Burger of the Week

Burger of the Week

Burger of the Week From the Top Down

Top of a toasted nice soft bun

Heinz Ketchup

Roasted Corn Peach Salsa

Sauteed Onions

Medium Rare All Beef Patty Season with Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Quick Pickled Zucchini

Fresh Spinach

Tarragon Aioli

Roasted Corn Salsa

2 Ears of Corn Grilled or Charred Under the Broiled in the Husk, Shucked, and the Kernels Stripped Off

1 Large Peach Chopped

1/2 Red Onion Chopped

1 Handful of Cherry Tomatoes Chopped

1 Jalapeño Chopped

Juice of a Lime

Salt to Taste

Quick Pickled Zucchini

Thinly Sliced Zucchini or Yellow Squash courtesy of The Gan Project(I use a peeler)

The Other 1/2 of the Red Onion Sliced

Enough Rice Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar to Cover the Zucchini 

1 Tsp Whole Mustard Seed

1 Tsp Ground Turmeric

1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flake

1 Bay Leaf

1 Clove of Garlic Smashed

Put everything in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, simmer for a few minutes, and let cool.

Finally Real Food Trucks

Finally Chicago is getting
on the band wagon.  
Hopefully we can get someone
to do a kosher one.

Chicago food trucks OK
to cook onboard,
City Council says

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8748819

July 25, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Chefs will soon start dishing out what they cook up -- inside their Chicago food trucks.

On Wednesday the Chicago City Council approved an ordinance that allows food truck operators to cook onboard.

Under the ordinance, food trucks can't park closer than 200 feet from a restaurant entrance unless they're in designated food-truck parking spots. Food trucks also will be required to have GPS to track their movements.

Chicago is known for high-end restaurants but has lagged behind other cities when it comes to the food truck craze.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city's aldermen say the ordinance approved Wednesday is a good first step to expand the industry.

The trucks have been able to operate in Chicago, but chefs couldn't cook and prepare food in their vehicles.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.

Pickles in a Week

Fermented pickles are actually pretty easy to make.  Get the freshest cucumbers you can, submerge them in a salt brine of 50 grams of pickling salt per liter of water.  Yes I do weigh my salt.  If you do not have a food scale get one.  Let it sit for a week on your counter, and you will have pickles.  Of course you will likely want to add some other flavors.  Of course you can buy pickling spice, but it is fun to customize.  Thinks you might like to add: garlic, whole peppercorns, coriander, dill, bay leaf, and red pepper flake.  Those are just suggestions, but feel free to add any flavors you like.  You make want to also a a grape leaf or two as they help to keep the cucumbers from getting mushy.  The cucumbers and garlic I used came from The Gan Project, and the dill I used came from the small garden on my balcony.  I also threw in some scallion just to see what would happen.  They can out pretty good, although I think I added a bit to much salt which I corrected by watering down my brine after I tried the first pickle.

Fried Rice with Chicken and Vegetables

Just a quick fried brown rice with chicken marinated in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and a little rice wine vinegar, mushrooms, onions, and compliments of The Gan Project zucchini and yellow squash.

3 Quick (Vegetarian) Dips

3 Quick (Vegetarian) Dips

1. Olive Dip
1 jar of your favorite olives mostly drained
3 Tablespoons of mayo

Toss it all in the blender or food processor and process until almost smooth.  Chill and serve.

2. Eggplant Dip
1 Medium to large sized eggplant
1 Tablespoon or extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon of cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Stab the eggplant with a fork about 20 times.  Microwave the eggplant until soft about 10-15 minutes.  Let the eggplant cool cut it in half and scrape it all out into the blender or food processor.  Add olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper into the blender or food processor and process until almost smooth.  Chill and serve

3. Spinach Dip
1-10 oz bad of spinach washed and stems removed
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil for sauteing
1 small tub or sour cream (or Tofuti sour cream if it want it to be vegan or non-dairy)

Saute the onions in the olive oil over medium low heat until they start to brown.  Add the garlic and spinach to the pan.  It will look like a lot of spinach but it cook down to a fraction of the size.  Once the spinach is cooked all the way down, turn off the pan and let it cool.  In a bowl combine the spinach onion mixture with the sour cream, chill and serve

Feeding a mixed crowd of carnivores and vegetarians.

