Homemade Ice Cream Available at Sun Singer

Did you know that Sunday was National Ice Cream Day? Before reading the Sun Singer newsletter, I didn't, either. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the month of July National Ice Cream Month in 1984. He also named the third Sunday of the month as the day to celebrate the cold and creamy concoction.

The first ice cream cone was supposedly sold on July 23, 1904, at the World's Fair in St. Louis by one Charles Minches. However, months earlier, a guy named Italo Marchiony, of New York City, had applied for a patent for the ice cream cone, and he was purportedly selling lemon ice in cones way back in 1896.

Well—it was an inspired idea, no matter who first thought of it. To commemorate it and National Ice Cream Month, we decided to take ourselves over to the Sun Singer to sample their new offerings (they are now making their own ice cream on site; no cones, though). The flavors on Sunday were banana and butter pecan. Keith and I both went for the latter.

The good-sized scoop was prettily served, topped with whipped cream and strawberries, but the ice cream itself was underwhelming. Seemed like it had warmed up and then been frozen again, because instead of being creamy, it was ice-crystally. Lots of pieces of pecans, and certainly edible, but for $4.50 a scoop, I can't recommend it. If it had been amazingly good, as homemade ice cream can be, I wouldn't really have balked at the price. But since it was not, I'd say stick to Jarling's if you want to celebrate the Month of Ice Cream. Better hurry! There's only a week left.

Xinh Xinh Cafe to Open in August

I know! Great news, eh? And here we all thought, because the Coming Soon sign was down, that the deal had fallen through or something like that. Thanks to a chance encounter and a wonderful reader of this blog, I have insider info to pass along to you.

The CT reader is in the Urbana Schnuck's buying sushi for her children. She and the young man making the sushi begin chatting. Turns out the fellow is filling in for his mother, who normally makes the sushi for Schnuck's. This is just a temporary thing he's doing, he says, because the reason he's in C-U is TO OPEN A VIETNAMESE CAFE. The one right in the mall attached to the Urbana Schnuck's, in point of fact.

The reason the sign came down, my insider finds out, is that Urbana allows temporary signs to be up for only 28 days. The insider mentions my post about the cafe and tells the owner-to-be that many people commented, expressing interest in and excitement about the place and then disappointment when it seemed to be caput.

The owner-to-be gets in touch with me! During the course of our e-mail conversations, I learn that he is originally from California, that he's the son of restaurateurs (mom-and-pop places), and has been in the sushi business in the past. Basically, he's been in the restaurant biz most of his life.

He also allows as how he's "very picky" about pho and, having lived in Southern California, where "they do it best," he believes his pho will be "up to par" and especially yummy during winters here. Got that right!

The menu will be simple, as his is a cafe and not a full-blown restaurant. The first offerings will be banh mi sandwiches, boba tea, and appetizers like spring rolls (two varieties, pork and shrimp, and "not like any other spring rolls you've had") and traditional Cambodian-style beef sticks (available as appetizers, on the banh mi sandwich, and over white rice, with pickled vegetables).

Once things get rolling, the owner plans to offer pho, other rice dishes, and a weekly special. At the moment, he's shooting for a late-August opening. Oh, and the name of the cafe is pronounced "sin sin."

You know that I will be on the scene when the cafe opens, so look for a report, hopefully next month. Thanks again to the owner for the preview and to the reader who thoughtfully passed along the news that the cafe is still in the works.

3rd Annual Julia Child Birthday Celebration Coming Soon

The third-annual food-blog cookoff celebrating the life and dishes of Ms. Child (she was born on August 15, 1912) is almost upon us! Thus, once again, I give you my cat Louis. He became the official mascot for the event one year by curling up next to the cookbooks I'd piled on the dining table for the event and apparently dreaming about the whisker-licking-good eats that would result.

You may recall that the first year, I went all out and cooked up a three-course meal. Last year, I reined myself in and "just" made a salad. What will it be this year, you ask. As of this moment, I haven't the slightest idea, to be honest. But it will be fun and delicious, whatever it is!

Please join me by whipping up a dish using a recipe from any of Julia's books. Whether a humble onion soup or a brazen lobster thermidor, it will be a way to honor the memory of a wonderfully down-to-earth, witty, and inspiring American chef. I've so enjoyed the past two celebrations—seeing what other cooks whipped up à la Julia, sharing their memories related to her—and I can't wait to see what happens this year.

Here are the details:

• Prepare a dish using one of Ms. Child's recipes.
• Write up a post about it on your blog.
• Send me an e-mail containing your name, your blog's name, and a permanent link to your post.
• E-mail your submission to me by August 8, 2008. I'll publish the round-up on JC's birthday, August 15.

