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I know I should have updated yesterday, but I had such a fun, full and busy day that I just had to take a break and put it off until today (and I still will have to post more tomorrow about Day 8 AND 9!!!
In honour of Melon Fest, there were chefs and mixologists at Green City Market handing out samples of melon salad with goat cheese and melon soups. Sound good? Yes. Sound safe? Yup. But then there was this renegade chef who was handing out samples of his goat cheese and dill ice cream in a watermelon corn soup (picture above)! Goat cheese dill ice cream!? Come again? After I took my first bite, all I could think of was that my tastebuds were confused but happy. I thought the dish was perfect.
Can anybody identify the chef in this picture (the man on the left!)
Ten points goes to the reader who can identify the chef on the left in the picture above. Someone needs to give this man props for his weird and wonderful creation!
The inside of Cafe Brauer
On Wednesday, I was incredibly honoured to give a Green City Market tour to the chefs who attended Chefs Collaborative’s Summit. I am so thankful to the amazing and hard-working Laura Watkins, marketing and communications coordinator at GCM, for letting me give the tour!
Before the tour started, Rich Hawley, another awesome GCM employee, took me around to each vendor and I found out some interesting and fun stuff that makes them unique! Since this is stuff I did not know before, and information that really impressed the chefs on the tour, I thought I would share it with you!
I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time Wednesday afternoon and am very, very thankful that Mark, who works with Green City Market, invited me along to the Chefs Collaborative lunch at Cafe Brauer.
Cafe Brauer, as I learned, is an example of Prairie style architecture that originated in Chicago!
Sauteed swiss chard with shiitake mushrooms
Goodness help me, there has been so much going on that I almost plum forgot to post up my recipe for last night’s dinner! I had sauteed swiss chard with sauteed mushrooms and this delicious Pappardelle’s Southwestern pasta I scored from the Arlington Heights farmers market.
Sauteed swiss chard with shiitakes
- Coarsely chop 4-5 leaves of swiss chard (no worries, it will sautee down!)
- Chop up shiitake mushrooms into bite size pieces
- Heat up olive oil in a pan for about a minute on high heat
- Throw in your mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes
- Then toss in the swiss chard and cook for another 1 1/2 minutes.
- Salt and pepper your mixture while it is in the pan
- Serve hot!
The pasta is so delicious and flavourful that all it really needs is to be cooked properly then tossed with some of Nordic Cream’s sweet butter and topped with freshly ground pepper – enjoy!
Dev xx
WAIT! Don’t reach for the Bisquick! Instead, splurge for something local and tasty. Raspberry whole wheat buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and vanilla whipped cream! Too much? Nah! This is the best way to use the LAST of the season’s raspberries (mine were from Mick Klug and were very tart!).
Here is the recipe:
Raspberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of Ted’s Organic Whole Wheat Flour (avail. at Heritage Prairie’s booth at Green City Market!)
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp. veggie oil
- 1 of Mary’s eggs!
- 1/2 c. of raspberries
DIRECTIONS (makes 4 large pancakes!):
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mix in the oil and buttermilk
- Whisk the egg until fluffy; add to the mixture and whisk until egg has been incorporated
- Stir in raspberries
- Add veggie oil to a pan and heat on medium
- Cook pancakes!
FOR THE VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM:
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (mine is from Blue Marble!)
- 1 Tblsp. sugar (or 1 Tbslp. maple syrup)
- 1 tsp. Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract
Whisk together until the heavy cream thickens!
What a great way to start the day! In other news, tomorrow is GREEN CITY MARKET DAY! I am volunteering from 9-11 am and hope to see you there! It will be a HUGE day for GCM because it is Melon Fest and Chef’s Collaborative National Summit. The latter includes book signings, chef demonstrations, tastings and a discussion on how farmers markets strengthen local food systems!
More to come… stay tuned!
Dev xx
I have BIG news for all of you Locavores looking for a coffee fix. No, the beans are not from Chicago, but at Metropolis Coffee Company, they are roasting small batches in the heart of Chicago! That is about as local as you can get when it comes to coffee and it is worth it!
Where can you get this coffee?
At Dollop Coffee and Tea in Uptown. What an underrated little gem! Located in a brownstone that juts out into the intersection of North Clarendon and West Gordon Terrace, Dollop welcomes you with soft, melodic indie music and exposed brick walls. The decor is not at all planned or even pretentiously mismatched. No, instead, this adorable coffee house looks organically designed with the wall art and antique furniture probably being added piece-by-piece by an owner who has a love for varied styles.
