Chicago Food Hole

another tip!


my italian friend has given me yet another amazing tip. i don’t think it’s anything fancy but some people might not know. you can actually put baking soda on lettuce in the salad spinner and it cleans the veggies really well. ALSO w/ these tomatoes that everyone’s afraid of. just wash them thoroughly (w/ baking soda!), and it’ll get rid of the salmonella that was washed ONTO the little bastards. no need to be afraid folks. click on the image for more amazing things you can do w/ baking soda!

bad ass friggin brownies

these tasty treats come at you from gourmet and they made my face twitch into a smile they were so damn good.

* 2 sticks(1/2lb) unsalted butter(that is what the res. says but i’d go for salted if i were you)
* 8 oz “fine-quality” bittersweet chocolate(no more then 60% cacao if marked)
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 5 large eggs
* 2/3 cup flour
* 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa(dutch process it says but just make sure it’s at least a little fancier then hershey’s)
* 1/2 tsp salt(if you have it USE KOSHER)

preheat 35 w/ rack in the middle

butter and flour a 13x9 in pan

melt butter and choco in a heavy saucepan over low heat stirring until smooth

remove from heat, cool to lukewarm

whisk in sugar and vanilla

whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth

whisk flour, cocoa and salt together then whisk it into chocolate slowly

spread in pan and bake for 25-35 min or until they are they way you like em.

being a bit of a food snob myself i TOTALLY get both sides here. but the truth is eating locally is crazy easy to do. i live in chicago and there is a local food coop that goes all year round. local organic fruit and veggies for 27$ a box. which is an amazing deal. 3 of us have been eating out of these boxes. we have to buy our meat separate but whatevs. eating locally is pretty damn important these days.

First tip!

I’m living w/ an italian friend right now and he taught me a little cooking tip. he said that if you have tomatoes, in pretty much any state. fresh, or just to the point where you might throw them out or might chance it and even a little beyond that, all you have to do is chop them up and cook them in a fair amount of olive oil w a clover or 2 of garlic sliced up for about 10-15 min. break them down a bit. he used about 1/2 cup of olive oil for what looked like 2 tomatoes. then he simmered cod fillets in the tom and olive oil for about 10-15 min flipping it once. the other thing he said is that he doesn’t usually eat the garlic, it’s just there for the flavor. but i’m a huge garlic fan. plus in the summer it keeps the mosquitoes away!