Lamb Stew and a guide to Chicago weekend fun

MANY PEOPLE SEE MARCH AS HEADING INTO SPRING. And indeed, March 20 is the first official day this year. But the reality here in Chicago and many places elsewhere can be quite different. Lately, we’ve been craving warming comfort food. In recent weeks, we’ve made Kimchi Chicken Soup, Valerie’s Split Pea Soup, Polish Hunter’s Stew, Shepherd’s Pie… March also being the month of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re currently thinking fondly of Irish Lamb Stew. Continue reading “Lamb Stew and a guide to Chicago weekend fun” →

Kimchi Chicken Soup and the Luxury of Leftovers

Leftover rotisserie chicken, kimchi and canned white beans create a big-flavored, satisfying, healthy, weeknight-quick meal. Recipe below.

WE LOVE LEFTOVERS. Besides the way certain dishes just taste better the second day, there’s the deliciously smug pleasure we get from using stuff up rather than discarding it. So when we were recently faced with leftover rotisserie chicken and a giant jar of kimchi that wasn’t depleting or getting any younger, we created this impromptu soup. It was so good that you’re actually looking at the second batch we’ve made—from the same chicken and jar of kimchi. Continue reading “Kimchi Chicken Soup and the Luxury of Leftovers” →

Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew

Kielbasa, pork roast, chicken, sauerkraut and cabbage make bigos a hearty stew perfect for winter—and Poland’s national dish.

A WEEKEND DAY TRIP IN NORTHWEST INDIANA LED TO SOME GREAT FOOD. Classic Ruben sandwiches and slices of housemade pie from a 1940s diner. Artisan sweets from a little chocolatier in a former bag factory. And for dinner back at home, takeout bigos—Polish hunter’s stew—from a Polish deli and supermarket that it turns out is dangerously close to our home. Continue reading “Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew” →

Warm up with Valerie’s Split Pea Soup

BITTER COLD GOT MARION TO MAKE HER FRIEND VALERIE’S SOUP the first time seven years ago. Now with pretty much all of the U.S. gripped by brutal winter weather—including unprecedented snow across the South—it seemed like a good time to make this warming, hearty split pea soup again. Continue reading “Warm up with Valerie’s Split Pea Soup” →

Friends, family and comfort food: Shepherd’s Pie

“GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS.” Robert Frost’s neighbor likes the thought so much he says it twice as they mend the stone wall between them. We think good food makes even better neighbors. It’s certainly one reason Rosa is a great next door neighbor. Continue reading “Friends, family and comfort food: Shepherd’s Pie” →

Miso Gochujang Butter Chicken

A mix of Asian ingredients create roasted chicken that is juicy, slightly spicy, tangy and a little sweet. Recipe below.

LOOK IN OUR FRIDGE AND PANTRY, AND YOU’LL FIND ASIAN INGREDIENTS GALORE. Some esoteric, but mostly basic things we use regularly. This easy chicken recipe calls for three of the latter, all from different parts of Asia. White miso paste from Japan, gochujang paste from Korea, and rice vinegar used throughout East and Southeast Asia—China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam… Which makes perfect sense since it comes from a lovely pan-Asian cookbook. Continue reading “Miso Gochujang Butter Chicken” →

Happy holidays from Blue Kitchen

THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED THIS WEEK. We’ll be back next week with a new recipe. In the meantime, enjoy celebrating the holidays deliciously.

Making the most of fresh cranberries now: Pan-roasted Chicken with Cranberries

THANKS TO THANKSGIVING, FRESH CRANBERRIES ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. BUY THEM. This is a delicious dish that makes the most of them. The signature tartness of fresh cranberries turns pan-roasted chicken, potatoes, shallots and herbs into a complex, company-ready meal. And fortunately, fresh cranberries freeze nicely—future you will thank you. You’ll find the recipe here.

Our cool Thanksgiving starts with chilled Sweet Potato Vichyssoise

The unexpected coldness of this soup adds an elegant surprise to our Thanksgiving dinner first course.

SINCE FOREVER, MARION HAS MADE THIS ELEGANT CHILLED SOUP as the first course of our Thanksgiving dinner. It is light and creamy, and relies on homemade chicken stock as its base. This being the day before Thanksgiving, whether you’re hosting or guesting, the menu is probably already set and undoubtedly rich with its own traditions. But we just wanted to share one of our traditions with you. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. You’ll find recipes for the vichyssoise and the homemade stock here.

Biscuits and Vegetarian Red Eye Gravy that will fool your favorite carnivore

Mushrooms and spices used in sausage making give this vegetarian version of a Southern diner breakfast staple a convincingly meaty flavor.

BISCUITS AND GRAVY ARE PERHAPS THE ICONIC SOUTHERN BREAKFAST FOOD. More specifically, biscuits and some kind of meaty gravy made with either pork sausage or rendered fat from fried ham or even lard, if no meat is available. Sounds dodgy, tastes delicious. Continue reading “Biscuits and Vegetarian Red Eye Gravy that will fool your favorite carnivore” →