Union Market DC

Hidden away in a less-traveled corner of DC is the Union Maket, a Mecca of foodie goodness.  Similar to Cleveland's Westside Market, it has a farm stand and a couple meat counters, but with an emphasis on prepared foods and plenty of places to sit down and eat.

We celebrated the feast of the seven fishes prior to Christmas Eve with a dozen Virginia oysters from Rappahannock Oyster Bar and a Vietnamese sour fish soup with tamarind from the Toki Underground pop-up.

Toki Underground sets up shop serving one soup every day from 8 am until they run out.  They also had some delicious BBQ pork bao.

Red Apron Butcher, of last week's burger fame, has their home store here with a slightly different menu and a bar with draft beers and draft cocktails. The glorious meat case has the same intimidatingly huge cuts of meat, housemade charcuterie, and sausages as the Merrifield location.

A lot of places were closed for the holiday; we went on the Monday before Christmas and the market is ordinarily closed on Mondays: notably DC Empanada and Takorean (both of which have food trucks), and Buffalo&Bergen which boasts of cocktails and phosphates with a new school touch. I'll have to go back to check those out.

The market has non-edible foodie stuff: Salt&Sundry, which carries tableware, cookbooks, bar tools, and other giftables. There's also the amazing knife store, DC Sharp, but more on that later...

The Best Burger in the 'Burbs

I like my burgers how I like my coffee: freshly ground.

No, I obviously haven't had every single burger in the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia, so named for its perpetual car-park-style traffic). But I have had the best burgers Chicago has to offer (Edzo's and Au Cheval), and it is by those standards that I judge future burger greatness.

I bestow the honorific upon Red Apron Butcher, a boutique butcher shop located in the Mosaic Center in Merrifield, VA, for its attention to detail, simplicity, and quality meat. I apologize for the horrendous picture, but pictured above is their bacon burger ($10) made from ground beef and ground bacon. It's topped with boozy, beer-braised onions, American cheese, and the genius "island sauce". Though I kind of hate the name - "island sauce" conjures up images of crusty old salad dressing bottles loitering in the door of the fridge - it's actually a means of controlling the proportions of mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and possibly onion for swift and exact burger dressing; one condiment that hits all necessary notes in one fell swoop. The bun is pillowy and yeasty and unlike any other. If I had one criticism it'd be a lack of texture; everything is decadently gooey.

Their Red Apron Original ($10) is topped with cheddar instead of American cheese. They let the cheese melt over the patty and begin to crisp up on the griddle, resulting in deliciously crunchy edges (no issue with texture in this burger). It's then topped with the same island sauce, shredded iceberg (more texture), onions, tomato, and pickles. All their meat is sourced "from animals that are sustainably raised, without antibiotics or horomones and certified humanely treated." I also assume that since they are a butcher that they grind their meat as as freshly as possible. No gimmicks. No fried eggs (as good as those may be).

You can order fries separately ($3) and while they don't showcase the creativity that the fries at Edzo's do, they are fried in aged beef fat .

If you think that $10 is too much for a burger sans frites, check out this blog on the argument for the $10 bowl of pho and make the appropriate transpositions.

Last of the Summer Peaches

One of the perks of going home to Virginia for the summer is the big, juicy, sun-fed, Sounthern peaches. Virginia is no Georgia, so I can only imagine how good those taste, but it's closer than, say, Ohio. When I lived in Chicago, the closest peaches came from Michigan, which are small and flavorless in comparison.

We let the peaches ripen for another week after buying them. When the skin starts to shrivel, that indicates that there is less water in the fruit than when it was picked, meaning maximum sweetness and concentrated flavor. Anyone who has ever tried to eat a ripe pear knows that fruit is often the best just before it goes bad.

My aunt is famous for her baked goods (something I didn't really inherit) and every summer she buys bushels of peaches to make pies. For the most part, I prefer my fruit unadulterated. This peach tart recipe is a nice compromise because it's simple (and lends itself well for my impatience with baking).

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2-3 peaches, sliced
2 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a knife, score a 1-inch square border around the puff pastry (don't cut all the way through).

Arrange the peaches within the square and sprinkle entire area with the sugar.

Bake until pastry is golden brown.

Yes, that's bacon. No, I wouldn't recommend it.

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you're keeping cool this July 4th. Cut the beer and the barbeque with some all-American corn on the cob.

This is my lunch of champions: avocado, corn on the cob, and pasta salad Fabio style.

Enjoy the holiday folks!

