Lost in the Supermarket

Dinner Bell

2010-11-04T13:03:00.001-05:00

Since I've taken a wee pay cut to spend my days cooking, my budgets for dining out and entertaining in have taken a hit too. I try to shop sales, cut coupons, and hunt for fixed price dinners. Today there are two awesome deals available in Chicago that I took advantage of and so should you...

Wine Discount Center's Groupon

You get $30 worth of wine for $15. If you will need to buy wine in the next six months, and with the holidays approaching you will, you need to get this deal. Hostess gift for Thanksgiving: done!

a la card 2011

First, buy a deck today (November 4) or tomorrow and get 20% off. You can also choose from free shipping or a 2010 deck - 2 months left - free. Perfect Christmas gift - I bought one for myself. From the a la card website:

"...each card contains a detailed description of the restaurant and is also a $10 gift certificate to that restaurant. The decks retail for $30, making it almost ridiculous to not own one--who doesn't eat out at least three times a year...Additionally, $1 per deck sold is donated to Common Threads."

Sticky Fingers

2010-10-13T17:44:00.003-05:00

You may have seen this little illustrated story wherein "thirteen chefs reveal the culinary battle scars they've received in the line of duty" in Sunday's New York Times. I saw it and loved it. Not on Sunday of course, because I usually work a 12-hour shift making dozens of labor-intensive, but delicious chicken pot pies. These stories from the Times are intense. Harold Dieterle's tale of cauterizing his wound on the flat top and finishing service before going to the hospital is the stuff of cooking legend. Something terrible was bound to happen to me in a professional kitchen. While cooking at home I've cut myself a few times, had a small burn here and there, discovered a major skin-allergy to butternut squash and even dropped an iron skillet on my foot. I'm accident prone. But now I work in a tiny, bustling kitchen where an error could mean you burn your co-worker or drop a pot on the dishwasher's head. So I am careful. Extremely careful.

Some days I have the luxury of a kitchen assistant or a prep cook to help cut vegetables, but for the most part, I like to do the steady, repetitive chopping myself. Aiming for hundreds and thousands of little pieces to come out the exact same size, repeating the same task daily, focusing completely on the task on my board. But then came those fucking apricots. High-quality dried and leathery ones. Instead of hydrating them first (like I had the previous four times I'd completed this project), I thought I would make less of a mess by chopping the apricots first, then hydrating them. By the fourth slice, I could tell that this was a stupid idea. With great effort my knife was barely getting through the flesh of the fruit and yet I soldiered on. On the fifth downward motion of my right hand, the apricot and knife slipped and sheared off most of my left pointer finger nail and the flesh beneath it.

I could tell as the knife was coming down that I had screwed up, because my mind was going in slow motion but just couldn't make my hands react quickly enough. I walked to the sink and washed my hands. I wrapped my gushing finger in paper towels, threw away the bloody apricots and the slice of my finger, and headed to the neighborhood drugstore. I asked the pharmacist for advice and showed him my finger. He shuddered and told me to go to the doctor. Instead I called my nurse friend who insisted I'd be fine since I hadn't cut through the nail bed. Liquid bandage and a finger cot for six weeks covered the mess, and it grew back. Now, I have an assistant cut the apricots.

2010-09-15T16:47:00.001-05:00

For the next few weeks, I suggest you eat a lot of tomatoes. It will be months and months before they are worth eating again.

sliced with a pinch of salt
BLT
bacon, arugula, tomato quiche
Caprese salad
French Tomato Tart
barely roasted cherry tomatoes
corn chips and fresh salsa
Hoosier Mama Summer bounty handpies (green city market)
gazpacho
bruschetta

Or can some tomato sauce right now and open it in January when you've had it with roasted root vegetables.

Remembering Bastille Day

2010-09-08T16:54:00.001-05:00

An impromptu barbecue or game night can be a great time, but a real party with decorations, food and drinks to match the occasion can be ridiculous and awesome. In planning Kris' Bastille Day birthday party, I enlisted the help of some kiddos I know to make French flags for a garland and to hang all over the apartment (as well as on the building's door to direct friends to our new place).

Kris bought and our friends brought a ton of great records, some French and some funk by request.

We drank too much French wine and beer.

We ate: five kinds of cheese, crackers, radishes and cucumbers with salted whipped butter, baguettes, ham and gruyere palmiers, blackberries, heirloom tomatoes...

When I attempted to stack my croquembouche, the party-goers insisted on an inalienable right to immediately consume the cream-filled dark chocolate ganache covered profiteroles. I quickly abandoned the plan and retreated from the plate of pastries to avoid these dessert radicals.

(Super Easy!) Profiteroles:
Ruhlman's pate a choux ratio
Whipped heavy cream, a vanilla bean, a few teaspoons of sugar
Dark chocolate melted with heavy cream, 2 drops of almond extract

Another Sunny Day

2010-07-26T23:20:00.000-05:00

With good friends in town, I'd rather wait an hour at Kuma's Corner than slave away at the grill. Waited only an hour because we got there at 11:30 (when they open). Arrive early, kids. Slayer: pile of fries topped with 1/2 lb. burger, chili, cherry peppers, andouille, onions, jack cheese, and anger. $13

I don't so much soak up the Chicago Summer sun as much as I hide from it under two layers of sunscreen, a floppy garden hat, giant sunglasses and often an umbrella. But I do love to eat and drink outside. Luckily for me (and my fellow fair-skinned dining partner) Jam has a lovely shaded patio. (Three)dom of Choice, except I chose five instead of three options: two eggs scrambled with taleggio, jam & toast, pork belly, fingerling potatoes, fresh fruit and also English breakfast tea. $17

If you want to eat the best croissant in Chicago, go to Floriole. The Green City Market sticky bun favorite is now also a beautiful bakery in Lincoln Park. First trip: ham and cheese croissant, quiche, caramel pot de creme, lemon macaron, Hibiscus tea, Limonata. $20 - ish

going pro

2010-05-13T14:32:00.002-05:00

I keep planning to update this lonely little blog. A post on getting kids to eat their vegetables. A response to Michael Ruhlman's Why I Cook post. One on how to successfully pack and move a kitchen. A list of my favorite recipes highlighting asparagus. Finding the time in my life and space in my brain to write has been nearly impossible. I moved on May 1st, from an apartment with a dream kitchen into one with very little cabinet space and a washer next to the fridge. I catered a big party in the suburbs. I've been doing personal chef work for a family with their third baby on the way. I landed a new job doing what I love.

I am finally cooking and getting paid for it. Full-time.

Finding a job in food with no culinary degree has been harder than I thought. In media interviews, chefs advise people to jump into a kitchen, work your way up the ladder, and learn trial by fire. On craigslist, their ads sternly warn against applicants without a degree and five years on the line. I applied for about 150 food jobs before I started getting called back. I worked for two days in a horrendous kitchen that lacked sanitation and basic respect before quitting. I was discouraged, but knew I could cook if given the chance. I staged (worked for free) at a couple of very nice places and got to know my way around a working kitchen - one where I wasn't in charge. Now I've found a lovely new home cooking at Hoosier Mama Pie Company. I'm the kitchen's savory cook, making pot-pies, hand pies and quiche, but I'm learning a lot about pastry and sweet stuff too. I found an awesome chef with a great staff who took a chance on me. I am now very proud to say "cook" when people ask what I do for a living.

I'm planning to unpack my new apartment, get settled into my new work schedule, and maybe treat myself to a massage and a bottle or two of red wine. After that, I'll write more.

writing about reading about eating

2010-03-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

Some people are up in arms about the way young hipster creative types use their food stamps to buy foodie luxuries like organic produce. I don't really give a shit how you use your small government subsidy - you qualify based on need and there are rules to ensure you actually buy food, so go for it. Loved this smarty-pants response to the hundreds of angry judgmental comments making the rounds online. You're damned if you buy Fritos and Pepsi, You're damned if you buy baby bok choy and salmon.

Speaking of damned...prepare to be horrified by the journal of an anonymous Chicago Public School teacher who's been eating and chronicling school lunches daily. I qualified for free school lunch and remember little smokies day fondly, but also the disgusting overcooked canned vegetables, cardboard pizza, and the ground meat that passed for nacho topping one day and spaghetti sauce the next. Gross. Have you joined Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution?

You should follow RuthBourdain on twitter. You will laugh at this mashup of Ruth Reichl's poetic twitter posts as seen through the imagined drug haze fogged lens of Anthony Bourdain. Ruth and Tony think it is hilarious.

Facebook connected me to another blast from my past - this time to Bobbi who I remember being the most friendly, smiley person at my school. She was even nice to jaded angsty teenage me! She's a ridiculously talented photographer, the spunky red-headed wife half of bobbi+mike, and blogger extraordinaire/ray of sunshine on the scary internet. I walked her through making a German chocolate cake for her mother's birthday using twitter, facebook, and text messages only. I should start a social media food emergency hotline!

If you, like me, missed the Family Farmed Expo, you should check out Martha Bayne's coverage of the event for the Reader. I enviously followed her live tweets while I was at work.

For some reason, eating while sick has been a popular topic recently: from The Stew What do you eat when you have a stormy stomach? and Epi-Log's What do you eat when your sick? For the record, I prefer saltines and lemon-lime soda.

I only share a few stories I find interesting here. Follow my google profile, where I overshare recipes, food news items, music stuff and the other cultural ephemera that overload my rss feed.

Shop Here: Super H Mart

2010-03-19T21:38:00.002-05:00

Browsing the Super H Mart involves a trek to Niles, Illinois. You must first deal with epic traffic jams to reach the suburban Asian superstore, then face the anxiety-attack inducing parking lot, dodge shopping cart wielding maniacs and avoid the sad, longing gaze of many an unattended child. Totally worth it and not that unlike a weekend trip to Costco. Scott, my fellow KC native super-foodie Kendall grad friend, brought me to the jaw-dropping market on a weekday afternoon, but I think I'd avoid this place on the weekends. It is overwhelmingly big - 19,000 square feet - yet still manages to get crowded.

It seems like every tiny family-owned grocer I've been to on Argyle or in Chinatown could fit into this mega-building. We went for a lunch of way too much udon, to pick up a set of dishware, and to grab some groceries. It is simultaneously a food court, housewares store, grocer, and mall with kiosks offering remote control toilets, underwear with matching handbags, and ginseng products from Wellbeing Town. Wherever that is, I'd like to move there.

There's an entire aisle devoted to hot sauce. Ditto for rice, noodles, and vinegar. There are not just several won-ton wrapper brands, they fill an entire deli case. Imagine you're in the refrigerated dairy section of your regular grocer: yogurt, butter, cheese, sour cream, milk. Now picture an area that size filled with nothing but kimchi. I'm not kidding. The prepared food section is large and free samples are plentiful.

The produce department is insane - not full of pristine goods like a Whole Foods, but dazzling in its variety. Giant pears, a dozen mushroom varieties, fresh turmeric root and water chestnuts, durian fruit, fresh chiles, a whole wall of green veg. Not everything looked fresh, but even a choosy shopper could find something to take home and there were lots of organic options. There were also several meat options that would usually require an extra trip to the butcher. I got pork belly for less than $2 per pound. Scott picked up some good looking short ribs which were cut "flanken" style across the bone for a great price too.

The whole fish and seafood is inexpensive. Some of it, a little too inexpensive. Be picky, use common sense and look for signs of freshness. Their dried squid or frozen fish are probably safer choices than fresh shrimp from a giant metal bin with very little ice and a plastic scoop for patrons to serve themselves. I saw a huge tuna unattended on a cutting table for several minutes and would have tried to steal the damn thing if I could have lifted it.

Take a field trip and check it out for yourself:

Super H Mart
801 Civic Center Dr
Niles, IL 60714
Hours: 8 am - 11 pm

black and fake tan corned beef

2010-03-17T00:07:00.002-05:00

It is too late to brine your own brisket for a corned beef feast on St. Patrick's Day. I failed too. I didn't plan ahead and instead purchased a far inferior corned beef in a bag of salt and preservatives as a hangover cure this weekend. Like me, you lost out on the opportunity to impart a ton of flavor and control what went into the brine. Make up for your error by cooking the damn thing in something other than a vat of plain water.

I was out of cheesecloth to contain the spices. I used a tea ball infuser. If you don't have either of these, you can just throw the spices into the pot - just be careful to remove anything that clings to the meat after cooking. A sharp bay leaf or bite full of chile seeds would not be pleasant.

Some basic corned beef and cabbage tips:

Use some beer to cook the hunk of beef. Beer > Water.
Boil the potatoes in the corned beef liquid but roast all the other vegetables. This will provide distinct textures in your final dish and lend a caramelized sideshow to the salty meat main attraction. This will also prevent your house from smelling of boiled cabbage.

Into the pot...

2 12oz. bottles of Guinness Stout (or sub another beer worth drinking)
6-8 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 - 4 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 dried chile de árbol, broken in half (or sub 1 tsp. red pepper flakes)
water to cover the beef

Put your brisket in a heavy bottomed pot along with your spices, beer, and enough water to cover the meat.
Bring liquid to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low (maybe medium-low). You want it to simmer - bubbles breaking the surface of the water every few seconds, not a rolling boil. Let it cook this way for about two hours. You can check it after 90 minutes or so, but cooking it for three hours wouldn't hurt it either. When brisket is fork tender, remove from pot.

I also boiled in the beef/beer liquid for about 20 minutes:
3 lbs. unpeeled medium red-skinned potatoes, quartered
3 medium onions, peeled and quartered

And roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper at 375 degrees for 40 minutes:
10 shallots, peeled and quartered
2 lbs. carrots peeled

And roasted with 4 strips of bacon at 450 degrees a la the Kitchn:
1 medium head of cabbage, stem removed, cut into 8 wedges

To make up my lapse in meat judgment to my also hungover guests, I whipped up some Irish Soda Bread* inspired by a nerdy 80s actor and a Blood Orange Polenta Upside-Down Cake. Both were hits.

*The soda bread recipe in the magazine has been amended by bon appetit online. My suggestion: watch the timing. My bread was done in 45 minutes (recipe calls for 55 - 60). Also - slather with butter (see picture above) and eat it fast, it doesn't keep well for more than two days.

Restaurant Week: Naha

2010-03-11T10:55:00.002-06:00

The top of the menu read: NAHA celebrates Restaurant Week 2010. And it did feel as if they were glad to be participating. Despite a strange interaction with the restaurant's hostess, I felt welcome at Naha and they seemed prepared for a restaurant week crowd. Every table in our section ordered from the special menu excepting a couple with a sleeping infant who wolfed down a shared appetizer and ran for it.

Jessica, my fashion design student friend and favorite shopping/gossiping partner, accompanied me to lunch. I am sometimes uncomfortable eating in fancy settings, but I knew she would put me at ease. I love trying new food and appreciate excellent service, but I sometimes can't get over feeling anxious and out of place in fine dining. It is usually caused by my perception of snooty front of the house staff and pretentious customers. Jessica shares my judgmental streak and once we turned the dining room into an episode of What Not to Wear, I was laughing. Especially about the guy at the bar who thought he was a character in a Bret Easton Ellis novel.

Once seated, the service was stellar and the food, interesting. I woke up with a scratchy throat, so I inquired about hot tea. The list was a bit intimidating, featuring many vintage options and prices similar to a wine list. I opted for a $6 chamomile, and was delighted when the pot of tea yielded three solid cups of warm tea - not too expensive after all. The bread service was delicious - especially the raisin bread with fennel seeds - and I was pleased with the generous portion of butter.

I started with: Cannelloni of Butternut and Acorn Squash, Caramelized Winter Root Vegetables of Homegrown Wisconsin Organic Parsnip, Celery Root and Rutabaga with Spaghetti Squash, Apple Cider and Chervil. I love squash, and here the preparation really honored the naturally sweet flavors of the root vegetables without tipping the scales toward sickly sweet. I only wished there was more - I actually contemplated ordering another portion to take home.

Jessica ordered the Mediterranean Fattoush “Greek Salad” of Mt. Vikos Feta, Cucumbers, Roma Tomatoes, Chickpeas, Italian Farro, Kalamata Olives and Oregano. It was crisp and light with the olives and feta adding some salt to punch up the dish. Then we both ordered the quail. Usually I like to get something different from my dining partner, to explore as many flavors and options as possible, but it just sounded too good.

A Farm Plate of Roasted Quail, La Quercia Proscuitto and Confit Cockscombs with Lacinato Kale, Carolina Polenta, Glazed Shallot and Thyme.

The quail was stuffed, and cooked nicely with crisp skin and moist, tender meat. Though I love the earthy flavor of a small game bird, I almost always regret ordering it because it can be such a pain to eat. When you're in casual company it doesn't seem to matter though, and I tore into it. The polenta was loose and creamy. The cockscombs were new to me: delicious with a dense, chewy texture similar to a lobster mushroom. Both of our plates were emptied, leaving only a pile of tiny bird bones.

After stalking several plates floating around the dining room, we settled on dessert. I chose a mountain of stacked items culminating in a peak of spun sugar. The “Open-Faced” Banana Tartlette, Spiced Rum, Toasted Cashews, Vanilla Chiboust “Custard” and Salted Caramel had texture and flavor, and wore its neutral color scheme well. Jessica's Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake, “Cara Cara” Oranges and Milk Chocolate Crème was reported to be delicious, but we mutually decided not to share any of our last course.

All of these items are not on the regular lunch menu, but given the prices of similar plates, we each spent $22 for meals that would normally have been priced at approximately $43 per person. It was a nice treat for a mid-week lunch, and I think I'll keep Naha in mind for a special dinner in the future.

The fun and savings were actually extended into Restaurant Weeks, as many restaurants chose to keep their discounted menus available through March 6. If you missed out, take advantage of Chicago Chef Week instead, March 22 - 28, for similarly priced three-course menus at a smaller list of chef-driven restaurants.

happy birthday, dear Chicago

2010-03-04T14:24:00.000-06:00

I don't like cake. I avoided birthday parties growing up because I dreaded the inevitably tense discussion with a perky mom who just couldn't wrap her head around a weirdo kid who didn't want any cake. After politely declining several times, I usually ended up caving and pushing around a dry square coated in a cloying layer of icing with a plastic fork for a few minutes. Then I pawned it off on another party guest, scraped it into the trash cleverly disguised in a napkin, or hid the plate behind a plant on the kitchen counter.

