News from North Pond


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2007

 

By the time you're reading this, you've surely enjoyed some of our extreme (global warming) summer heat.  These might help: a few notable happenings in the near future that we think are pretty cool.

  • In addition to the regular Monday closings this month, the restaurant will be shuttered on the 4th so our employees might have the opportunity to enjoy the holiday festivities without having to cook fancy food for patrons on the pond.  We will be open Tuesday, July 3rd, so that anyone hoping to celebrate a day early - or a day off! - can join us for lunch or dinner.
  • Beginning Sunday, July 1, we've adjusted our Sunday brunch hours to respond to diners' preferences to eat earlier in the day on Sundays.  We'll be serving our special 3-course prix-fixe brunch from 10:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. for the summer. Bon Appetit.
  • Come attend the annual Green City Market BBQ extravaganza on July 12th, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.  Dozens of the city's top chefs are participating again this year in the delicious fundraiser for Chicago's only truly sustainable market.  For more info and to purchase tickets, visit: Spice House GCM BBQ tickets
  • Help! You might recall from June's newsletter I mentioned the upcoming PBS program Chefs A'field - Kids on the Farm! Latest update coming to us here in the restaurant is that they do not have a confirmed air date for Chicago (it has already aired in other markets). BUT, the friendly woman working in Viewer Services suggested we call in, requesting it be aired soon. So, if you want to see my kids one the farm while they are still actually kids, could you please call 773-509-1111 and press option #6 and beg/implore/plead for an airtime in the near future. In the meantime, the website is now live with chunky video snippets of our episode (Episode 5) as well as most of the others: Chefs A'field Kids on the Farm
  •   I'll be doing another sure-to-be entertaining demo at the market on Wednesday August 1st. No idea yet what it will incorporate, but if I had to wager, I'd put some duckets down on corn-on-the-cob playing a starring role.  Afraid you'll have to attend to discover for yourself. Shopping the market for product begins at 10:00 a.m.  Hope to see you there!
  • And finally, if you've got some time (and money) still available this summer, consider joining me on a Holland America cruise(!) the second week of August.  I'll be cooking aboard the ms Ryndam from the 5th through the 12th of August, as the ship travels from Vancouver, BC to Anchorage, Alaska.  For more information and availability, check out Bon Voyage!  

Tips From the Green Market

 

July's a great month to consider some of the greener vegetables, if there are such things.  Cucumbers, beans, zucchini, and arugula are peaking this month. The beans available at the market span from the uber-slender

haricots vert (French beans) to the hearty full-bodied and aesthetically beautiful shell beans, which should come available towards the end of the month. The former are amongst my favorites for crispy, refreshing and sweet satisfaction, while the latter -- look for Tongues of Fire, Crème Coco, or Speckled Cranberry -- are rich and buttery-creamy when cooked through. In between the poles - no pun intended here! - are the more conventional but no-less-satisfying Blue Lake green beans, yellow wax beans and royal purple beans.

 

Armenian ridged cucumbers (super-flavorful), lemon cucumbers (refreshing), and  the more conventional pickling and slicing cucumbers are among some of the bounty of cukes you should discover tableside.  Ask for a taste and try something you've never dared to before.  You might actually enjoy branching out!

 

Recipe of the Month
Three Bean Salad
serves four as a side dish

  •  1/3 lb green beans, stemmed, washed
  • 1/3 lb yellow "wax" beans, stemmed, washed
  • 1/3 lb purple "royal" beans, stemmed, washed (optional)
  •  

1 T lemon juice

  •  

1 T sherry vinegar

  •  

1 large clove roasted garlic, peeled

  •  

1 t Dijon mustard

  •  

2/3 c salad oil

  •  

salt and white pepper

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
  • four scallions or green onions

1.  Place 4 quarts of water on the stove to boil; g et a large bowl of ice water ready to stop the cooking of the beans.

2.  When the water boils, add in ¼ cup salt.  When the water reboils, drop in the yellow beans and count approximately 2 minutes, or until the beans are cooked all the way through but still have a "bite".  Strain and remove to the ice water bath. Drain, dry, and reserve.

3.   Do the same with the other two kind of beans, separately, removing each to the ice water after cooking, then draining and drying.

4.   Whisk together the lemon juice, the sherry vinegar, the roasted garlic, and the Dijon mustard with some salt and pepper.  Gradually whisk in the salad oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Reserve.

