Creative Leftovers

My mother never threw away leftovers. I always did…until now.

I made a magnificent, great tasting sandwich using all of my leftovers from the weekend.

Italian bread – on the bottom piece I smothered homemade olive spread for an interesting variation of flavor and that is what really made this sandwich.

I use a mixture of finely chopped black and green olives, bell peppers, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Sorry - I don’t have measurements. Try making it though because that’s how you learn how to cook to taste. It’s also great on small toasted bread rounds as an appetizer and topped with Bruschetta. There are endless possibilities for this Mediterranean delicacy.

I topped the olive spread with thin slices of pork, Australian 3 year aged white cheddar cheese (which was, to my surprise, inexpensive and really good) and some beautiful orange tomatoes. On the crowning slice of bread I spread stone ground mustard and topped that with fresh field greens.

You can do highly unlikely things with leftovers when you empty out your refrigerator and just start putting together ingredients you think will work.

Bon Appetit!

Northhalstead Market Days

One of the most interesting things to do in Chicago is to move outside your element. I do it on a regular basis because I think that it’s always good to broaden your horizons.

With more than 40,000 people congregating on Halsted Street to party at the annual Northalsted Market Days, this event is the biggest two-day street fair in the Midwest featuring 400 food, arts and crafts vendors and some really great musicians.

I must admit that the boys were absolutely the best diversion there.

It was non-stop entertainment and you didn’t have to be gay to appreciate all the high spirited fun.

Bon Appetit!

Taking My Cooking Skills To The Next Level… 10 Things I Plan To Master In The Next Year

Classic French (I’m taking on an entire cuisine because the fundamentals simply escaped me)

French Fries (The Big U…Ultimate Obsession!)

Curry (I Have Yet To Meet A Curry I Really Like)

Chinese hand-pulled noodles (ah…how many pulls did you say?)            Photo from the NY Times

Demi-Glace (How did it ever get this labor intensive?)                                Photo from Saveur

Chocolate Profiteroles (one of my favorite desserts that I’ve never tried to make)

Red Wine Bone Marrow Sauce (how do you classify a beyond YUM?)

Mole (You would think after all this time in Mexico I would know how to make mole? Think again!)

Paella (the most significant ingredient of every paella: the rice…and I can’t even find a recipe that looks good.)

Soufflé (time to to separate the myths from realty. I’ve done a great popover – certainly I can do a Soufflé – or can I? )

365 days…10 things to master.

Next week: The Most Painless Thing On This List…And It Might Take Me All Week To Figure Out Which One It Is.

Bon Appetit!

Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Ganache

It just has a ring to it - doesn't it? OK – so I dream about these donuts. I guess this means I am legitimately over my detox.

I can remember walking in the kitchen at my dad’s restaurant when Irma was frying up fresh doughnuts. I certainly ate enough of them to testify that they were to die for. Totally amazing that I did not gain a ton of weight just sniffing them. I can still remember the smell.

So here is my next best favorite thing…Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Ganache. Sorry – it’s the weekend. Weekend cheat. Remember?


I’ve looked at a lot of recipes. These just look dangerous. I like dangerous so read on.

Bon Appetit!

Brioche

4 cups all-purpose flour, and more if you need it

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsps. instant yeast

8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks, and some to grease your pans

3 eggs and 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup milk, plus 2 tbsps.

1/3 cup water, plus more if necessary

Ganache:

10 oz 64% chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a food processor and blend for 5 seconds. Add the cold butter chunks and the three whole eggs and process for ten seconds.

With your food processor running, pour the 1/2 cup milk and the 1/3 cup water through the feed tube. Make sure you don’t drizzle because you want the dough to be wet enough to spin, not clunk around your food processor. Process for about 30 seconds.

The dough should be batter-like. If it’s too dry, slowly add additional water, 1 tbsp. at a time. It’s also ok if your butter doesn’t completely blend. I actually like have little tiny chunks of butter in the dough because when it bakes, you get these beautiful, tender little pockets dispersed throughout the loaf.