For my own birthdays, I preferred to wolf down cheesecake - not really cake - after eating an adult portion of lasagna at Papa Frank's, a neighborhood favorite that was forced to relocate by the massive flood in 1993. I got older and started celebrating birthdays with friends at pizza places with animatronic bands. The masses were appeased with fancy (notable themes included NKOTB, 90210, Chicago Bulls) concoctions purchased from a decorator friend, but I did not partake. For my family celebration, at a restaurant of my choosing, I preferred to order pie or ice cream. Anything but cake.

chubby Allison, age 3, eye on the prize

It took awhile to realize that I only hated bad cake, of which, there seems to be an abundance in the world. Cake can be good: moist, flavorful, filled, covered with good buttercream, layered to the ceiling. Strawberry cake my Grandma Georgia makes with the Summer garden's bounty. Chocolate cake smothered with ganache eaten with my fingers while watching cartoons in bed. Pineapple upside-down cake to serve 300 people - the first cake I made all by myself as a grown-up. If a cake has frosting leaping forth like flames from the sides and top, I'll probably like that cake. If a picture can be scanned onto the perfectly smooth top, I probably don't like that cake.

Last Cinco de Mayo, err dos de Mayo, I made my first tres leches cake. The architecture of the cake I planned with two thick layers, heavy with milk syrup, covered with fresh whipped cream was not suitable for travel across the city. Not on a bus or in a taxi, where I probably shouldn't trust the driver with my life and definitely not a cake. I packed up some springform pans, bags full of dairy ingredients, and fresh strawberries, lugging them to the party to make a mess in someone else's kitchen for a change. That cake was so damn good. The hauling of the hand mixer to Kris and Frankie's apartment was definitely worth it, but I immediately began hatching a plan for a commute-friendly version for the future. Cupcakes, if a little cute and over done, are pretty great travelers. And they eliminate the need for plates and forks. They are perfect for tres leches, I figured.

tres leches cake, dos de Mayo 2009

Last weekend I confirmed my gut feeling. Successful, wet cupcakes were had by many a tipsy reveler at Jonathan's impromptu birthday party. One attendee refused, saying he had given up sweets for Lent, but a nearby party-goer branded them "epic" and had another one on his behalf. You should make these to celebrate Chicago's Birthday. Or just Thursday. I have some leftovers and I think tonight I'll celebrate having driven home from the suburbs, during rush hour, without killing anyone. Provided I accomplish that.

Tres Leches Cupcakes
cake and syrup recipes adapted from Michael Lomonaco,
Epicurious 2002

Spicy Sponge Cake (makes 16 - 20 cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with foil cupcake liners and spray inside each liner lightly with canola oil baking spray. Whisk flour with baking powder and cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger in a medium bowl. Separate egg yolks from whites. Using a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy, then slowly add sugar to tighten whites to semi stiff peaks. Add yolks one at a time. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk until well mixed. Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 way up side of liner. Bake for about 20 - 22 minutes or until the middle springs back when touched and tops are slightly brown, turning once halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. Cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

Rum Milk Syrup
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons dark spiced rum (optional)

Stir to combine all ingredients. If making ahead, refrigerate and stir before using.

This makes way too much syrup. You will have leftovers. I suggest you make a double batch of cake batter and throw some in a springform pan lined with parchment (it will take 30 - 40 minutes to bake) Or you could make a coffee rum milkshake or something.

Buttercreamcheese Frosting (will cover at least 20 cupcakes)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more to taste

1 orange

2 tablespoons dark spiced rum (optional)

1 teaspoon finely minced or grated ginger

Put cream cheese in medium bowl (or bowl of stand mixer). Zest orange into bowl. Cut orange in half and squeeze juice into bowl, careful to remove any seeds. Add rum and ginger. Mix until combined, then add butter and continue beating until smooth. Sift sugar into bowl and beat again until smooth. Add additional sugar to taste.

Assembly
Once cooled completely, you'll need to remove a very thin layer from the top of each cupcake to facilitate the syrup absorption. I tried using a sharp knife, but found that your fingers work best and don't waste as much cake. Alternately, you can poke a few holes in the cupcake with a fork, but it will hold together better later if you just take off the top.

Use a tablespoon to slowly ladle the milk syrup mixture onto the top of each cupcake, letting it work its way into the cake. You can add an additional half tablespoon, but no more or the cake will be a soggy mess. This takes patience, but is easy.

The frosting can be piped or heaped on top of the cupcakes. I like using a small silicone spatula or, in a pinch, a butter knife.

tres leches cupcakes, 9:30 PM, Saturday night

chicken chili

2010-02-27T19:34:00.003-06:00

I spent last week working on a chicken chili recipe request from an old friend. I haven't seen much of Adam Reisig since 1999, when we sat next to each other in Mr. Winkler's Advanced Composition class, but the internet has a way of bringing people back into your life. I hate when someone refuses to give up a recipe or claims that some of their ingredients are secret. I'm good at sharing. This time, though, I didn't have a recipe. I usually make chili with chuck or ground turkey. There are tons of "white chili" mixes on the market like McCormick, but they are creepily sweet and filled with crap:

MODIFIED CORN STARCH, ONION, ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (FLOUR, NIACIN,REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, AND FOLIC ACID), SALT, SPICES (INCLUDING RED PEPPER), GARLIC, CHILI PEPPERS, SUGAR, YEAST EXTRACT, CHICKEN BROTH, CITRIC ACID, CHICKEN FAT, SOY SAUCE (SOYBEANS, WHEAT, AND SALT), AND NATURAL FLAVOR?

This process for making chili is not especially conducive for busting out a quick weeknight meal. I like to spend my Sundays cooking ahead for the rest of the week, but understand if that isn't your thing. It involves roasting a chicken, cooking the beans separately, making chili powder, chopping veg, and then putting it all together. A few shortcuts are possible, but there are some disadvantages:

Canned Beans

they come already salted and sometimes spiced, so you'll have to rinse them to control the flavor
take care not to overcook them or they'll turn to mush
they smell like dog food when you open the can
for this recipe, you'll need 3, 15 ounce cans of beans

Grocery Store Roast Chicken

chances are, the breast will be overcooked and rubbery
usually too salty
your chicken likely led a sad, empty life
the house won't be filled with delicious smells
people on the bus will be seriously pissed if the aromas waft out of your grocery bags

Chili Powder

most brands are pretty one-note
store bought versions will last only as long as homemade
for the price of one jar, you could probably make more than a cup using ingredients from a Mexican grocer

Canned stock

use beer instead! Seriously, any beer. Or water.
if you must, try for low sodium with as few ingredients as possible

Chicken Chili
(serves 6-8)

12 oz. dry white beans (such as great northern or cannellini)*
2 medium onions, diced
4 roasted poblanos, diced
2 or so chipotles in adobo, chopped (buy a 7.5 oz. can)
1 28 oz. can whole or crushed tomatoes
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups roasted chicken, chopped, skin removed
2 cups homemade chicken broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime

For Beans
Preheat oven to 325. Place beans in an oven-proof pot with a tight-fitting lid, such as a dutch oven. Fill with water to cover beans by one inch. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to water, cover, and bake for 60 minutes. After one hour, check beans every fifteen minutes until tender, adding water if needed to keep beans covered. Remove from oven when soft, and drain beans.

The World’s Most Difficult Roasted Chicken Recipe (from Michael Ruhlman)
Turn your oven on high (450 if you have ventilation, 425 if not). Coat a 3- or 4-pound chicken with coarse kosher salt so that you have an appealing crust of salt (a tablespoon or so). Put the chicken in a pan, stick a lemon or some onion or any fruit or vegetable you have on hand into the cavity. Put the chicken in the oven. Go away for an hour. Watch some TV, play with the kids, read, have a cocktail, have sex. When an hour has passed, take the chicken out of the oven and put it on the stove top or on a trivet for 15 more minutes. Finito.

For Chili Powder
This isn't very spicy. I prefer to add cayenne or extra chipotles in adobo for heat, and keep this chili powder flavorful, but accessible. Feel free to substitute your favorite peppers, add cinnamon sticks or fresh cumin seeds.

2 Tablespoons coriander seeds
3 pasilla chiles
3 guajillo chiles

Heat a cast iron or stainless skillet over medium-high heat. Add coriander seeds, shaking pan over heat for 1-2 minutes, until seeds are fragrant, but not smoking. Remove seeds from pan and add the chiles in one layer to bottom of pan, working in batches if necessary. Heat chiles for 1-2 minutes on both sides and remove from heat. Using kitchen shears, cut stems off and shake seeds from chiles. Cut up the peppers roughly and add them along with the coriander seeds to a coffee grinder, food processor, mortar and pestle, or blender. Process until ingredients form a fine powder. Store in an airtight container for up to six months.

Roast the Poblanos
This step is not entirely necessary. It will add a smokiness to the final dish, but if you want to skip it, instead chop the peppers and add them to the pan with the onions.

Place a pepper on the burner of a gas stove top* directly over the flame. Using tongs, turn the pepper every minute or so, until all areas of skin are charred. Place the blackened pepper on a cutting board and invert a medium-sized bowl over the pepper. Repeat this process until all peppers are roasted. Keep them under the bowl until cooled, about 10 minutes. Peel charred skin away and discard. Remove stem and seeds, then dice the peppers.

*if you don't have a gas stove, your broiler is an alternative for charring the pepper

For Chili
Using same pot from the earlier bean cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add onions with a pinch of kosher salt and cook until softened, stirring often, around 8-10 minutes. While onions are cooking, break down the chicken and discard the skin (I recommend eating it with your fingers, but don't forget to wash your hands). Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and refrigerate any additional meat. Add garlic, poblanos, chipotles, cumin, and chili powder to pot, stirring to coat all the vegetables in the seasonings. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, beans, and chicken. Once combined, simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Add lime juice right at the end of cooking and season with salt and pepper to taste. This chili always tastes better the following day, once the flavors have a chance to come together, but does not benefit from a long simmer (that will overcook the chicken and beans).

Garnish with shredded cheese, avocado, or sour cream. Or all three. I hope you enjoy, Adam.

Restaurant Week: Perennial

2010-02-22T10:29:00.241-06:00

Our trip to Perennial for restaurant week did not get off to a good start. The four of us arrived a few minutes early for our reservation and I made eye contact with the hostess. She greeted me with a "good evening" and then a pushy customer from the bar stepped between us and interrupted. The hostess did not acknowledge this or apologize, but instead began to assist the other woman who complained that while she did not have a reservation, "it was ridiculous that she could not be seated at 7:00" on a Saturday night even if it was Restaurant Week. After several minutes of this exchange, and after eying the four other unoccupied staff members nearby, the hostess disappeared and I was greeted by a different hostess who located our reservation and was quite helpful. I couldn't shake the feeling that the staff resented the restaurant week crowd. I would hope any business would be welcome in this economy.

We waited in the bar, but opted not to order anything to drink since we were only five minutes or so from our reservation at 7:15 and were assured we'd be seated "right on time". When the hostess summoned us to our seats, she noted loudly that we did not seem to have a bar tab to settle up. The interior was simple and earthy - modern, but not too slick. Perennial was described by someone at the table as "looking like every other restaurant". The layout is unfortunate, forcing one to dodge plates of food and hurried waitstaff in the same hallway as the kitchen on the way to the bathroom located in the hotel lobby.

Our waiter suggested a red within our price range and the 2005 Grove Street Cabernet Sauvignon was well liked by the table. There was a single cocktail order, for a wee little pink concoction that was enjoyed, but not deemed worthy of the price. The pretzel rolls were a nice touch for the bread course, salty and crunchy outside giving way to a fluffy soft interior.

Kris and I had:

Black Truffle Gnocchi, parsley root puree, hen of the woods mushrooms, frisee salad
Farmin Iberico ham croquettes with garlic aioli
Roasted Duck Breast, braised savoy cabbage, confit duck and foie gras pithivier, dried cherry sauce
Becker Lane Organic "Pork Lover's Obsession" grilled loin, braised belly, trotter ragout, cauliflower, swiss chard, winter fruits, potato puree
Roasted brussels sprouts
Crispy Hazelnut Bar, milk chocolate, creme fraiche, chocolate caramel, pistachio ice cream
The Brazilian, brown butter cake, cachaça pineapple, ginger popsicles, coconut sorbet, piña colada Sauce

Our friends Marty and Michaela also tried:

G.C.M. [Green City Market] Red Kuri Squash Risotto, laughing bird shrimp, toasted curried pumpkin seeds
Red Wine Braised Short Rib, celery root puree, glazed carrots, red wine sauce
Cheesecake, raspberry custard, cream cheese foam, graham cracker ice cream

The gnocchi was tasty, but the portion was tiny. I had very high expectations. Listed on their website as one of the "Top 10 dishes of 2009", Food and Wine actually named this first course one of 10 Best Restaurant Dishes under $12. The other two appetizers we tried were delicious too, but more substantial. I definitely appreciated our familiarity with our dining partners who were anxious to share. I am glad to have tried it, especially since it was prepared in an unfamiliar Roman-style, but I am not sure I would order it again. We waited thirty minutes between our first and second course, but our waiter did not stop at the table until about 2 minutes before our plates came out, to indicate they were on their way. It was busy and it is restaurant week. Our busser was one of the most efficient restaurant workers I have ever seen, keeping our glasses full and our plates cleared. I should have given him the entire tip.

Perfectly cooked and well-seasoned duck breast sat atop a sad heap of braised savoy cabbage. Luckily I predicted this might be the case and ordered a side of brussels sprouts. They were awesome: roasted to a crisp, still soft inside, and piled into a bowl large enough to share with the table. I was pleased with such a generous portion, but it seemed incongruous with the other items we ordered. Kris' plate was huge, but spare. We were not at the Sizzler and moderate portions are to be expected, but two bites of pork belly? A small ramekin of pork ragout topped with whipped potatoes? Not to say that these items were not well-executed. I'm sorry: if you call a dish "Pork Lover's Obsession" and charge nearly $30, bring some noise.

The desserts were over the top. Enormous compared to our previous plates and rich. The hazelnut bar was my favorite - dense and almost rice crispy like. It sat on a strip of tangy creme fraiche, was topped with pistachio ice cream and a huge quenelle of milk chocolate along with a caramel chip. The Brazillian was full of textures, but also a little too sweet.

The Brazilian | Perennial, originally uploaded by happy_stomach.

Overall, I enjoyed my evening. I laughed easily with great company, enjoyed the wine, and was impressed with most of the food. But the service was uneven. The pace and portions of the meal were inconsistent. Each small service slight added up, making me feel less than welcome at Perennial and definitely less important than other diners. We ordered off both the main and restaurant week menus, though the waiter looked deflated when we leaned toward the latter. We were dressed in our best estimates of opentable's suggested "smart casual" and fit in (I noticed many athletic shoes and spotted only two men in tuxedos). We used the correct forks. Still, I felt judged. Looking back, the hostess' comment about our lack of a pre-meal bar tab seemed a little snooty rather than matter-of-fact. While claiming to offer a "casual elegant" atmosphere that highlights the food, Perennial tries too hard and comes off as pretentious and focused on the scene.

Restaurant Week: Terzo Piano

2010-02-20T02:07:00.004-06:00

"The place is like a museum. It's very beautiful and very cold, and you're not allowed to touch anything."

The place is a museum. It is very beautiful, but warms up a bit after a glass of wine. The Art Institute's Modern Wing houses Terzo Piano, helmed by acclaimed Spiaggia Chef Tony Mantuano. Afternoon sunlight pours in the dining room through a bank of western-facing windows. Some sparse colorful elements pepper the room: vases and urns in the center and a green wool rug in the waiting area topped with black leather Mies van der Rohe furniture. The room is mostly white, wood, and light. In this minimalist setting, the food needs only to compete with awesome views of the city.

My lunch date Katherine and I finally managed to coordinate our schedules and I knew this was the spot. She appreciates the design elements of any good looking room and shares my love of the Modern Wing. We had both neglected this restaurant, probably because we're rarely out to lunch downtown. Terzo Piano has lunch daily, but only serves dinner on Thursdays when the museum also offers free admission from 5 - 8 pm. Restaurant Week is a perfect opportunity to try out someplace pricey, new, or outside of your neighborhood routine because the risk is relatively small. For three courses at lunch you spend a mere $22.

We looked over the standard lunch menu, but settled quickly on the restaurant week selections:

Nichol's Farm potato and parsnip soup
Butternut squash filled ravioli with house made Becker Lane sage sausage, caramelized cipollini onions and Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese
Chocolate semi-freddo with spanish peanut nougat and salted caramel

Based on current prices, we saved $11 from the everyday cost of the menu items. I promptly spent those savings on a generously poured glass of Zinfandel "East Bench" highly recommended by our server who noted it will not appear on the menu until later this weekend. Besides the superb wine pairing, our service was attentive and polite, but not at all stuffy.

I loved the handmade butternut squash filled pasta with sage and brown butter at Cafe Spiaggia. The version at Terzo Piano suffers only slightly in comparison. The pasta dough was not rolled out as thinly resulting in dense pockets of pasta rather than the light and pillowy texture that I know possible. Each ravioli was also on the small side, though the overall dish was sizable for a lunch portion. The addition of the salty sage sausage to dress the pasta did balance the sweet squash and caramelized onions more than the delicate brown butter I had before..

The semi-freddo was perfect: salty, sweet, smooth, crunchy, rich, chocolate. Great company and food. Eating lunch at Terzo Piano will make you feel like a grown-up. Even if you talk more loudly than any of the other ladies who lunch.

It was quiet, a bit too quiet for boisterous friends catching up over drinks and lunch. Might I suggest BTTB, the 1999 album by Ryuichi Sakamoto, as a nice future soundtrack?

Reversing - Ryuichi Sakamoto, ...

Sweet Sunshine

2010-02-13T16:18:00.000-06:00

I've had a dreary couple of days. I lost my best purple hat...among other things. I keep forgetting to eat. Sinus headaches and financial burdens and CTA cutbacks, oh my! But something strange has been happening this week around Chicago. The sun is back and hasn't just been shyly peeking out from behind clouds. This is bright, sneeze inducing, dont-forget-your-sunglasses sunshine.

Though it was annoying to wait longer than usual for a bus (especially without a hat), I was glad to be on the sunny side of the street this morning with friends for company and pastries on the horizon. We arrived at Logan Square Kitchen at 11:00 am, and it was packed. A smiley kid with pigtails and a cupcake frosting mustache in the doorway indicated what we were in for: attractively packaged cute-sized goodies made by people who care a lot about food. The lines were so deep, people didn't even know which vendor they were queued up for. "Are those macarons? I can't see anything!" said a woman shorter than me on her tippy toes. They were, in fact. And they were almost sold out even though the event was to continue to 3:00 pm. It was an overwhelming and successful crowd for the vendors. It definitely brought attention to a beautiful shared use kitchen and green event space.