5. Finely chop the scallion greens and reserve.

6.   Cut the beans into thirds on an angle and place them in a mixing bowl.  Add in the halved tomatoes and the scallions. Toss with the reserved dressing and season to taste.

 

 

Charity of the Month

Growing Home

 

Each year, we accumulate donations through our wine program for four deserving organizations. Their inclusion on our list is based on their work to help preserve diverse food choices, contribute to the local community, support local farmers, and help commit to a more sustainable future.

 

This month's charity is also a farm - bonus! Growing Home is a social enterprise organization that provides job training and employment opportunities within the organic agricultural industry for homeless and low-income people in Chicago. Participants receive hands-on training in organic farming and landscaping. The program also includes classroom training in food and nutrition, sales and marketing, and general job skills. Many graduates find full-time employment within the agricultural industry or continue their studies in other related programs.

 

Growing Home

 

Seasonal Drink

Basilberry Blast

What better way to celebrate the season than with this cocktail highlighting one of our favorite warm weather fruits. The raspberry syrup can be made ahead, conserved and used for all sorts of other applications. Use your imagination!

 

Raspberry Syrup:           

1          c          fresh raspberries

½         c          sugar

1          c          water

 

1.  Combine water and sugar in small pot and bring to a boil. Allow sugar to dissolve. 

2.  Add raspberries, remove from heat, cover and allow to steep 15 minutes.

3.  Uncover, reboil, remove from heat, recover and allow to steep another 15 minutes. Strain and reserve chilled.

 

Basil-Infused Vodka:

250       ml         North Shore (or other triple distilled) vodka

4          leaves   Italian basil

 

Combine and allow to infuse 3-4 days before straining and reserving.

 

1          oz         raspberry syrup

1          oz         basil vodka

seltzer or club soda

 

Combine syrup and vodka and pour into 8-oz glass, filled with ice. Top with sparkling water, garnish with fresh berries and basil sprig.

 

 

Tips From the Fish & Meat Market
Sardines! Give 'em a try!


Sardines. Don't think tinned, oily, smelly, overly-assertive pantry dweller. Think moist, nutty, succulent under-utilized deliciousness.  This highly under-appreciated fish deserves its place in the piscatorial pantheon.  Often a by-catch - something snared in the nets of fishers targeting another more "noble" species - or used as a bait-fish in this country, fresh sardines enjoy a place of honor in much of western Europe.  We hope to have fresh hardwood-grilled sardines on the menu much of the summer, beginning in July paired with a peppery little gem romaine Caesar and briny olives.

 

Read what the Seafood Choices Alliance has to say about sardines here .

 

Farm of the Month

Farm Girls Organics

 

Katie Williams and Kate Rowe are two friends passionate about sustainable farming. Back in the summer of '06, they discovered this shared enthusiasm while working together on an organic farm in Chicago 's western suburbs. They now operate one of the incubator farms at the Prairie Crossing community in Grayslake, leasing a small plot and sharing equipment, mentored by more experienced farmers. They're working towards their organic certification, but their dedication to sustainability is evident now - they work their fields using hand tools for most of the growing season; use crop rotation, companion planting, and cover cropping to keep the soil healthy; and they even transport their vegetables to the city using a truck powered by vegetable oil!

 

These two "farm girls" feel it a privilege and honor to work the land. And they know a responsibility comes along with that privilege. They are dedicated to maintaining the health of the ecosystem within which they farm, as well as within the community they serve. You can find FarmGirl products at the Green City Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

 

 

Watch Our Garden Grow!

Here at North Pond, we take great care with our kitchen garden. Each month, we'll update you on the progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden 0707

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                               anise hyssop

 

opal basil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                    mulberries

 

Yet Another Pithy Article (or three) / Think Piece

Biodynamic Wine -- and Fish!

 

This month, we offer a suggestion for your next wine purchase. Many wineries now choose to certify and label their wines Organic, but consider another certification that you may have seen while perusing the shelves at your local wine shop. It's called Biodynamic farming, and is a method of farming receiving a lot of attention lately. 

 

Check out this link to an eight-part series explaining the principles and practices of  biodynamics .

 

Additionally, you might recall Wild salmon being featured in May's newsletter. As we move from King to Sockeye salmon fishing season, I thought you might find this link about my good friend Greg Higgins's Congressional testimony interesting. The Oregonian - Chefs as Lobbyists

 

 

Bruce Sherman

North Pond -- Chefs Collaborative -- Green City Market

773 - 477 - 5845