If you don't have a blog and you'd like to join in, take a digital photo of your creation, if you can, and send it to me in an e-mail message along with your name, the recipe name, and any amusing—or tragic—story you'd like to accompany it, and I'll include the photo and story in the round-up.

Bon appétit! I look forward to vicariously tasting your dish and hearing about your experience of making it and of remembering Julia.

88 Broadway

As we entered the all-but-deserted Lincoln Square "Village" Saturday evening, Keith and I wondered what to expect of C-U's newest food and drink establishment, 88 Broadway. The venue's Web site describes the place as "the most unique restaurant experience in Champaign-Urbana," and I have to admit that it's one of a kind in this area. The source of this uniqueness is the dueling pianos show, which you can catch Wednesday through Saturday nights at 9 p.m.Two electric pianos dominate a stage at the front of the remodeled space that used to be Lincoln Square Mall's anchor department store (once Carson Pirie Scott and then Herberger's). And although 88 Broadway doesn't use all of the former department store's square footage, it's a large room that has been impressively designed. The two levels comprise a bar and two dining areas (on the top level) and more dining/drinking space on the main floor, along with the stage.

Hey! Who is that handsome stranger chatting up the piano player?The entire space has kind of a sweeping, flowing, grand-piano-like feel to it, and the top-level area, where you can sit and watch the music below, is reminiscent of an old-time nightclub. Except that you're, you know, in a mall-cum-office complex. We were seated on the main floor, near the pianos, and I found that changing chairs, so that I was facing in, toward the room, rather than out, toward the mall, helped foster the I'm-in-a-nightclub feeling.We went in early (6 p.m.) and so didn't expect music, but there was a woman playing one of the pianos; a nice touch during the dinner hours. She played a variety of tunes, everything from ragtime to the Beatles. We didn't stay late enough to see the dueling pianos show, but Keith picked up one of the request cards on the piano:Forgive the blurry photo; I think you can still see what the idea is, though. The show sounds like it's very heavy on audience participation, so if you like to sing along to live music, this is the place for you.

Foodwise, we ordered the Four Keys, a four-course fondue meal for two at a great price ($34.99 per couple). You can choose one of the salads listed on the menu to start. We both ordered the Caesar, and that may have been the wrong choice. The dressing was obviously not homemade (or, if it was, they somehow made it so that it resembled a bad bottled dressing), and inexplicably, it was served on the side, contrary to the usual Caesar m.o. and the menu description. The artichoke hearts that someone thought would be a good idea to add to a Caesar salad were soggy and limp. Not an auspicious start, and unfortunately, things went downhill from there.The second course, the cheese fondue, looked promising to begin with.Our server brought a metal fondue pot to the table and proceeded to rub the inside of it with garlic. She added various things to the pot—good ingredients, all, such as cream, wine, and so forth, but something went wrong (possibly ingredients were added in the wrong order), and though she valiantly stirred and stirred for quite a while (we were wondering how her other tables were doing during this period), the fondue never came together. What we were left with was a mass of cheese surrounded by a thin liquid.Hungry as we were, we managed to pull some of the cheese from the mass and eat it with the bread, the dried-out roasted potatoes, and the rapidly browning apples (there was nothing to be done with the raw broccoli), but after a few attempts, we gave up.We were hoping the next course, the beef fondue, would be our saving grace.

We had ordered the beef marinated with lime and basil (there are several marinades and seasonings to choose from; flavors include teriyaki, Cajun, and lemon pepper). We each received a plate carrying a good amount of nice-looking beef;we also got a plate full of more bread, raw carrots, just-out-of-the-fridge, half-cooked baby potatoes, and raw cauliflower, along with a number of sauces meant for dipping the meat in.Our server then brought out another metal fondue pot containing the broth in which we'd cook our meat and vegetables. The broth looked good, and, as with the cheese fondue, quality ingredients seem to have been used; unfortunately, it was not very hot, so it was difficult to get the meat to cook.Admittedly, by this time we were still hungry and getting cranky, and the idea of having to try to cook all of the meat and vegetables in order to get something to eat was daunting. We did manage to cook a few pieces of the meat and eat them, and, while the meat was tasty and very tender, after eating a couple of pieces that were still raw in the middle, we'd had enough. It was a very frustrating experience to have this nice meat sitting in front of us and to not be able to eat it, especially after having not been able to eat the cheese fondue.

The vegetables were also a problem. The potatoes were either still cold in the middle when we tried cooking them, or, when we left them in the broth longer, were mushy. We could see that there was no way raw carrots or cauliflower were going to cook, and we didn't even attempt it. Basically, we ate a lot of bread that night. It was good bread, but we wanted variety.

