Essential kitchen tools: the Peugeot pepper mill

An ingredient that appears in more recipes than not here at Blue Kitchen is freshly ground black pepper. Why freshly ground? Whole peppercorns ground in a pepper mill deliver much more flavor than the pre-ground stuff in tins. When I grind pepper over a pan of simmering food on the stove, the fragrance rises up to meet me, much the same effect of adding any spice to a pan.

Grinding your own pepper also allows you to control its coarseness or fineness, from crushed for steaks and chops to finely ground for delicate sauces. Continue reading “Essential kitchen tools: the Peugeot pepper mill” →

The simple pleasures of dining at the bar

For attentive service with a side of good dinner conversation, try snagging a seat at the restaurant’s bar.

Friday was our wedding anniversary. When our dinner plans suddenly fell through, we happened to be near Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar. We were offered a perfectly lovely table or seats at the bar. We chose the bar.

Just to clarify, I’m not talking about eating bar snacks in a bar. No wings, jalapeño poppers or clever little sliders. That’s a different experience, fun in its own right, but here I mean dining at the bar in a place that serves a chef-driven menu. Continue reading “The simple pleasures of dining at the bar” →

The FDA gives cheesemakers a real food scare

It’s been a wild ride the last couple of weeks for cheese lovers and artisan cheese producers. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration appeared to signal that it would ban the aging of cheese on wooden boards in the United States. Doing so would effectively end most small batch (and even good-sized batch) independent production of artisan cheeses in America. By extension, it would also end the import of many European cheeses, most of which are aged on wood—including Parmigiano-Reggiano. Continue reading “The FDA gives cheesemakers a real food scare” →

Where there’s smoke, there’s delicious: Braised Pork Chops with Chipotle Black Beans

Canned black beans cooked with onion, red bell pepper, garlic and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce make a smoky, spicy, show-stealing side for pork chops, chicken and fish—or a vegetarian meal with tofu. Recipe and variations below.

There is something almost primeval about combining food and smoke. Cooking with fire and its attendant smoke links us to our earliest ancestors. Indeed to all our ancestors before the invention of gas and, later, electric stoves. Smoke is why we love hot dogs charred on sticks over campfires. And why, when grilling season rolls around, some of us refuse to cook indoors again until the first snowfall.

But there are simple ways to add the taste of smoke to foods without firing up the grill, some as close as the supermarket shelves. One of our favorites is canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Continue reading “Where there’s smoke, there’s delicious: Braised Pork Chops with Chipotle Black Beans” →

Three bargain French white wines for summer

Just in time for summer picnics, cookouts or quiet evenings on the porch, three very drinkable French whites for under $10.

First, let me admit that white wines are pretty much my year-round go-to wine. While I do enjoy a nice big red with steak or a roast or duck, my first choice for settling in for the evening with a glass of wine is generally an oaky Chardonnay. When warm weather arrives, I’m happy that I can indulge my preference without worrying about raising an eyebrow when I order. Here are three affordable French whites, perfect for summer. Continue reading “Three bargain French white wines for summer” →

Semi-classic fried chicken, half baked

In this take on classic fried chicken, buttermilk-soaked chicken thighs are heavily seasoned, fried briefly and finished in the oven. Recipe below.

The term “classic” can be freighted with wildly varying baggage, especially when attached to something as iconic as fried chicken. Largely seen as a Southern dish, it arrived there by way of Scotland. Many Scottish immigrants settled in the South, bringing the deep fried dish with them (fellow Europeans preferred to bake, roast or boil chicken).

According to The Urban Daily, “When African slaves who worked as cooks were brought to the country, they put their own spin on the dish using seasonings and spices not found in most Scottish dishes.” As with many classic dishes, generations of home cooks, chefs and fast food chains have put their own spin on fried chicken, making defining a single classic version impossible. Continue reading “Semi-classic fried chicken, half baked” →

Guest chef: Chris Turner rocks Grilled Kalbi Korean Beef Short Ribs

Butcher and chef Chris Turner marinates thinly sliced beef short ribs in a mixture that includes garlic, onion, Asian pear, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil to create authentic Kalbi Korean Barbecued Beef Short Ribs. Recipe below.

On a recent visit to our favorite butcher shop, The Butcher & Larder, we saw butcher Jimmy Shay working over thin slices of beef short ribs with the back edge of a cleaver. When we asked what he was up to, he said he was tenderizing them so that fellow butcher Chris Turner could turn them into the “most amazing, authentic kalbi, Korean barbecued beef.” We immediately asked Chris if he would share the recipe—and story behind it—here. Happily, he said yes:
Continue reading “Guest chef: Chris Turner rocks Grilled Kalbi Korean Beef Short Ribs” →

Why honey bees are dying, why it matters and what we can do about it

Honey bees, vital to growing most of the fruits and vegetables we eat, are dying in huge numbers. Several studies point to one chemical killer. You can tell the EPA to do something about it.

For all its mechanized muscle and technological wizardry, agribusiness still needs bees. In fact, according to USDA, “one mouthful in three in our diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.” Whole Foods is more direct in sharing this information—and in stating the problem at hand: “One of every three bites of food comes from plants pollinated by honeybees and other pollinators, and pollinator populations are facing massive declines.”

The problem is something called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In the winter of 2005/2006, beekeepers began reporting losses of 30 to 90 percent of their hives. This wasn’t a decrease of populations within hives, but entire hives of bees either dying or disappearing. Significant losses have continued, year after year. And as agricultural demand for bees has increased, so has the pressure on remaining hives. A new Harvard study is only the latest to point a finger at a widely used class of pesticides. Continue reading “Why honey bees are dying, why it matters and what we can do about it” →

Pasta shapes: Playing with your food, Italian style

Getting playful with dinner can be as simple as trying some new pasta shapes.

Growing up, I knew three kinds of pasta (and nobody I knew called it pasta): spaghetti, elbow macaroni and shells. The Italians, though, are quite inventive when it comes to their defining national food. Besides their numerous long pastas—spaghetti, capellini, fettuccine and linguine, to name a few—they have created a vast assortment of shaped pastas, both playful and practical. Here are a handful to explore. Continue reading “Pasta shapes: Playing with your food, Italian style” →

Seven recipes for spring (whatever that is)

Whatever spring is dishing out weatherwise, one of these seven recipes should stand up to it nicely.

Monday, it was 86 degrees in Chicago. For much of the rest of this week, it’s going to be in the 40s and 50s. Such is spring in the Midwest. In searching through the Blue Kitchen archives, I see posts over the years have reflected the season’s mood swings. So this week, I thought I would share some recipes from the archives that take advantage of seasonal ingredients and offer options for all kinds of seasonal—and unseasonal—weather.

Fettuccine with Peas and Prosciutto

Pictured above, this quick, simple recipe takes delicious advantage of fresh English peas, which are at their seasonal best now, but you can also use frozen peas. Parmesan, cream and minced garlic balance the peas’ sweetness. Continue reading “Seven recipes for spring (whatever that is)” →