Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Here is a quick, easy recipe, lifted from the Chicago pub I wrote about earlier. A tasty sandwich with less baggage than standard pub fare.
Shopping List
- sourdough bread (or any bread you fancy)
- 1 green zucchini
- 1 yellow zucchini
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- Boursin cheese (i like the garlic variety)
- 1 Tbls. olive oil
- butter
Obviously, this list is just a starting point. Make this sandwich with whatever vegetables you like; also, use whatever cheese you like, Lauging Cow is a good substitute if you can’t find Boursin or find it too expensive. To construct the sandwich slice the vegetables thinly to promote easy stacking later. While you’re getting your knife skills on, heat up the olive oil in your favorite saute pan. Next, place vegetables in pan and saute. Not too long though as you don’t want them to become mushy. Butter the sourdough and place on a grill pan or any hot pan for that matter until its nicely toasted like in the picture. Spread some cheese on the bread and stack vegetable as high as you like. Enjoy!
Over the course of the past nine months or so I’ve become much more conscious of what and how much I’m eating. At first, it was a slow process improving my diet. Then, over the holidays my brother, Doug, introduced me to TED and suggested a few talks to wet my appetite. Among those he recommended was a talk by New York Times columnist Mark Bittman. In the talk, Mr. Bittman spoke of his own recent dietary changes which stemmed not only from wanting to improve his own health but also that of entire planet. I won’t go into much detail about the talk here, except to say that it does a good job of outlining his new book Food Matters and to suggest that you watch it. It’s only 20 minutes, but goes a long way in showing the audience that what we choose to eat has much larger implications than an individual’s own health(or lack thereof). If you find that the talk speaks to you, then you will certainly want to know more and that is where the book will help you. Half essay, and half cookbook, Food Matters expands on the talk, informing the reader of how food, specifically animal derived foods, impact the delicate balance that the eco-systems of the world thrive on. Did you know that the global production of livestock contributes more to global warming than transportation? That nugget and others are explained in detail in the book. I should make it clear that Bittman does not advocate becoming vegan or even vegetarian. It seems to me that diet is another aspect of life where the age old wisdom contained in the saying “Moderation in all things, including moderation” fits well; i’m not sure who first said this but these days it seems all too fitting. Bittman would be hard pressed to completely give up animal derived proteins as a food columnist. Instead, he suggests simply inverting the proportions of plant foods to animal foods. He also suggests to the reader to begin looking at meat as a seasoning instead of as a centerpiece – think: a strip of bacon in a pot of soup or bacon bits on a salad, not 25oz porterhouse. In the second half the of the book, Bittman makes it easy for the reader to eat less meat and more vegatables with a collection of recipes. All sound good, and all are simple enough for even the least experienced cook. His column is called the Minimalist for this very reason. He also has a blog and a website if you are interested. And to borrow from my favorite Food TV personality, I bid you good eating!…and good health!
This weekend, I heard from multiple sources about a RadioLab segment about will power and delayed gratification. An experiment involving young children, Oreo cookies and how the kid’s ability to wait for the sweet treat has lasting implications on their later life. On a related note I also heard a Planet Money story about a young school boy – who clearly wasn’t in favor of delaying gratification – and lunch room economics. After listening to the story I was left with the picture of young Bernie Madoff in my head. Both segments are well worth a listen. Let me know your thoughts.
There seems to be quite a flap brewing over the decision to name Hosea Rosenburg as Top Chef for season 5. My first thought was that many of the complaints must be coming from people who are simply taking their “reality” television a bit to seriously. On second thought, I’m not sure I completely disagree with all the moaning. It strikes me that to be “Top Chef” one should be a consistent out-performer and in my opinion none of the contestants this season really appeared to have accomplished that. That being said, none of Hosea’s dishes really stick out in my mind from much farther back than the finale and his personality was such that it barely exceeded the noise floor when compared to the European’s. Even Carla, who annoys me so (people who can’t stop smiling usually do), will at least be remembered. One thing I do remember vividly for some reason, is when Hosea couldn’t handle his freshwater eel. It also seems to me that the whole show is flawed, in that the only thing we as viewers really have to go on are the chef’s personalities and the way their dishes look on the screen. Duh! Until we all have smell-o-vision, or better yet a Star Trek replicator to allow us to partake in all the excellent sounding and looking food, there really is no point in bickering over who should have won the title. For all we know, Hosea’s unmemorable food and persona truly were the top fare for the judges. Some of you will insist that there is conspiracy behind it all. If you insist on feeling wronged by the seeming injustice of Hosea being chosen, at least take solace in having enjoyed the sport of it all. That is after all the point, isn’t it? Seeing people compete for a prize and maybe picking up some ideas for dinner along the way. Thats why I watch.
The Bar at D4
A recent trip to Chicago turned up this agate (Minnesotan for “gem”). D4 was a pleasant find, nestled halfway between Michigan Avenue and the entrance to Navy Pier on Ohio Street. I know there isn’t actually an entrance to Navy Pier on Ohio Street but you get the idea. Entering the pub through the standard revolving door, we were greeted by hostess who offered us a nearby high-top, which appeared to be one of only two available spots, typical for 730PM at any restaurant in this area I imagine, but a good sign none the less. Our waiter, whose name I forget, was attentive but not overly so and was helpful in helping Jana decide on a drink. I started off with a Blacksmith, a variation on a Black and Tan. I’m not sure why I chose to get my Guinness adultered with Smithwick’s, perhaps it was beer menu overload as the beer menu is extensive. A plate of Jameson chipotle buffalo wings accompanied our beers while we waited for for our mains. I am normally used to a more aggressive sauce on my wings but these were downright delicious. At this point we also took note of the hostess who was continuously keeping the revolving door so that all four panels adjoined with the surround, presumably to keep the cold air out. This level of vigilance however could be easily construed as obsession. Our food arrived in a timely manner. Jana ordered the Shepherd’s pie which looked and tasted awesome. The last shepherd’s pie I experienced was at Rula Bula in Tempe, AZ two summers ago that while tasting lovely didn’t come close to the looks of D4′s. The difference is in the construction, D4 puts a dallop of mashed potatoes in the middle of the dish and builds around it while Rula Bula uses the mashed potatoes as a blanket of sorts, a more accurate interpretation of “pie” for sure, but how appealing is a plate full of white? Personally, I’m still not sold on the these crustless pie’s. Give me a pot pie with a perfectly filled flakey pastry crust over a mess of unkempt pie filling anyday. I had the grilled vegetable sandwich. I know a majority of the people will read this will probably think that it was an uninspired choice but the addition of some Boursin to a simple medley of grilled zuchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper and onion on toasted sourdough made my day. I’ve attempted to recreate the sandwich at home with great success which is one great thing about such a simple dish. We washed down our food with couple more beers and this time I decided on the local Two Brothers Domaine duPage. The total came to $70 with 17% for the waiter and we left. So if you need a well priced meal not to far from your downtown hotel room, I would suggest trying D4. Also, it is interesting to note that the pub is on the ground level of an apartment building, that if you are interested has an open unit available for the paltry sum of only $4k per month. Cheers! ;)