Tag: #bread

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JALEO – Chef Jose Andres’ latest entrant on the Chicago food scene.

The long awaited Jaleo, Chicago is finally open. Our meal there this past weekend was pure joy. For years I’ve had friends ask me to write reviews of restaurants I visit but never had the courage to do it, till now. What a great way to start my restaurant review journey.

Full Disclosure: I write from a purely lay person, foodie, perspective. I don’t get paid for it so what I write is straight from the heart. I bear no malice or favor anybody, so its purely my opinion of what i felt while having a meal that day.

Okay, so Jaleo. What can I say but that it is true to its name… joyful, a dance, celebration, all in one, of food , of the different cuisines of Spain. Some rustic (Pan de cristal con tomate), some sophisticated (Aceitunas modernas y clásicas), some playful (Quesos served with Pecos).

Every dish we tried made us want to do a jig. The ‘Crystal” bread soaked in olive oil and rubbed with tomatoes made you think of sitting on a farm table in Spain, eating with the locals. The ‘liquid olives’ , are an ode to his friend and maestro, Chef Ferran Adria`, and boy does he deliver.

The Queso assortment is small but varied enough for one to get a taste of the primary cheeses from Spain. The accompaniments with them are fun and creative, right from the picos (tiny bread sticks), to the membrillo, to the moscatel compressed apples.

Some other recommendations I have are the Sobrassada ibérica ( Spreadable cured sausage from Mallorca made with ibérico pork and Spanish pimentón served with honeycomb and toasted bread), Pimientos del piquillo rellenos de queso de cabra (Seared piquillo peppers filled with goat cheese ) and the Gambas al ajillo, ( classic Spanish tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic). The Gambia , I would ask the kitchen to go a little easy on the salt but everything else was superb.

For my vegetarian friends , there are a few options ,the Patatas bravas (Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and alioli ) are the best I have ever eaten, even in Spain. The potatoes are just the right crispy on the outside and soft inside with a spicy red pepper and tomato sauce and a light drizzle of aioli . Heaven!

We finished of with the Rossejat Negra ’..or not!*(Paella’ made with toasted pasta instead of rice with cuttlefish sofrito, head-on shrimp and squid ink). A great take on the traditional paella, nutty, full flavored and a smaller portion than a paella,which worked great for us.

They do have an extensive wine and cocktail offering, but we had taken our own ($25 corkage fee). We had a 2001 Rioja Gran Reservation, Vina Otano from our private collection which paired beautifully with all of the dishes.

Sorry no recommendations for dessert as we were too stuffed to have any but we have saved that for our next visit.

I would love to hear from you so let me know what you think of the review and the restaurant, of course.

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SEYAL BREAD – A Sindhi Breakfast for Election Night Dinner

SEYAL BREAD – Bread in an onion and tomato gravy

Come election night, no matter who we voted for, we are all going to need some strong sustenance to get through it. The first dish that came to mind when I conjured something warm, spicy, sour and comforting was a childhood favorite, SEYAL DABROTI (bread). I promise this dish will satisfy your insides and help get through the long night.

I am part Sindhi and part South Indian so growing up our kitchens emanated heavenly smells from both parts of the country. SEYAL in the Sindhi language refers to the browned onion and tomato mix that forms the base for this almost chili consistency dish. As in most traditional dishes, every family has their version of it. It can be red in color from the browned onions or green when prepared in a coriander paste.

Over the years, this dish has evolved into a Red/Green combination. My family loves it as a Sunday Brunch and is definitely on our list of comfort foods. My feeling is this dish was invented out of a need to use bread that had gone hard. All of us hate to throw bread away when its a little stale and really cannot be used in a sandwich. The gravy or SEYAL that is the base for this dish is an extremely versatile one and you could pretty much add any type of bread or fish and it would blend beautifully.

I have used 2 day old baguette that had gone hard so I broke it up into rough pieces before adding it to the gravy. You could even use old Rotis or naans if you would rather avoid bread. And just an FYI, stale bread absorbs liquids better. Here I share with you my version of a Sindhi staple.

Ingredients

6-7 slices of stale bread (white or brown) or a 1/2 baguette cut into 1” cubes or Rotis shredded up.

3 tbsp oil

1 bay Leaf

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1tsp Red chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsps Coriander powder

14 oz can Crushed Tomatoes

Toppings

1/2 tsp Chaat Masala

Crushed potato chips or Sev ( Crunchy noodles made from chick pea flour)

Chopped cilantro

Salt as Needed

Green paste

1/4 cup Cilantro

1 Serrano pepper

1 clove garlic

3-4 Mint leaves

Blend all green paste ingredients and keep aside.

Heat oil in a sauté pan over a medium flame, add the bay leaf and the onions, cook till they turn a light brown. Now add the green paste and cook, stirring continuously till the oil starts leaving the sides. Add the turmeric, chili and coriander powders and sauté for another few minutes. Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes and add salt, 1 cup water and let it come to a boil.

Add the bread just before serving , mix well and cook for a few minutes.

Serve in individual soup plates and garnish with the Chaat masala, cilantro and the Sev.

I served it with beer but a hot cup of tea or a cocktail would go great too.

Like I said, use old rotis or naans instead of bread, if you wish.

Happy Cooking!