Melons take a while to come to market, biding their time in the fields and slowly ripening to a sugary crescendo. By August, they're ready to be pulled from the vine.
What should you look for in a melon? The answer depends on the type of melon.
Selling fruit at the farmers markets, I see people thump cantaloupe, smell watermelon, and poke at honeydew. More than any of that, though, I see people shrug and ask me to pick a melon for them.
It's understandable. One vendor may have a dozen melons -- or more!
Here's a primer:
What we call cantaloupes are a type of muskmelon. All cantaloupes are muskmelons, but not all muskmelons are cantaloupes. These melons should be fragrant, especially at the blossom end. Small cracks at the tip of the melon usually mean the melon is particularly sweet. If you leave a muskmelon on the counter, it will soften and the flavor will intensify, but it will not become sweeter.
Watermelons are a different beast entirely. Stash them in the fridge. There's no advantage to leaving them on the counter. I have eaten and sold a lot of watermelon and I'm still torn on the central watermelon questions of our day: Seeded or seedless? Red or yellow? Whichever you choose, the melon should feel heavy for its size. (Incidentally, did you know watermelon seeds can be roasted like pumpkin seeds?)
Then there is everything else we call a melon -- honeydews, butterscotch melons (pictured), galias, sugarnuts, and any number of heirloom varieties. These melons are the cagiest of the bunch. As a rule, they're not fragrant, won't have any give at the tip and won't benefit from sitting at room temperature. Your best bet with these melons is to buy from a farm you trust.
- Daniel Shumski |
Peaches don't have to wait until dessert.
Peach salsa takes advantage of August by combining peaches with cucumbers.
You'll need skinned peaches. To skin a peach, you can use a paring knife and run the blade carefully under the skin. The riper the peach is, the easier it will be to remove the skin. If you are doing just a peach or two, this is probably the easiest way. If you are doing more than a handful, there's a better way: Boil some water and prepare a bowl of ice-cold water off to one side. Immerse the peaches in the boiling water and leave them for a little under a minute. Scoop them from the water and plunge them into the ice water. After another minute, the skins will slide off quite easily with just a little knife pressure.
Once you have skinned your peaches, dice them into uniform cubes. Take a cucumber, peel it and remove the seeds. Then dice it as well. Toss the peach and cucumber cubes together. Sprinkle with a little salt. Taste to see if it needs a little lemon or lime juice -- this will depend in part on how acidic the peaches are.
Incorporating a little chopped cilantro or basil is not a bad idea. A finely chopped jalapeño can be added too, if you like a little heat.
Peach salsa is great served alongside a salmon filet, or joined by guacamole and chips.
- Daniel Shumski |
Recipe Wed Aug 13 2008
I don't know why I never thought to make tomato risotto, but once I read the recipe in Gourmet magazine's July issue, I knew it was the first thing I would make with summer's early heirlooms.
The boys at Nichol's Farm provided some big, beautiful Early Girls to star in the show. After coring and skinning the tomatoes, I squeezed out their slightly pulpy juice to spike risotto's typical liquid of choice, chicken stock with saffron. Finely chopped fennel and onion provided savory base flavors. For fluorish, I stirred in luscious, red diced tomato and a bit of freshly grated pecorino romano just before killing the flame. A garnish of torn basil tastes nice, but don't go overboard, or you'll risk masking the sweet, acidic tomato flavor you were after in the first place.
- Mandy Burrell |
Drink Tue Aug 12 2008
After every party we've ever had, we've always had far more of a bottle of cheap gin than we've wanted. I unabashedly admit that I'm a gin snob. Bombay Sapphire is the lowest I'll happily go on the gin scale and since having Hendrick's, I've preferred the less-junipery taste with my tonic, or with my vermouth and olives. But I had about 12 ounces of cheap gin in a large plastic bottle that kept getting in my way. I was tired of moving the jug of rotgut and put it on the counter in plain site where I knew I would have to find a way to deal with it.
I was wishing it was Hendrick's when I remembered that Hendrick's suggests adding a slice of cucumber to your gin and tonic instead of a lime. The clean, crisp, green taste of cucumber is well-matched to the herbal flavor of gin. So I got out a clean quart-sized jar from my cabinet and sliced up a cucumber into 1/4" rounds. I layered the cucumbers in the jar and poured the cheap gin over the cukes.
After sealing it up tightly in the refrigerator for about two weeks, I finally got over my reticence and decided to make myself a gin and tonic. I put some ice in a glass, poured in a shot of gin, added two of the cucumber slices to my glass for garnish and topped it all off with some tonic water. I nervously took a sip and I was in love. The bitterly alcoholic taste was gone from my cheap gin and what I was left with was a tasty cocktail. Now I just need the summer weather to return so I can enjoy my summertime cocktail before it's too cold.
- Cinnamon Cooper |
There is nothing better than tucking into a good peach -- sweet and juicy with intoxicating floral and almost musky overtones. But there are few things sadder in summer than biting into a poor excuse for a peach.
So what should you be looking for in a peach?
First, a primer. Yellow peaches are the most common but they're not the only peach on the scene. White peaches are low acid, which means they have a more straight-forward sweetness and lack the background tartness of a yellow peach. While sweeter can be better, you might be surprised how much a little tang accounts for what we think of as a deep, rich peach flavor. As for nectarines, they're nothing more than fuzzless peaches, loveable genetic freaks.
At the markets, you're likely to run into different peach varieties sharing space on the same tables. How do you decide?
Your best bet is to ask for a taste. You could ask the people selling the fruit for a recommendation, but who's to say their tastes match yours? And, yes, you could ask for a description of each variety, but that's a tall order. There are only so many ways to describe a peach and words are bound to fall short.
When it comes time to pick your basket, don't get too handsy. You might be going home with this fruit, but you want it to respect you in the morning. Instead of poking and squeezing, use your eyes. A red blush doesn't necessarily indicate ripeness, but you do want a background of deep yellow or orange, with no trace of green. The peaches should have a definite aroma, so use your nose, too -- but at a respectable distance. Touching your nose to the peach won't tell you anything about the peach; it will only tell the person on the other side of the table that you have distorted boundaries.
Once you're home, set the peaches on the counter out of direct sunlight to soften up to your liking. If the peaches are already soft or if you want to buy yourself a bit of time, stash them in the refrigerator.
August heralds the height of peach season at the farmers markets. Enjoy them while you can. The season is short and apples are coming on fast.
- Daniel Shumski |
Blog Wed Jul 30 2008
My Vegetable Blog has a detailed post of her recent "taste-tripping" party. I'm impressed by her spread and will definitely be using some of these ideas when I finally host my own Miraculin party (like, goat cheese, cranberries, hot peppers, vinegar and Guinness).
Joanna reports that she and her guests had varying responses to different flavors and that the taste shifts were not as extreme as they may have hoped --but, "What pretty much everyone agreed on was that lemons and limes tasted like candy."
Neat!
- Gemma Petrie |
As much as I love spending hours in the kitchen, I love a good ten-minute dessert.
Peaches, apricots and plums — known as stone fruits for the pit in the middle — are popping up all over farmers markets. Peaches start out as "cling," meaning the flesh has a tight hold on the pit and it's impossible to get it to pull away in neat halves. But apricots and some plums are already "freestone" — just split the fruit, pop out the pit, and you have picture-perfect halves.
Preparing grilled apricots with mascarpone and honey takes all of ten minutes, but would be worth it if it took all day. Grilling or broiling fruit intensifies and concentrates the flavor of a fruit. Ripe but fairly firm fruit works best. The recipe idea works with any stone fruit. For peaches, wait until later in the season when they're freestone.