Possibly the dessert course, the chocolate fondue, would have been tasty, but we didn't stay to try it; after two frustrating hours with a bottle of wine and not much to eat, we couldn't face dessert.

We expressed our frustration to our server who, to her credit, offered to remake the cheese fondue for us. However, we didn't want to sit through the whole process again, and we were ready to go home. A friend of mine visited on opening night, and she reports that her cheese fondue, while not spectacular, was good, so if the server can make it successfully, it might be enjoyable.

Suggestions for the owners: First, make the cheese fondue in the kitchen and have the servers simply bring it to the table, as is done at The Bread Company on Goodwin. Having the server make it at the table, while that sounds like an elegant idea, leaves lots of room for error. Second, leave the cheddar cheese out; a delicious cheese fondue needs nothing more than good-quality Gruyère. Third, make the Caesar dressing in-house, and toss it with the romaine before serving; ditch the artichoke hearts. Finally, make sure that the broth for the meat fondue is hot enough to cook food in when it's brought to the table.Given our experience, I can't recommend that you eat at 88 Broadway, at least for now. They've only just opened, so the food may improve. Go for the piano music, the singing, and the cocktails (they have lots of specialty drinks with fun names like The Carrie Bradshaw—a Cosmo, obviously—and the E Sharp—a variation on the White Russian theme). Wines and beers are also available; they have a wide selection of beers on tap.

88 Broadway
Lincoln Square Village
Urbana, IL
217-384-3267
Open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
Dueling pianos show at 9 p.m. Weds.–Sat.; cover charge
Web site with menu: http://www.88broadwaybar.com/

Weeknight Takeout: Papa Del's

Well, weeknight delivery, actually. Everyone knows about Papa Del's pizza, but I couldn't remember the last time I had one of their sandwiches. Thus, we consulted the phone book and got on the horn.

Keith ordered the Italian beef, and I got the Rico, a cold sub consisting of capicola (definitely not the wildly delicious stuff of my childhood, but something vaguely resembling real capicola), pepperoni, salami, provolone, mayo, and Italian dressing. Both sandwiches were good-sized (9") and were certainly priced right ($5.40 for the Rico and an incredible $4.75 for the Italian beef).

The beef is described on the menu as homemade, "choice beef slow roasted in a secret family recipe and served in its own juice." (The wording there is kind of cute, isn't it? I'm not sure how you roast beef in a recipe, think they meant using a recipe, but hey, they're cooks, not writers, and the cooking is what's important.)Keith was very happy with his sandwich. I had a couple of bites, and I also found the flavor to be very good; rich and savory. Now, I know you Chicago types will bemoan the lack of giardiniera on the side (love that stuff), but around these parts, pepperoncini are de rigueur. The bread encasing both sandwiches was serviceable, but nowhere near as good as the Gonella's bread that Manzella's uses on their Italian beef.The Rico was pretty darn good. In addition to the three kinds of meat, there were plenty of tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced onions (there were lots of onions; if you don't love them the way I do, ask Papa D's to go easy on them or leave them off). I would request no mayo next time, however; the Italian dressing is enough. Each sandwich came with a little bag of potato chips.

Delivery was not super fast. The person on the phone had said it would take 30 to 45 minutes, and I think that was about on target; it was around 40 minutes before the delivery guy pulled up. You expect a lengthy wait when you order a Papa Del's pizza, but I'd thought perhaps sandwiches would be quicker. Not really.

Although sandwich prices were amazingly cheap, note that after tax, delivery charge (the charge is not mentioned in their ad or on their menu, but we figured it was $3.00), and tip, we spent $17.00. So, for best value, do takeout the old-fashioned way: go pick it up yourself.

For those of you in west Champaign, the Papa D's at The Crossing (Windsor and Duncan Roads) is closest (that store is slated to open in August). Those of us near downtown, or in Urbana, will stick with the venerable campus location. Does anyone remember the original location? Hint: It's a Middle-Eastern joint now.

In terms of our quest for the best Italian beef in C-U? Frankly, we're going to have to do a side-by-side comparison sometime, getting beefs from several places. This one had great flavor, but I don't think it tops Manzella's. Also, the beef was more like shreds than thinly sliced (as in, say, the gorgeous beef featured on the Proud Italian Cook's blog a while back. But that one was from Portillo's in Chicago, after all.)

Papa Del's Restaurant and Tavern
206 E. Green St.
217-359-8363

At The Crossing (opening August '08)
217-359-8589

Cash, VISA, Mastercard, and Discover cards accepted; no checks
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Sort Of

So, after the little problem with the thawing of the beef vs. the pork roast, we got down to making the BBQ pork sandwiches.

