Ok, enough with all those travel and event posts. Time for an actual food-from-scratch post! Pastrami! This is one definitely one of our favorite dishes! In New York where I’m from (Mid-Hudson Valley) there’s nothing like a good pastrami sandwich from a proper deli. Head to Montreal and Quebec City and you’ll find it’s called smoked meat or viande fume. Other than foolishly deciding to smoke meat during the hottest week of the summer so far, this backyard experiment turned out deliciously well. Continue reading “How to Make Homemade Pastrami (a.k.a Smoked Meat)”
Making Paella Valencia Style and Grocery Shopping in Spain
After seeing the Tour de France in the Pyrenees we traveled to Begur on the Costa Brava for a quiet and relaxing week of sunshine and some sand. Since paella can be considered beach food it seemed appropriate to make some while we were within sight of the Mediterranean. But first, we had to do some grocery shopping.Continue reading “Making Paella Valencia Style and Grocery Shopping in Spain”
Travel Post: We Went to See The Tour de France in the Pyrenees
From my last post you may have guessed correctly we’re on vacation. Right now we’re relaxing on the Costa Brava in Begur, Spain but before coming here we journeyed up into the Pyrenees for the main reason of the trip, seeing a mountain stage of the 100th Tour de France (maybe that should be raison d’etre then). The stage we saw? Stage 8 from Castres to Ax 3 Domaines, about 200 km. The first mountain stage of the Tour and a mountaintop finish at a ski resort.Continue reading “Travel Post: We Went to See The Tour de France in the Pyrenees”
Butterball Farms Luncheon Event
So I must say, one of the really cool things about writing this blog is occasionally I get some event invitations. Last week I was invited to attend an event where my friend Chef Julius was showcasing Butterball Farms butter. “Lunch? And you’re cooking, Chef? Um, yeah, I can make it!” It was actually a pretty interesting event, kind of like a focus group, where Butterball Farms was looking for feedback on some of their products.Continue reading “Butterball Farms Luncheon Event”
Summer Means Farmer’s Markets – Do you know where yours is, Chicago?
When I lived in Washington DC there was a Farmer’s Market every Wednesday in the summer about a block from my apartment. I had to actually walk through the market to get home from work which didn’t bother me one bit since I knew I’d have a great dinner that evening even if it was just some fresh homemade pasta. Chicago has a great farm market which operates year round (Green City) but it’s not the same as a neighborhood one you can walk to (unless you live by Lincoln Park). Luckily for us, there’s one every Saturday just a few blocks away in our North Center neighborhood. So, last weekend we walked up to check it out. Continue reading “Summer Means Farmer’s Markets – Do you know where yours is, Chicago?”
The Best Raisin Bread Ever! Pan Tramvai!
I know, I know, not another bread recipe so soon. But seriously, this has to be the best raisin bread you can make. It is so chock full of raisins the dough can barely contain them. How chock full? Well the amount of raisins in the bread is equal to the amount of flour used. This Pan Tramvai (or Pane all’Uva) isn’t going to last long in our house!Continue reading “The Best Raisin Bread Ever! Pan Tramvai!”
Another Summer Cocktail: It’s Sweet, It’s Bitter, It’s a Negroni!
Sticking with the Italian theme of my previous post, the Negroni has to be near the top of the “simplest cocktails you can make” list. It’s equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari. The Negroni is refreshing, easy to make, and packs quite the wallop. More than two of these and you’re asking for trouble. I find a Negroni prefect for sitting out on the patio on a warm summer evening with a bowl of salty peanuts waiting for Cheryl to come home from work. Hey, she knows when cocktail hour starts around here!Continue reading “Another Summer Cocktail: It’s Sweet, It’s Bitter, It’s a Negroni!”
Baking some Italian Bread: Pane di Como
My mom is always sending me recipes she’s tried. I’ll suddenly get an envelope in the mail from her and inside will be a recipe clipped from a newspaper or magazine. Every now and then though a larger package will arrive in which I’ll find a cookbook she saw or found. This week, one of those packages arrived. And lucky me, there was not one but two cookbooks in the package! One was a D’Artagnan Glorious Game Cookbook but the one which really excited me was the other: The Italian Baker by Carol Field. The very first bread recipe is Pane di Como, or Como Bread. Since I hadn’t made any bread in a while this seemed like a good time to get back in the game!Continue reading “Baking some Italian Bread: Pane di Como”
How to make Aioli: A perfect condiment for grilled foods
Aioli, when made from scratch is very unlike the flavored mayo you get at places passed off as aioli. It’s much creamier, packs quite the garlicky punch, and can be used to enhance the flavors of almost anything from soups to grilled vegetables to meat to crostini. Aioli is also very easy to make and should definitely be added to your arsenal of grilling condiments for the summer.Continue reading “How to make Aioli: A perfect condiment for grilled foods”
Duck Rillette – More Ducky Fun
“How do you make a rillette?” Cheryl asked me when we dug into a pork and duck rillette after a long afternoon of car shopping. I replied that a rillette is just slow cooked shredded meat, kinda like pulled pork, mashed together with some fat. I’m sure you can all guess the follow-up: “Sounds easy. So you can make some, right?” Yes dear, I can. Continue reading “Duck Rillette – More Ducky Fun”
The Roaming GastroGnome 