I knew a lot of the products already, so I used this bakery bonanza as an opportunity to try out something new. Lots of treats were sampled, but this is what I splurged on:

2 meyer lemon Chicago Macarons $3
Rich Chocolates pâte de fruit $6
Rare Bird meyer lemon rosemary preserves $8
B True Bakery apricot ginger oatmeal cookies $2
Porte Rouge black tea $1

Save the Date: Soup and Bread February 17

2010-02-12T16:09:00.000-06:00

Andrea and I are teaming up once again to make soup and bread for one of our favorite Chicago bars: The Hideout. We'll be ladling up some meaty chili and handing out cornbread starting at 5:30 on Wednesday night. If last year was any indication, you should arrive early! We made an indecent amount of soup and it was decimated in an hour. We'll make even more this year. So stop by, donate some cash to the Lakeview Pantry, and fill up.

John Lee Supertaster

2010-02-05T12:02:00.001-06:00

Sophisticated Superbowl party be damned - I'm craving melted cheese product and deep fried meat. I've been inundated with bullshit tips for fancying up a party that, at its core, is about grown-ups slamming in to each other so other grown-ups can watch, bet on, and holler about said violence. Football is meant to be enjoyed while drinking from a plastic cup and eating with your hands. Superbowl Sunday is not the time to bring out your grandmother's china or press your antique linen napkins into service.

Cutting open a bag of pizza rolls isn't mandatory either - you could make your own pizadillas, or homemade pizzas with individualized toppings for your guests.

I was glad to see Andrew Knowlton come out with some nacho rules to live by this week.

Serious Eats threatens to piss off all of Buffalo, NY, by taste testing alternatives to the one true wing.

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn sounds amazing, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm probably going to make another batch of the way better than cracker-jack caramel corn from Orangette this weekend.

Sometimes it is hard to let go of food snobbery. I should know. Kris has a "special recipe" for guacamole that involves a smart ratio of prepackaged spice mixes with expertly chosen ripe avocados, tomatoes, and lime juice. "Delicious!" is exclaimed by someone every single time he serves it. Because it is. I like to make my own with garlic, shallots, cilantro, jalapeno, lime zest and juice, and cracked pepper. But I also love to eat his version. So we'll be serving it this Sunday along with:

buffalo wings: celery, carrots, blue cheese, ranch
babyback ribs: Gates and Stubb's sauce to satisfy our regional differences of opinion
chips and "queso": velveeta, rotel, sausage
potato salad: carbs!
deviled eggs: if I have time to make them
18 domestic beers: we're having a taste-test
caramel corn: with peanuts for protein
brownies

Gussy up your comfort food all you want. I'm allowing myself a reprieve from my food pretension. For at least one night anyway.

she don't use jelly

2010-01-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

Last year I avoided complaining about the weather all winter. It was a resolution of sorts. Midwesterners are strong, resilient, and capable of handling whatever the brutal sub-zero wasteland brings. That was last year. This week, I don't want to get out of bed. I find myself still wearing my scarf and goofy hat hours after I get home from work. I have been turning the dial all the way hot in the shower, conservation be damned. I've cooked dinner in every night just so I can stand near an auxiliary heat source. Blerg.

I needed a serious pick-me-up today. Listening to a particularly moving radio show about Vic Chestnutt sent me into a mini-breakdown before 9:00 am. I opted for creamy peanut butter, sliced bananas, and honey on whole grain bread and a quick dance party. I'll take these toppings on a bagel, toast, english muffin...pretty much any wheaty bread product over a pbj anyday.

Peanut Butter Banana Playlist

The Rainbow - Apples in Stereo
Mr. Blue Sky - ELO
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
Clap Hands - Beck
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Submarine # 3 - Starlight Mints
ABC - the Jackson Five
We Got the Beat - the Go Gos
Shake it Up - the Cars

riffs and variations on a single note

2010-01-26T23:33:00.001-06:00

Everywhere I turn this winter, I bump into a delicious feature on potato-leek soup. Both Dave Lebovitz and the Kitchn ran simple recipes that seemed to invite a little experimentation. I've been trying to decide what to make for Soup and Bread (I'm cooking February 17th), which has been an awesome excuse to order soups out and tinker with old recipes at home. A bunch of broccoli in the fridge paired with all of the recipes invading my rss feed provided some inspiration for a broccoli-cheese/potato leek mash-up soup. Next time, I think I'll involve beer and a lot more cheese. This particular variation combined my love of silky pureed soup, pork fat, and caramelized roasted vegetables. A nice weeknight meal, but Andrea and I are working on something much meatier for the Hideout!

Potato-Leek Soup with Broccoli and Bacon

2 heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 lb small red-skinned potatoes, cubed
2 medium leeks, washed thoroughly and sliced
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
5 slices bacon, roughly chopped
1 cup or so milk/cream*
shredded aged cheddar for garnish
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss broccoli florets and red-skinned potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil and spread evenly onto sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Roast in oven for 30 - 45 minutes, turning broccoli and potatoes every fifteen minutes until browned and potatoes are cooked through.

In large pot or dutch oven, crisp the chopped bacon over medium heat. Remove bacon from pan and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to pork fat. Add leeks and a pinch of kosher salt to hot pan and cook over medium or med-high heat for 5 minutes, or until leeks are soft. Add peeled potatoes to pot and add enough water to just cover potatoes. Simmer the potatoes and leeks, covered, for twenty minutes or until potatoes yield easily to the tip of a knife. Remove pan from heat.

Puree with an immersion blender** until smooth, adding milk or cream if necessary to reach desired consistency. Salt and Pepper to taste. You can mix the crisped bacon, roasted broccoli, and potatoes into the soup pot or garnish the top of each bowl individually. Don't forget the cheese!

*If you're feeling really decadent, you can drain the water from the potatoes and leeks and mix the veg with only milk or cream and a little butter, omitting the water altogether...like really thinned out mashed potatoes.

**You can use a regular blender, just please be careful:
-fill it only halfway
-leave off the small cap in the center of the lid, covering the hole with a folded kitchen towel

eating nonfood keeps them mean

2010-01-22T11:51:00.003-06:00

I've been to California before. San Jose and San Fransisco. Never southern California - until last weekend when I flew out for a few days to meet Kris who was working from his company's Newport Beach office. It was a nice opportunity to spend a few days without flannel pajamas in a paid-for hotel room. Mostly, I wanted to try to find a Kogi truck. A completely sane reason to fly halfway across the country, right? Right. Straight from the airport, famished, we got lost and stumbled upon the garish Trinity Broadcasting Network headquarters as well as several restaurants about to close. It was only 10:00 on a Friday night, but I was glad to settle into a moon over my hammy at Denny's rather than spend any more time driving. Apparently that's what LA and its surrounding expensive beachy communities are all about: creeping along in epic traffic, blind curves, slamming on one's brakes, exiting at dangerous speeds at the last possible second barely avoiding slamming the median head on, and leisurely traipsing into the roadway if you happen to be a pedestrian. The greasy sandwich was awesome, the entire high school drama department that was eating at a nearby table was less than awesome.

Saturday morning, we planned to get up early and head to LA in search of my taco truck. We slept in. Actually, I woke up at 7:00, read 40 pages from my book club selection, and went back to sleep. Even palm trees and sun can't inspire me out of a king-sized bed with crisp sheets and a fluffy down comforter. So I napped before noon. We finally got ready, but then were in no way willing to wait an hour before eating. So we hit up a drive-thru for some burgers on our way to get tacos. It has been nine years since my last, but In-N-Out burgers are still great. Not the best burger ever, but still a hell of a deal for a couple of bucks. It was a bigger appetizer than necessary. They gave us a thoughtful little "lap mat" to catch the dripping grease and ketchup which was a blessing because we were driving the boss' boss' boss' car and I'm a messy eater. At every meal I use a pile of napkins, while Kris rarely needs one at all.

In-N-Out Burger
cheeseburger all the way
cheeseburger just ketchup & mustard
fries
coke
vanilla milkshake

We started on our journey toward LA with less empty stomachs, but tacos were still on my mind. Kogi has several trucks that set up around the city, with locations updated on their website and via twitter. Kris found a truck that would allow us to take a meandering trip down the Sunset Strip, through Beverly Hills, and Bel-Air. We drove to Silver Lake, parked, and headed to the truck. The guy who sold us our tacos was really helpful, incredibly nice, and gave us some restaurant recommendations we should have listened to more carefully. He seemed genuinely happy to be working and was excited that we'd heard about what they're doing all the way in Chicago. By far, the best service experience we had in the city. Definitely the best food we ate too. Well seasoned, deep but clean flavors, awesome texture, super colorful. Dude.

All of the tacos are served on double corn tortillas with meat and:

sesame-chili salsa roja
julienne romaine lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette
cilantro-green onion-lime relish
crushed sesame seeds
sea salt
lime wedges

The quesadilla had caramelized onions, cheddar and jack cheese, spicy pork, and was bathed in salsa verde and sesame seeds. Sitting on the wall in front of an elementary school, for $14 we had a ridiculously delicious meal with the least annoying strangers on the trip. A guy nearby actually apologized for taking pictures of his tacos to put on facebook. I admitted that I had already done the same and thought "these are my people!" Sitting outside, having tracked down fresh simple food, eating with my hands. Perfect.

Kogi Korean BBQ Tacos
spicy pork tacos
short rib tacos
black jack quesadillas
water

We walked off our fast-food eating marathon at the Getty. I love art museums, but the exhibitions were totally overshadowed by the extended views, whimsical gardens, and the fun interactive architecture. I picked up some postcards, we moseyed through the buildings, and I took way too many pictures of cacti. At every turn we ran into the same obnoxious families. It is free, so if I didn't believe in family planning, I suppose I'd drag my five misbehaving offspring and shopping bag-laden super stroller too. We weren't especially hungry, so we headed to Hollywood and checked out the silliness. A combination of homeless teenagers and black-tie clad power couples peppered the walk of fame. Mann's Chinese Theater is underwhelming - not at all as grandiose as on television. We thought about getting out of the car, but didn't.

Though I'd have loved to try Providence or Campanile, and should have chosen Animal or (the Kogi taco guy recommended) Hungry Cat, I picked a small wine bar with a simple menu. Nestled into a "classy strip mall" between a laundromat and massage parlor, LOU seemed a lot better on paper (or screen) than in reality. Once inside, the decor is snazzy enough to make you forget you are probably eating in a recently closed Game Stop. Having my favorite wallpaper doesn't exactly make up for weird service or mediocre wine...at a wine bar. We were seated a safe distance from the few other diners and ordered pig candy (bacon brushed with sugar and cooked until caramelized, then quick frozen and served cold). If it was warm or even room temperature, it might have been enjoyable.

Besides the Armandino Batali salumi and a ten year aged cheddar, the charcuterie plate was unremarkable. Finally the restaurant got busy, and diners hurried through their meals at a table next to us, chatting extensively about parking issues and whether Whole Foods organic powdered cheese was better than Kraft. The six of them split a ribeye and a salad. That's right - one steak for six people. I took this as a dare and ordered the ribeye for myself. When our dinner arrived, the server switched our plates, assuming the dainty scallop dish should go to the lady, the hunk of beef to the man. The steak was cooked perfectly, Kris' scallops too. The mussels tasted like they'd been steamed in dirty sea water. After eating most of the day and listening to the waitress go on about a medical ailment, we skipped dessert.

LOU
bacon candy
charcuterie and cheese platter
scallops with mussels and rice
ribeye with fingerling potatoes and brussel sprouts
unremarkable red and white wine

Sunday we headed to Long Beach for chicken and waffles, the aquarium, and a haunted tour of a big old boat. Since the only things we'd heard about the LBC were from early-90s rap songs, we were pleasantly surprised not to run into any drama there. We were seated quickly, ordered way too much food, and were carbing up within ten minutes. The Waffle House style small square waffles (which I prefer to the big Belgian kind) were fluffy and covered in butter. The chicken was good, not the best I've had. The grits were tasty. Kris pulled apart the chicken, put it on his waffle, and smothered them both in syrup. I kept mine separate, but liked the combination. A hearty, unhealthy breakfast that sustained us through the day's tourism. Kris tried out their much-hyped (waitress t-shirts, bold type on the menu) Pit Bull energy drink, which was better than red bull, but still tasted like a canned energy drink.

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles
2 waffles
fried chicken - dark and white mix
grits
cornbread
lemonade
pit bull energy drink

Before our trip, I skimmed food blogs, asked for suggestions via twitter, read yelp, looked through hundreds of newspaper reviews and magazine write-ups. I'm obsessive about menu scouting, keeping to an itinerary and sticking firmly to a specific driving route. Getting lost turns me into a wreck, so a borrowed GPS prevented a complete mental breakdown. Kris always has confidence that we'll make it to our destination, views little diversions as adventures, and will eat anything. A good guy to have around, especially to counteract all of my high-strung lunacy. On my next trip, I am determined to ask for and accept more local advice. Having a rough outline of things to do seems more reasonable than an extensive agenda. I am slowly learning to relax, but I am not ready to embrace the laid back SoCal attitude.

get on the good foot

2010-01-02T12:35:00.000-06:00

I started off the new year wrong: with a stupid kitchen injury. It was in the hallway rather than the kitchen and I wasn't even cooking anything. Like most culinary injuries, mine was completely preventable and totally my fault. Kris' iron skillet was never really cared for properly, so I've been planning to replace it. Left with few surfaces during a flurry of baking over the holidays, I chucked the thing on top of a pile of boxes destined for the recycling bin. Lately we've been enjoying our time off for the holidays, partying late with friends, sleeping in, and avoiding such responsibilities as doing dishes and disposing of garbage. While putting on my galoshes in the hallway on January 1, the pile of cardboard shifted, and the damn rusty skillet fell on my heel.

After cursing myself loudly, I continued on with my evening. This was the first of probably many 2010 culinary abuses to come. Last year I avoided burning myself, but several cooking marathons left me bleary-eyed with wounds to show for my tired knife skills. And I always manage to cut through my nail bed. While catering for a wedding, I reached into a soapy sink full of dishes to find a pile of broken glass in the drain left by the kitchen's previous occupants. And I'm a gusher. I have a bleeding disorder that makes it difficult to clot. Last year also brought me a concussion, broken toe, and nearly broken nose from co-ed athletic pursuits. I'll try to be more careful in the new year, but I'm just accident prone.

What kind of nightmare kitchen battle scars do you have?

why must I feel like that

2009-12-29T08:57:00.004-06:00

It has arrived. My first winter cold. Pretty amazing that I've avoided disgusting germs so far this season given that I spend so much time with children and on public transportation. I'm grouchy, lethargic, and have aching muscles, but I'm still hungry. Rather than my usual one or two cups, I'm drinking hot tea throughout the day. Irish Breakfast in the morning, Orange Pekoe/Darjeeling/Cinnamon during the day, and Chamomile at night.

Feed a cold, grandmothers for generations have said. Eating is a remedy for pretty much every malady (excepting the stomach flu) as far as I'm concerned. This week I've fed my cold: fifteen cuts of meat at a Brazilian steakhouse, crepes, two kinds of meatballs, pub cheese, spicy salmon, dozens of holiday cookies, beef bourguignon, turkey three ways, udon, a clementine per day, shrimp linguine, dibs ice cream bites, bacon-wrapped dates, brussel sprouts, a bottle and a half of red wine, chicken skin, spanikopita, Life cereal, mashed potatoes, bok choy, and sushi. The cold is still going strong.

Nostalgic foods that have comforted me in the past usually do the trick when I'm really sick. Orange jello with suspended canned mandarin oranges. Cinnamon toast with a cup of constant comment red label tea on a saucer. Chicken and noodles - those big puffy dumplings - not canned condensed soup. Stuff my mom would bring me in bed. In college, I moved on to ethnic take-out in desperate times of illness far from home. Thai soups and Indian curries were standbys, but my go-to sinus headache cure was the Atomic Salsa from Ted's Cafe Escondido. The wait at any number of Ted's locations in the OKC area can easily top an hour or two, but Oklahomans are willing. They also have take-out, which was always my preferred method. Consistently, Ted's has awesome service. I arrived home once with the wrong take-out order. The manager delivered the correct order to my apartment (within 30 minutes), refunded my credit card charge, let me keep the incorrect order, and gave me a gift certificate. The food is decent, unpretentious, cheesy Tex-Mex. It might not be the best I've ever had, but it definitely gets the job done.

Ted's Cafe Escondido originally uploaded by DanHerron.

But the Atomic Salsa is perfect. Ted's, like any self-respecting Tex-Mex joint, gives you complimentary fresh tortillas, queso, and pickled jalapeno relish (aka escabeche) in addition to chips and salsa. You can also ask for additional salsas like a habanero version that I can't handle. The green Atomic is jalapeno based and has big chunks of avocado to balance the heat. It is the perfect mix of flavor and spice, opening your sinuses without burning your taste buds. I haven't had this salsa for at least five years, but with every cold and sinus headache I long for it.

home is anywhere you hang your head

2009-12-23T15:34:00.001-06:00

Do yourself a favor this holiday week: start drinking early.

I love the bloodys at Tweet, a popular brunch spot attached to a gay bar in Uptown (also home of the only decent biscuits and gravy I've had in Chicago - someone please explain why the second city doesn't understand cream gravy!). A couple of years ago, I broke down and asked the bartender for his secret to spicy and flavorful bloody marys. He used Absolut Peppar, Sriracha (now a big food trend) and cracked black pepper. I've tinkered with the recipe because I like mine really strong and spicy, so scale back if you can't stand the heat or hold your liquor. I'm responsible for turning a recent Sunday brunch amongst friends into quite a few Monday morning hangovers. Combining sources makes for a depth of flavor in addition to just plain heat. This recipe fits nicely in a pint glass, which is my recommended dosage.

Damn Good Bloody Mary
4 oz. good vodka
4 oz. Clamato
4 oz. Tomato or Vegetable Juice
1 tsp. horseradish (prepared, less if using fresh grated)
1 tsp. sriracha
3-4 dashes cholula (or tabasco)
3-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
pinch black pepper
celery salt
celery seed
lime wedges

Fixings
celery
pickled pepperocini peppers
blue cheese stuffed olives
shrimp
mortadella slices
blanched asparagus
pepperoni sticks
bell pepper slices
cheese cubes
cucumber spears (or pickles)

Combine a tablespoon of celery salt with a teaspoon of celery seeds on a saucer or small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the glass' rim and dip it onto the plate of seasonings to coat. Add some ice to glass, followed by the vodka, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire and pepper. Then add the tomato and clamato juices and stir to combine. Garnish with preferred fixings. Drink.

