Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

-By Scott

I’m nuts for nuts.  I love them.  Almonds, cashews, peanuts oh peanuts, pecans, pine, macadamia, I love them all.  My favorite, though, is easily the pistachio.  They were always a treat growing up, something that would find their way into the Golden Family pantry around the holidays or after a particularly impulsive trip to Cosco.  Pistachios lend themselves so well to many different and diverse cooking applications.  Crust it on a steak or a rack of lamb and you’re in nutty-savory-main-course heaven.  Pair them with chocolate and bake them into a cookie or infuse it into a crème anglaise for ice cream and your dessert-loving guests will give you hugs and high fives on your way out the door.  They are delicious and I love using and eating them at every opportunity – those maddeningly hard-to-open shells be damned.

The Pistachio in All of Its Glory

One of my “go to” pistachio-inspired dishes involves crusting them on a pan-seared salmon fillet.  Pair the pistachio-studded salmon with a lemon-tarragon brown butter sauce, some sort of starch like mashed Yukon gold potatoes and a something green like grilled asparagus (which I did in this case) and you are swimming in buttery, nutty, rich goodness with hints of lemon and licorice.  I find it to be a deeply satisfying dish and one that I fall back on when I’m out of ideas for dinner on a Sunday night.

The Ingriedients

First, organize your ingredients.  Lay out and season your salmon filets with a nice crust of salt and pepper.  You need one salmon filet per person, around 6 to 8 ounces per filet.  Your pistachios should be crushed.  I suggest using a food processor or if you’re in a particularly aggressive mood, place the nuts in a plastic bag and beat them into submission with the back of a frying pan.  Go easy on the little green guys though, as you’re looking for a course grind.  Dijon mustard serves the dual purpose of a adding a bit of flavor to the dish and also adhering the pistachios to the flesh of the salmon.  Set out one pot and one pan, the pan for the fish and the pot to cook the brown butter sauce.  Your oven should be preheated to 400 degrees.

Sear the Salmon Skin Side Down First

Then Sear the Opposite Side

 Once you have your mise en place in order, it’s time to start cooking.  Sear the fish on both sides on high heat.  You’re not looking to cook the salmon through – you’ll be finishing it in the oven – it’s the caramelization that’s important here.  Set the salmon aside on a small sheet pan. 

Spread a Thin Layer of Mustard on the Fish

Then Press the Ground Nuts into the Fish

 Spread a thin layer of mustard on one side of the salmon and press the fish into the ground nuts.  The fish then goes into the oven.  You may need to adjust the heat of the oven depending on the thickness of the salmon you’re working with.  The idea is you want to toast the nuts to enhance their flavor while also making sure to cook the salmon to the desired doneness (most recipes recommend between 125-135 degrees internal temperature).

While the Fish is Cooking Melt the Butter

 As the fish finishes in the oven its time to make the brown butter sauce.  Melt the butter over medium heat until the milk solids in the butter rise to the top of the pot and then fall to the bottom and start to brown.  It’s important to control your heat here because you can go from brown butter to burnt butter in a flash.  When the butter starts to brown and give off a sort of knee wobbling nutty aroma (trust me, you’ll know it when you smell it) turn off the heat, season it with a bit of salt and pepper, squeeze in some lemon, and throw in a bit of chopped tarragon. 

Spoon the Sauce over the Cooked Fish

 Give it a quick swirl with a large spoon and then dole the brown butter over and around the fish (you should plate the fish with your chosen accompaniments while the butter cooks) and you’re home free.  It’s a fast and easy crowd pleaser of a dish and I hope you give it a try!

Pistachio-Crusted Salmon w/Potatoes and Asparagus

 -Scott

INGREDIENTS:
Filets of salmon (one piece per person)
Pistachios, crushed (unsalted – enough to crust however many filets you have)
Dijon mustard (something close to a teaspoon per filet should be plenty)
Oil for pan searing
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Lemon
Tarragon

Uncle Mike's Place

-By Keith 

(Photos Courtesy of LTHForum)

I don't usually go out for breakfast for a number of reasons:

• It requires waking up early.
• The lines at popular breakfast/brunch spots can be outrageous (especially on the weekend).
• Most breakfast food can be prepared at home quickly and without much difficulty.

