Reviewed by Linda Elisabeth LaPinta
E
ven better than a cookbook chock full of recipes concocted by a renowned Kentucky restaurateur and her talented team of chefs is such a compendium replete with satisfying tales. Ouita Michel’s Just a Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes from Our Favorite Places co-authored by Chef and Recipe Developer Sara Gibbs and Special Projects Director at the Ouita Michel Family of Restaurants Genie Graf constitutes a veritable banquet of just such ingredients. Michel’s famous menage of Bluegrass restaurants has expanded from Holly Hill Inn and The Midway Bakery in Midway, Wallace Station in Versailles, and Windy Corner Market in Lexington to additional eateries, a catering concern, an online store, and the regional farm and produce companies with which her brand is affiliated. Just a Few Miles South takes readers to Michel’s Midway, Versailles, and Lexington venues to sample recipes that have made their fare famous. Take, for example, Turkey Rachel, a variation of a Reuben sandwich made with oven-roasted turkey instead of corned beef. Michel writes that this elegant-but-easy recipe accompanied by instructions for making Russian dressing has been a Wallace Station staple since day one. And, along with recipes 8
Kentucky humanities
for such other lunchtime favorites as Merv’s Ham and Jalapeno Panini, Wallace Cubano, and Thirty-Seven Burger (a Wallace Station creation honoring 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah), readers hungry for context learn that the tiny community of Wallace Station named after President James Madison’s long-time friend Appellate Court Judge Caleb Wallace, who settled near Elkhorn Creek in about 1785, “was a fierce advocate for religious freedom and public education.” Michel adds that Wallace helped found several colleges and universities, including Transylvania University in Lexington,” just as “he was involved in establishing the public education system in Kentucky.” Readers can also relish food facts and preparation tips. “Panini,” Michel writes, comes from the Italian word panino, meaning “little sandwich.” The American panini is usually made on a sturdy bread like focaccia or ciabatta filled with layers of ingredients, pressed, and lightly grilled …. We like to use butter oil—equal parts melted butter and canola oil—for grilling; the butter contributes great flavor, and the oil lowers the smoke point.” The book’s title refers to the East Hampton, New York, Wallace Station-style restaurant once owned by the Michels’ friends.
