May 1, 2008 · 8:37 PM

FTC: Paletas

Spring is officially here – yesterday I saw a paleta cart rolling down the sidewalk. Paletas are Mexican popsicles, with either a milk or water base, and they are delicious! While paletas are a common site on the street, they are also sold in most Mexican grocery stores. We recently picked up paletas from a local supermercado, La Huerta (580 S. Randall Rd, St. Charles, IL) in anticipation of the arrival of warm weather. Our all-time favorite place for paletas is Paleteria La Monarca (6955 N Clark St., Chicago, IL), especially their lime flavor.

L picked Mango and Chile variety – the bar was full of fresh mango chunks and a healthy dose of powdered chile – you can really feel the kick at the end. M went for the more conventional chocolate and almond milk-based bar. Think a really tasty version of a pudding pop, with shaved almond bits throughout. Other varieties available included strawberry and tamarind, as well as a melon flavor called “Mamey.” We were initially drawn to the brand because of its colorful butterfly packaging, a theme also present at La Monarca. Apparently Michoacan is a common name for paleta companies, and the unconfirmed home of the paleta is located in the Mexican State of the same name.

1 Comment

Filed under Finer Things Club

Tagged as ,

April 29, 2008 · 4:50 PM

Recipe Monday: Tortilla Soup

It was a cold weekend in Chicago, so we wanted something warm. We found a recipe for tortilla soup on the Food Network website, so we decided to give it a try.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium white onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1 quart chicken stock, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for pan-frying
8 corn tortillas, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 cup shredded Jack cheese, optional
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
1 lime, cut in wedges, for serving

Directions:
Place a stockpot over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeños, and tomatoes; cook, stirring for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked down and pulpy. Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1-inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high flame. When the oil begins to smoke, add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until they are crisp on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot. Ladle the hot soup into 4 soup bowls and put a pile of shredded chicken on top of each. Top with the diced avocado and fried tortilla strips (and cheese if using). Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

The best part was frying up the corn tortillas. We cut up small corn tortillas, tossed them in the hot oil and they cooked in 5 seconds flat. Be sure to have a slotted spoon ready! All in all, the soup was good, but not great. We feel it could have used a bit more of a kick. Maybe more jalapeños, or hot sauce. We added some more pepper, which helped liven it up a bit. Other than that all of the flavors worked really well, but how can you really go wrong with fresh cilantro and lime?

Leave a comment

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as ,

April 27, 2008 · 7:30 PM

Our Favorite Place for Middle Eastern in the Chicago Suburbs: Pita Inn

turkey.png Pita Inn
New Location: 4700 Dempster St.
Skokie , IL

If you see that a restaurant is packed full at 3 PM on Sunday, you know it’s probably pretty decent. In the case of Pita Inn, It was more than decent. Talk about bang for your buck! From the outside, the Pita Inn just looks like a typical fast food operation. Same on the inside – there is a counter where you place your order and get a number. One word: Amazing. The menu features a variety of pitas and platters: Chicken and Beef Shewarma, Kifta, Beef and Chicken Kabobs and Falafel sandwiches. There are also all of the classic appetizers: Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Tabouleh and Dolmeh.

Our table ordered 2 falafel sandwiches and 1 each of the chicken and beef shewarma pitas. Each sandwich came in a chewy, obviously-fresh pita at the bargain price of less than $4.50 each. The shewarma sandwiches were tasty and well-seasoned. However, the stars of the show were the falafel. These are some serious falafel – good texture, crispy outside, even better drenched with tahini. Yum!

The best part, however, was the fact that the Pita Inn factory was located in a strip mall that shared a parking lot with the restaurant. There was a little window that connected the pita factory to a Middle-Eastern grocery store by a pass-through window. You could buy bags of fresh pitas in the grocery store for less than 4 bucks to take home. Here’s our fresh-out-of-the-oven purchase. As you can see, the bag is full of steam! These pitas were absolutely delicious. Pita Inn doesn’t have a Zagat rating of 24 for nothing.