Recently however, I visited an establishment that has me reconsidering my strict no restaurant breakfast policy, Uncle Mike's Place.  In fact, Uncle Mike's Place has an answer for each of my above listed complaints:

• Open from 5:00am - 3:00pm, seven days a week. Even I can't sleep until 3pm.
• Ample seating. I have visited Uncle Mike's at a number of different times and have always been seated immediately.
• Along with expertly prepared traditional options like omeletts and pancakes, Uncle Mike's also offers an item I can't prepare at home, a traditional Filipino breakfast.

Uncle Mike's Place - Exterior

Uncle Mike's is conveniently located a few blocks west of the busy Ashland and Grand intersection, right outside of the rapidly gentrifying West Town/Ukranian Village neighborhoods. However, Uncle Mike's Place seems comfortably inconspicuous, unmarked besides a small neon sign and located on a mostly industrial strip devoid of any foot traffic whatsoever. In this location since 1991, it is clear Uncle Mike's has survived thanks to two types of customers: devoted regulars, and more recently, those who have discovered this hidden gem from a number of positive reviews in the Tribune, the Reader, and on LTHForum.

Belonging to this second group of customers, I was worried that upon my entrance, there might be a "music stops" type of moment in which the regulars and staff menacingly glare at an obvious outsider. Thankfully, my worries were assuaged the moment I walked through the door. As Jess and I entered Uncle Mike's for the first time, we were immediately greeted by a friendly server who instructed us to sit wherever we felt comfortable and that she would bring over coffee and menus.

In addition to the friendly, yet efficient service, the ambiance at Uncle Mike's Place literally makes you feel at home. Comprised of 2 open and inviting rooms, including a good old fashion breakfast counter with customers sipping coffee and leisurely reading the newspaper, the walls at Uncle Mike's are decorated with tiles that may or may not have been stolen from your grandmother's kitchen.

Specials Board at Uncle Mike's Place

When it came time to order I knew exactly what I wanted without looking at the menu, the "Filipino Breakfast Combo." The combo is comprised of two types of pork, Tocino, thinly sliced from the shoulder, and Longanisa, in familiar sausage link form. Also included is lightly griddled garlic rice and two eggs cooked to your preference. The rice is excellent, slightly crunchy, smelling of fresh garlic, and the eggs are expertly prepared with a hint of Asian flavor from the sesame oil they are cooked in.  However, as usual, the pork products are the star of this massive plate. Both cuts are uniquely flavored with a bit of sweetness, garlic, and a surprising hint of licorice/anise and are beautiful cooked to caramelized perfection on the griddle. Also included in the meal is a small bowl of kamatis at sibuyas, a vinegar flavored relish simply made with tomatoes and onions that cut through the richness of the eggs and pork. Although Uncle Mike's is my first and only Filipino breakfast experience, my own taste buds and the large groups of native Filipino's happily scarfing down their food indicates this is an excellent rendition.

The Filipino Breakfast Combo

In addition to this must try dish, Uncle Mike's has an expansive menu that includes all the traditional breakfast/lunch items including pancakes, omeletts, and sandwiches. While I haven't tried the self proclaimed "best damned skirt steak east of the Pecos," I have sampled their pancakes and I was incredibly impressed. Light, fluffy and beautifully browned on the griddle, Uncle Mike's pancakes surpass any efforts I have attempted at home. You can also order the pancakes with freshly chopped mango or blueberries (pictured below). It seems as though everything at Uncle Mike's Place is prepared with an extra bit of care, there are bottomless cups of quality Intelligentsia coffee, fresh fruit that hasn't been sitting in a fridge for two weeks, and hearty toast made from quality bread.

