On this episode, our annual cookbooks show, featuring interviews with two prolific authors. One, the chef of a few well-known Israeli restaurants in Philadelphia and New York; the other, one of the nation’s baking experts whose new book takes a broader approach to the kitchen. Then, in our final segment, Rick and Steve talk about a few of the books we really like this holiday season.
When one thinks of pomegranates, we think of the drink, or pomegranate seeds scattered across something only as a garnish. Coming up on this episode, a pomegranate challenge with Brian Jupiter, the chef from two restaurants in Chicago, as he and I attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some pomegranates, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.
Belgium is a tiny country. You might think of chocolate as its most famous export, but beer is just as important, if not more so. There are nearly 200 breweries in this country of about 11 million people, so you know beer there is practically a religion. Coming up on this week’s show, we dive deep into the world of Belgian beers, with a few experts. We’ll talk to a legendary bar owner, Michael Roper, who carries more Belgian beers on his list than just about any bar in the U.S. Then we’ll meet a pair of brewers, each of whom are producing some Belgian-style beers, right here in the middle of the country. Claudia Jendron, the Head Brewer at Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, and Tom Korder, the Founder of Penrose Brewery in bucolic Geneva, Illinois, who’ll tell us about Belgian-style session ales, aged in oak barrels with alternative fermentation.
Attend any local farmer’s market, and you’ll see a few vendors selling homemade beer, sausage or cured meats. Like any do-it-yourselfer, they probably started in their basement or garage, with a few tools, a couple of buckets and a lot of enthusiasm. On this episode, doing things yourself this winter. Become your own craft brewer or sausage maker, or even charcuterie master. First, Steve visits Derek and Yolanda Luscz, the brother and sister owners of Gene’s Sausage Shop and Deli, a legendary sausage-maker here in Chicago. Then, he meets up with Patrick Whistler, the Manager of Brew and Grow, a home brew and hydroponics hobby store that’s been in business for more than 20 years. And finally, he and Rick welcome Joe Frietze, the Chef de Cuisine at Publican Quality Meats in Chicago, into the test kitchen and they talk curing meats.
Coming up on this episode, a trip to Seattle reveals a lot more than legal weed and oysters. It’s a chance to talk with a couple of writers covering the area, to learn more about the Emerald City, as well as a local chef who has pretty much dominated the Seattle food scene for more than a decade. Plus, the bonus discovery of a fantastic Chicago-style deep dish.
Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot discuss the impact of protest music in the 21st century and name a few of their favorite tracks from the genre from the last 18 years. They also review Robyn’s new album, Honey, and Greg chooses a favorite song to add to the Desert Island Jukebox.
Catfish is pretty much at every soul food restaurant in town, having a fried one on their menu. Coming up on this episode, a catfish challenge with Hunter Moore, the chef of Parson’s Chicken and Fish, as he and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some catfish, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.
We would put music right up there with lighting, ambient noise and décor, when it comes to creating a mood. Coming up on this episode, how does music play a role in the design and function of a restaurant, and who actually gets to decide on what to play, when? We’ll talk to two industry experts to actually get paid to listen to music and then curate playlists for dozens of different types of restaurants.
As a guy so closely associated with Mexican food, people may not realize Rick, at one point, was in the pastry department, and mixed with his Southern upbringing, pies are a big deal. Both sweet and savory pies seem to come to the forefront as summer moves into fall, but there are debates about which type of fat to use. Butter? Lard? Shortening? On this episode, Rick and Steve break it all down, then visit a legendary Middle Eastern bakery where they’ve been making savory pies for decades.
Like the salmon that swim upstream to spawn each year, we find ourselves, once again, navigating our way through the thicket of hungry and thirsty festival-goers at Chicago Gourmet in Millennium Park. On this episode, a quick check-in on the beginning of the second decade of this citywide culinary event, with the added bonus of a chorizo challenge, featuring the Chef Diana Davila, the Chef and owner of Mi Tocaya Antojeria, in the Logan Square neighborhood. She and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some chorizo, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere. Plus, a very special guest stops by to help me out in the kitchen.
