Saturday In Chicago

Breakfast at Gramwich and brunch at Testori… the perfect recipe for skipping Saturday dinner.

 

Bon Appetit!

A Slow Cookin Sunday

Your’re in the mood for a appetizing feast but you don’t really feel like cooking? Short of pulling out your slow cooker, this is the recipe for you.

Published in Bon Appetit, this recipe is from Chef Marc Vetri’s menu at his Philadelphia restaurant Alla Spina.

Pop a pork shoulder into the oven and let it go while you take in a Bear’s game (a dramatic 23-22 comeback ) or an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon (wake me up for Breakfast at Tiffany's).

The result?

A beautiful roast that’s glazed to perfection. In fact, it’s so good, don’t count on having a single leftover for sandwiches on Monday.

Bon Appetit!

Slow Roasted Glazed Pork Shoulder

1teaspoonfennel seeds

1 teaspoonwhole black peppercorns
1/4cup kosher salt plus more
¼ cup sugar
1 7 lb. skinless bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt or picnic)
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup(packed) light brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot
1 apple (such as Granny Smith or Fuji)
4 cups stemmed mustard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil

Crush fennel seeds and peppercorns with the bottom of a heavy skillet, or use a mortar and pestle. Transfer spices to a small bowl; add 1/4 cup salt and sugar. Rub mixture all over shoulder. Place in a large glass baking dish, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°. Brush off spice rub from meat and place pork in a deep roasting pan; discard excess spice rub and any liquid in dish. Add 1 cup boiling water to roasting pan; cover pan tightly with foil. (Create a tight seal to lock in the steam and juices.)

Transfer pan to oven and roast until meat is very tender and falling off the bone (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center without touching the bone will read 195°), about 5 hours.

Remove pan from oven; discard foil. Increase heat to 500°. Stir 1/4 cup vinegar and brown sugar into juices in pan. Return to oven and roast, watching closely to prevent burning, until pork is browned and liquid begins to reduce, about 12 minutes.

Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Pour liquid in pan into a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil and cook, occasionally spooning off fat from surface, until a thick, syrupy glaze forms, about 10 minutes (there will be about 1 1/2 cups glaze and up to 1 cup fat; discard fat). Season glaze with salt and pepper; set aside.

Using a peeler, peel carrot into thin ribbons. Core, quarter, and thinly slice apple. Mix carrot, apple, greens, oil, and remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter. Top with pork; pour reserved glaze over pork. Serve with tongs.

I've Learned A Lot About Chicago Weather...

Last Week:Lovin These 80 Degree Days in October.

Flip Flops + Leaves = More Fun Than You Ever Had As A Kid.

 

This Week: The After Effects of Hurricane Sandy.

 

Next Week: Chicago weather unpredictable...

no matter what Andy Avalos tells you tomorrow morning!

 

Bon Appetit!

Happy 3rd Birthday Cupcakes and Crablegs

October Shorts...

Farmer’s Markets

I love the magnificent fall veggies, the ever-so-filling breakfast tacos and the fleeting farewell to summer. That I can take.

Crazy however that I don’t get good Tomatoes again until next spring!

Bon Appetit!

Red and Yellow Breakfast Salsa

2 medium-sized tomatoes, 1 yellow and 1 red, seeded and diced

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced red onion
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
Salt to taste

Combine tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, scallion, cilantro, red onion and lime juice in small bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and let salsa sit at least 15 minutes to blend. Taste, and adjust salt, if necessary.

 

Crumb Bakery – Green City Market

Every Saturday night, I put away some of my great finds from the Green City Market that morning. Needless to say, we have a lot of amazing Saturday night dinners.

Today? It was cold and rainy so I made a big pot of Zuppa Toscana and served bread purchased from Anne Kostroski. She turns ordinary loaves into exquisite works of art by using organic flours from Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kansas, Wisconsin cheeses, and the variety of produce found at Green City Market. In fact, her Lardo Taralli and seasonal focaccia are market favorites.

I hardly make bread anymore (except Jim Lahey’s No-Knead bread) when I can buy it this good at the market!

Bon Appetit!

 

Day of the Dead

This is one of my favorite holidays in Mexico and I celebrate it every year no matter what country I am in.

I gather all the things I kept from the people I love who have passed (in death or separation) and celebrate their life.

Where will you put your altar? Mine is in my kitchen because nearly all of the people I love truly respected both cooking and eating.

Isn’t it remarkable how your culinary style has been defined by the great chefs of your past?

Celebrate this month by creating the dishes they taught you to love to cook.

