Eat this! (St. Patrick’s Day edition): Guinness, an iconic taste of Ireland

What it is: After shamrocks and leprechauns, the most distinctive icon of Ireland in the world may be a glass of Guinness stout, a rich, dark beer made with roasted, malted barley and hops, topped with a creamy white head.
Where it comes from: Guinness dates to 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease [...]

Eat this! Cobia, Chicago’s next hot fish

Rarely seen on Chicago restaurant menus until now, cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a rich, buttery tasting, white-fleshed fish, mild, firm and flaky.

Eat this! Whole-lemon pie, a legacy of the Shakers

This style of lemon pie is a specialty of a small religious group, The United Society of Believers, known as the “Shaking Quakers,” or “Shakers,” for their fervent worship services…. This version of the Shaker pie recipe comes from Chef Alain Roby’s new cookbook, “Alain Roby’s American Classics: Casual and Elegant Desserts.” Roby is the longtime executive pastry chef for the Hyatt Regency Chicago in the Loop

Eat this! Quinoa, an ancient secret of the Andes

What it is: A grainlike seed, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), pronounced KEEN-wah, makes a delicious change from starches such as potatoes or rice. It has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture, similar to wild rice or buckwheat groats, and a mild, delicately nutty flavor.
Over 120 species of quinoa exist, but only two are readily available commercially, [...]

Eat this! Rich chocolate pudding, a decadent dessert for Valentine’s Day

The decadently rich, port-infused chocolate pudding Chef Kendal Duque recently served at Lakeview’s new Cuna restaurant deserves a fanciful moniker. It’s a perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day!

Eat this! Hearty Brazilian feijoada, just in time for Carnival!

What it is: The national dish of Brazil, feijoada is a flavorful stew of beans, beef and pork, a perfect dish to serve in honor of the Carnival season (Carnaval in Portuguese), which begins in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, Feb. 13, and runs through Fat Tuesday, Feb. 16.
Where it comes from: There are a [...]

Eat this! Berkshire pork, a meaty heritage

What it is: Berkshire pork is meat from a pedigreed breed of black-coated swine prized for juiciness, flavor and tenderness. The breed is also known as kurobuta, Japanese for “black pork.” It is a deeper-hued, more heavily marbled pork than “the other white meat” widely promoted in recent years.
“To me Berkshire pork is the Kobe [...]

Eat this! Sformato, an airy, eggy, Italian way to use seasonal vegetables

What it is: A sformato is a molded dish from Italy, typically made with beaten eggs, and falling texturally midway between souffle and flan. It can be sweet or savory.
Sformati are frequently made with seasonal vegetables, but they can contain almost anything, even macaroni or chocolate. At Piccolo Sogno in West Town, Chef [...]

Eat this! Cassoulet, a hearty winter casserole from Southwestern France

What it is: Cassoulet is an earthy, peasant dish from southwestern France, traditionally a casserole of beans, pork, poultry and herbs, slowly baked until a dark crust forms. Recipes vary throughout the region, though, so that in 1929, Chef Prosper Montagné declared, “God the Father is the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, God the Son that [...]

Top 10 Chicago restaurant recipes of 2009

The Dining Chicago blog hasn’t been around a whole year yet, and our weekly “Eat this!” recipe column has been going an even shorter time, but that isn’t going to stop us from giving you a list of our most popular recipes from 2009. The list below contains our most-visited recipes from local restaurants.

Petterino’s, Loop: [...]