If you don't have a grill, a very hot cast-iron pan will do the trick. Put the pan over high flame for a few minutes and then set a few apricot halves in the pan. Let them go for a minute or two until the fruit is slightly charred.
Remove the fruit from the pan and let it cool a few minutes. Add a dollop of mascarpone to each half and drizzle with honey. If you'd like, add a few grains of very coarse sea salt to top it off. It's best served warm or at room temperature, but it can spend a little time in the fridge if you want to make it earlier in the day. Take it out at the start of the meal and the chill will have worn off by dessert.
- Daniel Shumski |
If you're looking to sweeten your tea or top your biscuits with honey from the Chicagoland area, here are two ways to find it:
1. Check out Sweet Beginnings beeline honey, which can be purchased at the Lincoln Park farmer's market as well as at Whole Foods stores and other local shops. (via Ideal Bite)
2. Visit the Honey Locator, a website that lets you search for locations where you can buy honey from your "home state." (via the kitchn)
- Dana Currier |
A lot of us can't get enough of some vegetables — tomatoes or cucumbers, maybe. But we reach our saturation point quickly with others. Zucchini, I'm looking at you.
July is high season for zucchini and summer squash. If you have a CSA subscription, a garden, a neighbor with a garden, an acquaintance with a garden, or an enemy with a garden, chances are you're seeing a lot of zucchini these days. And they're great. Up to a point. But you can get sick of them. Sighing at the sight of them is an early warning sign. Sighing at the thought of them is a definitive symptom.
In her excellent account of eating locally for a year, Barbara Kingsolver writes of summer squash and zucchini. As if having her own bumper crop to deal with weren't enough:
"Other people were trying to give them to us. One day we came home from some errands to find a grocery sack of them hanging on our mailbox. The perpetrator, of course, was nowhere in sight."
Even if you're not the victim of a squash-and-run, give Gourmet's zucchini carpaccio a shot. It requires no cooking. Instead of mint, try it with arugula or basil. Balsamic vinegar can stand in for lemon juice. If you don't have a mandoline, just spend some time with a knife trying to slice the zucchini as thinly as possible.
The result is a dish that transforms zucchini into something you'll welcome back to the dinner table.
- Daniel Shumski |
Random Tue Jul 15 2008
Sampling cheese needs instructions? Isn't it as simple as, open mouth, insert cheese, repeat until ill or otherwise immobilized (or, worst case scenario, out of cheese)? Apparently there are cheese manners to be observed -- particularly on the farmer's market circuit, where all manner of grubby hands are grabbing after the goods. Imposing some routine structure and discipline in cheese-handling is the least our local cheese mongers can do.
There seem to be two main camps of cheese sampling convention -- the simple tools method, and the what we'll call the gravity method. I participated in the simple tools method this past Sunday at the Logan Square farmer's market, where Provenance had set up a tent with about eight varieties of cheese available to try. Each cheese, from chipotle-infused cheddar, to a combination sheep and goat's milk number where the two cheeses were separated by a layer of ash, was packed into the separated wells of what seemed to be a reclaimed prep pan, the whole pan surrounded by ice packs to keep the dairy from getting funky. Toothpicks and little tasting spoons were proffered to actually sample the cheese -- no direct hand-to-cheese contact! And it seemed using one toothpick per cheese was preferable to double-picking.
This morning I stopped by the Federal Plaza farmer's market to pick up some snacks for tonight's movie in Grant Park. I've worked across the street from it for years, but was always strapped with afternoon meetings preventing actually visiting the market, which I was pleasantly surprised to find incredibly well-stocked with tons of produce, flowers, and even honey vendor that had brought their own miniature working bee hive under glass -- being clumsy, I studiously avoided this table. But felt I could stop by the lone cheese tent without incident. I didn't catch the vendor's name, though they mentioned the majority of their cheeses come from a consortium of small dairies in southern Wisconsin. The gal behind the table was very patient with letting me sample a few different varieties and weighing different saran-wrapped hunks to pick the best price (a brie layers of toasted almonds, apricots and honey) and least messy (a sturdy, buttery tasting raw cow's milk). Her method for testing was a little more low-tech -- with one gloved hand, she'd pick up a modest sample and drop it into my hand. All gravity, very simple, and yet hygienic. (Except that, when she wasn't looking, a passerby totally just dove in and grabbed a chunk off her cutting board with their un-gloved hand. Such is life.) Good things to keep in mind for future shopping.
- Andie Thomalla |
Editor's Note: We'd like to welcome Daniel Shumski, the author of Fruit Slinger, to the Drive-Thru staff. He'll be writing each week about what's new and fresh at the farmers markets.
If you're at the farmers market this week, you might spot tiny fruit that look like grapes. They're not grapes; they're red currants.
Like a lot of the best finds at the markets, they're only around for a short time. And, like many of the best finds at the market, you rarely see them and might well have no idea what to do with them. It's tempting to take them home and just admire them. They're handsome — plump, fire-red and jewel-like. Before you try gobbling them by the handful, be warned: They're tart. Very tart. Lemon tart.
They need some sugar. A woman who grew up in Poland tasted a red currant at last week's Green City Market and recalled how she used to forage wild red currants, then eat them smothered in sour cream and doused with sugar. You can be more fussy if you'd like, but it's hardly necessary. If you want to get fancy — like, New York Times fancy — the Gray Lady has a rundown on the history of the currant, as well as some recipes.
[photo by Mirandala]
- Daniel Shumski |
Giardiniera, the spicy condiment of chopped sport peppers, carrots, olives, cauliflower and celery, all marinated in olive oil, is how Chicagoans add that certain something to Italian beef sandwiches. Ask for a side of giardiniera anywhere outside of Chicago, and you're likely to get a blank stare. In my opinion, it's one of Chicago's best-kept culinary secrets, and I love to experiment with it.
A few mornings ago, I woke up dreaming of giardiniera turkey burgers stuffed with smoked cheddar cheese. Tonight, my dreams came true. My husband and I both agree these are the best burgers I've ever made. Want to try them yourself? Here's how:
Continue reading this entry»
- Mandy Burrell |
This Wednesday and Saturday's Green City Market (1750 N. Clark from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) brings sweet cherries, which apparently are only around for a few weeks, from Seedling. Seedling also tells us to look for their sour cherries (aka tart, or pie, cherries) next week - and that although blueberries and raspberries typically go from tart to sweet as the season progresses, you can expect them sweeter straight away this time. Also look for Seedling at Lincoln & Leland on Tuesdays, Saturdays in Evanston at University and Oak Street, and Sundays in Wicker Park.
If you'd rather get out of the city and pick your own, Garwood Orchard's (near LaPorte, Indiana) black raspberry UPick begins Thursday, July 10.
- Chris Brunn |
Local blogger Mary Bowers found some interesting water beetles for sale at The Golden Pacific Market (5353 N. Broadway). She has a picture, and a description of what they're supposed to taste like, but no proof. Anyone out there had these?
- Cinnamon Cooper |
Recipe Mon Jun 30 2008
As you rev up for your fourth of July barbecues this upcoming weekend, the American Cancer Society wants you to be mindful of some facts about grilling, notably that cooking meat at high temperatures could make you sick--very sick. On the other hand, feel free to add some cherries to your burger patties to ward off any cancer-causing devils that the grilling process produces. Michigan's own Plevalean meats sell cherry-enhanced burger meat, but if you want to take up the task in your own kitchen, here are some easy recipes.
