Green City Market

I had never been to the Green City Market before, its sad, after all i am a Chef and the Green City Market is by far one of the best places to get fresh produce from local farmers.  At least this is what i was told by friends and what you read in the papers as well. 
It was decided, Renee and I were going to go, we made plans to get up early and go on Saturday.  We woke up around 7:30ish, made some coffee and were off.  The drive into the city from the suburbs was not that bad, just hop onto 55 and take it to lake shore, follow that to the north side.  Parking was a bitch, Renee and i circled around to find a place, then i went the wrong way, finally got turned back around and found a spot right in front of the market, i was impressed.
For being so late in the growing season i was not expecting much, i mean it was the first week of November.  I was proven wrong as soon as i got closer i saw the array of fruit and vegetables.  There was just boxes upon boxes of carrots, purple carrots, fingerling potatoes, russet potatoes, squashes, jalapenos, habeneros, apples of all varieties, i could go on.
 I was in a culinary heaven and i wanted it all.


This was just amazing, the produce looked so fresh, we were offered some fresh apple cider as were looked around, Renee and I first had to do this just to take it all in then decide were we were going to start.  We were first looking at all of this carrots, they had baby carrots with the tops still on.  They were in mixed bunches that had three different colors, orange, yellow, and purple, we had to get some.  They also had a bunch of much bigger ones that were there, i like to call them horse carrots, because they are truly big enough to feed a horse.  These had white carrots in with them.

While Renee was looking at the carrots i want off on my own down the path and say what looked to me to be cauliflower.  As i got closer it was cauliflower, but in different colors.  I mean i have seen green cauliflower before so i was not that surprised to see purple cauliflower.  What i was amazed at seeing was the spiky looking cauliflower.  It is yellow and instead of having nice tight florets like a normal cauliflower has it had spikes as the florets.  I was amazed so much by this and the fact that i am a fan of cauliflower i bought one of each.


We walked around a little longer, picked up some great onions called candy cane onions, some fresh bulbs of garlic, shallots and some leeks.  It had been decided that day thay Renee and I were going to be making bacon and leek risotto for dinner.  I was purusing the squashes when i looked down and say a bucket, the bucket was full of dried popcorn on the cob.  I myself a fan of fresh popcorn not that crap in the bag stuff was amused and yet not amused to the point of buying, perhaps on another trip. 



Our last stop was to this old gentleman on the corner of the row whom upon entering the market had a crowd of people aropund him to the point we could not see what he had so we knew we had to stop and see.  Once we got to him we could see why people were around him.  He was selling fresh mushrooms that he had just picked.  He had a huge chunk of Hens in the Woods on the table.  This thing was big, there was a customer in front of us as Renee and i gapped at the mushrooms.  The mushroom forager disaperaed for a minute and returned having just weighed a chunk of mushroom for this lady, it was 60 bucks for the chunk.  Renee and I looked at each other with amazment.  He had one other mushroom there, looked like shitake mushrooms, but i know for sure it wasnt, the name slips my mind, but they grabbed a handful of them as well.  When all said and done, the couple in front of us spent 90 dollars on these mushrooms.  After talking with the forager and asking prices it was safe to say that we left empty handed, to expensive for me.  However the pure joy of seeing a mushroom that big and Renee and I being truly novice foragers ourselves we were delighted at the opportunity to see such great mushrooms, produce and most of all great company.

To the left here is what we ended up bringing home from the Green City Market.

Hot Dougs Experiece

3324 N. California Ave.
Chicago IL, 60618
Fri.-Sat.  10:30-4pm
Fri/Sat Only:  Duck Fat Fries
Cash Only


This trip was my second time coming here to Hot Dougs.  I myself knew what to expect, great artisian sausages. Renee my girlfriend had never been there before, i decided to bring her on a friday.  Fridays are special, they deep fry there fries in duck fat on fridays and saturdays.  We left around 10:15am, it seems early but we were expecting a line.
Its a short drive from the suburbs to the far north side of Chicago.  When we arrive, the line is not yet out the door, this was good.  We were able to get into the first door, one more door to go to enter the small restaurant.  I say it maybe sat forty guests when full.  Enter that last door you are meant with a smell of  chard sausages and dogs, and duck fat.

