Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, August 27, 2008 at 4:00 PM
At the Logan Square Farmers' Market in Chicago recently, I came across yellow beets and was told they are sweeter than regular red ones. Whether that's true or not, I was sold. I just had to think of how to cook them. Originally, I wanted to make a nice cool borscht, but was sidetracked by this recipe from One Spice, Two Spice by Floyd Cardoz. The book advertises "American food with Indian flavor," and this is the first recipe I found under the 10-ingredient count. Perfect.
The original recipe calls for salt cod, which I skipped early on. Don't get me wrong, I'm cool with salt cod. But I had everything else ready-to-go at home and didn't feel like tracking down the fish. So this functions more as a side than a full meal, and that was fine by me. I've only really had beets with traditional Italian ingredients, so it was nice to see the vegetable's versatility.
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Posted by Michael Nagrant, August 22, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Just a quick note here to introduce our newest voice on Serious Eats, Michael Nagrant. If you're not already familiar with his work, Michael's a food writer living in Chicago and also the publisher of Hungry magazine. He'll be joining us periodically on notes from around Chicagoland. Welcome, Michael. Cheers! —The Serious Eats Team
They say defeat is an orphan and victory has a hundred fathers. Likewise, the origin of many classic cocktails or iconic dishes is usually mired in pitched battles between generations of families, restaurateurs, and shady credit claimers. The Southside, a gin-based cocktail muddled with mint and citrus, and very popular among the South Hampton set, is one of those libations.
Thanks to Tobey Maloney, "chief intoxologist" and partner in Chicago's Violet Hour cocktail lounge, this has been the summer of the Southside for me. While I was working on a story about Chicago bartenders who make their own cocktail bitters, Maloney shared his recipe for the Southside, and since then, I've been sucking 'em down like Rush Limbaugh working a Sizzler buffet. In addition to the refreshing taste, my verve for the drink was also borne of regional affiliation.
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