If Only I'd Had a Wood-Fire Oven

Made another successful attempt at homemade pizza last night, and since it was at Ted's, of course it was a touch more... hmm... "fancy".

This time, I rolled out the dough-from-a-box until it was super-thin. Again, cooked it for about five minutes to let it set up before adding the toppings. Did a "white pizza" again, this time around using: olive oil, minced garlic, chicken, scallions, sauteed red onion, wilted spinach, sliced roma tomatoes, and a healthy smattering of freshly chopped parsley and basil. Oh yeah, all topped with mozzerella and parmesan cheeses. And then... we ate the WHOLE THING. Mmmm.

Here's a pic of the finished dish:

Soup's On!

Last night, Ted and I did a mini dinner party with our friend Ally. The theme was "soup + sandwiches... and wine (of course)". At Ted's suggestion, I made french onion soup... from scratch! Which was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. All you have to do is saute some onions & garlic, dump in several cups of beef stock, and simmer. Oh, and then ladle it out, put some toasted french bread & loads of gruyere cheese on it, and bake it until the cheese is melted. Yep, easy. Ted made AWESOME steak sandwiches, with mushrooms and chipotle mayonaise. Zesty.

Also managed to make some "trying-to-imitate-American-Flatbread" homemade pizzas for an a cappella party last night... Samir if you read this send me the pic and I'll post it!!

Here's a pic... I only have two big-enough mugs, so I had to make my FOS in a bowl. Still good though.

And here's the recipe I used, courtesy of Cooks.com:

Baked French Onion Soup

6 large white onions, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
9 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 slices white bread
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
8 slices gruyere or provolone cheese


Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove the crusts from slices of white bread. Bake bread pieces 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden and crisped. Set aside.
Sauté sliced onions in olive oil over medium heat until onions become translucent but not brown. Add minced garlic cloves to onions during last few minutes, making sure garlic does not brown.

Stir in beef broth and seasonings. Minor’s concentrated beef stock works well for this recipe. If using, follow directions on label for reconstituting. Otherwise use canned or homemade beef broth.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste adding salt and pepper as required. Remember that Parmesan cheese is salty, so don't overdo with the salt.

Ladle the soup into ovenproof serving bowls, one for each serving. Cover soup with a slice of bread. Top with Gruyère or provolone and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Place serving bowls under broiler set on high. Broil six to seven minutes or until cheese is bubbly and has some browning.

Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling at table.

Makes about eight servings.

Pizza & Beer

The renowned pizzaria / craft brewry Piece, on North Ave in Wicker Park, has been on my "to try" list for a WHILE, expecially since it combines two of my favorite food groups... pizza... and beer. I finally had a chance to go last night with my friend Joe... Forgot the camera, so no pictures, but here's one of my girl RR enjoying the cuisine, with some dude (via their website):

The place was a throwback to American Flatbread (in Vermont), in that it's a brewry / pizzaria, but there was no authentic brick pizza-cooking kiln this time. Piece delivered though-- the house brew I ordered, Golden Arm, was smooth, crisp and flavorful, but not overwhelmingly heavy or hoppy, as many craft brews tend to be. And the pizza was AWESOME... calling their style "New Haven style thin crust pizza" (ahem, NEW ENGLAND style I think is more appropriate, but whatever), they offer three ways to top it:

Red: traditional tomato sauce and mozzarella pizza
Plain: traditional New Haven pizza, a generous amount of red sauce topped with garlic, extra parmesan and olive oil
White: plain crust brushed with olive oil, diced garlic and mozzarella cheese

Garlic lovers both, we went for the white, with chicken, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. DEE-LISH!!

Another Chicago place to try if you like this kind of pizza: Tomato Head, which offers equally delicous New England Style pizza for dine-in, take-out, or delivery.