Theres a decent size menu to choose from, all of them have special names, usually famous peoples names, the sausage or dog and toppings represents that individual.  Kinda cool isnt it.  Next to that is a small board that holds the daily specials.  Next to all that is a cool sign that tells you that they are serving duck fat fries, my stomach growls just writing about all of this food now.

To keep the line moving, it is imperative to know what you want when it is your turn to order, most of the time the gentleman that takes your order is the owner, Doug.  Hes a great guy, with a great attitude and loves to create gourmet hotdogs for people to enjoy.
Renee and I ordered the Fois Dog:  A duck sausage topped with truffle aioli, fois gras, and sea salt, Antelope Sausage with sweet bbq sauce, and chunks of smoked gouda and two orders of duck fat fries.  For some it is hard to swallow nine dollars for a sausage topped with fois gras, none the less even purchase one.  I must tell you, you must try this, the best one i have tasted there yet, the flavor profile is off the chart, the textures from crisp to creamy.  You have to try it.  The antelope sausage was just as good, the flavors of sweet and smoky were a great combonation withthe antelope sausage, although antelope has a tendency to be dry due to it being a lean meat the ratio of fat to meat in the sausage was just right.  Lastly the duck fat fries, what can i say here, just add a little salt and devour, the fries are crisp yet have just enough soggy duck fat flavor that makes anyones mouth drowl, even if its just for a second.
The wait in line was maybe fifteen minutes, but we did arrive early, the wait after ordering was about five to eight minutes.  When getting up to leave you could already see that the line was out the door and around the corner of the block, so i must say for this food adventure we came just in time and will be returning soon.

Herbs & Salt

The nights have got longer and colder. The vegetable gardens begin to look like graveyards.  You are dreading the cleanup, revealing a naked patch of what was once your source of fresh fruits and vegetables the entire summer. In the far corner all that remains are your herbs.  Herbs well, most of them are hardy and are not harmed with frost threatening.  Basil, parsley, and the others that are delicate need to be brought inside to further there life through winter. Rosemary as well, all though classified in the evergreen family, it will not survive and come back the following year. As the years pass your herbs grow, meaning your patches of herbs ger larger. If you are found with a abundance of herbs and its nearing winter, cut them and bring them inside to dry.  I have a abundance of sage, rosemary and thyme that i have cut, with so much more out there to use. 
The first few days, i just lay them out in my apartment to get a nice aroma in the air.  When they have served there purpose there, i put them on sheet tray and place in my oven with just the pilot on.  I have found that fresh thyme takes two days to fully dry, sage takes three days and rosemary up to five days. ( This is with my oven so please note this will not be the same for your oven.)
Once the thyme and rosemary are fully dried i remove them from the stems, this usually is easy since the herbs are dry they just fall off. I then let the herbs dry more overnight.  The next day i place the herbs, separately in a pestle and mortar to grind up a little, this is done to make the spice more plausible in its uses later. 
The sage is a little different it is a leaf, the leafs take longer to dry, once they become brittle you crumble them by hand first, lay out and let dry overnight.  Using a pestle and mortar grind the sage up, you will see it does not grind like the thyme or rosemary, yet it is a rub.
This is were the salt comes onto play.  Take some old mason jars, or any recycled glass jar that has been cleaned, sanitized and dried properly.  Mix together kosher salt (artisan salts may be used as well)  with the fresh herbs, making you own mix of salt and herbs.  The key here is to make sure your herbs are dry, even mixed with the salt the herbs can get moldy.  This takes alot of work, well waiting really to dry the herbs, but the benefits of using this mix are endless......steaks, potatoes, dressings, salads, marinades, rubs, etc.  For best results make small batches to keep your mix as fresh as possible.  Also remember to keep the excess dry herbs in separate air light jars until needed, dried herbs can be used in many applications, this is just something i thought of doing one day.

Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe Review

49 South La Grange Road
La Grange Illinois
7 Days a Week
6-3PM



Key Points:

• Very kid friendly
• Parking deck near by
• Some out door seating
• Great pricing

I am a local from a neighboring town that has been enjoying the food of Blueberry Hill for some years now.  I have been taking notes on this place for about a year and below and i am going to give you my review, my opinion on this Cafe.

