Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Vegetables)

When my girls were little, one of our favorite treats was Sammie's Hot Dog stand in Grayslake, a far north suburb of Chicago. This casual little place used to be a summer food stand for the lake resort crowd but grew into a year-round place that also served thousands at the County Fair. Their hot dogs were the authentic Chicago-style kind, but I liked their savory Italian Beef sandwiches even better. Plenty of au jus, and a side of pickled giardiniera (some people spell this jardiniera) that was big enough to last me for a couple more meals after the sandwich was long gone.I especially liked to sprinkle giardiniera on my macaroni and cheese.

Since then I've branched out to taste many other Italian beef places. Chicago is full of them. Al's Beef on West Taylor Street was named Chicago's #1, but I must have gone there on an off-day after classes at UIC, because I wasn't impressed at all. I'm going to have to give them a second chance.

The Portillos sandwich chain has never disappointed me. I used to work near enough to one that my coworkers and I would sometimes go out to lunch there, and I'd inevitably come back to work with some splashes on my clothes. The chain has the added attraction of watching the fastest sandwich-makers in the world build your food as you move along the cafeteria line.

Carm's Beef and Italian Ice is another winner in the same area of Little Italy - this one is on Polk Street. They use Turano's soft rolls, the spiced beef is sliced just right, and they dip the sandwich into gravy for the perfect amount of time. Mr. Beef on Orleans is a favorite with celebrities and also gets a lot of reviews, rightfully so. The link to their site takes you to a wealth of sandwich information and a place to order their beef if you're far from home and jonesing for a sandwich.

It's hard to choose between big strips of sweet sauteed peppers and giardiniera on these sandwiches, but I'm sticking with the hot pickled veggies for this post. Around here, one of the most famous brands of giardiniera is Scala's, originally made by South Side immigrants of the Scala family. It's pretty easy to find in grocery stores.

My version of this is based off a Chicago Tribune article and the delicious version from the blog The Paupered Chef. I don't know if Italians make and eat this mixture in Italy; I didn't see any while I was traveling there, but we didn't go farther south than Rome. In any case, Joe and I like this condiment on eggs, bread, sandwiches, or with anything else we're craving a hot/sour tang.

Giardiniera

Ingredients

7 jalapenos, thinly sliced (for hot giardiniera, use serranos)
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups cauliflower, chopped

1/2 cup salt

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup Canola oil

Directions

Place vegetables into a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Cover the vegetables with water and allow to sit for 4 hours or overnight. Drain the vegetables.

Set the oil aside. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Pack veggies tightly into pint jars. Pour 1/4 cup of oil into each jar. Ladle the vinegar/seasoning mixture into the jars until full, tapping to release air bubbles. Allow 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the edges of the jars and seal them hand-tight.

Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Check seals and tighten lids, if necessary, before storing. Allow the jars to marinate for a few days before using.

Makes approximately 4 pints.

Note: if you choose not to process these jars in a canner, they will last for several weeks in the refrigerator.



You can find other canning and preserving recipes in my book, The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food

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Why you should try Caribbean Banana Ketchup

 Why try it?

• You get an authentic taste of the Caribbean islands, which were once called the West Indies
• You'll surprise your friends with a unique marinade for pork, poultry, or fish
• You'll have a new way to use up those bananas that are getting just a little too ripe
•  You 'll like this new condiment with plain old fries, chips, raw veggies, or burgers.

Lunch in St. Lucia

 In 2007, my family went on a week-long cruise in the Caribbean. We started in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and visited St. Thomas, St. John, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Dominica. At each stop, groups of us tried ziplining, river tubing, relaxing in hot springs, visiting open air markets, and jet skiing; over dinner, we shared our day and then went to shows or danced in one of the discos (my parents were the best dancers!). For me, one of the best parts of the trip was snorkeling with sea turtles in Barbados on my birthday!

Beach in St. John

The food in the Caribbean is fabulous and sometimes strange to the average Midwestern American. Among these foods was banana ketchup, a condiment on most restaurant tables and often for sale in shops. Baron's ketchup, made in St. Lucia, seemed to be the favored brand. I tried it on some potatoes and was intrigued by the sweet/sour combination with spices like cinnamon and cayenne. The taste and appearance is different from tomato ketchup, but once you try this sauce, you might become hooked!



Caribbean Banana Ketchup recipe

Ingredients


8 large overripe bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup yellow onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves
2/3 cup tomato paste
2 ½ cups cider vinegar
4 cups water
1/2 cup dark molasses
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup dark rum

Directions
Add the raisins, onions, garlic, tomato paste and 1/2 cup of vinegar to a blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth. Pour the mixture into a large pot.

Add the banana chunks and another 1/2 cup of vinegar to the food processor or blender. Process the mixture until very smooth. Add mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the rest of the vinegar, 3 cups of water, molasses, salt and cayenne pepper.

Bring the mixture a boil, stirring frequently, and then reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered until the sauce is very thick, approximately one hour. Stir occasionally. If the sauce begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add some of the remaining water, up to one cup.

Add the corn syrup, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and cloves. Cook the ketchup, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes longer over medium heat. Stir in the rum. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Strain the mixture well through a colander or sieve. If using the ketchup fresh, remove the ketchup from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 1 month.

If canning the sauce, ladle hot mixture into pint jars, leaving 1/8-inch headspace. Dampen a kitchen towel and wipe around the rims of the canning jars. Screw the canning lids onto the jar just until finger-tight. Process 20 minutes in a canner. Cool completely before checking seal and storing.

