The Coop {Food Truck Review}

A food truck with a name dear to our chicken-loving hearts opened recently in close proximity to our house. Alex visited first, took pictures, and wrote this review:

Clintonville is seeing an influx of food trucks recently.  Despite the objections of various stick-in-the-mud types, the diversity is only growing.

The Coop is the latest truck to arrive on the Clintonville scene.  As the name suggests, it is a poultry-themed establishment and happens to have thrown out a shingle on the corner of Indianola and Cliffside.  As this is only a few blocks from our house we had their fare (one of each thing on the menu) for our Wednesday family dinner.

The dishes were:

French Omelet BLT sandwich -  Delicious folded omelet with thick-cut bacon and fresh veggies on white bread.  The whole thing melted in your mouth and was done exceptionally well.

Udon noodles with duck - This was probably the standout dish of the evening.  The noodles were well cooked, the duck was delicious and it was all complimented wonderfully with a hot and sour broth.  This was a fabulous dish that I could eat every day.  Of course, as with their other dishes, it was topped with an over-easy egg.

Chorizo Hash - Exactly what the name describes.  Very nicely done with chopped up bits of corn tortilla incorporated into the mix.  The over-easy egg made for a delicious sauce over the hash after the yolk was broken open.

Roasted Chicken Quarter (thigh/leg) over Corn with Parsley and Parmesan -  This was a very simple presentation that pleased the ever-picky Lillian.  The chicken was cooked very well and the corn mixture was creative and delicious.

Overall, we left full, satisfied and with a very favorable impression of Coop.  It's not the cheapest food truck out there, but come on, you can order duck on the side of the street.  Give it a try, you definitely won't be disappointed.

I couldn't resist Alex's raving and took our family on the short walk to the vintage cart on October 13. Here's my take:

Alex wrote 'delicious' four times in his review. While it is the most over-used adjective describing food, The Coop might be deserving of the quadruple praise.

The chef/owner of Coop, Angela Theado, is a restaurant veteran. She features local ingredients including Ohio eggs, meat, greens and fruit in from-scratch recipes.

The menu changes often to reflect what is seasonally appropriate and available. Beverage options are Clintonville-roasted Thunderkiss coffee, Coke, and San Pellegrino. The Coop uses Eartha Limited eco-friendly serving dishes and offers recycling bins for patrons. Two picnic tables are available for seating and there is parking for at least four cars in the lot.

We tried the duck leg ($10, a steal) for Lillian. Cooked in fat as confit first and finished in the oven, the meat was fall off the bone delectable. Lil gobbled it up while I savored the kale. Dressed lightly when raw, the tender leaves wilted slightly under the heat of the duck. Not wanting to upset the picky kid, I ate the pepper giardiniera on the side. This was the right choice for our family - Lil would have balked at the heat - though I can taste how well it would pair with the succulent duck meat.

I ordered the Omelet BLT ($7) after hearing about it from Alex and several friends. This high stacked sandwich layers bacon, arugula, tomato, and a gently cooked egg and cheese omelet between two slices of grilled Texas toast. It is saucy but manages to hold together for eating. Some don't enjoy the intrusion of soft egg in a BLT but I liked how The Coop transformed a summer tradition into a more filling meal.

My sister Megan has become a regular at The Coop. By happenstance, she pulled up just after our food was served. She ordered the Chorizo Hash ($8) and ran off to work before I could taste it. I snapped a few pictures to capture the sweet potatoes covered in Ohio bison chorizo sauce, egg, and cheese.

Angela told me that The Coop will continue operating until the water lines freeze. Water lines for a food truck? Yep. One difference between The Coop and many other food carts is that it has a full dish station to handle the skillets in which Angela prepares each dish to order. While having to hook up to water makes this truck less mobile than some, a fresh skillet for each patron means that The Coop can accommodate food allergies and play with a wider range of ala minute cooking styles than those carts with a grill top alone.

More than the local sourcing, delectable dishes, and sustainable practices, what diners will like enjoy most about The Coop is the care with which the menu is planned. Rich duck confit needs a zesty accompaniment like citrus dressed kale. Sweet potato hash begs for a balance like spicy chorizo sauce to come off as a pleasant savory dish. Dishes include vegetables as thoughtful components. And everything IS better with an egg on top.

The Coop Current location: Cliffside and Indianola, 43202, look for the sweet blue pickup or yellow lights after dark Cash or credit accepted Website Facebook

Confit Canard (Duck Confit)

So what do you do with all of the wonderful rendered fat from the roasted duck?  You didn't throw it away did you?  Rendered waterfowl fat is one of the most delicious cooking mediums out there.  One of the tastiest dishes that can be made with it is Confit Canard also known as Duck Confit.

Confit is a term that is usually applies to meat that is slowly cooked submerged in fat.  Is it healthy?  Absolutely not.  It is, however, delicious and not in the least bit greasy despite the cooking method used.