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , ,

April 25, 2008 · 7:44 PM

FTC: Gopi Mango Lassi

Over last summer we acquired a new blender, and set out to make the perfect mango lassi, and Indian yogurt smoothie drink. We usually wing the blend of yogurt, cardamom and fresh mango, and the results are generally good. However, when we don’t have access to fresh mangos, it’s nice to have an ersatz version of the mango lassi around. That’s where the Gopi Mango Lassi we picked up at the Pita Inn Market comes in. At about $2 for a 1-pint bottle, the lassi itself was a steal. The drink itself was smooth and pleasant, but it could have packed more of a mango punch. We also did not taste any of the cardamom flavor we usually enjoy. While no substitute, for a snack on the run, this is a great option.

p.s. Gopi is a Sanskrit word for “cow herding girl.”

Leave a comment

Filed under Finer Things Club

Tagged as ,

April 20, 2008 · 12:37 AM

Thailand: TAC Quick

TAC Quick
3930 N Sheridan Rd
Chicago, IL

TAC Quick gets a lot of glowing praise as one of the top Thai Restaurants in Chicago so I was excited when my [L] friend and I popped in for dinner last week. TAC is literally right next to the Sheridan Red line el stop, so it could not be easier to get to. The space itself is modern and inviting with wooden tables, and the staff is pleasant and efficient. Not to mention the prices are ridiculously cheap. I ordered the Peanut Curry ($7.50) which consisted of a deep bowl filled with egg noodles, chicken, bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro and peanut curry. The peanut curry was (coconut) milky and soupy and had a little kick to it, perfect for slurping up with the provided soup spoon.

The verdict? It’s all about expectations. I felt the same about TAC Quick as I did about Juno. The reviews ruined a perfectly good thing for me, because there was no way it could live up to the hype. Maybe I was expecting TAC Quick to be some kind of holy Thai epicurean grail, but I didn’t find it much better than my usual local haunt, Thai Sookdee. In any case, I think I’ll have to be back to sample more of TAC’s esoteric specialties. There is a ‘secret’ Thai menu that also contains inventive and unique dishes. I guess the protocol is that you have to ask the waiter for the menu, and some of the specials are also publicized on a chalkboard. Maybe next time I’ll feel like nominating TAC Quick for an Oscar?

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as

April 16, 2008 · 8:58 PM

Mexico: Carniceria Guanajuato

Carniceria Guanajuato
1436 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL

M and I were in the Wicker Park area on Sunday, so we decided we wanted to try somewhere new for a quick lunch. We found our lunch at Carniceria Guanajuato – a grocery store selling primarily Mexican foods, meat and fresh produce. M and I would have been plenty pleased just perusing the aisles like we usually do, picking up some tasty cookies and bottles of Jarritos or Mexican Coke. However, we heard it through the grapevine that the Carniceria was home to a lunch counter that made a mean (and thrifty) taco.

Towards the back of the store there was indeed a little lunch counter boasting a menu of tortas, tacos and burritos. Each came with a choice of Carne Asada, Chorizo, Lengua or Carnitas (unfortunately chicken was not served on weekends). The prices could also not be beat, at only $1.60 for each taco. We each ordered two tacos and waited in anticipation at one of the booths as the cooks prepared our meal.

I (L) ordered the carne asada tacos, which came minimally garnished with a heaping helping of cilantro and red onion. The eaters don’t mind a spot of red onion, but there was a lot here. More than we expected. However, they worked in the taco and turned out to not be too overwhelming. The soft corn tortillas were fresh-tasting and held up under the weight of all of the contents. The carne asada itself was well-seasoned and flavorful, however it was chopped a little too finely, giving the unfortunate texture of ground meat.

M got the Chorizo Tacos, which were spicy and great. There was so much filling, we had to scoop some out with a spoon. M retrieved a lime and a bottle of homemade salsa verde from the counter as garnish, both of which only improved everything.

We left the carniceria satiated and happy. If we are in the area and needed a quick lunch, we’d definitely return. Additionally, the grocery had some fun kitchen items we might want to explore later. Maybe we’ll even buy a molcajete next time…

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as

April 11, 2008 · 1:32 PM

FTC: Wisconsin Cheese Plate – To Spain and Back

Did you know that April is grilled cheese month? Well it is! In honor of this sacred month, the Eaters have compiled a lovely little cheese plate consisting of both Wisconsin-bred and Spanish cheeses (we <3 Manchego, what can we say), complete with festive flags. We also selected several World Champ Cheese Contest contenders, marked with a *.

