Pea is for Prosperity…

Around the globe different cultures have  unique New Year’s food traditions thought to ensure good luck. Spaniards eat grapes as the clock strikes midnight to predict whether the year will be sweet or sour. Austrians decorate their table with marzipan pigs to celebrate progress and  Germans place a few fish scales scraped from the prosperous carp in their wallets for luck. And in the South, it’s all about Hoppin’ John, a steaming bowl of beans, rice and pork. There are a number of seemingly-valid explanations for why beans symbolize good luck: Some attribute their magical properties to childhood lore a la Jack And the Beanstalk; others call it a fertility symbol; and still others say the black-eyed pea saved the South from starvation during the Civil War. No matter what you believe, one thing is true: it’s darn good eating. Happy New Year!

Hoppin’ John Recipe
1 # blackeyed peas, rinsed and picked through
2 large Spanish onions, one peeled and halved through the root, one medium diced
2 carrots, roughly chopped
4 bay leaves
kosher salt to taste
8 oz. bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
5 cloves of garlic, or more, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
One 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes

Put the black eyed peas, the halved onion, the carrots and 3 bay leaves in a large pot.  Cover it all with about three inches of water (you’ll need about 2 quarts). Put the pot over high heat, bring it to a simmer, then turn the burner to medium low and continue to cook until the beans are tender, about 60 to 90 minutes. Add two or three teaspoons of salt midway through the cooking. Strain the peas (reserving two cups of the cooking liquid); discard the onion, carrots and bay leaves.

While the peas are cooking: in a pot big enough to hold the beans cook the bacon over medium low heat  until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook over until the onion is softened and translucent and beginning to brown, five or ten minutes. Add the cumin, pepper flakes and black pepper, turn the burner to medium and stir to combine the seasonings with the onion.  Add the tomatoes and all the juices from the can. Add the last bay leaf.  Bring this to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so to thicken the sauce.

Stir in the black eyed-peas, and cook to heat through. Add some or all of the reserved bean liquid to make it as soupy or stewy as you would like. Then taste and season, whether that be more salt, pepper, or around here, more red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Maybe even siracha. Serve immediately with rice and cornbread.

Tags: cooking, Datz Tampa, foodie, Heather Anne Stalker, hoppin john, recipe, south tampa, Tampa

I Love Produce

by Chef Nikki Bowen

I love produce. For as long as I can remember, I have. As a kid, my parents would take me to the farmer’s market and the smell of fresh corn, basil, tomatoes, and even string beans would intrigue me.

My mom (who never considered herself a foodie or even a good cook) would carry home summer-ripe cucumbers, slicing them and dressing them in a light, and slightly creamy, vinaigrette. The firm flesh of the cucumbers mixed with the acidity of the vinaigrette created the most amazingly refreshing salad, the perfect complement to any summer meal.

I was brought back to my childhood summers today while preparing to teach a cheese-making class at Datz. To complement the mozzarella the class was making, I prepared panzanella. For those not familiar, panzanella is Italy’s gift to the world. Don’t misunderstand… I love a good marinara, and there is no substitute for fresh pizza, but in the summer months, there is no comparison. Ripe, sweet tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers, and peppery basil are tossed with hot, toasty bread squares and then drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar. I saved this incredibly aromatic mixture for the class and added their fresh mozzarella. I never tire of seeing the reaction of first-time fresh mozzarella consumers, and this experience was particularly rewarding. The taste of their mozzarella mixed with the freshness of these summer treats was an overwhelming onslaught of taste sensations.

Produce, bought in season and locally, is awe-inspiring. How many hours until the farmer’s market opens?

Tags: @datz, cheese, foodie, Foodimentary, Nikki Bowen, produce, Tampa

Hop to it Datz: Name Our New Beer

It’s no secret we love beer at Datz and want to that passion with you! Whether it’s the smooth, unfiltered Blanche de Bruxelles, hoppy Stone Ruination IPA, Victory Storm King Russian imperial stout or limited releases like Bell’s Hopslam and Dogfish Head 120, Datz rotates 28 taps of incredible beer. Still, we’ve been left wondering… what’s missing? Is there something more we can possibly do?

The answer, it turns out, was right in front of us at our weekly homebrew class – brewing our own beer!!! So we’ve paired up with Tampa’s best – Cigar City Brewing – to create Datz Pumpernickel Rye. Datz beeroisseurs and Cigar City brewer Joey Redner are crafting the recipe and brewing will start soon, but guess what? We don’t have a name!