Happy Xmas

2009-12-15T14:44:00.002-06:00

In second grade, after seeing an ad on television for the Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund during Tiny Toon adventures, I gathered up a box of my toys and wrapped them in newsprint to give to needy kids. Not understanding that they would only accept new toys, I proudly presented them to my Mom to donate. I also had no idea that the tree in our living room, the gifts under it, and many of our dinners that December had been provided by that very charity. Though we didn't always have a telephone or electricity, I thought we lived comfortably enough. It was kind of exotic to do homework by candle light like they did in the olden days. Though my Mom didn't teach me to cook, she did teach me to shop on a budget, celebrate little things (champagne for Arbor Day!), appreciate the kindness and generosity of others, reciprocate, to write thank you notes, and about the importance of a well-rounded record collection. We sometimes had to "grocery shop" at the local food pantry, but we also volunteered there regularly.

Yes, the economy has gone to shit. I'm not going to let that spoil my gift-giving fun. Certainly it is a time for scaling back, reassessing America's sad backward values, and avoiding the big box retail hellhole. It is not a time to ignore the thoughtful act of giving. People should still party, still celebrate their friendships and forced workplace acquaintances. Donate canned goods. Make homemade gifts. Participate in Dirty Santa. Have a potluck. Shop at a thrift store. Send a card by post. Do it your damn self.

My favorite holiday card was made with scissors, glue, a Sears catalog, a sense of humor and a copy machine. Some of my best holiday memories revolve around family traditions like fresh delivered homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Day (from the Walkers!) and sitting on the counter while my Grandma Georgia made batches and batches of fudge and divinity. Most of my presents this year will be edible, but as an homage to my favorite thrifty mother-daughter pastime - window shopping! - here are a slew of beautiful, silly, practical and covetable food-related items perfect for gifting or if you prefer, just wishing...

Six barware glasses, $39 at Velocity

Momofuku Cookbook, $23.40 at Amazon

Jelly Roll Pans with Cooling Racks, $30 at Sur La Table

Kitchy Coasters, Set of Six $6 at Anne Taintor

vic firth french rolling pin, $13.95 at Amazon

fallen hardwood serving trays, $36 at show

pastry scraper, $8 at William Sonoma

ACME shopping bags, starting at 8.95 at reusablebags

birch covered flowerpot, $3.99 at save on crafts

home sous vide machine, $449 at Sous Vide Supreme

porcelain salt & pepper shakers, $14 at Backgarage's Etsy Store

cocoa powder, 13.99 at Valrhona

slate cheese board, $69 at Viva Terra

Michael Aram Woodgrain Tray, $225 at Waterford

Besides this one, my favorite holiday food round-ups:
Dave Lebovitz lists his favorite cookbooks of the year.
Lottie & Doof celebrate 12 days of cookies with beautiful photos and recipes.
For under $10, The Kitchn's list makes for affordable stocking stuffers.

Marshmallow World

2009-12-07T20:23:00.006-06:00

I first tried this recipe out for a camping trip where I envisioned grown up s'mores. We ate them with graham crackers and dark chocolate while passing a warming bottle of whiskey around the campfire. Maybe we weren't acting so adult - a Wisconsin forest ranger had to ask us to pipe down since our tipsy voices were bothering some nearby boy scouts. Roasting the marshmallows on a stick was a bit problematic, because they melt a bit messier than a store-bought jet-puff. In the morning, we used these as an alternative to cream & sugar in our campfire coffee too. At home, I like these under the broiler for a crisp top or melted in hot chocolate. Chai flavored marshmallows would make a perfect holiday gift. While your mixer is doing the hard work on the marshmallows, I suggest you crank up the holiday mix at the bottom of the page to help pass the time.

Chai Spiced Marshmallows
adapted from Stephen Durfee,
The French Laundry, 2000

3 envelopes of Knox gelatin
1/2 cup cold chai*
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon

First, line a jelly roll pan with plastic wrap, letting excess wrap hang over the edges of pan. Coat plastic wrap with cooking oil spray. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold chai. Soak for 10 minutes. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water* in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla, cardamom, & cinnamon and incorporate into mixture at medium speed until combined. Lightly oil one of your hands or a spatula. Scrape marshmallow into the plastic wrap-lined pan and spread evenly. After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, use another oiled piece of plastic wrap to press mixture into the corners of pan. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap and let marshmallows sit for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove from pan, dredge the marshmallow slab with confectioners' sugar and cut into pieces with kitchen shears, a chef's knife, or a decorative cutter (a simple shape like a star or circle works best). Dredge each piece of marshmallow in sifted confectioners' sugar.

*After some experimenting, I prefer Tazo Chai Latte concentrate best. You can definitely use your favorite chai tea instead - just be sure to chill it before adding to the gelatin.

** For spicier marshmallows, substitute 1/4 cup chai for the water in the sugar and corn syrup mixture.

Winter Holiday Mix

Marshmallow World - Darlene Love
Fox in the Snow - Belle & Sebastian
Mr. Mistletoe - The Magnetic Fields
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
Father Christmas - The Kinks
Little Drummer Boy - Johnny Cash
My Favorite Christmas (in a hundred words or less) - Of Montreal
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - The Jackson 5
Warm Love - Van Morrison
Last Christmas - Wham
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
O Holy Night - Sufjan Stevens
River - Joni Mitchell
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Winterlong - Pixies
Santa's Beard - They Might Be Giants

and my all time favorite:

foux da fafa

2009-12-04T12:58:00.001-06:00

Et maintenant le voyage a la supermarche!

Yesterday, the Chicago French Market opened to much fanfare, political and otherwise. The lovely cheese monger I chatted up at Pastoral said they had to call for five bread deliveries to keep up with demand and by the end of the day, Sweet Miss Giving's pastry case was empty. Commuters and foodies alike are celebrating the new convenient access to produce, meat, and prepared foods in the West Loop. I avoided the opening day crowds and sauntered in after the morning rush today.

Much like a restaurant in its opening weeks, reviewing the market on day two seems unfair and premature. There are still workers hanging signs and plenty of uninhabited booths. I wanted to meander on my day off rather than rush in for something on my evening commute. I didn't have a shopping list and purposefully left my credit card at home. I bumped into a sad little bunch of balloons on the way in, but then a nice construction worker opened doors for me - twice! - and I wasn't even wearing a dress.

I treated myself to a mini-cupcake from Sweet Miss Givings for breakfast. It was a moist carrot cake - with lots of shredded carrots and raisins topped with cream cheese frosting. The frosting was perfect, the way I like to make it, with a good amount of buttercream paired with the cream cheese. All of the vendors were particularly helpful and talkative. Some of the meat and fish offerings are on par with what you'd find in a regular local grocery chain, but the guys behind the counter offered to place orders for special requests. There weren't very many good looking cut flowers, but the potted poinsettias cheered the place up a bit.

Because most people were already at work and the crowds had thinned, I got to hang out with some of the purveyors and discuss our first impressions of the market and their new customer base. I'm slightly disappointed in the amount of locally grown food available - something I heard from a few vendors too. Giant pyramids of watermelon aren't exactly in season. Squash, beets, carrots, and potatoes are from Illinois and the Wisconsin Cheese Mart carries sheep, goat, and cow's milk cheeses all produced in Wisconsin. I'm sure this will improve as the the season's change. Sources are marked on most produce and a lot of it is organic. This isn't going to be a destination grocer, but it will handle a lot of commuter traffic and probably feed a lot of downtown workers lunch. I look forward to coming back, once all the vendors set up.

My entire lunch came from Pastoral. I'm a big fan already, but having a small location on the way home from work will be nice. I decided to eat like a french person today: a baguette with some cheese and olives, & maybe a spread of apple butter.

Total $21
small baguette
Moses Sleeper cheese, VT (camembert-esque)
Taleggio, Italy
French, Greek & Italian mixed olives
jar seedling apple butter

Just about every Chicago food resource has commented on, toured, and reviewed the market already. The Kitchn has particularly beautiful photos. Time Out Chicago has been all over the coverage for months. This was stuck in my head while I was perusing...Beouf/Soup du jour/Le Camembert/Jacque Cousteau/Baguette:

got me used to that clean white linen/and that fancy French cologne

2009-12-03T12:36:00.001-06:00

After reading Ruth Reichl's defense of her refrigerator's contents, I feel compelled to justify my guilty food pleasures. Reichl mostly blamed her husband for such pantry embarrassments as hot dogs and Campbell's tomato soup, but I will take responsibility for all the food in our house. So what if I lose a little foodie street-cred? Sometimes my ipod on random reveals the Dixie Chicks or Joni Mitchell nestled in amongst the Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello. I blush when that happens, but I should admit that I like some things that are tacky or classic or comforting despite the fact that they don't exactly mesh with my current aesthetic. David Chang admitted on No Reservations that he loves Mcnuggets with sweet and sour sauce and Bourdain himself says he has a weak spot for KFC mac and cheese. I use good olive oil, farmer eggs, and seasonal vegetables. I have sriracha, pumpkin butter, and homemade pickles in the fridge door. But I also crave Taco Bueno and sometimes buy bagged salad.

Hellman's Mayonnaise
I wouldn't eat the stuff on a sandwich. In fact, I used to close my eyes when I used store-bought mayo in a recipe to pretend it wasn't there (yes, even as an adult). Once I had the real deal, it was nearly impossible to justify having a jar of this crap in the fridge...but sometimes I'm lazy and want a chicken salad sandwich or deviled eggs and can't be bothered to make it from scratch.

Peanut Butter with hydrogenated oils
I hate stirring the oil at the top of all natural peanut butter. I also hate that the last bit in the jar is inedible and dry. I like my peanut butter creamy and terrible for my heart and arteries.

Kozy Shack Rice Pudding
Besides "natural flavors", I can identify all of the ingredients in this product: rice, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla (er, vanilla flavor)...that means it isn't so bad or bad for me. Michael Pollan says so.

Trader Joe's canned lentil soup
I have bags of dried lentils at the ready, and usually have mire poix in the crisper drawer, but dinner on the table in 2 minutes is hard to pass up. I could eat this for lunch every weekday. Last Winter, I did.

Bananas
They are an eco-unfriendly indulgence. Barbara Kingsolver's whole family makes me feel guilty for buying these. But banana bread is delicious and I have to reconcile this with the fact that bananas will never be in season in Chicago.

Tacos at Midnight Doritos
I impulsively and inexplicably bought a large bag at the marina during our camping/fishing excursion to Wisconsin. I don't even really like Doritos. I tried to act all snobby about the first few bites "wow...you can really taste the cumin" but it really does (as the AV Club pointed out) just taste like chips covered with a taco seasoning packet. I still hoarded most of the bag for myself.

Melted Fast Food Cheese
My favorite part of any fast-food experience is scraping up the cheese that has melted onto the packaging and eating it with my fingers. I admit this is gross and apologize to any of you who have been forced to witness this habit. I find cheese waste to be unforgivable and will stop at nothing to save the last morsel.

I'm certainly not the only food-obsessive with bad food behavior. Do you crave fast food even though you know better? What are your guilty food pleasures? What snacks do you hide in your office drawer?

everyday I write the book

2009-12-01T20:28:00.000-06:00

I didn't write any such thing. But Martha Bayne, of the Hideout's Soup and Bread fame, did. She launched a kickstarter page and fundraising effort to print cookbooks commemorating the inaugural year's recipes. If you remember, we were guest chefs...and we have a recipe included in the book. We're published! Buy one at the launch party Dec 9 at the Hideout or online here. All proceeds benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Mom, guess what you're getting for Christmas?

let's have a ball and a biscuit, sugar

2009-11-25T11:13:00.002-06:00

These biscuits are perfect for sopping up turkey gravy. I suppose they'd do nicely under some breakfast sausage and gravy for a hearty start to Black Friday also. The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese which might put these over the top...feel free to add it with the bacon.

Bacon Scallion Biscuits
adapted from Gourmet February 1997

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 scallions, greens included, trimmed and chopped
5 bacon slices, cooked almost crisp and chopped
3/4 cup cold buttermilk (shake it first, duh)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Put 10 or so fresh sage leaves in the bowl of a food processor*. Pulse until well chopped. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt to food processor, pulse 2-3 times to mix well. Add cold butter* and pulse until mixture resembles meal. Add bacon and Scallions, process for 20 seconds. Add buttermilk and process until mixture just forms a dough. Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands, gather dough into a ball, and knead gently a few times (no more than 5 or so, don't overwork the dough). Press dough to 1 inch thick round. Using a 2-inch cutter, cut rounds from dough and arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Reform scraps of dough into another 1 inch round, working dough as little as possible, and continue cutting. Bake biscuits in middle of oven 10 - 15 minutes until browned.

*If you don't have a food processor, use a bowl and your hands. Work the butter in quickly, rubbing between your fingers. Obviously your fingers will not chop the sage - for that I suggest a knife.

**I cut the butter as soon as it comes out of the fridge and then keep the pieces in a bowl in the freezer while I assemble the dry ingredients.

You to Thank

2009-11-23T14:51:00.000-06:00

This week I'm cooking a lot. I'm taking small breaks from the cooking to read about cooking - and more specifically to read about Thanksgiving food:

Andrew Knowlton, the BA Foodist, recommends some delicious cranberry cocktails.

Michael Ruhlman advises cooks to prepare the stock for gravy today or tomorrow to save time and stress for Thursday. His best tip of the day: using inexpensive handkerchiefs for straining the liquid. Cheesecloth sucks and I love this alternative.

Here's a super quick and delicious pumpkin pie recipe from Andrea at Forkable.

Epicurious explains dry brining, but my friend Nikki's adventures with actual brining, per the advice of Pioneer Woman, are more exciting to read about and they ended with a succulent bird - even though it was over 20 lbs.

25 Chicago restaurants open for Thanksgiving...and then 60 more.

A local charcuterie lover stuffs all of his favorite Thanksgiving flavors into one sausage.

I'm currently grossed out by this recipe for White Castle Slider Stuffing.

Do yourself a favor - subscribe to apartment therapy's the kitchn. I can't pick just one article. Most of them are interesting or nice to look at or both.

Revisit This American Life's 2008 Poultry Slam.

Don't forget the Green City Market is open indoors - even this Wednesday for last minute Turkey day shopping. Also, Rob and Allie from Mado are doing chef demonstrations at 10:30 am!

Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?

2009-11-22T22:17:00.005-06:00

Cranberries were always present on my family's Thanksgiving table. If I was celebrating in Kansas City, I usually had some in the form of a can-shaped jellied blob. On alternate years in Chicago, I'd have them two ways: a cranberry-orange relish and a homemade cranberry sauce. I loved all three, but now I make my own version with dried fruit, ginger, and grand marnier.

Most people I know buy a can or follow the instructions on the Ocean Spray package. Either is fine, but if you want to step it up a notch this year, I have some suggestions:

Forget the Water
Water adds the necessary liquid for your recipe, but provides no flavor. Instead, substitute juices, liqueurs, or a combination.

Orange Juice
Apple Cider
Hard Cider
Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
Cranberry Juice

Spice it Up
Add a few pinches of one of these spices for flavor. At the table everyone will be asking you just what is in your (now famous) cranberry sauce. Many of these will do double-duty for your holiday desserts. Add any spices in small amounts and taste as you go.

Ginger (dried, fresh, or candied)
Cardamom
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Star Anise
Vanilla Bean

More Fruit
Cranberries are tart. Besides adding sugar to your sauce, other fruits can provide some natural sweetness and more flavor to your dish.

Pears
Apples
Cherries
Dried: cranberries, apricots & cherries
Orange segments

Other Tips

If you're only going to add one thing to your cranberries (besides sugar and water), choose an orange. Add the zest of one large orange and the juice.

Rinse your cranberries in a colander under cold water. The berries should be firm. Discard any that are mushy or feel thin-skinned like a grape. Take care to remove stems. Your fresh cranberries should not look like this:

The basic recipe for cranberry sauce is 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, & 1 package fresh cranberries. Knowing this formula can help you estimate your substitutions. I prefer 1/2 cup juice, 1/2 cup liqueur, 3/4 cup sugar, plus the cranberries and other dried/fresh fruit.

Cranberry Sauce Mix
Mr. Grieves - The Pixies
Underneath the Leaves - John Vanderslice
Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Carbonation - Enon
Faith - George Michael
Susanne - Weezer

This Year's Girl

2009-11-08T12:42:00.017-06:00

Esquire recently published a list of annoying food trends. Included: high-end burgers and pizzas, waiters named Todd, and the phrase "farm to table". Gourmet's artfully designed and witty photo slideshow about food and the web manages to document the frenzy of online foodie movement both critically and lovingly. It's hard to articulate my simultaneous participation in and hatred of food on the interweb. I suppose it involves a bit of self-loathing and hypocrisy.

I blog about food. I pause to take pictures of my food at restaurants. I menu scout. I plan all my vacations around meals. I concede. I'm a bougie food snob and now that it's hip to be a bougie food snob, I don't entirely welcome the new company. The trends themselves are slightly less obnoxious than the trend stories and chatter. When the newspaper of record announces that it is cool to cut off your eyebrows or flavor trip, I roll my eyes. Rather than care about food because caring about food is cool, I just care about the food dammit! But when Epicurious announced its plan to predict food trends for 2010, I couldn't help but brainstorm my own list. Most trend stories are full of just silly(peruvian is the new thai) or obvious (green, local) bullet points, so this should be easy.

Food Trend Predictions 2010

1. Granny Chic moves from the fashion and design world into food. Look for beets on restaurant menus (pickled, roasted, pureed) beyond the steakhouse. Home canning and preservation becomes both a financial security measure and a foodie statement. Comfort food is always popular. Your grandma made everything by hand...I hope you were paying attention at her apron strings.

2. Hard Cider isn't a pansy drink and some of you are figuring that out. This guy thinks so too. Ask your favorite bartenders if they've been pouring a lot of Magners recently...mine have.

3. Food and music pairings. Some restaurants here in Chicago are known for playing eccentric and loud music in the dining room. I love to make mixes specific to dinner parties and events I'm catering. In 2010, I hope dj-chefs step it up by pairing courses specifically with songs and artists. I'll get right on that.

4. Cuban food reaches the masses. Hopefully Obama's diplomatic negotiations with Cuba continue in 2010. Hell, maybe the wrongheaded embargo will be lifted.

5. People realize fast food can be good food. Street food, mobile food carts, and non-corporate quick service restaurants offer delicious alternatives to McDonald's. Rick Bayless is doing it. Paul Kahan is getting in on the action.