Yield: 4-5 Pints

This recipe was featured in my book The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food

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Greek Summer Salad

It's been a hot month so far in Chicagoland. It's dry as dust one day and muggy the next. I've been whipping up healthy main-dish salads so that I heat up the kitchen as little as possible. This is a hearty salad that I adore on steamy nights.

I don't have a Greek story to tell along with this recipe, since a trip to Greece is on our life list but neither Joe nor I have been there yet. However, I have had a mania for Greek stories and mythology.

When I was young, I remember reading a young adult novel set in Greece. A young shepherdess lived on one of the rocky islands in Greece and every day her family sent her in a rowboat to another island to tend the goats. Her lunch was a hunk of bread, some cheese, and a handlful of grapes, and I asked my mom if I could eat that every day for lunch while I was reading this story. One day on the island, the girl met a centaur or a faun that had been hiding there ever since the days of ancient mythology. He became the lonely girl's friend, until his life was in peril when the islanders discovered her secret.

I have no idea what the book was called or who wrote it, but if you've heard of this story, could you email me the title so I can read it again? It enchanted me at the time.

Greek Summer Salad

Ingredients

1 head butter or loose-leaf lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
5 tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, chopped
2 cans pitted black olives

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 pound summer sausage, chopped

For the dressing

2/3 cup olive oil
2 cups red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Greek oregano, minced
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
 

Directions

Whisk together dressing ingredients and allow to sit at least 1 hour at room temperature. Toss together the vegetables and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss in the feta and sausage right before serving, so that they keep their texture. I like to serve the dressing on the side, because any leftovers will store better without the dressing mixed in. You'll probably have some dressing left over, too.

Serves 4-6

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Gyoza - Dim Sum dumplings

We were looking for an interesting way to use up leftover pork roast, the last of some Napa cabbage, and half a can of water chestnuts. When we passed a display of dumpling wrappers in the store, Joe and I started drooling like Pavlov's dogs.

These dumplings are not hard to make, but it does help to dust your assembly board with a little cornstarch to keep them from sticking to the board.

Ingredients

For the filling

1 1/2 cups cooked minced pork, or 1/2 pound raw ground pork
2 tbsp. raw ginger, grated
2 cups Napa or Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chives or green onions, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of small round dumpling wrappers
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil

For the dipping sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp honey

Instructions

To start, the cabbage and carrots must be treated so that the excess water is removed - otherwise, the dumplings will be soggy and pasty. Put the cabbage and carrots into a bowl and sprinkle them with salt. Add water to cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.

If using ground pork, crumble it into a pan and brown it completely. Drain off the fat and set it in a large mixing bowl.

Drain the carrot/cabbage mixture and squeeze dry. Add this to the pork. Stir in the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well.

Prepare a small bowl of lukewarm water. Set one wrapper onto a clean cutting board or surface. Dip your fingers into the water and then wipe the water onto the wrapper, dampening the entire side. Place 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and pinch the ends together in the middle. Dip your fingers into the water and pinch the opening closed so that the edges stick together. Use a fork to press dents around the edge so the wrappers stay closed.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and pour in the oil. Put the finished dumplings, seam side up, into the pan. Add 1 cup of warm water and put a lid on the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, adding more water if the pan dries out completely. Remove from heat and serve when the dumplings are golden brown on the bottom.

 Stir together the dipping sauce ingredients and serve it in individual bowls.

When we made this recipe, we made enough dumplings for two or more meals. We put half of them onto a greased cookie sheet and froze them for several hours, then put them in a freezer bag to eat later.

Makes approximately 30 dumplings.

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Porkchop restaurant, Chicago

After my graduation from the University of Illinois at Chicago, my family went for brunch at an intimate and fun restaurant nearby, Porkchop. The place serves American comfort food with a modern twist. There are also plenty of the dishes that are current trends, like sweet potato fries and mac'n'cheese.

I have been intrigued by the sudden popularity of fried chicken and waffles, and since Joe has yet to take me to a Waffle House, I seized my chance to try this southern phenomenon. I rececived two large crispy and spicy chicken breasts on thick waffles with ancho maple syrup, and it was fantastic. I barely had room enough to eat one breast, though there was a lot of sharing around the table and a couple of bottles of champagne in constant demand.

My daughter Jessie chose the mac'n'cheese, which was creamy and filling, though the portion was smaller. The Damn Good Baby Back ribs were in fact damn good. Joe had the brunch pulled pork sandwich that was topped with chipotle bbq sauce, a fried egg, grilled tomato, and a side of roasted potatoes, red onions, and green peppers. My sister-in-law had the quirky but delicious cornmeal pancakes. I'd have to say, though, that nothing surpassed the dessert we all shared: a homemade bacon glazed donut. Heavenly.

Next time I visit, I'll be sure to order the appetizer called "Trio of Sausage Lollipops", a concept that can't help but be incredible. Apparently, it comes with a creole remoulade dipping sauce. Just for you, I looked up "remoulade" (okay, I didn't know what it was). It sounds like this is either a creole type tartar or shrimp cocktail sauce. I'm sure it's fantastic.

Appropriately close to the old Chicago stockyards and meat processing plants, Porkchop has a hardworking Chicago rustic feel to it. Between two sections of the dining room, there is a somewhat disturbing display of saws that might one day have been used for hog butchering and city building. I was relieved to see that these hanging saws were attached to the floor and ceiling so that a gust of wind from the opening door would not lead to an accidental decapitation. We all left without saw damage, and we were so full that we didn't even eat dinner.

Porkchop restaurant is at 941 E. Randolph, Chicago, Il 60607

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