The Urban Palate

Katsudon

kevsperry — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:32:18 +0000

One of my favorite Japanese dishes.

Pork cutlet, grilled onions, egg, pickled ginger, over a bowl of rice with a soy based sauce. A Japanese classic.

Of course, served with beer – this time, Hitachino Nest White Ale. (Hitachino Nest has quickly become my favorite beer as of late.)

Mussels

kevsperry — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:26:31 +0000

Mussels cooked in white wine, garlic, onions, butter. Add fresh diced tomato and cilantro before serving.

Green Salad

French Baguette

Drink extra wine in bottle not used in cooking

Chicken and Waffles

kevsperry — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:30:18 +0000

Tonight was a special at Popeye’s Chicken…so we couldn’t pass it up.

8-piece white/dark hot/mild chicken bucket

Whole Foods frozen waffles with maple syrup

Mashed Potatoes

Collard Greens

Oh man what a dinner.

Chicken Teriyaki

kevsperry — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:33:35 +0000

Chicken Teriyaki – dark meat chicken, soy sauce, sugar, some secret Japanese ingredients that only the wife knows.

Fried Octupus

green salad

white rice

Spanish Cuisine

kevsperry — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:03:04 +0000

We have a restaurant near our house in Chicago that we love called Cafe Iberico. It inspired us to try to cook some spanish cuisine at home.

Chorizo Sausage from Whole Foods Market

Baby Octopus, Crispy diced potatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika

Green salad

Beer: Hitachino Nest – Japanese Classic Ale

Valentine’s Day Dinner

kevsperry — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:35:00 +0000

I’m not a romantic. But I do appreciate special occasions for various reasons. And of course I appreciate my lovely wife who actually prepares these beautiful dishes that I love so much I feel inclined to write about. (Sidenote before we get to the food part: I did a bit of research on the origins of valentine’s day (side-side note: I actually didn’t do research, but just stumbled across and read a slate.com article) and found that Hallmark didn’t actually invent valentine’s day. It was your typical pagan-turned-christian holiday, which was originally a Roman day devoted to fertility, transferred to a far less “sensually-themed” St. Valentine’s Day. I just found that interesting.) On to the goods.

Lamb Chops with curry powder

Cous cous

Pan-seared endive (similar to this)

Mushroom caps sautéed with garlic and butter (awesome and simple!)

Champagne: Veuve Clicquot Rose (the alcoholic’s version of Valentine’s day roses )

Wine: Paitin Barbera Campolive. A tart and fruity (but not sweet) Italian red, very smooth going down. Really drinkable.

Desert: Milk and White chocolate covered strawberries and bananas. Yum!!

Lasagna

kevsperry — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:23:04 +0000

My wife makes lasagna from scratch – I mistakenly thought she was using the Betty Crocker cookbook and almost got a slap. Ha! She only refers to that to get the correct order or layers. (Which, really, is probably the most difficult part. If you screw that up, you’re out of luck.)

I can’t get into details about this recipe, since its kind of hers, and thus, a secret. But I’ll do the best I can without giving anything away.

Whole Foods lasagna noodles

Mozzarella/ricotta/parmesan cheeses – all at different points in layers

Meat sauce – this is where it gets tricky: 1 lb. Locally grown ground beef, tomato sauce (not paste), diced tomatoes, and TWO secret ingredients. Both are sauces typically used in other dishes – one in Japanese dishes and one in French dishes. That’s all I will say!

Drink: Bourbon. I was looking for some good chianti (you can typically find good chianti for very little money) but alas, I was at Walgreen’s. Not ideal store for buying wine…But I did see, for the first time, Walgreens’ new solution for alcoholic beverages in these tough economic times, Big Flats 1901.

Boston Market

kevsperry — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:48:22 +0000

That’s right, Boston Market. HA!

1/4 white chicken.

mashed potatoes and stuffing – gravy on the side.

San Pellegrino Aranciata soda.

Scallop Gratin

kevsperry — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:56:06 +0000

Scallop Gratin – Bay scallops, farfalle pasta, creme, mozzarella cheese.

Green salad with sesame dressing.

Four Roses bourbon.

Chinese Pork Belly

kevsperry — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:07:44 +0000

Pork Belly, pressure cooked with ginger, soy sauce, etc. with hard-boiled eggs

Tofu, Bok Choi, Carrot stir fry

Rice

Don De Dieu beer.