6. Less is more. A culinary student acquaintance who had a short stage at Tru bragged that he spent 4 hours preparing a sauce with almost fifty ingredients. My favorite chile negro sauce has three ingredients plus salt.

7. The green movement will become less of a happening and more of a norm. I'm frustrated maneuvering the farmer's market when it is filled with waif-like women sinking their towering fashionable shoes into the muddy aisles. Maybe if we had a decent year round market, people would go there to get food rather than be seen. I have many doubts about the new French Market, but here's hoping.

8. Charcuterie, good cheese, cured olives, craft beer, crusty bread, buckets of mussels. I think big communal platters of rustic foods can slow the small plate craze. Tapas are great, but this is what I want when I go to the pub for a pint.

9. Spice trend: cardamom. Keep an eye out for cardamom in ice cream, dusted on doughnuts, and in coffee drinks. I personally love chai-spiced cardamom marshmallows and a friend puts garam masala on his popcorn (genius!). It is used in foods in India, Scandinavia, the Middle East and will soon be in everything.

10. America needs to shut the hell up about bacon. This coming from a lady with 8 cups of rendered pork fat and 3 lbs of bacon in the fridge. It isn't the bacon I'm tired of, it is the talking about bacon. The endless websites devoted to gross and grosser uses of bacon. I'm bored of reading stories devoted to a trend that could be succinctly explored with a Seinfeldesque "What is the deal with all this bacon?" Awesome bacon recipes, a bacon festival, reviews of bacon products, and bacon of the month clubs are definitely still allowed. I love bacon, just not some of the people who love bacon.

Hard to Handle

2009-11-03T10:19:00.004-06:00

48. 102. 59. 37. 70. I wash my hands quite a bit - sometimes a hundred times per day. Last week I averaged 63. I don't have OCD, but I do spend most of my time caring for children or in the kitchen which puts me in contact with a lot of germs, messes, and bacteria. I use two products daily to avoid the chapping, cracking, and bleeding that can occur when washing so often strips your skin of moisture. They are inexpensive (less than $10 for both), small enough to fit into a purse or satchel, work nicely on sensitive skin, and I strongly recommend both.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme
I use this when I wake up in the morning and before bed every night. I concentrate on my cuticles, but also rub it all over my hands. If you cringe at the idea of those scary cuticle trimmers at the salon or at the price of a manicure, try this stuff. At $6 for a small tin that lasts a couple of months, it is well worth the investment.

Neutrogena Hand Cream: Norwegian Formula
I use this multiple times per day. It soaks in quickly and doesn't leave hands greasy like other lotions designed for very dry skin. You can buy a 2 ounces for about $4 at most drugstores. I keep one at work, one by bedside table, one in my backpack, and one in the kitchen.

Cooking with Spirits

2009-10-13T14:00:00.007-05:00

When I was 15, my family moved into a house full of ghosts. Many of my Stepfather's family members had died in the house over the years, but sharing the space with their past never really spooked me. I liked exploring the stacks of musty books and clothes, the decades-old magazines and 8-tracks. One particularly good find was a weird little cookbook in the basement amongst the National Geographics and motorcycle parts. Cooking With Spirits has traveled with me to 14 different apartments and homes over the years, but I've never once opened it. It sits on a shelf in the kitchen, providing me with enough inspiration just from the title.

My earliest cooking memory is of my mom basting a whole chicken tipsy with white wine and dancing it around the kitchen to the Go Gos. For deglazing pans and making sauces, wine is an obvious choice. I put Grand Marnier in my cranberries at Thanksgiving and good beer in my chili. Last week, I made a peppercorn infused vodka to go in tomato soup. I like to drink while I cook, and cook with whatever I'm drinking...which is usually hard cider. This (paired with a rather frugal period during college) led me to experiment by adding cider to my Thanksgiving cranberries instead of the usual liqueur. Pear cider + orange juice and zest worked out just fine.

Ace is my favorite, but I also enjoy a Magners or a Strongbow. Hornsby's or Woodchuck will do in a pinch. I've used cider for everything from butternut squash soup to salad dressing. When I needed to make an apple-based accompaniment for a pork loin last weekend, cider was on the counter, so it ended up in the chutney.

Apple Shallot Chutney

3/4 cup pickled shallots or onions*, small dice
2 apples, small dice
3/4 bottle hard cider
1/2 cup pickling liquid or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sugar

Add diced apples and onions to medium saucepan along with the hard cider, pickling liquid and spices. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir in sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes. The liquid should reduce and form a light syrup - this may require adding more sugar or cooking for a longer period of time. Can be served warm, cold, or room temperature.

*If you don't already have a jar of pickled shallots or onions in the door of your fridge, you have options. Make a quick pickle (I like Molly Wizenberg's with a teaspoon of pickling spices added) or just cook some onions in equal parts sugar and vinegar with a teaball infuser/sachet filled with a teaspoon of pickling spices (this will prevent chunks of cloves and bay leaves from invading your otherwise smooth chutney).

Fun with Pasta

2009-09-29T22:19:00.007-05:00

This weekend I got to try my hand at homemade pasta for the first time in quite a while. Allison and I cooked for a client that bought a four course dinner for six that we had donated for a charity auction last July. I decided that I would be in charge of the pasta course, mostly because I found my pasta machine after moving recently. I have been working in a restaurant where we make pasta quite a bit differently than the last restaurant I worked at, and I was eager to try my hand at the old egg pasta recipe I used to know so well. The recipe is very similar to the one listed in The French Laundry Cookbook, so you might want to try both and see which one you like more. I think the best thing about making this recipe at home was that I had enough time to knead the dough for a full half hour by hand rather than cutting it down to fifteen minutes like I used to have to do at the restaurant. I know, a half hour seems like a long time, but if you don't have a prep list a mile long, the rhythm of moving and pressing the dough becomes quite meditative after a while. You can knead this dough for a full ten minutes and get good results, but its easier to roll out the more you knead it. Pasta dough has few ingredients, but the technique takes a bit of practice. Don't get frustrated if the dough doesn't turn out perfectly the first time. Remember, you can always add more flour as you knead the dough, and the longer you knead it the better your results will be.

Egg Pasta dough

1 lb AP Flour
10 eggs
1 whole egg
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You will need:
a pasta rolling machine
a rolling pin
a spray bottle full of clean water
a pasta cutter, a rolling one that has decorative edges is nice, but you can use a pastry cutter.

Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl whisk the eggs together with a fork. Make a well in the flour and add the salt and the olive oil. Pour the eggs into the well. While turning the bowl counterclockwise, whisk the eggs with a fork clockwise to incorporate the flour a bit at a time into the eggs. There should be leftover flour in the bowl once the eggs are incorporated. If the dough is sticky or too wet to turn out onto a floured surface and knead, add more flour. Eggs are often different sizes so the dough can be a little too wet sometimes. Don't worry, just add more flour and you will get the feel for it. Once the dough has enough flour, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until it is a smooth ball, roughly for 10-30 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap once it is kneaded, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. To roll it out, let it sit out of the fridge for a half and hour. Knead it a couple of times and then let it rest 10 minutes. Roll out the dough according to the instructions on your pasta roller.

I made ravioli this weekend, and for the filling I made a white bean puree but you can use sausage or ricotta cheese or whatever as long as it is firm enough to stand in a little blob, but soft enough so it doesn't tear the pasta. So, for ravioli, take a sheet of pasta, and place little blobs of filling about an inch and a half apart. Take a spray bottle of water and spray the the dough. Carefully lay another sheet of pasta over the first one, starting at one end and slowly laying the top layer over the filling. If you start at one end, you can press the layers of dough as you go so you don't get any air pockets in the ravioli. Once the two sheets are put together, cut squares around the filling with your pastry cutter or pasta cutter. Cook the pasta for about two minutes in boiling salted water. Toss in your favorite pasta sauce!

too legit

2009-08-26T13:55:00.002-05:00

Excuses, Excuses. We've been absent this Summer. Not absent from cooking and eating, just absent from writing about it. Andrea's been getting chef's bags delivered straight from the farm to Mado, the amazing restaurant where she cooks and helps with butchering. I've been pilfering those bags and doing less marketing myself. We've both moved into new places and are trying to organize our kitchen cabinets and lives. We are beginning the process of making our catering business legitimate - which entails permits and safety certifications and fees to the city, county, and state... so we're both working overtime trying to pay for it.

We're focusing our business on intimate food gatherings. That doesn't mean we can't handle big crowds, but we don't want to compromise our culinary integrity to do it. Menu planning, endless trips to restaurant depot, standing in long lines at government offices, and sitting down with an accountant are in our very near future. Stay tuned.

I miss your soup and I miss your bread

2009-04-01T14:29:00.014-05:00

It is Spring. Officially it was a few weeks ago, but the late season snow and windy weather made April come in like a lion too - or at least a lioness. Food-wise, the end of the season was marked by the Hideout's last Soup and Bread yesterday. It is all ramps and fava beans from here on out. Last week though, Andrea and I whipped up some Khao Tom, a favorite Thai soup usually cobbled together of leftovers and eaten for breakfast. By 6:00 PM our chicken soup was decimated by hungry bar patrons, so none of our friends who made it out got a bowl. But we swear it was delicious.

Khao Tom – Thai Chicken and Rice Soup
2 quarts homemade chicken stock, plus 1 cup for rice
Leg and Breast meat of one 3-4 lb roasted chicken
1 bunch of scallions sliced
1/4 cup picked cilantro leaves
7 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, divided
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili flakes in a teaball infuser (or tied up in cheesecloth)
2 cups cooked basmati or jasmine rice
1 stalk of lemon grass, peeled to center, bottom only
Salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Chicken
3-4 lb roaster chicken
3 cloves garlic
¼ onion, thickly sliced
1 lime, halved (lemon, or orange will substitute)
4 slices bacon
Kosher Salt and pepper
Kitchen twine

Wonton Garnish
Wonton wrappers
Canola/Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Juice of 1 lime

The chicken:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Remove the giblets. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle outside of chicken and cavity liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with garlic, onion and lime. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Wrap bacon over the chicken breast and roast on a rack, breast side up, until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 165° F. Let the chickens rest and cool for at least a half an hour. Remove the thighs and breasts from the chicken. Remove the meat from the bones, discarding the skin. Cut the cooked breast and leg meat into 1/2 inch squares.

The wontons:
Heat 1 ½ inches of oil in a deep, heavy, pot over moderately high heat until a thermometer registers 360° F. Slice wonton wrappers into strips about 3 in. x ½ in.
Gently lay 10 strips on oil and fry, turning over once, until golden, 15 to 30 seconds total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Fry the remaining wonton strips 10-15 at a time. Sprinkle with lime juice (do not soak, wontons will become soggy) and season with salt.

The rest:
Cook the rice according to the package’s instructions using chicken stock in place of water (if using water, add 1 tsp salt). Add 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar when the rice is cooked. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a small sauce-pan over medium low heat. Add sliced garlic and saute slowly, stirring often, until garlic lightly browns but does not burn. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside. (Save the garlic infused oil for another use!)

Heat up the chicken stock, slowly to 165 degrees F. While heating, add the lemon grass stalks, whole, and the teaball of chili flakes. Once the stock is hot, add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and remaining vinegar, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Remove the lemon grass stalk and teaball. Add the cooked chicken and sliced garlic.

To serve, put a 1/2 cup of the rice into each soup bowl. Ladle the hot soup on top of the rice and garnish liberally with the scallions, cilantro, and wonton crisps.

Am I Home Yet?

2009-03-23T21:48:00.005-05:00

I realize it has been weeks since my last guest blog, but to make up for it, I think I feel a bit more like a Chicagoan now, having secured employment and a sense of humor about the weather and the CTA. A little more than a month ago, while still searching for a job, any job, I ran across two unexpected things, things I feel, if I may be such a bold newcomer, perhaps only Chicago can offer.

The first of these surprises came in the form of a job offer. Oh finally, someone wanted to hire me! I had an interview, which in my industry they call stages. Essentially, these eight hour working interviews are a way for chefs to evaluate whether a person is an idiot or not through observation. I am not sure why all industries to do not practice this custom, because it seems like a much better way of assessing a worker than talking to them for an hour. But, here's the thing, I didn't want the job. Me, worrier extraordinaire, moving to a cold-ass city in a recession, in the hospitality industry in January, didn't want the cooking job I had been trained for and that would look great on my resume. Arrogance, was that it? (If you are thinking stupidity, please keep that to yourself.) If so, Andrea the Arrogant, Andrea the I Want Something Better, was the surprise that Kansas City, home, could not offer, had never offered.

The second surprise, something perhaps a bit more interesting, was the discovery of the Issacson and Stein Fish Market just off Halsted near downtown. In order to get said job I ended up turning down, I felt like I needed to hone my fish butchering skills, as I was applying for the fish cook position. I asked resident food expert Allison where I could get great quality whole fish retail (expecting a "you know you're in the Midwest, even if it is Chicago"), and was directed unblinkingly toward the best fish purveyor I have ever seen, be it wholesale or retail. Retail quality fish for cheap in the Midwest?-huge surprise. Housed in an unassuming warehouse was a veritable ocean explosion of clear-eyed, clean-gilled sea bass, red snapper, live eels, sardines, anchovies, arctic char, rainbow trout, pompano and grouper, not to mention, like, nine kinds of oysters. I would say sixty percent of the fish they had were wild caught. You walk in, you grab gloves and a bag, and walk around overwhelmed. I wanted a mix of small and larger fish for practicing on, so I picked out one red snapper, two wild mullet, and two rainbow trout. My total? $15.65. Most of the fish I looked at were between $3.00 and $4.00 per pound. Oh, yes, you Whole Foods shoppers, look at that one more time. Though I did not request these services, the fish monger offers to clean your fish at no extra charge. I immediately went home, and while drinking a bottle of Gewurztraminer, cleaned, cut up, cooked, and ate all of the the fish I bought. This was, by far, the best part of the interview. Little by little, this big city is beginning to feel like a better version of home.

Issacson and Stein Fish Company

800 W. Fulton Market,

Chicago, Il

Ph: 312.421.2444

Black and Tan Corned Beef

2009-03-17T15:31:00.006-05:00

March 2009 includes four house guests, marathon planning for three big April events (to feed more than 400 people!), a fashion show, an impromptu Whole Foods photo shoot, and way too many late night dinner meetings. How I long for the simplicity of March 2008. I had two house guests that month, but also the foresight and fridge space to tackle a cooking project I'd put off for far too long: making my own corned beef. These instructions are adapted from March 2008's Bon Appetit. I purchased both the brisket and the sodium nitrate (sometimes called pink salt or instacure #1) at the Paulina Meat Market. This March, I've tried to substitute the deli and salt-lick store-bought versions, but Nothing Compares 2 U, homemade corned beef.

Brine

5 cups water
3 12oz. bottles Harp Lager
1 1/2 cups coarse kosher salt
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sodium nitrate
1/4 cup pickling spices
1 6- to 8-pound flat-cut beef brisket, trimmed, with some fat remaining

Corned Beef and Veg

2 12oz. bottles of Guinness Stout
6 large cloves garlic, crushed
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 whole allspice
3 cinnamon sticks
1 dried chile de árbol, broken in half (or sub 1 tsp. red pepper flakes)
Large Tea Infuser Ball or Cheesecloth and kitchen twine
16 unpeeled medium red-skinned potatoes
6 medium carrots, peeled
4 small onions, peeled, halved through root ends
1 2-pound head of cabbage, quartered

The Brining

Add water and beer to large deep roasting pan. Add coarse salt; stir until dissolved. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Stir in sodium nitrate. Mix in pickling spices. Pierce brisket all over with tip of small sharp knife. Submerge brisket in liquid adding more water (or beer) to cover if necessary, then top with heavy platter to weigh down. Cover and refrigerate 4 days.

Remove brisket from brine. Stir brine to blend. Return brisket to brine; top with heavy platter. Cover; refrigerate 4 days.

Remove brisket from brine. Rinse with cold water.

The Cooking

Place corned beef in very large wide pot. Add stout and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Break bay leaves and add with coriander, allspice, and chile to tea infuser ball (or wrap all in cheesecloth - securing with kitchen twine). Add garlic, cinnamon sticks and ball (or spice bag) to pot with beef. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 1/4 hours. Transfer beef to large baking sheet.

Add vegetables to liquid in pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until all vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to baking sheet with beef. Return beef to pot and rewarm 5 minutes. Cut beef against grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Save the Date: 3.25 Soup and Bread

2009-03-08T10:37:00.002-05:00

The Hideout should be your favorite bar in Chicago (or at least on any reputable short list). You will never just happen across it, tucked in between some warehouses and empty lots down a sidewalk-less street. If you usually go just to see a band or sweat at the dance party (or gasp! haven't been at all), here's a reason to stop by:

The Hideout doesn't usually serve food, but this year one hungry bartender/writer hatched a brilliant plan to offer a comforting respite from Chicago's harsh winter. Wednesdays, from 5 - 8 pm, soup and bread is available for free. Come early, fill up, then make a donation to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Andrea and I are guest soup chefs on March 25th! Hope to see you there.

it's restaurant week, bitches

2009-02-20T00:48:00.001-06:00

Hundreds of Chicago restaurants offer 3-course prix-fixe lunches for $22 and dinners for $32 this week (February 20 - 27). Many places have their specific restaurant week menus available for perusing online. Make your reservations at opentable. I did.

Shop Here: Middle East Bakery

2009-02-09T14:16:00.006-06:00

I try to always have olives, feta cheese, hummus, and pita on hand so I'm thankful to have the Middle East Bakery mere blocks from my apartment. The name, sign outside, and window displays surely don't draw in passersby - this is a place that relies on word of mouth. But an in-the-know friend told me this is THE place to get the best tasting and best priced feta around and I've been stopping in once a week since.

Deli

The spinach pies and falafel are on par with Sultan's Market and are priced to sell. Andrea pieced together an entire meal of a dozen falafel, two meat pies, hummus, spicy babaganoush, and a bag of pitas for barely $11 - making two huge meals and a couple of snacks. Everything we had was perfectly seasoned and kept well for re-heating.