Southwest Salmon

My mom and little sister have been bugging me to try this little Rachael Ray number, and when I got the photocopied recipe in the mail from my mom yesterday, I convinced Ted to let me give it a try... in his kitchen. It turned out GREAT... so very tasty, and Ted did a wonderful job with the plating. The best part of the dish is the warm black bean and corn salad-- I added honey and a little extra lime juice to sweeten it up a bit. And I seasoned mine quite generously with the chili powder / flakes, to give an extra savory kick to the sweetness of the dish. DELICIOUS!!


[PICTURE: DINNER!]

For dessert, we tucked into a little pistachio and vanilla ice cream topped with smooshed raspberries. Yum.

[PICTURE: DESSERT!]

Haven't got time to post the recipe just now, but I will very soon...

Here's the recipe!


RR's LIME-AND-HONEY GLAZED SALMON WITH WARM BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (medium heat to extra-spicy)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons honey (3 gobs)
1 teaspoon chili powder (1/3 palmful)
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 (10-ounce) box frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup chicken stock OR broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves (a handful), chopped
6 cups baby spinach

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO (twice around the pan). Add red onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

While onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO. In a shallow dish, combine juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add salmon fillets to lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add seasoned salmon to hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

To cooked onions, add bell peppers and corn kernels and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock and continue to cook another 2 minutes. Add black beans and cook until beans are just heated through. Remove skillet from heat and add juice of second lime, cilantro and spinach. Toss to wilt spinach and then taste and adjust seasoning. Serve lime-and-honey glazed salmon on top of warm black beans and corn salad. Makes 4 servings.

So So California

On yet another diversion from Chicago... I just got back from a long weekend in Los Angeles, California, where I played in a beach ultimate frisbee tournament called Lei-Out, and sampled some tasty So Cal cuisine along the way.

Travelling to LA was a bit of a pilgrimmage for me. I'd never been, and my image of the place (colored by all I've seen of Entourage, Laguna Beach, and The O.C.) was one of endless sunshine, star-studded boulevards, golden sandy beaches, and casually extravagant boutiques and bars. And the people-- of course the people-- would be impossibly georgeous and put-together, effortlessly cool, and they would (as I had many times been warned) give me just one lingering glance-- the chilling "LA Once-Over"-- before deciding I was unworthy and turning back to their own self-important business.

Some of this turned out to be true... the place is pretty sunny... and certain parts of it are quite "casually extravagant"... but other than that I was proven wrong. Let's see how:
- Southern California is not ALWAYS warm... in fact it barely broke 60 while I was there (brrr!)
- I did not see a SINGLE star on ANY of the boulevards (even Rodeo Drive!)
- Hollywood Boulevard is a DUMP except for about a half of a block
- None of the locals even stopped long enough to give me a once-over... they just breezed right on by
- The locals I DID meet were TOTALLY down to earth and awesome - not snobby at all!

One thing that did strike me was how seductive the place was... and how susceptible I felt to it. Even though it wasn't exactly as I expected, experiencing it for myself made me realize just why people go to great lengths to "make it big" there. There is, admittedly, something magical about the decadence of Rodeo Drive and the breathtaking way the land rises and falls with reckless abandon, tapering out to the sapphire sea. And the knowledge that so many celebrated individuals live there-- and could be hanging out just around the corner. Superficial? Maybe. But I think deep down, everyone dreams of what it might be like to have a taste of that life. And I can't say that I didn't get an extra bounce in my step as I waltzed down Rodeo Drive, pretending I was rich or fabulous enough to be able to shop in any of the stores I passed.

But fantasy aside, I was also struck by a reality of the city-- it's incredible cultural diversity. Being there made me realize just how segregated Chicago is. LA has very significant east asian and hispanic communities, and they are present in every part of the city. While Chicago is arguably just as diverse, our diversity seems to be relegated to specific neighborhoods... Devon, Uptown, or Chinatown for example. Sure, LA has a Chinatown and "Little Tokyo", but those aren't the only places the presence of those cultures are felt in that city. They are everywhere. They are in the languages on billboards... they're in the authentic shops and markets... and they're in the restaurants. I would be willing to wager that anywhere in downtown LA you can walk out of your apartment and in just a few blocks find a place serving real Chinese, Japanese, or Mexican food. And you can find the families who support that place living nearby. I really don't think you'd have that experience in Chicago. It's a little bit... upsetting. But it made me realize that I need to work harder to seek out those cultural experiences in Chicago, and that's something I definitely plan to do. If you have suggestions of places to go, let me know!

