Hot Dogs Dragged Through The Garden

 Chicago is a foodie town. It has deep dish pizzas and hearty steaks. It's also known for its' Dogs dragged through the garden"> This is a filling take on America;'s much loved quick meal. There's also a right and wrong way to eat this treat.

Regular contributor and chef Eric KIm wrote about this CHicago specialty in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. What is a dragged throught the garden hot dog? You start with the bun.It has to be a poppy seed one stuffed with an all beef weiner. Chopped onion and sweet pickle relish are piled on.There are also  pickle spear and chopped tomatoes. Soirt peppers , a kind of pickled pepper is added to the bun. Then there's that squiggle of mustard and mustard only. Heaven forbid there should be ketchup. Kids are allowed to put some on it but many stands and restaurants refuse to add it to the hot dog.The whole thing  represents a love that connects all CHicagoans of all ages sexes and backgrounds.The only difference is who makes the best. Everyone  has a favorite spot. What makes any garden dog taste good is the hot dog itself.Many of the eateries use the ones made from localcompany Vienna Beef founded in 1893 by Emil Reichek and Samuel Ladany, immigrants from the former Austro -Hungarian empire. Their brand has more snap when boiled (they are never char grilled - which would give the whole sandwich a more interesting taste).According to Vienna Beef, senior vice president , Tom McGlade, there are more hot dog stands in the Chicago area than there are Wendy's McDOnald's and Burger King.

Chef Kim give the recipe for them . You can use vegan ones (which is what KIm Basile who runs Kim and Carlos'  carts sell outside the Shedd Aquarium and Filed Museum) if you want to skip the meat part.Chef. Kim cooks both the buns and dogs in butter - which is my game plan. It gives beef and vegan ones that nice crispy exterior. As far as the buns, I may use potato buns or Italian rolls which can also stand up to those veggies. There are no specific kind of tomatoes suggested but sliced vine ripes can give that added touch of sweetness.Place these on one side of the dog, The pickle spear goes on the other. Then add the sweet pickle relish and chopped onions. If the chopped onions are a bit strong then think about just a dusting of onion powder. It called for pickled or sports peppers for a truly authentic flavor. I think these may be too tart and may omit them. As for the mustard it's the yellow kind. Adding a squiggle of  Dijon mustard instead probably wouldn't hurt it.  Celery salt is also sprinkled on top too. Most Chicago eateries serve a generous side of fries but plain potato chips would also work too.

A dragged through the garden hot dog is perfect for a summer's meals. It's the best of Chicago. It's also has the best of flavor.

Cherry Grove Farm - The Best of Lawrenceville NJ

 New Jersey has amazing farms which have a wide variety of fresh made and organic products. Cherry Grove Farm in the quaint town of Lawrenceville right outside of Princeton. The town itself is like an American version of a Jane Austen setting.

The farm is a dairy farm , rare in New Jersey and known for their homemade mozzarella and burrata. There are several animals for petting and just nuzzling.

                             Here is an adorable baby goat. It has the softest fur and sweetest disposition.

                   This is the sheep and goat. There's also a chicken coop and fields full of cattle.

                                      Here is the sheep, possibly a ewe, along with that adorable kid.

Cherry Grove is also known for their small country store. I couldn't get over the variety and array of fresh made products.It was hard to choose  what food to buy.

                                          They have a fig almond spread and a red pepper tapanade.

These are the preserves and jams.It was hard not to pass up the bread and butter pickles and pickled green beans.

Cherry Grove Farms also has a fantastic array of bee products from honey to pollen. I want to get the pollen on my next visit.

    I decided on the Weaver's Orchard's applesauce and Oak View Acres strawberry jam, these coming from the heart of Amish country near Reading ,PA.  not  all that far from Lawrenceville. I plan on serving the apple sauce with veggie pancakes and the jam slathered on croissants.

Cherry Grove Farms is the perfect fall outing. Take a ride there to see the animals and try their amazing array of different preserves, cheeses, jams, honey, and applesauce. Enjoy  a fall day in the country

Cherry Grove Farm is located at 3200, Lawrenceville Road , Lawrenceville ,NJ. It's right off the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 206

The Gourmet Bride - And Groom

June is not only wedding season but also shower season too. Many spouses to be are into all sorts of gadgets and trends , being more savvy than previous generations about cooking and eating. If that's the case then get them interesting kitchen ware that reflects  their knowledge and tastes.

