I have a friend who eats soup year-round. During the dead of winter up through the 90-something degrees and uncomfortably humid days, you can find her slurping on a steaming bowl of soup. She is a soup vacuum, which I so do not understand. While I'm not anti-soup, when given a choice, I'm the one who will pick a salad over soup 90% of the time.
The only time I really crave soup is during this time of the year. While I love a good miso soup or a crab bisque, there's really nothing that beats a hot bowl of garlic soup with sourdough croutons on a cold winter's night. I picked up this recipe at The Chopping Block (at a class focused on garlic -- how awesome is that?) a few years ago. As it is the most awesome soup ever, I now whip up a batch or two of this every winter. If you like garlic, then this is the soup for you!
Garlic Soup Gratinee
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (you can cut this down to 2 tbsp if you want to use less oil)
3 heads garlic, cloves removed (soak the garlic in warm water for a few minutes first -- the skins will come off much easier)
1 large onion, sliced
1 med/lg potato, peeled, small/med dice
6 cups rich chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence (I usually throw in 1.5 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch nutmeg
Lemon juice to taste
Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Gently saute the garlic cloves and onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine first to deglaze the pan. After about a minute or two, add the potatoes, stock, bay leaf and herbs de Provence. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, for about 40 minutes to blend the flavors and soften the garlic.
Using an immersion blender or a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg.
For the croutons:
4 slices sourdough bread
3 tablespoons garlic grapeseed oil
2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
2 tablespoons chives, minced
Preheat the broiler to high.
Brush each side of the sourdough bread with the garlic grapeseed oil (you can use olive oil and a clove of garlic for the same effect) and place on a parchment lined sheet tray. Toast under the broiler until golden brown on each side.
Ladle the soup into heatproof bowls. Place the toasted crouton on top of the soup and top with the cheese. Place the bowls in the broiler and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
2.28.2012
2.27.2012
Sugar Bliss
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| Seasonal flavors: Vanilla Eggnog (left) & Gingerbread Spice (right) |
I work less than a block away from their Wabash location, so you can expect them to make fairly frequent appearances here. I visit them a bit more than I would like to admit... but there are so many lovely cupcakes just waiting to find their way to my mouth! It's hard to resist the call of the delicious cupcake... right?!
I love their Vanilla Eggnog, Vanilla Vanilla, and Strawberry Dream flavors, but I think my absolute favorite is the Peanut Butter & Jelly.
Are you pro/con cupcake? For those of you who love them, what's your favorite flavor?
2.24.2012
Today's lunch
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| Croquetas de xocolata (Milk Chocolate Croquettes, Banana Marshmallow, Rosemary Caramel, Arbequina Olive Oil) Chicago Restaurant Week stop #2: lunch at Mercat a la Planxa. |
Guest Post: Who is ChicagoEats23?
Hello, fellow foodie fanatics!
I'm Diana, life long Chicagoan, northwest side to be exact. Go Cubbies! I love my city and all it has to offer, but recent vacations to Arizona and Southern California have me actually rethinking my love for my city, though!
My foodie fascination started at a young age, as I grew up in a hispanic household (1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 Mexican), who are a loud, lively and feisty group of people and love to eat, drink and be merry, even on a non-holiday. We grew up in a household of four, yet my mother always found it necessary to cook for an army, so leftovers were our friends, because you didn't waste food at my mother's house!!
Many of my early memories were surrounded
I'm Diana, life long Chicagoan, northwest side to be exact. Go Cubbies! I love my city and all it has to offer, but recent vacations to Arizona and Southern California have me actually rethinking my love for my city, though!
My foodie fascination started at a young age, as I grew up in a hispanic household (1/2 Puerto Rican and 1/2 Mexican), who are a loud, lively and feisty group of people and love to eat, drink and be merry, even on a non-holiday. We grew up in a household of four, yet my mother always found it necessary to cook for an army, so leftovers were our friends, because you didn't waste food at my mother's house!!
Many of my early memories were surrounded
around family gatherings that featured foods with some of the most incredible flavors. Check out that picture to the right, that is circa early 1980's in Mexico...that is my amazing mother with my Uncle Rogelio and my late Uncle Vidal, slow roasting a whole pig over an outdoor spit. My dad slaughtered the pig, which resided on my Uncle Lalo's ranch. Everyone did their part! Additionally, I also learned at an early age about sustainability and that whole snout to tail concept - as I said before, you never waste anything. And you feed everyone, including the neighbors. And they also returned the favor.