Stressed out over hosting my Christmas party, I stopped in for a tray of delicious baklava when I realized at the last minute I neglected to bake any cookies. This is the perfect place to:

-pick up a food gift for a host/ess
-grab dinner on the way home from work
-get appetizers for game day or a cocktail party
-snack while shopping in Andersonville

Grocery

Various exotic spices and imported goodies can be found in the grocery sections of the Middle East Bakery. The dried fruits, nuts, grains, and spices are fresh and inexpensive. You will pay a lot less and find more variety than can possibly be crammed into the three feet dedicated to Mediterranean on the international aisle of a major grocery chain. You'll find all sorts of yuppie, of-the-moment, foods touted at places like Whole Foods (think organic quinoa) minus the yuppie customers. Here's a snapshot:

-Israeli couscous
-green coffee beans
-red lentils
-gogi berries
-cardamom, sumac, and zaatar(of recent Top Chef fame)
-yogurt covered almonds

It is a small neighborhood gem, but being on Foster between Ashland and Clark it is easily accessible. Don't forget to reciprocate - I'm always looking for ethnic markets and small neighborhood grocers!

Guest Blog: Andrea's Winter Market Breakfast

2009-01-28T13:14:00.002-06:00

I am finally here, happy and curious, even if a bit chilly. Last weekend Allison highlighted our trip to the indoor market in Evanston where I proceeded to gleefully spend money as though I were not unemployed. Two of the purchases that I loved the most were the beautiful farm eggs and the Jane Addams Day plum jam. I love foods that are best when prepared simply, and these two did not disappoint. The morning after our suburban sojourn, instead of venturing out into the freezing Chicago air to search for jobs, I decided to do what professional people do when looking for employment, I posted my resume online then stayed in my pajamas and made breakfast with our farmers' market booty. The eggs I fried in a little butter, with a minimal amount of salt and a moderate amount of pepper, over easy. The yolks were incredibly yellow with a texture that seemed creamier than regular store bought eggs. We had a log of Vermont Butter and Cheese Company goat cheese left over from a party, which I spread on a toasted english muffin and topped with the plum jam. The jam I have to say was quite runny for jam, but its flavor perfect, plummy and not too sweet. Both the eggs and the jam represented what I love about great food; it should taste as much of what it is as it possibly can. Eggs should taste like eggs and plum jam should taste like plums. I know, sort of an obvious concept, but in a time where people can buy liquid egg substitute and high fructose corn syrup flavored jelly, it is nice to know you can find real food in a local market even in the dead of a Chicago winter.

à la card

2009-01-26T22:21:00.000-06:00

It may be old news to people who regularly read Time Out Chicago, Thrillist, The Chicagoist, or The Reader, but I am seriously excited about the à la card Chicago. I happened across the booth at Saturday's indoor market - drawn in by the list of restaurants on the sign.

I'd probably be too wordy, so here's how the website describes the concept:
"A deck of 52 cards... each card describes a unique chef-driven/owner-operated restaurant in the city of varied price-points, cuisines/genres, and neighborhoods. Additionally, each card is a $10 gift certificate to the restaurant it describes."

Since I went to more than ten of these restaurants last year (and a few of them more than once), it would be silly for me not to buy the darn thing. If I go to three this year, the purchase will pay for itself. You can and should buy them online or at other various Chicago locations.

Winter Marketing

2009-01-24T14:22:00.004-06:00

My new partner in food crime, Andrea, has arrived in Chicago at last. She accompanied me on an expedition to a church in the suburbs to check out Markets and Meals for Hope. The organization boasts four central ideals: Earth Stewardship, Community, Spirituality, and Justice. Three out of four ain't bad. Being a heathen, I worried about the location. The event wasn't churchy exactly, but the markets are held in parish halls and have lots of booths that involve signing up for causes. We skipped those and headed straight for the food stuffs where Andrea's iphone saved the day since I forgot my camera.

We bought some eggs from a nun and sampled many things that shouldn't really be eaten in succession: various vinegars, honey, cheese curds, many kinds of salsa, dried fruit. Andrea said - of the Bron's Bee Cake - that the Heritage Prairie Kitchen must have, "...injected buttery moistness in there somehow." She explained away her purchase, "Even after learning it was $10, I couldn’t say no." The tiny cake - about three and a half inches in diameter is slathered in icing and weighs a ton (ok, about 6 oz.). I may give her $2 for a bite.

Some of the vendors were familiar faces from the fair weather market scene like seedling and River Valley. There was a nice man from Scotch Hill Farm offering up a cookbook, some potatoes, and a reasonable CSA program that delivers to the Chicago area from Wisconsin. It was worth the roadtrip.

I lost track of how much we spent and can therefore guarantee it was too much.

a dozen eggs
1 lb. oyster mushrooms
1 bag whole wheat flour
2 bags Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds
1 container dried Seedling cherries
1 bee cake
1 jar plum jam

The indoor winter farmers market is an interesting proposition. It was 7 degrees when we crunched through the ice toward the church gymnasium. The growing season is dormant here, but you can buy dry, preserved, or stored food along with food products like pickled mushrooms or baked danishes. You can still mingle with the growers (or sometimes their kids or interns) and like-minded food buyers. Something is kind of sad about the bad overhead lighting and lack of dirt. I love getting all muddy during a rainy market day and just seeing all of the green. I also didn't like having to sift through hippie soaps and knitting products to find the edibles. The Nature Museum is housing the Green City Market's new indoor market, so maybe that will cheer me up.

Freezer? I Barely Know Her.

2009-01-15T14:18:00.009-06:00

The Tribune is keeping tabs on how long Chicagoans have been suffering through sub-zero temperatures and "Continued Bitterly Cold" is the forecast for the foreseeable future. I am wearing enough items of clothing to guarantee a win in any mean game of strip poker, though I wish I had a pair of these gloves. The inside of my freezer is actually warmer than it is outside, so I figure now is as good a time as any to discuss frozen food tips.

In college, the only things in my freezer were vodka and 99 cent "pizzas". I'm trying harder to use all the parts of the food I buy, save leftovers, and plan for inevitable evenings when I lack time for cooking proper meals.

What's in my freezer now?
1 gallon bag of blueberries
1 bag edamame
2 bunches overripe bananas
1 bag white wine cubes
1 bottle stoli orange
1 box veggie burgers
1 bag frozen mangoes
1 bag frozen pineapple
1 gallon bag celery stalks/leaves, carrot ends
1 bag leftover ham bones
some whole wheat flour

What's in my ideal freezer?
2 containers each chicken stock, veal stock, veggie stock
1 bag red wine cubes
1 bag white wine cubes
half a lamb
2 containers pesto
2 containers tomato sauce
endless supply of Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream
1 bottle Hendrick's Gin
1 bottle Hangar One Mandarin Blossom Vodka

Some freezer tips:

-Make cubes of leftover liquids to use in future sauces and gravy. I like to do this with wine, small quantities of stock, and fruit juice. Remember to wash the ice cube tray well between uses and label your baggies so you can identify your cubes.
-Keep your fridge away from heat sources to maintain consistent temperatures(not like my dumbass landlords who put it right next to the oven).
-Freeze fruits and vegetables individually first and then combine them in a bag and remove as much air as possible.
-Put the ends of your loaves of bread and crusts (especially helpful if you have a picky child) in a freezer bag to make into homemade bread crumbs or croutons when you've amassed enough.
-Poultry carcasses and bones freeze well for making future stocks.
-Once bananas are overripe, freeze them whole in their peels. These defrost quickly and will always be available when you have a hankering for banana bread.
-Freeze items when they are in season and on sale. Butter the week of Christmas and Thanksgiving is always less expensive - I found some butter for 60% off during the holidays.
-Remember that liquid will expand when it freezes, so when packing stocks, soups and sauces: leave some room at the top so the lids of your containers stay tight.

Happy thawing!

new year

2009-01-07T14:58:00.003-06:00

Last year I decided what I want to do with my life. This year, I have to really start doing it. The markets shut down for winter and my blogging trailed off. I didn't quit buying, eating or preparing food; I just kept it to myself. Sorry about that.

In the beginning, I envisioned this as solely a way to document my foray into purchasing food outside of the structure of the grocery store last summer. I expanded it to recipes and lists and music. Why stop there? Eating well sustainably and seasonally in a city blanketed by record snowfall has proven to be a challenge. But I've spent the past few months being resourceful and have decided to share my adventures again without as many parameters. This year I'm planning to write about ethnic and neighborhood markets, foodie books, kitchen gadgetry, restaurants and my adventures starting a business during an economic crisis.

the great pumpkins

2008-10-13T07:39:00.006-05:00

I love u-pick it orchards and pumpkin patches, but in a pinch we city kids made for the grocery store on Sunday in search of some pumpkins to carve. Frankie planned an entire day of Halloween activities that began with some awesome dessert-like pancakes at the Bongo Room for the guys and a huge croissant sandwich for me. We bought way too many pumpkins (and too much pumpkin beer) and headed back to listen to Frankie's spooky Halloween mix and make a mess.

Phil and I were brought to fisticuffs at one point. I spent over an hour just separating seeds from pulp before I even started carving. Our four large and two small pumpkins yielded nearly ten cups of seeds. I rinsed them in hot water and spread them on a few pans to dry while we watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Here Frankie lights the candles so we can see our finished products. From left to right: Frankie's Sully, Allison's Pac-man, Kris' Haunted House, Allison's Stripes, Kris' Lenny, Allison's Freckled Cyclops.

Ideally, you should let your seeds dry out overnight. But I used a shortcut: some paper towels. Last year, we baked our seeds two ways (candied and with garlic & olive oil). This takes a while and involves stirring and turning the seeds often. I'd read a bunch of reviews on Epicurious and Food Network that indicated pan toasting the seeds would yield a smokier flavor and would be faster, so I tried the new approach on the stove instead of in the oven.

Three approaches to Pumpkin Seeds

-Dry roasting. Simply throw a cup or so of seeds into a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir often and watch closely. They'll pop and turn golden brown. Once browned, mix in a bowl with a little olive oil or melted butter (a teaspoon or so) along with salt and/or spices. This worked well, but required a lot of attention. They need to be cooked until they are almost burned to elicit a good crunch.

-Cooking in a small amount of oil. Add a tablespoon of oil and a cup of seeds to a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir often and watch closely. They'll pop and turn golden brown. Once browned, mix in a bowl with salt and/or spices. This was also successful and required a little less attention.

-Cooking in caramelized sugar and butter. Add butter, sugar, and spices to a saute pan until sugar is caramelized. Add seeds and stir until puffed and golden. This method failed on two different attempts. The seeds never really cooked enough and stayed slimy with a chewy texture no matter how long they cooked at different temperatures. The spicy sugar was tasty, so a better method might involve dry toasting the seeds and mixing them with the caramelized sugar afterward.

Don't walk away from the stove and stir or shake the pan regularly. I got distracted by a story about Emily Dickinson's love life and scorched a cup of seeds. But I'm still swimming in them.

Four different flavor batches were made (in addition to the failed candied ones mentioned above).

olive oil, curry powder, kosher salt

olive oil, kosher salt

melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice

olive oil, cumin, season salt

Perhaps I will set aside some time for a trip to an orchard in the next few weeks. I love filling up my whole crisper drawer with apples to make sauces and pies. We could also pick up some more pumpkins to carve when ours get kicked in by the drunken Bucktown hipsters (or hopefully just shrivel).

blues

2008-09-29T20:43:00.005-05:00

Last week I whipped up banana oat muffins from scratch and steamed organic broccoli to go along with a veggie lasagna I made before Project Runway. Sometimes I feel like superwoman with all of my kitchen efficiency. But I had chips and salsa for dinner last night. I also have not baked a single cookie from a tray of pre-made Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough I bought and yet half of them have mysteriously disappeared. When my Tivo or Blockbuster queue beckons, I can barely muster up the energy to place a call for takeout, let alone can and store fresh produce for the winter's sad squash-filled blues. But this project is simple, requires no cooking at all, and will guarantee you antioxidant filled months without paying to have blueberries shipped to your grocer from the Southern Hemisphere.

Saving Blueberries for Winter

1. Buy a bunch of blueberries.
2. Sort* and gently wash the blueberries (or just sort).
3. Dry blueberries and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
4. Put sheet pan in freezer for an hour or two.
5. Transfer blueberries to freezer bags, label, and freeze.
6. Eat blueberries (if you skipped #2, wash before eating):

-Drop a handful in your morning oatmeal to cool it down quickly and make it taste like something other than cardboard.

-Stir into a bowl of applesauce for a snack.

-Throw into the blender with yogurt and OJ for a smoothie.

-Mix into your favorite muffin recipe.

Blueberry Mix

Blue Eyed Soul - Wilco
Reno Dakota - The Magnetic Fields
Bottle of Blues - Beck
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson
Hanging Blue Side - Son Volt
Blue Clouds - Daniel Johnston
Carey - Joni Mitchell
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again - Bob Dylan
Blue Arrangements - Silver Jews

*sort = pick out the stems, leaves, and smashed/weird berries.

market surprise

2008-09-23T21:44:00.005-05:00

The sweet corn supplies are dwindling and apples are taking over. I used Saturday as an opportunity to stock up on blueberries for freezing and cooked the rest of the goods for some parties over the weekend. Arriving at 7 AM by car, I had my pick of produce and even angered some shopping chefs when I got dibs on the beautiful purple cauliflower. I got plenty of exercise carrying all of the veg back to the car three blocks away.

Total $52
16 ears sweet corn
27 corn ear worms
5 lbs. broccoli
3 heads purple cauliflower
4 boxes blueberries
5 boxes heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 bunch garlic chives
2 bunches basil
1 bunch spearmint

The corn would have been used for some lovely corn pudding, but while shucking it at 5:45 AM Sunday morning, I found it infested by corn ear worms. Not just one or two worms - which is a given when buying organic, but multiple worms on each ear with little corn left to eat. I left the worms outside in the courtyard, where a family of birds made a quick breakfast of them. An early morning trip to the frozen section saved the day and I didn't mind grocery shopping at all when the only aisle obstruction was a crew doing inventory.

the quiet american

2008-09-19T13:39:00.006-05:00

Andrew Knowlton has dubbed it "the next great sandwich," so when I read The Quiet American for a newly minted book club, I had to make bánh mì for our discussion. Set in Vietnam during the French War, the book lent itself beautifully to mingling European and Asian flavors on the plate.

Endless permutations exist with a myriad of toppings, but the basic bánh mì starts with a baguette and is topped with pate, mayo, pork (meatballs, tenderloin…), pickled vegetables, hot peppers, and fish sauce. Our Quiet American menu consisted of edamame with kosher salt, spicy noodle salad, bánh mì, and dark chocolate éclairs (though we were too stuffed to attempt dessert).

Our Bánh Mì Toppings:

pork liver and mushroom pate
ginger pork
spicy pickled mushrooms
mild pickled banana peppers
brie
dijon mustard
mayonnaise
shredded carrots
red cabbage
mini-cucumber slices
fish sauce

Ginger Pork

1 ½ lbs. pork shoulder (cut into 1-2 inch pieces - or ask your butcher!)
Ginger root
4 cinnamon sticks
4 kaffir lime leaves
24 oz. vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Peel ginger and chop 2 or 3 inches off the root – and cut into 4 or 5 pieces. Generously season all sides of pork with salt and pepper and sear in pan careful not to overcrowd pan (I did two batches). If pork sticks to the bottom of the pan, leave it for 30 more seconds and try to turn it again. Once all of the pork is browned, put back into pan and add ginger, cinnamon sticks, lime leaves, and stock. If needed, add water to just cover pork. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, and bake in oven for at least 2 hours, but up to 4 hours, adding water or stock to keep pork covered. Shred or slice pork and serve.

Some of the Quiet American mix:

Good Morning Heartache - Billie Holiday
Let's Fall in Love - Diana Krall
Colours - Donovan
Sea of Love - Cat Power
Between the Bars - Madeleine Peyroux
Au Fond Du Temple Saint - David Byrne & Rufus Wainwright
Reversing - Ryuichi Sakamoto
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Nina Simone
Summertime - Angelique Kidjo
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Nouvelle Vague
Look at What the Light Did Now - Little Wings
Change Parnters - Harry Connick, Jr.
Help the Aged - Pulp

leek confit from BA

2008-09-14T18:30:00.001-05:00

I'm a Molly Wizenberg devotee. I obsessively check for updates on her blog (an rss feeder rescued me from stalking) and look forward to Cooking Life, her column in Bon Appetit. I happened to jealously read about her trip to Belgium and discovery of the fine European approach to leeks on the same day that I bought a bunch of leeks having no idea what to do with them.

It was an easy enough recipe and I had plenty of butter on hand(surprise!), so I tried my hand at the leek confit. It became more of a spread atop some garlic sesame flatbread cracker things we had. Pretty darn good, but not quite complete, it needed some parmesan and romano cheese. Kris thinks it needs something saltier so next time I'm going to top a baguette with the confit, goat cheese - which Molly (yep: inappropriate first name basis) recommends, and some crisped pancetta.

kitchen essentials

2008-09-11T22:37:00.003-05:00

Moving into my latest apartment prompted me take stock of all of the crap I own. Well, all the friends I talked into helping me move (again!) forced me take stock. The groaning about carrying all of my books and weird furniture started weeks before the actual move date. The boxes marked "kitchen" and "books" far outnumbered the others so I paired down a bit. I ditched three full boxes of books, a bunch of old ugly pyrex and a few stock pots. Some take it really far, but I just wanted to unclutter. The trusty kitchen items I won't live without:

-5 1/2 quart Cobalt Le Creuset round dutch oven. I even take it with me when I cook at my friends' houses. My friend Andrea at Forkable has quite eloquently summed up the love affair cooks have with Le Creuset.

-My great great grandmother's colander. I clean veggies, drain pasta, and store fruit in it on the counter. Not simultaneously.

-My Mom's Mom's Settlement Cookbook: The Way to a Man's Heart. It is my culinary connection to a fiery petite woman I never got a chance to meet. Special thanks to my GM Adele for stowing it safely in her attic all those years.

-The teapot from my mom and dad's (early 70's) wedding. I still have the creamer and sugar bowl too. OK - I have most of the set and have been eating off of these blue and white flower dishes my whole life.

-Global 8" Chef's Knife. Kris signed us up for the Chopping Block's knife skills class last year. It was really helpful to try out a lot of high end knives in a kitchen setting before investing in one. Global knives are light (but not flimsy) and the handle fits well in my tiny hands.

-A super heavy cast iron grill pan/griddle. It is so heavy that it has taken up permanent residence on two of my burners. I can grill (well, create grill marks) year round.

-A tea kettle on the back burner. I drink way too much tea, effectively rendering a single burner available. It works only occasionally.

-Ikea stainless steel workstation. My last apartment had no counter space, so this filled in. It is especially nice for rolling out dough (notice all the flour?). I keep it in my dining room and use it as a bar when I'm not cooking.