Grease a large bowl with butter and scrape your dough into it. Cover and let rise until at least doubled in size, about 2 to 3 hours. Deflate the dough and use just enough flour to handle the dough. Divide the dough into two lumps and shape them into rectangles. Place each loaf into a buttered loaf pan, cover, and let rise for another hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough approximately a half-inch thick. Cut doughnuts with a cookie cutter and cut hole in the middle of each doughnut using a smaller cookie cutter. Or you could cut them out using a glass and then cut out the center with an apple corer, which is what I did. Set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free space until they’ve risen and are slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.

While doughnuts are rising, make ganache. Roughly chop chocolate and place in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small sauce pot, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate, coating entirely. Let sit one minute, then whisk cream and chocolate together to form a smooth, shiny ganache.

Attach a deep-fry thermometer to a heavy pot, and heat about three inches of canola frying oil to 350 degrees. Fry the doughnuts two or three at a time, about one minute per side, until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and toss in granulated sugar to coat while still warm. Serve warm with a small bowl of chocolate ganache for dipping.

Trial and Error: A Recipe

Did you know that all recipes are trial and error? Some are time-honored but many are a work in progress. All of them reflect some level of taste as well as what is accessible in a particular location or season.
We have all reworked recipes that we like better than the original and so they become “our” specialty and we pass them along from one generation to the next.

PROMISE never to tell grandma that! For all she knows, her recipe is the untouchable … and sometimes they are. Now and then you just can’t take a family classic to another level no matter how many times you try. It’s a classic.

The first time you take on a recipe, test the original. The second time, improve it if you can. The third time – of course it’s a charm so time to make it your own.

Bon Appetit!

Lobster Rolls - A Sandwich For The Season

Lobster…what better way to mark the summer season than with this great Lobster roll recipe from Luke Holden, owner of Luke's Lobster at 242 East 81st Street in NYC.
If you can’t get live Maine lobster where you are, you can substitute tails.

Bon Appetit!

Luke's lobster roll

5 pounds of live Maine lobster (should yield 1 lb. of lobster meat)

4 top-split New England-style hot dog buns

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1/2 pound unsalted butter

1 fresh lemon

Few pinches of celery salt

Steam the 5 pounds of lobster for 10-12 minutes, then pick lobster meat (should yield 1 pound of lobster meat).

Use top-split New England-style hot dog buns — butter sides of 4 rolls and grill until golden brown.

Line inside of hot dog bun with some homemade mayonnaise. Add 1/4 pound of prepared lobster meat, then drizzle a little melted butter on top of lobster.

Sprinkle a little celery salt on top of lobster. Squeeze a little fresh lemon. Serve.

Show Me Your Tomatoes! Competition

On Saturday, August 21 Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! (2024 North Halsted Street) will host their fifth annual Show Me Your Tomatoes competition. Enter to WIN a trip for two to Las Vegas or dinner for four to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!
A panel of local industry professionals will judge these fruits based on size, weight and ugly factor. The restaurant will accept tomatoes for judging from 9:00 AM through 10:30 AM and the judging begins at 11:00 AM.

Here is the link…

Show Me Your Tomatoes

The Chicago Photography Collective: The Food Show

At 29 East Madison, Chicago, the show features eighteen members of the Chicago Photography Collective, who have gone into their archives and found photos of markets in Italy, Vietnam and the UK to contrast with Chicago sights, including short order cooks at the White Palace and buying spices on Devon.
The show continues two more weeks and is a must for anyone into food and photography.

Pasta With Pancetta & Porcini Crumbs

I just can’t seem to get enough Pancetta. It’s one of my favorite flavors and I look for recipes now that include it.

You will LOVE this recipe from Donna Hay, which combines pancetta with pasta and porcini mushrooms and is a perfect, light summer meal served with an Italian salad.

The recipe was so easy, I put it together in under 30 minutes.

I used the Panko bread crumbs and love the flavor of a little bead mixed with the porcini mushrooms. Just the right amount of chilli flakes gives it a zip.

The appearance is really striking. Mine was a bit messy because I used a little bit thicker spaghetti than Donna. I am all about using up.

The porcini mushrooms were a little pricy but I didn’t use but a few and they will keep up to 3 years in a zip lock bag kept in the refrigerator.

Bon Appetit!