I had a small (just over 2 1/2 pound) pork shoulder roast from Triple S and what looked like a killer recipe from Epicurious. The recipe was for Carolina pulled pork sandwiches (in which the pork is piled on a bun and is topped with coleslaw).

And Keith had a new grill, one of those barrel-shaped smoker-like ones with a temperature gauge on the outside. After the assembly of the grill—during which time words were said that I will not repeat here—we were hot, tired, and almost ready to give up on the whole idea. But we persevered.

First, I made the rub, substituting smoked paprika for regular (see the recipe at Epicurious for all the details).The roast sat in the fridge with the rub on it for some hours, then onto the grill it went, the grill being in smoker mode with the roast cooking over indirect heat at around 225 °F. A vinegar-based mop was applied every 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, I made the barbeque sauce (I added extra ketchup and sugar to make it a little sweeter; it was still very tangy)and the coleslaw (secret ingredient: the barbeque sauce).After a few hours, voilà! Crispy-ish on the outside, tender and juicy inside, with a wonderful flavor from the rub, the mop, and the hickory smoke.Only problem was, the meat would not pull. I'm not sure why, although I suspect that the roast was not exactly the right type. So we had slices instead of shreds. I would've liked to have shreds, but even so, the meat was succulent and tasty.

I did try topping my sandwich with coleslaw, and I liked it that way (caution: extra messy). Keith ate his slaw on the side. Try it both ways! The buns we used were great; Brownberry "specialty" Kaiser rolls from Schnuck's.

Yep, between these sandwiches and the pot roast, it was some good eatin' over the holiday weekend.

Pot Roast Extraordinaire

I had asked Keith to take the pork shoulder roast we'd gotten from Stan out of the freezer, because I had planned to make pork barbeque sandwiches over the holiday weekend. When I went yesterday to see about putting the rub on the roast, I found not the pork shoulder but a beef chuck roast in the fridge. Oops! Beef and pork look so similar, don't they?!

I considered changing to BBQ beef sandwiches, but in the end we decided to do something different with the beef and stick with the pork-sandwich plan for today. Keith longingly mentioned pot roast, so I looked around on the Internet. Didn't have to look long, because immediately I was guided to Elise's super-fantastic Simply Recipes site.

Elise had shared her mother's recipe; it looked wonderful, so I went with it. Smart decision. Folks, this is World's Best Pot Roast. Tender, tender meat, rich and tasty sauce—I can't talk it up enough. Please try it as soon as you can.

Pot Roast

Take a look at the recipe and all of Elise's hints for success on the Simply Recipes site.

I was a bit uncertain as to whether the half-cup of wine—the only liquid you add to the pot—would be enough. I followed Elise's direction to cook at a very low heat, using the small "simmer burner" on my stove, and it worked perfectly.As I think you can see in the photo (taken just after I added the carrots to the pot), just the right amount of gravy-like sauce created itself from the meat juices, the wine, and the onions and garlic. Naturally, we spooned lots of it over the meat on our plates.

I cooked up a green-bean–turnip combo to serve on the side, having gotten both vegetables at the farmers' market yesterday morning. I boiled them together until tender, maybe 6 minutes, then dressed them with butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. They and the roasted meat made great companions.

Another simply heavenly dish from Simply Recipes. Many thanks to Elise and her mom for a big-time keeper.

I hope y'all have been eating well and enjoying yourselves this weekend!

M.F.K. Fisher Centenary

I've just found out that today is the hundredth anniversary of Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher's birth (1908). I therefore present the following excerpt from an hour-long documentary about the Michigan-born food writer, circa 1992, that makes me want to watch the whole film (and give a big ball of bread dough a good roll on a floured board).

M.F.K. Fisher said "[I] spent hours in my kitchen cooking for people, trying to blast their safe, tidy little lives with a tureen of hot borscht and some garlic-toast and salad, instead of the fruit cocktail, fish, meat, vegetable, salad, dessert and coffee they tuck daintily away seven times a week."

In an interview near the end of her life (she died in 1992 at the age of 83), Fisher noted that "the purpose of living is to get old enough to have something to say. But by that time, your voice doesn't work and your hands won't obey you, so it's tough as hell to find a way to say it all."

If you're interested in reading some of Fisher's stuff, here is a list of her books on Amazon.