-Salt Cellar, olive oil drizzler, cutting boards. The things I use most often are right on the counter. I picked up this glass dish in a Crate & Barrel clearance bin - saving myself $6 off the price of their real salt cellar. I've had this stupid pepper machine thing since my first apartment. At 18, I apparently decided that a hand exercise squeeze motion was a fun way to grind pepper. Someday I'll upgrade to the real thing.

last minute market

2008-09-08T13:29:00.005-05:00

I accidentally tried a new trick this week at the market. I arrived within an hour of closing time and haggled for deals. The farmers don't want to drag anything back with them and are also easily swayed by produce flattery. This saved me close to $10 and allowed me to treat myself to a house full of fresh flowers. I didn't have my pick of the most beautiful veggies, but what I found was still high quality and delicious.

Total damage $35

1 bunch leeks
2 rutabagas
6.5 lbs green beans
1 jar spicy pickled mushrooms
20 stems various flowers
3 sweet green peppers
2 bunches watermelon radishes
2 lbs long Tropea Onions

I plan on...

pickling the radishes for Vietnamese sandwiches
blanching and freezing most of the green beans for winter (if they last that long)
researching what the hell to do with rutabagas
blogging about the leek confit I made last night

Lynchberries

2008-09-07T23:09:00.005-05:00

I was convinced to buy these berries last week because they looked so intimidating. This little son of a bitch does not want to be eaten. The really sharp spines are quite effective deterrents for anyone who might want a taste of this "sweet tomato-like berry" (according to the guy at the farmers market). In actuality, these berries have the acidic, tart flavor of a kiwifruit and only look like a tomato inside. The small seeds are really hard to chew and eat. It was a pain in the ass to remove the stems and small leaves from these berries without stabbing myself repeatedly with the tiny spines or wasting half of the fruit to avoid injury. It wasn't worth it (the $4 or the time). But maybe my sad story will prevent others from falling prey to the evil lynchberry. Google doesn't have any helpful information about the existence of this fruit. I'm betting the farmers:

1. found some wild bushes by the side of the road
2. forced their kids to pick the berries as punishment
3. named them for their bloodletting tendencies
4. sold them to shoppers like me as punishment for naivete

labor of love

2008-09-04T14:23:00.006-05:00

+

=

We joined the masses and cooked outside on Labor Day. Kris bought a grill at a nice end of season price and we did the standard hot dog and hamburger feast right. I grilled up most of the veg from the farmers market and what didn't fall through the grate tasted pretty awesome. Frankie and Kris took care of the meat since my tongs skills were obviously lacking. In addition to watermelon, we stuffed ourselves with grilled peaches. I am addicted to that balsamic glaze, so I drizzled it over the peaches and ice cream.

Grilled Sweet Corn with Chili Butter

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon chili powder or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
cayenne pepper for heat
1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
generous pinch of kosher salt

Mix butter and other ingredients in a bowl until combined and uniform. Can be made ahead and kept refrigerated. There are two basic methods for grilling corn:

1. Shuck the corn, wrap it in foil, throw it on the grill or underneath with the coals to save space. Turn often. Slather with chili butter and eat.

2. Remove the outer husks and silks, replace the inner husks around the corn. Soak for 15 minutes to 1 hour. Throw the corn on the grill and turn often. Slather with chili butter and eat.

wicker park market

2008-08-31T21:45:00.006-05:00

I slept in Saturday, missing my regular Green City Market trip. The Wicker Park & Bucktown Market (Sundays 7am - 2pm) is very small, but shares three big vendors with my usual haunt. Seedling always has perfect fruit, Nichols Farm has the largest selection and most variety, and Iron Creek Farms has the most gorgeous tomatoes and more. I've found most of these smaller neighborhood markets (Edgewater!) to be decent and less crowded than the Green City Market. If you find yourself in desperate need of seasonable vegetables, check out your local schedule - you might find one just down the block.

Three bags $30

9 red African eggplants pictured above
4 yellow and red peppers
1 huge zucchini
1 gigantic yellow squash
1 bag garlic dill cheese curds
10 ears of sweet corn
1 bottle raspberry vinegar
1 box of lynch berries/tomato berries

music for kitchen sinks

2008-08-29T12:30:00.002-05:00

Suds up a bunch of dishes, put on your yellow gloves, pour a glass of wine and press play.

Re-Arrange - The Gladiators
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man - Aretha
Tears for Affairs - Camera Obscura
Waddlin' Around - The King Khan & BBQ Show
Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers
Teenage Love Affair - Alicia Keys
Knock that Door - Enon
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here - She & Him
Fist City - Loretta Lynn
Dancing With Myself - Nouvelle Vague
Modern Girl - Sleater Kinney
Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go Gos
These Days - Mates of State
Finite = Alright - David Byrne
Green Shirt - Elvis Costello
Los Angeles I'm Yours - The Decemberists
Israelites - Desmond Dekker and the Aces
Wave Goodbye - Kelly Stoltz
Fear of Trains - The Magnetic Fields
Take Me to the Pilot - Elton John
Everybody's Gonna Be Happy - The Kinks

Party

2008-08-27T14:56:00.006-05:00

For my uncle Moon's birthday last year, I helped my aunt throw him a surprise party. We invited 70 friends and family and I contributed the food. Have you ever made 150 meatballs in one night? Along with bruschetta, caponata, white bean hummus, gorgonzola popovers, marinated olives, herbed pickles, prosciutto cups with goat cheese & figs, and spicy crab & shrimp dip? I did, survived, and was apparently successful. People enjoyed the food and some even assumed I was a caterer by trade. I took the compliments to heart and am starting culinary school soon.

Last weekend, some guests of that party invited me to cook at a small gathering at their house and it went remarkably well. It was a very laid-back garden party involving lots of hibiscus margaritas and lovely ladies. The main event featured various kebabs, but much of the night was spent munching on appetizers.

Rose and Geraldine have playful serving trays. Here's my giant version of shrimp cocktail.

Another favorite was the heirloom tomato flatbread. Well it was supposed to be a flatbread, but after quite a few failed recipes, I used a tried and true focaccia recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook recommended by Andrea.

Heirloom Tomato Pizza

For crust:
1 cup wrist temperature water
1 ½ tsp. (half a ¼ oz. packet) active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Approx. 3 ½ cups flour
2 – 3 tbs. dried rosemary
Olive oil for the bowl, dough and baking tray
Extra flour for handling the dough.

On Top:
3 heirloom tomatoes thinly sliced
Fresh mozzarella
Basil - a handful thinly sliced
Herbed olive oil* or just really good olive oil

Place the water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes – it will become foamy.

Add sugar and salt. Stir until everything dissolves.

Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing enthusiastically with a whisk. As the dough thickens, switch to your hand. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes, adding up to ½ cup more flour, as needed, to combat stickiness. When the dough is smooth, oil both the bowl and the top surface of the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough, and transfer to a clean floured surface. Adding small amounts of extra flour as needed, to avoid stickiness. Knead the dough for about 5 to 8 minutes –until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, and roll it into a 10 – 12 inch diameter circle. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking tray.

Transfer the circle of dough to the baking tray and brush the top surface of the dough with a little more olive oil. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Let cool slightly and layer the fresh toppings. You can add the toppings from the beginning, but to preserve the clean tomato and basil flavors, I find it best to add them toward the end of baking. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 for 10 - 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Once cooled, but before slicing, I like to drizzle some balsamic glaze** for an extra punch of flavor. The sweetness works well with the roasted tomatoes.

*Herbed olive oil: simmer 1 1/2 cups olive oil with several smashed garlic cloves on low until your house smells awesome. Not just your kitchen. Your entire house. Cool olive oil, discard but make good use of garlic. Add a handful of flat leaf parsley, a handful of basil, and a few pinches of fresh oregano to your food processor and process it. Add the garlicky olive oil and presto - herbed olive oil.

**Balsamic glaze: Simmer 1 cup balsamic vinegar, the zest and juice of one orange, and half a cup of pomegranate juice until the mixture coats a spoon and is reduced by more than half. Stir in a few teaspoons of sugar or honey until dissolved. Pour over almost anything and it is guaranteed to taste better.

Worst. Sandwich. Ever.

2008-08-21T14:55:00.007-05:00

I made a terrible mistake. I was bogged down with menu planning (I'm suddenly flooded with catering jobs - YAY!) and starving. My apartment is full of distractions: the neighbor lady condescendingly barking orders at her dog, a stack of unwatched movie mailers, a big comfortable bed, and a sink full of dirty dishes begging to be washed. For some stupid reason, I settled on using the free Starbucks wi-fi nearish my house to do the work and ignored my stomach's pleas for a fill up.

[A quick defense of my decision to patronize Starbucks for all of you hippies: I like Intelligentsia coffee better and I LOVE Metropolis which isn't in my neighborhood anymore, but I also am attempting to slow my growing addiction. I dig chai which has a little less caffeine - the Tazo Chai at Starbucks is consistent and I don't drink weak-ass tea. I could also buy a giant jug of the stuff at Jewel for $5/week instead of $5/cup, but that is another stupid decision for another blog.]

Halfway through my venti non-fat chai latte, the tummy grumblings got so loud I swear I could hear them over Sleater-Kinney* screaming on my ipod. I sauntered over to the counter and this is where it got ugly. I've had several Starbucks food items in the past - usually hasty grabs at airports or quick breakfast items on the way to work. Egg salad sandwich, fruit & cheese plate, veggies & evil dip, flax braid. I have not really enjoyed these food experiences, but I also wouldn't characterize them as awful. I also always tip my barista. Really well. Looking back, a tip back from her would have been nice, "I would think twice about purchasing that nearly $6 tasteless brick of a crappy sandwich that you are considering."

The Tomato & Mozzarella Ciabatta also contains "pesto butter" and spinach. Somehow they squeeze 22% of my daily value of sodium in there, but you wouldn't know it by the complete flavorlessness** contained between the massive squares of dry bread. The pesto butter is just unsalted butter with little specks of green. This might be basil or just chopped blades of grass. The tomato slices are those unspeakable grainy wet messes served in cafeterias everywhere. The few baby spinach leaves are healthful enough. They are super skimpy with the mozzarella which is all the same because it tastes like nothing. Next time I'd prefer a piece of cardboard soaked in 17 grams of fat.

*The Woods (Sub Pop '05). This album is guaranteed to help you get down to business.
**The spell checker is suggesting "humorlessness" here. That would work as well.
***The lovely sketch of the first Starbucks in Seattle (where I've been on a few occasions) is from Idle Minutes. It is a lovely little "illustrated Journal Featuring The Artwork of Don West".

lambburglar

2008-08-13T14:02:00.006-05:00

Bon Appetit's July issue featured inspired new burger recipes and a mouthwatering cover. I read it cover to cover on my morning commute the day after it arrived and then filed it away. After mopping my floors and doing too many loads of laundry on Sunday, I felt like eating a burger. I didn't want to make the same boring turkey burger with muenster and mushrooms and I had ground lamb from the market. I found myself too lazy to climb the kitchen footstool to look up the recipe. Despite already being at my computer checking email and catching up on podcasts, I didn't really feel like looking up the recipe online either. I decided to wing it. What came together ended up being a combination of the Moroccan Spiced Lamb Burger from BA July 2006, the Minted Lamb Burgers from BA February 2006 and my own turkey burger recipe. I used bulgur wheat instead of breadcrumbs because that's what I had in the cabinet.

Lamb Burgers
1/3 cup bulgur wheat prepared with chicken broth
1 large shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
a few pinches of cayenne
10 - 15 mint leaves finely chopped*
6 oz. finely crumbled feta cheese
1 egg
Kosher salt & coarse ground pepper
1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb (I added 1/2 lb. ground pork)

Prepare bulgur wheat according to package instructions. Mix ingredients 1 - 10 in large mixing bowl, add lamb to bowl and mix to incorporate, taking care not to over mix. Divide into patties sized according to your appetite, but no more than 1 inch thick. Cook in pan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare to medium. Grill if you are so inclined.

We ate them tucked into pita pockets with veggie hummus. On the side: a spinach salad with lemon cucumbers**, red peppers and more feta and some Israeli cous cous with raisins***.

*Chiffonade is the fanciest sounding, but easiest way to prepare big leafy herbs like mint and basil. Just stack all of the leaves, roll them up tightly and slice through to make thin ribbons.

**Lemon Cucumbers are bumpy, yellow, and shaped like lemons. They are a slightly crunchier variety than your everyday cuke, but really just have more seeds and are harder to peel.

***The store I lazily stopped into only had regular raisins which resembled some sort of rodent dropping when cooked into the light hued cous cous, so I suggest golden raisins to avoid dinner table potty humor.

eating august

2008-08-10T12:18:00.007-05:00

I bought these weird speckled beans instead of my normal green variety.

One Bag $22.50
dozen eggs
1 lb. shelly beans
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 box blueberries
1 tube frozen ground lamb
4 lemon cucumbers

I found the "White Satan Carrots" again and took some photographic evidence this time.

being there

2008-08-04T14:19:00.013-05:00

I don't think I opened my fridge over the weekend. Actually, besides a brief apartment tour, I didn't step inside my kitchen at all. My friend Julie came in from DC for Lollapalooza and we didn't really schedule time for sleeping, let alone a trip to the market.

Friday evening, while perched on a hill waiting for Radiohead, we shared a benevolent burrito and spinach quesadillas from Crescent Foods. They were tasty, but the helpings weren't exactly generous. The carrot salsa was quite fresh and kudos for having both guac and sour cream on the side. We crashed a backyard birthday party after the concert that had an amazing spread with veggies, dips, and burgers. Marty, the birthday boy, generously showed off his garden. I love the cucumbers climbing the stairs (pardon the tipsy night photography).

Saturday we managed to get up and moving for lunch at Cafe Iberico, a tapas restaurant with really reasonable prices and generous portions that defy the distinction "small plate". We went a little crazy, sharing:

-Jamon Iberico. a cured ham and cheese plate
-Pincho de Solomillo. beef tenderloin with fries and caramelized onions
-Croquetas de pollo. chicken and ham puffs
-Pulpo a la Plancha. grilled octopus with potatoes
-Veggie Paella.
-Queso de Cabra. goat cheese in tomato sauce with garlic toasts
-a pitcher of sangria

But a few hours later, after expending too much energy for Okkervil River, I required reinforcements from Adobo Grill:

We split up for the headliners of the evening, Julie boldly braving the pit of Rage Against the Machine while I safely swayed and sang (probably too loudly) along with Wilco. Afterward we reconvened on the el and hit up Clarke's on Belmont to carboload for Sunday. The place was packed and they might as well have required lolla wristbands for entry, as the entire crowd reviewed the days bands and photos from each other's digital cameras. Julie had the skillet eggs and I had silver dollar pancakes.

Sunday brought us to The Bluebird for a tiny breakfast and the highly recommended bloody marys made with organic cucumber vodka. The food was impressive and not too expensive, and the drink (besides the garnish) was both not good and overpriced. Julie and I split the spiced pork belly with toast, kris had ham & gruyere crepes, and Frankie had an open faced croissant with chips. The bartendress didn't know the ingredients in the bloody mix, but something was off there. However, the garnish was crazy good:

-a peel and eat shrimp
-an orange wedge
-a skewer of cheese, olive, pepperocini, and a slice of mortadella with pistachios

We went straight from breakfast and an impromptu stop at a moving sale to Greektown for lunch. We settled on Venus because they specialize in Cypriot cuisine and I had been meaning to stop in since seeing a feature on Check, Please! We shared all of the food which was was fresh and had a lot of bright flavors - helped along by the plate of lemons on the table that I squeezed onto everything.

I managed to work off lunch dancing to Girl Talk, ending up hungry again. Here Greg Gillis crowd surfs on an inflatable raft to end his set.

A slice of sausage pizza and a cat nap during a particularly xylophone-heavy Nine Inch Nails song capped off the weekend. I also snuck in an oreo ice cream sandwich from 7-11 on the way home.

Pitchfork 2008

2008-07-21T13:39:00.012-05:00

As far as music festivals go, Pitchfork is reasonably priced and the food vendors don't gouge excessively. There are tons of healthy options, like the veggie options from the Chicago Diner to go along with the heart attack inducing Connie's pizza or the spicy chicken andouille sausage from Wishbone. Fresh stuff was available from a Whole Foods tent, but I opted to sneak some from the farmers market instead. It was less expensive, avoided all the wasteful packaging, and was local. We had friends in from out of town, so I was trying to provide snacks for eight people for two days. Angie accompanied me to the market in a heavy rainstorm and we bought the following for $23:

2 boxes sweet cherries
2 boxes green beans
1 box gooseberries

We separated the goods into several baggies to disperse the contraband. All of us made it through security - snacks intact - save a bag of Angie's raspberries that was smashed by an overzealous volunteer bag checker person. I supplemented the produce with a few bags of walnuts and wasabi peas.

Here Christie & Kyle react to the gooseberries:

They were described by the group as:

-mealy

-earthy

-terrible

-weird

-sour

We also ate a lot of food from the festival. Kris and I had one meatalicious meal. He had Cevapcici - a sausageish combination of lamb, pork, and beef with a red pepper sauce.

I had an Italian Sausage with the best condiment ever conceived: Italian beef with sweet peppers.

The festival had recycling and city trash bins all around, but my favorite was this one housing Les Savy Fav's frontman Tim Harrington:

Improvisation

2008-07-17T15:03:00.005-05:00

I over analyze most things, making multiple lists and outlines for things as simple as going to a Friday night movie or cleaning my apartment, tending to get overwhelmed when plans change. I used to cook in a rigid, recipe-based, methodical way with a little OCD for good measure. Dinner was never ready before dark and when something didn't go according to the instructions of the experts, I fled the kitchen a failure. This is slowly changing (at least when it comes to cooking).

I'm figuring out how to riff off of recipes or just make them up myself. Once you have some basic techniques down, you can make anything. Kris' dad cooks this way for every meal. I'm not quite there yet, but it was nice to share a kitchen with such a laid back cook. The quarters were a little close, so we danced around each other a little.

I was inspired to use what was on hand to make another version of 8-ball squash. I used this super cool cutting board to chop the eggplant, sweet purple peppers, cippolinis and portabellas. I also added red pepper flakes this time.

A few ways I've broken out of the bad habit of cooking rigidity:

Keep a pantry/fridge stocked with versatile basics. (I'm working on a master list!)

Divide your shopping list into sections of the store (Dairy, Produce, Meat, Frozen, Canned goods). This will serve two purposes: disallow you to meander into sections filled with high-fructose corn syrupy items and allow you to creatively work within the confines of a family of like-items. If your recipe (or spontaneous idea) calls for something too expensive or not available, look in the same section for something similar.

