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This past week was amazing. The weather? Amazing. My itinerary? Amazing! Chicagoans I spent the week with? Even more amazing. And with that, I will show you what exactly it was I did this week and why it was so … uhhh … amazing.
1. Locavore spiced pear pancakes.
Because pear season is coming to an end soon, I thought I would whip up a batch of pear pancakes using Mick Klug’s Bartlett pears, Burton’s maple syrup, Ellis Farm’s eggs, Ted’s whole wheat flour and Blue Marble milk. I made the batter as usual and then set it in the fridge while I prepared the pear. I cored a pear and then diced it (with the skin on!) into small cubes. Then I tossed the diced pear into a bowl with a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar and let it sit for about ten minutes. I heated up a frying pan with a tablespoon of butter and once the pan was good and hot, I sauteed the pear and brown sugar mix until they were nice and softened. Then they went into the batter and I cooked the pancakes as per usual.
They turned out heavenly!
2. I finally checked out the Tiffany Favrile Ceiling in the once Marshall Field’s department store
In 1907, Tiffany & Co. installed 1.6 million pieces of Tiffany Favrile glass in a domed ceiling on the fifth floor of the Marshall Fields on State Street. Over 100 years later not one piece has broken and it still remains as the largest example of glass mosaics of its kind. The mosaic is stunning. It glitters even in indirect sunlight and it is so intricate that it can rival even the most famous paintings in the Sistine Chapel.
Tonight, I made myself the. most. delicious little dinner. Although I was out all day shopping for my Halloween outfit with Ruthie (I am going to be Little Bo Peep!), I was not very hungry when I got back to my flat. Thank goodness for the cherry bomb peppers I received from David and Denise at Leaning Shed Farm and Denise’s idea to stuff them. Cherry bombs are pretty small (about twice the size of a cherry), but they stuff well and can be filling!
I made 4 cherry bombs stuffed with local sauteed cabbage, rice and smoked ham.
- Cut a circle around the top of the pepper, pull the top off by the stem then make sure all the seeds are out! Set aside.
- Chop up one cabbage leaf into small pieces and sauteed it in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds.
- Threw in one handful of cold, pre-cooked rice and let it heat for about 20 seconds.
- Dice up some smoked ham and tossed it in, too, just until it was heated through.
- Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture. I pushed the filling in with a chopstick to make sure it was packed!
- Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Please, please be aware that cherry bombs are HOT! I made the huge mistake by gutting them and then touching my face and ouch! – it burned! And it is still kinda burning! Haha. Such a blonde!
For dessert I chopped up a Seedling’s apple and drizzled it with warm caramel, courtesy of Gabriel, who is my knight in shining chef’s hat! Then I topped them with nuts, again courtesy of Gabriel (ain’t he amazing?!). The result was heavenly.
Which brings me to my lesson on how (not) to eat like a lady: Lesson one: Your hand should always be covered in caramel if you are eating caramel covered apples with nuts. Always. Your mouth and chin should also have caramel on them. No exceptions! You should also have a spoon handy so you can ladle up as much gooey, buttery caramel off your plate as possible and shovel it right into your mouth!
Dev xx
While volunteering for Green City Market at Chicago Gourmet, we had a lot of people come by to try the market gazpacho and rave about the taste. The secret? Fresh, local, sustainable fruits and veggies that can be found within 300 miles of Chicago!
The ingredients: heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumbers and fresh herbs. GCM tries to keep it less spicy to make it more appealing to a wider audience. All of the ingredients are raw and then pureed down to a smooth, cold soup. Delish!
You can find it at Abbey’s Crepes at the market tomorrow if you really liked it!
Now for a look at GCM’s tent at Chi Gourmet. See if you can make out who is on that closest billboard in the red shirt:
It’s yours truly!!! Imagine my shock and delight when I saw my silly self on a blown-up picture! What an honour! In this picture I was giving a tour to elementary school children who stopped by the market on a field trip! LOVES!
Dev xx
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!!!!!!!!!!
Gee, on Day Two I could not even stay on the Locavore Challenge wagon.
Definitely not local. Oops.
I fell off at about 5.30pm, when Dan came over and we decided to drown a few pints in a local pub. Unfortunately (actually, not too unfortunately), our path to the bar led us right by Cozy Noodles & Rice, located at 3456 N. Sheffield Ave. in Wrigleyville.
I love bubble tea, and as you all may know, had rave reviews about Saint’s Alp coconut bubble milk tea a while back. While Saint’s Alp had a more nuanced, understated tea that layered black tea with a mild coconut taste and frothy milk, Cozy’s take is intense. I just screams, “I AM COCONUT!!!!!” There is nothing nuanced about this tea. As a matter of fact, it hardly tastes like tea. It just tastes like iced coconut goodness with black tapioca. And yes, I love it.
Once I devoured the pot stickers (shown above) with Dan, my meal arrived. Mild curry with chicken. At first, I was a little afraid that this dish would be bland. It was very sweet and had lovely lemongrass, nutmeg and coconut flavours in the beginning, but then it had a kick at the end that hit the back of your palate and burned on the way down. With every bite I became more and more hooked. It was truly a delicious meal that could have only been improved if the potatoes were cooked more thoroughly (they were still a little raw in the middle!).
There is another reason why you should visit Cozy, though you should not be bad and do it during Locavore Challenge! You should also visit because the place is decked out with a toy collection that is second-to-none. Yes, every inch of this tiny restaurant is filled with wind-up animals, kooky robots and toy cars that the owner has been collecting since he was twelve. Even the women’s bathroom is covered with, what else, Pez dispensers!
It really is quite a sight!!! All of your favourites are here from Snoopy to Garfield, the massive collectible Pez dispensers to miniature key-ring sized ones. There are even Pez posters and lunch boxes! But sorry kids, no Pez candy in sight! You really have to see this to believe it!
After cheating, I got right back on the wagon when we stopped over at Sheffield’s, arguably the best bar in Chicago featuring local craft brews. After checking out the extensive list of draught beers and tasting the bitterly flat Half Acre’s Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, I chose the Goose Island Matilda, a malty and aromatic beer that is brewed in Chicago! How’s that for local!?
To make up for my non-local dinner, I had two local beers… just to be sure that I was supporting the cause.
It was a hard job, but hey, someone has to do it! :-)
Dev xx