I'm keen on a book I stumbled across called M.F.K. Fisher and Me: A Memoir of Food and Friendship, by Jeannette Ferrary. It starts off with an account of a lunch that the author and her friend, Frances Mayes (of Under the Tuscan Sun fame), were invited to—a lunch at M.F.K.'s home. The excerpt I read was very sweet, as the two women try to answer the thorny and all-important question: What does one take to M.F.K. Fisher when she invites you to lunch? Ferrary and Mayes stop at a roadside produce stand, find perfect new potatoes, start to fill a bag with them, then look at each other and say, "We're going to take a sack of potatoes to M.F.K. Fisher?", drop them, and are perusing bottles of fancy herb vinegar when the excerpt ends. I'm guessing they're going to regret passing up those potatoes.

Saigon in Savoy

Had you going a little bit with that title, didn't I? It refers, of course, to the new Vietnamese restaurant on South Neil St. (next to Friar Tuck). Where is that in relation to Eastern Taste, the Chinese buffet place I heard had opened out there, you ask. Uh, it's actually in what used to be the Eastern Taste space. Man, blink and you've missed it! Tough business, restaurants. Apparently the buffet was losing money big time.A Vietnamese woman has opened this new place, which, in addition to the large number of Viet dishes, also offers some Chinese staples and a 30-variety dim sum menu. The owner has brought in several chefs, according to staff I spoke to at the restaurant, including a Chinese chef for the dim sum and a Vietnamese chef (who came all the way from sunny California for this gig).The interior of the restaurant is large and is divided into sections by attractive sort of half-walls, which makes each section seem private and cozy.For larger groups, there is also one large table at the back, near the kitchen, and another in a private room near the entrance.

Saigon being a Vietnamese place, of course they haveYes, this is your one-stop shop for pho. There is a whole page of the extensive menu devoted to different versions! I had the grilled chicken pho on one occasion ($7.50); it was gorgeous. Big, big bowl of broth with rice noodles and seasonings in it, plate on the side loaded with sweet, delicious grilled chicken, another plate carrying the usual basil, bean sprouts, and hot peppers (they use jalapenos). Method: Take both plates and dump into broth. (Well, actually, remove basil leaves from stalks first, then dump.)Isn't that a beautiful sight? Fragrant broth, chewy noodles, succulent chicken—sigh. OK. After dumping the chicken and veggies in, you can then add hot sauce and/or hoisin sauce to the bowl (bottles of both sauces are on the table), depending on your taste.Be careful; that sriracha sauce is HOT. I like it, so I put a fair amount in, but I also added a good amount of hoisin, for balance (the hoisin is sweet, sort of like a sweet BBQ sauce). Oh, and lest I forget: You'll get a piece of lime on the dish with the basil, sprouts, and peppers; squeeze that baby in, too.For lunch that day, I also tried the summer rolls with shrimp (yes, it was a big lunch, and I took about half the pho home). Look at those hefty soldiers standing at attention! These are cold rolls; lettuce and other veggies, and a bit of shrimp, are wrapped in rice paper and are served with peanut sauce.On another visit, my friend Tien and I had the shrimp paste on sugar cane appetizer (chao tom). A shrimp mixture is applied to "skewers" of sugar cane, fried, topped with fried shallots and green onions, and served with veggies and a peanut sauce for dipping.For the main course, we ordered grilled pork with spring rolls, which is served on a bed of rice noodles and accompanied by the ubiquitous Vietnamese sauce (sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, lime, garlic, pepper) for pouring over.

The third time I ate at Saigon, Keith and I started with crispy fried shrimp (perfectly fried, not greasy, light and crunchy exterior; $9.75 for six good-sized shrimp).We then both ordered from what my friend Tien calls "the B series": Keith had B1 (grilled beef with spring rolls, topped with shallots and onions, served on rice noodles; $9.95)and I chose B3 (basically the same dish, but with BBQ pork and no spring rolls; $8.95).Method: You take some of the beef or pork, put it on a lettuce leaf, add cilantro, veggies, and noodles if you dare, roll it up, and enjoy.

The first two times I visited Saigon, it wasn't very busy, and service was friendly and helpful. The third time, a Friday night, the place was hopping, and the service was sketchy (still friendly, but not very effective). We waited a long time for our fried shrimp, and the servers seemed harried and disorganized. Now, the restaurant had been open only a week or two, so I forgave them that, but the kitchen is going to have to figure out how to get the dishes out in a timely manner in that very large space quickly, or they'll lose business. It seemed to us that more servers were needed, as well (the few who were there were actually running back and forth from tables to the kitchen).

The other thing I think they should work on is the concept of courses. The first time I visited, the appetizer and main courses came to the table virtually at the same time. Thus, some food that was supposed to be hot cooled off by the time we could get to it. For the moment, I recommend that you order just appetizers, if you have them, first, and say that you'll order the main course(s) afterward. When you get the appetizer(s), then order main dishes.

