The Lighter Side of the Street.

Is there anything better than street food?  Hot and comforting, street foods are a direct connection to the society that created them.  Each bite is a tribute to someone’s home land, a taste of history dancing from fork to tongue.  But these dishes are designed for comfort, not waistlines, so they tend to be rich and heavy.  Why not take these classics over to the lighter side with some fun twists and delicious adaptations!

Pizza is as iconic to the American street food scene as hot dogs and meat on sticks, yet we have traveled too far from this classic dish’s noble roots.  Pizza used to be an art, from the perfect dough to the exact manipulation of the wood fired ovens to produce the perfect pie.  We decided to take this classic for a spin by using a whole wheat crust topped with grilled marinated artichokes, shaved red onions, baby kale, and tarragon rubbed smoked goat cheese, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with preserved lemons.  The dough is rolled out thin then introduced to a screaming hot grill, adding beautiful crispness, flavor and a slight char that once was only achieved in the heat of a wood fired oven.  The flavors melt into each other as the flames licks the crust, providing you with a bright and fresh taste of the garden with every bite.

 

While pizza may reign king for now, another challenger from south of the border has quickly made a name for itself on the street food market.  With fillings ranging from deep traditional, to Korean fusion, the taco is a perfect vessel for today’s curb consumer.  Let’s take this south of the boarder treat for a trip through the garden with our new Grilled Charmoula Vegetable taco topped with fresh cilantro and Cilantro yogurt crema.  The veggies (zucchini, squash and red onions) are rubbed with a spicy combination of cayenne, paprika and cumin, grilled to perfection then splashed with an herbal concoction of parsley, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, and lime and lemon juice finished with smashed garlic.  The vegetables take on a smoky spice from the rub while keeping a crisp tender texture that pops with a drizzle of the cilantro crema.  As one of our diners said, “I usually go out of my way to avoid things that don’t have meat, and I would fight someone to get that!”

Since the birth of the food truck movement a change has occurred in the way people view what is acceptable street food.  Along with the pizza, hot dog and taco scene, newcomers like grilled cheese, donuts and pies are carving out their spot on the culinary landscape.  But the gooiest and richest player in the game has to be my personal favorite, Macaroni and Cheese!  So let’s take this decedent classic for a bit of a twist and introduce our newest evolution in cheese, the Grilled Cauliflower mac with whole wheat noodles, crisp manchego and sharp cheddar cheese sauce topped with fried shallot rings and a red and golden pepadew relish.  Each bite is a flavor bomb of sharp cheese, smoky bits of cauliflower, the vinegary hit from the pepadews and the final crunch of the fried shallot rings.  A dark and light combination of flavors titillating your palate. 

Now while we in America have some rock star curbside cuisine, our neighbors to the north have a dish so rich and flavorful that one bowl could keep a burly grizzly warm through the winter.  I am talking of course about poutine.    Poutine is the classic dish made from thick cut French fries, cheese curds and rich thick gravy.  To turn this cholesterol bomb around we substituted the French fried for sautéed zucchini and squash batons, the sprinkled on seared brussel sprouts and grilled radishes then spooned over a light but flavorful vegetarian stock gravy then garnished with shaved parmesan.  Each bite was warm and comforting yet somehow summery and light.  A fun and festive tribute to our neighbors up north.

With our new curbside culinary culture growing faster and faster our dining options are radically changing and expanding.  It is our job to take these new classics for a spin and develop our own take on the take out cuisine. Stay tuned for more inspired dishes from Lon Lane's Inspired Occasions Research and Development Department!