- Robyn Nisi |
The July issue of Gourmet Magazine mentions Hot Doug's in a short piece on duck fat fries. Also mentioned: The Harrison in NYC and Joseph's Table in Taos, New Mexico.
Serious Eats has a great round-up of other locations to find duck fat fries across the country.
However, the verdict (1, 2) seems to be that horse fat is the best way to go. Selling horse fat in the U.S. is illegal (but if anyone is in Montreal, you can find them here). Has anyone tried horse fat fries?
(Photo from Pro Bono Baker.)
- Gemma Petrie |
They may look like desert pebbles, but these are apricots. From India.
To our eyes, too used to the dried apricots of the disc-shaped, bright-orange variety, these don't really look like apricots. The cherry-sized fruits are intensely wrinkled, their color that of aged ivory. To the gentle pressure of your fingers, these dry, beige orbs succumb only subtly. Since these apricots are packed in air-tight bags, there's no aroma to judge them by. The initial inclination, especially after noticing that a bag of 7 ounces carries a relatively hefty price tag of $8, is to place the bag right back to the shelf. Don't.
Continue reading this entry»
- Yu Kizawa |
Though vanilla is now produced in many parts of the world, did you know that this sweet and earthy bean originated in east-central Mexico? A Chicago Tribune reporter shares a detailed account of her trip to Veracruz in search of one of the oldest vanilla producing companies in this article. The article also links to several recipes using vanilla, including Blackbird's goat cheesecake with vanilla-Meyer lemon marmalade.
Photo from Steamy Kitchen.
- Gemma Petrie |
Event Thu Jun 12 2008
I grew up a mere 10 miles from Huntley, IL. During my formative years, I was somehow kept unaware of the annual Turkey Testicle Festival celebrated by this neighboring town. Thousands of people reportedly head to the Parkside Pub each year to sample the testicles, which are said to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Even more baffling, there appears to be a second turkey testicle festival in nearby Byron, IL that will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Has anyone sampled these... delicacies?
You can read about other bizarre food festivals here.
Photo from Justvisitus.com.
- Gemma Petrie |
News Mon Jun 09 2008
Smoke Daddy, the "legendary blues kitchen" on Division, has launched their barbeque sauce onto the shelves of grocery stores like Olivia's Market, Southport Grocery and Cafe, and Provenance Food and Wine. They say it "complements the flavors of a variety of meats and chicken," but I'm wondering what it will do for all the tofu and seitan in my fridge. They plan to sell the sauce online and, by fall, nation-wide.
- Chris Brunn |
Through June 3 (yep, that's Tuesday), Whole Foods is selling mussels for just $3 a pound. Hubby and I bought two pounds for dinner tonight (sounds like a lot, but the shells add up to a lot of waste), and prepared them using the Barefoot Contessa's recipe, featuring white wine, shallots and saffron. Killer. So good that we may go back tomorrow while the gettin's good. Bonus: total cooking time, from prep to serve, is about 40 minutes, and cleanup is super easy since everything cooks in one pot. Be sure to grab a baguette to soak up the broth.
- Mandy Burrell |
Epicurious just came out with a "seasonal ingredient map." Before you hit the produce section, check to see what is currently in season by state and month. The map also links to recipes using each ingredient.
- Gemma Petrie |
News Wed May 14 2008
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the City Council has repealed the foie gras ban with a 37-6 vote.
- Gemma Petrie |
I read Cooking for Mr. Latte recently, Amanda Hesser's tale of cooking and courtship (from 2003). I love a book with recipes at the end of each chapter. In it, she refers several times to grains of paradise, a spice from Africa that's closely related to pepper but with less heat and more fragrance. Hesser recommends using it whenever you might normally use pepper. I've sprinkled it on a few items (last night atop some cauliflower), and it's a very subtle flavor. It might be better to free some of the seeds (from the grinder in which they came) and take a pestle to them. I always like pepper so much more when it's been pounded instead of ground. The Spice House web site has a little history (according to legend, the seeds grew in Eden and floated down the rivers out of paradise) and links to a few recipes. You can also buy some seeds from the site, or hit your local Whole Foods, where it comes in a grinder.
- Lori Barrett |
Green things sprouting all over the forest bed--a common enough sight at this time of year, but look closer.
Early spring is the time for wild leeks, the pungent plant with boat-shaped leaves and beautiful white stems tinged with purple. They push aside the thick layers of fallen leaves from last autumn and spread like wild fire in sandy, moist areas in partial shade. (Some of them punch holes through tough oak leaves--what vitality.) They grow in such large colonies that, in some areas, an entire forest dons a faintly appetizing smell of garlic.
Continue reading this entry»
- Yu Kizawa |
Last year I wrote about the heavenly Alphonso mangoes that I was lucky enough to purchase. Well, if you waited too long to get them last year, you'll be delighted to know that they are once again available at Patel Brothers, (two locations on Devon Avenue, the smaller store is east of Rockwell by a block, the other is one block west of Rockwell.)
Whereas last year I was lucky to stumble across five boxes of mangoes the day after they arrived, this year the shipments to the US seem much larger. The stack at Patel Brothers was taller than I was and several columns deep. While I stood in front of the display marveling at the quantity I saw before me, a young Indian woman came in talking on her cellphone. "They're here! They're here!" were the only words she said in English, and I agreed with her enthusiasm.
I purchased a case of 12 mangoes for $30.66 (including tax) and asked if they would be getting more varieties. "The Kesar will come next week, or maybe the week after." Due to cold weather and rain the Kesar mangoes haven't ripened as quickly, nor are the crops as large. But I'll be keeping my eyes open and as soon as they arrive, I'll let you know.
- Cinnamon Cooper |
Yes, you heard me right. Kimchi and Carnitas. All together in one thrilling afternoon snack. Last week I had the great honor of spending my one and only day off with a fantastic lady and friend in dine. She served me an incredibly delicious and unexpected post-lunch/pre-dinner snack. It was an accidental discovery made by her and her husband some months ago that she'd been waxing supreme on for months.
A plate of carnitas purchased from Cermak Produce with tortilla chips and sour cream, accompanied by MSG-free kimchi from Chicago Foods.
Match made in heaven.
I cannot stop swooning about it.
- Rachel Humphrey |
When I saw the deep red powder in a big glass jar, I couldn't resist. Even in the dimness of the Spice House, the Spanish smoked sweet paprika (pimenton) was beautiful, its red somewhere between a court lady's lipstick and the blood of her lover. I only knew one dish to use this visually seductive spice, but nonetheless I picked up a bottle of it.
Pulpo Gallego is a simple Galician dish: boiled octopus and potatoes dressed with a copious amount of olive oil. Pimenton is what gives the kick to this very simple tapa. The bottle sat in my spice rack (a repurposed eyesore of a CD shelf that my partner bought many moons ago) for a while before I acquired a decent bunch of baby octopuses. I boiled them up with enough salt to give a cardiologist several heart attacks, added potatoes after an hour, and when they were done, placed them on two plates. Then went the drizzles of olive oil, fresh-ground black pepper, and of course, generous shakes of pimenton.
Continue reading this entry»
- Yu Kizawa |
We're almost to the end, my friends. It's almost Friday. This week hasn't been an easy one, either. I battled a nasty case of the flu, the dishwasher broke, and my husband had a minor medical situation involving lots of guaze pads. The big ones.
To say that we needed an easy dinner tonight would have been an understatement. Defrosting might have pushed us over the edge, let alone anything involving multiple pans or, god forbid, mincing. It was that way.
