Chicken Spiedini...mangia!

OMG! If you only try one of my recipes you have to try this one! Unbelievable flavors! I'm still dreaming about eating this dish. I cut one french baguette into 1-inch rounds, cut 2 boneless but skin-on chicken breast halves into 4 smaller pieces, cut sweet Italian sausage into several small pieces. I made skewers using 2 wooden skewers each. I started with the baguette, then the chicken, then I added a lemon slice, then Italian sausage, then fresh bay leaves(I thought I had fresh bay leaves but I only had dry bay leaves so that is what I used...i'm sure fresh is even better). I kept alternating until the skewer was full.

I then drizzled the skewers with Academia Barilla Italiano Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some sea salt and pepper (especially the chicken). I grilled the skewers for 5 -12 minutes over direct heat. I had some trouble getting my grill hot enough so it actually took me longer but I think the slow, low cooking actually made my chicken come out even juicier and more tender.

I used lump hardwood charcoal which burns up quicker than regular charcoal. As the skewers were cooking, I basted them with freshly squeezed lemon juice. The smell from the grill was heavenly and the skewers were beautiful to look at. Che bella!

The flavors...oh madonna! The flavor of the bread is smoky and crispy with the lovely flavor of the Academia Barilla olive oil...the BEST! The sausage was juicy and flavorful. The chicken was the standout...so freakin' incredibly juicy and tender...unreal! So much flavor that my family asked what seasonings I added. I said "olive oil, salt, and pepper" and a squeeze of lemon juice. I wasn't lying. I also added some cherry wood chips to the charcoal and the flavors of the sausage and bay leaves surely influenced the flavor of the chicken.

Mangia bene!

Pappardelle with Proscuitto, Mushrooms, Peas, and Cream!!! Oh yeah baby!

Ok, so far I have crisped up some delish prosciutto from Italia, browned some mushrooms in butter...amazing. The smell of the butter is so sweet and the mushrooms have soaked up all the browned, smoky butter goodness. I whisked together eggs, cream, and freshly grated parmesan and grano padano from Wisconsin. I am in food heaven right now!!!

The pappardelle, wide flat egg-pasta, are freshly made in Italy. I purchased them at Convito in Plaza del Lago on Sheridan Road. They only need to be cooked for a few minutes, make sure to not overcook or they will get mushy and lose their wonderful texture. Also, the pasta will keep cooking for a couple minutes after you drain them. I usually undercook them and then save some of the pasta water and add the pasta in the sauce with the leftover pasta water and cook for a minute or so longer. Because the pasta is undercooked, it soaks up all the wonderful flavor of the sauce and the salty-starchy pasta water so the pasta has soooo much flavor inside of it as well as the flavor of the sauce.

The combination of the crispy, salty prosciutto, the creamy pappardelle, and the crisp green peas is so delicioso!!! Talk about comfort food...it's right here baby!

Ciao!

Siam Pasta - Evanston

Tonight we ate at the exotic "Siam Pasta" Thai restaurant in Evanston, IL (I know..."Pasta" doesn't sound very Thai right? I think they meant noodles). They have a beautiful deck on the second floor for relaxing outdoor dining under a very cool Thai pagoda. The deck is very open and the trees that line Dempster Avenue surround you to make you feel like you are in some kid's wonderful giant treehouse filled with delicious Thai food. The weather was beautiful, warm with a slight summer breeze. The sky was filled with mysterious looking clouds. We kept spotting lightening from within one cloud; at first it just kept lighting up randomly...then we saw the lightening zig-zags. Dinner and a show...nature provides excellent entertainment and such a bargain! (see video at the end of my post!)

The appetizers were very tasty. The menu even lists them as "Tasters". We tried an assortment: Thai spring rolls, egg rolls, Tiger Cry, and Warm Chive Pancakes. The spring rolls and egg rolls were good but nothing special. Tiger Cry (pic upper right corner), a grilled smoky flavored steak served with a very spicy dipping sauce, was delicious! So flavorful and so fun to say "Tiger Cry!" as if you were threatening someone. (ok, maybe that's just fun for me). The warm chive pancakes was the surprising fave. Amazing crispy exterior, chewy sweet interior filled with cooked chives which add such an interesting and balanced flavor. These were also served with a sweet soy sauce and were very appetizing to look at (pic upper left corner).

For dinner I had "Moo Ping" with "Som Tom"...yum! "Moo Ping", also fun to say, is grilled pork on skewers served with a spicy dipping sauce filled with Thai chilis. This pork is ridiculous...incredible layers of flavor! It was served with a cute little black bowl with a lid filled with steamed sticky rice, Thai food heaven! My Thai mom and all her Thai girl friends would make a huge pot of sticky rice for all the kids. We savored the sticky rice with beef jerky or mu satay or just with freshly cut mango...using our fingers as utensils. If you haven't tried sticky rice yet, what are you waiting for? It's fun to eat and so comforting. Finally, "Som Tom" is a delish papaya and carrot salad...this one also had green beans and some tomato in it. It was good but my mom and her friends make it better. My mom holds the carrot and papaya in her hand and chops it quickly with a big knife. She releases the vegetable and it falls in perfect shreds into the bowl. I never understood how she could use her hand as a cutting board and never cut herself! That woman can do anything.

To go with the meal I had delicious hot Jasmine tea. I love the jars they serve their tea in, it looks like a little bong!