Soft drinks, hot and cold tea, and coffee are among your choices for beverages; no alcohol is served, at least for now.

In sum: Fabulous food, reasonable prices, problems with timing and service when busy. Once they get into the swing of dealing with the large number of tables, and get enough servers, those problems should be ironed out. Highly recommended for the deliciousness and freshness of the food.

Saigon Vietnamese Cuisine
On South Neil St. in Savoy, next to Friar Tuck (Savoy Plaza)
Phone: 217-351-8880
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

P.S. Note that a couple of readers of this blog have also visited Saigon, and, since I didn't have this post up yet, they left comments on the post I did about the Vietnamese cafe that was supposed to be opening in Urbana. Check out the last few comments on that post for their takes on Saigon.

Carmel's Kitchen Adventures: Spinach and Cheese Polenta Casserole

Please welcome guest blogger Carmel Sielicki to CT. Originally from Modesto, California, Carmel is a fine cook and baker. You may remember that I copycatted her sweet potato and ham dish back in January. ~Lisa

I am not Italian. I have never even been to Italy. So, after having bought cornmeal for polenta recently and having had it stare at me, from my kitchen counter, for a few days, I realized I had better figure out what to do with it. I searched the Internet and found this recipe for cheese and sausage polenta casserole on Simply Recipes.

My first reaction after reading the recipe was, "I could make that healthier!" Words that make my boyfriend, the King of Butter, cringe. It was at this point that I decided I embody all the worst characteristics of a cook: impatience, frugality, and a health conscience.

I am always looking for healthy and tasty, yet so often it seems like one of these has to be compromised. And due to my disorganized lifestyle, it seems I'm either on my way home from work thinking, "what’s in the fridge?" or sifting through boatloads of recipes online trying to find something healthy—and I’m hungry NOW.

So here’s a polenta recipe that will probably make Italians cringe. But if you’re like me and you're looking for something fast (it’s done in under an hour), cheap (use finer ingredients if you desire), and healthy (ish); this dinner is your ticket.

I started by bringing 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Then, in a skillet, I brown an onion in about 3 tablespoons of butter.Next, about a pound of mushrooms go into the skillet (I buy them pre-sliced because I’m lazy and hungry):While the onions and mushrooms cook, I add stock to the boiling water in the saucepan—I know this ruins my chances of ever being featured on the Food Network, since I should be using something more authentic. I used Better Than Bouillon, and I never use as much as their ratio calls for (I find it very salty).Once the stock base is dissolved in the boiling water, in goes the polenta. The rule of thumb is 1 cup of polenta to 2 cups of water. Prepare to stir.

As it starts to thicken . . . and thicken . . . it gets harder to stir. Finally, it's thick enough to stand a spoon up in (almost). The polenta bubbles and pops like a witch’s brew:Spread it out in a greased baking dish and let it cool for a bit:Meanwhile, spinach goes into the mushroom-onion mixture in the skillet. I used one box frozen spinach for the frugality and convenience factors (more would be fine, as would additions of peppers, squash, tomatoes, etc.).The onion-mushroom-spinach mixture goes into the baking dish on top of the polenta and is topped with cheese (about 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese—I had mozzarella and Muenster on hand).Thirty minutes in the oven at 350 °F, and an extra five minutes under the broiler, and the cheese browns and melts into heavenly gooiness.Before serving, I top with some extra grated cheese because I’m really into the health factor:The result, though unabashedly not authentic, gained high marks from my most frequent customer, who, when he first saw the cornmeal mush on the stove said, “Umm . . . what are you making?”, and I saw the fight-or-flight-to-McDonald’s look in his eyes. He stayed, though, and had seconds. The way to his heart is via cheese.

And although I hate to be the frugal chef, I’ll admit that I made this dish for under $10 and had leftovers for days afterward. A sweet tip from a neighbor was to reserve half of the polenta in a different dish, chill it, pan-fry it, then serve with butter, jam, powdered sugar, and maple syrup—breakfast polenta.

From now on, I will always have polenta in the cupboard. No matter what I have in the fridge, there will be something tasty and healthy to be whipped up quickly on any night of the week.

Sounds great, Carmel. Thanks! And wouldn't this be extra-good with fresh spinach and the stone-ground cornmeal for polenta that the Moores sell? And maybe Prairie Fruits Farm goat cheese? Hey! We could get all that stuff at the farmers' market tomorrow! Happy eating. ~Lisa

P.S. I'm classifying this as vegetarian, but of course you'd have to use vegetable stock or water for the polenta to make it truly so—I think Better Than Bouillon is a meat-based product, although they may have a veggie version.