That’s where YOU come in. We’re asking you – our fellow beer geeks and foodies – to “Hop to It” and help name our brew!

What’s in it for you? Well…

The 1^st place winner receives:

• Your name on the beer, sketch of you on Datz t-shirts and two free for shirts for you
• Free new beer for one year
• VIP status at cask launch party
• Private beer tasting event for 8
• 20% off all other beer for a year
• Dinner for 4 at a Monday Fun Day Beer dinner
• $100 Datz gift card

The 2^nd place winner receives:

• Free new beer for one month
• VIP status at cask launch party
• New beer t-shirt when it arrives
• Private Beer tasting event for 8
• 10% all beer for a year
• Dinner for 2 at Monday Fun Day beer dinner
• $50 Datz gift card

The 3^rd place winner receives:

• Free new beer for a week
• VIP status at cask launch party
• New beer t-shirt on arrival
• Private beer tasting for 8
• 10% off all beer for a year
• Dinner for 2 at Monday fun Day beer dinner
• $25 Datz gift card

Official Hop to Datz: Name Our Beer Contest rules:

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Participation in the Contest constitutes full and unconditional agreement and acceptance of these Contest Rules, which are final on all matters relating to the Contest.

2. Contest Period: The contest begins 8:00 a.m. ET, March 15, 2010 and ends 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 31, 2010.

3. Eligibility: The competition is open to everyone 21 years and older. Employees of Datz Restaurant Group, LLC or Cigar City Brewery (and their immediate families and those with whom they are domiciled) are not eligible to enter.

4. How To Enter: Email: Hoptoitdatz@datzdeli.com your best name for a pumpernickel rye porter by Cigar City Brewery. Place your suggestion in the subject line. One suggestion per email.

5. Receipt of Entries: To be eligible, entries must be received during the contest period.

Entries which are incomplete or are illegible are null and void. Datz and Cigar City accept no responsibility for entries which are lost, misdirected or delayed for any reason. Nor is any responsibility assumed for incomplete entries, incorrect or inaccurate capture of e-mail. Entries received from persons under the age of 21 will be null and void and no prizes will be awarded.

6. Multiple Entries: Multiple entries are acceptable but no more than one entry can be included on a single email.

7. Judging: Entries will be judged on Thursday, April 2, 2010. The top 3 winners will be notified and moved on to the final round of voting to take place on April 3, 2010. The winners will then be judged by a panel of Datz judges (consisting of 50% of the vote) and on a web poll on posted on www.datz4foodies.com (consisting of 50% of the vote). Winners will be posted on Datz website and other social media outlets as well as press releases being sent to area news and t-shirts being produced using new beer name. In the event that two or more entrants provided identical entries that are judged to be the winning entry, the winner will be decided by a coin toss. The other winning entries will automatically become the runners-up unless there are more than two in which case the runners-up will be decided by a coin toss.

8. Decisions of the judging are final: By entering the contest, each entrant agrees to be bound by these rules and regulations and all decisions Datz, which decisions are final with respect to all matters relating to the Contest, including (without limitation) the selection of prize winners. No correspondence will be entered into other than notification of prize winners.

9. Use of Entries: Datz reserves the right to use any of the names submitted in any way whatsoever. Attribution may or may not be made. Datz retains the right not to use the winning entry, or any entry as the final product name. Datz also shall have the right to use the winners’ names and/or likenesses in any way it chooses in connection with this competition or with promoting the beer or Datz.

10. Evaluation Criteria: Entries will be judged on creativity, appropriateness in keeping with Datz’s style, context and characteristics of the brew.

11. Claiming Prizes: Winners will be required to show proof of identity and be subject to age verification.

12. Liability: By entering the Contest, entrants agree to hold harmless and indemnify Datz Restaurant Group and Cigar City Brewery against any and all liability, damages or causes of action (however named or described) with respect to or arising out of either: (i) entrant’s participation in the

Contest; (ii) the receipt or use of the Prizes awarded herein; or (iii) the administration of the contest (including winner selection) and distribution of the prizes awarded herein.

Tags: @datz, Beer, Bell’s Brewery, brew, Cigar City Brewing, contest, Datz beer, Datz Deli, Dogfish Head, foodie, free, free beer, new beer, porter, pumpernickel rye beer, Tampa, Victory Brewing