And I still laugh when I think about this, but I didn't discover the joys of salt (outside of prepackaged and restaurant foods) because my mother believed that well seasoned food didn't require salt (plus, it was healthier for Dad). The seasonings in her dishes featured all kinds of fresh and dried herbs/spices and aromatics like garlic, onions, etc., that created some amazing layers of flavor where you didn't even miss the salt.
To this day certain spices/smells make me think of some of her famous dishes, like Arroz con Pollo (rice and chicken), Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pollo gisado (chicken stew), bistec con cebolla (thin cut steak with onion), salt cod and potato salad, Pernil (roasted pork - I can't remember if it's shoulder or butt), and then of course, the worst but best thing ever to eat, Tostones con Mojo de Ajo (fried plantains with a garlic oil dipping sauce). Drool. Wow, I may have to post some of that deliciousness someday!
But back to the salt situation - to be honest, I really never missed the salt until I took a cooking class about seasonings/oils/flavorings and learned the wonderful wonders of flaked sea salt! Yum!
I love to cook and take cooking classes, but for personal reasons I try and keep it on a healthier tip, but when I'm out with friends or my wonderful boyfriend, I sometimes treat myself and indulge in something I don't eat everyday, like a lovely fresh pasta...or a kickass bruschetta...or mushroom encrusted pork chops...or a juicy, handcrafted gourmet burger...or a lovely cut of fish (I LOVE ahi tuna)...or better yet, dessert!
I have to admit, I refuse to eat weird things because I tend to be a little squeamish when it comes to certain foods. There is some weirdness that I WILL eat, like Menudo (no, not the boy band) and the legs of a delicious grilled calamari. Other than that, my proteins are the basics - beef, chicken, pork or fish. It's all in the preparation and the layers of flavor that gets my attention, that's for sure.
If you ask me what my favorite meal to date has been, I'd have
And I still laugh when I think about this, but I didn't discover the joys of salt (outside of prepackaged and restaurant foods) because my mother believed that well seasoned food didn't require salt (plus, it was healthier for Dad). The seasonings in her dishes featured all kinds of fresh and dried herbs/spices and aromatics like garlic, onions, etc., that created some amazing layers of flavor where you didn't even miss the salt.
To this day certain spices/smells make me think of some of her famous dishes, like Arroz con Pollo (rice and chicken), Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pollo gisado (chicken stew), bistec con cebolla (thin cut steak with onion), salt cod and potato salad, Pernil (roasted pork - I can't remember if it's shoulder or butt), and then of course, the worst but best thing ever to eat, Tostones con Mojo de Ajo (fried plantains with a garlic oil dipping sauce). Drool. Wow, I may have to post some of that deliciousness someday!
But back to the salt situation - to be honest, I really never missed the salt until I took a cooking class about seasonings/oils/flavorings and learned the wonderful wonders of flaked sea salt! Yum!
I love to cook and take cooking classes, but for personal reasons I try and keep it on a healthier tip, but when I'm out with friends or my wonderful boyfriend, I sometimes treat myself and indulge in something I don't eat everyday, like a lovely fresh pasta...or a kickass bruschetta...or mushroom encrusted pork chops...or a juicy, handcrafted gourmet burger...or a lovely cut of fish (I LOVE ahi tuna)...or better yet, dessert!
I have to admit, I refuse to eat weird things because I tend to be a little squeamish when it comes to certain foods. There is some weirdness that I WILL eat, like Menudo (no, not the boy band) and the legs of a delicious grilled calamari. Other than that, my proteins are the basics - beef, chicken, pork or fish. It's all in the preparation and the layers of flavor that gets my attention, that's for sure.
If you ask me what my favorite meal to date has been, I'd have
to say the Cioppino at RM Seafood in Las Vegas. A couple of years ago my sister and I traveled to Southern California and Vegas, and every day we made a stop at a popular (and/or new) restaurant, I hope to blog about that experience someday! The RM Seafood experience was amazing, not just the food, but the service and ambiance. I'd go back for that Cioppino in a second!!
But on a side note, I'm also discovering all kinds of great dining spots all over Chicago with the Boyfriend, my friends and family, which has been great fun. I hope to share some great experiences with you soon.