In the end, I went to LA to play some frisbee, but more importantly to gain an understanding of the spectacle and fantasy that defines that part of the country. I came away feeling like I had a better idea of what it's all about--but also feeling like I'd only scratched the surface. I know I need to go back at the least and live there at the most to really gain a better appreciation of what makes LA what it is.

But I digress. Philisophical reflections aside, here is some of the dee-licious California cuisine I was able to sample while there:

[PICTURE: BURGER]

First up: In-N-Out Burger. Our host the first night took us to this fine California institution for a late-night meal. The company's motto is "Quality You Can Taste", and they boast of always using fresh, never-frozen ingredients and making each order fresh for each customer. Their fries were especially good, and are made from real potatoes right in the restaurant. The really unique thing about the place is that it's a kind of phenomenon in California: there are only three burgers on the menu: Hamburger, Cheesburger, and the Double Double (a double cheseburger). However, many years ago, a whole secret menu was invented by a few zealous customers, and spread through the whole of Southern California seemingly by word of mouth. This menu is basically a collection of different ways the burger can be prepared, and includes names like "Protein Style" (the burger comes wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun), "Animal Style", and "Flying Dutchman". Check out what they mean and see more secret menu items here.

Yeah, it's fast food. But it's fast food done right.


[PICTURE: BIG COFFEE SMALL COFFEE]

On our first morning, Leanne and I fueled up for some touring with coffee from The Coffee Bean, a ubiquitous Starbucks-esque California coffee chain that basically competes with... Starbucks. I opted for the free sample while Leanne bought the whole thing-- which she later regretted. Leanne, being the big coffee drinker of the two of us, gave this coffee two thumbs down, and I have to agree as mine was a bit dark and heavy for my taste.


[PICTURES: DIDDY RIESE ORDER BOARD & COOKIE]

Next up: Diddy Riese, serving exclusively cookie ice cream sandwiches in Brentwood. Leanne's friend Greg insisted that we give this place a try, and I'm glad he did. I had a chocolate chip walnut cookie with vanilla ice cream -- boring by their standards, but tasty combination nonetheless. My only complaint was that the cookie was a little hard-- which is the most difficult part of the ice cream sandwich equation. But Greg says that at night there's usually a line down the street for this place, so they pretty much slap the ice cream on the warm, soft cookies right out of the oven. Next time I'll have to go at night!

[2 PICTURES OF CALIFORNIA FISH GRILL: ONE OF EXTERIOR, ONE OF FISH]

On day two, our friend Shannon took us for lunch at the California Fish Grill. This place serves up great fresh fish and seafood for a low price-- I got this Cajun Charbroiled White Roughy for only $7!


[PICTURE: MUFFINS & CAKE]

Having worn ourselves out "window shopping" on lovely Rodeo Drive, Leanne, Shannon, and I stumbled into this place on a corner for a coffee and pastry. Only they were out of almost everything: all they had left were carrot cake, an apple muffin, and a chocolate chip muffin. But they warmed them up for us!


[PICTURE: CAFE CREPE]

I'm kind of a sucker for crepes, so when I saw this place while strolling the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, I couldn't help but pop in for a nutella crepe, to-go of course.

[PICTURE: CANDLELIT BEER]

On Sunday evening, I nursed my aching muscles with a candlelit beer from the Library Alehouse in Santa Monica, a really funky, cozy bar serving a really delicious (if expensive) assortment of craft and specialty brews. When Matt asked if they had a Miller High Life, the waitress sort of rolled her eyes and said very slowly, in an "oh, honey..." tone of voice, "Nnnnooo".

