, thickness and how frozen is the fish, every stovetop is different. For the testing, I cooked a whole 12 ounce filet for 10 minutes and think 9 minutes would have been perfect. Serve your perfectly cooked salmon on top of the greens, passing lemon wedges at the table.

Happy National Farmer's Market Week!

Hello August! I used to fret the ticking away of Summer. Now I fear not. I'm a sunshine seeker, and two years ago I moved to Baton Rouge where the sun blazes until Christmas. Perennial Summer! I do miss my farmer friends, though. Happy to have connected with local growers in my new town.

Let's do a little local foods challenge to celebrate farmer's market week: I'm making a conscious effort to focus my menus around the local harvest. As Michael Pollan says, "shake the hand that feeds you." I had the honor of shaking the hands of the Harris brothers who dedicated untold hours to making maple syrup on their farm at the corner of Summers and Greenbrier. The syrup tastes better knowing where it came from and the love that went into every step of its production.

Another favorite West Virginia farm product, J.Q. Dickinson SaltWorks, celebrates five years of making sun-dried salt which seasons dishes across the country. The 'time flies' adage is right at home here. The opening celebration of the salt's revitalization was a family dinner on the gorgeous farm in Malden, West Virginia in 2013. (The salt originated about 200 years ago! Nancy, Lewis, and Paige brought it back to iife after years of quiet at Kanawha Salines). If you haven't tried their salt, it's a perfect way to celebrate farmers year round. 

Banh Mi, West Virginia Style*

I discovered this fantastic sandwich on Food52. I tweaked their recipe, omitting the salty fish sauce and soy sauce and instead using JQ Dickinson salt--the results are fabulous and really highlight local handmade ingredients--maple syrup and JQD salt.

Makes 6 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed but still intact
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• Tiny ciabatta rolls or baguette (Or lettuce ‘boats’ to make lettuce wraps)
• Garnish: Red leaf lettuce, paper-thin slices of radish and fresh jalapeno, shredded carrot, cilantro 

Place the pork slices on a sheet of plastic wrap one inch apart.  Cover with second sheet of wrap and pound gently to flatten to 1/4-inch thick (or a touch thinner). Transfer to a shallow dish.

Combine maple syrup, salt, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion, and black pepper in a small bowl, whisking to combine.  Pour mixture over pork, turning with tongs to coat.  Let marinate for 10 minutes, then drizzle with the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Heat a griddle to medium-high.  Sear meat until deep golden on one side, then turn to brown the second side--about one to two minutes per side.

To assemble, slice rolls in half, keeping a hinge intact.  Mound each bun with desired toppings and a few slices of meat.  Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

*(in Lousiana I'll get my pork tenderloin from Iverstine's. West Virginia: check with Black Oak Hollow Farm for great pork)