Chicago Fare

Kale scares me.  No, seriously.  There is no other vegetable that frightens me more… except swiss chard.  At first when I removed the kale from our CSA box I quickly hid him away in our vegetable cooler.  But by week two, he was starting to droop and a second box arrived with two more bags of his friends.  We had to do something… and fast.

So… I would like to propose two of George’s recipes for any fellow CSA-er that has found themselves knee high in the crunchy, resilient, beautiful (but sometimes scary) vegetable that is kale.

Kale and Pesto Lasagna topped with squash blossom

Kale and Pesto Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale

1 bunch of basil (~10 leaves)

8 cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup chives

Fresh lasagna pasta

1/2  cup olive oil

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups of skim milk

8oz fontina/asiago/parmesan cheese mixture

8oz mozzarella cheese

Salt/Pepper to taste

1.  Blanch basil for 5 seconds in boiling water then combine with parsley, chives,  garlic, and olive oil in blender until pureed into a pesto

2.  Combine grapeseed oil and flour over medium heat until golden in color

3.  Stir skim milk into flour mixture until thickened over medium heat

4.  Once flour mixture has cooled combine with pesto and parmesan cheese until uniformly mixed

5.  Wash kale thoroughly, remove it from its stem,  and cut into small pieces.  Blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes then strain out excess water

6.  Boil lasagna noodles until cooked al dente

7.  Oil a lasagna pan and spread thin layer of pesto mixture on bottom

8.  Place layer on noodles, followed by thin layer of pesto, then sprinkle with both mozzarella and fontina cheese and finally even distribute 1/3 of kale over this layer

9.  Repeat step 8 with each additional layer of lasagna

10.  Preheat over 375 degrees

11.  Cover pan with aluminum foil then bake for about 40 minutes until cooked through

12.  Remove foil and cook for an additional 5 minutes to make the top layer golden brown

13. Let rest for 5 minutes prior to eating

Kale and Grits

Apple and Kale Sautee with Cheese Grits

2 Golden Delicious Apple

2 Heads of Kale

1 Vidalia Onion

1 head of Garlic

Corn Meal

1/2 cup cheese

1 clove sauteed garlic

1. Roast 1 head of garlic at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

2. Wash kale thoroughly and remove it from its stem;  Cut kale into small pieces and blanch in boiling water for ten minutes;  Remove from water and strain out all excess water

3. Peel, remove seeds and dice apples

4. Peel and dice onion

5. Saute onions and apples over medium heat for about 10 minutes until soften

6. Add kale, and roasted garlic and saute mixture for another 15minutes

7. Add 1/4 tsp on freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

8. Serve over cheese grits

Now this may not look pretty to you, but as we have established before…  Sardines are good .   Here are some simple sardines, grilled and salted at a restaurant called La Rampa.

Grilled Sardines

Although we didn’t have a chance to try paella in its birthplace (Valencia), we had a wonderful seafood paella in Villanova.  Now that we are in the north, we tried our luck in a restaurant chosen at random on a day trip to Bilbao.

Shrimp and Vegetable Paella

When we planned our trip we had no idea Spain would win the Copa Mundial… Or that we would get stuck in a large separatist demonstration in Barcelona, as we were informed… Catalonia is NOT Spain.  The only thing we did plan was to eat well…  Here is what we had yesterday: Anchovies with Spider Crab Cream & Anchovies with Jardinera!

Anchovy Pintxos

Although our blog is thoughtfully titled, “ChicagoFare”   I would like to use this post to distribute a photo from our snack in Barcelona.  Pimientos De Padrón.  More to follow…

Pimientos De Padrón

Tires at Maxwell Street Market

I usually curse silently at the pedestrians crossing between me and I-290 on my way home from Whole Foods on Sunday, but this time I was one of them.  My apologies to the Land Rover, Mercury Mariner and Honda Civic that I held up yesterday and to whomever beeped in disgust as I casually walked in front of them during a green light. I would have never seen the light turn red, had some distant voice not shouted, “Alright guys, hurry up.”  Its funny how things change once you’re on the otherside.

Every Sunday on Des Plaines and Roosevelt vendors line the street with tents, tables and a variety of eclectic goods from tires to “fashion bras” for the Maxwell Street Market.  This diverse market is well over 100 years old and although its size has dwindled since UIC’s expansion in 1994, it has continued to survive as one of the best places in the city to find a bargain, a taco, and if you’re lucky some of soulful chicago blues that originated here.