I am also a huge fan of shows like Top Chef and pretty much anything on the Food Network and now the Cooking Channel. PBS also has some great shows you shouldn't miss! My favorite chefs are Rick Mooonen, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Hubert Keller, John Besh, Stephanie Izard (I met her! Sorta.), Ming Tsai, and the list goes on and on and on. But for the ones I've named I love their cooking styles, approachable nature and amazing talents. I'm such a groupie!
Please join myself and Starr on this very blog as we take you on some foodie journeys in and out of our own kitchens!
But on a side note, I'm also discovering all kinds of great dining spots all over Chicago with the Boyfriend, my friends and family, which has been great fun. I hope to share some great experiences with you soon.
I am also a huge fan of shows like Top Chef and pretty much anything on the Food Network and now the Cooking Channel. PBS also has some great shows you shouldn't miss! My favorite chefs are Rick Mooonen, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Hubert Keller, John Besh, Stephanie Izard (I met her! Sorta.), Ming Tsai, and the list goes on and on and on. But for the ones I've named I love their cooking styles, approachable nature and amazing talents. I'm such a groupie!
Please join myself and Starr on this very blog as we take you on some foodie journeys in and out of our own kitchens!
Contributors
Over the next few weeks, you'll see several introductory posts from various fellow food lovers. Some of the contributors are bloggers you'll hear from on a regular basis, like my awesome friend, Diana (Chicago Eats23). Others are those who just want to drop in with a post or two (drive-by foodie bloggers?). Regardless, everyone who has agreed to contribute here is totally awesome and has an abundance of food knowledge to share.
While this is primarily my blog, my plan has always been to open it up to anyone who wants to contribute. I think it's more fun to share a variety of experiences and opinions... and really, who doesn't like to talk about food?! So, if you're interested in contributing in any capacity, please drop me a line: chicagofoodiegirl (AT) gmail (DOT) com. Come on board! You know you want to! :-)
While this is primarily my blog, my plan has always been to open it up to anyone who wants to contribute. I think it's more fun to share a variety of experiences and opinions... and really, who doesn't like to talk about food?! So, if you're interested in contributing in any capacity, please drop me a line: chicagofoodiegirl (AT) gmail (DOT) com. Come on board! You know you want to! :-)
2.23.2012
Yuck list
I am a (self-professed) foodie. In theory, that means I should be open to trying just about anything, right? Well, yes, that's true... in theory. There are just some foods I cannot stand. Some of the foods on my yuck list are carryovers from childhood, while others came into play during adulthood. While I'm not 100% against trying these foods,* I am pretty set in my hatred... although as Tom Colicchio famously showed us on Top Chef All-Stars (when Tiffany Derry made okra that he actually liked), there may still hope (or not).
*excluding raisins, red onions, or licorice - my hatred is too deep and their flavors are just too pungent
Celery
It's bitter, obnoxiously loud, and shows up in the weirdest places. Seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to add celery to chicken noodle soup? That's the perfect way to ruin an otherwise comforting bowl of yumminess! The same goes for celery and peanut butter - well, that's just a waste of peanut butter! It's a filler food that really isn't meant for human consumption... unless you're part rabbit (and that would just be weird & illegal). Why would anyone in their right mind want to gnaw on a stringy stalk that tastes like dirty, soapy hairspray? Celery is the devil's vegetable!
Raisins
Over the years, I've encountered many others who hate raisins - almost every one of those people has said it has something to do with the texture. For me, that's not a factor, as I love Craisins, which are essentially the same as raisins (only they're delicious!). I've tried raisins hundreds of times, both purposely and accidentally; each one of those times has only solidified my hatred. Raisins have been on my yuck list for as long as I can remember. My mother used to make the most fabulous oatmeal raisin cookies ever - well, guess who used to pick out all of the offending raisins so that she could eat the most fabulous oatmeal cookies ever? :-) As an adult I've learned to just refuse the deliciousness of things like carrot cake and oatmeal cookies if they have raisins (because even when you pick them out, the raisin essence is never completely gone). Despite Mario's insistence that it's impossible to hate raisins if you love grapes, I maintain that they are just plain gross. Raisins are a sour, sad, and humiliated perversion of the sweet, innocent grape.
