Things That I'm Into: Rutabagas!

I've never cooked w/ rutabagas before because a) their name sounds gross and b) there are so many other delicious winter root vegetables that I figured it wasn't worth the risk. BUT then I saw this recipe for "Cornish Pasties" (I know..) in Vegetarian Times (someone more patient than I wrote it out on the internetz here). So I tried them out. And guess what?! Not scary, and, in fact, delicious.

 

 

 

 

 Only a few more weeks of winter root vegetable eating... I can't wait for spring vegetables!

Things That I'm Into: Sultan's Market

My VERY FAVORITE lunch in the entire city of chicago. I love the crap out of Sultan's.  I can't believe its taken me this long to declare my love strong and loud on this blog. The proper order is a falafil sandwich extra spicy. If you are especially hungry then add a cup of lentil soup. The end.

http://chicagofalafel.com/
There is one in wicker park and in lincoln park. Booyah.

Also, the dudes that work there are rad. 

Things That I'm Into: Pop Up Dinners

Deets and I went to Fritz Pastry for a valentines-themed vegetarian "pop up restaurant."* It had seven courses, five of which were dessert. Yup. The menu was as followed:

Course One: Fennel Soup and Salad Sandwich

Entree: Creamy Polenta and Veggie Ragout

Dessert Amuse: Lemon

Fruit One: Dreamsicle Vacherin

 

Fruit Two: Tropical Fruit Tapioca

Chocolate One: Black Forest

Chocolate Two: Chocolate Cereal

 

 

 

Mingardises: Four bite-size reminders of the flavors we had above.

 

All in all, it was amazing, and I really liked the pop-up dinner experience. It wasn't too expensive ($40) for how much food it was and how good it was, it was BYOB, and it had a fun experimental-ish vibe. Plus, it was the day before valentine's day, so on the actual day we could make a HEART SHAPED PIZZA.

 

Cause what says love more than a heart shaped pizza?

* A pop up restaurant, according to Mr. Howard Portney of NY Restaurant Examiner, is explained on the interwebs as: "So far as I know, the term pop-up originated in San Francisco, with the restaurant Lung Shan, in the city's Mission District. Most days, Lung Shan is a nondescript Chinese restaurant that does a hum-drum business, but two days a week it metamorphoses into Mission Street Food, a serious restaurant with serious chefs cooking for serious customers. Such an arrangement creates a venue for aspiring young chefs, who can ply their trade without the monumental investment that starting up a restaurant normally entails. Pop-ups not only provide a stage for talented chefs but inject needed lifeblood into struggling restaurants whose kitchens are underused much of the time." Link here.

Things That I'm Into: Sports Mascot-Shaped Cookies

The Bears lost anyway. Oh well. Viva los Packers!

Things That I'm Into: Raclette

Okay, so imagine a deliciously creamy and salty cheese with the perfect amount of flavor. Then imagine that it was slow cooked over a camp fire so it got all deliciously melty and some of the bits got wonderfully crispy. Then imagine this cooked cheese was put on a sandwich with fresh baked bread and served with a stone ground mustard and pickles.

Pastoral Cheese shop in Chicago makes this sandwich, which they dub the "Raclette N Roll." This is how their blog describes the cheese making process:

Raclette has its origins in the southern part of Switzerland, but the name is based on the French word racleur which means “to scrape.” The first people to discover the deliciousness of this cheese in melty form were the cow herders who worked high on the mountains. For dinner they would take some Raclette and warm it by the fire until it turned soft and gooey. Then they would scrape the cheese on to foods like potatoes, pickles, or charcuterie. See http://pastoralartisanblog.com/2011/01/19/raclette-week-is-here/.

Here are some pics of the sandwich before it was devoured:

You probably can't even imagine how delicious it is, so I'll just tell you. AMAZING. This is definitely the best new sandwich I've been introduced to since 2004 when I was introduced to the Bay Cities Caprese in Santa Monica, CA. Best sandwich in SEVEN YEARS, people!

You can get it at Pastoral, on Broadway and in the Loop and at Union Station through March 31st. (If I was a better blogger, I would link, but you guys all know how to use google.)

Viva la Fromage!

Things That I'm Into: Coffee & Tea Exchange

Since we've been back in Chicago I've been trying to buy our spices in bulk. They are way cheaper and that way you don't have the waste a glass or plastic container each time you get new spices.

It helps that we have this really cute spice/tea/coffee store right in our hood called the "Coffee & Tea Exchange." It smells amazing and the people who work there are really nice about crawling up to the top shelves to get you a spice.

Buying spices in bulk is also awesome because you can buy a small amount. You aren't supposed to keep spices for that long (< year), so if you are like me and know you will never use an entire jar of "mace" in a year, you can just get a little.

I have this sinking feeling that maybe the people at the shop don't follow the less than a year spice rule, but I'm  just going to live in a happy oblivion about that...

Anyway, into it.

Things That I'm Into: Favorite Fall Recipes

I've been trying out lots of recipes to cook fall veggies from our CSA. There have been some serious hits and some serious misses. Here are some of the hits:

Acorn Squash stuffed with Wild Rice. 

 Braised pumpkin with tomato sauce.  (Bittman, How to Cook Everything)

Butternut Squash Gratin w/ Rosemary Breadcrumbs. 

