There are many times when my vision for a dish’s flavor does not turn out the way I want it to. And since I’m a Virgo it generally will take only the slightest cooking imperfection for me to feel a dish has failed. This smoked ramps Parisienne gnocchi is exactly one of those ideas whereContinue reading “Smoked Ramps Parisienne Gnocchi”
Yearly Archives: 2015
Bearnaise Sauce for Grilling Season – Why? Why Not!
Grilling season is here! Over the holiday weekend Cheryl and I bought a new grill and it was delivered just in time for use on Memorial Day. Nothing too fancy, some steak and asparagus. I wanted to do something different for the asparagus and had decided to make some hollandaise sauce when a thought poppedContinue reading “Bearnaise Sauce for Grilling Season – Why? Why Not!”
Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette with Thyme Polenta Squares
It’s getting more and more difficult to wow Cheryl with my cooking, but this simple little side dish I prepared for some grilled chicken from earlier in the week really impressed her with intense, bright, crisp, flavors. I could have sworn I’ve made this sun-dried tomato and basil sauce before (in fact I know IContinue reading “Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette with Thyme Polenta Squares”
Duck and Farro Stew to Chase the Cold Away
Last weekend was cold and rainy. Typical spring Chicago weather, 80s in the week then down to the 50s as rain and a cold front moved through. I had just turned the thermostat over to AC so go ahead and blame me for jinxing it. Sunday dinner required something hot and warming to chase awayContinue reading “Duck and Farro Stew to Chase the Cold Away”
Rampy Shrimp Scampi – or To Be More Precise: Shrimp Prawn
Ramp season is winding down but I’ve still got a few bunches left. This week I’m taking an old restaurant classic and adding a seasonal twist, turning shrimp scampi into a rampy shrimp scampi. Yeah that’s right, shrimp sc-ramp-i.
Chicago Beer Cheese: Spring Ramps, German Cheese and Begyle Brewing Beer
We’re really getting into ramps season here in Chicago and lucky me, I have a very good source for them. It’s all about being creative when you have a limited supply of seasonal ingredients which is why I came up with a very Chicago-themed post this week. German cheese representing part of the city’s immigrantContinue reading “Chicago Beer Cheese: Spring Ramps, German Cheese and Begyle Brewing Beer”
Homemade Guanciale – So Good!
If you’ve been following along the past few months you know I’ve been doing a lot of curing and sausage making with lots of different pork cuts. While this isn’t the first time I’ve made guanciale I think the batch which recently emerged from the basement is quite possibly the best I’ve ever made.
Beluga Lentils and Grilled Sausage
There’s a reason you always see sausages with lentils. They pair well together. Over the years I’ve tried to make lentil dishes which stand alone on their merits and have been successful with some. But when paired with sausage the combination is downright magical. I don’t know if it’s the saltiness of the sausage reactingContinue reading “Beluga Lentils and Grilled Sausage”
Simple Spring Egg Salad
Egg salad reminds me a lot of lunches at my grandparents when I was little. A visit to their house on the weekend usually happened around lunchtime and that meant sandwiches. I really can’t recall ever having anything BUT sandwiches. We never had leftovers for lunch or whatever was lying around in the fridge. IfContinue reading “Simple Spring Egg Salad”
Pork Belly Porchetta
Last week I picked up an epic piece of pork belly for another project and couldn’t resist trimming off a chunk for our weekly date night dinner. I was quite excited about it and knew cooking a pork belly porchetta was going to get a “WOW! You rocked it!” reaction from Cheryl (which it did).
The Roaming GastroGnome 