Bon Appetit!

Turkey Burgers

Isn’t it nice to know what goes into your burgers?

I love my kitchen aid grinder attachment and have made a delicious burger mix with turkey breast and chicken thighs and beef and pork.

In fact, there is such an huge difference in taste I swear you’ll never buy a package of ground meat again.

Bon Appetit!

BBQ

When I think of BBQ, I’m dreaming of Alabama white sauce, Memphis dry rub, Texas bigger and better, Kansas City slow smoked meat dripping in sweet sauce and North Carolina… where pulled pork mopped with a spice and vinegar liquid and topped with slaw is often breakfast for the genuine BBQ fanatic.

OK – I’m officially hungry.

I don’t just BBQ in the summer. In fact, I’ve got my smoker and my fur coat ready to survive this winter no matter what... that is until I think of the BBQ chef in Texas who is standing outside grilling in her bikini.

Bon Appetit!

 

Cross-Rhodes

913 Chicago Avenue, Evanston

With paper-thin gyros and the best Greek French fries I’ve ever tasted, I understand why this neighborhood Greekrestaurant is always packed.

If you are into the social aspect of eating, eat here. People who dine here on a regular basis report that they are always treated“just like family.”

My bill: $10.00 including tip.

The huge steak fries are topped with white wine, lemon and an herb sauce. What really amazed me is when I took a bite they were so crispy.

What did I know about good fries? I am use to drenching mine in ketchup.

Bon Appetit!

 

La Fournette

1547 North Wells was an accidental find on my morning walk from the Green City Market.

From the Kouglof to the Streusel Brioche, this was such an inviting way to start my day.

After taking pastry classes, I’m totally convinced that not a soul does bakery better than the French.

Pastry in Paris? A serious thought for my next vacation.

Bon Appetit!

 

 

Few Spirits

www.fewspirits.com

While I was sipping my Divino at Testori (Vodka instead of Gin, june, dimmi, lemon and a few grapes floating around for focus) the staff were all raving about Few Spirits, a small batch distiller in Evanston.

We took the brewery tour ($10) on Saturday and fell in love with the distillers and the entire operation, thriving and soon to outgrow the little garage where they started 18 months ago.

During that time, they impressively won a Double Gold at the Spirits competition in New York and two silvers at the esteemed World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.

If you friend them on Facebook, you’ll likely find out when you can go down and volunteer to help out. A session just wrapped up earlier in the day with 8 volunteers showing up to bottle.

 

Few Spirits makes three types of gin. I’m not a gin drinker at all but owner Paul Hletko replaced some of the juniper with citrus and pepper flavors, and used a base spirit of whiskey. One sip of the American Gin and I was a fan. I actually thought that it’s light flavors would make a great martini which in the past I had only associated with vodka. They also make white, rye and bourbon whiskey.

The newest specialty? Grappa, an Italian brandy made from the pressed skins and seeds of grapes – in other words a winemaker’s leftovers.

Here are a few recipes from their vault and their growing list of restaurants are bound to mix some double magic too.

Bon Appetit!

The White Manhattan

2 oz FEW White Whiskey
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
2-3 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters

Garnish with maraschino cherry

Cosmo “Not”

Bartender Josh Rew
Watermark, Nashville, TN

1 1/2 oz Few White Whiskey
3/4 oz Pama liqueur (pomegranate)
3/4 oz Lavender syrup
1/4 oz Lemon juice

Shake, strain into martini glass

American Trade Winds

2 oz FEW American Gin
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Garnish with lemon twist

The Big Green Egg

OK – I’m convinced. Real Urban BBQ is using them to smoke some of their meat so I am now a full-blown aficionada.

 

That along with my friend Mark who talks a good BBQ every day on the train and has shown me enough photos to be convinced…especially with his turkey.

The Big Green Egg is the superstar among backyard chefs. I love the fact that the egg can hit temperatures over 600 degrees or you can hold it as low as 200.

If I had an extra $1000 , this would be it. Just think of the money you’ll save because you don’t have to buy that $10,000 pizza oven.

Bon Appetit!

 

Silver and Gold Treads

I found these beautiful threads. Don't they look like you can start weaving whatever dream you happen to have.

Last night, I dreamt that Julia Child took me to her kitchen to show me how to make a Big Mac.

Back to the box for another dream and P.S. …knock off all the ice cream before bedtime!

Bon Appetit!

Chicago Gourmet 2012

This was my third year covering this event and I have to admit that every year there are new perks that bring me back.

 

This show celebrates Chicago’s amazing food and the chef’s who inspire us all to go home and cook.