Hipster bride and grooms love anything artesanal. They'll go for pickles or beer that have been made not by a big company but by themselves. A DIY pickling kit then is the perfect wedding gift. A fermenting kit is only $34.00 on Amazon and it not only yields up tasty dills and gherkins but also trendy probiotic treats like kimchee and sauerkraut.There's even a date tracker and recipe book too. For a fancier spin throw in silver pickle forks that can easily be bought at that great artesanal  bazaar, Etsy. Bacon is another trendy home made product right now, Think about a bacon curing kit. This has everything from curing salt to a curing bag and maple sugar. It's only twenty four dollars, again at Amazon. You may want to throw in a gift certificate to your local grocery so they pick up the pork tenderloin to create it. As for the beer, a beer making kit would be perfect for the much in love . Best Buy has an elaborate one for $798 , a perfect gift for the groom from his groomsmen and best man..There are also cheaper ones for around forty if cost is an issue.

What about those who love to cook and bake? A traditional gift is always a crockpot - which is still a good idea. However update it by giving a mini one. These are great for making smaller meals and are not as expensive as the bigger varieties. They run in pricing from twenty to forty dollars. A sous vide machine is another neat gift home chefs will appreciate. This is a water bath for sealed packets of premeasured ingredients. The end result is tender, flavorful and juicy restaurant quality meals. Sous
vides are pricey, however. One can cost $200 although it would be a perfect gift from the wedding party to the couple. Food dehydrators are another neat present for gourmands. They can be used for making everything from fruit roll ups to beef jerky. Again, these can be expensive, starting at $90 and running as high as $400. Couples who love to bake may appreciate entire cake decorating kits. Step it up a notch and gift them with a cake airbrushing kit to create amazingly decorated creations. It comes with an airbrush and add ons  along with a power generating compressor and plastic dropper.

Gourmet couples deserve gourmet gifts. Give them something that will appeal to their artesanal and gourmand sides. It'll be a memorable shower gift, enjoyed years afterwards.

The Year In Review Foodwise

What did the year soon to be past contribute food wise? What were the new tastes and treats that stunned us for the last twelve months?What did we like  and what did we go "Ewwwww" over?

Food wise we had a Mid East summit. Za'atar and harissa seemed to be the stars of 2015. Everyone went crazy over the first, a mix of different spices such as sumac (not the poisonous kind)thyme, marjoram and oregano. Toasted sesame seeds is added for crunch as is seas salt. It is then mixed in with olive oil and served with another 2015 fad, the had rolled bagel. This is not the big New York puffy kind that kind of looks like a butt (sorry , but it does) A real Israeli bagel looks like a big circular pretzel.It is torn into bits and then the ends are dipped in the za'atar and oil.The bled can also be used in cooking veggies along with being sprinkled on salads and scrambled eggs. North Africa gave us harissa. a spicy paste that goes well with veggies or lamb. This is soaked red chili peppers mixed with olive oil, garlic and salt. A trio of spices, cumin, coriander and ground caraway seeds round it out and temper the heat.


Artesanal foodstuffs went amok. Hipsters throughout Brooklyn started their own food companies, from pickles to bacon. Entrepreneurs who have Smith Brothers beards  are churning out handmade goodies in old Brooklyn factories that were probably churning out the same products 160 years ago. Flea markets  were the battleground for these food makers as they vied to get hip foodies attentions and taste buds.Despite at how annoying it is, the movement is actually a good thing. Artesenal baby foods led to some of top manufacturers like Gerber and Beechnut to create preservative free ones along with ones featuring more avocados and squash. The homemade movement has also influenced bread companies as well. Our stores sell much more whole wheat and whole grain now than they ever have done. Even companies like Stop & Shop have their own artesenal foods like crackers and cereals,

What will 2016 bring? We'll find out tomorrow .Foodie Pantry has some interesting predictions.