Mango and Blueberry Pancakes at Uncle Mike's Place

To me, Uncle Mike's is the perfect breakfast place and the antithesis to many of the overly crowded, one-word named spots popping up all over town (Jam, Orange, Toast, Yolk, Flo, etc.). Owned by a former sheet metal worker, Mike Grajewski, a born and raised Chicagoan, and his Filipino wife, Lucia, Uncle Mike's is the embodiment of a family owned restaurant. It is the kind of spot you love to have in your neighborhood, and is worth the drive if you aren't lucky enough to live nearby. With most items (except the skirt steak at $13) under $10, delicious food, friendly/efficient service, and ample seating, Uncle Mike's quickly converted this former anti-restaurant breakfast diner into a soon-to-be regular.

Uncle Mike's Place - 4.5 Food Babies

-Keith

Uncle Mike's Place 
1700 West Grand Avenue - (312)-226-5318
Open Monday - Saturday: 5:00am - 3:00pm & Sunday: 6:00am - 3:00pm
For more information check out the Uncle Mike's Place Website.

So You Wanna Be a Chef?

There will be a new post tomorrow, but in the mean time check out this excerpt from Anthony Bourdain's upcoming book. It provides a nice reality check for those of us who dream of quitting our job, going to culinary school and working in the restaurant industry. Warning, for those of you who haven't read Bourdain before, his choice of words/subject matter can be a bit scandalous.

-Keith

Banana Bread – Nice, Naughty, and Naughtier

-By Jessica 

Adapted from Smitten Kitten

There’s something about banana bread that makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. I have memories of eating my mom’s freshly baked banana bread as a child, and this past year I’ve been trying to find the perfect recipe. I of course went first to my mother, but oddly enough she claims to not remember making such a wonderful banana bread, but suggested one with a crumble on top (this is part of the ‘naughtier’ recipe which I’ll get to shortly). I attempted this recipe, and several others with constant frustration at the outcome. The breads were either too dry, too mushy, not banana-y enough, too sweet, too salty, you name it. That is until my friend Jacqueline suggested taking a look at the recipe on Smitten Kitten for her ‘jacked-up banana bread’, and BINGO! Banana bliss – for the most part. I wasn’t thrilled with the lingering flavor of cloves, or the consistency of the bananas (not to mention having nearly rotten bananas sitting on my counter prior to use), so I made a few tweaks here and there.  

 

Smitten Kitchen Banana Bread

Most of the time when I have a taste for banana bread I’m just looking for something kind-of sweet, but that seems like it might also be fairly healthy, hence the ‘nice’ recipe. However, Keith, Mr. Sweet-tooth, prefers something a little more decadent, so for him is the ‘naughty’ recipe. Finally, there are some people out there who simply aren’t satisfied until cavities are imminent upon consumption – you get the ‘naughtier’ recipe. I’m afraid to think about what might be included in the naughtiest, but if I had to venture a guess I imagine it could include melted chocolate in the batter, or perhaps a chocolate frosting underneath the streusel…

NICE

4 bananas (thawed), smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (I actually use Wild Turkey’s American Honey which Braden gave to me as a gift and is a little too intense a syrupy to drink on it’s own – BUT it does make a great Old Fashioned!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thaw frozen bananas in the microwave using the defrost option (Some more refined bakers might be appalled by this tactic, but it is so convenient, and creates a delightfully mushy banana texture. This way I never feel bad about a banana starting to go bad – I just toss it in the freezer and know that someday it will help me make a delicious treat!). 

Throw them in your freezer, not the garbage.

With a wooden spoon (you could also use a stand-mixer here, but this recipe is easy enough on the forearms without one, and I feel even more accomplished when it’s done having churned it all up myself), mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, little by little, and mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour (depending on your oven, I tend to lean towards 55 minutes), or until a wooden skewer comes out clean (mostly clean at least – those mushy bananas will always leave a little something on the skewer). Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

NAUGHTY

Just stir in some chocolate chips after you add the flower! America’s Test Kitchen suggests Ghiradelli’s, and so do I. Depending on how naughty you want to go you could add more chips, but I prefer using about 1/3 cup for this recipe.