Maxwell Street Churros

With the hot sun beating down on us, we weren’t that hungry when we entered the market.  But after passing a tableful of wrenches and plants we found ourselves facing a large blue van advertising “recien hechos”(recently made) churros.  My lack of hunger has never turned away a churro, so we ventured up and obtained the freshest churro I have ever encountered.  Passing a table of belts, we found ourselves at a white tent with a menu scrawled out in permanent marker fastened to its side.  Taco Bernardo’s exotic menu intrigued us, and so we bravely ordered tacos we had never tried before (i.e. beef head and chicharron in a green chile sauce). Sweaty and full, we got up from our table under the white tent and turned to our right, only to find ourselves head to head with with Mama Lula and her Pupusa’s from El Salvador.  As I watched her fold shredded meat into some dough and place it on a griddle, I knew this was something I could not pass up.  We tried a cheese pupusa and were advised to add pickled cabbage and a delicious red hot sauce to it.

Mama Lula's Pupusas

I think I was in love with it before the first bite,  but that could be because I operate on the premise that cuisines from all cultures are united by meat or vegetable wrapped in a dough of sorts (i.e. dumplings, empanadas, corndogs, samosas, sambosas, even the french have beef en croute).  Satisfied and still full, we meandered away from Mama Lula and her tables, heading deeper into a colorful crowd of people and tents.  We walked further into the vast market passing a vendor selling camo and boots, next a table of power tools, and a tableful of jeans.  Across from them was another vendor selling herbs to cure every malady, chili peppers and cinnamon sticks as tall as I am.  In the shade nearby, a young girl had a few chihuahua pups for sale and on one of the side roads you could find perfumes, tires, bras and panties.  Everything you could ever need was here, and I’m sure better priced than the Target or Dominicks up the street (i.e $6 for a case of bananas, kiwis, or strawberries).  As the hot sun beat down on my pasty white, unsuntan-lotioned skin I knew I was in desperate need of shade.  Although, the bbq ribs looked appealing, G was in the mood for more tacos, so we stopped at Tito’s Tacos to sample a few more and to get some shade under their big blue tent.

Eye Ball, Goat Barbacoa and Al Pastor Tacos

The operation these cooks run is amazing.  G and I were sweating just sitting there, but these guys were cooking in front of  a griddle in the sweltering heat with hungry market-goers circling them, waiting for a seat to open… and they do this every Sunday!  The al pastor taco was the best we have had in some time, and when we got up to leave a mild disagreement between patrons erupted over who was next to sit and eat.  As we made our way back towards Roosevelt, we stopped at one last stand to try an incredible chicken and green chile tamale, that was made even better by the avocado and tomatillo sauces placed on the tables under the tent.  Full from our fruitful taco tasting, we headed towards Roosevelt when I began to hear the sound of a bass guitar amist the car horns, police sirens and the bustle of the market. I couldn’t help but be drawn to the music. So I followed the sound towards Weinberg Hoisery on Roosevelt. Shaded by a rainbow umbrella we found Mr. James Washington playing his red bass guitar.  His case was open with a few bucks and change scattered about, and while market patrons walked past barely giving notice to the soulful music that played on the road next to them, Mr. Washington’s powerful bass reverberated off the concrete around him.  Beside him a younger guitarist sang the blues, while their only listener, a man with a cane and a hat, set up a chair next to them.  Mr. Washington is the last of many blues artists to grace the Maxwell Street Market.  So if you hear an electric bass guitar in the distance make sure to stop by to listen to a legend and a sound that is slowly going extinct.

Once a center for blues in Chicago, the Maxwell Street Market has now become better known for the Mexican street food and delicious ribs vendors selling a sample of their culture in a bite of their food.  The market has become a constant reminder that Chicago is an evolving melting-pot that even relocation could not destroy.  A place where we all mix, regardless of age, regardless of color to support our local vendors and a tradition that continues to live on with the support of each generation.

Alexis Nido-Russo Painting

There is something to be said about a complete dining experience, especially one filled with mystery, intrigue, great art and a killer DJ.  Last Saturday I had one of the best dining experiences of my life at an underground supper club in Chicago.

