Usually, I get very excited in anticipation of the food we're going to eat and make. But this time, I was looking forward to the outdoors and laying under the stars. I was making a list in my head about how great it would be. One. We'll be outside enjoying the beautiful Chicago skyline in Grant Park with an outdoor picnic and the very last movie in the park for the summer. Two. Ferris Bueller's Day Off was playing and there was to be a live performance of Danke Schoen. Three. One of my funniest co-workers was rumored to be showing up with a gigantic "Save Ferris!" sign.
Unfortunately, none of that came to pass because it was cold, rainy and not very conducive to happy picnickers. Okay, truth. I was kinda disappointed that I wasn't going to be around to see the crazy sign...BUT I would have been even crabbier sitting on the damp grass with my damp clothes, eating my damp sandwich.
So, onto plan B and my (luckily) clean house. I don't know if it was some weird rain-induced, Noah's ark phenomena, but we somehow ended up with two kinds of everything.
Two kinds of sangria from Amanda. One earthy, red wine sangria with raspberries and spiked with grappa. The other a fresh, white wine sangria with peaches and mint.
Two salads from Lisa and Steph. Lisa's salad was romaine and had bits of artichoke hearts, avocados and bellpeppers in an Asian sesame dressing. Stephanie made a farmer's market arugula salad with radishes and roasted Chioggia beets. The beets were a great find. More delicately flavored and mild than the traditional beet, I found myself digging them out of the salad like they were tiny jewels.
Two kinds of sandwiches from me on a crusty garlic loaf. The first was roast beef lined with arugula and balsamic-roasted red onions. The second was grilled chicken, lined with arugula and covered with roasted red peppers.
Two of everything also means ending the meal with two desserts. Priya brought rice krispy treats and Jill brought these chocolate cupcakes from Sarah's Pastries & Candies. Sticky, chewy and crispy paired with smooth and chocolatey. It was perfect. We ended up watching Friends with Money, which really was a terrible movie. But who can complain when you have two desserts crammed into your mouth?
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White Sangria
1 bottle White Wine
3/4 cup diced peaches
1 to 2 oz simple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
Juice of 1 lemon + a few slices
3 ozs Triple Sec
2 oz raspberries
Mint leaves
Mix everything together except mint, let sit overnight. Add mint when
serving.
Amanda's Notes: *I used Pinot Grigio but any white should work. Raspberries are optional, I added it for color.
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Red Sangria
1 bottle Red Wine
3/4 cup raspberries
1/2 Orange Juice + a few orange slices
Juice of 1/2 lemon + a few slices
4 oz Brandy
1 to 2 oz simple syrup (depending on desired sweetness)
Club Soda
Mix everything together and let sit overnight. Serve over ice with some
club soda.
Amanda's Notes: *I used Malbec, but I think I would use Zinfandel in the future. I also used Grappa instead of Brandy, based on this lady's recommendation on Epicurious, but I don't think it was a good idea.
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Beet Salad
roast beets
arugula
radishes chopped small
scallions or shallot or red onion
toasted pecans or hazelnuts.
vinaigrette
Roasting beets
The key to this entire recipe — and I now believe all cooking with beets — is the beet preparation method which I got from the Cooking for Mr. Latte book. Take your beets and trim them and give them a quick rinse (no need to get picky, the skin is going to come off later). Put them on foil, drizzle olive or other oil over them, seal up the foil tightly into a packet, cook at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the beet,open packet using oven mitts and let cool for a bit, then use a dedicated beet dishtowel or cloth napkin to rub the skins off the beet. They should come off pretty easily from the oil. The great thing about this prep method is that there is almost no way to screw it up — everytime I have done it, the beets have come out silky and tender.
Stephanie
Stephanie's Notes: I used Chiogga beets from the Lincoln Park farmers' market. They are lovely and small and less assertive than regular beets. For the vinaigrette, use one not too strong so you don't overwhelm your chiogga beets — I used red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, a little garlic and thyme.
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Roast Beef Sandwiches with Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise and Roasted Red Onions
3 large red onions (about 21/2 pounds), each cut through stem into 8 wedges, peeled
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 4x3-inch pieces ciabatta,* halved horizontally
16 ounces thinly sliced roast beef
2 cups arugula
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Gently toss red onions, 5 tablespoons oil and vinegar in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange onions in single layer on prepared sheet. Bake onions until brown at edges and just tender, about 40 minutes. Cool.
Mix mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice, lemon peel and 2 tablespoons oil in small bowl. (Onions and mayonnaise can be made 2 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.)
Spread mayonnaise over cut sides of bread. Place bottom halves on plates. Top with roast beef, onions and arugula. Cover with top halves of bread.
*Ciabatta is an oval-shaped flat Italian bread available at many bakeries and supermarkets nationwide.
Makes 6 sandwiches.
Bon Appétit
September 2000
Cornery Bakery Cafe, Chicago, IL
Angie's Notes: I didn't have time to get ciabatta, so I hollowed out a La Brea Bakery garlic loaf.
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Chicken, Arugula and Red Bell Pepper Sandwiches
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh arugula
2 large red bell peppers
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (each about 4 ounces)
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 5- to 6-inch-long French bread baguette pieces, halved lengthwise
2 large bunches fresh arugula
Mix first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Mix in chopped arugula. Season arugula mayonnaise generously with ground pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed bell peppers. Cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Add chicken; sauté until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cool. Cut into diagonal slices.
Spread generous 2 teaspoons arugula mayonnaise on each cut side of bread. Cover bottom of bread pieces generously with arugula. Top with sliced chicken, dividing equally. Top with bell pepper strips and generous amount of arugula. Cover with bread tops. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap in plastic and chill.)
Per Serving: calories, 290; total fat, 7 g; saturated fat, 1 g; cholesterol, 48 mg
Serves 6.
Bon Appétit
June 1996
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Rice Krispy Treats
3 tbsp butter
5 cups crisped rice cereal
1 10.5 oz bag mini marshmallows
Melt butter over low heat, being careful not to burn. Add almost entire bag of marshmallows. Melt marshmallows over low heat, stirring frequently and again being careful not to burn. When marshmallows are completely melted, turn off heat and add cereal. Stir to combine. Spread into greased 9x11 inch pan. Enjoy!
Adapted from the recipe on the box
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