The barista was really patient with me and even let me try a “shot” of Metropolis’ French Roast coffee (I do not drink coffee, but I had to research it)! It was smoky, very fresh and had a sweet finish on the back of the palate.
I chose the iced chai as my first drink because a. it’s hot outside and b. I love chai! What a good choice! The milky, cinnamon-infused chai was gone before I knew it!
For breakfast I had a croissant (Bennison’s) with Stover’s jam. For a light lunch, I had a 2 egg scramble with goat cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery. This is the ultimate light, airy and delicious lunch and the protein kept me going for hours! I am telling you guys, you HAVE to try the Prairie Dropseed Goat Cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm. For only $5, this round of goat cheese is versatile, has a creamy and crumbly texture that melts in your mouth and a rich flavour that is hard to find. Oh, and please do not make the rookie mistake of peeling off the mould covering: it adds to the flavour and is, indeed, edible. I PROMISE you won’t keel over and die. Believe me!
The best part of the day, though, besides the food and amazing coffee shop, was hanging out with Green City Market volunteer and new Chicago resident Ruthie! We met at Green City and had a lovely afternoon as I showed her Southport Ave. and its bounty of cool shops and restaurants like Candyality and Deleece. Man, I love Lakeview!
Stay tuned tomorrow for more Locavore fun and a restaurant review of … you’ll have to visit to find out! :-)
Dev xx
PS, 2 days until Green City Market Day!!!!!!!!!!
Fight the temptation, Locavores!
These delicious pumpkin doughnuts are from Bennison’s Bakery but they are not local quite yet: the pumpkin used in the recipe is (gasp!) not local!!!
They are, however, absolutely to die for and are available now at Bennison’s location in Evanston! If you have to cheat for something sweet, cheat for something good! Like these puppies!
Dev xx
I know it may seem really difficult to eat 100% local, especially when, if you are like me, you do not have that much money. But in fact, by buying at Farmers Markets, you can really save yourself a lot by only buying what you will need for the days in between the market. Plus, you will be helping local farmers, putting money back into the community and eating the freshest and healthiest foods around!
As a snack, I just have to suggest Leaning Shed Farm’s heirloom cherry tomatoes! They have 13 different kinds that are all different sizes, shapes and tastes!
And, the Dyreks (who own the place!) are so kind and generous, they will keep you coming back for more! And more. And more.
Dev xx
Day five started out with some seven grain sourdough and Stover’s Very Berry jam. What?! You mean you do not know of Stover’s?! Time out! Time to be educated.
Stover’s does not attend Green City Market. Instead, I have to visit them at either the Federal Plaza Market or Daley Plaza Market in the Loop on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively. They have so many different jams that I often just marvel in front of the huge layout. To prevent myself from drooling too much while I pick my poison, I generally just ask the advice of the friendly shop guy!
So after breakfast I left to go over to DePaul with Tim to attend a picnic. I know what you are thinking, that I immediately fell off the Locavore bandwagon! But I didn’t! Nope! Instead I brought along a homemade salad and a juicy, cold pear from Nichols Farm!
For dinner, along with not-so-local pasta, I had delicious sweet corn! Local and fabulous!
Oh! And I have had a lot of questions lately as to where my adorable apron came from that I wore to Saturday’s market!
It is from Jessie Steele who obviously excels in making the cutest aprons on the planet! As a matter of fact, I am on the hunt for a new apron that is equally sweet, so if anyone has any suggestions, just make a comment!
Also, I have another recipe idea for you guys, this time using River Valley Ranch’s Asparagus Spinach Dip. Thanks to River Valley Ranch’s shopguys for giving me this idea on Satuday!
Asparagus Spinach Pizza
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pre-prepared pizza crust (or you can make yours with whole wheat, local flour!)
- 1 jar of asparagus spinach dip from River Valley Ranch
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes (try them from Tomato Mountain!), sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 2 cups soft sheep’s milk or goat’s milk cheese
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread asparagus spinach dip over pizza crust then top with tomatoes. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. As soon as you pull the pizza out of the oven, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the entire surface! The cheese will lightly melt!
Enjoy and see ya tomorrow!
Dev xx
PS, only 2 more days until Green City Market Day!!!! So excited!!! :-)
Long title for what will be a long entry!