Novel Food Summer 2008: The Round-Up

It's officially summer here in my neck of the hemisphere, and eight intrepid souls came in from the pool (or the patio, or the garden) and cooked up dishes for the summer '08 Novel Food event. This event is a bit more demanding than some other food-blog events, because not only does one have to cook, one has to have read something and been inspired by it first.

So, a big thank-you to all who participated; what we may lack in quantity, y'all made up for in quality! Take a look at the literary works that inspired other bloggers and the dishes they produced. And remember that I'm presenting half of the entries, and Simona presents the other half, so don't forget to go and check out the books and delicacies in Simona's part of the round-up.

First of all, you must go and savor the sauce of Some Deliciousness that Lucy of Nourish Me whipped up. It's made of miso and honey (among other things), and it celebrates that hunny-loving bear, Winnie the Pooh. The sauce, meant to be drizzled over greens or crispy tofu, sounds truly mouth-watering, and the illustrations from the Milne book are simply adorable. I know that Pooh would approve!

Chef Mickey (of Kitchen Inferno) found inspiration in Longfellow's epic poem "Evangeline." The poem recounts the travails of French colonists Evangeline and her betrothed in Nova Scotia (Acadia), who were forced out of Canada by the British. Many of these colonists eventually made their way to Louisiana; we know their descendants as Cajuns. Mickey made Sugar Mignons, a Cajun dish involving beautifully crusted filets. He did a stewed corn dish called Maque Choux (another Cajun concoction) on the side; that one I plan to try as soon as our sweet corn is harvested here in Central Illinois. You can find a recipe for maque choux on the NOLA Cuisine site.

Adele, the Basil Queen, was inspired by Patricia McKillip's fantasy novel Winter Rose to create Braised Chicken with Apple Cider, Honey, and Rose Petals. Adele risked some embarrassment, if not life and limb, in order to procure pesticide-free roses for the dish, and although she found that the petals actually added nothing to the flavor, they are certainly a lovely garnish. The novel sounds very good, as does Adele's dish. And note that she recommends using any leftover chicken and sauce to make a chicken and apple risotto; interesting idea, and will we be seeing that dish on The Basil Queen sometime soon, Adele?!

Over at Can't Believe We Ate, inspiration came from the novels of Patricia Cornwell and her character Kay Scarpetta. Kay apparently loves fresh food, the fresher, the better, so they composed a colorful and delicious looking Summer Salad with Grilled Chicken.

Simona once again found inspiration in one of Andrea Camilleri's mystery novels; this time, it was The Paper Moon, which I have also devoured with relish. Simona made the Sicilian dish called Caponata di Melanzane, and interestingly, she cuts down on the amount of oil usually used in the dish by baking rather than sauteeing the eggplant. Topped with fresh basil and parsley, her sweet-and-sour caponata had me salivating (I adore eggplant in any form). This is also a dish I must try a bit later this summer, when the eggplants start to appear at our farmers' market.

I was inspired by a biography of Alice Waters and her restaurant Chez Panisse to make panisses, the French chickpea-flour fries. Next I'd like to try the Sicilian version, called panelle, that Simona suggested to me—I still have chickpea flour in the cupboard, after all.

Happy reading and cooking, everyone! And don't forget to visit Simona's blog to see her part of this round-up; there is good reading and eating over there.

Novel Food Summer 2008 Edition: Panisses

My sister sent me a biography of famed restaurateur and chef Alice Waters last Christmas, and I only just got around to reading it recently. Titled Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution, it's a fun and fascinating history of the Berkeley, California-based restaurant and of Waters herself; part cultural history, part gossip column, and totally food-centric.

While reading, I was suddenly overcome with a desire to wear cloche hats, embroidered vests, and unusual shoes (á la Ms. Waters), to fill my house with wild flowers, and to drink nothing but Bandol rosé (a signature wine served at the restaurant). And, of course, to eat simple, fresh food prepared from the finest ingredients—that is the Chez Panisse way.

It can be argued that Alice Waters is singlehandedly responsible for the fact that so many Americans (chefs included) care about supporting small farm operations and buying and eating seasonal, locally grown food. More than 30 years ago, she was seeking out fresh, local ingredients to use at the restaurant. In the 1980s, she and a couple of other restaurateurs took the lead in the establishment of the Farm-Restaurant Project, wherein chefs got to know farmers personally and bought the farmers' produce directly. That had never been done before. These days, it's a common occurrence and a badge of honor (as a small example, see my list of "C-U Restaurants That Patronize Local Farms" in the right-hand sidebar of this blog, which a couple of local establishments asked to be listed on).

