It’s an addiction that seems to only get worse with time.  Especially during the summer months, when guests from all over the United States end up in Chicago and at my mere suggestion attempt to share 4-8 short ribs with me.  Korean BBQ, two-three times per week became a perfectly normal occurrence and before I knew it, I was hooked.  My husband decided to place an intervention one night after a grilling binge that resulted in a string of kalbi scented burps.  To decrease my reliance on San Soo Gab San, he was going to create our own Korean BBQ.  But who am I kidding… we have tried many other recipes before, but nothing could stop my trips… well until we stumbled upon Maangchi…

Marinating Short Ribs

We found the marinade recipe here and used a suggested modification by adding a 1/2 a cup of mirin instead of the water.  This may be a little sweet for some, so you could use a 1/4 cup of mirin and 1/4 cup water if you prefer.  We placed our thinly sliced organic beef short rib in the bag and left it to marinate in the fridge for a few hours and focused our efforts on creating a few banchan, the equally addicting small side dishes that accompany any good Korean barbeque.  We opted to try another of Maangchi’s recipe for marinated tofu, our usual pickled daikon with Korean chili peper, and pickled okra.

Korean BBQ with Banchan

After about three hours we removed our marinated meat from the fridge and headed to the grill where we conducted our own open-air Korean BBQ on our balcony.  While I flipped the meat over and over on the grill I realized now I had control over my addiction.  I can make it everyday! Okay… maybe I’m not clean yet, but I’m gettin’ there.

Into the Wine Caves of Laguardia

In the last couple of years I visited many wineries, tasted thousands of wines, and worked in four different wine countries. The more I learn about wine, the more passionate I become about this beautiful product. You can read hundreds of books about wine, but it will never be the same as going to a wine region, seeing the vineyard, visiting the cellar where the grapes are transformed into wine, and tasting each wine with the local food. This belief is what made me travel to the vineyards in France, Germany, South Africa, and lately to Spain. Nowadays, I live in Spain, specifically, San Sebastian where I work as a wine tour guide for a small company called San Sebastian Food.

I am excited to share my knowledge and passion with you!  I will post stories about wine and answer any questions you may have.  I really don’t have the intention to turn you into a wine snob. With my stories I want to make wine and the wine making process more understandable and therefore more enjoyable. There are many subjects I can write about, so please let me know if you have any questions, I am keen on answering them!

Hake Fish, Clams, and kokotxas

We followed her to the kitchen where we met our chef and instructor, Haritz.  My birthday gift today was a Basque Country cooking class!  After our introductions, the fish monger arrived carrying a bag of proteins to be used over the next 3 hours of cooking.  This included hake fish filets, clams, and kokotxas.  So what is hake or kokotxas?  Ok… Hake is the a member of the cod family, a mild-flavored fish used often in Basque cuisine. This fish has been integral to Basque Country cuisine and its history; however, over-fishing has now seriously threatened its population. We are told that consumers should be aware that some fisherman will try to sell the immature fish.  These fish taken young will never have the chance to mature and replenish the population. Ok… so off of my save the hake soap box… The kokotxas(cocochas in spanish) are the chin of the hake and a costly delicacy that would be served with our hake fish filets.  Haritz explained what we would be doing over the next few hours and then put George and I to work chopping up onions and popping the seeds out of Cubanel peppers that would provide the basis for Arroza Txirlekin(Arroz con Almejas Plato/Rice with Clams Dish). As our chef flew around the kitchen in a calm organized chaos, I strained my novice ears trying to keep up with his rapid spanish.  I gathered dessert was next as he pulled out some dough, and a quick look to Biki confirmed we were going to make a pantxineta.  The pantxineta is a traditional dessert of the Basque Country, and its creation starts with milk and a cinnamon stick on the burner which will be used as the filling.  My next task was to roll out the puff pastry.  As George watched me unsuccessfully roll the dough due to my light touch and constant fear of an unrisen dessert, Haritz came to my rescue, efficiently completing an almost failed mission.  Since I had been distracted by dessert I hadn’t noticed that our clam and rice dish has been completed.  What an amazing chef!

Hake in a Green Sauce

The final step in my birthday meal was the Legatza Saltsan (Merluza en Salsa Verde/Hake in a Green Sauce).  This classic dish of Basque Country started with rinsed and seasoned hake fish filets placed in olive oil, and garlic in a beautiful brown casserole dish. Now, salsa verde may sound misleading for those of us more familiar with the Mexican version.  But in Basque Country,  salsa verde is composed of olive oil, white wine, minced parsley, and garlic.  It took some time for my feeble mind to wrap around the idea, but as the aromatic garlic and parsley began to overwhelm my senses I thought… who needs tomatillos anyways…   The chef added white wine, clams and kokotxas to the casserole dish completing the sauce and letting the flavors mingle.  If you are in San Sebastian and looking for a good local white wine, txacoli is what you’ll need for cooking or drinking.  As the finishing touches were added to the dishes we ventured upstairs into the dining room where we began our meal with a glass of txacoli poured from high into our glasses in order to introduce oxygen into the naturally carbonated libation.

Pantxineta

This meal was perfect.  In fact… it was my favorite meal of the whole trip.  And the pantxineta happened to be the best “birthday cake” I’ve had in a few years… It even beat out my Jean George’s birthday cake in Bora Bora.  Thank you, Haritz, Biki and A Taste of Spain for teaching us traditional dishes that have a place in the hearts and homes of the Basque people.

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

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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