Celebrating America’s birthday by eating our way around the world in Michigan

America isn’t a melting pot. It’s a smorgasbord. A road trip over the Fourth of July weekend proves it without even trying.

Yeah, it’s Wednesday. There should be a recipe here. But we had too much fun in too much heat with too much driving over the holiday weekend—more than 800 miles by the time we got home Monday night. Tuesdays are my absolute deadline for my weekly Wednesday posts. If I haven’t cooked my post before then, it’s do or die time. This Tuesday, it was just not in me to cook something, photograph it and tell you how I did it.

So instead, let me tell you a little about our weekend—mainly about what we ate, this being a food blog. You’re not going to get restaurant reviews here and certainly no photos of what we ate. This is more a celebration of the wealth of food experiences available here in America—more specifically, in three Michigan cities not especially known as culinary centers, but all serving up plenty of good, diverse eats. Detroit, Hamtramck and East Lansing.

Whenever we find ourselves in Detroit these days, one required stop is the Detroit Beer Co., a friendly, comfortable microbrewery, Continue reading “Celebrating America’s birthday by eating our way around the world in Michigan” →

Farmers market improvisation: Stir-Fried Chicken, Asparagus, Green Garlic and Tomatoes

Chicken teams up with green garlic and asparagus from the farmers market and ginger, lemongrass and other ingredients gathered from the fridge and pantry to make a quick, delicious stir-fry. Recipe below.

A friend of ours refuses to eat leftovers. She calls them “used food.” Marion and I, on the other hand, feel wonderfully satisfied and even a little smug when every last morsel of something is consumed. Whether it’s a leftover that becomes a lunch or gets repurposed as part of another dinner, or it’s a last lonely shallot that livens up a salad dressing, not wasting food—or at least trying not to waste it—is just part of our working class childhood DNA. That instinct led to the creation of this lovely dish Marion recently cooked. I’ll let her tell you about it.

One of the great joys of late spring is when local farmers markets get back into action, with their ever-changing bounty. That’s also one of the pitfalls of this time of year. Armed with good culinary intentions and eyes bigger than your stomach, it’s easy to get carried away. The other day, our neighborhood farmer’s market opened for the season and we came home all flushed and excited, toting plenty—especially, green garlic and asparagus. Continue reading “Farmers market improvisation: Stir-Fried Chicken, Asparagus, Green Garlic and Tomatoes” →

Asian infusion: Marinating blends multiple influences in Chinese Pork Tenderloin

Slow marinating with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, fresh ginger and other pan-Asian ingredients infuses quick-cooking Chinese Pork Tenderloin with big, complex flavor. Recipe below.

Guitarists sometimes refer to capos as cheaters. By strapping a capo onto the guitar’s neck in various positions, you can change the key you’re playing in without having to transpose the music.

To me, marinating is kind of a cheater technique. And I mean that in a good way. A very simple process—mixing some stuff together and letting it sit for a while—can transpose a simply prepared meal into something that tastes more impressive than it rightfully should.

Marinating infuses meats [and seafood and even vegetables] with flavors limited only by your imagination, and just about every cuisine and culture Continue reading “Asian infusion: Marinating blends multiple influences in Chinese Pork Tenderloin” →

Quick and easy improvised sides: Asian Stir Fried Noodles with Cashews

Quickly stir frying pre-cooked noodles with a variety of flavorings—in this case, shallots, green onions, roasted cashews, soy sauce and mirin—takes them from bland backdrop to exciting side dish. Recipe and variations below.

These noodles weren’t meant to be posted. I just needed a quick side for the Chinese Pork Tenderloin I was serving, something a little more interesting than the usual steamed white rice. But then they turned out so well. Even better, they were quick and easy to make and open to endless variations. So here they are.

I kept my dish simple—udon noodles, shallots, green onions, toasted cashews, oil, soy sauce and mirin [a sweet, low-alcohol Japanese cooking wine—you could also use sherry]. I didn’t want the noodles to overpower the tenderloin. Toasted pine nuts would be a fine substitute for the cashews.

You could also change this dish completely, Continue reading “Quick and easy improvised sides: Asian Stir Fried Noodles with Cashews” →

Let us now braise inexpensive cuts: Oven-braised Asian Short Ribs

Slow oven braising and plenty of garlic, scallions, star anise and pan-Asian ingredients turn inexpensive beef short ribs into a tender, exotic main course. Recipe below.

The first time I tasted steak I was in college. Cheap cuts of meat were what we ate in my working class family when I was growing up. Chuck roast, pork steaks [as opposed to the leaner, more costly chops], beef stew, burgers made from fatty ground chuck… We also occasionally had short ribs, but only as an ingredient in a beefy vegetable soup.

I relate this personal history with cheap cuts not as a tale of woe and deprivation. These cuts are often more flavorful than their pricier brethren and probably largely responsible for my love of all things meaty. But they’re usually tougher than the more expensive cuts too. I remember many happy, chewy meals.

Braising takes care of the toughness issue. Slow, moist cooking breaks down connective tissue and melts some of the fat also present in most inexpensive cuts of meat. The result is wonderfully flavorful, juicy meat that is almost falling-apart tender. Continue reading “Let us now braise inexpensive cuts: Oven-braised Asian Short Ribs” →

A mild-mannered chicken curry takes the chill out of a rainy autumn night

Ginger, garlic and cilantro team up with a number of spices in this simple, fragrant Chicken Curry. Recipe below.

chicken-curry

One of the perils of living in a city like Chicago, with its rich cultural diversity and well-deserved reputation for authentic food of all ethnic stripes, is that your taste buds get spoiled.