4 slices bread, roughly chopped (or a cup of Panko bread crumbs)

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

½ cup dried porcini mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

8 ounces spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup pancetta, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp crushed sage leaves

Lemon wedges and finely grated parmesan, to serve

Place the bread, chilli, porcini and garlic in the bowl of a food processor, and process until a coarse crumb mixture forms.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 8-12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and stir until melted. Add the crumb mixture and sage and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Return the pancetta to the pan. Add the pasta and toss to combine. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and sprinkle with parmesan. Serves 4.

A Refreshing Blackberry Drink

To beat the heat, I poured a half a bottle of Izze-esque Low Calorie Sparkling Black Raspberry (50 calories for a full bottle) over ice and added a few fresh blackberries. Really refreshing.
Would also be great spiked with a little vodka.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Wings

The entire neighborhood loves these chicken wings that my neighbor Suzy bakes in her oven. Some black magic in her sauce and she’s not telling. We’ve all tried to make them and don’t come even close.
We’ll see if she caves in by the end of summer because everyone is asking for the recipe.

Instead of telling us, she just makes us another batch.

Bon Appetit!

Gerhards - A New Dessert

A new dessert at Gerhards: Mango mousse with fresh mango on a hazelnut crust. And to think I never use to eat mango. This has got to be one of the best they have done.

I know, I say that about all of them.

Bon Appetit!

The Lake Is Always East

I have quite a collection going and hanging off the zipper of my camera bag.

My neighbor bought this cute Chicago compass. She said that she recalled a story I told when I first came to Chicago and stayed with my Aunt and Uncle. They told me that I would never get lost if I remember that the lake is always east.

Can't tell you how many times I've pulled myself out of oh-so-lost situation because I knew this.

2010 Taylor Street Festival - Little Italy

One of the best elements of summer in Chicago is deciding which neighborhood festivals to go to every weekend.

It’s a ritual that we always take pleasure in on Thursday night – taking the list and narrowing it down to one or two. Often, I wish there were six of me just to cover them all.

This weekend there was no decision at all – Taylor Street in Little Italy where the people were as enticing as the food!

Bon Appetit!

 

 

PORCHETTA

I use to go up north with my brother Terry and my ever so Italian sister-in-law Liz.

Liz's mother Jenny made the most delicious porchetta. I remember that food - and wine - was never missing in the Galli houshold.

Here Chef Andrew Zimmerman creates an updated, simplified version of porchetta starting with a pork loin, seasoned and wrapped in a pork belly. Love pork belly!

Bon Appetit!

Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon minced lemon zest

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped sage

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons toasted fennel seed, crushed

6 bay leaves, toasted and ground

2-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Meat:

5 pounds pork belly, skin on

6 pounds boneless pork loin

Salt

Black pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup white wine

3 cups pork or chicken stock

2 tablespoons cold butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the roast one to two days before you want to cook the porchetta.

Mix the seasoning: Combine all the spices in a small bowl.

Prepare the meat: Trim the pork belly so that it is roughly the same width as the pork loin is long. The belly should be long enough to wrap around the pork loin once.

Rub the entire seasoning mix on the inside of the pork belly and the outside of the pork loin. Now, wrap the belly around the pork loin and try to get the belly to form a neat seam. Using butcher’s twine, tie up the roast at 2-inch intervals. Wrap the porchetta in plastic wrap, and let it start getting delicious in the refrigerator for two days.

Roast: When you are ready to roast, let the porchetta, come to room temperature for about two hours. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the outside of the porchetta liberally with salt and black pepper and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast 45 minutes.

Turn the roast 180 degrees around, and continue to cook, 2 to 2-1/2 hours more, until the internal temperature reaches about 135 degrees.

Remove from the oven and allow it to rest on cooling rack at least 30 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Make the sauce: Stir the wine into the roasting pan and place on the stovetop over high heat. Scrape up all the good brown bits and transfer the liquid to a saucepan. Add the stock and cook down until a light sauce consistency is reached.

Swirl in the cold butter and add salt and pepper as needed.

To serve: Slice the roast and serve with the sauce. 12 to 15 servings.