Dressing Up

What makes an ordinary bowl of tossed greens and chopped veggies a stand out? The dressing.Any dressing from a simple vinaigrette to a creamy ranch or tangy Thousand Island can add zip and verve even to just shredded iceberg lettuce and tomato wedges.Homemade dressings are not only yummy they're a snap to make.Even kids could create fancy ones for the evening salad. Sometimes the simplest is the best.Many salad devotees opt for the great Italian food writer,Marcella Hazan's recipe for a good side salad! Toss greens in olive oil, add a few drops of vinegar and then shake in fresh ground pepper and sea salt.This dressing works well if you have a strong main meal such as pasta or a roasted meat.The salad is secondary in this case.However with these hot June days, salads are becoming the main meal. Yes, you can still have an oil and vinegar base but try adding aromatic herbs such as oregano and rosemary.This is a basic Italian dressing recipe and can even be used on heroes too.A fruit infused vinaigrette is always a nice change of pace.Buy fresh picked blue berries or strawberries and bruise then( crush them with the back of a spoon)'Add to a white wine vinegar for fourteen days. If you want you can make several different fruit flavors, including peach and blackberry along with raspberry.Try these with salads having grilled chicken or turkey as the main ingredient. Creamy dressings are a bonus.They not only give a certain oomph to ordinary salads but they are chock full of flavor.One of the easiest and tastiest is French.This is just a simple mix of mayo and ketchup.There are recipes that nix the mayonnaise and sub in corn oil and white vinegar.Many prefer the first recipe .For added zing put in sweet relish or even chopped gherkins to create Thousand Island dressing.Sub in chopped pickles for the gherkins or sweet relish and you have Russian dressing.This is not only good in a salad but also slathered on a Reuben sandwich as well. Ranch dressing is popular right now and it's an easy one. Mix buttermilk with mayo and add garlic , onion powder and chives.Caesar salad is always a treat and the dressing is an easy to whip up.It"s mayo ,anchovy paste,Parmesian cheese and lemon juice mixed together and then minced garlic is thrown in.If you're making a creamy dressing ,then think big salad.Any of these dressing goes well with a chef salad laden with all sorts of meat. You can also add grilled shrimp, salmon to these as well as croutons and variety of veggies. warm weather calls for a salad.Jazz it up with a home made dressing.Any one is easy to whip up and dress a variety of meats,greens and veggies.

A Good Old Southern Picnic

Now that the weather is warmer, it's time to think about picnics. One of the best cuisines suited to this is Southern style cooking.There is so much that would go well in a picnic basket.The foods and drinks are rich in flavor and texture and are perfect for enjoying under a shady tree. expect to nap in the soft grass afterwards. Fried chicken is a Southern staple as well as a picnic one.You can make the coating with any kind of crumb or batter. An old fashioned buttermilk batter is always the best.Some cooks add paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper for bite.Panko crumbs, usually used in tempura, can also be used for a lighter, crunchier crust.Fresh roasted ham is another good meat to bring to a Southern style outing can be sliced into thick rounds and sandwiched between homemade biscuits.You could also make a ham salad by cubing it and adding mayo along with celery to it.Macaroni and potato salads make good sides.Forget the low calorie dressings.This is the South where calorie rich foods abound.You can make simple mayo dressing with the addition of oil and vinegar.Cole slaw can be made this way as well.If you're a tad more ambitious ,then try making bread and butter pickles as an extra treat.Another idea is deep fried pickles.Use the left over chicken batter for these as well as the oil or fat. What caps off a good Southern picnic?A good Southern dessert.Pecan pie is always good and it's easy to make.For an even easier sweet ending ,try an icebox cake.You can use Nabisco's Nilla wafers and vanilla pudding or mix it up with chocolate wafers and chocolate pudding. Another yummy treat is a strawberry or peach shortcAke.Use those buttermilk biscuits,split them in half and ladle on sliced fresh fruit.Finish with either Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream (which you can bring along in a cooler)Banana pudding is another nice bring along dessert and a cinch to make.What to drink on this jaunt? Sweet Southern tea.This is not the instant kind but one using actual tea bags.The best ones would be Orange Pekoe or Earl Grey.These are full bodied brews that would lose their taste when ice is added.For a true Dixie touch serve in mason jars. A true Southern picnic is.perfect for this time of year.Settle under your favorite tree with a plate of fried chicken and potato salad.Finish with a sweet treat and sweet tea.Lie back under the warm May sun and savor true Mason Dixon picnic flavors.

Peanut Butter And Pickles

Peanut butter is great on its' own .It'a phenomenal with chocolate and even bananas. With pickles? Surprisingly yes. More an dmore people are going for a pickle and peanut butter combo.

This crazy combo was a feature of Wednesday's New York Times DIning section. Dwight Garner, who seems new to The Times experimented with it in the DeGustibus column,It actually has been around for generations, wit h Mr. Garner's father eating it durng his law school days. Even Southern grannies have made this for lunches and snacks .If it's still gross imagine as a sophisticated version of PB & J.

How the sandiwch is made is important  Mr. Garner suggests Clausen's or any pickle that has a slight sweetness. (I would suggest the sugary gherkins) to itl Bread and butter pickles work just fine as well. It should be crunchy and hold up to the creaminess of the peanut butter. As for the peanut butter itself, stay away from crunchy and try a classic like Smuckers.Also put it all on a good white breadsuch as Arnold's.

Peanut butter is good. So are pickles. Together they create an interesting treat.