No More Christmas!

Thank goodness Christmas is over! I don't think I could take another week of the same songs played over and over when you're shopping. It's really enough to drive someone crazy!

Anyway, I've been in a cooking frenzy the past couple of weeks. Here's a rundown of what was prepared in my house since my last post:

French Onion Soup
Homemade Egg Nog
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Orange Apricot Syrup
Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Cherry Pie

And last night we cooked the turkey breast we were going to have on Christmas until we were invited to a friends house. So last night was roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots. A rather easy but very tasty meal.

So here's the recipe for the French Onion Soup. I got it from Cooks Illustrated (and I'm going to try to recite it from memory because I don't have the recipe in front of me):

Ingredients:

6 Yellow Onions (about 4 lbs. Don't use Vidalia Walla Wallas as they will be too sweet)
4 TB butter
2 Cups Water (plus more to deglaze)
1/2 Cup Dry White Sherry
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Beef Broth
6 Thyme Sprigs tied together with twine
1 bay leaf

And for serving:

1 Loaf Crusty French Bread
1 Hunk Gruyere Cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large dutch oven, add butter. Peel and half onions and then slice into thin to medium thin slices and add to the dutch oven. Place dutch oven covered in the oven on the lowest rack and cook for 1 hour. Remove dutch oven and stir onions and scrape any fond off the bottom of the pot. The onions should have reduced to half their size. Leave the lid slightly open and place dutch oven back in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring the onions after the first hour.

remove pot from the oven and place over a medium high burner and reduce any of the liquids that are in the pan. scrape any fond on the sides and bottom of the pot. Once the liquid has reduced and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown, add 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the pan. Reduce the water and then deglaze again. Repeat this process one more time with the water and then add the sherry and deglaze again. Once the sherry has reduced, add the broths, water thyme and bay leaf and simmer for 1/2 hour. While this is happening, slice bread in 1/2 inch pieces and put on a cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.

After the soup has simmered for 1/2 hour, remove thyme and bay leaf. Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. place bread on top of soup and grate cheese on top. place in the oven and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Food is Good

It was a small crowd last Saturday night because the weather was kind of bad and other things happening. So the participants were Antonio and Lynn, Dave and Maggie and me.

First course was my asparagus soup. It was OK, but I think it's much better when asparagus is in season.

Next course, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) and pan seared steak. Both fantastic plates.
Last but not least, dessert. Maggie and Dave made chocolate ice cream with bittersweet chocolate. So good, so rich! I brought some little Italian cookies from the deli that accented the flavor of the ice cream.

All that, along with bread that Dave and Maggie made, cheeses, olives, and lots of wine. Oh, and Bacardi Raz and sour mix - yikes!

Except for the soup, I don't have the recipes to the other items. As I get them, I will post them.

DECEMBER FOOD CLUB!

The December 2007 edition of The Food Club will meet tomorrow at Antonio's house. As of right now, no menu has been discussed. But if previous meetings have any indications, the food will be good, dinner will be late (we once sat down to eat at 2AM one time - everyone was too tired to eat!) and the wine will be flowing.

Pictures and recipes to follow... Stay tuned.

Hearty Soup For A Cold Weekend

Since it was pretty bad out this weekend, I decided to take the opportunity to make a soup from the leftover ham hock I had from Thanksgiving.

This recipe is from Cooks Country:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Ham Steak (I used leftover ham), cubed
1 -2 Smoked Ham Hocks (I didn't use smoked)
1 Onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low sodium chick broth (I used chicken stock)
6 cups water
1 lb. navy beans, soaked overnight
fresh thyme for garnish

Over medium heat, heat oil in dutch oven until it starts to smoke. Add cubed ham and cook until brown, around 3 minutes. Add aromatic vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) and cook until soft, around 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds.

Add broth, water and beans and cook until it starts to thicken, around 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Garnish with thyme and serve.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

OK, the pulled pork came out really good, so here's the recipe:

3 lbs of pork shoulder
1 can (14 oz) of diced tomatoes
1 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Heaping Tbsp red pepper flake
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt

Add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

In my instance, I used a leaner cut of pork, so I ended up cooking it for around 17 hours. I then shredded it and put in in the fridge for the day. That evening, I took out what I was going to use on a sandwich and added some BBQ sauce to it and put it in a 375° oven for around 10 minutes until it was warm. I served it up with coleslaw and fries.

