Slooow Fooood

Underground Food Collective and Hapa Kitchen teamed up in Madison last night for an event for Slow Food UW and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat a great meal made by these great local food enthusiasts.

For those of you unfamiliar with Slow Food UW, they are a group of students interested in "good, clean, and fair food." Every Monday they host Family Dinner Night, where a different chef joins the group and cooks an amazing meal. All for only $5! It's no frills but that's what is great about it. People show up strictly because they love good food grown and produced in their community.

The dinner last night was attended by over 150 people eager to see what UFC and Hapa would cook up and to hear Cathy Erway talk about her recently published book The Art of Eating In.

 (Image via theartofeatingin.com)

We were not disappointed. Every event I have ever attended that involves Underground Food Collective is amazing and last night was no exception. The added influence of Erway made it even better. But enough about them. Let's talk about the food!

Here's what we ate: 

Korean Pancakes with scallions and shredded winter veggies

A simple take on the classic Korean pancake, with fresh vegetables of any kind. 

"Dirty fried rice"

This is an East-West twist on two classics: Chinese fried rice with scrambled eggs and bits of meat like Chinese sausages, and Cajun/Southern dirty rice with giblets and bacon. 

Hoisin-chipotle baked beans

Sweet baked beans with a spicy, smoky kick and plenty of ginger.  

Three-cup chicken with roasted turnip mash.

The most famous Taiwanese dish, three-cup chicken, is also an easy one to make at home: a braise with equal parts rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil, and loads of fresh ginger, garlic and Thai basil.

Good, good stuff.