August is the month to make Gazpacho. Everything is in season, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and fresh herbs.

Last year while spending a semester in Madrid, I did my fair share of gazpacho eating as the temperature rose steadily in May.  Like any good poker game, rules of the house apply, and the same holds true with Spanish Gazpacho. Gazpacho is essentially a chilled tomato soup with cucumber, onions and various other additions depending on where you are in the country, who’s house your dining in, and of course what happens to be growing in the garden. Searching for a Spanish blogger to set me straight once and for all, I happened upon The Lobster Squad’s gazpacho entry.

She puts it best- this dish is idiosyncratic, but there are right ways to change it and wrong ways. Don’t use mushy tomatoes, forget about accurate measurements, listen to your tongue and tummy.  The Spanish often include day old bread in their recipes, giving the soup more body and a richer quality.  In Granada, I sampled a this type of soup called salmorejo, a cold tomato  and bread based soup, silky with freshly pressed olive oil and garnished with jamon y huevo (egg).

But here in Minnesota my air conditioning is broken, it’s stinking hot and the only thing to eat that doesn’t increase the heat is chilled veggies. Gazpacho sans bread it its. Nothing is easier than a cold soup for a fast lunch or dinner.

Gazpacho

(One of the best parts about this soup is you can use whatever veggies you have on hand…which in august for me, is usually a lot.) This recipe serves three or four, depending on the course and the appetite. For me, it made a great dinner with bread and found its way into my lunch box the next day.

One half cucumber, seeded skin removed if desired
two tomatoes
one half red onion
two bell peppers of different colors
one clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic or light colored vinegar
salt and pepper

Roughly chop the vegetables and garlic and toss into a food processor. Pulse until desired chunky to liquid ratio. I recommend staying on the chunky side, because next you add the olive oil to emulsify the soup and the vinegar to balance the sweet summer fruits. Finally season to taste with salt and pepper. Yep that’s it! So easy, and completely delicious. If you want a more liquidy soup and like the tomato centered model (I am pretty liberal when it comes to gazpacho making) go ahead and add some tomato juice. It is a different flavor, but yummy in its own right.

May I suggest some grilled shrimp, crusty bread and a rose wine to go with it?

This Thursday, the Minneapolis Institute of Art held a “Bike Night” were cycling was celebrated with music, drink and art. But first, before Warhol, Oldenberg and Lichtenstein teased my eyes in the modern wing, I had my very first Pimm’s Cup.

Pimm’s is an odd thing, here in the US we don’t really know what a Pimm’s Cup is, and less so, what Pimm’s  itself is.  Well, it’s a full bodied, fruit, spicy liqueur; it is red and it is delicious.  The story goes like this….

Long ago in London, a man named James Pimm owned a famous oyster bar right in the center of town, where men came to slurp down briny deliciousness and toss back a few slugs of gin. But according to Pimm’s legend, that gin was pretty miserable, so James concocted something else. His “House Cup” of fruit infused liqueur and quinine (tonic) was so popular, it soon earned the nickname “Number 1 cup” in London and thus, the Pimm’s Cup was born.

Over the course of nearly 200 years, the Pimm’s people have developed six different flavors. Pimm’s No. 1 is gin based, Pimm’s No. 2 scotch, 3 brandy, 4 rum, 5 rye whiskey and finally, invented in during the psychedelic 60’s, the vodka based Pimm’s No. 6.  Today, only Pimm’s No. 1 enjoys wide spread consumption; 6 is still around in small batches and 3 has been altered for a Pimm’s Winter Cup Cocktail.  The PWC has orange peel somewhere in the mix, and therefore holds no interest for me.

Here in the States, (across the pond from Mr. James Pimm’s establishment) we savor our Pimm’s Cup in the summer months when its fruit and sparkle protects us against the July heat. Careful, these babies go down fast.  This recipe is slightly different than the one found on Pimm’s website, but it sounds way tastier to me. I generally prefer my cocktails without strawberries.

Minnesota Pimm’s Cup (Serves Six)
6 oz Pimm’s No. 1
3 oz Hendricks Gin
Sparking Lemon Soda
Soda Water
2 Cucumbers sliced lengthwise
6 Sprigs of mint
6 Lime wedges
Ice

Now, you can do this individually, or in a jug. Individually, set up each glass with ice, a cucumber slice and a sprig of mint.