Poutine

So we all knew I couldn't go to Quebec without getting some authentic poutine. For those of you who don't know, poutine is comprised of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It's beginning to take hold in the states as we move away from the calorie counting and towards the decadent.

Here in Cleveland you can get something similar at the Greenhouse Tavern if you order gravy fries. Order it "Animal style" and they'll top it with bacon, fried eggs, and whole mustard. With all that fat I was slightly surprised at how bland it was.

In Chicago you can order pig face poutine at the Barrelhouse Flat which is basically fries topped with delicious pulled pork cheek and caramelized onions. There's also the newly opened BadHappy Poutine shop, which I haven't been to yet, but can't wait to try.

With my love of all things french fried and fatty, I was eager to taste the real deal. The important thing to remember is that if you don't start with good fries, no matter how much stuff you pile on top, it's not going to be that good.

To my delight, at the foot of the Domaine Forget hill there is a roadside stand called Chez Ginette that serves fabulous poutine. Good fries, good gravy, good cheese curds, served steaming in a styrofoam container...eaten at a picnic bench on the side of the road. To drink, a case of Moosehead lager from the liquor store next door. Oh, Canada...how great you are!

Halibut with Lime Butter and Avocado Salsa

I bought a portion of beautiful looking halibut without a plan for it. Looking around the kitchen at what I had I came up with two options, miso glazed halibut and halibut with avocado and lime. So I sliced the fish down the middle and made two kinds. Because of the brown sugar I added, the grainy quality of the miso paste, and the pan being a little too hot (I cooked the pieces of fish separately, but in the same pan), mr. miso got a little burnt on the outside, but it was still tasty.

Here's what you'll need for the far-superior limey version:



Dice the avocado and tomato in tiny chunks. Combine in a bowl with salt, pepper, and juice from half a lime.




Heat a skillet over medium heat with a little oil and butter (half a tablespoon is plenty). Season the skin side of the fish with salt and pepper. When pan is hot, place the fish skin side down in the pan and leave in place for 5 minutes. Season the top side of the fish and flip. Cook for 5 minutes more, or until the fish is opaque in the middle.

Mmmm, crispy skin you can eat!




Meanwhile melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add the juice from the other half of the lime. Season with salt.



Plate your dish. Place a heap of the avocado mixture on top and drizzle with lime butter.

Mussels in Beer

Mussels in beer is standard gastropub fare in Chicago where the Belgian beer flows freely. But at home it makes a quick, "cheap," and versatile dinner for one. Feel free to substitute fennel for celery, thyme for bay leaf, or a cup of white wine for beer.

Any white ale would make a delicious broth. I used my favorite appley beer, Ephemere, but Hoegaarden or for my Clevelanders, Great Lakes Holy Moses would also be excellent.

Ingredients:
1 lb mussels
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 bottle Belgian white ale
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter and saute the onion, garlic, celery, and bay leaf until vegetables are translucent and beginning to brown.

Add the mussels and beer and cover. Steam for about 5-7 minutes or until most of the mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Top with the parsley and season broth with pepper and salt, if necessary.

Serve with crusty bread or crunchy frites to dip in the broth!

One Sexy Hot Dog

A visit to Happy Dog can be daunting. This dog was a creative success. I gave myself a pat on the back after eating it.

red curry ketchup - kimchee - feta - bacon - onion - fried egg

More Fabio!

Since the last time I talked about Fabio, I've watched almost all of the Top Chef episodes in existence. Fabio is still a little crazy, but definitely charming, and undoubtedly talented. And when it comes to cooking Italian food, there's no one I trust more to tell me what to do. His bolognese is delicious, simpler than the Williams-Sonoma version I used to make, and great to have on hand in the freezer. I made it two weeks in a row because I couldn't get enough.

The second batch was for Jacob, and we made a gigantic batch of fresh pasta. That's a lot of pasta. I can't stress enough how much more enjoyable rolling pasta is with a helper. I've actually been faithful to Stephanie Izard's pasta recipe, sorry Fabs.

Also thanks to Fabio, I broke down my first chicken. If ever there was a chance of me becoming a vegetarian (a dirty word in the Riddell family), it's gone now. I was getting really frustrated as I was hacking away at the chicken with a not-sharp-enough knife, but it is totally worth it to know that I have prime chicken stock making parts just waiting in my freezer. The whole chicken went into a batch of Mary's famous chicken pot pies. Now a whole chicken in every batch!

If anyone is curious, I got a couple new salad plates from anthropologie, that I really love. Jacob works near a wonderful store in Highland Park, IL and when I go visit him at work I end up wandering around the store forever, admiring all the pretty things. I saw these plates and snatched them up right away. They must have been popular because the anthropologie website is sold out of the plates; only the tea cups are left in Old Havana and Tie-dye Ikat.

