Here’s something I never thought I’d say: pick up a copy of this week's Newsweek , and you'll find my name on page 56, next to a little photo spread of Chicago's glorious hot dog! They're paired with a great article by Julia Reed about our great high and low end cuisine—from Alinea to the best hot dogs in the country—and the arrival of the Michelin Guide in Chicago (By the way, I’ll...
Though it pains me to say this, the Chicago hot dog has one little flaw. It’s not always an issue, but it’s there just the same. Most of the seven toppings which make up a proper Chicago-style Hot Dog can be had at any time: mustard and relish are condiments, celery salt is a seasoning, the sport peppers and pickle come from a jar, and onions can be freshly cut up at any time of the year....
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Arepa Sandwiches with Chorizo and Black Beans
These traditional central American snacks are sliced in half and turned into a filling sandwich.
Asparagus Soup with Egg on Toast
This silky soup is perfect for the first asparagus of the...
Our weekly roundup of what the two of us have written over on Serious Eats.
Dinner Tonight: Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
This Indiana specialty deserves some attention now and again.
Dinner Tonight: Vegetarian Chili
Let's just call this a vegetable stew with a healthy kick of chili powder.
Well, guess we better throw our hats in the ring: it's the time of year for gift guides and we're not afraid to participate. We've avoided it for 4 years, but our streak is about to come to an end: we hereby present the first annual Paupered Chef gift guide.
We've got kitchen gear to recommend, and some awesome food products, too. From what we have learned, cooks really just need a few basi...
The Chicago Hot Dog is, perhaps, one of the most improbable food combinations in the world. We do know this: it shouldn't work. A towering, precipitous bundle, loaded up with so many condiments that it's twice the volume of the dog itself. It threatens to fall apart, to be so absurd it forgets its provenance as a hot dog. It's misguided, it's madness. Yet it's mad enough to succeed brilliantly...
Well, just look at that! After all my anxiety and the lack of sausage stuffer before I started this adventure , on the third day I ate hot dogs. They looked like hot dogs, smelled like hot dogs, and tasted like that perfect hot dog you always dream about (well, at least I dream about hot dogs). Unbelievably beefy and with a hard snap from the sheep intestine, this was a truly wonderfu...
(Scene at the Paulina Meat Market in Chicago)
Butcher: "Number 37!"
Me: "Yeah, that's me."
Butcher: "What can I get for you?"
Me: "Yeah, I'll take 10 feet of sheep casings."
I don't say that often enough in life, and up until this Saturday it had never crossed my mind. But here I was at Paulina Meat Market ordering sheep intestines from butchers that make their own fine...
When I spent a week with Nick in Chicago, we had grand plans for every single meal - especially the ones we cooked in his kitchen. Nick's already covered the fatty, home-ground burger and our foray into making red enchilada sauce , our two major kitchen experiments. But I also know that Chicago is a great eating town. I grew up in the area, but my knowledge of Chicago food is sham...
I'm definitely not the first to point this out, but Chicago has some great food. You know, with all the high accolades for their inventive restaurants and classic comfort foods, and the fact that they are hosting this year's Top Chef , I have nothing new to add. It's just that over the past weekend Abby and I managed to fit more good food into our bellies than we had any right to do...