Happy Holidays!

So the holiday season is upon us now, and while the rest of the United States is gearing up to buy and buy some more, my wife and I are looking to reduce the amount of clutter we have in our lives. In a way it feels good to purge and get rid of that stuff that I haven't even looked at in five years. Hopefully no one will buy us stuff to take it's place!

Last night I made my first attempt at a slow cooked pulled pork. I recently purchased a new slow cooker (the new ones are great - very easy cleaning). The plan was to have sandwiches last night, but because we did not get back from Chicago until late, I did not get it started in time to have it for dinner that night. I also used a leaner cut of pork (the butcher was out of boston butt) that required additional cooking time. When I checked it at 11PM last night, it wasn't quite right, so I let it cook through the night - almost 17 hours of cooking! When I woke up this morning, the meat just fell apart. I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Provided it came out good, I'll post the recipe in the near future.

How Long?

So it's been a couple of months since I've put anything up. The Fire were doing really bad, but now with Cuatemoc Blanco on the team things have turned around (or so it seems). I also went to Ecuador on vacation (I'll have a lot to talk about on that subject - the food was very interesting!). Right now though I have to get back to work, so I will write something up later tonight...

¡Ché, vamos al fútbol!

Like I said in a previous post, the football season has started. Opening day was on my birthday and it was around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. We braved it out and even managed to tailgate. If you live in the Chicago area, get to a game - it's cheap, it's fun, and they might even win. Section 8 (in reality, section 117. The name is a reference to section 8 in Soldier's Field where the supporters were at when The Fire played there) is where we are - come over and join in!

Anyway, I got a new gas grill for this years tailgating season and I plan on being a little more adventurous in my tailgate cooking. There's a home game this weekend - we'll see how it goes.

So it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I got the pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen Aid from my mother-in law. On Sunday night, I made ravioli and last night I made tortellini.

I made two types of ravioli - cheese filled and roasted mushroom and onion filled. The cheese filling was easy:

1 cup of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped parsley

I mixed them well and put in the refrigerator to firm up.

For the other stuffing I used a recipe I found from the food channel's website:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound portobello mushrooms cubed without stems
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Additional salt and pepper, to taste
Additional olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour olive oil into a skillet and saute onions and garlic for approximately 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Put the mixture in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Once cooked, place the mushroom mixture in a food processor. Add parsley and additional salt and pepper to taste. Then, while machine is running, add enough olive oil to make a smooth filling. Process until pasty, or chunky depending on preference.

There were no portobello mushrooms at the store, so I used white ones instead.

I must say, for my first attempt at creating raviolis from scratch, they came out pretty well. If I could change one thing, I would have rolled out the dough a little thinner ( I think I used a 5 setting instead of going all the way to 8).

I'll post the recipe for potato tortellini later.

So, It's Been Awhile...

It's been incredibly busy lately so I have not had much time to post. And with the football season starting two weekends ago, I have not visited many restaurants in the area. I did hit one place last Friday:

FRANCHSCOS LOUNGE
2404 S PERRYVILLE RD
ROCKFORD, IL 61108-8231
(815)332-4992

This place is supposed to be an institution in the Rockford food scene. Everyone I've talked to who lives in Rockford always asks, "have you ever ate at Franchscos? It's great!" So my wife and I were at a bar and were hungry and a friend suggested Franchscos. She said they have a band there on Fridays and Saturdays. Not in the best of moods and not feeling too adventurous, I went with the old trusty chicken parmigiana and my wife had the cheese ravioli. The chicken was not too bad: a nice breading with a good layer of mozzarella. The red sauce had a little heat to it which I liked. It wasn't your typical bland red sauce. I guess my wife liked the ravioli because there was none left when she was done.

It's not a bad place if you want to take someone out on a date or have a nice dinner with a bottle of wine. If I had my choice though, I would probably choose Lenos - a greater selection (the special salad there is the best!) and the prices are better as well. Overall though, I really liked it.