James Gottwald and his chef de cuisine Amanda Downing
So, as some of you may or may not know, James Gottwald from Rockit Bar and Grill came to the market yesterday to do a chef demo! On the menu was a Super Sweet Corn Salad and Zucchini Fettucini with Mushrooms. For the recipes, click on the “Read More of this Article” at the bottom of this article!!
Needless to say, it was a hit and as I passed out samples and recipes, it was clear that people loved both dishes!
After returning from GCM, I decided to put the local fare to work in a homemade Carrot-Apple Cake with Maple Frosting. This cake contains NO processed sugar OR butter (but the frosting does!) and has a ton of local ingredients! It has been such a hit that it is almost gone and I made it on Saturday!
Here is the recipe:
PREP:
Grate (I HAND-grated, which took a LONG time!) 2 cups of fresh, local carrots
- about 4 large carrots – mine were from Green Acres Farm
Grate 1 cup of well-drained apples
- about 6 large apples, peeled and cored
- Any variety works, but I especially love Wolf Rivers. They are tart with a creamy flesh and keep crisp and juicy for a week – mine were from Nichols Farm
- MCH TIP!!!! Drain the apple using a sieve and let the juices fall into a bowl. Pour into a glass to enjoy about a cup’s worth of homemade apple cider! Yum!
HEAT your oven to 350 degrees and GREASE two 9″ circular cake pans
Ingredients for Cake:
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour (mine was bought from Heritage Prairie Farm, but the flour itself is from Ted’s Organic Grains)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup veggie oil
- 3/4 cup honey (mine was from Chicago Honey Co-Op)
- 4 eggs (mine were Mary’s Eggs)
- the carrots and apples you grated for prep!
- Throw the dry ingredients into your stand mixer (or bowl!) and whisk together
- Add the oil, honey and eggs into the dry ingredients and mix well!
- Finally, stir in the apple and carrots.
- Add an even amount of mixture to your cake pans
- Bake for 35-40 minutes
- Take your cakes out and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then plop them out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely. While they are cooling, make your icing.
Maple Syrup Frosting
PREP:
Make sure 1 stick of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese have been warmed to room temperature.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (mine is from Burton’s Maplewood Farm)
- a teaspoon of vanilla extract (mine is Nielsen-Massey)
- 2 cups of confectioners sugar. I try to use as little as possible and always always rely on taste. Honestly, you do not need 3 cups of sugar in a frosting. Blech.
- Whip together your butter and cream cheese.
- Add the maple syrup and then slowly add your confectioners sugar in 1/2 cup increments.
- Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl after you have added the sugar, and then mix one more time!
I baked my cake into a two-tier heart. Why? Because hearts are better than circles! :-)
Not to be outdone by Devin’s delicious Locavore Challenge meals that keep me drooling at my computer, I decided to bust out some of the fabulous Door County cherries I’ve been holding in reserve in my freezer. I should include here that this way my first foray into the world of pie making.. and I’m not so sure I will be returning!
It turned out a bit runny (not enough corn starch?) and messy in the oven… (anyone know a good stove cleaner?). But all in all, I deem it a success! It’s now cooling on my kitchen windowsill, yes windowsill, and I cannot wait for the first delectable bite.
The result:
Who cares if my pie is a few crumbs short of a Martha Stewart thumbs up? The stress alone involved in its creation makes it the most scrumptious dessert currently in Chicago!
-Ileana
Day four and I am eagerly stuffing my face with the most delicious salad I created while I type this. Yes, the gorgeous salad you see above was made by yours truly, with very little effort. The arugula came from … I forgot, the Jupiter grapes from Mick Klug, the heirloom cherry tomatoes from Leaning Shed and the goat cheese from Prairie Fruit Farm and Creamery! I made up the “dressing” myself. Generally, I do not like dressings because I find them to drown the veggies and ruin their delicate, nuanced flavours. Instead, to bring out the flavour of the peppery arugula, I squeezed a little lemon juice over the salad and added a couple of grinds of freshly ground pepper and some salt, to bring out the taste in the tomatoes.
It was a really delightful meal that was both light and filling (because I served it with a hunk of seven grain sourdough!
But wait, let’s back up and discuss what was for breakfast. Of course, since I was up at 5am and at GC by 7am, I had to rely on market fare to fill up my tummy. Thank goodness for Abby’s Crepes because they use Green City ingredients to make the lovely, light and maple-syrup packed crepes.
More to come from Day 4…
Dev xx
