girl is worried about her mr. english p. against world renowned sumo wrestler mr. ed amame.

we're serving english peas edamame style at the restaurant. why eat plain peas when you can get so much flavor by sucking them from a marinated shell?

(illustration by loc hong)
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here is a fun way to use rhubarb in a savory application that lets the natural tart flavor of the rhubarb shine through. this is based on an italian 'agrodolce', or sweet and sour. as with most things i cook, i have only read about such sauces and have yet to travel to italy and taste in person. so though this is far from authentic, it is a great topper for a summer grilled rich steak as it cuts through the tasty beef fat and creates a balanced dish.
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DUELING PIGS!!

about 15 minutes 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.
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this desert takes me back to my childhood and reminds me of a cross between the pies we would make for my dad's birthday and strawberry shortcake (the desert and the dolls-- i can still remember rubbing my nose into my strawberry shortcake dolls...). i like it because you don't just get the sweet from strawberries, but get the tartness from the rhubarb. it's also got a teeny bit of spice and savory with the finish of cracked pepper over the top. enjoy!
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when i was growing up, one of our family traditions was to have strawberry rhubarb pie for my dad's birthday every july. my dad was the lucky one with timing of his birthday as this makes a deliciously balanced sweet and tart pie that can only be improved upon by a bit of 'a la mode' action. (i, on the other hand, was born in october and have still never gotten into the whole pumpkin pie thing...)


(illustration by loc hong)
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