Located right in the heart of downtown La Grange, Illinois sitting on the corner and only truly recognizable by the blue awnings sits Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe.
There is alot of parking on the side streets and a parking deck nearby for easy access to this gem of a place.
Blueberry Hill is always busy in the morning, and on Saturdays and Sundays you are sitting on the bench indoors and or outdoors waiting for them to call your number and get a seat.  The inside is very open, alot of booths, and open chair seating.  The cooks line for the most park is visible throughout the dining area.
The tables great, once had a maple syrup on the table when sat, that was quickly removed and water was poured and left at the table.  This i like then there is no bother to them to fill you glass when you want to have a conversation.  The wait for coffee is not long, and really not that bad.
At the table you are always given there usual menu and the daily special menu, which is usually seasonal and adds more of a twist to there already extensive menu.  One of the specials that caught my eye one day was Tiramisu Pancakes, sounded appetizing but i did not bite.
As mentioned earlier the menu is extensive.  Being open until 3pm each day it is heavy on breakfast and lunch with alot of the classic favorites.  Breakfast items include multiple creations of french toast, waffles, crepes, pancakes, omelets and skillets.  The skillets are my favorite, eggs and potatoes in a skillet, many different ways to have it, i enjoy the farmers skillet(skillets are great for hang overs).  French toast, try the ones encrusted in capn' crunch, sweet and crunchy, enjoyed best when Vermont maple syrup in "smuggled" into restaurant.  One addition to the menu that would be welcomed and have not seen on the menu is real maple syrup, up charge a dollar or so for the real thing.  There omelets are great, moist and mouthwatering and come with a side of hash browns that could use a douse of ketchup and hot sauce..  I however believe they are to big, enough for two people, them again, i would eat a whole one myself.  There biscuits and gravy is good, but with such a huge selection i tend to over look.  When you get the chance, order the Greek toast, don't know what it is about this toast, but it is delicious and mouthwatering when lathering in butter and peanut butter.
Lunch, again a great variety to choose from here as well, items range from late breakfast items to hardy meals meant to last you the rest of the day. 
They have a great chicken dumpling soup, comes to the table hot, and with the help of a few crackers added to the soup it soon cools of and is easily scarfed down.
They have the classics like a Reuben, patty melt, tuna melt, french dip and a multitude of wraps and salads just to name a few.  The one thing that caught my eye was the Monte Cristo.  know anyone that knows me, knows i love Monte Cristos.  the best Monte Cristo i have ever had is at JR's in Pittsford, Vermont, and there its served with a generous cup of Vermont maple syrup.  Here at Blueberry Hill, the menu has it paired with raspberry sauce.  This time i requested a side of maple syrup.  The Monte Cristo needless to say did not live up to my expectations.  The raspberry sauce was to sweet and the ham and turkey were not thinly sliced and layered.  The french toast bread was great and moist and needless to say the best part of the sandwich.  There wraps are huge and great to take home and finish later in the day.  The classics, are well your classics, no complaints here, they are great comfort food staples that make anyone go away full, happy and with money left in your pocket. 

With that being said i give them 4 Stars.

Pickling and Canning

Growing up i was around canning alot and didn't realize it at the time the impact it has had on my life.   Living in a rural part of Vermont known as Pittsford, family was close by.  my grandparents on my mothers side lived down the farm.  Literally growing up they were know as grandparents down at the farm.  Growing up here was a huge influence in my life in many ways, from dedication to work and never settling for anything but the best.  And of course how to take care of the land, plant a garden and how to make it last.  Not truly realizing until later in life that you were not paid very well for milk at times.  Making money off of selling raw milk to the locals, and surplus vegetables and corn from the garden not only was a welcome income for my grandparents, but also a great meal with local roots. 
Canning was huge in the family, i remember a abundance of canned /yellow beans in the winter that i always looked forward too at the dinner table.  My grandmother and my mom would also do pickles and jams as well.  Those three are the ones i remembered most.
I have taken those learning from my childhood and today have placed my learning's in the kitchen at a Marriott in which i work.  I do alot of canning of roasted salsas, pestos, pickles, dill and sweet.  Pickled peppers and hopefully next i am going to do jardiniere, yet the dill pickles i make are too die for.  Alot of the ingredients for these recipes are from the garden that i tend too at work as well, it is huge.  Over 24 different pepper plants, a dozen tomato plants, a dozen eggplant, some zucchini and pickling cucumber plant to name a few.
Having the privilege to make cool things like this is alot of fun.  The other day i chopped up some of the pickling cucumbers and made them for a dill pickle relish.  I also pickled some cherry tomatoes that were at different stages of ripeness, the jar has cool colors.  I will have some pics up shortly.  I have the next three days off and will get some pics at work to post up here.