[BREAKFAST PICTURE]

On my last morning in California, I went for breakfast at The Rose Cafe & Market in Santa Monica. The menu was a georgeous assortment of organic fruits, veggies, and baked goods, and I chose a fruit bowl (which was probably the best restaurant fruit bowl I've EVER had) and this oatmeal-rasin muffin. With coffee, of course.

When I flew out of LA on Monday evening, I was more than a little sad my trip was over. But... I know I'll get back there. Eventually.

New Blog Name!

So, I finally came up with a new name for my blog. While "Adventures in the Tasty City" was fun while it lasted, I think "Third Coast Toast" is perhaps a snazzier way to sum up my musings on my adventures involving food+drink... in the lovely city of Chicago (most of the time).... which of course resides on our country's third coast (eh? EHH?). And of course "toast" can refer to a morning snack or a gesture invoked while drinking. So anyway, I think it works. Also looking into alternate ad-free hosting options... more updates on that later.

I guess this also means that I now have to invent a dish called, ahem, Third Coast Toast. What will it be? That remains to be seen...

My Pad Thai

Pad Thai was something I tried for the first time in college... and instantly fell in love with. The combination of sweet and savory flavors, plus the fact that it's a noodle-based dish, had me at the first bite. Luckily, there are a great many Thai restaurants in the Chicago area... two that I frequented in college (in Evanston) were Joy Yee's and Cozy Noodle (which was also byob... triple plus). I've actually only been to one Thai restaurant "downtown" (read: south of Evanston) so far, but I hope to visit more. If anyone has suggestions of good places to go, let me know!

The REASON I've only been to one Chicago Thai restaurant is that since I moved down here in September, I've been making the stuff myself, out of boxes. Thai Kitchen is my favorite brand: the box comes with dry rice stick noodles and a packet of sauce, and you provide the veggies and protein of your choice.

Tonight, however, Ted and I decided to leave the box behind and try to make pad thai "from scratch". Except that it wasn't reeeeally "from scratch" because the pad thai sauce came out of a jar. But we bought & cooked everything else individually.

These are the ingredients we used:

Bok Choi
Scallions
Carrots
Bean Sprouts
2 Chicken Breasts
Sesame Oil
1 Egg
1 Jar of Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Sauce
Curry Powder (to kick it up)
Dry Rice Stick Noodles (available at your local Whole Foods or Trader Joe's)

Lime Wedges, Crushed Peanuts & Pickled Cabbage for garnish


And this is what you do with those ingredients:

First, bring a small pan of water to a boil, then turn off the burner and let the rice noodles soak in the hot water for about ten minutes. Then take them out, strain them, ran them under cold water, toss them with a little oil (so they don't stick together), and set them aside.

[PICTURE: CHOPPED VEGGIES]

Then chop the veggies (beautifully) and set aside.

[PICTURE: VEGGIES & CHICKEN IN THE WOK]

Cut the raw chicken into strips and fry over sesame oil (or peanut oil or vegetable oil) on high heat. Once chicken is almost done, add your bok choi, carrots, and half of your scallions to the wok. Add two tablespoons of the pad thai sauce and stir fry.

[PICTURE: HAND COOKING PAD THAI]

After a few minutes (when veggies are pretty much cooked through) add the noodles you have set aside. Add the rest of the jar of pad thai sauce and chili powder to taste, and fry until the noodles are heated through and have absorbed some of the liquid in the wok. It helps to have tongs.

[PICTURE: PAD THAI ON PLATE]

Take off heat and divide onto serving plates; garnish with crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, the remaining scallions, pickled cabbage and a lime wedge. [I usually eat mine with chopsticks but all Ted had was a fork. Sigh.]

And that's all there is to it! I'll have to go to Thailand someday and see how their stuff compares.

Resolved: A Roundup.