Sorry if this post lacks a little focus. I've been a little scatter-brained recently.

Shrooms!

I always forget how delicious mushrooms are, mostly because I don't eat them very often. This recipe for pasta with mushroom ragu falls under the "unoriginal" category, but it's so good it deserves a Mary stamp of approval so to speak. I spotted it in an edition of La Cucina Italiana I borrowed from Jacob's mom on my last visit.

It calls for a mix of several mushrooms and it just so happened that when I went to go buy the groceries, Whole Foods was promoting all kinds of mushrooms. They were on display front and center in the produce section and had descriptions of the flavor of each kind. I chose oyster, porcini, and black foot mushrooms.

This recipe not only wins in the flavor department, but also for being budget friendly. Mushrooms, especially nice ones, come with a big price tag per pound, but since they're so light you end up paying a fraction of that.

Umami of the Heart

Umami is kind of hard to define. In elementary school we learn that our taste buds can detect four qualities: salty, sour, sweet, and bitter. The fifth of these is umami, a savory fullness of the mouth quality. The Japanese word doesn't really have a direct translation in English. It can be detected in foods like green tea, blue cheese, mushrooms, and miso.

Food memory. When I was growing up, my family would order obscene amounts of sushi from a restaurant for dinner. We'd bring it home and eat it, not at the dinner table, but sitting on sofa cushions on the floor around the coffee table. The restaurant would always throw in at least 10 pairs of chopsticks (that's how much sushi we would order) and a free miso soup or seaweed salad, and we'd proceed to polish off the whole party tray for dinner.

The taste of miso soup has always been something rare and comforting. I would only have it when we ordered sushi and in my opinion, one tiny bowl is never enough. I've tried the dried packets that you just add bowling water to, but those are always disappointing.

My quest for miso paste over winter break yielded two kinds. The one in the back I use for dipping my cucumbers, and the one in front I use for miso soup because it has dashi mixed in. Dashi is a fish stock made from bonito flakes. You've probably heard of it if you've watched Top Chef. But for me, it's one step I don't have to do.

Simply bring 1 and 2/3 cup of water to a boil, add a pinch of wakame (dried seaweed, not to be confused with the toasted nori used for sushi) and some cubed tofu and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and dissolve 2 Tbsp miso paste (with dashi stock) and you have an abundance of umami goodness.

It's really good at clearing your sinuses in allergy or cold season, perking you up on a gloomy day like today, and warming your tummy and heart. The Japanese version of chicken soup. Best of all, it's really versatile. In fact I just came up with an idea for a mussel dish...

Thai Tofu w/Minced Pork Soup

In the past few weeks, food took a definitive back seat to music in preparation for my recital. I cut out alcohol and reduced my intake of caffeine two weeks before. I even took up running in the evenings to get my heart in shape for the endurance test that was my recital repertoire, and of course, to lose a few pounds to fit in my recital dress. I still wouldn't call myself chubby, but my waist is definitely not as narrow as it was at this time last year. Being so focused on the music really paid off, because although I didn't drive myself crazy in the practice room (no more than normal), I made it through my recital without any serious brain misfires. You know you're on the right track when you get in bed at night and can't fall asleep until you've involuntarily sung and fingered through the whole Strauss oboe concerto.

One recital and research paper later, my brain is free to think about food and to get cravings. This weekend I was hit with a craving for a soup from my favorite Thai restaurant, Crystal Thai, which is unfortunately 350 miles away. So, in lieu of the real thing I decided to make my own tofu w/minced pork soup. After a quick analysis of how I remember the soup tasting and how one might go about making it, I headed to Whole Foods. While Whole Foods had most of the more exotic things I was looking for, like savoy cabbage and lemon grass, they were entirely out of ground pork. I headed to Dave's Market, where I bought the last pound of ground pork left in Cleveland, and some much more expensive ground veal to supplement. In hind sight, ground turkey might have been a smarter choice.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground pork
1 egg
1 thumb-length piece of ginger
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cups (plus some extra) chicken stock
5 cups water
1 head savoy cabbage, cored and cut into chunks
2 blocks of firm tofu, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
1 small bunch cilantro
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the meat, egg, salt and pepper, 3/4 of the ginger, grated, and 1 clove garlic, put through a garlic press.

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the leeks until translucent. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and the remaining ginger, also minced. Cook for 1 minute. Add 2 cups chicken stock and the lemon grass and bring to a boil.