My Suggested Basics for your Pantry

The list of ingredients that i am going to have for you at the end of my post are mearly my suggestions of what everyone should have in there pantry.

But first i would like to talk to you about of tools of the trade to invest in to help make you like easier, and bring you more flavor to your cooking.

Pestel and Mortar: this tool to often in my opinion goes over looked in ones kitchen, it is so versatile and makes any dish come alive. When purchasing herbs and spices, purchase whole ones, which when needed you will grind them together with other spices for a rub or marinade, all the grinding releases oils from the herbs that scream flavor. I have a small one which works well for myself, invest in a larger one for larger families, range in price from $25-$150 at alot of stores. If this isn't for you, you can also get a cheap coffee grinder and it will do the same thing, just make it for spices only, no coffee beans.

Use fresh herbs when ever possible, especially in the spring and summer, its inexpensive and brings alot of flavor to food with out adding salt, and you can grow your own herbs in as small a flower pot you have room for. Cant get any better then that.

Another note, taste, taste, taste, always taste your food throughout the cooking process. Flavors develop through out it, so when adding spices, herbs, etc, always taste. you can always add seasoning to cooking, but you can never take it out.....

Here's the list you have been waiting for.........

-Mustard's: Djon, Whole Grain, Yellow

-Oils: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Olive Oil, Canola Oil

-Vinegars: Red Wine, White Wine, Balsamic, Apple Cider

-Flours: AP Flour, Bread, Cornmeal, Semolina

-Sugar: Brown, White, Powdered

-Salt: Kosher, Multiple Types of Sea Salts

-Rice: Brown, Arborio, Basmati

-Dried Fruit: Cranberries, Cherries, Blueberries

-Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts

-Coco Powder

-Baking Powder

-Baking Soda

-Sun-dried Tomatoes

-Achoite Paste

-Capers

-Soy Sauce

-Maple Syrup

-Dried Mushrooms(on the pricey side)

-Herbs and Spices-

-Peppercorn Melange

-Dried Chilies(homemade preferred)

-Nutmeg

-Clove

-Coriander Seeds

-Fennel Seeds

-Cumin Seeds

-Caraway Seed

-Bay Leafs

-Paprika

Questions or comments welcomed

Summer....Go Local.....Go Farmers Markets

What a better time of year to have your garden going out back, or your potted garden on your patio in full swing. You should be getting those tomatoes in a few weeks. For those of us that don't have the space, because they rent, or don't have the time to have a garden, the farmers market is the place to go. Don't know were they are in your area? That's easy, get online and search for farmers markets in your area. There is bound to be one in your neighborhood or in the surrounding areas. It should also tell you the days of the week, mostly Saturdays, some Sundays and usually a day in the week like Tuesday and or Thursday.

During the summer especially i would thin that you are eating what you can get fresh, plan your meals around it. If at your farmers market they sell eggs, fresh poultry, or beef, take advantage of that!!! You are going to pay a little more for these items at a farmers market, but the quality is unmatched. Just think that you could build a relationship with a good vegetable farmer, you can do the same with your local butcher, hell, you may be even able to have him bring specialty cuts to the market just for you. With the vegetable farmer you could end up getting stuff discounted at the end of the day when they are just trying to go back to the farm with nothing. Trust me, they do these things and you have the benefits of a fridge full of fresh produce.

You ask, how do i base meals around what i have, that's up to you and your imagination, a few cookbooks, or even typing in the ingredients into a search you will come up with something great and inspiring.