Our mystery dinner began a few months earlier when we booked a date and a clue online (i.e. Saturday June 5th near Chinatown).  We didn’t hear or see anything about it again until the week prior to the event when Efrain, the founder and chef, sent our menu and location.  We arrived at our newly disclosed point of interest at 7:00pm sharp.  G had accused me of navigating incorrectly to our secret dinner locale, so I was more than happy to hop out of the car and into a nondescript three flat near Chinatown.  Upon our arrival, there was no secret handshake or password to be whispered to a gatekeeper.  We were simply greeted, checked off the list, and told to sit whereever we pleased.  We took a moment to mill about the room taking in the art hung on the white walls.  Local artist Alexis Nido-Russo was sharing her work with us tonight and dining at the table next to us.

Rhubarb Tequila Shot

Diners began to arrive steadily after 7 and soon our table was full of old friends or couples, strangers, eager to share their past experiences with the supper club and excited about the Strawberry and Herb Feast to come.  While we got to know our neighbors, DJ Moppy was mixing in the background.  Our first sampling was a tasty and interesting, bacon wrapped strawberry amuse.   Most meals are BYOB but on this occasion libations were served as well.  Now I’m no drinker, so when a shot of tequila in rhurbarb sorbet came with our next dish of lake trout gravlax placed on a totopo,  I knew I was in trouble.  Shortly thereafter, I began to rhythmically twist my arugula and garlic pesto pasta around my fork to the beats of DJ Moppy’s mixes.  Our next dish was a beautiful strawberry and spinach salad with a strawberry mint mimosa. However, my favorite dish of the evening was the grilled walleye with pistachio oregano butter, peas and mashed potatoes. I don’t even like mashed potatoes… In fact I have not placed them on my plate at any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner since the year 2000.  But these potatoes tasted so good with the walleye and peas that I may have to give mashed potatoes another shot.

Trout Gravalax on a Totopos

This experience completely changed my mind on communal dining and at the end of the night I almost didn’t want to leave.  I enjoyed getting Karlisa’s opinion on my crooked and often blurry food photos and discussing traveling, Berkshire pork, and Indian food with Anne.  This experience made me realize that I should be asking more from my usual restaurants… more mystery, more fun, and more seasonal ingredients!

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Other Food Photos from the Evening:

Strawberry Shortcake

Walleye and Mashed Potatoes with Peas

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Genesis Growers Radish, Spinach and Lettuce

I love the farmers market.  There… I’ve said it.  My first memory of a farmers market stems from the small local market in West Allis, Wisconsin.  Although, we had our own cherry trees, raspberry bushes and vegetable garden in our backyard, every summer my mother would take me and my brothers to pick pints of pickles and tomatoes from local farmers, which she would use to can pickles and salsa all summer long.  And even though my most vivid memory of the market is of my brother getting stung by a bee, it was here that I began to realize the importance of the farmers and where our food comes from.

The second farmers market that played a significant role in my life, as well as many other UW-Madison students, was the Dane County Farmers Market.  Every Saturday students from all over campus flocked to the capital for one of the largest farmers market in the country. Going from tent to tent we would select tomatoes, honey or cheese curds from farmers or producers who were passionate about their vegetables, bee hives, or dairy farm.

Tiny Green's Radish and Onion

It was here that a squeaky cheese curd made an impression on me.  Its almost impossible to find a squeaky cheese curd in a big box grocery store, and why is this? Because the squeak is an indicator of freshness that is lost in the time it takes to go from the farm to your grocer’s refrigerator.  This was an epiphany for me, a poor college kid whose only sustenance was the processed foods of her dorm.  I vowed that once I had the money and kitchen to do so, I was going organic, sustainable or the next closest thing.  It took several more years and a bout of professional school until the final realization of my goal.  I shopped predominately at Whole Foods for the past three years. And oh the price I paid for going organic, but I wanted to support a corporation that promoted both farmers and the environment.  But when I moved to Chicago last summer, I found that there were few other places that I would rather be than the Green City Market in Lincoln Park.

