i have never been a big fan of salmon. the only kind I will eat these days is copper river salmon which is just coming in to season! this works great with trout or arctic char as well if you just can't get into the salmon (though i have to tell you that copper river tastes different than any salmon you have had before, so i f you can find it, give it a try!)
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(illustration by loc hong)


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a couple weeks ago, my friend dan fox, executive chef of the madison club in madison, wi, came by to drop off two half pigs!! he just started raising pigs last year on a farm outside of madison, and is now offering them to restaurants in chicago.

rather than getting one whole pig, i thought it would be fun to get a half each of two different breeds, and do a little taste testing (one of my favorite past times). we have a swabian hall and an ossabaw/mieshan crossbreed.

so here it is...

food. drinks. fun. tasting. indulging. maybe overindulging. all the pork you can eat. and all the while learning about and tasting the difference between two breeds of pig. what a better way to celebrate the night before memorial day... and what a great monday to not have to go to work hungover:)

call (312) 492-6262 for tickets beginning 1:30pm May 17th
only 16 tickets available, so call fast!

WHAT: Dueling Pig Dinner
DATE: Sunday, May 29th
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: The Underground Goat at 809 W. Randolph (it's just the bottom floor of the restaurant)
PRICE: $200/person



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girl slightly regrets teaching goat the importance of proper seasoning...

every kitchen you walk in to is going to have a good stock of kosher salt. it is what makes food taste. some chefs use diamond crystal, some use mortons. i am a mortons girl myself. just have always used it. since my first kitchen job. its funny how used to a salt you get... it just feels different in your fingers.

(illustration by loc hong)
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last night i hung out at haymarket for about an hour, cooking up some english peas with my good friend koren from avec. we were doing a quick demo to help rasie money for the west central association chamber of commerce. (check out some pictures from the event after the recipe)

since i always like to have a theme, thought we could pick one ingredient and show how chefs go in very different directions and create very different dishes, even when focusing on the same ingredient. i decided to keep things simple and serve our english peas in a pod, edamame style. why should edamame be the only veggie to get sucked right out of the pod? with this recipe, you get to suck on the almost wing-like sauces then let the sweet english peas pop right into your mouth.

take a pound of english peas and a large saute pan. start off with a little splash of oil, and add in the peas. after you have gotten a little color, season generously with salt, then hit with about 2 tablespoons water and cover to steam. after 3-4 minutes, remove lid and let water dissolve. add in glaze along with a couple tablespoons of butter and let reduce by about half. dump into serving dish and drizzle with buttermilk dressing. serve with some sweet potato or other chips to sop up the excess sauce!

and please don't eat the pod. i watched someone eat it last night.... not a pleasant texture:)

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