A winter root vegetable gets a holiday-rich creamy makeover: Puréed Parsnips

Naturally sweet parsnips turn lusciously silky when cooked in cream, milk and butter. Perfect for holiday dinners—or everyday indulgence. Recipe below.

A few weeks ago, Terry wrote about his duck-filled dinners in Omaha. Well, while he was eating all sorts of duck, I was delving into some of my own favorites—not least, wonderful offal. My first Omaha dinner at La Buvette? Lamb kidneys on a bed of puréed parsnips. I just loved the whole thing—the intense, meaty chunks of kidney, the fluffy bed of parsnips. The dark sauce pooling around the white purée and a hearty big red wine alongside. It was a great meal for an autumn evening after a day on the road. And the parsnips were a marvel: at once sweet and savory and silky and faintly earthy. They were just wonderful, and we knew that when we got home, we would have to make some. Continue reading “A winter root vegetable gets a holiday-rich creamy makeover: Puréed Parsnips” →

Sunday kitchen improv: Fried Polenta with Caramelized Onions, Mozzarella and Jam

Fried rounds of store-bought polenta are topped with fresh mozzarella, caramelized onions and apricot jam for lunch on a busy Sunday. Recipe of sorts below.

Sunday was yet another of our patented too-busy days. Marion spent much of it digging in the garden of our new old house. As Marion tells it, most of what she is doing now isn’t gardening, but getting ready to garden. Digging up and hauling away tons of debris from the demolition and rehab of the house—nails, shards of glass, wire, chunks of wood and plaster. She’s also unearthed countless marbles, coins of various denominations and vintages (including an Indian Head nickel too ruined to reveal its age), a small (and unfortunately broken) glass bottle shaped like an automobile. And this literate little fellow. Continue reading “Sunday kitchen improv: Fried Polenta with Caramelized Onions, Mozzarella and Jam” →

Salsa cruda minus the pasta: Tuna Artichoke Potato Salad

Potatoes stand in for pasta as the only cooked ingredient in this dish, warming the Italian tuna, artichoke hearts, capers, red onion, lemon and parsley. Recipe below.

This was going to be a salsa cruda pasta, one I make several times every summer. A salsa cruda (uncooked sauce) is perfect for warm weather cooking, because all that gets cooked is the pasta. It warms the other ingredients, causing their fragrances and flavors to blossom. The other ingredients, in turn, cool the pasta a bit. Your meal is warm, but not hot—perfect for warm weather dining. And your kitchen doesn’t overheat either, since you’re only cooking the pasta. Continue reading “Salsa cruda minus the pasta: Tuna Artichoke Potato Salad” →

Cheesy, tangy, glorious: Cauliflower Kale Gratin

Steamed cauliflower and kale are tossed with a béchamel sauce and two cheeses, topped with panko and baked into a rich, tangy gratin. Recipe below.

This is what comes of reading a cookbook while riding around town hungry. On Saturday, we had an errand-filled day, hunting hither and yon for everything from geraniums to major appliances. On the way out the door, I grabbed the wonderful cookbook Off the Menu, which we’ve already written about here. Maybe reading cookbooks while hungry is not the brightest decision on the planet, and maybe it made me kind of hangry, but it also inspired this recipe. Like so many things on Blue Kitchen, it’s a mashup—in this case, a collision of two dishes from this fun, welcoming book. Continue reading “Cheesy, tangy, glorious: Cauliflower Kale Gratin” →

Coleslaw gets a lively makeover with giardiniera and bacon

Giardiniera Slaw with Bacon packs some heat and some surprises, including olive brine. Recipe below.

Johnny’s Grill, an old school diner in our Logan Square neighborhood, closed some time ago. In our nine or so years of living here, it had never seemed to be what you’d call hopping. For that matter, it had never enticed us in. Recently, it has reopened with a gently hipsterish makeover. Same formica counter and red vinyl stools, but the menu, still diner-ish and still reasonably priced, has gotten some cheflike loving. Continue reading “Coleslaw gets a lively makeover with giardiniera and bacon” →

Cooking for one, well done: Lamb Chops, Couscous with Raisins and Onions

While Blue Kitchen is enjoying a short break, we’re sharing favorite recipes from the archives. This week, it’s actually two recipes—Pan-grilled Lamb Chops and Couscous with Raisins and Onions—plus some thoughts on the pleasures of cooking for one.

Shortly after I’d moved to Chicago the first time, I bought a half ham. Trying to figure out what to do with it, I consulted Joy of Cooking, where I was greeted by these cheery words: “Someone defined eternity as a ham and two people.” Standing there alone in the galley kitchen of my tiny studio apartment, I did the math—my half ham and I were in for a long haul. [Read more here…]

Green beans get a surprising seasonal refresh: Charred Green Beans with Apricots

Vietnamese fish sauce adds a subtle unifying umami hit to the crisp green beans and sweet apricots in this colorful, seasonal side dish. Recipe below.

We don’t do enough side dishes here. Unfortunately, we only tend to think of this when we actually post one. So when this recipe showed up in a recent Food & Wine email, we made it pretty much the same day—of course with our own variations. Continue reading “Green beans get a surprising seasonal refresh: Charred Green Beans with Apricots” →

The need for farmers markets: Potato Salad with Garlic Scapes and Bacon

Garlic scapes replace green onions in this potato salad, adding a mild garlicky kick. Bacon and lemon juice also play key roles. Recipe below.

For being such a great food town, Chicago comes up short in the farmers market department. Yes, we’ve got neighborhood farmers markets that pop up in parks and plazas every weekend from mid-May to late October, full of organic, locally sourced produce, eggs, meats and more. But as exciting as these are, there’s still something missing. Continue reading “The need for farmers markets: Potato Salad with Garlic Scapes and Bacon” →

Bar bites elevated: Blistered Shishito Peppers

Shishito peppers, sautéed until blistered in spots and tossed with lemon juice and salt, are a popular Japanese bar food. Recipe below.

Once again, I am late to the culinary party. Last week, I happened across an article about a 27-year-old becoming the shishito pepper baron of New York. My immediate question was “what’s a shishito pepper?” The short answer is they’re apparently a thing—and have been for a few years now. Continue reading “Bar bites elevated: Blistered Shishito Peppers” →

Tomatillo Salsa Verde, uncooked

This no-cook Tomatillo Salsa Verde tastes as fresh as its ingredients—tomatillos, peppers, red onion, garlic and cilantro. Serve it with chips or over chicken, chops, fish, scrambled eggs… Recipe below.

I am officially smitten with tomatillos. The lively, citrusy relative of the tomato, a key ingredient in Mexican and Central American cooking, is as versatile as it is easy to work with. Apparently I’m not alone in my infatuation. When I told colleagues last week of my Chicken Chili Verde adventures, one said she’d made a big pot of her own the week before. And my creative director shared his go-to salsa recipe, a no-cook salsa verde made of tomatillos and just four other ingredients, one of them being salt. Continue reading “Tomatillo Salsa Verde, uncooked” →