In the wake of John and Cindy McCain's "family" recipe blunder, here are some of the other candidates' favorite dishes- Food detectives solve your kitchen mysteries, from the Puzzle of the Unmelting Mac 'n Cheese to the Riddle of the Ooey Gooey Zucchini Bread
- Food TV's Hearty Boys dish about their two year-old son, Nate, who, despite his parents' food-centric lifestyle, is a picky eater. (Read their tips on how to get your own picky eater to eat).
- A short history on fricassee
- Check out the winners of the paper's 8th Annual Good Eating Awards, which features businesses around the Chicago area who have contributed significantly to the food scene
Posts with tag Chicago
The Chicago Tribune in 60 seconds: Food blunders and candidate's family recipes
What's that Spike smells? Overcooked egos
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!In last night's episode of Top Chef, teams created dishes to serve at a block party in a Chicago neighborhood. First things first: This was one intense block party. We're talking moon bounce and dunk tanks. In fact, now that I think about it, the food didn't even look like the best thing there.
Chicago Tribune in 60 Seconds: Olive Oil, Seafood, and Community Cooking
Leading the charge at the Tribune is olive oil, with recipes for Orange salad with olives and cilantro and Peppery red aioli. Also, Five countries, five oils, What to look for in olive oils, and Chicago-area sources.
If you feel like fish, there is advice on what types of seafood are in season and a recipe for Pan-seared halibut with shaved fennel, watercress and radish.
Also in the kitchen, community cookbooks are a treasure trove, pork medallions are good for the planet, white anchovies, tarragon,and lemons are a yellow marvel.
Top Chef: Wake me up for elimination
(Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!)Just like Nikki's blueberry-stuffed mushrooms, last night's episode of Top Chef was forgettable. We all guessed that Valerie would be sent home during the first three minutes of the show, when she received a disproportionate amount of airtime to discuss her friendship with competitor Stephanie. Why does the editing always give it away? (I know, I know: We get to know her and then feel sad when she leaves, yawn). So there weren't many surprises, but there's still plenty to discuss.
Foie gras in Maryland? For now
Maryland state legislators have stepped away from a bill that could have banned foie gras in the state. Key legislators withdrew support after the bill's hearing March 4th, despite a legion of animal rights activists pushing for the bill. Apparently, the legislators decided that it was not their place to intervene.Maryland isn't the first state to toy with the idea of banning foie gras -- similar battles have been staged in Philadelphia, Chicago (which successfully banned it) and California (where selling or raising it will be illegal by 2012). Anyone care to weigh in -- should governments step in to ban foie gras?
Charlie Trotter teams up with United Airlines
Not that I've ever done it, but I've always known in-flight dining in the first-class seats is, well, classy. Now United Airlines has upped the class factor by teaming with Charlie Trotter. This isn't the first time United has teamed up with a restaurant, either. Earlier this year it introduced a menu from Trader Vic's on its first-class flights to Hawaii.The famous Chicago chef has crafted two menus, one for first class and one for business class. If I were flying first class, which I expect to be doing after I win next year's James Beard award for food writing, I'd start with the sautéed prawns and crispy short rib won tons with organic Thai barbeque sauce and chilled sweet and sour cucumber relish. I think I'd follow that with orange and ginger cured duck confit with roasted shallot vinaigrette, braised fennel and hazelnut jasmine rice. The very idea of eating duck confit at cruising altitude sounds like some sort of culinary Mile High club.
In the not unlikely event that I don't win a Beard award, the business class menu ain't so bad either. I'd be more than happy to lunch on citrus cured smoked salmon with a caramelized fennel citrus salad. For a main course, I'd go with the mustard braised pork medallion.
Grant Achatz has cancer
I don't know how I didn't catch this one yesterday.Grant Achatz, chef at Chicago's Alinea, and one of the most notable young chef talents out there, reported yesterday that he has cancer. He told NY Times Dining Editor Pete Wells that he has an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth, and says the following about it via his publicist:
"I wanted to personally report that I have been very recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I have consulted several prominent physicians and will likely begin aggressive treatment within the next few weeks. I remain, and will remain, actively and optimistically engaged in operations at Alinea to the largest extent possible. Alinea will continue to perform at the level people have come to expect from us - I insist on that. I have received amazing support from friends, family, and everyone who has thus far been told of the disease, and I look forward to a full, cancer-free, recovery."
Slashfood will be thinking of you as you go through treatment and are looking forward to your full recovery, Chef Achatz!
[via: Eater]
Starbucks adding salads to menu
Though I frequent my local Starbucks more often than I probably should, I have to admit that I've never had any of their food. I'm not a big fan of wraps, and the baked goods they offer really just don't appeal to me. That said, with the addition of salads to their regular menu, I may have to bite the bullet and try them for lunch one day soon. According to one source, they will be releasing two salads nationally next week: a tomato mozzarella salad containing fresh mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes and basil, as well as a Southwestern variety containing roasted corn and black bean salad topped with grilled chicken. Apparently in the Chicago area they will be selling three different salads: a pipette pasta salad topped with white chicken, salami, smoked mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh grape tomatoes; white chicken in a Thai curry dressing on a bed of couscous; and a penne pasta salad topped with albacore tuna, sun-dried tomato pesto, Parmesan cheese, peas and sweet peppers. (Not sure why they are offering those just in Chicago - test market perhaps?)
In addition to the salads, you can also expect to see them pushing yogurt parfaits, a fruit and cheese plate, and a vegetable snack plate soon.