Then lots of pumpkin baked goods with the fresh pumpkin puree made from pie pumpkins. Did you know that Illinois is the pie pumpkin capital of the world? Now you know.

Fav Pumpkin Bread recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Bread-840

And this DELICIOUS Butternut Squash soup recipe. It has cider and tart apples. We don't keep sour cream around these parts, but we used yogurt and it was really good. I make a lot of butternut squash soups, and I think this is my favorite I've ever made.  It's really similar to the vegetarian times recipe from this month, which is from the Greens in SF, but with less fancy ingredients.

I've also been making Duffy's Yuxiang Eggplant recipe which is amazing and I'm sure she'll share if you ask her nicely.

I love fall flavors!

Things That I'm Into: Fall Days

Apple picking + pumpkin picking + doughnuts + cider + pie + football + butternut squash soup.  As certain friends of mine would say, definitely a "cozure" (seizure of cozyness). 

I can't really think of a better way to spend a sunday.  

Things That I'm Into: That Time Between Summer and Fall

A Pumpkin, Acorn Squash, and a WATERMELON (!?!) all from our CSA last week. Summer, Fall and Winter all in one produce box.  

Things That I'm Into: Padron Peppers

So you are supposed to eat Padron peppers by frying in olive oil then sprinkling with sea salt, and eating them whole.  SUPPOSEDLY they are generally pretty mild but wikipedia says that about 1 in 10 can be spicy.

I don't know if it is the climate here compared to spain, but our experience (and the friends we have subjected this painful experience to) is that maybe 1 in 10 of the ones growing in our garden is mild. The rest are painfully, painfully spicy. But still delicious. 

(C before she was in pain.)

(V in pain. Lots of pain.)

Things That I'm Into: August Asian-Inspired Meal

So apparently this blog is on a food kick? Sorry about that. Will get back to other nonsense soon, promise.

We've been getting Kohlrabi in our CSA, and didn't even know enough about it (like, um, its name) to google it to find out about it. Luckily Chrystal used to work at a nursery and knows lots of smart things about plants, including what Kohlrabi is and how to prepare it. Especially when it is super hot out and you don't want to cook much. Turns out it tastes like Jicama (to me).  Delicious and refreshing. 

Menu:

Kohlrabi/Cucumber Salad with Soy Sauce Maple Dressing. 

Kohlrabi Greens Chips

Siracha Hummos (a revelation! definitely making this again)

No-knead bread

Things That I'm Into: Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes on the Grill

Saw these on this food blog awhile ago, but I believe it is adapted from Martha Stewart (as many good things are). Matt and I are pretty obsessed with these now, having made them about three or four times on the grill in in the last month.

If you like salt and vinegar potato chips, I would STRONGLY recommend trying these out.  The first time we did it we used white wine vinegar, since we were kind of scared of using just plain white vinegar (since it kind of seems like a cleaning product sometimes instead of a food product).

Now we just use white vinegar, since it is cheaper, and it is still delicious.  The outsides get so crispy on the grill and the insides are tangy and delicious. SO into them.

Things That I'm Into: Eggless Egg Salad

I'm not sure if this looks gross to those that don't eat tofu on a regular basis, but it was SO GOOD I had to share. Adopted via Vegetarian Times via Red Lentil restaurant in Watertown, Mass.

1 pkg Tofu, drained and cut into four slabs.

1.5 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 Tbsp Cider vinegar

1 Tbsp Rice vinegar

1 Tbsp Maple syrup

1 Clove garlic

1/4 cup chopped green pepper (I also added some spicy pepper)

1/4 cup mayo (I just made Mark Bittman's)

1/8 cup chopped red onion

1/8 cup chopped golden raisens

1/2 Tbsp tumeric

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp lemon

(p.s. the recipe said to add celery, but, um, gross in my opinion)

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegars, syrup and garlic in bowl. Pour soy sauce mixture over tofu in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes. Cool.

3. Crumble baked tofu. Stir in remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Eat all week long, on bread or plain.

(the pictures in vegetarian times are so much prettier. I could never be a food blogger, my pictures are dumps city). 

Things That I'm Into: Ugly but Delicious Food

Ugliest quiche I've ever made.

Still delicious though. (Mark Bittman's Cheese Quiche + Garden Pesto).

Things That I'm Into: (Balcony) Farm to Table

Salsa w/ Serrano Peppers from Garden:

Hummus w/ Thai Basil Pesto from Garden:

Salad w/ Lettuce from Garden:

Mmmm.

Things That I'm Into: Bi-Rite Creamery

Yes, along with all the other hipsters/yuppies/humans in San Francisco, I'm pretty into Bi-Rite Ice Cream. Even though we had to wait ten minutes in line. Totally worth it. LOOK at these flavor choices:

I had Brown Sugar Ginger and Cookies and Cream (which Bay Area resident Laura assured me was the best).

Dining companions:

Now if it was only warm enough in San Francisco that you didn't have to wear sweatshirts and scarfs while eating your ice cream....

Things That I'm Into: Late June Meal

Summer Gazpacho + Kale & Garlic Scape Pesto (it might sound gross, but surprise! it isn't) + Quinoa + Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Salad + Spiced Rum Mojitos.

The Cooking:

The Eating: