Cooking for Passover

Matzo Ball Soup - aka Jewish penicillin

Ooh, I do love cooking especially for the Jewish holidays. Passover is wrapping up now, but I had a great time preparing for the holiday. I won't give a historical account of the holiday (if you want a bit of an education click here), but basically you can't eat leavened bread. No bagels. No cereal. No pasta. Bascially think about what you can eat everyday and eliminate half of that. Little things you might not even think have flour products do. It's really surprising.
So, a few weeks ago I took a Passover cooking class at The Chopping Block in Lincoln Square. The menu was really inventive and included some new dishes that I'll be adding to my cooking roster including curried matzo ball soup, sephardic haroset (traditionally chopped apples, nuts and cinnamon) and a bitter herb quinoa pilaf. My brother-in-law is also a great cook and took on some of the cooking duties for our Passover Seder (the traditional holiday meal) and we had quite the feast! I made my grandmother's traditional matzo ball soup (she said it was very good so that's a compliment!), a braised brisket with paprika and raisins (it smelled wonderful but somehow I managed to cook it a bit too much on the outside?) and a Martha Stewart walnut cherry torte (this looked AND tasted impressive).
It was a truly wonderful meal and I had a happy belly and delicious food memories to boot!

Are You Cheeky Enough to Chow?

Champagne tasting in Epernay, France

Sometimes an opportunity presents itself that seem to good to be true. It seems made for you (OK, specially  made for me, this is my food blog after all right?) It's exciting, your heart skips a beat and you pray silently "pick me". Well, there is a competition that was created by two Chicago entities (Mike and Chao and Cheeky Chicago) to select a guest food writer to travel to San Francisco (shockingly I have not been) and write a guest column to appear on their newly launching Cheeky for San Fran. Jeez I just submitted the application and you'd think I'd won something right? Nothing yet, but it's the prospect that is so enticing...

I had to write a 200 word essay on a food adventure I've had. If you've been reading my little blog here you know I've had many. I haven't much detailed my past work though at The International Kitchen and thought that would be a good foray into my food psyche for such a short blurb. Below is what I sent out...fingers crossed!

I used to have one of those amazing jobs one when you tell people about it upon meeting them they are floored. Sometimes I can't even believe it. I worked for The International Kitchen, a company specializing in culinary travel specifically with trips to Italy and France. It was indeed amazing and I had the opportunity to visit many cities and have experiences I probably never would have sought out on my own. We as Americans have all sorts of notions and apprehensions about food, especially with fare we don't deem edible here in the US.  Always an adventurous eater, I stuck with this idea and ran with it when I traveled, eating anything and everything that was put in front of me. Sure I had my apprehensions, but I figured if locals were eating it and enjoying it I probably would too. It was with fond memories I found myself sitting in a Paris café just hours after my overseas flight. My stomach craved carbs, perhaps some warm French bread, yet I found myself face to er, head with a plate of tete de veau. The calf’s head was delicious and the best gastronomic introduction I can remember.

Cheesy Goodness

Like so many other Chicagoans I am ready for spring. I've had enough of the bitter cold wind, and with no warm weather respite this year, I'm in desperate need of anything that reminds me of sunshine. This morning I went to Chicago's Green City Market, one of my favorite warm weather activities. Sadly the market is still indoors for another few weeks, but seeing all the fresh produce was a reminder that spring is around the corner. There were hosts of other people competing for space to peruse the canned goods, fresh baked treats, greenhouse grown sprouts and tubers. It's still too early for morels (I'm already drooling just thinking about them) but it's not too early for morel and onion cheese!

Brunkow Cheese is a favorite of mine. Made in Darlington, Wisconsin the dairy farmers have been making quality cheese since 1899. I went to school in Wisconsin and am a cheese lover. It is one of my favorite snacks at home and a delicious end to a meal out (when in France I didn't limit myself to just 3 or 4 cheeses, I wanted to taste ALL of the offerings!) Brunkow makes the most unbelievable raw milk cheddar spread. The raw milk cheddar is aged over 100 days and contains no preservatives. It's creamy and lends itself well for spreading on apple slices (my fave) or whole wheat crackers (Wasa). Sometimes (yes, I'll admit this) I dip my finger in because it's just that good (hey - it's not like I'm sharing with anyone!) If you can't get to the Green City Market, Brunkow Cheese is also sold in Chicago area Whole Foods.

Adding Some Rainbow to Winter

Saute the stems of the chard

Loads of leafy greens

Chard. What is it? It's one of those elusive greens that seems to be mentioned in all the health magazines. This veggie is in the same family as beets and spinach and is also high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits. Chard packs a punch with Vitamins K, A and C. It's nutritional value is lauded, but does it taste any good?

The perfect mix of savory & sweet make this a delicious & healthy dinner

Last month I clipped a recipe that was printed in the Chicago Tribune for rainbow chard that sounded interesting and figured I'd give it a shot. It was DELICIOUS and rainbow chard has become my new veggie obsession. I've made this recipe at least 3 times now and decided I'd take some photos of this beautiful green to show you just how great it is.

When I make this recipe I typically serve it over brown rice. I have substituted peanut oil for sesame oil as well.

This recipe appeared in the January 19th Chicago Tribune

Stir-fried Swiss chard with pine nuts and balsamic butter

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Makes: 2 servings

From "Fast, Fresh and Green," by Susie Middleton

1 teaspoon each: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar

12 ounces Swiss chard

1 tablespoon peanut oil

3 tablespoon pine nuts

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Pull or cut the stems away from the chard leaves. Cut or rip the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Slice the stems crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. (Watch carefully because they brown quickly.) Off the heat, transfer the pine nuts to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

3. Return the pan to the heat; add the chard stems and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until shrunken and beginning to brown lightly, about 5 minutes. (They will begin to crackle in the pan as moisture evaporates.) Add the garlic; stir-fry just until fragrant, a few seconds. Add all of the chard leaves and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; toss the chard leaves just until wilted, 30 to 45 seconds. Stir in the balsamic mixture; remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter until melted. Fold in half of the pine nuts. Transfer the chard to a serving bowl; garnish with the remaining pine nuts.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 237 calories, 76% of calories from fat, 21 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 739 mg sodium, 4 g fiber

Pasta Pasta!

Wow -- look at the size of that pasta!

I love making fresh pasta and especially when it's with friends. My sister gave me a fantastic pasta maker for my birthday a few years ago and I'll take it to friends' homes to make some tasty treats. A few weeks ago I ventured to Erin's house and we made spaghetti. The pasta was so light we only had to top it with olive oil, red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese. Delicious!

Add the out comes spaghetti!

Cook, add a little cheese and we're ready to eat

Weekend Forecast? Lots of GREAT Ethnic Restaurants

I was cleaning out my wallet this afternoon and realized I had several credit card receipts from recent dining adventures:

• Demera Ethiopian Restaurant (mmm, eating deliciously filling feast with friends)
• Lao Sze Chuan (celebrating the year of the rabbit!)
• Artopolis Cafe (Greek cafe fare)
• Nana (fantastic brunch fare in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood)
• The Bluebird (Belgian mussels in a modern, neighborhood bar)
• Sunda (high-end Asian fusion)

Looking at this small smattering of receipts I realized something. I get around. I eat out. And guess what? I love it!

Gourmet Oatmeal Heats Up A Cold Winter

Oatmeal. It seems that you're in one of two camps, you either love it or hate it. Personally, I have to be in an oatmeal mood or I won't eat it. Cold snowy weather (like we're having here in Chicago) helps the craving. Sometimes I think about oatmeal though and just think "blah". Sure it's filling but I want to feel satisfied. Sated. I need something with a little more zip.

If you haven't heard of Three Sisters Oatmeal, you're in for a treat. Dark Chocolate. Brown Sugar and Maple. Cinnamon and Apple. These are the sort of flavors that are going to add some zip to your morning. You can find the oats exclusively at Whole Foods. I was estatic (it doesn't take a lot folks) on a recent trip to Whole Foods when they had three packages for just $7. Yes, that's 15 bowls of hearty, gourmet oatmeal at a bargain. For you oatmeal purists who enjoy spending an hour making your oats, this product is not for you. You can only make Three Sisters in the microwave. Speedy and delicious.