So we turned to our go-to meal, stir fry, which revolves around our go-to spice mix: The Spice House's Chinese Five Spice Powder. The recipe on the label creates the perfect sauce for any type of stir fry, but especially chicken, tofu and vegetables. We were lucky; a few days ago we roasted a whole chicken, and the leftover dark meat was begging to be coated in the delicious spicy, sweet, salty sauce made from the five spice powder, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and garlic.
It could have been ugly. Instead, it was Chinese Five Spice Thursday.
- Mandy Burrell |
Rachel's Bite made a chocolate-mayonnaise cupcake with butterscotch buttercream frosting this past weekend that looks amazing. Why mayo, you ask? Mayonnaise by definition is an emulsion of lemon juice mixed with egg yolk or vinegar, and thus adds more texture as an ingredient. While we're used to mayo being a part of a batch of chicken salad, it's far more versatile than we think; I found one cake recipe where mayo was used instead of butter and eggs!
- Robyn Nisi |
While I don't sweeten my tea, my dear roommate does, occasionally leaving utensils and counter-tops a bit sticky. I was intrigued when I saw some websites buzzing about a new product called Honibe this week. These drops are 100% pure, dried honey from Prince Edward Island. The company is family owned and they sell 20 pieces for $11.99 on their website.
- Gemma Petrie |
Beer lovers, brace yourselves: thanks to bad weather in Europe and a reduction in crops here in the States, there's a severe shortage of hops, one of the key ingredients in beer. As a result, prices have skyrocketed &mdash as much as 600 percent for rarer cultivars.
The increased costs are squeezing smaller brewers in particular. I recently spoke with Gabriel Magliaro of fledgling Half Acre Beer about the situation.
Andrew: I know your beer is contract brewed in Wisconsin; is this bill being passed on to you by the brewery, or are you purchasing ingredients directly?
Magliaro: "Yes, this bill is being passed on to us by the brewery, and we're lucky that we're contract brewed right now because they have long standing relationships and a bit more buying power than we would have on our own. We're having to buy our entire year's worth of hops now because we need to insure that we can continue to brew our beer without compromising quality. Our brewer is asking us to help them out because they can't afford to absorb this kind of spending and are forced to buy this way. We have been actively searching for hops to buy on our own with the hope of buying for our Over Ale (Half Acre's planned second offering]) and beating the price coming down from our brewer, but have been either unable to find the necessary variety of hop or completely blown out of the water when we have. The Saaz hop that we use for the lager was generally found for about $5 a pound. I was just quoted $30 a pound for hop that aims to mimic its qualities."
Continue reading this entry»
- Andrew Huff |
I just filed this under "Buy Based on Brand Loyalty:" The Spice House has just released a finely powdered Chai spice blend that can be whisked into hot milky tea. Sounds like a great alternative to ubiquitous Oregon Chai concentrate, which needs to be refrigerated once opened.
Bonus: you can also blend Spice House's version - a mix of sugar, cardamom, cloves, China cinnamon, vanilla, and Tellicherry black pepper - into whipped cream, cookies, cake or anything else that would taste nice with a little spice. Personally, I can't wait to whip up a batch of Chai ice cream.
- Mandy Burrell |
Fried tofu with pork and black bean sauce. Spicy lime and herbed tofu in lettuce cups. Wheat-berry salad with grilled tofu. Those are just some of the tofu recipes on Epicurious, and are probably quite typical of American culinary relationship with the now-ubiquitous ex-exotica. Most often, Tofu in America is fried in oil, marinated in vinaigrette, spiced up with garlic and chili, and enveloped in thick dressing. There’s even a whole line of tofu pre-flavored in the pouch. As one reviewer on Epicurious aptly put it, the consensus is that a “plain tofu [...] would make [us] fall asleep on the kitchen table." To prevent that boring substance from putting us to sleep, the logic follows, we have to spice it up.
This doesn't have to be so. A good tofu can be a delight in itself, without all the spices, oil and marinade. Die-hard tofu eaters know that subtle but full flavor of soy--and the pleasingly creamy texture that accompanies it--is nothing but boring.
Continue reading this entry»
- Yu Kizawa |
Time Out Chicago has a timely feature on buffalo wings, in which Hungry Mag's Michael Nagrant sampled nine of the region's best hot wings with local champion competitive eater Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti. Worth a read if you're looking for a batch to order this weekend.
Over on Hungry Mag, Nagrant shares some further thoughts about hanging out with Bertoletti.
*Is it just me, or is it just impossible not to come up with a dumb pun headline when writing about chicken wings?
- Andrew Huff |
Diet magazines tell me I'm "an evening snacker" (supposedly that's a bad thing?). It's the time when I get creative (and caloric) with the snacks I conjure up to sate the post-dinner cravings.
This weekend's errands brought me to both Target and Trader Joe's where I picked up a container of Cantaré Olive Tapénade and bag of Archer Farms Black Pepper and Sea Salt potato chips (I'm addicted to the baked version), respectively. It hadn't occurred to me to introduce the two to each other, but their marriage was fated.
Struck by a taste for something salty, I opened the cupboard and found the chips. I took a bite. It wasn't enough. As if someone had softly whispered "olive tapénade" in my ear, I thought of the spread and placed a quarter teaspoons of the briny mix onto my chip. Crunchy, salty, satisfying and just nearly over-the-top, my latest snack hack compelled my husband to refer to me as FG (Food Genius) for the rest of the evening.
- Meghan Murphy Gill |
The other day I made some Koala Crisp treats. I had some marshmallows on hand, and thought I should use them before they turn to stone. It was so easy; the truth is, my kids made them. I only had to make sure no one got scalded by molten marshmallows. Otherwise, I stood around and watched. And as I watched I started to wonder about other cereals, and how they would fare with melted marshmallows. I was about to embark on a winterlong project with the kids, when I stumbled upon the blog Cakespy, particularly the post about their Cereal Treat Wars. They don't name an actual winner, but do say that Rice Krispies better watch their backs. The comment thread is worth reading too.
- Lori Barrett |
The Tribune reports today on an interesting ingredient showing up on area plates: raccoon. Around 2.8 million raccoons wander Illinois, mostly concentrated in Cook, Kane and McHenry counties, which makes them a popular hunting target. Hunters are allowed to eat what they kill and share it with friends, but to sell it, a Wild Game Food Dealers permit is necessary; 43 of those were awarded last year.
A skinned and prepared raccoon costs $3 to $5, which is quite a deal considering that fiver gets you about 15 pounds of meat. Minced slow-braised raccoon has appeared on the menu at Moto (well, more of a special request, actually) in a dish made to look like a gruesome roadkill scene; the Trib's Monica Eng described it as "heavenly."
"The meat emerged pleasantly gamy with a slight chew -- not unlike venison or bison," she said. "And the sweetness of the beets and curry beautifully played off the rich savory meat and earthy artichokes."
- Andrew Huff |
Sometimes I’m not as good a foodie as I pretend to be. (My blog posting stats would bear that out, if nothing else.) Until last week, I had never been to Avec – though it’s safe to say that after that meal, I’ll be looking for a way back as soon as humanly possible. Especially since the menu featured an Iberian ham special for which there are almost no words. In a special reporting segment for today's Trib, however, food author and Spanish resident Janet Mendel offers up many many words to reach the same eventual conclusion. This ham rocks.