 

 

Nothing better than mixing great food with fine wine and spirits and of course a double dose of people watching.

 

For the first time in 3 years, I popped in on the Grand Cru. Once you expose yourself to wines of this caliber it is difficult to settle for anything less. Honestly, I became a wine snob in one hour without any effort at all.

 

The real excitement for me is discovering new chefs. Every year I go away with a long list of new restaurants to try.

 

 

So what was new?

 

The Purple Pig Roast

When I was at the World BBQ Cookoff in Memphis this year, a pig roast was simply the order of the day.

Chef Jimmy Bannos served up roasted pork and rumor had it that he cooked up ten, 100 lb. pigs throughout the weekend.

Thousands of people lined up for the feed and this proved to be the most popular servings of the show.

 

Design your own chocolate bar by Buick

Did you know in a digital kitchen you can create your own chocolate bar? Enter Buick. Pick your ingredients and they will deliver it to you in a few short weeks.

I can’t wait to get mine – a combination of white chocolate, lemon, bacon and caramel. Have to admit that the combination was really delicious when I took all the ingredients in a little cup and downed it all in one gulp just like a shot.

It was the show stealer I wished I had thought up.

 

Drinks And Other Liquid Indulgences

  

 

I sampled (sips) so many delicious drinks at Chicago Gourmet this year, I quick counting. The remarkable thing was that most drink masters gave away their secrets on a little recipe card. I tucked away at least a dozen.

 

The mixologists (bartenders who take a culinary approach to liquor) were an artistic compliment to the chefs and have definitely created their own big buzz in Chicago culinary circles.

John Besh: A Chef Who Knows His Burgers

One of my favorite New Orleans chefs was the hit of the Hamburger Hop Friday night and proved to be a audacious judge eating so many hamburgers that he was still able to single out the winning few.

Yoshi Katsumura of Yoshi's Cafe in Lakeview, won with an American wagyu burger topped with Asian pear jam, panko-crusted fried green tomato, pickle, brie, microwasabi and a smoky Asian barbecue sauce on a poppyseed brioche bun. Can you say that all without taking a breath?

Matt Troost, chef at Three Aces (one of my favorite places on Taylor Street), was the people's choice winner with a 50-50 mix of prime chuck and sirloin, topped with bacon jam, aged Wisconsin white cheddar, red onion and mesclun greens on a pretzel bun.

Their mystery ingredient? Bone-marrow salt, created by packing bone marrow in salt for several months to let the meaty flavor permeate the salt.

Healthy Eating: Gluten Free

Many athletes I know swear that their performance has improved leaps and bounds by going gluten free. All I know is that when I am on a detox, I feel so full of energy because I am not eating gluten.

I would seriously think about eliminating gluten from my diet for good but I am totally addicted to bread.

You know the MO – preparing to be Italian in my next life.

The Grand Cru: Seriously, A Tequila?

Casa Dragones is the utter magic of Bertha González Nieves, the first female Maestra Tequilera to be certified by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila and recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council.

I’m going to have to ask my tequila friend and expert, César Mascorro Pérez, to weigh in on this tequila because Casa Dragones has set its status as the darling of the culinary world, with utter devotion from culinary experts from across the world.

I have to agree. This was one tequila that was absolutely worth it’s price tag ($250.00) but regrettably out of my budget… but I did savor the taste.

Wiskies of the World

Call it an acquired taste. I’ve decided that I’m going to educate myself on whiskey this year and the Whiskies of the World was my first stop.

It never lacked for customers the entire show and honestly, I tried a few times before I got on the inside asking questions.

Although the blends and distilling techniques are complex, I found the rich and diverse flavors worth the pursuit.

Stay tuned.

Guacamole? Pass the Chicharrones

 

Ask anyone in Chicago who their favorite chef is and Rick Bayless wins the vote every time.

It’s always a full house at the opening of Chicago Gourmet 2012 when Adam Rapoport, Editor of Bon Appetit and Rick Bayless entertain the crowd… and this year with Mayor Emanuel.

What’s new with Chef Bayless besides a cookbook featuring Guacamole and Margaritas? A new tip for Guacamole: Top it off with Hot Sauce, Cheese and Chicharrones.

Whatever you though you knew about cooking, I bet you didn’t know this one? Always deflame the onions. Running water over chopped onions will remove the sulfurous compounds so you will not cry or taste your food long after you have eaten.

 

Science? Hold on. Wasn’t that suppose to be Homaro Cantu’s segment on Kitchen Chemistry 101?

Bon Appetit!