culinary exploration

Follow me through the adventures that take place in my kitchen, in restaurants or in other kitchens. Cooking and food are my passions and I want to share my experiences of cooking, baking and eating with you.
I'm a Greek self-taught cook who lives in Chicago. I learned a lot about cooking from both of my grandmothers, my mom and dad, family and friends. Passing on timeless traditions through food is one thing I strive to do in life.

These are my journeys through culinary exploration...

clraptis (at) gmail (dot) com

Culinary Exploration - Grecian Kitchen

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Posts tagged pork

May 22

Trader Joe’s gets me every time with their sample station. I was totally sold on the carnitas and guacamole so I got some! So delicious.

Also - this slow roasted pork makes me want to use it to whip up a mean Mexican-style mac & cheese with the pork, roasted jalapeños, caramelized onions, pepper jack cheese. Sounds super tasty. Stay tuned… I’ll eventually turn that idea into reality and post a recipe!

Apr 11

BBQ: pulled pork on a pretzel roll and cornbread from Chicago Q

Oct 11

My mom got the spicy Thai fried rice with pork… sooo tasty!!

Mar 17

Spicy pork and bean sprouts

Our trip to have Okonomiyaki for lunch on our last day in Tokyo turned into Japanese tapas!

Mar 16

Yakitori skewers - these were (from bottom to top) chicken breast, fried tofu balls and pork.

Oct 18

Spicy BBQ Pork Banh Mi from Del Seoul

I’ve had many banh mi before and I can easily admit that this one from Del Seoul was the BEST! I think it’s a combination of the fact that they pickle their daikon and carrot slaw, there is a red pepper aioli spread on the baguette AND their meat was marinated to flavorful perfection.

I also had a taste of their kimchi and a steamed dumpling… both of which were delicious! Try this place out if you’re in the mood for Korean street food.

Oct 12

TOPOLOBAMPO

Somehow my mom and her friend got reservations at Topolobampo this past weekend. They had dinner at Frontera Grill one night and ate at the bar. Apparently they made friends with their bartender and he was able to get them a reservation at Topolobampo for the following evening. I got lucky and was invited along to eat with them!!!

This was my first time eating at Topolo and I was very impressed. A more upscale, fine-dining Bayless restaurant and it showed in the dishes. I always settled for Frontera because I didn’t see the point in paying the price to eat on the fancy side of the restaurant, but now I understand and will claim that it’s totally worth it!

They offer either an a la carte menu or a tasting menu that can be paired with wines if you choose to. We went with the a la carte menu because the tastings offer a 5-course meal and we didn’t think we could eat that much. Although the portions are perfectly sized, our 2 course meals were just right. We were pleasantly full and just comfortable, even after becoming members of the clean plate club!

clean plates

I ordered the soup for my first course because it sounded DELICIOUS!

GAZPACHO DE CEREZA Y ALMENDRA
Gazpacho of local tomatoes and sour cherries with smoked almond raspado (shaved ice), creamy goat cheese, heirloom cherry tomatoes and pickled sour cherries.

gazpacho

My mom was intrigued by the trio of eggplant on the menu. She let me have a taste and it was very tasty.

BERENJENA CON TRES SABORES
Crunchy, Iroquois cornmeal-coated Black Beauty eggplant with three flavors: spicy, smoky salsa negra, velvety black bean sauce, creamy Otter Creek cheddar. Tender chayote with parsley, poached Chioggia beets, sherry-pickled plums, roasted knob onions, wild arugula.

eggplant

Mom’s friend ordered the fish, which is always a good choice at a Rick Bayless restaurant. I’ve had the Frontera Grill version of this dish and thoroughly enjoyed it.

PESCADO CON CREMA DE FLORES
Chamomile-poached day-boat catch in creamy sauce of squash blossoms and roasted poblano chile. Hoja santa-scented black lentils, slow-cooked quince, brown butter-roasted red Kuri squash, cilantro micros.

fish

And the pièce de résistance - the dish I ordered. :) I’ll preface it with just one word: PORK.

CARNITAS EN GUASMOLE
Maple Creek pork (shoulder and belly), slow-cooked carnitas style with black garlic, served in gausmole (roasted tomatillos, toasted guaje seeds, herbs). Sweet corn bread pudding, Nichols Farm leeks braised with chanterelle mushrooms and avocado leaf.

carnitas

The shoulder was super juicy and shredded with the touch of my fork. The belly was divine. It was so tender and flavorful. The sauce was my favorite part. It was a bit smoky from the roasted tomatillos, but didn’t over power the taste of the pork duo.

If you read my blog, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Rick Bayless - especially Frontera Grill. But if you’re in the mood for a fancy gourmet Mexican meal, try Topolobampo because you will savor every last bite you take.

Mar 30

lacuisine:

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Follow the link for recipe.

Thanks to The Pioneer Woman

i have a pork tenderloin in my freezer just waiting to be slow-cooked. recipe reblog!