Pinch off 1-inch balls of meat mixture and add to the stock. Add enough water to cover, or about 5 cups, and bring to a boil while stirring gently. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, covered for 1 hour.

Add the cabbage, tofu, and a few springs of cilantro and cook, uncovered, until cabbage is tender, about 15-20 minutes. If stronger flavor is desired, add more chicken stock. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with a garnish of cilantro, chili oil, or bean sprouts.

I was extremely pleased that the soup ended up tasting exactly how I remember. The only difference was the texture of the meat. I guess when they say minced, they mean minced, not ground, but I wouldn't have made it any other way. Now I have lunch for the rest of the week!

Corned Beef Hash

The best thing about making corned beef is the leftovers. I made myself corned beef hash with the last of it. And just like making the corned beef, this is really easy. I even fried an egg to put on top!

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel towards eggs. Mostly, I find them revolting. But occasionally (like, once every six months) I'll eat a scrambled egg if it has lots of stuff in it, like lax, goat cheese, tomato, herbs, meat, or any combination of those. Part of me, though, reveres them for their versatility, richness, speedy cooking times, and nutritional value. Not to mention the whole food craze these days to make everything "better" by putting a fried egg on top. I've watched enough Top Chef to know, this is usually (but not always) a good thing, so I figured I'd give it a try since there was going to be plenty of salty, meaty flavor going on in the hash.

You'll need:
2 Tbsp butter
a small chunk of leftover, cooked corned beef
2 leftover red potato halves
a few leftover carrot chunks
1 egg

What you do:
Chop the corned beef, potatoes, and carrots into tiny pieces.

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet. Add the meat and vegetables to the butter and stir, letting the potatoes brown. Push the hash to the side. Add more butter to the pan if necessary, crack the egg into the center of the pan. When the whites set, flip the egg and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer everything to a plate and serve with the egg on top. Season with salt and pepper.

When you cut into the egg the gooey yolk will bind the hash underneath together somewhat, coating everything in richness. This was my first time frying egg, and it got pretty brown since the pan was so hot, but the yolk inside was perfect, not too runny, but not solid either. Kind of like a loose gel. I don't mind my eggs brown, but apparently that's frowned upon. This breakfast of champions tasted delicious anyway and kept me satisfied for most of the day.

St. Patty's Day: Corned Beef and Cabbage

Last weekend my parents were in town to see the opera so I took them to the West Side Market. Corned beef was a holiday special among the vendors, so we bought one and a cabbage too, and I made myself some corned beef and cabbage.

My mom usually made corned beef and cabbage once a year for St. Patrick's day, and although it is simple to make and made of "cheap" ingredients, it still special, which makes it taste especially good. My spring break at Northwestern was always too late to make it home for some corned beef, so my parents would save me some leftovers. Now I can make it myself. Like I said, it's pretty simple.

As far as healthy, chemical-free eating goes, corned beef is probably not the way to go...the packages tell you what it's tenderized with, and the fact that I can't remember what it's called is probably warning enough. Once a year can't hurt too much though, right?

As for cooking it, it's pretty easy.

You'll need:
1 corned beef (about 2 lbs)
5 red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced in half
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 in pieces
1 head of cabbage, cored and cut into eighths

What you do:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Put the corned beef and the spice packet in a Dutch oven and fill with enough water to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil on the stove and simmer, covered for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for 15 minutes, then add the cabbage and cook for another 15 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, remove the vegetables to a plate. Transfer the Dutch oven to the oven, uncovered (making sure the meat is fat-side up) and cook until the fat is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

When the pot comes out of the oven, remove the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes, and add the vegetables back to the broth to keep warm and absorb more flavor as the liquid cools.

Slice the meat crosswise and serve with the vegetables.

I got this done a little early this year so I can share it with you in time for St. Patrick's Day.

New England-Style Clam Chowder

Last week I had a crazy craving for creamy clam chowder. So mid-snow storm (since I had no food in the apartment) I went out to get the materials. I wanted it to be creamy, but brothy, not glutinous and it turned out pretty much perfect! My tummy was so happy.

Ingredients:
10 large clams, scrubbed
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise in 1/2 inch strips
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay recommended by the ever-helpful Whole Foods "sommeliers")
2 cups heavy cream
3 yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring two cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the clams and and steam, covered, for 10 minutes. When all or most of the clams have opened turn off the heat and let cool. Remove the clams from their shells and chop them. Strain the resulting clam juice, reserving 4 cups (or add water until you get 4 cups).

Meanwhile, fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Discard the fat and drain on a paper towel.

