The appetizer section of menus has been taking a beating in the many Chicago restaurants I visit every day in my role as chief restaurant critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. I see customers moving away from expensive appetizers (and, believe me, the price of apps...
For added authenticity, consider trying tomatoes on your own (provided you have the manpower). It’s easier than you might think. Here’s a quick recipe: Oven-Dried Tomatoes 2 pounds Roma tomatoes 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional as needed 1...
All of us in this business are well aware of the excellent canned tomatoes at our disposal, so it goes without saying that we use them –– a lot –– in various ways, whether it be a sauce for pasta, or to ladle onto a pizza crust. For a different...
It wasn’t too many years ago that squid was considered nothing more than fish bait. Now it is on the appetizer menu of just about every Italian (and even non-Italian) restaurant you can name. There are several reasons why calamari fritti has become popular, not...
Manchego and feta are two of the more interesting and important cheeses in the Mediterranean flavor. Manchego is Spain’s most famous cheese, and is made in the plain of La Mancha. Only the milk of La Manchega sheep can be used to make manchego. Feta is a Greek...