NAUGHTIER

 Once you’ve incorporated the chocolate chips, and poured the batter into your pan, you can now add the crumble from my mom’s recipe over the top:

1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, and smush together with your fingers! Sprinkle this goodness over your batter and you’re good to go.

Delicious Banana Bread Flavor in Convenient Muffin Form

Finally, I’ve recently discovered that this bread can be quite the crowd pleaser in the form of muffins, with any of the above mentioned adaptations. Just use a cupcake tin filled with liners, evenly disperse the batter, and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.

Enjoy!

-Jessica

Best (Actually Good Food) Deal in Town – Rosa de Lima

-By Megan

A few years ago, Bobby was planning a birthday party for his sister at The Green Eye Lounge. We were searching for a place that would deliver food to the bar and we stumbled upon Rosa de Lima, a neighboring Peruvian restaurant. We had a wonderful (and extremely affordable) experience with them that night and it has become one of our go-to Chicago restaurants.

While Rosa de Lima has a variety of menu items and everything that we and our friends have tried has been excellent, there is only one meal that I want to talk about in this post. It was the first meal I had at Rosa and it’s the one I keep going back for. And indeed, it inspired the title of this post – best (actually good food) deal in town.

So let me break it down for you. For a mere $13 you will receive:

• One Chicken Soup per person 
• One Basket of Bread 
• One Whole Chicken 
• Two Sides

People - for $13 this is an insane steal! When I eat at Rosa I will generally take down the soup, a few slices of bread, one piece of chicken and maybe ¼ to ½ of each side dish. If I ordered this for myself I’d have 3-4 meals covered! Or if you are a man twice my size, you have at least two meals here. And as I alluded to in the title, this is not a nasty bucket o’ chicken from KFC.

The soup is a simple one that varies throughout the year depending on what’s on hand; usually it includes chicken, some veggies, and rice. In the fall or winter it is the perfect antidote to the cold.

Soup

The chickens are large, moist, and perfectly seasoned with Peruvian spices. The chicken is served on the bone with skin on. Please don’t be lame and take off the skin – that is where all the spice is. 

Chicken

There are many choices for the sides, but I always go with the sweet plantains and yuca (also known as cassava or manioc). The plantains are done perfectly – soft throughout with a slight crisp on the outside. And the yuca is a nice alternative to fries. 

Plantains & Yuca

 Finally, the glue that binds the whole meal together is the sauce, a Peruvian specialty called “aji.” I have been told it’s made of jalapeño peppers, cheese, and garlic. It is subtly spiced  with a unique tang, and despite having my tongue burned off on occasion, I always go back for more.

The "Aji"

 In addition to this great meal, I always enjoy myself at the restaurant. The servers might be the nicest human beings I have ever met. Sometimes the service can be a little bit “European,” but just accept it and enjoy a leisurely meal.  And please – do give this place a shot. Although it has delicious food at affordable prices, it is rarely full. I would hate to see this place go by the wayside for a lack of clientele! 

Rosa de Lima - 4 Food Babies

 All and all, Viva la Rosa! 

-Megan

Rosa de Lima

2013 N Western Ave (Just North of Lazo's) - (773) 342-4557

Open Tuesday - Sunday: 11:30am - 9:30pm

For More information check out the Rosa de Lima website.   

South of the Border - West of the City

-By Bill

Chicago is a melting pot of ethnicities which is reflected in the enormous selection of restaurants and markets, but if you’re like me, a foodie in the ‘burbs, options can be limited.  The standard ‘ethnic’ aisle of any major market (Jewel, Dominick’s) generally consists of some ramen noodles, instant curries and taco bell dinner kits (is this offensive to anyone?  I’m a white male, not exactly of authority to speak on the topic, but this really gets under my skin).

Fortunately, there are some solid spots out there, and if you dig Mexican food as much as I do, you need to check out La Rosita in suburban Glendale Heights.

La Rosita - Exterior

Not only is this store massive, the selection of products inside is incredible: varied, fresh, often hard to find produce, spices, house made/seasoned meats, cookware, etc.