Here is a sample menu from October of 1976, as presented in the book:

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL DINNER

Spenger's Tomales Bay bluepoint oysters on ice

Cream of fresh corn soup, Mendocino style, with crayfish butter

Big Sur Garrapata Creek smoked trout steamed over California bay leaves

Monterrey Bay prawns sautéed with garlic, parsley, and butter

Preserved California-grown geese from Sebastopol

Vella dry Monterey Jack cheese from Sonoma

Fresh carmelized figs

Walnuts, almonds, and mountain pears from the San Francisco Farmers' Market

$20.00

Twenty bucks sounds cheap, but, according to the book's author, adjusted for inflation, it would be about $70 today. The fabulous California wines on offer were priced at $1.50 per glass, and that was a great deal, translating to $5 today; when was the last time you saw a $5 glass of wine at a high-end restaurant?

The main restaurant at Chez Panisse serves one menu only, and that menu changes nightly (there is also an upstairs café where you can order in the usual way). That's right—you don't choose what you're going to eat, you eat what they're serving that night. The no-choice concept has been in place since day one. You can take a gander at the menus for this week on the restaurant's Web site.

Coincidentally, my partner in the Novel Food event recently wrote a column—one of a series she's doing on California cuisine, called Cucina in California—about Chez Panisse and her experience dining there. It's a very interesting article that really gives you a sense of what the restaurant is all about.

I thought hard about what to cook for this edition of Novel Food. I mean, I make lots of meals that, while not as elegant and chef-worthy as those served at the restaurant, involve local vegetables, fruits, and meats. Still, a meal consisting of dishes made solely from locally produced items was definitely one possibility. I considered recreating the baked goat-cheese salad, now ubiquitous on bistro menus, that Ms. Waters pioneered in the early 1980s. But then I read that at the party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Chez P, tasty snacks called panisses, popular in southern France, were served. I was curious, having never eaten them, and of course, the name was perfect. Panisses it was!

Panisses are basically chickpea flour French fries. You make a kind of polenta of the flour and water, let it firm up, then slice and fry. This is the recipe I used.

Panisses
Recipe courtesy Saveur

Olive oil
2 1/2 cups chickpea flour (available locally at World Harvest)
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Brush six saucers with olive oil and set aside. (I only got five saucers' worth out of it.)

2. Pour chickpea flour in a steady stream into 4 cups cold salted water in a large, heavy saucepan, whisking as you pour to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat, whisking vigorously, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, still whisking, and pour batter into saucers. Fill the saucers up to the rims, about 1⁄2" thick. Cool at least 30 minutes, then gently slide batter off saucers and cut into "steak-fry" shapes, about 3⁄4" x 3" long.

4. Heat 1 inch of olive or vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over high heat (frying in olive oil is traditional). Fry in batches without crowding, turning often, until golden brown, about 5–7 minutes. Drain, season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 30.The Peanut Institute Web site (where you'll find a version made with chickpea and, not surprisingly, peanut flour) notes that

this is one of Nice's oldest recipes. Each morning, pasta and ravioli shops sell panisses freshly made and displayed on dozens of unmatched saucers. Every family saves a precious collection of chipped saucers for the panisse preparation. These chickpea sticks are the children's favorite lunch, favorite snack, and, when sprinkled with sugar, favorite dessert. Fried panisses seasoned with freshly ground pepper are delicious with broiled chicken, leg of lamb, or plain hamburgers.

Loved that bit about saving chipped saucers to use in the prep. Other recipes had you pouring the batter onto a large pan, but I thought the saucers represented the Chez Panisse way, so I followed the French tradition. My saucers were chip-free, but colorful!As you can see, the batter set up quickly—too quickly, in a couple of cases, for me to smooth the top. No matter. They were still delicious. The firmed-up batter slid off the saucers easily, and it was also easy to slice and fry. As suggested in one of the recipes I consulted, I scattered finely grated Parmesan cheese over the fries when they came out of the oil, along with salt and pepper. The fine strands of cheese started melting into the fries immediately—mmm.

I had intended to make aioli to accompany the panisses, but I actually forgot, and the panisses were already frying, so I quickly whipped up a sauce of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise (about one part Dijon to two parts mayo) thinned with fresh lemon juice. It did the trick nicely.

So there you have it; my entry for Novel Food, the event that Simona of Briciole and I dreamed up last year and now do quarterly. If your inner chef has been stirred up by a novel, short story, play, biography, or memoir you've read, there's still time to join in. The deadline for submissions is this Saturday, June 21 (the summer solstice!), and you can get all the details by clicking the logo to the left. Simona and I look forward to seeing your dishes and hearing about the books that inspired them.