A couple of weekends ago Cheryl and I traveled back to Washington DC to see some friends and ended up having Sunday Brunch at Taberna del Alabardero. Normally brunch is brunch but this particular Sunday they were hosting a Feria del Abril event. Dancers, food, drink. Lots and lots of them. One small bite offeredContinue reading “Sopa de Tomate! Tomato Soup Recipe Learned in Barcelona”
Category Archives: Recipes
Braised Chicken Legs with Kalamata Olives
Way back in time when I became more serious about cooking for myself I used to read a lot of Food and Wine magazines. This is a variation of one of the first “step-up dinners” I made where I graduated from using one of those jar sauces to cook chicken in. Those, of course, wereContinue reading “Braised Chicken Legs with Kalamata Olives”
Grilled Skirt Steak with Garlic-Lime-Cilantro Marinade
Sorry for the rather light posting lately, real world has been pretty busy which is a good thing. Anyway, on my way back from the office the other day I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up a couple of items and saw a bag of limes. I was planning on grilling some skirt steakContinue reading “Grilled Skirt Steak with Garlic-Lime-Cilantro Marinade”
Garlic Herb Stuffed Leg of Lamb with an Orange Mint Sauce
So remember a few posts back how I said I always make a leg of lamb for Easter? (No? Well go back a few and get caught up!) Since we were traveling I didn’t get to cook Easter dinner. However, upon returning to Chicago I noticed ham and lamb were both on sale. Imagine that. Continue reading “Garlic Herb Stuffed Leg of Lamb with an Orange Mint Sauce”
Easter Brunch Idea: Sausage Stuffed Artichokes
So I’m in the grocery store this week walking around looking for inspiration and I spy artichokes on sale. Just like asparagus, artichokes are coming into season and are yet another sign of Spring’s arrival. Artichokes can look scary and overwhelming to the home cook. What do you do with them? Supposedly they’re very difficultContinue reading “Easter Brunch Idea: Sausage Stuffed Artichokes”
Mushroom and Carrot Risotto
Ah risotto. Siiiiiiiigggghhhhh. I’d say this is one of those dishes every budding home chef ate at a restaurant or saw Mario make on tv and said to themselves “I have to learn how to make this!” Risotto’s not quite the Holy Grail of home cookery but I’d say it’s one of the top adventuresContinue reading “Mushroom and Carrot Risotto”
Meat on a Stick: Lamb Kebabs with Mint Yogurt Sauce
It’s almost Opening Day here in Wrigleyville and the temperature has cooled off a bit from last week but that’s ok, it’s still grilling spring training weather. By the time summer does roll around I’ll be in mid-season form. These lamb kebabs are one of the first things I ever grilled for Cheryl, showing herContinue reading “Meat on a Stick: Lamb Kebabs with Mint Yogurt Sauce”
What’s for Sunday Dinner: Caramelized Onion and Duck Tart
A couple of weeks ago I bought some frozen duck legs with the intention of making confit. I don’t use the traditional method of cooking them in duck fat, I cheat a bit by slowly cooking the legs in olive oil. It achieves basically the same result, some preserved duck legs you can pull outContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner: Caramelized Onion and Duck Tart”
Grilling Season in Chicago Already? Add Some Acid: Chimichurri
Can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted! Very busy this past week, which has also seen some record-setting temperatures here in Chicago. 70s and 80s. In March. Now that’s my kind of Chicago winter. Of course we’ll probably get some snow at Easter now. Oh well, what can you do? It’s pretty awesomeContinue reading “Grilling Season in Chicago Already? Add Some Acid: Chimichurri”
What’s for Sunday Dinner: Braised Pork Ribs with Apple-Curry Sauce
Yesterday was a beautiful day in Chicago. The sun was shining, temperature was in the mid-60s, and everyone was out soaking it all up. It reminded me of something I read once about Calvados, the French apple brandy, being like a glass of summer sunshine. That description has always stuck with me and I thinkContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner: Braised Pork Ribs with Apple-Curry Sauce”
The Roaming GastroGnome 