Here's the Cliff-Notes version: Iberian ham comes from black acorn-fed pigs from a specific Spanish hog bloodline, and is similar in appearance and texture to proscuitto. Our Avec waitress described it as being served with olive oil, which seemed reasonable in an abstract way until the plate arrived with naked shavings of ham, glistening in a bit of olive oil. So...that was pretty accurate, really. For $25, a simple plate of ham slices might seem a let-down – until of course you start eating it. It’s like pig candy. Pork crack. Words fail to do justice to its richness, its buttery-chewiness and salty tang. Only recently made available in the US, and whole legs (so ubiquitous in the decorating scheme of your favorite local tapas bar) won’t be up for purchase until sometime this summer, and will set you back quite a bit further than the comparatively thrifty shavings at Avec. Even at $1,000 a shank, it may very well be worth it.
- Andie Thomalla |
Living in Chicago means that I think I can find any food or ingredient. I can go to Patel Brothers on Devon Avenue for Indian foods, over to Conte di Savoia on Taylor Street for Italian, or Argyle Street for Vietnamese.
But I'm stumped. I can't find Portuguese muffins. These soft, buttery versions of English muffins have long been a favorite (even when I bought them as "Australian Toaster Biscuits" from Oroweat), and despite my searches, these don't seem to be anywhere near Chicago. I can attempt recipes, or order online, but I'd rather find them locally. Anyone?
- Robyn Nisi |
News Tue Dec 11 2007
You may have missed the blurb in RedEye this morning on nudo-italia.com. No, it's not a Web site for Italian nudists. Nudo is the name of an olive grove in Le Marche, Italy, and you can adopt one of its trees for the low, low price of about $133.
In addition to an adoption certificate and booklet about your tree, you'll receive a package in the spring containing extra virgin olive oil from your tree, and another in the fall with three flavored oils. Olive oil aficionados out there are probably thinking, "Wait just one second! One tree does not a bottle of olive oil make!" You are correct: in fact, the oil you receive will be produced from your tree and about 49 of its neighbors.
The coolest part about the site is that you can choose which tree you want based on the varietal of olive, the tree's location in the orchard, and even what kind of "view" your tree has. If anyone wants to adopt a tree in my name, I urge you to choose one in the Ardelio grove, which boasts "a breathtaking view of Mogliano in one direction, and in the other, a marginally less breathtaking view of a dilapidated farmhouse."
Now that's marketing.
- Mandy Burrell |
Recipe Fri Dec 07 2007
With all the cranberry, pumpkin and gingerbread-flavored baked goods that seem to show up in droves at this time of year, banana bread is probably the last thing on most of our minds. But I've found that there's no single ingredient that sweetens and moistens a muffin like the humble banana. And the best thing about using bananas for baking is that they don't have to be in pristine condition. In fact, a spotted, brown, past-its-prime, downright ugly banana makes for a much better muffin or loaf of bread than a perfectly ripe one does.
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- Dana Currier |
Kraft Foods is considering divesting itself of some of its brands. Post cereals, A1 Steak Sauce, Grey Poupon and Toblerone are some of the brands that might be on the butcher's block.
So Eight Forty-Eight is running a recipe contest to see who has the best recipe that utilizes all of these items into one dish. Think you've got what it takes? Send it to 848@chicagopublicradio.org. Once the winner is announced, I just might share what I come up with in One Good Meal. Provided it is something I would eat again.
- Cinnamon Cooper |
A few days ago, a friend gave me a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie filled with about a cup of what looks like flesh-colored glue. In fact, it is a bread starter that ostensibly originated with the Amish, who reportedly are the only people in the world who have the recipe for the goo in question. In what essentially amounts to a chain letter made out of yeast, baggies of this starter are cultivated by one person and then passed along to three others with whom they want to share the joy that is Amish Friendship Bread.
It goes like this: the baggie comes with instructions to tend the starter for five days, feed it on the sixth day, tend to it for several more days, and ultimately bake a delicious, double batch of cinnamon-y sweet bread on the 10th day.
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- Mandy Burrell |
Ah, Trader Joes. First you make the groundbreaking, life-changing Pumpkin Bread Mix, several boxes of which have a permanent home in my cupboard. Just when I'm getting comfortable in the relationship, you pull Gingerbread Cake and Baking Mix out of your hat. And it's good. Real good. A nice blend of molasses, clove, and nutmeg. I can make it as a cake, or if I'm feeling frisky, cookies. Thank you for this blessed cooking timesaver. I no longer have to use 3 spatulas to coax molasses out of a measuring cup when I'm baking gingersnaps. Excellent.
- Robyn Nisi |
I know my fiancée loves me above all else, but coming in a very close second is a plate of extra-crispy diner-style hash browns.
Maybe I should take offense at ranking just above a plate of fried potatoes, but I don’t, and here’s why: proper hash browns seem deceptively simple to make, but much like light-as-air Southern biscuits or flaky pie crust, they can be maddening to master. While I consider myself confident in the kitchen – I roast a mean chicken, am not intimidated by cream sauces, and brine and deglaze with the best of them – I’ve given up on at-home hash browns. On the many occasions that I’ve tried to deliver a homemade plate of crispy ‘taters to my love, I’ve never come close to the real deal. The day I dissolved in tears over yet another sticky, oily, starchy pan of ruined spuds was the day I declared that any and all hash browns consumed by our household would be purchased and eaten in their rightful place: the diner.
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- Mandy Burrell |
Perusing the soda aisle for some Ginger Ale at Jewel last week, I noticed a few cases of Big Red. I haven't seen "America's #1 Red Soda" in years -- not that I've been missing it. When I went back to snap a photo last night, it was sold out! Apparently there are those who were longing for it.
Or maybe they were hoping to make some Big Red Cake.
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- Meghan Murphy Gill |
The New York Times's T magazine on Design and Living on Sunday had a list of new ingredients on the foodie scene. One of the ingredients, wattleseeds, is available in ice cream here in Chicago from Vosges Haute-Chocolat. Besides wattleseed, which comes from Australia and is usually roasted then ground to be added to either sweet or savory dishes, the list also names basil seeds; grade B maple syrup; mahlab, another seed that's ground and used as a flavoring; kiwi berries and antelope meat. I'm looking forward to trying basil seeds, which were described as "a sweetly fragrant mouthful of tiny tapioca pearls, each with a crunchy center." I've been wondering all day if I can eat the seeds from a basil plant that's gone to seed. Or do I need to get them from a fancy food store? Anyone tried them?
- Lori Barrett |
Gary Wiviott, one of the co-founders of LTH Forum, is well known for his barbecue prowess — visit his site for a full "five-step program" on becoming a better barbecuer.
Now you can capture a little of his magic in a bottle — The Spice House has gotten him to divulge the secret recipe for his spice rub, which they now offer for sale. LTH user eatchicago says "it's an excellent, multi-purpose rub (works well on pork, poultry, fish, or even veggies) with the right amount of heat and no discernible sweetness (although I do not know if it contains sugar or not. I'm guessing not.)" Neither Gary nor the Spice House reveals all the ingredients, saying only that "it has a good shake of paprika, garlic, onion, oregano, thyme, a few types of chile pepper and a pinch of salt." That's a good start for those looking to recreate it themselves, but at $3.59 for a 4oz. bag, your time's probably better spent leaving it to the experts. [via]
- Andrew Huff |
One of my favorite ongoing LTH Forum threads is about the misrepresentation of food labels and language, e.g. "krab" meat, or suspicious signs that read "Voted #1 [Food] in Chicago" with no qualification of who awarded such a title. I thought about this thread tonight as I ate a bowl of green beans that I bought in frozen form, but the package artwork claimed they were fresh. Ah! The wonders of science and advertising!