Just quick menu from today.  We had a family over where the wife is a vegetarian.  I try to make a parallel menu when that happens
Appetizer: Salmon Cesar Salad
Dips:
Olive
Spinach
Eggplant
2 types of Hummus (Bought, I just can't make it as well as Sabra)


Meatballs
Chicken Schnitzel
Falafel Balls (from a mix)
Fried Eggplant
Potato Kugel
Quinoa with Mushrooms
Salad (Brought by our guests)


Look for recipes tomorrow.

Father's Day Steak Dinner

Father's Day Steak Dinner


Ingredients:
1 lb Bone in Rib Steak
1/4 lb of Beef Fry (or bacon if you don't keep kosher)
1 Medium Sweet Potato
1/4 Head of Broccoli
2 Scallions
Brown Sugar
Salt
Pepper

Fry the beef fry in a cast iron skillet until crispy and reserve the grease.  Cut the sweet potato into wedges and toss with the reserved grease.  Season the wedges with the salt, pepper, and brown sugar. 

Reclaim the beef fry grease and make this dressing: Alton Browns's Bacon Vinaigrette

Steam the broccoli until just soft.

Bake the sweet potatoes spread out on a sheet pan at 400.  Flip after 15 minutes and bake another 15 minutes until soft all the way the through and crispy on the outside.

Season your steak with salt and pepper and sear  it in the pan that you cooked the beef fry in.  Once you get a good sear on both sides, drop it in the over on a sheet pan at 350 until it reaches desired level of doneness.  I like it medium.  See picture below. 

 Char the scallions in the same pan you cooked the steak and beef fry in. 
 Crumble the beef fry over the sweet potatoes. Top the steak with the scallions. Drizzle the vinaigrette over everything on the plate.

Chicken Stir Fry With Pea Pods

I got my hands on some great snap and snow peas from www.theganproject.org.   I picked these fresh and cooked them within the hour, but not before eating a few right there in the field.  They were so sweet.  I did a quick stir fry with some leftover grilled chicken from Shabbos (in the spirit of not wasting food), onions, fresh broccoli, and peppers.  I seasoned it with soy sauce, black pepper, garlic, and red pepper flake.

Burger of The Week

From the top:
Toasted Sesame Bun
Ketchup
Mango Peach Salsa
1/2 lb Beef Burger
Spinach
Homemade Pickles
Schug Mayo
Bottom 1/2 of the Bun

A Tale of Two Customer Service Experiences

Last week I had 2 very different customer service experiences.  Last Saturday night I went to pick up some food from a local kosher restaurant that shall remain nameless.  My wife had called in the order ahead of time so I could pick it up.  When I got there they pulled an order, but it was not mine.  The owner proceeded to tell me off for not being clear when I placed my order.  I immediately called my wife to confirm that she was clear when she placed the order.  By the time I got off the phone they realized that they had pulled the wrong order and they just sent mine out without so much as an apology.

Last Sunday I was at a non-Jewish owned fruit store called Lincolnwood Produce.  Whenever I go in there the owner greets me with a smile, helps bag my groceries, and says thanks to me as I leave.  That day I forgot a bag of a couple of green peppers.  The owner ran across the parking lot to bring me a dollars worth of produce.  He could have easily returned it to the shelf and I would have been none the wiser.

Why do so many Jewish merchants not understand customer service?  The customer is always right even when they're wrong.   And if you do accuse a customer of being wrong and then realize that they are right at bare minimum apologize.

People let me know what you think about this in the comments.
Thanks,
Daniel Peikes