In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute over medium high heat until onion is translucent. Add the thyme and bay leaves and the wine. Simmer until wine is reduced by half. Add the 4 cups of reserved clam broth, heavy cream, potatoes, reserved bacon, and clams. Season with pepper and salt, if necessary.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Discard thyme stems and bay leaves before serving.

If you prefer a thicker chowder, stir in two tablespoons of flour to the cooked vegetables before adding the wine and other liquids.

Valentine's Gnocchi with Tomato Butter

Ah! I forgot how busy February always is. But Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I am reminiscing about one of my favorite meals of all time. For my first Valentine's Day with Jacob he cooked me a surprise dinner of grilled lamb chops, orzo spinach salad, and red pepper bisque at his house. He lit candles and we listened to a Steve Martin comedy album while we ate. Always a bit of silliness when we're together.

I've been spending the last few weeks preparing for auditions and even got a week-long visit from Jacob. The days have been filled with lot of quick miso meals, and also a bit of culinary experimentation. When Jacob was visiting I made lots of fresh pasta, which was a real treat since he helped me crank the pasta machine (my least favorite part). Before he left I made him homemade gnocchi, since we had both been fantasizing about Gilt Bar's gnocchi since New Year's Eve.

I used Stephanie Izard's recipe for gnocchi from her "Gnocchi in Brown Butter-Caper Sauce" recipe and made my own sauce.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
1 package campari tomatoes, quartered
1 Tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper

Directions:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add the tomatoes and cook down, stirring occasionally, until a creamy sauce forms, about 10-15 minutes. Pull out and discard the tomato skins. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss your cooked and browned gnocchi in the sauce, top with parmesan, and serve.

I originally thought it would be good with marjoram instead of parsley, but I added it too early and my gnocchi kind of ended up tasting like pizza, which was not exactly what I had in mind.

Snack Time

As far back as I can remember, cucumbers have been my favorite snack food. Though usually, I preferred only to eat them in summer, when they're at their best. Sliced in half and salted.

This summer my friend Sam showed me a new way to enjoy them: dipped in miso paste. Now I'm converted. Best snack year round: English/Japanese cucumber, cut into spears, and dipped in miso paste. We'll see what happens when summer comes back around.

Longman & Eagle (and Gilt Bar)

Unfortunately, Jacob and I didn't take any pictures of our dinner at Gilt Bar on New Year's Eve. I'll just tell you what we ate: gnocchi with pancetta and butternut squash, brussels sprouts with pork belly and maple syrup, and kielbasa sausage with sauerkraut and potatoes. For dessert we had an indulgent mocha coconut cream pie. A very rich and porky meal. If you study their drink menu you'll see $2 PBRs and $4 Table Wine options hidden in the filigree. They're not just there for decoration; when I asked the server about the wine she told me they have a chardonnay and a cabernet, both from California. I ordered the red and it tasted reeeeeaaaaally good. Maybe it tasted better knowing it was $4, but that's not usually how wine works. Ya know.

I didn't know this, but gilt is what farmers call a female pig that hasn't had babies. That's probably why our meal was so porky.

Since he only had a week to spoil me, Jacob took me out to Longman & Eagle later in the week. L&E is a a whiskey bar/inn/tavern in Logan Square. The food was elegant but, to me, under-seasoned. We shared everything which left me kinda hungry at the end of the meal. We had porchetta stuffed ravioli with a spiced applesauce (top), venison sausage with a pierogi (not pictured), "steak and eggs" (above), and for dessert, a bourbon and spiced pecan cake, steamed in a mason jar (below).

I was especially impressed with the sausage and the "steak," which was really boneless beef short-rib, magically grilled into a juicy tender steak-like cut. The ravioli was stuffed with an egg yolk and creamed spinach.

All in all, not worth the money in my opinion (go to Gilt Bar instead!), but at least we got to see a beautiful sunset on the drive down. A perk for L&E, if you need somewhere nice and affordable to stay in the city, you can get a room upstairs for as little as $75 a night. Chump change for a Chicago hotel.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

You can't live in the Chicago area and not like Chicago-style hot dogs. I spent most of my adolescence abhorring hot dogs and all the weird things that go into them. But then I came to Chicago and saw the light. For those who don't know, a Chicago dog consists of:

all-beef (Vienna or Redhot) dog - mustard - dill pickle spear - pickle relish - chopped onion - sliced tomato - celery salt - sport peppers - poppy seed bun

...and most importantly, NO KETCHUP.

Any sandwich with a 2:1 pickle to hot dog ratio is alright by me.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good feast.