At her New York City restaurant, Porchetta, Sara Jenkins serves up porchetta sandwiches as they do in Italy: slices of tender, juicy meat, crunchy bits and all, on a good, Italian roll.


Sara co wrote the extraordinary cookbook Olives & Oranges with La Cucina Italiana food editor Mindy Fox and this recipe is pretty close to her porchetta. You use a boneless pork shoulder and cook it at low heat for a long period of time.

Sara Jenkins Pork Shoulder

20 fresh sage leaves

3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only

3 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves only

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons wild fennel pollen

1 1/2 teaspoons medium-coarse sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

1 (3 3/4- to 4-pound) boneless pork shoulder (with skin, not tied)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup dry white or red wine

Heat oven to 250º.

Finely chop sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic together (you can do this by pulsing in a food processor or by hand). Place mixture in a small bowl, add fennel pollen, salt and pepper, and stir together well.

With a sharp knife, score pork skin in a crosshatch diamond pattern, making ⅛-inch deep cuts 1 inch apart. With a paring knife, make about 10 incisions (about 1/2 inch deep) all over the pork and stuff with about ⅓ of the herb mixture. Tie pork into a compact roast with kitchen twine, brush oil over skin and rub all over with remaining herb mixture.

Set pork skin side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 2 hours.

Pour wine over pork and baste with wine and accumulated juices. Continue roasting, basting once every half hour, until skin is well browned and the meat is spoon-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.

Remove from oven and let meat rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Note: Fennel pollen is a trendy ingredient in high end Italian restaurants right now. You can buy it on line at many specialty food stores such as Zimmerman’s.

Looking For A Night Under The Stars? Try A Star Bed

                                                                                        Photo Source: Loisaba Resort

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Africa and how much I would love to go and photograph the animals.

Recently, I saw an article on Star Beds which are unique to Loisaba, a resort in Africa.

Each Star Bed was spectacularly designed and is a handcrafted wooden raised platform, partially covered with a thatched roof and can be wheeled onto the open deck area for a night under the stars.

You’ll will have to travel all the way to Nanyuki, Kenya to have the experience.Imagine waking up and staring a rhino in the face.

For now…something to dream on.

Too Hot To Cook?

When the temperature gets this hot, I never feel much like cooking. I’ll stop by my deli and pick up some turkey pastrami or roast beef and have it on a slice of Italian bread with a little homemade giardiniera and pair it with a mixture of fresh fruit.

Homemade Giardiniera

2 green bell peppers, diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

8 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cauliflower florets

1/2 cup salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (5 ounce) jar pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup olive oil

Place into a bowl the green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Stir in salt, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Place plastic wrap or aluminum foil over the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain salty water, and rinse vegetables. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil, and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days before using.

Here are two other no cook recipes that are great to have on a hot day in August. They were adapted from Martha Stewart.com

Tuna Nicoise Sandwich

Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 cans oil-packed tuna (6 ounces each), drained

1/4 English cucumber

1/2 small red onion

8 inch country style round bread loaf

2 tablespoons jarred olive tapenade

1 cup fresh basil leaves

2 hard-cooked large eggs

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, white-wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Transfer 2 tablespoons dressing to another bowl; toss with tuna. To remaining dressing, add cucumber and red onion; toss to combine.

Cut an 8-inch country-style round bread loaf in half horizontally; remove most of soft interior bread. Spread 3 tablespoons jarred olive tapenade on bottom half. Top with 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, then 2 hard-cooked large eggs sliced; season with salt and pepper. Top with tuna, then cucumber mixture, and close sandwich.

Wrap sandwich tightly in plastic and place between two baking sheets. Weight with a heavy skillet. Let stand 1 hour (or refrigerate, up to overnight). To serve, cut into quarters.

I buy good sharp white cheddar from Caputo’s Market in Lake Forest. They have such a great selection of cheese and you can buy it by the slice.