- Robyn Nisi |
Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It's also a great holiday for eating apples, honey, challah, fish, and a bevy of other good things. As a gentile and foodie, the symbolism of this holiday--eating apples with honey to symbolize a sweet new year, for example--is far more interesting than the traditions I had to follow, which usually involved eating a Jello and Cool Whip concoction that was known as "Pink Stuff." If you're looking to pick up some prepared dishes, look here for some guidance.
- Robyn Nisi |
With the growing popularity of fish worldwide and the "improvement" in fishing technologies, overfishing has become a great concern. A 2006 article in the journal Science predicted, based on an international study, that by the mid-century, there may be nothing left to fish from the ocean (as summarized in this BBC article). The same study found that by 2003, a third of the world's fisheries had "collapsed," meaning that the fish stocks in these areas became less than 10 percent of their peak abundance. The researchers involved in the above study agree that there needs to be a ban in certain damaged fisheries before all the fish stocks are irreversibly reduced, but it takes a concentrated political will--something that seems to be lacking in the international arena.
As a lover of much seafood, I've been concerned but felt powerless. I could choose seafood that are sustainablly fished, but even that seems rather complicated. The same species of fish may be endangered in one area but not in another. The same fish from the same fisheries may have been fished differently, leaving only one of them a destroyer of the ocean floor. An industrious environmentalist would read up on the issue and ask questions at her local fish store, but I've been lazy.
So, when I was pointed to a nice little PDF card with a list of what to get and what to avoid in order to conserve the world's fish and other seafood, prepared by the Shedd Aquarium, I was delighted. A part of the Shedd's conservation effort called the "Right Bite," the card has three columns: "Best Choices," "Good Alternatives" and "Avoid." Each of the column has species and how they are fished (or raised), so you can easily tell which ones are safe to eat--both for you and for the environment.
Better yet, the card folds to a credit-card size so that it's easy to carry it in your wallet and pull it out as you need it. Of course, all of this is not going to work if the stores and restaurants don't display enough information about what they sell (which seems to be a wide-spread problem), but with the Shedd's Right Bite card, at least you can ask specific questions. The card seems great for those who are concerned about mercury levels in seafood, for it indicates species prone to mercury contamination with asterisks as well.
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- Yu Kizawa |
For all my life, I thought eggplants were somewhere between white and purple. That was until I saw Nigerian eggplants at the Green City Market, under the spacious tent of the Nichols Farm. I walked up to a guy with a bunch of heritage apples (which are now starting to be in season) when a few baskets of bright vermilion somethings caught my eye. I asked him what they were, and his answer was that they were not tomatoes, not peppers--but eggplants. I couldn't resist the burst of color and picked them up.
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- Yu Kizawa |
For a mere 98 cents per watermelon, how can you pass up at least one of these quintessential summer fruits?
Don't let the seemingly cumbersome quality (namely the size) of the melon dissuade you. Get a good knife and you're golden. If you have a small household and can't seem to imagine eating watermelon for breakfast lunch and dinner yourself for a week, why not make a sorbet you can freeze and enjoy for a few weeks?
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- Meghan Murphy Gill |
The Carr Valley Cheese Company of La Valle, Wisconsin cleaned up this year in the American Cheese Society's Annual Competition, and one of their best cheeses is called Mobay. A line of grape vine ash down the middle of the wedge separates a layer of goat's milk cheese from a layer of sheep's milk cheese, making it the perfect choice if you're looking to please a crowd at your next cocktail party. You can take a road trip to La Valle or attempt to order the cheese online, but since shipping prices go up in the warmer months, I suggest you check your local Whole Foods first to see if they have some in stock.
- Dana Currier |
Imagine you're vegetarian. Now imagine, you don't eat marshmallows. Typically, they contain gelatin to make them jell, and often gelatin is derived from animals. Now image that a friend hands you two 8.5 ounce boxes of mashmallows. They've vegan. And they're from Cincinnati. But the label says New York.
A friend and I were lunching at the Art Institute's gardens, when he handed me the boxes. He'd just returned from visiting our friend's new green general store in Cincinnati. Dan Korman recently left his job in Chicago advocating for bicycling to start Park + Vine in his beloved home town. The grand opening came June 1 with a packed store, both full of Dan's friends and with a man who came down from his apartment above the store to by shavers. Park + Vine also sells bamboo-cotton apparel, handbags, local artwork, cleaning supplies and vegan shoes. But they also sell Sweet & Sara Marshmallow Meltaways. And they're vegan, just like everything else in the store, whether it's labeled so or not. Veg News named these marshmallows Product of the Year in 2006, saying the "self-described 'dessert snob' Sara Sohn has reinvented the vegan marshmallow." They're fluffy and a bit chewy - as you'd expect a marshmallow to be - and they're packed with a full sweet flavor. Now, I'm off for some graham crackers and dark milk-free chocolate. Look for Park + Vine in the September 2007 issue of Veg News. And look for me with my face full of chocolate from s'mores.
- Chris Brunn |
On a shopping trip to Stanley's this morning, my eye was caught by a fruit I'd never seen before. A stack of yellowish/brownish fruits shaped like large apricots were sitting under a sign that read "Pluots." I was intrigued and bought two of them.
I arrived home and quickly googled this odd little fruit. It turns out that pluots are trademarked hybrid fruits of Zaiger's Genetics. Zaiger's also holds patents for the following fruits: apriums, nectaplums, nectarcots, and peacotums (a hybrid of peach, apricot and plum).
As creeped out as I am by this idea, I had the pluots, so I had to use them. I sliced them up with a peach and stewed them into a sauce with sherry and sugar and a bit of water. I now have a bright coral, tart jam-like topping for ice cream.
- Meghan Murphy Gill |
Farm Girl Organics, giant kohlrabi in foreground
Chatting with fun friends and farmers over coffee and a Bleeding Heart cookie in mild weather after arriving on a bicycle made yesterday my best Green City Market experience this summer. Peter of Seedling offered fruit smoothies using their apple cider as a base, but I bought their cherries, sour and sweet, for baking a special vegan treat inspired by Gourmet's "perfect cherry pie." I soon pedaled off to work, but that night, I roasted a red and an orange beet from Farm Girl Organics, roasting over boiling to lock in more of their soft sweetness and to keep their different colors from running together. Peel, chop into 1 to 2-inch pieces, toss in oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, and bake an hour or until tender at 350 F while covered. Meanwhile, I peeled all of the hard skin from a gigantic kohlrabi they hooked me up with. I shredded it, and then sauted mushrooms and hot pepper flakes for a few minutes in sesame oil, until softened just a bit. Then I added half of my shredded kohlrabi, mixed it in and added a bit of canola oil to loosen up the flavors and put a nice dressing it. Meanwhile, I cleaned the greens from both beets and kohlrabi, ripped them up by hand separately, then wilted them, thick kohlrabi leaves first, in a stock pot on medium, stirring a bit. When the kohlrabi leaves had softened, I added the ripped up beet leaves. Stir in a touch of oil, salt and a dash of balsamic vinegar.
- Chris Brunn |
If you haven't indulged in the season's local cherries, now is the time to do so. Bake that pie you've been thinking of baking, make the cherry jam to last through winter, or pop the ruby-red gems right into your mouth. One of the farmers at the Green City Market warned me on Saturday that his cherries were the last of the season. ("'Cause I'll eat them all," he joked.) Though other farmers may have more cherries coming, the short cherry season that started merely a few weeks ago is definitely nearing its end. So, hurry up!
- Yu Kizawa |
It turns out that sometimes flavoring a beverage with cucumber doesn't turn out so great.
