Chicago-Style: We've been away - here's a few things we're bringing back
Plus #chicagostyle ideas for summer bbqs (cocktails, hot dogs, and slaw!)
We’ve been state-side the last few weeks. In my other life as a data analyst, I found myself in the US “for work” at the start of April, a great excuse to visit family from my hometown Chicago for a couple of weeks.
Chicago is an enormously friendly and diverse city. Our whirlwind trip included everything from tacos and burgers to family and friends to bike rides and bowling. It was immense! I’ll admit I’m now looking forward to getting back to the quiet life in Scotland - van life, fire times, and of course the Lucky dog who’s been living it up in his own urban vacation with his dog sitter in Glasgow (if we could have taken him, we would have, but we’re assured with our dog sitter - found via Rover.com, a useful app for any pet owners out there!)!
Still, these few short weeks in urban Chicago have provided loads of inspiration for wilder times back in Scotland. Chicago is where I grew up, after all, and it’s nice to remain connected, even from afar. Here’s a few Chicago-style things we’d like to keep alive …
Carne Asada Mastery (plus van life pickle bar!)
Carne asada literally translates as “grilled beef” - you can find it at Mexican taco joints, typically skirt steak or flank steak, marinated, grilled, then sliced up for tacos. I love carne asada! It’s best cooked over an open fire (making it awesome for van life eats). Still, I haven’t perfected it, though I’ve tried many times. A sharper knife may be required to slice the charred steak paper thin, making it easy to eat out of a taco. And attention must be paid to the direction of the slice - if you don’t cut against the grain, you end up pulling all the taco filling out of the tortilla with the first bite! I’m determined to master this.
We had a good example of carne asada at Taco Grill (see above), made all the better by the establishment’s enviable pickle bar. My next port of call: this deep-dive read on carne asada on Serious Eats with a ton of tips on marinading, the value of salt, and the power of high heat for making amazing carne asada.
Chicago-Style Hot Dogs
If I had a million dollars, I’d open up a Chicago-style hot dog joint in the UK (perhaps a wandering van sort of deal). Somehow this amazing invention has yet to make it to the UK, and yet it’s a Chicago staple. A little history via Wikipedia:
The hot dog arrived in Chicago through Frankfurt from Vienna. Pork sausages have been known in Frankfurt since the 13th century. Sometime in the 19th century a butcher in Vienna added beef to the sausage mixture. He called this a "wiener-frankfurter". Eventually reaching Chicago, Franks served in buns became popular at fairs and baseball games. Reportedly the pork-free and kosher-style all beef frank was originated by Fluky's in 1929.
The hot dog itself is said to be “dragged through the garden” due to the many glorious condiments. But here’s the deal in a nutshell (ripe for adaptation for van life and any camping situation!):
The hotdog is classically a Vienna all-beef beef hot dog (but feel free to sub with your own choice of dog, be it veggie or other form of encased meat)! It can be steamed, water-simmered, or grilled on charcoal (in which case it’s called a "char-dog” - I’ll totally be trying this in the near future!).
Yellow mustard
Chopped white onions
Sweet pickle relish
Dill pickle spear
Tomato slices
Sport peppers
Celery salt
The bun - ideally with poppy seeds, ideally steamed
More Veggie Barbecues
Barbecue is all too often a meat fest so it’s been fun getting our veg-centric barbecue groove on with the fam. Nothing fancy, but the whole is more than the sum of its parts:
Mixed veggies (mostly peppers and eggplant) tossed up with a generous amount of salsa macha, charred then chopped and tossed with some parsley.
Grilled haloumi - super with the aforementioned grilled veggies and can be enjoyed as is or in a bun with all the fixins
Slaw! Very thinly sliced cabbage and onions with a celery seed spiked dressing - made vegan for mom with veganaisse and it was super: 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp celery seeds, salt and pepper.
Mark’s fruit tea shaker cocktail - scroll down for the recipe!
More Bike Rides
I am very grateful to my grandad (RIP) who had a penchant for collecting Schwinn bicycles, and to my parents for keeping these two bikes up and running. We had a few sensational days out, taking the bike on the train then cycling around downtown Chicago, by far the best way to see the city.
More Family Time
I love life in Scotland but going back to Chicago also reminds me that life can go by way too fast.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller
I’d like to work towards a life balance where I’m spending at least a couple months a year in the U.S.A., particularly so I can see my niece and nephew grow up, and spend more time with my parents who are always quick to remind me that they’re not young anymore! (Not young by standard definition, perhaps, but they are still kicking ass!)
More Giardiniera
Those of you who know me know about my obsession with giardiniera, that quintessential highly addictive Chicago condiment. As we’re currently without a kitchen, I’m getting my giardiniera from external sources, and there’s some great producers in Chicago. My favourites so far are from JP Graziano and That Pickle Guy. (I’m writing this mid-flight, in the knowledge that a few jars of giardinera are currently tucked away in our checked baggage - one of which is an Ikea bag. I am on tenterhooks to find out if it arrives safely or if our hearts will sink at the baggage claim as a waft of giardiniera-soaked luggage rolls through!). (Psst, here’s my recipe for homemade giardiniera - it’s the bomb!)
Van Stickers
Here’s a sampler of some new stickers that will soon be adorning the Ford Transit Connect. Courtesy of the amazing Transit Tees in Wicker Park:
Recipe: Fruit Tea Shaker (with or without booze)
Chicago has no shortage of dive bars, cocktail lounges, and craft beer breweries, but this was possibly our favourite drink discovery. Mark invented this recipe inspired by Peet’s Fruit Tea Shaker. With or without a boozy twist:
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