For duck confit you need the the leg, thighs, and fat of a duck.  You can buy whole ducks and butcher them, reserving the breast for other use or buy the legs on their own.  In Columbus, both whole, parts, and fat can usually be found at North Market Poultry and Game in the North Market.

Once you have the legs, trim of any excess skin and pat them dry.  Coat them in a mixture of kosher salt, chopped garlic and thyme and let them rest refrigerated for at least 12 hours.

After the resting period, rinse the legs in cold water and again pat them dry.  Place them in a shallow pan and fill the pan with enough rendered fat to cover the legs.  Michael Ruhlman advises that you can use a mixture of 50% fat (any combination of poultry fat) and 50% olive oil.  By our experience he is absolutely correct, and the end result is just as flavorful.

After covering the legs in the fat, place the roasting pan in the oven on 200 degrees and let it cook.  The process can take up to 12 hours and can be completed overnight if you wish.  You will know the cooking is finished when the meat pulls easily away from the bone of the leg.

Traditionally at this point you would let the meat cool underneath a layer of fat and store it refrigerated for many months as a preserved food product.  It is ideal to let confit rest for at least a week to fully develop its flavor but even a few days will do if you are in a time crunch.

After this fat nap, the meat can be used in many ways.  If you warm the fat back up, you can remove the legs easily, pat them dry and shred the meat from the bone.  This can then be used to top toast points, make a creamy spread or as a salad topper.

An alternate treatment is to reheat the leg whole in a saute pan and serve it as a main course.  The fat you cooked it and stored it in can be strained and re-used multiple times; there is no need to throw it away.

For a Rose Bowl party this evening, we served the confit pulled over cranberry sauce on toasted homemade bread.  Guests loved eating it and watching the Ohio State Buckeyes cook the Oregon Ducks!

This post was co-written with Alex.  In the interest of research, even vegetarian Rachel tasted and enjoyed the confit.

How to Cook a Duck

The Rose Bowl is days away. The Ohio State Buckeyes are playing the Oregon Ducks.  Alex and I are both alumni and football fans.  We are bringing a duck confit dish to a Rose Bowl party to poke fun at the opposing team's mascot.

One of the most common complaints about duck (or goose for that matter) is that the meat is greasy or dry and unpalatable after roasting.  Usually this is a result of not cooking it long enough to render away sufficient fat, or cooking it far too long and drying out the meat.

The method we use for waterfowl including duck and goose is based on Julia Child's technique in The Way to Cook.  This method encompasses a preliminary steaming step followed by a more traditional roasting process.  The end result is succulent meat that is tender, moist and not in the slightest bit greasy.

To begin, buy a fresh duck or goose from a reputable source.  Our favorite Columbus sources are North Market Poultry and Game and Weiland's Market.  Brine the bird in the refrigerator for up to twelve hours.

Trim the cavity of the bird of excess fat and trim the wing tips.  Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve these with the wing tips for making stock/gravy.  You may or may not want to play with the bird at this time, giving a puppet show with Rose Bowl references.

Aggressively salt the cavity of the bird and place it breast up in a metal roasting pan on a rack so that it is at least an  inch off the bottom.  Fill the pan to just below the bird with liquid.  Any mix of water, wine, apple cider or orange juice works well, keeping in mind that flavor will be imparted to the bird.  A few aromatic vegetables like celery and onion are welcome additions to the liquid.

Cover the pan tightly (aluminum foil is fine) and place on the stove top over medium heat to begin steaming.  Keep the liquid at a simmer, and add more as it boils away.  The steaming time will vary by the size of the bird.  A small duck (5 pounds) will take only half an hour while a large goose (12 pounds) will take about an hour.  When the steaming is done, remove the bird to a tray and drain the liquid from the roasting pan.

For a large goose you may collect as much as 3 cups of fat from the steaming process.  Reserve the fat for future cooking use.  It is easily poured into ball jars, cooked, and then refrigerated.

At this point, stuff the bird if that is your plan.  A liver and fruit stuffing suits the flavor of duck and goose well, but your tastes may vary.  If you do not want to stuff it, place an onion and some aromatic herbs in the cavity to add flavor.

After stuffing, truss the legs together and place it breast side down in the roasting pan.  Put it in the oven at 350 degrees.  For a smaller bird, you will want to flip it over to finish roasting after one hour.  For a larger bird, flip it over after one and a half hours.  Finish roasting breast side up for 30 minutes to brown the skin.  The meat should feel tender but slightly springy when pressed.

Remove from the oven and allow the bird to rest for 15 minutes while juices redistribute.  Carve the bird up like you would a chicken and it is ready to eat. As you carve it, you will notice that there is still some fat in the bird.  Because a vast majority of the fat was steamed away, the meat will be moist and taste delicious without being greasy.  Also, you might notice that around the legs the juices will still be slightly red.  This is perfectly fine.   If you buy your poultry from someone you know or trust, there should be no worries about food-borne diseases.

GO BUCKS!   COOK THOSE DUCKS!

Stay tuned for the Confit Conard (duck confit) technique post Thursday.