Oftentimes, ethnic markets pride themselves and fresh, ready to use produce, and La Rosita is no different.  Avacados and tomatoes ready for immediate use are abundant, as are citrus, fresh chilies, tropical fruits (pineapples, bananas, prickly pears, coconuts).

Fresh Produce

The dried chili and spice section is as large as any I’ve seen, with standard chipotle, pasilla and ancho varieties, but also the harder to find mulato, cascabel and moritas.  Dried shrimp, Mexican oregano, canela, jamaica and piloncillo round out the spice offerings.

Dried Chili Selection

 At the 50 foot butcher/seafood counter, they have house made chorizo, whole roasts of beef shoulder, rib roasts, lamb, whole chickens, turkeys, pork roasts and ribs, ceviche ready fin fish, oysters, and true langostines. Pretty much all protein varieties are in abundance.

Meat and Seafood Counter

Need cheese?  Name your pick, from queso fresco to anejo, cojita and Oaxacan varieties.  They also offer fresh crema and several varieties of goat’s milk.

Cheese Selction

On top of all the fresh produce, they have several types of Mexican Chocolate, tortillas, masa harina (no fresh masa, sadly), prepared salsas, hot sauces, dried beans, rice, banana leaves, corn husks, etc.  They also offer a great selection of equipment like tamale steamers, tortilla presses, cazuelas and ollas.

The real beauty of La Rosita though, lies in the in-store taqueria.  Kick butt tacos for $1.50?  Worth the trip alone.

Taqueria Menu

 -Bill

La Rosita Carneceria

500 North Ave, Glendale Heights, IL 

(630) 534-6890

Food Babies + Mega Bites = Deliciousness

Hello Fellow Food Babies,

I apologize for the lack of post the last few days, the holiday weekend involved a number of celebrations that prevented me from being very productive.

In the mean time, check out this write up of a Food Babies - Mega Bites dinner party.

-Keith

Girl and the Goat

-By Scott

Stephanie Izzard

I’ve had a reservation in my head at Stephanie Izard’s Girl and the Goat for two years, two months, and some change. Ever since Izard was crowned the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef Season 4, it’s been on my list of restaurants to try. The only problem until recently is that the restaurant did not exist. But after partnering with the restaurateurs behind Boka, Perennial, and Landmark, Izard opened Girl and the Goat earlier this summer as a follow-up to her last Chicago restaurant, the Bucktown eatery, Scylla. I never made it to Scylla, but heard that Izard’s ascent to Top Chef champion was no surprise to those that enjoyed her cooking before Scylla closed its doors in August of 2007. Although reservations at Girl and the Goat have been about as easy to come by as a Cubs win this season, a friend of mine was able to land a table on a recent Friday night for a group of seven.

The moment I entered Girl and the Goat, I knew it was the type of place I was going to enjoy.  The space itself meshes well with the West Loop/Randolph Corridor neighborhood where it is located.  Dark wood, industrial lighting, open kitchen, and thick black posts define the interior that has a distinctly lofty feel to it, a certain refined grittiness.  To the left of the restaurant is a beautifully back-lit bar and lounge area, a perfect place to come in for a cocktail, if you can get a seat, or while you wait for your table.   

Girl and the Goat -Bar

At the rear of the restaurant is the kitchen, open and in full view of the dinning room. On this particular night, and from what I have read, most nights since the restaurant opened, Izard expedited and oversaw every dish that left the kitchen. Mixed in with the space’s warehouse district motif is also a definite playful, exuberant quality that parallels its food. A painting that lines the wall on the right side of the restaurant reminded me of something that could have come from the mind of Tim Burton. In the painting, a woman (presumably Izard herself) doing her best Helena Bonham Carter impression, walks in a starry-eyed trance with a goat among skulls and what appears to be circus tents in the background. It is a colorful, somewhat haunting piece that serves to break the otherwise dark tones of the dining space.