Beckerlane Organic Pork

The 12 year old market is a model for the sustainable food movement where local farmers and artisans share their craft every Wednesday and Saturday from 7 Am to 1 Pm from May to October.  This market is a constant reminder that we as consumers have other options than our big box grocer.  We can go straight to our farmers where their produce will always be ripe, seasonal and maybe even less expensive.  Here all your questions about what is laid before you are easily answered.  Where was this grown?  When was it picked?  What is in season now?  When was this beef slaughtered?  How are the lives of your hens?  Do your pigs live a happy life?  How long are these eggs good for? What is a CSA?  Here you can find the pork they serve at Publican, the beef they serve at The Four Seasons Hotel, or produce used at Frontera Grill. The market operates on the premise that you should, “know your food.  know your farmer”, a motto that challenges Chicago to become more aware of where our food actually comes from.

King's Hill Farm Radish, Chive and Rhubarb

The market’s influences can be seen all over the faces of the patrons roaming through the grass, passing and stopping at each tent.  We want to know our food!  We want to know our farmer!  We are here because sustainable practices and preservation of the environment are important to us, and we know what we do here has an impact elsewhere.  With a look of content I wander the market knowing that my tiny purchases here show my support of local farmers, my daily attempt to save the earth, and my appreciation for farms that truly do have happy cows, pigs and chickens. After perusing around the market we found ourselves with bags full of spring garlic, micro greens, potatoes, Berkshire pork, goat cheese, a fig tree, and a few too many plants.  When we went home, I put on my green gardening gloves, pulled out some potting soil and began to plant the lavender, chives, fig tree, sage, and grape tomato from the market.  You see I have my own makeshift farm on my balcony. Hungry from all the planting, I went inside to see G had created a Green City Omelette.

Our Homage to the Green City Market

Our omelette consisted of sauteed spring garlic, Fromage a Trois goat cheese from Capriole, inc. topped with onion micro greens from Tiny Greens and  green garlic.  And the eggs we used were from TJ’s Free Range Poultry.  We liked it so much, we decided to make another!

We’ve been preparing for this meal for the past week.  I mean serious training people.  Stomach stretching sessions twice a day, Grand Menu flash cards with proteins to be matched with their respective vegetable or grain element.  We tested our ability to denote a well made wine pairing by successfully matching our favorite uncured hotdogs with a marvelous Cote de Rhone.  So when Tuesday came we had butterflies in our stomachs as we drove down Halsted towards Charlie Trotter’s legendary restaurant in Lincoln Park.

The Atmosphere

We walked past this establishment so many times that it was odd be to actually walking in.  Dressed in our finest( jacket required), we were greeted instantly in the foyer and taken to our table on the second floor overlooking the entryway. We were one of the first reservations of the evening but soon the dark and regal dining room began to fill with people eager to try Chef Trotter’s current menu.

The Menu

We had already previewed the menu online, so when we perused the menus at the table, it was merely to determine whether we would include a wine pairing.  While I contemplated the non-alcoholic Beverage Tasting Menu, today of all days, I began to have my own “Omnivore’s Delemma.”  My mind kept wandering back to the duck and veal dishes from the menu.  Although, I knew we’d receive the best quality organic and free-range ingredients I was concerned my guilt of eating something so cute would haunt me through the rest of the dinner. When our waitress arrived and requested our decision I didn’t know what to say.  I told her that I didn’t know if I could eat veal or duck today. She kindly suggested angus or elk as another optional protein and when I told her I would feel equally guilty eating those animals, she quickly responded with, “Why don’t we let the chef create a pescatarian menu for you.”  The flexibility was much appreciated.  G selected the Wine Pairing Menu (bypassing an $18,000 bottle from France) and asked if we could add another vegetable dish that looked interesting, the japanese eggplant soufflé.

Grilled Blue Prawns

Our meals began to emerge as we slowly sipped on our beverage accompaniments.  The marathon of meals commenced with a sashimi of yellowfin tuna.  It was light and fresh… the perfect beginning. The next dish to follow were the sweet and delicate grilled prawns that almost melted in your mouth. I even sheepishly reached down into my purse to pull out my camera so I could get a picture.  Our favorite dish by far was the Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Garbanzo Beans. The fish was perfectly executed  and wrapped beautifully around a mousse with the skin served as a crackling on the side.  We savored every bite of this dish cleaning our plates completely.  And when the dish was sent back to the kitchen, the waiter had to assure the chef that food had actually been served on the plate.  As each course progressed into a more elaborate story of protein, vegetable and grain, the wine pairings seemed to matched beautifully.  I don’t know if I truly appreciated the beverage tasting menu, there were a few drinks I did not enjoy, but found the Muscat grape juice to be my absolute favorite.