  • Vintage Van Gogh (Roth Kase, Monroe, WI) – This is far and away the best grilling cheese of our selection, due to its melty consistency and hint of sweet caramel flavor, but not our preferred cheese for plain munching.
  • Baby Swiss (Chalet Cheese Cooperative, Monroe, WI)- Award winning Baby Swiss, with a delicate flavor and smooth texture. Also a great grilled cheese staple. Coincidentally, Chalet is the only operating Limburger factory in America. Boy, we could tell.
  • *Redstone (Natural Valley Cheese, Cashton, WI)- This is a semi-hard cheese that we found best suited for grating. It has a taste not unlike very strong Parmesan, with a tinge less saltiness.
  • *Garrotxa Muntanyola (Quorum International, Sevilla La Nueva, Madrid)- A deliciously creamy, Catalan-style goat’s milk cheese that has a nice bite, but nothing too overwhelming. Excellent with figs and crusty bread.
  • Gran Queso (Roth Kase, Monroe, WI) – Gran Queso is a domestic Manchego-style cheese. Thus, not really from Spain, but extremely tasty nonetheless. This cow’s milk cheese has a nice bite and a smooth finish. We could eat a whole block in one sitting.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cheese, Finer Things Club

Tagged as

April 8, 2008 · 10:47 AM

Tea Tuesday: Ito En Jasmine Pearl Tea

Jasmine Pearl TeaJapan Tea is something of an obsession for the Eaters. We currently have probably about 40 varieties of teas in our possession at this moment. One of our latest favorites is Ito En Jasmine Pearl Tea. It’s a whole leaf hand-rolled tea, which unfurls when you steep it. We were previously not big fans of Jasmine teas, since when they are bad, they are really bad. However, Ito En made us a believer. Ito En certainly is not a cheap variety ($18 for 3 oz.), but it’s delicious. Bottled Ito En teas are also now becoming available at stores like Whole Foods, if you want to try them out.

Leave a comment

Filed under Tea

Tagged as

April 4, 2008 · 10:19 AM

Solid Indian food in the suburbs: India House

India House
1521 W. Schaumburg Rd.
Schaumburg, IL

Another Indian buffet in the NW burbs? Yeah, there are tons, but we found a good one. India House is a huge banquet hall specializing in buffets and opulent weddings, located in a nondescript Suburban strip mall. India House has been around for many years, and is famous for their prolific $9.99 lunch buffet. It had gotten some good reviews, so I brought along my youngest sibling, who I was introducing to Indian food. We arrived at 11:30 on a weekday and were the first people there -so we arrived to an absolutely fresh buffet. The room itself was nice, if stereotypically banquet-y, with booths along one side and crystal chandeliers. We made a beeline for the buffet and sampled the following dishes, though there were many more:

  • Mattar Paneer – Soft cheese cubes prepared with green peas.
  • Potato Pakora – Spicy little potato fritters
  • Surti Dal – Yellow lentils cooked in herbs and spices.
  • Lamb and Chicken curry – Two yellow curry dishes of medium heat.
  • Spicy South Indian soup – A super spicy soup with peppers, eggplants and potatoes.
  • Chicken Makhani – AKA butter chicken, white-meat chicken in a mild tomato sauce, great for tikka masala lovers.
  • Gulab Jamun– Fried milk pastry in sweet saffron syrup.
  • Kheer -Rice Pudding

Interestingly, a sizzling plate of tandoori chicken was also brought directly to our booth on cast iron slab, as was a basket of fluffy naan. Everything from the buffet was fresh and tasty, and there were a variety of spice levels and a mix of familiar and new dishes. We were totally surprised by the free plate of tandoori chicken that came with the buffet, which was excellent. We also ordered a Mango Lassi which was rich and creamy, but at $4.50, a little overpriced. As we ate, the huge room began to fill up with lunching businesspeople and locals, assuring us of the buffet’s popularly. India House also has a branch on Devon, home to most of Chicago’s best Indian restaurants, so that may be worth trying out as well, if you are not in the burbs. My sibling enjoyed the experience, and is now an Indian food convert. Overall, India House is a great suburban stop if you have a craving for Indian food, and has something for newbies and stalwarts alike.

