Back home for a weekend to show off my city, and what was I most excited to do? Well, eat of course. Starting with a Kramarczuk’s Hungarian sausage loaded with onions and sauerkraut at the Twins game on friday, every meal was a delight from my past.

From lunch at Lucia’s and wine before 3, to Sebastian Joe’s twice in one day, opulence was the word of the weekend. I rediscovered Spoonriver on a long bike ride down around the lakes and along the river. Brenda, of the beloved Cafe Brenda works wonders with the simplest ingredients sourced from around Minnesota.

We started with the Spoon Dips: Preserved Lemon Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper - Walnut Paté, accompanied by a cadre of Vegetables, Olives, and toasted Foccacia.

Here is a riff on the delicious red pepper bowl of love in the photo

Six red bell peppers
1 cup bread crumbs from a baguette or similar bread
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil

Stem, seed and quarter bell peppers.  Place on a cookie sheet under the broiler skin side within 3 or so inches of the element. Roast, with the oven door closed for about five minutes. Turn the ban 180 degrees then roast for 5 more. Peppers should be blackened and beginning to soften. If too hot to handle (as I frequently feel) place in a class bowl and cover with plastic wrap until skin easily  falls away from the flesh.

When cooled, purée roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sesame oil in a food processor until almost smooth. With the motor still humming away, add in the oil in one slow stream until the whole mixture is smooth.

Garnish with black sesame seeds and enjoy with market fresh veggies. The radishes were my personal favorite.

And then there was my real lunch…..I couldn’t help but feel healthy after eating this plate of perfectly cooked chicken gently swathed in a peanut sauce, cozied up next to some soba noodles. I mean really, look how great this look!

And if chicken and vegetables aren’t your thing, you can always nom on a Sunshine Farm Hamburger with house-made ketchup! (Grass fed and sustainable of course!)

I literally had to use both arms, up to the elbow, to mix the orzo and roasted vegetable pasta that I made last weekend. 4 lbs pasta, 2 lbs Bulgarian feta, 14 bell peppers, 7 zucchini and 5 onions. I could have fed Canadian army with this big bowl of pasta. But instead, I fed artists.

On Saturday night the Walker Art Center’s hosted a discussion with cinematographer/filmmaker Ellen Kuras, whose impressive body of work ranges from documentaries to dramas and even reaches into the commercial world with her recent target ad. Some of her most recognizable films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Swoon, and the academy award nominated film, Betrayal.

After much talking, it was time for much eating.  This arts-oriented Minneapolitans needs to eat (and eat well) so after the event,  Chez Barczak hosted a truly scrumptious reception, catered by yours truly.

It was a tasty success. For nibblies we had almonds, pistachios and olives from Bill’s Imported Foods, one of the best spots for weird international fare in town. Shopping for this meal was very possibly the best part. From Coastal Sea Food (where I fall in love with a new fish monger every time) we purchased a beautiful smoked salmon fillet and 5lbs of Texas brown shrimp. I love Coastal, they are dedicated to quality, taste and sustainability, and of course they are never without that lovely fishy smell brings me back time and time again.  Not to mention the studs handling my halibut steaks.

On top of the thinly sliced salmon sat a few handfuls of arugula dressed with a light olive oil and white balsamic vinaigrette. The combination of deep, aquatic orange and bright green looked stunning on a simple peasant breadboard. I also make herbed goat cheese sandwiches with cucumbers on grainy bread. The combination of the salmon and sandwiches was like a little piece of Irish whimsy in my mouth.  God this was fun to do!

The shrimp were treated to a homemade cocktail sauce with plenty of horseradish and lemon juice. It is really worth making your own sauce if you have time and are so inclined. Everyone’s proportions differ but this is a rough estimate of what I did

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

1- 1.5 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons bottled horseradish
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon Worchester sauce
salt and black pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy…

For the more meat centered folk, 6 lbs of pork tenderloin with cumin and coriander spice rub hit the spot with good grainy mustard and a big scoop of orzo on the side. Far and away the orzo was the most labor intensive, but only because there was SO much. I’ve toned down the proportions for this recipe. I have made this several social gatherings; it works at any size, and any level of formality.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

1 green zucchini cut length-wise and into half moons
1 red bell, 1 inch diced
1 orange bell pepper, 1 inch dice
1 small red onion diced in ½ pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ pounds orzo
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup basil, julienned
1/3 cup Italian parsley chopped
½ - ¾ pounds good, crisp feta
4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped.

Preheat oven to 425º. Toss all the vegetables with the garlic, olive oil, salt and spread on a baking pan with sides. Roast for 35 minutes. If you are using two pans, make sure to switch their location in the oven halfway through the cooking time to roast evenly.

Meanwhile, get a big pot of water boiling, toss in a teaspoon of salt and a dash of olive oil. Add the pasta and cook per the instruction on the box. It is usually between seven and nine minutes, then drain.

When the vegetables are done, and slightly cooled, add them and all their delicious juices to the orzo. This should provide enough olive oil to loosen the pasta and start to create the dressing.

Squeeze lemon juice over the pasta and toss to combine. Add herbs, scallions, feta and freshly ground pepper. Taste, check the flavors, and then eat it all!

The dessert of Port, pears and Stilton was to the Minneapolis arts crowd as a birthday cake is to little kids—a special event. I had never had the combo myself, but I will now seek it out with a homing device. The  complexities in the sweetness of the port are complimented and intensified by the Stilton, a fragrant British blue cheese. With four different kinds of pears and walnut-dried fruit bread from Rustica Bakery, this was the perfect meal closer. Ok, the dark chocolate and chewy ginger cookies were a nice addition as well.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, we made WAY to much food, as Barczaks are wont to do. Lots of pork sandwiches and breakfast eggs with salmon were consumed in the next few days. not to mention the 8 containers of orzo left over. I’m back in Chicago again, and contemplating a get together of my own. Orzo will most definitely be on the menu.