One of my favorite lunch spots in the Ravenswood/Lincoln Square neighborhood, First Slice Café, did something completely unheard of until today: disappoint me. The cucumber lemonade I ordered in hopes of a refreshing summer drink on this 90 degree day tasted as if someone had accidentally spilled a pickle or two (along with the pickle juice) in the lemonade pitcher. Too bad, because I really had high hopes for this drink. At least for the two minutes that passed between ordering and being served.
If you've never been to First Slice, don't let this one mishap deter you. In fact, I think you should go try the cucumber lemonade for yourself. Pickled lemonade might just be your thing.
- Meghan Murphy Gill |
Adding a bit of culinary class to the underbelly of the Western Blue Line Stop, Vella Café has recently opened as great brunch spot in a somewhat sparse area of the Chicago weekend-daylight-dining scene. Not that Margie’s Candies, Arturo’s and Lazo’s don’t rock in their own gustatory right, but sometimes the morning after requires more than tacos or sundae to get things jumpstarted. Plus, Green Eye is merely steps away and their bartender will call you and all of your friends "lovelies" if you stop by for a hair of the dog before stumbling another few feet to breakfast. Everyone likes being called lovely.
Vella’s panini-centric menu and genesis from sustainable grocer Green City Market's team have been fairly well discussed at this point. So let’s talk about their gruel. Seriously.
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- Andie Thomalla |
Yep, these delectable fresh shrooms are in stock at the Sauganash store for (gulp) $49.99 a pound. But they look great; no hint of slime and a fresh earthy aroma. Saute them in butter and top your steak, grilled bread, or scrambled eggs.
- Christine Blumer |
If the well-stocked stalls at Evanston's Farmers Market is any indication, young garlics are now fully in season. On Saturday, almost all the produce stands boasted a pile of beautiful young garlic stalks. I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, but the pure white bulbs and the dewy green leaves were too much of an appeal to forgo, so I picked up a bunch from the stand of Henry's Farm, an organic farm in central Illinois.
If this were the tender flower stalks of garlic, I would lightly blanch them and marinate them with nam pla (Thai fish sauce) and sweet chili sauce. But as I cut the leaves, I realized that the leaves may be a bit too fibery for that. So I decided to make Chinese stir-fry. First, I made the sauce (a must for time-sensitive stir-fries): about 1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, a drizzle of sesame oil and a pinch of ground black pepper. This is for two people.
Then I sautéed minced ginger in oil, and added thinly sliced carrots and garlic leaves. When the veggies are about done, I stirred in three eggs, and poured in the sauce, quickly mixing all the ingredients together. Even after cooking, the leaves still retained the green and garlicky flavor, but it was much more understated than the flavor of fully mature garlic bulbs. Served with rice, the stir-fry brought the sense of season (that's nearly lost in this era of global food distribution) to our lunch table.
Now I'll have to figure out what to do with the remaining bulbs; I might try slicing them into marinade, as I would onions, or even using them raw in a salad.
- Yu Kizawa |
There is no food that says "summertime" to me like a combo of tomato, basil and mozzarella. Sure, it's not really time for tomatoes in Chicago, but when I came face to face with a selection of big, gorgeous, ripe organic tomatoes for 98 cents a pound at Stanley's this morning, all I could think about was a sandwich with thick slices of one of these tomatoes. I knew I had some Italian cheeses in my refridgerator back home, so I grabbed a bunch of basil (also for 98 cents) and a loaf of multigrain sourdough.
I happen to own a panini grill (you get these sorts of things when you get married, even when you don't want/ask for them), so upon arriving home, I heated it up, brushed two slices of bread with olive oil and prepared my sandwich.
Bring on those sweltering Chicago summer days.
- Meghan Murphy Gill |
If you haven't given homemade Ethiopian food a try because of the sheer difficulty of mixing up a proper berbere, now is your chance. One of my favorite shops in Chicago, Kukulu Market sells the spice mixture in large quantities for a low price (around $6 for a pint-size container!). You can also purchase three large rounds of injera for only $1.50 and Niter Kebbeh, a delicious spiced butter. Whenever I bring home the spongy and sour flat bread made with tef flour, I feel such gratitude for the fact that I live in a city with such a multitude of foods and ingredients available. Kukulu also sells Ethiopian coffees, spices for chai and traditional coffee sets. It's located in Edgewater, home to a large Ethiopian community, on Broadway, right across from the Ethiopian Diamond.
If you have zero to little experience with Ethiopian food, the owners are delightful and love to talk about their food. Ask them questions and they'll be certain to give informative answers.
Or, you can use my recipe for Miser Wat.
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- Meghan Murphy Gill |
About a year ago my kids fell in love with mochi, particularly the little balls of frozen mochi with ice cream inside that Japanese restaurants serve for dessert. They also tried the little room-temperature rice cakes filled with bean paste, but didn't crave those like they did the ice-cream filled mochi. I became kind of fascinated with mochi myself. I did Google searches to see if I could buy some to keep at home in my freezer (I can if I don’t mind driving across town, which I do; though I hear Whole Foods is starting to carry it.) Mostly, I found stories about how often people choke on it in Japan because of its gluey consistency. And I found a cool band on myspace called Pink Mochi. Around that time, a friend at work brought in a Hawaiian cake made with rice flour and coconut milk. It tasted like the rice paste on the ice-cream balls, only sweeter and moister.
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- Lori Barrett |
Over a year ago, while randomly reading news bits, I came across a headline that said something like "US Trades Nuclear Technology for Mangoes." I checked to make sure I wasn't reading a spoof-news site and then read the article. And the US did indeed agree to let India export mangoes to the US as long as they converted more of their nuclear plants to civilian power plants and opened them up for inspection.
The importation of Indian mangoes were initially banned due to concerns about pesticide usage and fears that bacteria, spores or pests could infiltrate and damage American crops. In 1986, more products were approved for irradiation treatments to prevent this, despite many concerns that irradiated food hasn't been conclusively proven to be safe, even though it has been approved by the FDA and other international organizations.
But starting this past week, mangoes from India hit store shelves at Patel Bros., 2542 W. Devon Avenue.
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- Cinnamon Cooper |
The 2007 Copper River salmon commercial fishing season opens on Monday in Alaska, much to the delight of salmon lovers everywhere! Working the fertile flats at the mouth of the mighty Copper River, fishermen will most likely hit the water tonight, motoring out to set their nets on Monday morning, and haul in hundreds of fat sockeye salmon and even fatter king salmon (knock on wood). The opener will last 12 to 24 hours depending on the salmon that are making their way through the mouth of the river. The boats will head back to the docks in Cordova after the opener ends to offload fish and get it shipped out as quickly as possible. There won’t be any idea on price until then, but you can bet this fish will be pricey.
It’s worth every penny though! Like all wild salmon, those of the Copper River return to the river of their birth to spawn and die. Their sole mission for the past several years has been to build up their reserves of fat so that they will have enough energy to complete their long and dangerous journeys to their historic spawning grounds. It’s all that fat that makes these salmon so mouth-wateringly delicious.
We’ll see some smokin’ fresh fish here in Chicago come Thursday, Friday and into the weekend. The season will last 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the salmon. Enjoy it while its here, although you can find frozen Copper River salmon year-round, this fresh season is painfully short.
- Mary Smith |
So its springtime, sort of, and you’re getting that itch to plant a garden, but wait — you’re a bit space challenged, living in a fourth floor walkup with nowhere to plant anything. Why not try Potting Shed Creations' Garden-in-a-Bag? These earth friendly leak proof paper bags are the perfect solution for the garden on the windowsill you’ve always wanted. Filled with soil, just mix the enclosed packet of seeds and water regularly, and in no time you could have an array of flavorful herbs or tasty mini-tomatoes at arm's reach away. And best of all, you can grow them in the Chicago seasons, winter and construction.