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as

April 1, 2008 · 10:40 PM

April Fool’s Day in France: Poisson d’Avril

ChocoFishIn France, April 1st is a day of fun and pranks, much like April Fools. French festivities are known as Poisson d’Avril (April fish), where you are supposed to go around taping paper fish on the backs of friends and acquaintances. However, it is also a day for chocolate fish! These on the right are from Jean-Paul Hévin. The blog Paris Breakfasts has an extensive photo-essay of the wonderful fish-shaped tricks and treats in Paris this April 1st.

3 Comments

Filed under Holidays, World Eats

Tagged as , ,

March 31, 2008 · 9:32 PM

Recipe Monday: White Wine Sauce

We happened to have a half-bottle of white wine in the fridge from our Risotto-making and we were looking for a use for it. We found this nice, simple recipe from Gourmet Magazine. Instead of steak, we substituted chicken, since we are being healthy (we’re overlooking the butter, of course). Also, we remembered that white wine is supposed to go better with poultry. In the reviews of the recipe, several readers substituted red wine with success. Overall, we were pleased with our results. The sauce was really tasty, and super simple. Moreover, we didn’t have to buy a single new ingredient, which made our wallets happy.

Ingredients:
4 (1/2-inch-thick) top chuck blade steaks (18 oz)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
+ (we also added some chopped garlic)

Instructions:
Pat steaks dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté steaks 3 minutes per side for medium. Transfer steaks with tongs to a plate and keep warm, loosely covered. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and cook shallot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and carefully add wine and any meat juices that have accumulated on plate with steaks. Simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serve steaks with sauce poured over.

Leave a comment

Filed under Recipes

March 30, 2008 · 8:46 PM

Switzerland 2: Eating New Glarus pt. 2

switzerland.pngNew Glarus Bakery
534 First St
New Glarus, WI

After our hearty lunch at the New Glarus Hotel, we wandered around the town of New Glarus popping in and out of the Euro-themed gift stores (we wanted to go to the Chocolate and Cheese Haus, but it was closed). We came across the New Glarus bakery, where we though we might be able to get a bretzel, and perhaps some sweet treats. While they didn’t have bretzels, there were glass cases filled with unusual cookies at very cheap prices. We ended up sampling 4 varieties for a grand total of about a dollar:

  • Spekulatius – These were square gingerbread cookies, which are relatives of the Belgian Speculoos. These were chewy with pieces of ginger and almond throughout.
  • Sandbissen – Your basic shortbread cookie. Not bad. Not sweet enough for our tastes, though.
  • Chocolate Blueberry Spritz – A classic chocolate sugar spritz cookie with a dried blueberry in the center. Nice, dark chocolate in a cute star shape (shaped by a cookie press).
  • Pfeffernüsse – Covered in powdered sugar, and flavored with cloves, cinnamon and black pepper, these were the most unusual cookies of the bunch.

SwissCookie
As you can see from this picture, there were plenty more varieties to try – making your own sampler won’t break the bank. We were impressed by the unusual cookie selection, and we will definitely be back.

3 Comments

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , ,

March 30, 2008 · 3:37 PM

Switzerland 1: Eating New Glarus pt. 1

switzerland.pngNew Glarus Hotel Restaurant
100 6th Avenue
New Glarus, WI

New Glarus, Wisconsin has the distinction of being “America’s Little Switzerland,” having preserved it’s Swiss heritageInn since its founding in the mid-1800s. Arriving in the town, you do get a hint (ok a lot) of kitsch. All of the buildings are alpine chalet-style. Even the RE/MAX and self-storage boast Swiss canton crests and half-timbers.

Rolling into the town at about 1 PM Wednesday, it was pretty much dead. Our first stop was the New Glarus Hotel, the biggest building in town, home of the New Glarus Hotel Restaurant, featuring polka music on the weekends and tons of old-school decor.