Girl and the Goat - Interior

But enough talk about ambiance. On to the food. Simply put, the food is good. Really good. Satisfying, inventive, accessible but also adventurous.This is a place that is deeply serious about what it puts on a plate. We began our meal, as any good meal should, with a cocktail. I chose the Double Standard: Ransom Old Tom gin, rye, lemon and mint. The drink boasts a refreshing citrus flavor with just hints of the rye peaking through. This isn’t the Violet Hour, but Girl and the Goat can certainly make a drink.   

Our group decided to take our server’s advice and shared a number of entrees. After beginning with a sampling of two of the offered breads – both excellent and worthy accompaniments to our drinks – we received two orders of the Hiramasa Crudo. Delicate, silky fish paired with deliciously bacony pork belly that somehow managed not to overwhelm the yellowtail-like fish.   

Hiramasa Crudo

With our palates engaged, the floodgates opened: Our choices included grilled octopus salad, savory with a touch of spice, baked Shishito peppers, ham frittes with a heavenly smoked tomato aioli that needs to be bottled and marketed as a ketchup substitute, and a satisfying smoked goat pizza with apple soffritto, black kale, ricotta, and cipollini onions that could easily be turned into a light meal for two on a different kind of night. 

Fat Back

And while nearly everything was absolutely excellent, there were two standouts in my mind.  The first of the head spinners was the smokey whipped fat back with bourbon onions and accompanying biscuits. The biscuits here, while nicely executed, were merely a conduit for the real star of the show, the whipped fat back. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Fat from the back of a pig, whipped into an ethereal emulsion, oozing smokey goodness. Creamy fat with a ghost-like presence of deep smoke left over from the cooking of a whole hog (I suspect), spread generously over the homemade biscuits. In between bites, the onions, tinged with a bourbon pickliness, cut perfectly through main attraction. An absolute revelation. I would go back just to try it again. If you can resist, save some of the fat for the fries. Think of it as a play on the European frites served with mayonnaise. Crispy, velvety, smokey, fried – you may shed a tear.

Crispy Pig Face

The other star of our Friday night show was the Crispy Pig Face. Yes, that’s right: Crispy. Pig. Face – in your face. Or in your mouth, rather. Described by our server as something of a riff on headcheese, the pig face is an absolutely must for any pork lover who goes to Girl and the Goat. Melty, rich, tender fat and meat, egg yolk, paper-thin potato sticks and caramelish tamarind. I almost ordered it again for dessert.

Skirt Steak a la Plancha

There were other highs to the meal including the Skirt Steak a la Plancha, with salted goat milk caramel that offered notes of sweet and savory, as well as a rich pork liver mousseline that was expertly paired with pancake-like crumpets. If I had one complaint, it would be on the subject of desserts. We ordered two: a brown sugar brulee with fluffy Bavarian cream, bluberry compotem and a brown sugar cake, as well as a corn-themed chilled dessert cut with a puckering gastrique. Neither dessert was bad by any stretch, but I was not impressed with the sweets section of the menu as much as I was with the savory fare.

What makes a good dining experience for me extends far beyond the food on the plate. There’s the décor, the service, the feel of the silverware in your hands, the lighting, the quality of the bar, even the bathrooms. But for me, what really makes a good meal is the company you keep while you are enjoying it. There is nothing more satisfying than sharing a good meal with friends. Sharing food, enjoying it together, talking about it, experiencing new flavors and textures as a group, are things that can turn a good meal into an exceptional one. And Girl and the Goat feeds into that concept. It is the perfect place to take a group of friends, the kind of place that becomes better the more friends you have with you at the table. I know my meal was exponentially improved by the presence of my dinner companions. It’s an order-the-whole menu kind of place. The type of restaurant where when you leave you immediately turn to your calendar and try to figure out when you get to come back to sample more items. I have to say, it was completely worth the wait.

Girl and the Goat - 4 Food Babies

 -Scott

Girl and the Goat
809 West Randolph Street - (312) 492-6262
Open Monday - Sunday: 3:00pm - 11:00pm
For more information check out the Girl and the Goat website, the thread on LTHForum, and the Food Babies approved Mega Bites Chicago review.