Then add one shot of Pimms and half a shot of Hendricks to each cup.  Top with lemon soda and soda water for the level of sweetness you like. Finally, squeeze a good bit of lime over the top and your good to go!

If you want to mix up a batch, just add it all to a jug, reserving the cucumber, mint and lime for each cup.

After my thursday experience with Mr. Pimm, I was quite infatuated and thankfully so was my mother. This weekend, Mom and I sipped our second Pimm’s Cup cruising on the St. Croix River under the hot hot July heat.

Bluebarb equals rhubarb plus blueberries and it is quite possibly my favorite pie. Apple is also high on the list, and pumpkin…I just really like pie. And what better way to use the fruits of summer?

A Little Bit About Rhubarb

The sour, stalky rhubarb is actually a vegetable, though I have never heard of a savory recipe using rhubarb that doesn’t make my lips pucker. Reading more about the plant, I was hopping to discover it as a secret nutrition powerhouse, but it only offers a meager amount of vitamins C and A. The addition of  blueberries to the ‘barb boosts both the antioxidant and vitamin C concentration in the pie.

However rhubarb is not totally worthless (besides being delicious of course).  The ancient Chinese commonly used rhubarb to induce vomiting. Centuries later, in Europe during the fifteen and sixteen hundreds rhubarb in dried form sold for similar medicinal purposes for ten times the price of cinnamon and double that of opium. And I only pay a dollar for it at the farmers market. Lucky me!

Photo by SmittenKitchen

Yesterday Marshal brought me a bundle of rhubarb from the farmers market and asked very nicely if I would make him a pie. He also brought sunflowers and a dashing smile, just to sweeten the deal. I happily complied.

Bluebarb Pie (Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine or medium ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons salt
7 tablespoons crisco cut into pieces (I know, I know, but its great)
11 tablespoons cold butter cut into pieces
10 tablespoons ice water

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 or 2 bunches rhubarb (1-2 lbs) edges trimmed of gross bits, cut into 1- inch size pieces (5-6 cups)
1 pint blueberries
3/4 cup sugar plus a bit for dusting the top crust
3 tablespoons arrowroot ( a white powder found in the spice section)
Pinch o salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten

Grab a nine inch pie pan and set the oven to 500 (scary, but the temp comes down right away)

1. This dough is very versatile. Keep some in the freezer for a spur-of-the-moment tart, crostata or pie . The addition of the cornmeal adds a welcome counterpoint texture to the smooth fruity insides. Pulse dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, till mixed. Add crisco and pulse until flour mixture looks like sand that’s about ready to make a castle, or about 5 seconds. Next add butter and blend with 12 1-second pulses.  The butter should be cut into the flour in blobs no bigger than small peas. Dump dough into large mixing bowl and sprinkle ice water over top. Press dough together with a spatula or your hands until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts, flatten each into 6 inch discs and refrigerate.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan until very hot, then toss in rhubarb. Get ready! It’s going to sizzle and smoke! Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook until rhubarb has released most of its liquid but is still firm, roughly five minutes. Set in the fridge to cool.

3. Its time to roll out the dough! Take one of the discs out of the fridge and flour your work surface.  Now proceed to roll it out, adding as much flour as you go. It helps to rotate and turn the dough over as you work, that way it will be easier to plop in the pan.  Roll until dough is a fourth of an inch thick then place it in the pan, and put the pan in the fridge to keep the dough chilled.

4. Combine remaining sugar (plus more if you want a sweeter inside), arrowroot and salt in a small bowl. Now go fetch the cooled rhubarb and combine with blueberries in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the fruit and gently mix, then pop the whole mess into the pie pan.

5. Proceed to roll out the other piece of dough. Gently slide it over the pie and trim off excess around the  edge, leaving enough to make a tasty crust. Now roll edge dough under and press with a fork to seal. Create 8 slices in the top to allow steam to escape.  Brush pie with beaten egg white and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

6.  If you’re afraid there is just too much goodness inside, place pie on a cookie sheet to catch any spills. Now its time to get this bad boy in the oven. Immediately lower the temperature to 475 and bake for 25 minutes, until crust is lightly golden. Then lower temperature again to 375 and continue to cook until fruit bubbles through the slits.

7. Wait as long as you possibly can to eat it. Shoot for a few hours. Seriously, its better when it doesn’t scald you. Oh, lastly, make sure you have good vanilla ice cream on hand!  Happy eating!