You can find Garden-in-a-Bag at Sprout Home, 745 N Damen Ave.
- Christian Scheuer |
(Other than the obvious, which is fend off scurvy.)
I've been managing to resist buying one of those bags of darling key limes that have been popping up in many a grocery store, but Elizabeth Tamney at The Food Chain went for it, and now she's suffering the same problem I foresaw myself having: what to do with all those little guys?
Help her out, and make some suggestions.
- Meghan Murphy Gill |
Today’s New York Times magazine section features an article on canned foods in their “The Way we Eat" section”. The piece, written by Christine Muhlke, focuses on Nancy Silverton’s new book “A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients From Jars, Cans, Bags and Boxes”.
Silverton’s goal is to further simplify cooking at home by “greenlighting prewashed salads, canned peas, jarred mayonnaise, boneless chicken breasts, and more…” Cooking at home using canned ingredients (especially wintertime in the Midwest) is nothing to be ashamed of! May I suggest a locally produced canned selection to add to your pantry; the fine selection from Ebro Foods.
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- Mary Smith |
Yes, Sichuan peppercorns are legal again
Sichuan cuisine may seem intimidating, but while some of the dishes are very labor intensive (the crispy smoked tea duck mentioned below comes to mind), some of the flavor combinations are actually pretty easy to achieve -- if you have the right ingredients. Try picking up some Sichuan peppercorns and some chili bean paste. These two ingredients can be used to make the simplest stir fry with some minced ginger, soy sauce, and green beans; and of course you can easily extend a stir fry to include other vegetables, meats, tofu, etc.
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- Paul Goyette |
There are plenty of places to get great middle eastern food in the city, but there's really only one key ingredient you need in order to make many of the best middle eastern dips at home: tahini. It's basically peanut butter made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts. And the good news is it's not hard to find. It can be found at most ethnic markets with any middle eastern influence and even Whole Foods carries it. It's not expensive and it will keep for quite a while tightly sealed in the fridge.
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- Dana Currier |
Despite the weather, spring’s approach is inevitable. On the other end of the continent, incremental changes in water temperature and lengthening days signal the end of the winter season, and deep in the waters off Alaska’s rugged coastline, a valuable resource makes itself available for harvest. The 2007 Alaskan halibut season opens on March 10th, and with it, the opportunity to enjoy one of our favorite seafood options! Alaskan halibut fishermen are subject to a myriad of governmental regulations designed to protect the sustainability of the population. In Alaska, commercial fishermen (and then only those holding proper permits) are only allowed to fish for halibut for about 9 months of the year; and that season will begin on Saturday.
With a wide variety of wholesalers bringing literally tons of fresh Alaskan halibut into Chicago in the coming weeks, there is no shortage of this fantastic fish. Modern airfreight capabilities mean that high quality fish can hit the fish cases of local supermarkets and specialty shops less than 24 hours after capture! Thanks, in part, to the busy cargo terminal of O’Hare International Airport.
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- Mary Smith |
If there's one thing you can say about El Ranchero tortilla chips, it's that they're addictive. That's the one word that comes up over and over again every time these chips make an appearance at a party or come up in conversation. They're available everywhere in the city (at major supermarkets and corner mercados alike), which makes breaking the habit that much more difficult. At least you can feel good about what's actually in these chips, which is nothing fake or artificial. Plus, when you buy them you're supporting a local business. Aside from the fact that they're deep fried and way too easy to consume by the bagful, what's to feel bad about?
- Dana Currier |
Despite all the hysteria after the deep freeze in southern California a few months ago, as of yet I have noticed no real shortage of citrus fruit in my local Jewel. In fact, a few weeks ago I purchased an entire sack of navel oranges for a decent price. The bright orange skin of most of the oranges was clearly visible through the mesh of the sack, except for the one orange that had been wrapped in a piece of waxed tissue paper. I assumed this packaging was nothing but a marketing gimmick, but a few days later, when I grabbed the wrapped orange from the fridge, I was surprised to find a deeply blushed skin beneath the paper.
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- Dana Currier |
I came across an unusual pasta at one of my favorite groceries, Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market out in Palatine. "Calamari Rings" pasta. As you can see from the photo, it is indeed shaped like rings of calamari, essentially cannelloni cut to about an inch long. Strangely, it's not listed on the manufacturer's website, nor the "World Directory of Pasta Shapes."
I'm not sure what the point of this shape would be; it wouldn't hold onto sauce very well, but I suppose it would be easier to cut through in a casserole style dish. Any thoughts?
- Andrew Huff |
Event Wed Feb 07 2007
If your only experience with ramps is from merging onto the Kennedy, you might want to plan ahead to celebrate spring with The Land Connection at their annual Ramp Dinner on March 30. Ramps are a member of the allium family, which also includes leeks, and have long been used for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Although many historians agree on the idea that the name of our fair city comes from the local Native American term for these plants, which grew in abundance along the shores of Lake Michigan, perfuming the air with their oniony odor, they don’t seem to agree on the exact source however. Some claim that Native languages identified ramps as "pikwute sikakushia" (skunk plant), and called the area along the southern shore of Lake Michigan where they were found "shikako" meaning "skunk place" while others refer to the Potawatomi word "Checagou" for "wild onion." Either way, ramps are a delicious, and truly local, wild edible.
- Mary Smith |
Nobody needs to read another blurb on oysters as an aphrodisiac, but with Valentine's Day creeping up on you it wouldn't hurt to pick up a dozen or so, just in case! Dirk's Fish Market features a nice variety of oysters from both the Pacific and Atlantic ocean; stop by and pick up a dozen live oysters and a shucking knife — working together with your significant other to open these tasty bivalves can be as much fun as eating them... Fresh oysters taste best naked (that is without cocktail sauce, lemon juice, or Tabasco), with delightful flavors that mimic the salty flavors of whatever bay or estuary they were harvested from. If you must serve them with an accompaniment, try a classic mignonette sauce:
2 tsp. finely minced shallots
1 tsp. chopped chives
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
a pinch cracked black pepper
Simply mix everything together and let it sit for 30 minutes or so to let the flavors blend. Just a drop or two can elevate a freshly shucked oyster to a sublime mouthful.
Try six oysters from the East Coast (Canada's Prince Edward Island is the home to dozens of delicious options) and six from the West Coast (Kumamotos are a sure winner) to compare and contrast how two slightly different species raised in varying conditions can have radically different flavors. If you want to slurp down some oysters on the half-shell, Shaw's is a great place to find a wonderful selection, or try Fulton's on the River, and McCormick and Schmick's, who also boast great oyster menus.
- Mary Smith |
Event Tue Feb 06 2007
Looking for relief from the winter blues? If the aroma, taste or sight of lemons says "summertime" or "sunshine" to you, you can find some refuge from these ridiculous temperatures and gray winter skies when Lettuce Entertain You's French bistro chain, Mon Ami Gabi, hosts its Third Annual Lemon Festival Thursday, Feb. 22nd through Wednesday, Feb. 28th at both its Chicago and Oak Brook locations.
The festival will include a special menu featuring drinks, appetizers, entrées and desserts made with lemons, including citron martinis, lemon lollipops, lemon-thyme seared salmon and the quintessential lemon tart. Lemongrass sorbet will also make an appearance, though we're a little wary since lemongrass is an herb unrelated to the citrus fruit. On the other hand, its potential for utter deliciousness is tempting. There will also be trivia and games with a grand prize of a complimentary dinner for four.
