A bite of Szechuan brings a modern twist to classic cuisine
Szechuan province is one of the eight food regions of China. Located in the southwest portion of the continent, Szechuan cuisine is known for its deep rich flavors and hot, spicy, and numbing tastes. Sichuan pepper is used as well as black, chilis, and chili broad bean paste. Garlic, shallots, and…
Sweet and spicy coleslaw
Coleslaw is one of those summertime staples. It is a great accompaniment to barbecue, grilled, and smoked meats. It is great on pulled pork sanguiches too. On a hot humid summer, day it is a great salad on its own. It is cool, crunchy, and smooth. But, it gets boring….
Milk rum punch was a successful experiment.
During the mid to late 1700’s, most booze was rather harsh. Barrel aged beverages contained high levels of tannins causing off flavors. Ben Franklin, who had an affinity for good drink, is credited with using science to take the harshness and tannins out. Others credit various people. How it came about…
Cold tomato yogurt mint soup
Tomatoes. Those lovely members of the nightshade family come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Tomatoes were originally grown as ornamental plants until somebody decided to taste one. Then all hell broke loose. Tomato sauce, Caprese salad, and pizza were invented. In spring and summer, recipes for gazpacho, vichyssoise, and fruit…
Chicken curry slaw/salad with mango
I really like old school diner curry chicken salad, as a course or sandwich. I also like slaw. I decided to mix the two. I had a couple of poached chicken breasts and a bag of slaw mix with kale and other veggies in it. I also had a mango,…
Mangonada is a sweet, salty, sour, spicy, cold delight
I love going to the Maxwell Street Market on Sundays. It is no longer on Maxwell Street, but it is still alive and well. Aside from the bargains that can be had, especially if you are a haggler, it has the best Mexican street food in Chicago. Actually, it has…
Quick easy tomato sauce
Throughout southern Italy, the quick tomato sauce is simply known as Sugo di Pomodoro. The sauce, depending on the region, originated from the sea and farming regions of southern Italy. Legend has it, that when women saw the masts of fishing boats pulling into the harbor or the men returning from…
Kook’s Burritos closed due to social justice Gestapo
Kali Wilgus and Liz “LC” Connelly went on a road trip to Mexico. They were astounded by the food, especially the tortillas. The two young women decided to get recipes for the tortillas. From their recollections, they used their limited Spanish to pick the brains of women making tortillas and…
Food safety for summer parties
It is that time of year again. The hot muggy weather will soon be upon us. Grills will be fired up. People will be having backyard barbecues or hosting picnics in various venues. There will be graduation parties, outdoor wedding showers, weekend barbecues, picnics, and catered parties for various occasions….
The General in Logan Square is a corporal
The General and Mercantile in Logan Square bills itself as providing Southern comfort food along with tacos. On a recent outing with a dining companion, I was underwhelmed. First, since this was a last minute outing and a Saturday, I tried to call to see if reservations would be necessary…