Baked/mashed potatoes
This is kind of a weird one, as I like potatoes in other forms (chips, fries) and I do enjoy a nice roasted baby red potato (with olive oil & rosemary). However, I find the both the texture and the taste of baked/mashed (white) potatoes to be completely unacceptable. As I'm sure you can imagine, most people in these parts are shocked to learn that I hate the beloved staple of the Midwestern table - some even seem to take my transgression personally and make it their mission to convert me. These potato pushers always have some magical super-fabulous way to fix them; they guarantee that I will love mashed potatoes once I try them their way. As a result, I've tried both every which way... with milk, butter, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, bacon, ketchup, Sriracha, garlic, sour cream, truffle oil, gravy (which I also hate)... the list goes on and on. And you what? I still hate them. According to my mother, my hatred for mashed potatoes started early, as she tried to feed them to me when I was two and I spit them back at her. Apparently, this happened every single time she attempted to bring me to the side of the wretched mashed potato. Obviously, I had enough sense to resist the dark side at a very young age.
Onions
They stink, give you the stingy eye, and taste like crap; however, there's an abundance of crazy people who insist on putting them in absolutely everything. Yellow, white, sweet, and red... I hate them all. They're pungent, astringent, and overpower everything else in the dish. Red onions are the absolute worse - they spread their nasty onion-ness to everything around and make me feel stabby. Green onions are tolerable in small quantities, but really, if they all suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, I wouldn't shed a single tear.
Black Licorice
I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of the taste of tar + Nyquil. Yes, I've had both the American version and the so-called real version. They're both disgusting. I don't care that it's supposedly good for you - it's foul and wrong. I'm not entirely sure people who enjoy black licorice are entirely human.
Broccoli
I've never been officially tested for this (I've only done the unofficial tongue test), but I swear I have the broccoli gene (PTC sensitivity). I don't have any tortured stories that involve being forced as a child to sit at dinner table until I ate all of my broccoli - in fact, broccoli didn't even enter my life until I was in college (where I willingly tried it & have tried it many times since then). We didn't have broccoli in my household, nor did my grandparents. Was it because everyone in my family hated broccoli? Did I inherit the broccoli gene from my mother? All I know is that it both smells and tastes horrible. The smell is akin to a boy's locker room after a big game that was played on the hottest/most humid day of the year. The taste... well, I've never actually tried either of these things, but I like to think it's somewhere between a sweaty jock strap and a gangrened foot. Mario likes to joke that there's something seriously wrong with me, as he LOVES broccoli (it's one of his favorite foods). Broccoli = poison.
Beets & Okra
I haven't placed either on my yuck list quite yet, but they're definitely both towing the line. Okra is slimy and beets are just weird. I'm not writing them off yet though because I think it has a lot to do with the preparation. I did have a delightful beet bread at Girl & The Goat last year, so I know it's possible to make beets taste good. Okra? I can't say anything good about it yet, but I'm willing to try it again... if you know of anywhere I can get a non-slimy/delicious okra dish, please pass along that info!
What's on your yuck list? Please tell me I'm not the only raisin and broccoli hater hanging out here!
*excluding raisins, red onions, or licorice - my hatred is too deep and their flavors are just too pungent
Celery
It's bitter, obnoxiously loud, and shows up in the weirdest places. Seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to add celery to chicken noodle soup? That's the perfect way to ruin an otherwise comforting bowl of yumminess! The same goes for celery and peanut butter - well, that's just a waste of peanut butter! It's a filler food that really isn't meant for human consumption... unless you're part rabbit (and that would just be weird & illegal). Why would anyone in their right mind want to gnaw on a stringy stalk that tastes like dirty, soapy hairspray? Celery is the devil's vegetable!
Over the years, I've encountered many others who hate raisins - almost every one of those people has said it has something to do with the texture. For me, that's not a factor, as I love Craisins, which are essentially the same as raisins (only they're delicious!). I've tried raisins hundreds of times, both purposely and accidentally; each one of those times has only solidified my hatred. Raisins have been on my yuck list for as long as I can remember. My mother used to make the most fabulous oatmeal raisin cookies ever - well, guess who used to pick out all of the offending raisins so that she could eat the most fabulous oatmeal cookies ever? :-) As an adult I've learned to just refuse the deliciousness of things like carrot cake and oatmeal cookies if they have raisins (because even when you pick them out, the raisin essence is never completely gone). Despite Mario's insistence that it's impossible to hate raisins if you love grapes, I maintain that they are just plain gross. Raisins are a sour, sad, and humiliated perversion of the sweet, innocent grape.