When recent chilly, drizzly weather put me in the mood for attempting a curry dish, my spoiled taste buds were envisioning the robust flavors and aromas of Devon Avenue. The practical side of me, however, was looking for something simple, something doable on a weeknight.

I looked around at numerous recipes. Some sounded deliciously authentic, but more complicated than I felt like tackling at the moment. Others sounded a little too basic, a little to aimed at the American palate. Finally, I settled on one that had “good bone structure”—a satisfying number and variety of fresh ingredients and spices— Continue reading “A mild-mannered chicken curry takes the chill out of a rainy autumn night” →

Lamb chops, couscous with raisins and the singular pleasures of cooking for one

Cooking for one can be a chore for some. For me, it’s a chance to indulge in old favorites and experiment a little: Pan-grilled Lamb Chops for the former, Moroccan-style Couscous with Raisins and Onions for the latter. Recipes below.

chopscouscous

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. Continue reading “Lamb chops, couscous with raisins and the singular pleasures of cooking for one” →

Asian improvisations on the grill: “Vietnamese” chops, sesame zucchini

A marinade seasoned with turmeric, ginger, garlic, Chinese five-spice powder and other spices gives Turmeric/Ginger Grilled Pork Chops big flavor with very little heat; Grilled Sesame Zucchini is delicious, smoky and impressive—and it’s easy to make. Recipes below.

asian-chops-sesame-zucchini

At times like this, I wish Blue Kitchen had a scratch and sniff mode. When I’d whisked together the ingredients for the marinade for the chops, it was so wonderfully aromatic that I wanted Marion to get a whiff of it before I added the meat and popped it in the fridge. I carried it to the study at the opposite end of the apartment where Marion was. She told me the big fragrance had preceded me.

The marinade is actually based on one used for a five-spice chicken dish in Mai Pham’s Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Pham is chef/owner of Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento, California. Here’s how she describes the dish’s olfactory pleasures: “The best five-spice chicken I have had in Vietnam was made by a street food vendor in the port town of Hoi An in the central region. The vendor used a spice mix of freshly toasted star anise and turmeric. When she grilled the chicken, the whole neighborhood was perfumed with the most enticing fragrance.” Other seasonings adding their big personalities to the marinade include fresh ginger and garlic—plenty of each—and Chinese five-spice powder.

You may have noticed the quotes around Vietnamese in the headline. It’s not that Pham’s marinade isn’t authentically Vietnamese; she was born in Vietnam and left there just days before the fall of Saigon in 1975. And the recipes in the book come from a trip she made home 20 years later to connect with her roots. It’s more the way certain ingredients freely cross borders, especially in Asia. Continue reading “Asian improvisations on the grill: “Vietnamese” chops, sesame zucchini” →

Top this: Flank steak tacos invite your own mix of fresh, creative toppings

Tacos made with flavorful marinated flank steak—and topped here with fresh lettuce and tomato, pickled jalapeño peppers and lime juice—can be customized to everyone’s taste with a wide array of toppings. Recipe and suggestions below.

flank-steak-tacos

This is now the second meal here that started with a bike ride. Marion mentioned our ride along the lakefront last weekend—and “tramping around Lincoln Park”—in unseasonably cool weather that inspired her delicious Potato, Parsnip and Carrot Soup. Much of that tramping around took place in the Lincoln Park Zoo. And having already done half of our riding for the day, much of our zoo time consisted of acquiring and eating lunch.

I was prepared to settle for standard issue zoo fare, most likely an uninspired boiled hot dog. And that could be had there. But the Lincoln Park Zoo has a few culinary tricks up its sleeve. This spring they opened Café at Wild Things, serving fresh, made-to-order dishes from “foods provided by local farmers using organic, sustainable methods.” And even at their Park Place Café, a place they humbly call a year-round food court, the emphasis is on fresh, well-prepared foods.

It was there, after being enticed by pastas, paninis, burgers and more, that we chose tacos. Specifically, steak tacos in soft flour tortillas and topped with a handful of fresh toppings. They were excellent. So good that we went back and complimented the person who had prepared them for us. So good that I decided I needed to make some of my own. Continue reading “Top this: Flank steak tacos invite your own mix of fresh, creative toppings” →

Kitchen, four hands: My Asian grilled chops and Marion’s Asian slaw play beautifully together

Two recipes this week, both Asian inspired—smoky, slightly spicy grilled pork chops in a simple marinade and a lively slaw bursting with fresh summer flavors and packing a little heat of its own.

asian-grilled-chop

Our classical radio station recently played a Brahms piece for piano, four hands. The sound of four hands—two people—doing more with the instrument and the piece than two hands could have done reminded me of our occasional approach to working in the kitchen.

Marion and I both love to cook. On any given night, you’ll find one or the other of us in the kitchen whipping up something for dinner. Who’s at the stove will often be decided by who has time to cook or an idea to try—or whose perennial favorite dish we’re really, really craving at the moment. Sometimes we both get in the kitchen to put a meal together. Most often, one person is cooking the main course and maybe a side, and the other is called in—quite possibly at the last minute—to throw together a salad or some other side. Not only is having the extra set of hands in the kitchen convenient, it’s fun.

This past weekend, though, was one of those too rare moments when we were in the kitchen together by design. A true kitchen, four hands moment. It started with me wanting to grill something and Marion coming across a recipe she wanted to play with. Soon we were tweaking ingredients and techniques to create two Asian-inspired dishes that would complement and elevate each other—a smoky, slightly spicy pork chop and a lively slaw bursting with fresh summer flavors. Continue reading “Kitchen, four hands: My Asian grilled chops and Marion’s Asian slaw play beautifully together” →