What it is: A member of the cabbage family, bok choy or pak choi (Brassica chinensis), sometimes called “white cabbage” or “Chinese cabbage,” is a crisp, stalky vegetable that typically has long white stems and crinkled green leaves and mild flavor. It’s common to several Asian cuisines but rarely seen in Western cooking. Both leaves [...]
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Just the thing to warm up with on cool fall nights: Gnocchi al pomodoro, comforting little pillows of pasta, coated with tomato sauce, basil and parmesan, $14 at Il Poggiolo in Hinsdale. What it is: Sweet corn, sometimes called “maize” (Zea mays) is a distinctive fresh grain picked at an immature stage to be eaten as a vegetable, with tight rows of kernels grown on long cobs under a wrapping of green leaves. Technically, it’s a type of grass. Varieties include su (“normal sugary”), sh2 (“shrunken-2″ or [...] The queens of Chicago vegetarian cuisine, Karyn Calabrese, owner of Karyn’s Fresh Corner in Lincoln Park and Karyn’s Cooked in River North, and vegan columnist Kay Stepkin, former owner of Chicago’s first vegetarian restaurant, launch a series of raw and cooked vegan food preparation classes in Calabrese’s new state of the art studio kitchen. Students [...] What it is: Prunus persica, a sweet, luscious, juicy stone fruit with a slightly fuzzy skin, is a delight of summer. Where it comes from: Peaches originated in China, where they were cultivated at least as far back as the 10th century B.C. Alexander the Great is said to have introduced them to Europe, and [...] What it is: An underrated root vegetable, fresh beets come in a colorful spectrum of jewel tones ranging from the familiar deep purple-red to pink to the distinctive candy-striped ‘Chioggia,’ as well as shades of orange and yellow. The variants taste much the same as the red ones, sweet and a little earthy. Chef Scott [...] What it is: A beautiful trumpet-shaped flower that opens for just one day, the daylily is best known for its summer blooms along roadsides and in gardens, but it’s delicious, too. Raw daylily flowers have a sweet-sharp flavor; cooked, they have a mild, onion-mushroom taste. The green buds are vegetal and beanlike. Common daylily species [...] At Quince in Evanston, Chef Andy Motto uses squash blossom in a chilled summer soup. At Nia in the West Loop, Chef Antonia Asimis likes to use Valdeon with vegetables. Cook up some great picnic and party fare this Independence Day weekend with these terrific recipes from top Chicago chefs, culled from Dining Chicago’s weekly “Eat this!” feature. |
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