I'm not really a fan of new year's resolutions. But apparently everyone else in Chicago is, judging by the fact that tonight was the busiest I've ever seen my gym (which is the giant Crunch on North & Clyborn-- I could barely find a machine!), and by the fact that, according to my roommate, the line at Subway today was about 50 people longer than normal.

Anyway, I just think that rather than making a big deal out of setting some generic goals every January 1st (get fit, eat healthier, blah blah blah), I'd rather live all year according to a few simple principles. What are my principles? Live honestly, and make good decisions. Pretty simple, but I think it keeps me on track. Most of the time.

That said, I do have one thing I DO want to improve on in the future-- not just because it's the new year of course-- and that thing is taking more pictures. Specifically, more pictures of my food-and-drink related adventures, hence more illustration for the blog that even my colorful, ravishingly descriptive prose cannot provide. I know I need more to make this thing less wordy and more entertaining... so don't worry, it'll happen. Thanks for sticking with me.

And now, for a picture-free roundup of my tasty adventures that took place over what we'll call "the holiday hiatus". Maybe if mom reads this she'll send me the picture of number three... which I subsequently forgot to download off of her camera.

1. Lisa and Ted go to Cooking Class

Seeking to bump up our culinary bravado, Ted and I went to a cooking class at The Chopping Block's Merchandise Mart campus on December 18th. The class was called Totally Hands-On Tapas, and this is what we made:

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) in Fresh Tomato Sauce
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Jicama, Avacado, and Grapefruit Salad
Chicken Croquetas with Garlic Aioli
Marinated Mushrooms, Peppers & Olives Salad

To make all of this, Ted and I were put in a group with another guy, and there were two other groups of four who all made the same menu. We were next to what appeared to be a twenty-something guy and girl... and their moms. What ensued was a pretty funny display of bickering and haggling over exactly how things should be done ("That's not how I do it!" "Mom, that's why we're in a CLASS"). Ted and I did our best to bite our tongues, although I'm afraid an errant snicker may have leaked out once or twice.

Anyway, I thought that the instruction was pretty good, and I certainly benefitted from the chopping and seasoning tips I learned. Ted, however, was painfully bored. Listlessly, he followed along, perfectly slicing every fruit and vegetable... since he pretty much already knew how to do everything our teacher was trying to teach us. When I asked him how he already knew how to do stuff, he'd just sigh something like "I mean, I saw it on The Barefoot Contessa...." and carry on. Well, next time, we'll have to do something more exciting. Like Iron Chef...


2. Ted and Lisa make Bolognese from Scratch

On Friday December 22nd, Ted and I made a lovely Bolognese sauce from scratch using:

Ground Turkey (a healthy, and VERY tasty alternative to ground beef)
Minced Garlic
Chopped Onion
Chopped Carrots
Fresh Basil
and
A Can of Crushed Tomatoes

We ate it over spagetti. DE-LISH!


3. Leftover Christmas Brunch Ham-and-Cheese Sandwiches

were a big hit at home on Dec. 26th... I asked my dad to make one for me in his special way. He took slices of our leftover Harrington Ham and layered them under cheddar cheese on wheat bread... delish with salt'n'vinegar chips.

4. Boston.

I do wish I'd taken pictures of this one. On Dec. 27th we took a family day trip to Boston, my adoptive home city. Go Red Sox, go Pats. We went to the Museum of Science to see an Imax (aww) and then went to dinner at a DELIGHTFUL little Italian restaurant called Assaggio in the North End, then to the famous and delectable Mike's Pastry (arguably the best cannoli in America) for dessert.

5. Vermont, Part Deux

On a quick day trip to visit the relatives on Dec. 28, the highlight was my Aunt Alison's meatballs. She makes them every year and they are still my favorite meatballs ever.


Sidenote: I also had amazing homemade food on Christmas Eve and Day, but I simply don't have time (or pictures) to gush about it. I guess I'm forced to make a "resolution"... to do those meals next year.

Happy 2007, Everyone!