We had a very friendly dirndl-clad waitress, who could clearly tell we were not local. We were quickly presented with a huge menu of old-school Swiss food as we listened to some yodeling piped in on speakers (no lie). The menu consisted of tons of Schnitzels, Roestis, Raclette as well as some basic American sandwiches. L started out with a cup of Swiss Onion Soup, which seemed to be a cup of French Onion soup with an extra crust of melty Gruyere, but with chunks of bacon (unfortunately, since L doesn’t like bacon that much). For a main course, L had the Roesti, a traditional Swiss dish. A Rösti/Roesti is basically a huge, glorified hash brown, consisting of grated potatoes fried with with caramelized onions and a bit of Raclette as a filling. L ordered the plain Roesti, though there were meat and cheese varieties. Though M ate most of L’s soup, the Roesti was quickly gobbled up.

ngl2

M had the Raclette entree, which was basically a plate of boiled potatoes with melted Raclette cheese garnished with capers, baby gherkins and onions. The dish was probably overpriced at $11 (it was only potatoes and cheese), but M loves cheese so he enjoyed it. We sopped up the extra cheese with garlic rolls from the breadbasket, which were really excellent.

ngl1

This was our first foray into Swiss food, and as far as we can tell, it is like German food, but with cheese. We like cheese, so that was a plus. There are a handful of other restaurants in New Glarus, most boasting the same stick-to-your-ribs meat/cheese/potato fare. The New Glarus Hotel restaurant is a good place to start – we only wish we had been there on polka night.

2 Comments

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , ,

March 25, 2008 · 9:19 AM

A trip back in time at Russian Tea Time

Russia
Russian Tea Time
77 E Adams St
Chicago, IL

My friend Anne and I [L] ended up at the Russian Tea Time on the snowiest day of the year (Yes, in Chicago the blizzards extend well into Spring…). After having walked by this restaurant for years upon years on my way to the Art Institute, I was happy to actually go inside. We entered the cozy restaurant at about 2 PM to find it absolutely packed to the brim with a bus tour of senior citizens. Luckily, we managed to find space at the bar. Looking around the restaurant, it did begin to feel a little bit like brunch with a grandma, with throwback decor and porcelain dolls everywhere, including on top of huge samovars. But also like grandma’s it’s a cozy and inviting space.

The menu was full of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian specialties (one of the owners is originally from Uzbekistan). Anne ordered latkes ($8.95), which came with sour cream and applesauce. I ordered the the varineky- Ukrainian potato dumplings ($8.95) with carrot salad, sour cream and yogurt sauce. Both dishes were tasty and stick-to-your-ribs good. Perfect for a cold day. The service was pleasant but a bit slow, mostly on account of the tourbus crowd. I would definitely return to Russian Tea Time later to try some of their more exotic specialties like the Uzbek chick pea stew or the Azerbaijani mushroom caps. Appropriately, they also have a nice afternoon tea.

Leave a comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as ,

March 24, 2008 · 11:27 PM

Recipe Monday: Lemon Risotto

ItalyM’s mother sent along this risotto recipe from Epicurious.com, which we were excited to try out. This was our first time making risotto from scratch, and it was actually very simple, though a bit time-consuming.

Ingredients:
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large shallots, chopped
2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Risotto

Instructions:
Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups hot broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

We were apprehensive at first since we heard risotto was difficult to make very well. However, we were very pleased with our results. As previously stated, this recipe was super easy, and we didn’t need to make any adjustments to the recipe. The end result was lightly lemon flavored and also super rich and creamy. Though, of course, we added some extra cheese as a garnish. The recipe makes enough for about 3 or 4 people – the 2 of us had plenty of leftovers.

Leave a comment

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as ,

March 22, 2008 · 7:26 PM

Eating Puerto Rico: Snack time!

Flag of Puerto Rico We ate our fair share of heavy, starchy meals in Puerto Rico, but the island has a lot to offer in the way of between-meal snacks.

On thing the eaters were really excited for in Puerto Rico was the famous piragua – while it is the Spanish-language word for canoe, it also describes a Puerto Rican snow cone. Little push-carts selling piraguas dot most urban squares in Puerto Rico. Inside the carts are tubs of shaved ice, and sometimes even giant cubes of ice that the piragua-makers shave to order. The piragua comes in a plastic cup (or if you are lucky, a little paper cone) and is then doused liberally with flavored syrup. Along with typical flavors like cherry, coconut and strawberry, you can get more unusual treats like tamarind, hibiscus and mango. Our favorite experience was sharing a tamarind piragua in the Parque de Bombas in Ponce. Perfectly refreshing for a hot day.