Epicurious.com has a database of recipes from Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and SELF magazines. Instead of hunting for ingredients for a recipe, you can use the advanced search to plug in ingredients you already have and recipes will appear that match your criteria. Don't forget to read the user reviews for suggestions and substitutions.

Seek out alternatives to your supermarket: the farmers market, specialty shops, ethnic groceries. Ask sellers about their favorite ways to prepare unfamiliar items.

Be aware of nearby take-out and delivery options for epic failures.

Beer Battered Squash Blossoms

2008-07-14T23:23:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning Kris and I headed to Branson, Missouri, to visit his dad. This was my favorite non-Yakov Smirnoff-related sign along the way.

Our contribution to the week's dinners would be the market produce from Saturday. I've been eagerly awaiting squash blossoms all summer, so that was the first thing I wanted to make. A recipe had been supplied with the blossoms, but the local Walmart had a limited selection, so I went with what looked fresh and sounded tasty. Most online recipes call for a combination of ricotta and goat cheese, but fontina and cream cheese substituted just fine.

Beer Battered Squash Blossoms

14 male squash blossoms
juice of one lemon

for batter:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup beer (I used Boulevard Dry Stout)
1 egg white
pinch of salt & pepper

for stuffing:
1 cup cream cheese (I used whipped) at room temperature
1/2 cup shredded fontina
2 tsp. chopped chives
1 egg yolk
pinch of salt

Combine dry ingredients for batter in a medium bowl, then add beer* & egg white. Mix with fork taking care not to overmix - some lumps are OK. Refrigerate batter. Combine all ingredients for stuffing in another bowl. Gently open the petals of each flower, removing the stamen and any creatures (I found 2 ladybugs) inside. Spoon** roughly 1 teaspoon of cheese mixture into each blossom and twist the petals closed.
Dip each blossom in batter and fry in 350 degree oil for approximately 3 minutes or until golden brown. Don't crowd the pan or fryer - do them in small batches. Drain on a brown paper grocery bag or paper towels, sprinkle with lemon juice and eat as soon as possible.

*I used a stout which ended up pairing nicely with the slightly sweet cream cheese. Use whatever is on hand.
**Piping with a pastry bag would be a fancier pants option and probably less messy for your hands. But it would also create more dishes to wash later and eliminate the finger licking option. Eat raw eggs at your own risk.

Farmers' Community Market at Brookside

2008-07-14T11:11:00.012-05:00

After my laziness last week, I was determined to get to the market this weekend. I grew up in Kansas City, but we got all of our produce from the garden or an occasional roadside stop for sweet corn or watermelon. I've only been to the City Market before, but Andrea (my badass chef friend) suggested we go to a smaller market in her neighborhood. She knows what she's talking about: the city market has quantity, but everything was especially nice at the Farmers' Community Market at Brookside. Kris and I slept in and then visited my grandparents before picking up Andrea to head to the market around noon. Luckily it rained all morning, so there was still great veg and no crowd.

Total spent: $20.75
3 eggplants: one dark purple, one white, one lavender
2 cipollini onions
14 male squash blossoms
2 purple sweet peppers
4 eight-ball zucchini

Most of the veggies I bought were from the Kansas City Community Farm. I couldn't get over how beautiful the eggplant was:

We checked in at the Green Dirt Farm, but they didn't have the cheese Andrea wanted. Recently, she placed an order for an entire lamb from Green Dirt and is hunting for a freezer to house the animal. She's going to guest write about it here and promises some awesome recipes when it arrives.

Meat Market

2008-07-06T22:37:00.009-05:00

I have excused myself from my weekly market trip because I've got plenty from last week. Also, I'm going on vacation and need lots of time to transfer all of my toiletries into TSA sanctioned containers. Instead: strange stories about meat.

Big Joe's is a bar stumbling distance from my apartment. Famous for turtle races on Friday nights and having many dart boards every night, Big Joe's is a nice place to watch the game and listen to stories from regulars with names like Wild Bill. My friend Katherine and I met for drinks there around 8:00 Wednesday. Suddenly it was midnight, way past my bedtime and I needed to finish my drink. Then the truck pulled up:

A large mustachioed man in a lab coat opened the door and shouted "Sgt. Slaughter has arrived!" He then moved a table into the center of the bar and chopped some meats and cheeses on a paper towel for the drunkards to sample:

I wondered aloud, if these products were handled according to food safety regulations. "Screw that", said the many patrons wolfing down the free eats. I tried a slice of sausage, but winced when Sgt.* Slaughter used several choice prepared phrases about "jerking jerky", etc. Katherine, however, purchased one of the giant sausages for a mere $10, ate it, and has lived to tell the tale.

This Slaughter guy claimed to have made roughly half of the menu items himself for Perl's Sausage Company, but the truck he drove said he worked for a company called Deli Direct. I guess he's got his drunk market targeted - the bartender said he stops by every month or so. Have you ever witnessed the bar turned meat market?

I think they may be on to something with the whole salty meats for late night bar flies. But I'm a little weary of the methods of delivery. So I think I'd like to try Whiskey Road on Mondays:

Kris & Frankie below my favorite sign in Chicago

*Though he was wearing a Vietnam Veterans t-shirt, I have not verified Mr. Slaughter has actually attained the rank of Sergeant.

It is decidedly so

2008-07-01T14:22:00.013-05:00

Most people focus on one thing when watching Everyday Italian, but Saturday Kris' roommate Frankie and I were distracted by actual food. We scheduled this easy dish for Monday's bad reality television night. The three 8-ball squash I bought at the market made a perfect side dish for Giada's Whole Grain Spaghetti with Pecorino, Prosciutto and Pepper. The pasta was easy and while described as a "fall" dish on the Pasta for all seasons episode, worked out alright for summer. Use a little less cheese than called for and a nice olive oil is a must.

Stuffed 8-Ball Squash

3 eight-ball squash/zucchini
2 medium portabella mushrooms, gills removed, medium dice
2 tomatoes, seeded & diced
1 clove garlic thinly sliced (I used a green garlic bulb)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Boil a pan of salted water (use for pasta afterward!). Barely trim both ends of squash (stem & bottom) so they'll sit easily in the pan. Cut in half (at the equator) and scoop out flesh with a spoon leaving 1/4 inch shell, taking care not to pierce bottom. Toss shells into boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes to soften squash shell, then remove and drain well. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dice remaining squash pulp and add to skillet with mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and s&p. Saute 2 - 3 minutes or until mushrooms have released juices. Drain mixture well* and spoon into squash shells**. Put shells in greased baking dish and sprinkle cheese & breadcrumbs evenly on top. If you're into heart health, drizzle olive oil atop. If you're into flavor, put a pat of butter on top of each one and then drizzle the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes or so, then eat them up.

*skipping this step will guarantee lots of juices running all over your plate, perfect for sopping up with a crusty bread (preferably from red hen bakery).
**There will be extra filling. Please toss this over pasta for leftovers or eat it out of the pan with a spoon while watching the Colbert Report.

Living for the City

2008-06-29T18:36:00.011-05:00

We Chicagoans may get frostbite waiting at bus stops for six months a year, but the summer is spent making up for it with endless festivals, dining alfresco, afternoons at the beach, and lots of sweat for those of us without AC. This weekend was a perfect example. Pride culminated in a two-part parade today, interrupted by ~~brief rain and lightning~~ a dancer falling off a float. Stevie Wonder played for almost three hours last night at the Taste of Chicago where I danced barefoot with about 75,000 other happy fans. We played early morning softball poorly, went to the green market, took my cousins to see Wall-E downtown, and enjoyed the respite from the sun(burn) provided by all the passing rain clouds.

Saturday morning I spent $30.50 on:

1 box blueberries
1 box cherries
1 bunch white satin carrots*
1 bunch daikon
1 bunch beets
1 bunch peppermint
3 eight-ball yellow squash
3 portabella mushrooms
1 bunch green garlic
a few garlic scrapes
1 head of cauliflower
4 vine ripened tomatoes

*These were labeled "White Satan Carrots" which is the only reason I noticed them. For sale at a pricey booth of microgreens that I can never afford, I found a lone bunch and got them because the name made me laugh. I wish I'd taken a picture.

I spent Saturday afternoon sampling these at the Taste of Chicago:

Billy Goat Inn
¼ cheeseburger. OK. Go for the goofy tradition, not the food.

Bolat African Cuisine
Jerk Chicken, Beans & Rice, Plantains. Nicely spiced sauce, plantains perfectly cooked. Much better than the goat last year.

Canady le Chocolatier
Fruiti di Bosco Sorbet, two bites of Pistachio Gelato. Antidote to heat, portions a bit small, friendly staff.

Dominick’s
watermelon slice. seedless, crisp, and juicy. ridiculous line, but nice guy at booth gave me a full slice for the price of a "taste" portion for being patient about the mouthy broad in front of me.

Hashbrown’s
sweet potato hashbrowns. Not what I expected: basically shredded steamed sweet potatoes that didn't taste pan fried and needed salt.

Wow Bao
Hot kung pao chicken Asian Bao. Spicy in the middle, soft bun mellows the heat. Asian buns are the new burrito.

Ricobene’s
Italian breaded steak sandwich. Rich sauce, meat a bit chewy.

C'est Si Bon
Cajun meatballs. Good amount of spicy and nice "taste of" portion

Costa’s
baklava. my only complaint? plastic forks don't work: it is worth resorting to eating with your hands.

actual insanity

2008-06-22T22:55:00.008-05:00

My insanely enjoyable weekend culminated in a thirty-minute trip on the 50 Damen bus with a lippy intoxicated mentally ill woman. It is really hard to concentrate on the intricacies of the history of british postpunk when a woman is jumping around, grabbing her crotch repeatedly, and streaming foul language at a nearby infant. That small incident aside, the last few days have included a cubs sweep of the sox, some lucrative babysitting, Hideout's soul music dance party, and a bachelor party that lasted three days. I managed to squeeze in a 7:40 AM trip to the green market on my way to work Saturday, but I also managed to stupidly leave all of my food in the fridge where I worked.

my cheap week: $18
1 bunch peppermint
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
.5 lb oyster mushrooms
2 bunches purple asparagus
Japanese turnips
Chinese Shunkyo semi-long red radishes

peaved

2008-06-19T14:42:00.005-05:00

My great-grandparents' entire backyard was a garden, save a huge tree, a gliding swing and a few iron chairs. My job was to pick (read: eat) green beans. I grew up with a strong distrust of eating beans prepared by anyone other than family guaranteed to have garden-fresh or those lovingly canned by my Grandma Georgia. Last summer I bought many pounds at the market down the street, eating quite a few for breakfast on the walk home. The nice association with a summer childhood memory means crisp green veg can fix nearly any problem I've got.

The morning & evening commutes Wednesday combined for nearly four hours of my day. Even armed with a good book and an ipod full of awesome, I can only take so much. At home I flopped into my trusty chair with some mint green tea, a bag of peas (and a bowl), and the remotes. I shelled my peas from the market during the first half of Before Night Falls and ate them from a pretty tea cup during the second half. It was no swedish massage, but it did the trick.

Excellent (read in sinister Montgomery Burns voice)

2008-06-16T15:15:00.015-05:00

Last night I tore up some Asian cooking for the first time. I had one disastrous attempt at Pad Thai in college which allowed me to vent some anger by crushing peanuts with the back of my skillet. I usually just stick to take out. I poked around the interweb for inspiration and then threw together a meal centered around an egg theme: Egg Drop Soup, Fried Rice, and Easter Egg radish & kohlrabi salad.

I'd actually never even heard of kohlrabi before, so naturally, I bought three. My favorite description is green sputnik, but wikipedia says kohlrabi "is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere". Kinda like me, except for the cabbage part. I was expecting a cabbage-like vegetable with tight leaves, but once peeled, it looks more like a radish on the inside. So I cut a purple and green one into rather un-uniform slices along with some radishes and doused the whole thing in a toasted sesame seed dressing.

Kohlrabi before:

Kohlrabi after:

I love egg drop soup. I made this version with veggie stock instead of chicken and added 5 crushed garlic cloves. Chopped baby bok choy and a shallot rounded it out. Once simmering, I swirled in 3 scrambled farm fresh eggs. This is the steamy pot of soup:

The fried rice was super easy. I just sauteed some shiitake mushrooms and peas in oil along with some rice wine vinegar and soy sauce, stirred in some already cooked brown rice, and in the center put some scrambled eggs in a well. Mixed it up and two minutes later, dinner was ready.

My favorite idea of the night: A cilantro centerpiece so everyone could garnish their own plates:

more generosity

2008-06-15T23:42:00.005-05:00

While waiting in a long line for a smoothie, I chatted up a guy from Seedling about my new food summer so far. We discussed the many ways to prepare rhubarb and then he asked if I was an adventurous cook. I smiled and he gave me a bag of peach leaves and a load of tiny unripe peaches that had to be sacrificed for the benefit of the entire tree's production. He thought Alice Waters might have a nice recipe for pickled peaches I'd want to try (she does!). According to a lot of rabbit and parrot owners, peach leaves and pits are toxic to animals, but in the 1905 printing of King's American Dispensatory, there are many medicinal applications for all of you out there suffering from worms or dysentery:

I also purchased a few things for $22
1 bunch easter egg radishes
1 bunch mint
1 tiny fennel bulb*
4 boxes English shelling peas
2 boxes strawberries
3 kohlrabi (2 purple, 1 green)
*sort of new: I've eaten fennel plenty of times, but never prepared it myself.

I'm getting better at navigating the market and thought I'd share some really common sense tips that seem to be lost on many of the shoppers there. I'm talking about you: jerk holding up the line trying to pay with a $100 at my favorite cheese place.

-Arrive early, but don't be in a hurry.

-Use small bills. If the ATM gave you a $20, buy a coffee on the way and get change.

-Be fashionable and green by bringing a few of your own bags. A single large one packed badly = mushy veg.

-Ask questions if you have them - these people are both knowledgeable and generous.

-Try a sample.

-The eggs and meat at the market are worth the extra price. Buy a hot/cold bag to avoid thawing/spoiling on the trip home.

bacony chocolate

2008-06-10T22:37:00.007-05:00

I put bacon in Thanksgiving stuffing, baked beans, salads, deviled eggs, and on pizza. I have even worn a band-aid shaped like the stuff. Last year, I excitedly read about the Vosges bacon chocolate bar and added it to my list of pork things to check out (like bacon salt). Tonight I stopped into Whole Foods with my friend Phil for an exotic ingredient he was missing for a new recipe. I purposefully left my wallet in the car to avoid the tractor beam that is the produce department. Sadly empty handed, I drooled over the super expensive chocolates on the customer service desk while we checked out. I asked the clerk if he’d tasted the bacon chocolate bar, but he meekly admitted to refraining from pork. Another employee overheard the exchange and had tried it. Noting the wild jealousy in my eyes, she offered me a small bar FREE. (This was our second dessert score of the night – Phil randomly won an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie earlier for naming the bad classic rock band on the radio at Potbelly)

Vosges Haute Chocolat
Mo’s Bacon Bar .5 oz.
At first you just taste milk chocolate. The salt comes next. I could smell the subtle bacon essence, but thought I was missing the taste. Then I felt a crunch. The bar appears smooth and shiny, but surreptitiously contains tiny crispy pork bits. They imbed themselves in your molars so the bacony goodness lingers. Not sure I'd shell out the $8 for a full sized bar. But if you find a small one, try it.

mountain of radishes

2008-06-08T18:34:00.006-05:00

Managed to wake up early, despite tipsily playing Rock Band until nearly 4 am. Hopped up on caffeine I hopped a bus to the market - arriving by 9:15. Every week I get there earlier, and I think everyone else does too. If only I could escape the clutches of live band karaoke and $7 vodka tonic pints on Friday nights. My egg guy was sold out again. Damn. But another farmer picked up the slack with more expensive and smaller ones.

I went a little radish crazy. First I spotted some mammoth radishes. For only $2, I couldn't pass them up. When I was looking for mint, I happened across some icicle radishes also for $2. On my way out of the park, I accidentally spotted some easter egg radishes too - from a Chicago farm - and had to have them. I think I'll pickle some of them.

My bag this week ($21)
2 heirloom tomatoes
1 bunch icicle radishes
1 bunch easter egg radishes
1 bunch huge red radishes
2 bunches spearmint
1 bag baby bok choy
dozen eggs

I made mint green tea this morning and had a salad with the tomatoes and radishes tonight. In between I ate a half slab of spicy ribs from Cy's Steakhouse & Tavern at ribfest. The best bbq in Chicago I've had. Maybe fried rice with bok choy later this week.

I killed my purple basil plant from last week already, but the big green one is still kicking.

Loot from the market

2008-06-02T00:26:00.008-05:00

2 bags ($28)
1 way too expensive beefsteak tomato
French breakfast radishes
regular old radishes
salad greens mix
spinach
2 lbs last year’s Yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch rhubarb
2 basil plants

Eating
salads with leftover watercress, mint tea, ice cream with rhubarb and rhubarb orange syrup

Green Market Saturday

2008-05-25T10:46:00.014-05:00

Slept in - required largest possible coffee before getting on bus. Arrived at 9:55 am and noticed the throng of tan women with giant sunglasses and microscopic shorts hovering around the market with no purchases. Must arrive earlier next week to avoid the mere onlookers.

1 bag (total: $31)
dozen eggs from Liberty Farms (sells out by 10:30)
10 year aged Wisconsin cheddar - Brunkow Farms (long line for samples)
A bunch of onions
wild watercress
2 bunches mint
spinach
4 bunches asparagus – purple and green
fingerling potatoes

My first local breakfast
Spinach/Watercress Scramble with controversial cheese
Home Fries
Pancakes (ok, not so local)

Summer of New Food

2008-05-23T18:53:00.013-05:00

It was the clementines. I can't remember ever eating one before last summer. Too much Florida orange juice paired with some motion sickness made for a really gross vacation story the summer after sixth grade. I kept my distance from most orange-esque things. When my cousins asked me to peel one for them after dinner one night, I hesitated. But toddlers can be persuasive so I delivered them to the table. I'm always harassing kids about trying foods before they judge them and I was balking at a cute little citrus fruit because of one bad bus riding experience. I tried one segment and was converted.

We ate one after another and I became a true believer. Last summer it was one fruit. This summer I'm trying to expand my palate and my culinary expertise. Every week I am going to purchase (hopefully from a farmers market), prepare, and eat something new (or kinda new) to me. In shopping lists, I'll indicate any new food in italics.

When clementines attack: