Pleasant House

lamb fries

1. Lamb balls. I read an interview with David Chang in this month’s Bon Appetit (it was actually for an ad) where he said chefs need to think outside the box more. The last thing we need, he said, are more meatballs and steakhouses. Well, these aren’t your grandma’s meat balls. These are balls of a different kind–lamb fries, or testicles to be specific. I’m still amazed at the size of these things. I’ve had Rocky Mountain oysters, which come from steers, and they were only half the size of these cajones. The flavor was mild and the texture is tender, similar to sweetbreads. The lamb fries also come with the membrane taken off, which is a nice bonus. I breaded these Milanese-style with lemon zest, fresh herbs, and parmesan, and fried them in olive oil. A deluxe green mix from Growing Power and some fresh-picked cherry tomatoes rounded out this summer meal.

lamb fries Milanese

2. Chicken and rice. There are a million ways to make it. I always look at the version that my Latino kitchen staff makes on occasion as particularly delicious and comforting.

chicken and rice

3. The Big Green Egg and dinner at Chez Darrin and Rebecca. We finally got a chance to get together and check out the Big Green Egg in action. I’ve heard a lot about the egg and was truly impressed with its performance. When I arrived at Chez Darrin and Rebecca’s, I saw that the egg was at 500 degrees; when I peeked inside I couldn’t believe that there was a pork butt just hanging out on the grill grate. I would later find out that underneath the grate is a flat stone that is situated above the flame and right below the grate to absorb and deflect the incredible heat and also to divert drippings away from the flame. The pork butt had been brined and rubbed with five spice, and the meal was rounded off with some Chinese-style green beans, cucumber salad, fermented mustard root, and a nice dipping sauce. I shared my latest batch of home brew, a dark hefeweizen, which had reached its official 21-day refrigerated bottle conditioning deadline.

Big Green Egg

dinner at Chez Darrin and Rebecca

4. Gazpacho! One of those foods that automatically gets an exclamation point. It’s cold, tomatoey, crunchy, savory, refreshing–perfect for the hot summer weather.

gazpacho!

5. Zucchini and summer squash gratin. Another simple dish with a lot of soul. I always look forward to one of Chelsea’s homemade dinners.

zucchini and summer squash gratin

6. “My” urban prairie has finally been put to rest. I’ll be posting a memorial to my sidewalk prairie later this week.

dying lamb's quarters

7. I’ve gathered some Queen Anne’s lace, also known as wild carrot flowers, to eat. When my mom heard about my foraging adventures she reminded me that she used to batter-fry these wild flowers for the family when I was young.

Queen Anne's lace

8. Stopped at a roadside vegetable stand. It doesn’t get much more fresh than what’s on the table next to the farm field. Rhubarb and bi-color sweet corn were the fruits of this vegetable stand visit.

roadside vegetable stand

rhubarb on the scale

9. Got to follow the opening of another restaurant over the Internet. I find following the progress of ambitious budding restaurateurs to be exciting and educational. This opening was that of Delancey, a wood-oven pizza place in Seattle by Brandon Pettit and Molly Wizenberg. Wizenberg is also known for her popular blog, Orangette.

www.delanceyseattle.com

10. Started following the progress of another restaurant opening. What recession? This one is going to be a creative burger-and-shake concept by a local Chicago blogger, Eddie Lakin, of the Cooking and Eating blog. He is documenting the day-to-day adventures of opening his shop at chicagomatic. Good luck, Eddie!

Chicago matic documenting the birth of a Chicago-area burger joint