Acadia's foie gras.
Foie gras torchon coated with malt and garnished with curry-apple butter, lemon and mache, $14 at Acadia in the South Loop.
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Sunday, Feb. 5, marks Super Bowl XLVI: the New York Giants vs. the New England Patriots. Here’s a few places where Chicagoland food and football fans can indulge in both.
 Whole Foods’ “Especially Good” sweet potatoes. What it is: A long, tapered, typically orange-fleshed tuber, the naturally sweet sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is actually a closer relative of the morning glory than the regular potato (Solanum tuberosum). Sweet potatoes come in a variety of colors — orange, yellow, beige, white, pink and even purple. Those with orange flesh tend to be sweeter and moister than other types, and are sometimes called “yams,” although they aren’t related to the long, starchy true yams (Dioscorea). High in fiber and rich in potassium, vitamin C and vitamin A (beta-carotene), sweet potatoes are versatile and easy to cook. February is National Sweet Potato Month. Where it comes from: Sweet potatoes date back into prehistory, and likely originated in South or Central Americas. Sweet potato fossils some 10,000 years old have been discovered in Peruvian caves. What to do with it: Cook sweet potatoes any way you’d cook regular potatoes — boiled, fried, microwaved or roasted. They’re especially good baked, but some studies suggest that boiling or steaming preserve their nutrients best. They can be served whole in their skins, sliced, chunked or mashed. Add a little fat if you want to take full advantage of the tubers’ fat-soluble beta-carotene. They don’t need extra sweetening, but some cooks like to gild the lily. Whole Foods Market shares this tropical recipe. Whole Foods’ ‘Especially Good’ sweet potatoes For extra sweetness, add chopped fresh pineapple or use pineapple juice instead of orange juice. 2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut 1/4-inch thick Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Layer the sweet potatoes, raisins, coconut and nutmeg in a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and then drizzle all over with the soymilk and juice. Cover with foil and bake until almost tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender and coconut is golden brown, about 10 minutes more. 8 servings.  Rio's pisco sour. Saturday, Feb. 4, is Pisco Sour Day, and from 9:30 to 11 p.m., Rio’s D’Sudamerica in Bucktown will be pouring samples of Peru’s frothy national drink, made from its native grape brandy, along with several piscos from different producers. Along with the traditional pisco sour, Rio’s will offer its new passionfruit pisco sour, mixed with fresh lime juice, sugar, egg white and passionfruit pulp (regularly $8). A strong, clear or pale yellow brandy, Peruvian pisco is produced in copper pot stills. It can be made from a variety of grapes. The tasting is free, but reservations are required. Call (312) 671-3466 or e-mail DinoL26@aol.com.
“Don’t struggle with trading your pint glass for a can — just think of it as a mini keg and tap up!” says Timothy O’Toole’s Pub in Streeterville and Gurnee. Canned-beer celebrations continue this week, with National Beer Can Appreciation Day tomorrow. Canned beer first debuted on January 24, 1935, thanks to a process invented in Chicagoland. Both O’Toole’s locations will be popping the tops on $2 canned brews all day tomorrow, including Miller High Life, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and Hamm’s, plus Budweiser (River North) and local favorite Pabst Blue Ribbon (Gurnee).  Lure's ayu tempura. Ayu, a Japanese river fish also known as sweetfish, is skewered, lightly battered and deep-fried tempura-style at Lure Izakaya Pub in Chinatown, $7.  Protesters call for the repeal of Prohibition in the 1930s. Prohibition returns Friday, Jan. 20, at Cactus Bar and Grill. From 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., the Loop watering hole will turn itself into a speakeasy. A secret password, released at 11 a.m. via Facebook, will be required to enter their private back room for intoxicating, “illegal” libations such as $4 Batch 19 prohibition-style pints and $5 Templeton Rye cocktails served by bar staff dressed in Prohibition-era styles. Mentioning the password will get you a free appetizer, such as artichoke jalapeno dip, cheeseburger sliders or Death Valleys wings with a choice of sauces. Skidoo!  Porchetta at Sepia. (Photo courtesy Lara Kastner.) Brr … it’s real winter out. This is the weather for hearty, rib-sticking fare, and we’ve got it for you. Check out these recipes from local restaurants.
Get ready for the Year of the Dragon! With dragon parades and lion dances, clashing cymbals and banging drums, firecrackers and a plethora of traditional foods, the Asian Lunar New Year explodes into Chicago this week with a variety of events at restaurants and around town. 2012 also marks the 100th anniversary of Chicago’s Chinatown. Chinese legend says the noise and dancing animals chase away evil spirits to ensure a lucky new year. Holiday traditions also call for visits to pay respect to one’s elders, passing out hong bao, red envelopes containing “lucky money” as gifts and feasting on symbolic dishes, including half-moon-shaped dumplings, long noodles, whole fish and glutinous rice cakes. Celebrations begin the first day of the new moon and end on the full moon 15 days later. Based on a lunar calendar, the Asian new year falls on a different Western date each year. This year, 4710, the festivities usher in the Year of the Dragon in the Asian zodiac. In this 60-year cycle, each year is named after one of 12 animals, which supposedly influence the characteristics of anyone born that year. Dragons are said to be passionate, driven and risk takers who are usually successful. Most often hailed as Chinese New Year in America, the holiday is also celebrated as Tet by Vietnamese and Seollal by Koreans. The traditional Chinese new year greeting translates as “Wishing you prosperity.” Koreans say, “Please receive many new year’s blessings.” The Vietnamese is more literally “Happy new year.” Here’s how to say it:
A list of Chicago Asian New Year’s events follows the jump. Continue reading Gung hay fat choy! 8 Chicago Asian New Year celebrations →  Coco Pazzo's stinco d’agnello, red-wine-braised lamb shank, served with squash flan and Swiss chard. It’s been 20 years since Jack Weiss brought the Tuscan-focused Coco Pazzo to River North. Anniversary celebrations include a Italian Wine Week, Jan. 23–27, featuring free samples of six different Italian wines with lunch and 20 percent off all bottles anytime. On Feb. 2, Coco Pazzo’s 20th-anniversary gala benefit salutes Italian opera, food and wine. Operatic performances from Lyric Opera’s rising stars feature along with Italian wine and food. Tickets are $125 and benefit the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago, a not-for profit developmental artists program for Lyric Opera of Chicago. Commemorating the anniversary, Coco Pazzo is also launching its own custom-produced extra-virgin olive oil from Tuscany and balsamic vinegar from the Emilia Romagna. |
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