La Bombonera

La Bombonera in San Juan by John Picken

In terms of quick bites, we also managed to have some excellent breakfasts in Puerto Rico. A typical breakfast in San Juan consists of café con leche and a pastry, a model to which we subscribed. One of our favorite new dishes to accompany our morning coffee was the mallorca-a hot, buttered, fried pastry with a variety of fillings (ham and cheese, etc.). Think panini, but instead of bread there is pastry. Two of the better breakfast places we found for mallorca were Cafeteria Mallorca and La Bombonera. Both boast impressive pastry display cases and big selections of breakfast and lunch items including American favorites like pancakes and fruit salad. Bombonera is the more historic of the two, going all the way back to 1902 (with a vintage Cuban espresso machine to boot). However, we have to give a tip of the hat to Mallorca for friendlier and speedier service.

Cafeteria Mallorca
300 Calle San Francisco
San Juan

La Bombonera
259 Calle San Francisco
San Juan

1 Comment

Filed under Reviews

Tagged as , , ,

March 20, 2008 · 5:22 PM

Zeppole Update

ZeppoleSicilyBennison’s Bakery
1000 Davis St.
Evanston, IL

I got THE LAST zeppole today at Bennison’s Bakery in Evanston. You can see it at right on my poor webcam (real digicam is broken). A zeppole basically consists of a filled, fried donut-type pastry. For $2, Bennison’s zeppole was huge, fried and awesome. Their zeppole are filled with the same cream filing as their cannolis. There were strawberry and cherry topped varieties but this cherry one was the last straggler.

Leave a comment

Filed under Holidays, Reviews

Tagged as ,

March 19, 2008 · 12:12 PM

All About St. Joseph’s Day Food (especially Zeppole!)

SicilyFollowing my post on St. Paddy’s day eats, I have to mention St. Joseph’s Day, a holiday in Italy JosephAltarwhich is accompanied by a delicious treat called the Zeppole. A zeppole is a fried donut-like pastry that is filled with jam or cream and topped with powdered sugar. They are traditionally made especially for St. Joseph’s Day. About.com has a simple recipe, as well as an extensive history of the humble zeppole.

St. Joseph’s Day (March 19) is one of the biggest holidays in Sicily (and some other parts of Southern Italy). Joseph is the patron saint of Sicily since people say that in the middle ages peasants prayed to him and he ended a drought. Now, in remembrance of this feat, some Sicilians create altars full of food and plenty in honor of the day. Fava beans, the crop St. Joseph saved, are popular, as are citrus fruits, which happen to be prolific in Sicily. The tradition has spread to places with large Sicilian immigrant populations, especially New Orleans. There is a lot of interesting history of Louisiana altars (like the one at right) at the Houston Institute for Culture.

This year, I found a list of places with “St. Joseph Tables” in Chicagoland in the Sun Times. I imagine it would be a cool experience to go to one.

3 Comments

Filed under Holidays, World Eats

Tagged as , , ,

March 17, 2008 · 6:16 PM

The history of Corned Beef and Cabbage

IrelandIn honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a little post about the quintessential St. Patty’s food – corned beef. So…What’s the deal with it? I always though it was an actual Irish dish, but, it turns out it is really more of an Irish-American creation. According to Wikipedia, while cabbage has long been a traditional Irish food, beef was substituted in America as a cheaper alternative to bacon, which was traditionally served in Ireland. The ‘corned’ in corned beef actually is an antiquated way to say “brined.” The dish itself dates back to 1621! If you really want to go for it, here’s a corned beef recipe from Food Network.

CornedBeef

Corned Beef and Cabbage by Craig Dugas

Leave a comment

Filed under Holidays, World Eats

Tagged as , , ,

March 14, 2008 · 9:23 AM

Happy Pi Day! (Sorry, couldn’t resist).

PiDay

Leave a comment

Filed under Holidays, Note

Tagged as ,