Chicago's some kind of food town
Frank Sinatra's classic My Kind of Town, makes several references to famous Chicago landmarks as in the line "Chicago is the Wrigley Building," I'd like to think that if Old Blue Eyes were a fan of that city's food, the tune's first line would be: "Now heartburn like this could only happen to a guy like me/And only happen in a town like this."After all, the Windy City is the inventor of deep-dish pizza and the Chicago hot dog, two gutbusters guaranteed to make you reach for the Rolaids. Today's edition of The Toledo Blade had a fascinating article on the history of these classic dishes and several others.
One of the most important features of a Chicago hot dog, apart from the truckload of toppings, is the wiener's texture, it should have a distinct snap when you bite into it. One thing that should never dress a Chicago dog is ketchup. Most everything else seems fair game, though. Chicago dogs are dressed with mustard, bright green relish, chopped onions, pickled hot peppers, tomato slices and dill pickles. The one optional ingredient is celery salt, which goes back to the days when the city was a big producer of celery.
I must confess that Chicago's other claim to culinary fame, deep-dish pizza, doesn't rank very high on my list. Nevertheless, it was interesting to learn that what I consider to be a horrible pie was first served at Riccardo's in 1943, and that Pizzeria Uno was started by that restaurant's liquor manager.
It's not delivery, it's DiGiorno...Ultimate
Kraft Foods has announced they are ready to launch the latest addition to the DiGiorno pizza line - the DiGiorno Ultimate. Complete with toppings such as imported Italian cheeses, capicolla ham and Genoa salami, julienne strips of red onion and green and red peppers, and a new rising thin crust, they are hoping that consumers will be willing to "trade up" due to our ever-increasing desire for premium products. It has been 10 years since they launched the original brand, and of course from a business standpoint I understand why they keep releasing new products, but do we, as consumers, really need yet another frozen pizza to choose from? Though the toppings sound delicious and they are positioning the product as a "super-premium offering", I have to wonder if this is really something all that different from what is available now.
The pizza will be launched in Chicago next weekend followed by other Midwestern cities, and will reach national distribution by summer.
A new chef in Chicago
Chicago is turning into quite the dining mecca these days - although fans of the city will certainly say that it has always been a source of good eats - with excellent options at all levels, from the comfort of deep-dish pizza to highly innovative molecular gastronomy concepts. A new face is about to enter the dining scene there, bringing something to the dining scene that London, Las Vegas, Tokyo, New York and several other cities already enjoy: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Joel Robuchon, who is (arguably) one of the greatest chefs of our time, will be opening the seventh L'Atelier later this year.
The restaurant is known for offering an upscale take on comfort food - complete with a dining counter - a dining counter that serves dishes that far exceed anything you'll find at a diner elsewhere.
Slashfood Bowl: Italian beef sandwiches
I almost neglected to mention these sandwiches when I made my list of Chicago food, but fortunately a reader reminded me of them yesterday. I drove through Chicago last summer and had the absolute pleasure of trying one of these for the first time. I am going to explain my interpretation of the sandwich, but it is important to note I am not an expert on it. Like most things, I'm sure everyone has their own opinion or style of making it so feel free to let us know your recommendations or adjustments in the comments section. The Bun: The one I had was a white, Italian crusty roll which held up well against the moisture of the sandwich. You don't want something soft like a regular hot dog bun because it will just turn into mush.
It's 106 miles to Chicago...
Ok, it's actually a lot farther than 106 miles to Chicago from where I sit, but let's get past the semantics, shall we? As Sarah mentioned last night, the annual Slashfood battle of the Super Bowl cities has begun and I'm pretty sure I drew the longer straw. Game on, Sarah!I think it's a given that certain well-known foods from Chicago will be making my list (really, how could they not?) but I'm working on mixing it up as well. Expect to see not only the finest the Windy City has to offer, but also some original creations I've come up with that were inspired by the Chicago Bears themselves.
So Bears fans, get yourselves ready for a week-long tailgate party. We'll have food, we'll have drinks, we'll have dessert. By the time Sunday rolls around, you should be completely ready to throw a Chicago-style Super Bowl party yourself!
Help me support the Colts
Alright, Slashfoodies. The challenge is on. It's Super Bowl week, and one of the things that was so much fun last year this time was exploring each contending teams' city's foods. We couldn't have had a better matchup last year - Seattle (oysters, salmon, Pike's Place Market) vs. Pittsburgh (Polish sausage and pierogi).
This year, Joanne, who will be rooting for the Bears, has it easy with Chicago. I mean come on. She could just talk about not eating foie gras all week! However, while it makes my heart beat with all kinds of love and joy that Peyton Manning will be leading the Colts in the big game, do you know how hard it is to come up with Indianapolis foods instead of say, oh New England Clam Chowder?!?!
So, Slashfoodies, I need your help in putting together some foods that scream "Go Colts!" Please, no horsemeat, okay?
Chicago restaurants continue to duck foie gras ban
Just before New Year's Eve we learned from Nicole that several eateries in the Windy City intended to transform themselves into duckeasies to ring in the new year. That's right, they planned on serving foie gras in spite of the city's recent ban on the sale of the luxurious liver.
Yesterday I read that several Chicago restaurants and specialty markets are continuing to flout the ban. At Hot Doug's, a gourmet sausage store, the owner continues to sell foie gras and has framed his warning letter as a point of pride.
While some restaurants such as Sweets & Savories continue to openly sell foie gras, others have devised creative ways to fly under the radar as it were. Rumor has it that ordering the "special lobster" at several restaurants will help you score a plate of the banned delicacy.
And the award for the most straightforward way to skirt the ban goes to Bin 36, which also has the dubious honor of being the only eatery inspected to date. It seems the restaurant wasn't actually selling foie gras, it was giving it away. Well, not quite giving it away. The menu offered a complimentary foie gras terrine with its wild mushroom confit salad. The inspectors neglected to ask whether the salad would cost as much without the terrine. As anyone who's ever purchased any foie gras can tell you, it wouldn't.
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