White Cheddar Sandwiches with Quick Pickles and Mustard Spread

1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced

1 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey (preferably raw or cream honey)

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons brown mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons grainy mustard

4 small rolls, halved

4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

Put onion and cucumber into a heatproof nonreactive medium bowl; set aside. Bring vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, bay leaves, ginger, mustard seeds, salt, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Pour over onion and cucumber. Cover loosely, and let cool completely, stirring occasionally to submerge vegetables. Pickled vegetables can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Stir together remaining 2 tablespoons honey and the mustard; spread on bottom of rolls. Divide cheese among rolls; top each with 1/3 cup drained pickled vegetables and top half of roll. Sandwiches can be stored, wrapped in parchment, in a cool place up to 4 hours.

Bon Appetit!

I Want To Live Here!

I found this cute little place when I was out exploring neighborhoods in Chicago. I think that it looks straight off the block in Italy.

For sure I would spend my entire life sitting on my patio!

Guess Where President Obama Celebrated His 49th Birthday?

                                                                          Photo Source: Unknown

The staff of Graham Elliott’s when President Obama stopped by last week for his 49th birthday dinner.

Bon Appetit!

Make It Your Birthday Every Day!

Celebrate that every day your next birthday is going to be more special than the last!

I love birthdays!

A Perfect Summer BBQ

If you LOVE BBQ read on because this was the best BBQ I have cooked all season…and maybe in the past 5 years.

Never mind that I picked 3 random recipes and I lucked out that all three were so outstanding. I never imagined on the onset that the flavors would compliment each other so much.

Give me a summer Sunday afternoon when you have the time to slow cook everything so the flavors melt into one another. I slow cooked both the beans and ribs in a 250 degree oven - the ribs for 3 ½ hours and the beans for 2 ½.

The beans were delicious and every bit as good as the recipe I have posted except mine has cheese instead of the BBQ sauce and vinegar.

I always use Bush beans but this recipe insisted on pork and beans – which I have never liked. I’ll never make that claim again.

I’ve bragged about my baked beans for years. This recipe is definitely something to brag about.

Southern-Style Baked Beans

recipe for 18 people by Pam Anderson

8 slices bacon, halved

1 medium onion, cut into small dice

1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice

3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup distilled or cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. (If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients). Pour flavored beans into a greased 13-by 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan. Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.

I got this rib recipe from a very sociable guy I ride the train with to Evanston each day. These ribs were absolutely delicious. I love the smell of the coke caramelizing as it slow cooks in to the ribs. The smell made me enormously hungry all afternoon.

Coca Cola BBQ Ribs

2 racks of ribs

1 2-liter bottle of Coke

Cut ribs and put in a large, shallow pan. Pour coke over the ribs. Tent loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 250 degrees for 3/12 hours. Finish them off on the BBQ grill over a hot flame for about 5 minutes on each side.

Korean Style Spicy Slaw

Recipe courtesy Joanne Choi

This is kind of like kimchee but it’s really a slaw. I love the texture and you can pair it with anything from BBQ ribs to pork belly to beef and it is a perfect summer side dish.

The temperature is hot but nothing that will blow you away. The more I try it, the more I love Korean cooking.

Bon Appetit!

Slaw:

1/2 a head of cabbage, thinly shredded

2 mini cucumbers, julienne

1/2 onion, (red or white) thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Dressing:

3 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sesame seed

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

2 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugahloo-고추가루 )

Mix all the ingredients of the dressing together. It gets really thick so do not be shocked. (I like to use an old jar to mix the ingredients for the dressing.) Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and carefully mix them together. Serve. Serves 4-6.

Shoes

I have a closet full of beautiful, expensive shoes.

Why is it the only shoes I ever want to wear is a $3 pair of flip flops from Walgreens?

Life After Detox...

Wednesday...

Thursday...

Friday...

Saturday...

Good News Is There Is One!

Happy Ever So Perfect Weekend Cheat To Ya!

Bon Appetit!

Evanston Farmers Market: Chicago’s Best Produce

I swear, every time I visit the farmers market in Evanston it’s better. The produce at this market is so high-quality. I hear a lot of vendors talking about picking their produce the day before the market. I have purchased things here that have stayed fresh for weeks.

I’m a regular at this market now and love the variety of things that they offer.

The vendors are use to seeing me with my camera and are delighted that I get so excited about how spectacular the produce is. Even I laugh that produce can stir me this much.

Here is a sampling of what I found yesterday.

Bon Appetit!