Sunday Dinner

Chicken Kabobs with Lemon and Oregano

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or
thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 Asian eggplant, cut crosswise into slices
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch
squares
1 yellow onion, halved, separated into layers and
cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges



In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, wine, oil, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken, eggplant, bell pepper and onion. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare an indirect-heat fire in a covered grill. Place 8 wooden skewers in water to cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

When the fire is hot, drain the skewers and thread the chicken, eggplant, bell pepper and onion pieces onto them, alternating the pieces and dividing them equally. Place on the perimeter of the grill rack directly over the fire. Grill, turning the skewers once or twice, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes total. Move the skewers to the center of the grill rack so they are not directly over the fire. Cover the grill, open the vents halfway, and cook, turning the skewers occasionally, until the chicken is opaque throughout and the juices run clear and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Transfer the skewers to a warmed platter or individual plates and serve with the lemon wedges. Serves 4.

From Williams-Sonoma

Asparagus Soup

1 pound asparagus 6 cups chicken stock or canned broth 1/2 cup minced shallot 1 potato, grated Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste Plain low-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream for garnish Grated lemon peel for garnish Snipped fresh dill for garnish Peel and trim the asparagus, reserving the trimmings. In a large saucepan bring stock or broth to a simmer, add trimmings and let stand 15 minutes. Rinse spears, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2 pieces, reserving tips. Strain stock or broth into a large saucepan and add the asparagus stalks, shallot, potato and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until asparagus is tender. Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch the asparagus tips until just tender, drain and refresh. In a food processor or blender puree the soup in batches until smooth, correct seasoning and return to saucepan. Heat until hot. To serve: ladle soup into bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips, yogurt, lemon peel and dill.

From The Food Network

Rio's D'Sudamerica

2010 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 276-0170
Website

I was excited about going to this restaurant because a friend of mine lives about a block away and I've watched them build it. The space is pretty large with amazing murals of Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. We had a reservation for 9 pm, but we ended up waiting about 15 minutes for a table. That was OK, we opened a bottle of wine and had some nice conversation.

This is not your typical South American restaurant. The menu was a fusion of all the tastes of South America. I ordered the pollo al carbón (grilled chicken breast)

and my fellow diners ordered the currasco (steak)

the beef brochette

and the arroz con mariscos.

The fun started when our server was so kind to offer one small roll per person. I would have expected to at least get a basket of rolls and we had to ask for more. After what seemed like forever for our meal to arrive, I was surprised to see that the Argentinian chorizo that came with my chicken was actually Polish sausage! I'm talking Hillshire Farms Polish sausage! I don't know if they ran out, or were hoping that the diners would not know sausage from Argentina was. I also asked for some chimichurri salsa for my chicken and our server returned with a bowl the size of a thimble with it.

Overall the meal was OK. Maybe they are trying to cater to the upscale diners of Bucktown, but I believe that if they stuck to the basics of South American cooking (beans and rice, platano, pollo al ajo), they would do just as well, if not better. The one plus of the restaurant is it's BYOB, so you save a bit on alcohol costs. If I had my choice though, I would go to El Nandu or Las Tablas. They are much more authentic and a much better value.

Saffron Bistro

6164 E Riverside Blvd.
Rockford, IL
815-877-0300

We happened to stumble upon the Saffron Bistro accidentally last Friday. At a wine tasting, the shop owner mentioned having the Moroccan restaurant in town cater his next tasting. Anyone that knows anything about Rockford, Illinois knows that the choices in restaurants are limited at best. You're pretty much stuck with the typical chain restaurants. After hearing about it, I had to go.

Arriving around 9 PM, we managed to avoid most of the rush. The restaurant was average size, about 15-20 tables. The wine list was average with around 15 bottles on the menu. I ordered the beef brochette, and my fellow diners ordered the baked salmon and the lamb chops. The meal started with a bowl of cream of asparagus soup which was light and extremely tasty and satisfying and inspired me to make my own asparagus soup later on over the weekend. The beef was served with asparagus spears and a bed of saffron rice. the beef was moist and tasty, but a little tough - it probably could have used to be marinated a bit more. The rice and asparagus was a fantastic compliment to the beef.

I did not have an opportunity to taste my fellow diner's meals, but I was told that they were fabulous.

Pricing was a little pricey for Rockford (the beef was $18 and the chops were $28 - they were the special that evening). Overall, the value was worth the price of the meal. On certain Fridays they even have belly dancing and tango dancers and tapas (Argentina and Spain, whatever). I plan on going back, and I recommend you try it as well.

First Post

First off, that you for reading my blog. I know you don't have to, but I am glad you did. I'm going to review the restaurants that I visit (and I visit a lot!) and let you know what is good and what is crap. Since I like to cook as well, I'm going to talk about some of the recipes that I have attempted. I hope you stick around!