Tasmanian Ocean Trout

As we neared the finish line of our grand menu I was excited to see what the chef had created in place of my potential duck and veal.  However, I believe I suffered a mild food coma at this point in the meal and thus, the fish that replaced my duck eludes me.  But my final dish, grilled salmon with porcini mushrooms, fit in nicely with the degustation menu.  Our desserts were beautiful, but we just did not enjoy the black olives with our dish of candied kumquats and meringue. We actually thought, perhaps, that kalamatas may have paired better.  But the lavender custard with honeycomb and black tea was my favorite dessert served that evening, excluding the tiny gelantinous squares that were spread across the plate.   Delicate macarons arranged in a row with the check marked our finish.

Our Thoughts

We enjoyed the progression of unique dishes that the chef provided and the way they personalized the menu according to our needs and desires.  Some courses were amazing, while others seemed to have just too many ingredients on the plate.  We were very impressed with how well each wine complimented the meal and even heightened the taste of each course.  The beverage tasting menu also created an interesting pairing of ingredients and although I was not a fan of every drink, each made me think and wonder what was exactly done to create the taste.

All in all, its hard to justify the expense of an experience such as this without feeling a little gluttonous. This is not a restaurant for the frugal (unless you too received a hefty gift certificate) or for those who enjoy low key, local spots. This is a place to recognize a chef, a restaurant and a concept that put Chicago on the map for gourmet dining.

Charlie Trotter’s | 816 West Armitage Chicago, Illinois 60614 | 773 248-6228

Shopping for kitchen appliances for us is kind of like shopping for a new car.  We have those mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement that race through our mind…should we…do we really need it…. only its a mixer not a car.   We know the basics of what we’re looking for i.e. a KitchenAid Mixer, have read all the reviews, and even have a general color in mind.  The next step is simply making the trip to William Sonoma.  As we approach the store for the first time we peruse the shelves taking note of each make and model available.  Before an employee has a chance to pounce on our sale, we escape to review the information we have collected and compare with other KitchenAid dealers in the general area.  Then we form our consensus and decide to return to William Sonoma.  We select our model and color and check to see if we need any upgrades…  sausage stuffer, food grinder, citrus juicer?  We decide on a pasta roller set, complete our purchase and return home with the image of homemade pasta floating in our heads.

Pasta Beginnings

Now since we purchased a KitchenAid MIXER, one might think that you would want to use it to mix your dough.  However, George being the purist that he is insisted we make pasta the natural way by creating well inside 3.5 cups of flour and adding 4 eggs, a pinch of salt and some garlic powder.  The basic premise is that you use a fork and gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs forming a homogenous dough.  It seems easy enough, but required a bit more patience then George had expected.  Maybe it was because we did not use Semolina flour, but there appeared to be a moisture imbalance that made it quite difficult to roll into flat sheets.  We added a tablespoon of water which seemed to help.

We eventually incorporated all of the eggs into the dough and prepared our KitchenAid pasta roller attachment so that we could turn our dough into flat sheets of pasta similar to those used for lasagna.  We ran one sheet through each setting, until we reached the the correct width of pasta we desired.

Homemade Pasta Dough

With a long flat piece of dough resting over my arm we switched attachments to the spaghetti cutter and preceded to run the thin dough through the blades creating our very first homemade pasta.  Honestly, I was surprised at how easy it was to make pasta dough.  Sure it was a little messy with the flour well and eggs, but it took only about 20 minutes to prepare this dough and run it through the attachment.  The only difficulty for me was that I didn’t prepare a place to cut the long sheets of dough into smaller sheets.  Thus, when it was time to change the attachment to cut the pasta into spaghetti.  I was running around with a pasta dough sheet the length of a towel on my arm until G was able of change the attachment for me.

Our next step was putting the pasta to use in a Frutti Di Mare.

Flat Pasta Sheet into Spaghetti

We dropped the pasta into boiling water and checked a few noodles every couple of minutes until they reached al dente.  Fresh pasta cooks much faster then dry, and if you’re not careful you’ll end up with a pot full of mushy noodles.  We sweated some onions and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes and added shrimp, mussels, clams and squid a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.  After about 10 minutes as the clams began to open we added our pasta. Tossed everything together and a minute later filled our bowls and began to eat.

Note:  If you’re cooking for two, cut recipe in half as the amount of pasta we made would have fed four people!

Frutti di Mare