Archive for October, 2008

Within the first few hours I spent in Athens, I got some chicken souvlaki from a fast-food stand—was it called Pita Pan?—for a few dollars, and, maybe it was the jet lag or the excitement, but that pita was the best thing I’d eaten in a long while, char-grilled marinated meat on soft pita, with garlic and olive oil all over. Since then, I’ve been getting souvlaki at every Greek place I go to.

Essentially, souvlaki is shish-ka-bobs, grilled on skewers and often eaten with pitas. Personally, I like them best with tzatziki sauce, which is made of yogurt with cucumbers and garlic, along with sometimes olive oil, lemon and dill (I’ve got to start making my own; if you have a good recipe, please share).

One great place for souvlaki in Chicagoland is Greek Islands, an establishment that’s been called the Nation’s Most Popular Greek Restaurant and that has two locations, one in Greektown and one in Lombard. When I picked up takeout there a few weeks ago, on a Monday night, the place was packed, which obviously is a good sign. And I’ll throw my hat in with the list of fans: I’ve dined in maybe four or five times, and the food has been consistently exceptional. I highly recommend the skordalia as an appetizer, the dolmades were quite good, and the fresh sesame bread! delicious! Obviously, though, what I really like is the chicken, and, if you go at lunch, you won’t regret trying the chicken shish-ka-bobs.

Now, if you’re like me, you find it hard to work in frequent dinners out. So can we talk about takeout for a minute? Carryout is the kind of thing it’s not hard to do badly, you’ve probably noticed. Between keeping the food warm and packaging it well, a lot of restaurants drop the ball. Not Greek Islands. The food was just as good as ever, and we didn’t have to wait long. For two people, we ordered two “chicken on the spit” entrees and tzatziki sauce with pitas. Because it was dinnertime, this cost around $30, but you could easily cut the price by doing a takeout lunch.

Take the food home, plop in front of a good movie and remember all the best things about takeout: enjoying delicious food you didn’t have to cook, not having to wait in line for a table or to be served, being completely comfortable at home.

The Greek Islands
Chicago Location:
200 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60661
312-782-9855 phone
312-454-0937 fax
Open Sunday thru Thursday: 11 am to Midnight
Open Friday and Saturday : 11 am to 1 am

Lombard Location:
300 E 22nd St
Lombard, IL 60148
630-932-4545 phone
630-932-4547 fax
Open Sunday thru Thursday: 11 am to 11 pm
Open Friday and Saturday : 11 am to Midnight

After visiting my friends, as a last-minute necessity, I ended up meeting my parents at their cabin in Wisconsin late Tuesday night before heading home the next morning. This, conveniently, gave me just enough time to remember all the things I love about their cabin, which I probably won’t be able to see again for a while. It’s the perfect fall getaway, set right on the water and surrounded by pines and birch trees and colorful maples. There are paths winding to the lake, where a small pier with benches is the perfect place to drink in cold air and complete quiet.

I slept with the blinds open, so I wouldn’t miss a moment of the scenery when I woke up and so golden-tinted leaves would be the first thing to greet me in the morning. There’s a porch swing right outside the window, and I’ve decided, just for the record, that I could be perfectly happy to sit out there and do nothing but rock back and forth all day long.

It’s the kind of place that makes you forget all about the rest of the world, that lets you feel like you’re escaping, and, to be honest, the lack of cell phone signal or Internet access or cable is probably the best part. There’s something very valuable about remembering life goes on without you and that you don’t have to be always connected.

It’s also the place where, say, you might like to make some hot chili or apple cider or fresh, crusty bread. (You knew I was getting around to food, didn’t you?) Or, if you’re me, the kind of place that makes you think of, what else, cookies. Over the past few days, I did no cooking, not even baked. In fact, I ate a lot of things on the quick or, better, that were made for me. So I’ll just admit that I didn’t make any cookies in Wisconsin, certainly not the ones I’m going to share here. I actually had baked them the week before at home (and they were gone the next day). But I wanted to tell you about the cabin and I wanted to tell you about the cookies, and they both make me happy like a fall day, so here we are.

There are a few things I should tell you about this recipe. First of all, the original called for crushed pistachios, and I substituted crushed walnuts instead. Second, these are unusual in the way they’re created: they aren’t chill and slice, and they aren’t the kind you drop from a spoon. Essentially, you roll them out like you would with the dough for sugar cookies, but instead of cutting out shapes, you use a pizza cutter to slice squares of floured dough. If you find the whole thing a little messy, don’t worry: the cookies will taste delicious, no matter what look like.

They’re lightly sweet and perfectly crunchy, hinting at the flavors of the Middle East with their cardamom and coconut. All-around delicious and a very enjoyable snack. Of course, as with any cookies though, they’re addictive. I just thought I should warn you.

Cardamom Crackers
Slightly Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:

Directions:

Stir together 1 teaspoon sugar, the walnuts and coconut in a small bowl.

Put butter and remaining sugar into the bowl on an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, cardamom and salt; mix until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat), or parchment paper. With a floured rolling pin, roll out a 12-by-8-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Use a pizza wheel to create straight sides, discarding scraps. Carefully transfer mat or paper to a baking sheet. Cut into 24 2-inch squares. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with walnut mixture.

Bake until firm and edges are pale golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and run pizza wheel over original cuts. Gently break into individual crackers. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.