Urban Belly

Living in Chicago, there is always plenty of good food to be had. Joe and I try to get out and sample as much as we deem financially responsible, and we have pushed ourselves to try new places frequently. One place we had heard a lot of buzz about was Urban Belly, a casual Korean noodle joint owned by chef Bill Kim and his wife. We actually went over the summer (seems so long ago!), but I never got around to actually blogging about it. I guess I was just waiting for the right time, and it seems that that time is now!

Yesterday, the James Beard Foundation announced the Semifinalists for the 2010 awards, and I was excited to see that Bill Kim was among the Best Chef nominees for the Great Lakes region. Based on the meal we had at Urban Belly, I felt like this was something he really deserved. What I really like was that Urban Belly is casual, non-pretentious, and relatively inexpensive. This restaurant is an example of a classically trained, accomplished chef doing his take on food from his childhood. You can tell this place is a labor of love, and this nomination shows that the James Beard foundation is not only focused on the kind of fancy, expensive food that none of us "real folks" can eat. If you're in Chicago, I'd recomend trying out Urban Belly for yourself. Or, if you're coming to visit me some time soon, remind me and we can go together!

YUM!

Soba + Shrimp + Peanut Sauce = Love

I cook two ways around my house. There are times when I'm cooking to impress... trying something new and exciting, that I hope to blog about, share with friends, or just feel accomplished after making. Daring Bakers/Cooks, exotic dishes, multi-element Sunday dinners, you know that type of menu. But I can't cook like that every night, so there are plenty of nights when my goal is to make a tasty, fresh, low-fuss meal.

This was just a regular every night dinner. I was making some of the leftover frozen potstickers from last month's Daring Cooks, and I wanted an interesting side dish to serve with the potstickers. I was flipping through some old recipes from Cooking Light, and I came across this recipe for Soba and Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing. I really like trying different slaw recipes, and I knew I had some leftover soba noodles in my pantry, so I decided to give this a try. WOW! It was simple to prepare, and tasted amazing! The peanut sauce was just the right amout of hot and salty, the cabbage had a nice crunch, and the soba noodles really soaked up the sauce. Every ingredient contributed to the final flavor, and it was pretty darn healthy, too. Not to mention I only had to turn on the stove top for a few minutes to cook the noodles, which means this is a good option for dinner on a hot summer night. This would have been a good stand-alone dish, and the red cabbage stayed crunchy long enough for a couple leftover lunches. Keep an eye out for good prices on shrimp, and use that as your excuse to try this delisious weeknight meal.

Soba and Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing

from Cooking Light, June 2005

Ingredients
6 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat) noodles, broken in half
6 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups grated carrot
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
1/2 pound coarsely chopped cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons Thai chile paste with garlic
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; rinse with cold water.

Combine noodles, shredded cabbage, carrot, 1/2 cup green onions, and shrimp in a large bowl.

Combine soy sauce and next 4 ingredients (through chile paste) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add soy sauce mixture to noodle mixture, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions and peanuts.

Daring Cooks: Potstickers and dumplings!

This month the Daring Cooks tried their second recipe, and I have to say I had so much fun with it! Jen from Use Real Butter was our host, and she picked an authentic Chinese recipe for us to try. Potstickers are something I love to eat out (who doesn't!), but I had not yet tried them at home. Even if I'd been inspired to try them, I have a feeling I would have picked up pre-made wrappers. Making potstickers was a challenge in terms of the time it took, but the process was enjoyable, and the results were so authentic and addictive! The recipe made a TON, so I am pleased to now have some extras in the freezer waiting for a rainy (or busy) day.

If you're looking for a fun weekend activity, give these a try! Just budget your time accordingly, or invite lots of helpers, because it does take a while to get everything chopped, rolled, pleated, etc. If you want some helpful advice, check out Jen's original potsticker post at Use Real Butter. Also go to the Daring Kitchen website to see pictures of everyone's creations, and while you're at it go ahead and join our group!

See how I did the pleats?

For my potstickers I made two batches of Jen's dough. I did a batch of potstickers with her shrimp filling, which was fantastic! I also made a vegetarian version, which I've listed below. It was not as flavorful as I'd hoped, but they were still good. I think next time I'd skip the tofu and just add more veggies. See what you think.

Vegetarian Potstickers with Mushrooms and Tofu

From Jolinda Hackett on about.com

Ingredients:
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 1 block tofu, well pressed, and crumbled
· 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced small
· 1/2 cup Napa cabbage, diced small
· 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 3 scallions, diced
· 2 tbsp soy sauce
· 1 tsp sesame oil
· dash red pepper flakes (optional)
· 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation:
Sautee the crumbled tofu, mushrooms and cabbage in olive oil along with ginger and garlic for a few minutes. When the tofu and mushrooms are almost done cooking, add the scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes, stirring well to combine.

Allow to cook for one or two more minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the fresh cilantro.

Asian Flavored Pork Burgers

I made these burgers for the first time last year, and I'm really surprised I didn't blog about them that time. Wrapping the mini burgers in lettuce leaves is such a fresh surprise, and the sauce on top is absolutely to die for. I always feel like a pretty badass chef when I make these, because I have to trim and grind the pork myself. Thank goodness for my KitchenAid pasta making attachment-- it is pretty much worthless for pasta, but the food grinding feature works great! If you looked hard enough, you could probably buy pre-ground pork, too. The flavor combination in this recipe is flawless, and I really wouldn't change anything! And if it happens to be raining like crazy when you're ready to grill, these work just as well under the broiler.



Asian Pork and Mushroom Burger Wraps
from Bon Appetit, July 2008

• 2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (from bottom 3 inches of about 4 stalks)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
• 1 3/4 pounds ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce*
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)*
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 heads of Bibb lettuce, cored, leaves separated
• 1 cup matchstick-size strips red bell pepper
• 1 cup matchstick-size strips peeled carrot
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lemongrass and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; cool in skillet.

Place pork in large bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cracked pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, then fold in mushroom mixture. Using 2 generous tablespoonfuls for each, shape into 18 patties, each about 2 1/4 inches in diameter; arrange on plastic-lined baking sheet.

Whisk hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, chili sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sesame oil in small bowl for sauce. DO AHEAD: Burgers and sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately; chill.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange burgers on platter; set out sauce. Place lettuce, bell pepper, carrot, and cilantro in separate bowls. Serve, allowing guests to wrap burgers in lettuce and add sauce and vegetables as desired.

DIY Asian Takeout

I love Asian food... especially Thai. When we recently went exploring in the Asian neighborhood near our apartment (see post below), and I found some fun things at one of the grocery stores. This stuff was all so inexpensive, and i loved experimenting with putting the ingredients together. Basically, I bought noodles, dried shiitaki mushrooms, black bean and garlic sauce, and friend tofu. I had broccoli in my freezer at home, which seemed like an appropriate veggie to add. Then it was just a matter of figuring out how to put them together.

I started by rehydrating the mushrooms in warm water. I cut the tofu into small pieces, and marinated it in soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. When the mushrooms were back to their regular state, I added them to the marinade.

I cooked the noodles according to the directions on the package. Then I got out my wok, put a little oil in, and started stir frying. I drained the tofu and mushrooms, and threw them in the wok with the noodles and broccoli. One mistake-- I added the broccoli frozen, so it got mushy by the time it was hot. But otherwise I just mixed it up with the black bean garlic sauce. Altogether, it only took about 25 minutes to make, and it tasted just like one of the Thai noodle dishes I love to order. The best part is that I have more noodles, mushrooms, and sauce to use up, so I will be making a variation of this again very soon!