The benefits really go without explaining if you really think about it, you are helping a local farmer stay in business, you build a relationship with this farmer, you know were its coming from, unlike picking up a cucumber in the grocery store and seeing produce of Peru, no you are seeing a name you recognize. Ask the farmer if he has a certain way they would prepare there produce, you will be surprised. And and one more thing, they for the most part are pesticide free and or organic farms, again another reason to eat from the farmers.

Out here were i live, i can hop on a train and go train stop to train stop about 20 minutes in each direction and be at a farmers market with no problem. Alot of them around here are at the train stations at each town, Saturdays are swarmed around here with people going to market to market. to me there really is no reason not to enjoy fresh local food, i mean really, a tomato that tastes like a tomato, seriously, you wont eat another store bought tomato again i promise.

Last, but not least, get the kids involved, teach them good eating techniques. Bring them to the farmers market with you and help you pick out food for the week, and incorporate that into there school lunches and at dinner, bring the whole family together and cook a meal that you all got fresh at the farmers market. There's not a place on Earth i rather be then at a dinner table amongst friends and family and eating the best food possible, fresh, local, and delicious.

Need Help, Ask Me!!!

Well its simple, do you need help? Have any questions regarding food? Regarding gardening, eating local, and or sustainable? Feel free to ask me these questions and i will be more then happy to answer them for you. None the less the answers will be my opinion and based on my culinary beliefs and are just a suggestion. You can reach me at the email address provided to you in my profile on this page. I look forward to your emails and helping you achieve your goals!!!

How Do You Cook Well???

I was once asked by a close friend, "how do you cook well" This of course caught me by surprise, I mean i really never thought about it, sure everyone has there own approach , preferences, but have you ever thought why? I finally sat down, which is now, thought about it and this is what i wrote..............



As a Chef myself, cooking to me is well beyond just following recipes from a magazine or a recipe card that written in chicken scratch and stained from previous attempts. Its about having the passion to cook and create a dish from farm fresh produce, free range meats whatever they may be. In theory a locavore.

This is were the cooking well piece comes in for me, food, were did it come from? Was it picked prematurely and placed in a cardboard box and shipped across country to you local grocer? Why? With the available resources these days, getting fresh local produce its so easy, a little more expensive, so what i will pay more to have a tomato that tastes like it just came out of my grandmothers garden any day over a unripened flavorless grocery store variety. That little bit more you pay is for the TLC a farmer gives to his crops and prides himself or herself in quality of quantity.

Having my culinary degree to me is a huge advantage of having the common knowledge of cooking, knowing your ingredients and how to apply all in a medley in which will form a fresh, well cooked meal that flows from farm to purchaser(being you) to plate, to the final resting place, but before doing so will send a euphoria of textures to your mouth, followed by a explosion of flavors old and new.

The last and final way i believe i cook well, is seeing people smile when they eat my food, they understand and appreciate the effort that went into creating a simple, fresh homemade meal, it never gets old, if anything for me it drives me to get better, strive new heights and make simple food fresh food.

My Culinary Start to 2011

I get a lot of culinary magazines in the mail each month, subscribe to a lot of online daily newsletters and the occasional flyer from the local grocery store or the local restaurant. I recently came across one article that really caught my eye. The article had broken down all of the best places to dine in the Chicago Suburbs.

I found this list very appeasing, I had been to a few of the restaurants on the list and totally agree why they had made the list of places to eat, this by no means just happens. They have great, fresh food that touches the heart of all the foodies out there with so many different ethnic backgrounds. this is all followed by great service to make a great experience....amazing.

With this being said I have decided to make my own list, a list of places that with in the coming year I will visit and write about to see if they truly belong on the list of best places to dine in the suburbs. I will write a short and brief synapse of my experience, what i ate, whom i was with and a short history of the place.

Without further adue, the following is the list of places I plan on eating at this year, mind you this list will probably grow throughout the spring and summer.....here's my start...





Q BBQ, Hot Dougs, Bertos Deli, Palmers Place, Five Guys, Mon Ami Gabi, Casa Margarita, Sushi House, Busy Bee, Emmett's Ale House and Another Round