Its been a long weekend of meat, grilling and more meat. I want to eat something as far away from barbecued ribs as possible. (Although the four our grill process produced a fantastic result, but I’ll get to that later). Its time for a light summer dish, fresh and roasted vegetables over fresh pasta. And as the days roll by, the tomatoes just keep getting sweeter. I made this first in the spring when English peas were in high season, so last night I adapted it to the ingredients available this weekend at the farmers market.

Raw and Roasted Veggie Pasta

Fusilli Pasta
Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Sweet peas or shelling peas
Tomatoes (separated in to two batches)
Basil
Italian Parsley
Olive oil, Salt, Pepper, crushed red pepper

Back in the spring, sitting in Erica’s tiny hot kitchen, we spent a lazy hour speaking in accents, sipping our wine and chopping vegetables. Recounting the story the next day, my mother insisted I pass along the recipe. I think recipes in their original form are fun, and so I included my email via blackberry from aboard the El heading downtown.  The bolded words are ingredients updated for the current season.

I can’t recall the pasta’s name exactly, but I want to say Fusilli, anyway, something short and twisty.

Roast the peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash and tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. While that is happening, boil water for pasta. Shell or chop in pieces and blanch snap peas. Chop up raw tomatoes and reserve. Julliene basil, chop parsley.

When pasta and roast veg are done, toss the veg and the pan juices with the hot pasta. Add peas, fresh tomatoes and herbs. Top with a dash of olive oil, ricotta salata, crushed pepper flakes ( if you want ) and of course, salt and pepper!

Its clearly a throw together meal. But it has some serious health and history value. And on a detox week, whats better than that.

Benefit 1: Taking advantage of the season! The riper the tomato, the higher level antioxidants in its flesh = the more cancer-lickin’, heart helping properties within. And let’s face it, those tomatoes we Minnesotans get in January are simply not ripe nor tasty.

Benefit 2: All these veggies are full of vitamins, especially A, and C. Dig in to fortify your eyesight,  boost your immune system and even keep your babymaking parts healthy.

Benefit 3: You get to experience Ricotta Salata cheese, the more complicated step brother of regular ricotta. Ricotta, meaning “recooked” is made from the left over whey from producing a cheese like provolone. That whey is collected  and recooked to form a smoother, creamier version of American cottage cheese. Ricotta salata, salata meaning “salted” is first salted then compressed to form a drier, firmer cheese. Its similar to feta in texture. Check back with me later this week, I am going to try to make my own!

Donatella is in running about, brow sweating. She is everywhere, in the kitchen, in the front, pouring water, fetching glasses and cursing in Italian at Paolo, the round faced twenty-something in the kitchen. Its a loving scolding of course and always in pursuit of true Italy in heart of the American Midwest.

This spring Evanston has been treated to something great, a long awaited Italian BYOB amidst a slew of mediocre Asian places. Donatella’s on Sherman is the reinvention of her long adored establishment on Howard Street, closed in 2008. I first visited on opening night, then again with my family and friends over Northwestern graduation weekend. By the end, Donatella was teasing me as if I had known her since childhood. Its that Italian way.

On that first visit, Sandeep and I walked in around 8:30 with three bottles of wine, two for us and one for the staff. I mean, how were we to know which we would like more with the food, the red or white? I fell in love with the place right away.  Sponge painted walls, tiled tables and hanging philodendron plants wrapped in a perpetual Tuscan afternoon.  The espresso maker humming away behind the case of buffalo mozzarella, imported artichokes and paper thin prosciutto proudly displays to hungry patrons.

We really wanted to order the whole menu, but settled on the seafood mixed grill, mushroom pasta featuring homemade linguini and five different mushrooms, beef carpaccio with arugula and finally white wine steamed mussels. Yep, we were indulgent.  Tender and well seasoned with fragrant olive oil, oregano and lemon, the octopus in the mixed grill was the stand out for me.  At the end of the meal, the flushed and tired staff shared their champagne with us, and we toasted to their future.  Not a bad introduction to the new Italian eatery.

Following its grand opening however, Donatella’s was bashed by Yelp and Urbanspoon for disorganized and slow service, no bread and butter upon sitting down and subpar food. Didn’t deter me and I dined there twice last week, once with my immediate family, and the following night with a group of 12. I was not disappointed, on the contrary, I wish I could go back and have those artichokes again….