Baked/mashed potatoes
This is kind of a weird one, as I like potatoes in other forms (chips, fries) and I do enjoy a nice roasted baby red potato (with olive oil & rosemary). However, I find the both the texture and the taste of baked/mashed (white) potatoes to be completely unacceptable. As I'm sure you can imagine, most people in these parts are shocked to learn that I hate the beloved staple of the Midwestern table - some even seem to take my transgression personally and make it their mission to convert me. These potato pushers always have some magical super-fabulous way to fix them; they guarantee that I will love mashed potatoes once I try them their way. As a result, I've tried both every which way... with milk, butter, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, bacon, ketchup, Sriracha, garlic, sour cream, truffle oil, gravy (which I also hate)... the list goes on and on. And you what? I still hate them. According to my mother, my hatred for mashed potatoes started early, as she tried to feed them to me when I was two and I spit them back at her. Apparently, this happened every single time she attempted to bring me to the side of the wretched mashed potato. Obviously, I had enough sense to resist the dark side at a very young age.
They stink, give you the stingy eye, and taste like crap; however, there's an abundance of crazy people who insist on putting them in absolutely everything. Yellow, white, sweet, and red... I hate them all. They're pungent, astringent, and overpower everything else in the dish. Red onions are the absolute worse - they spread their nasty onion-ness to everything around and make me feel stabby. Green onions are tolerable in small quantities, but really, if they all suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, I wouldn't shed a single tear.
Black Licorice
I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of the taste of tar + Nyquil. Yes, I've had both the American version and the so-called real version. They're both disgusting. I don't care that it's supposedly good for you - it's foul and wrong. I'm not entirely sure people who enjoy black licorice are entirely human.
I've never been officially tested for this (I've only done the unofficial tongue test), but I swear I have the broccoli gene (PTC sensitivity). I don't have any tortured stories that involve being forced as a child to sit at dinner table until I ate all of my broccoli - in fact, broccoli didn't even enter my life until I was in college (where I willingly tried it & have tried it many times since then). We didn't have broccoli in my household, nor did my grandparents. Was it because everyone in my family hated broccoli? Did I inherit the broccoli gene from my mother? All I know is that it both smells and tastes horrible. The smell is akin to a boy's locker room after a big game that was played on the hottest/most humid day of the year. The taste... well, I've never actually tried either of these things, but I like to think it's somewhere between a sweaty jock strap and a gangrened foot. Mario likes to joke that there's something seriously wrong with me, as he LOVES broccoli (it's one of his favorite foods). Broccoli = poison.
Beets & Okra
I haven't placed either on my yuck list quite yet, but they're definitely both towing the line. Okra is slimy and beets are just weird. I'm not writing them off yet though because I think it has a lot to do with the preparation. I did have a delightful beet bread at Girl & The Goat last year, so I know it's possible to make beets taste good. Okra? I can't say anything good about it yet, but I'm willing to try it again... if you know of anywhere I can get a non-slimy/delicious okra dish, please pass along that info!
What's on your yuck list? Please tell me I'm not the only raisin and broccoli hater hanging out here!
2.22.2012
Who is chicago foodie girl?
My name is Starr (yes, that really is my given name, and no, my parents weren't hippies) and I'm a 30-something English professor by day and rampant foodie by night. I'm constantly encouraging my students to write about what they love, and although I've maintained & contributed to various blogs for the last seven years, I've never fully dedicated myself to writing about food... until now!
I'm originally from Michigan, did a brief stint in Wisconsin (aka the land of the delicious cheese curd) for undergraduate school, and have been settled in Chicago with my boyfriend, Mario, for the last 12 years. Chicago is one of those well-known food cities, so for someone who loves to explore and eat, it's a fantastic place to reside. The bulk of my reviews will center on restaurants and events in Chicago; however, I do love to travel and always make sure to partake in the local cuisine, so I do plan on discussing as many non-Chicago places as possible.
I'm not a chef or a professional food critic; nor do I work in the food industry (although I did once work for a culinary school!), but I am passionate about food (along with education reform, Prince, exercise/health, shoes, books, and London - all topics that will most likely work their way onto this blog at some point). I spend an inordinate amount of my free time trying new restaurants, attending food-related events, trading tips with my foodie friends (many of whom have agreed to contribute here!), snapping random and not-so-random photos of food, sniffing herbs at farmer's markets, watching various food/cooking shows, and trying new recipes. The bottom line is that I love food and I love to share my experiences.
So, let's eat, drink, be merry... and blog about it! :-)
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