I give Siam Pasta 2 out of 4 baht for flavor but 3 out of 4 baht for service and atmosphere. (See my earlier posts)

Sawadee ka!

Where Oh Where are the Mahi Mahi fillets?

Today I went to Sunset Foods and Whole Foods and neither had Mahi Mahi fillets! At Whole Foods they said the market price for Mahi Mahi has gone way up so they are not carrying as much as they used to. I was really looking forward to making grilled Mahi Mahi with Thai coconut sauce so I bought some Mahi Mahi kebobs and tried to make the best of it.

I made a few cups of jasmine rice in my rice cooker and heated some hardwood charcoal in the chimney starter. While those were heating up, I made a sauce out of coconut milk, crab juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, Thai fish sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger, salt and pepper. I added a couple tablespoons of freshly chopped serrano peppers. I boiled the mixture for about 9 minutes and then took it off the heat. I added a quarter cup of cilantro and a few tablespoons of green onions.

I also grilled some red onions and green scallions in oil, salt and pepper while waiting for the fish sauce. The onions were a nice complement to the fish along with the jasmine rice.

I brushed the kebobs with the sauce and then grilled over high heat for a few minutes on each side. The kebobs were good but I can't wait to make the recipe using authentic Mahi Mahi fillets.

For dessert we had freshly cut mangos....yummo!

Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Rosemary and Smoky Glazed Asparagus

So easy, so delish, so juicy...you have to try this! I've been wanting to experiment with fish on the grill. I have several good recipes but some are complicated and I didn't have much time last night...plus it was a hot, humid night so I wanted something that would cook pretty quickly. I found a recipe for a beach picnic from Giada De Laurentis that includes grilled salmon that you can prep at home and bring to the beach to grill. The salmon is grilled in foil....which traps all the yummy flavors and juices and makes the grilling and the clean-up super easy. Me likey.

Brush the top and bottom of salmon fillets with extra-virgin olive oil and season with sea salt, pepper and fresh rosemary leaves. Her recipe says to mince the rosemary leaves but I just snipped some rosemary stalks from my garden and place the whole stalks on top of the fish. Some people don't like to actually eat the herbs so this way you can just remove the stalks and eat the salmon (plus the bonus of less prep time and it's really pretty) Place each piece of salmon on its own piece of foil (I did this from the start before oiling and seaoning). Top each piece with fresh lemon juice, a little white wine, and a few capers (I didn't have the capers so I just skipped this). Finally, place 2-3 lemon slices on top of the fish, then put the rosemary on top of the lemon slices....gorgeous! Wrap up the salmon tightly into foil packets.

Grill directly over a hot grill and cook for about 10 minutes for a 1-inch thick piece of salmon. I am definitely making these again and again. I've never eaten juicier salmon and all the wonderful lemon and rosemary flavors were infused in the fish. Loved the clean-up!

To go with the salmon I made smoky glazed asparagus. You marinate the asparagus for 30 minutes in a mix of mayonnaise (I know it sounds weird but it give the asparagus a beautiful blistery crust when grilled!), extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, a crushed garlic clove, sweet smoked paprika, kosher or sea salt, cumin seeds (I didn't have this so I substituted with regular cumin). Grill the asparagus directly over moderately high heat, turning, until blistered in spots and tender. At first I thought the mayo sounded weird and I love my asparagus grilled with a simple olive oil, salt and pepper seasoning but this version is a nice change and the texture is ridiculous and the flavor is more interesting. It would also be a nice side for a juicy grilled steak...oh yeah!

Flavors of the Taste of Chicago

Friday was a picture perfect day to spend grazing at the Taste. I started with a taste portion of breaded fried steak in fresh crusty Italian bread and buffalo wings from Ricobene's. Both were yummy....the fried steak was delish with a warm fresh marinara sauce...I'm sure it was really healthy! (good portion size though).

Next I was a little more adventurous, shredded Tandoori Turkey leg and Mango-cumin french fries. Both had a wonderful flavor. The fries were soggy but I asked for new fries and they gave me hot freshly fried ones without hesitation. As I walked around several people stopped me to ask about the fries (my sister says they only asked me so they could avoid them because they looked gross).

Billy Goat's cheeseburger was nothing special.

Popcornsicle from Garrett's popcorn was so fun. It's a caramel corn ball that is flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen. They dip it in front of you and hand it to you with smoke billowing all around. Very cool. Big hit with the kids.

I almost forgot about the banana eggrolls dipped in chocolate...so yummy and decadent. Just a snack on the way to the popcorn stand.

Next I indulged myself with fried chicken and waffles with syrup...hells yeah! This stuff was ridiculous!

Greek sausage in pita from Pegasus was interesting but didn't love it.

Mango and Sticky Rice in coconut sauce was heavenly.

I drank a lot of water so I was bummed that I was getting full very quickly because of the fluid. There were so many other dishes that I wanted to try: grilled goat meat, chicken satay, italian ice, stuffed spinach pizza, etc.

When I was in high school I worked at the Taste of Chicago one summer. I worked at my dad's friend's restauarant, Bijan. It still exists on State Street in the Chi. It was a blast even though it was hard work and the days were long. We served ratatouille, fried frog legs, and escargot in a pastry puff. It was so fun yelling out the names of the dishes and seeing people react to the frog legs and escargot. Most customers were really friendly so it was fun to just talk to strangers all week. The money I made helped pay for my college expenses the following year.

Love the Taste...can't wait for next year!