In fact those ‘chokes are special. Unhappy with the quality of the cured veg she could find in Chicago, Donatella phoned home to an Italian producer.  She now imports artichokes and other Italian treats for special plates like this one, featuring burrata cheese (think mozzarella with a creamy center), prosciutto and speck.

The night of the 12 people, we basically ate the whole menu– and the vast majority was delicious. My salmon crudo, and dad’s lamb were stellar.  Of course you can’t bat 1000, and there are flaws. In general, there is a smidge too much oil, the mushroom pasta lacks the lightness that spring weather demands and, to be honest, I do always ask for bread.  The meal might not explode your brain with haut cuisine chemistry, but Donatella’s adorableness and dedication to your enjoyment will surly make you and your tummy smile. Also, each time I visited the service has improved, which bodes well for the coming days.  Its sad that Donatella arrived just as I was leaving. When I visit Evanston, I will have to stop in for a seafood mixed grill and panna cotta which can only be described as manna from heaven.

The Facts
Donatella’s
1512 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
328-7720

Open for Lunch and Dinner

Muah, molto buono!: Seafood mixed grill, mussels, antipasti appetizer (or whatever includes cheese, meat and if you’re lucky an artichoke), panna cotta

Meh: Lobster pasta special with brandy and cream…gross, brandy. Mushroom Pasta.

Extra Reasons I like it: Outdoor dining; Donatella; BYOB (if you forget, Sandeep with deliver wine from Vinic straight to your table. Seriously, he runs it over on foot).

This weekend, as part of my “Don’t say no” last few months in Chicago, I dragged my tired self to a feast.

“We are eating duck tonight Ellie,” said Sandeep, my wine guru and dining buddy.  “This is not an option, sleepiness is not an excuse.” And so I was off to Sun Wah, a Chinese BBQ (and deliciously BYO) on North Broadway. Game time.

Peking Duck  is an ancient recipe.  Historically, it calls for an Imperial Peking duck, a special variety of fowl. The birds are force fed and kept in a small cage to make sure their meat is tender…..its basically what the witch did to Gretel and what the French do for foie gras (we Chicagoans like it a lot….)

Heads up, cause the prep is kind of gross, but the result is awesome.  First, all the insides are removed and the tushie sewn shut. Next air is forced inside to stretch and poof the skin so the fat will render properly, producing the crispiest, most delicious and choicest part of the duck– the skin.

When its all set to roast the cooks paint the naked bird with a sugar and garlic sauce then dry it out, suspended in mid air. The preparation at Sun Wah is pretty traditional, though I didn’t spot the cylindrical clay ovens used to roast the duck like in the olden days.  Didn’t seem to matter, the end product was beautiful.

Our bird was carved table side by the daughter of the owner.  “I alternate between duck and barbecued pork for breakfast” said the slender Chinese women wielding the massive knife slicing up the fowl. I was pretty sure she could eat me for breakfast if I wasn’t careful.

Before Sun Wah opened more than two decades ago, the owner Eric Cheng studied in the Guangdong Province to get the hang of Peking Duck from the experts. It shows. The duck is served in three courses- a gut busting and delicious manner which includes the duck itself, an egg drop soup (with duck bones for flavoring of course) and fried rice with lots of peas. I do like peas in all forms.

Our duck came out, skin glistening, sweet smelling steam rising into the air, and my appetite skyrocketed. Based on the smell alone I could have eaten the whole thing– even after a big plate of sautéed baby bok choy with garlic sauce. Yum.

Traditionally, the sliced duck breast are eaten in small wheat pancakes or “lotus buns” like mini sandwiches. Topped with pickled carrots, scallions and jicama and a dab of hoisin sauce, I ate about a zillion. I still had stomach space to crunch through a bit of golden skin.

Photo by Agashi

While I have nothing to compare it to, I think this was damn good Peking Duck. I’m definitely not alone in my tastes either.  When I visited at 9:30pm on Saturday, the place was packed. And as the BYO trend continues to gain force, Sun Wah shows no sign of slowing down. With our meal, we opened a bottle of peppery, and zesty Rioja which cut through the fat of the bird and provided a killer compliment to its earthy taste.

I left a happy and very full person.

5041 N Broadway
(between Winnemac Ave & Carmen Ave)
Chicago, IL 60640
Neighborhood: Uptown