Farewell to Fresh Finds. Hello to In the Aisles.
Good Eating staff members have enjoyed searching markets for the past three years for our Fresh Finds column, but it’s time for a change. We want to expand the concept to all types of foods, not just fresh produce. We’ll comb ethnic markets for unusual sauces or seafood. We’ll investigate butcher shops for prepared meats. We’ll delve into bakeries for the perfect tart or truffle. And we’ll shop the regular supermarkets and specialty stores in search of items that stand out in flavor. Don’t worry, fresh produce will still be part of the mix in this new, biweekly column.
If you have your own food finds you want to share, just drop us an e-mail at [email protected].
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Kodiak Cakes pancake and waffle mix
From the family-owned Baker Mills in Salt Lake City comes this whole-grain just-add-water pancake mix, which produces pancakes with great flavor and an amazing 4 grams of fiber per serving. They’re made with whole-grain wheat and oat flours, non-fat dry milk and dried honey, with egg whites and leavening added so you don’t have to. We found the mix at Dominick’s, $6 for a 11 /2-pound box
Smoked Spanish paprika
This product has been praised by chefs and adventurous cooks alike. Sweet and spicy versions of the spice have been available. There is also a bittersweet version with less of a bite but the same smoky flavor to enhance many dishes. It’s about $5 for 2.5 ounces at The Spice House, 1512 N. Wells St., and in Evanston and Geneva. Also at Sam’s Wines & Spirits stores.
Pumpkin seed oil
From Styria in southern Austria comes this intensely flavored, headily aromatic and deep green-colored oil pressed from the many seeds of the thin-skinned Styrian pumpkin. Use the oil as a final fillip in squash or pumpkin soup, drizzle on pasta in brown butter and sage sauce, add to a salad dressing. An 8.5-ounce bottle of Cucina Viva pumpkin seed oil from Austria is $15 at Fox & Obel, 401 E. Illinois St. Look for other pumpkin seed oil brands in specialty food stores.
Pommelo
Looking like an overgrown green grapefruit, the pommelo has the tangy taste of that citrus, but with a sweeter edge. Cut into segments, it’s the perfect addition to fresh salads as well as any fruit bowl. Look for it at Dominick’s, Whole Foods and other supermarkets for about $3 a pound.
Napoleon diplomatici
Made with paper-thin layers of crispy pastry and filled with lush Italian custard cream, this sinful pastry is as delicious as it is beautiful. Of all the tempting pastries at Sicilian Bakery, this one is the show-stopper for us. Owner Phil Rubino also makes a version with rum-flavored spongecake and cannoli filling. $1.75 per pastry. 4632 N. Cumberland Ave., 773-589-2602; sicilianbakeryinc.com.
Goat butter
Meyenberg goat dairy in Turlock, Calif., produces a silky goat’s milk butter that is pure white because goat’s milk has no carotene. It has a lower melting point than cow’s milk butter, making it great for spreading on toast. It’s about $7 for a half-pound at
Mango juice
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Move over Mr. Orange. Miss Mango is the sunniest, most delicious juice around. Maaza’s mango drink is particularly satisfying: full of tangy-sweet flavor and so thick one clerk at a local convenience store thins his with water. Maaza’s mango juice is bottled by companies in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. The 1-liter bottle is $2.30. Buy at Shan Food, 5060 N. Sheridan Rd. Also at World Fruit Market in Chicago and other ethnic markets
Pomegranate molasses
This traditional Middle Eastern sauce of concentrated pomegranate juice lends a sweet-tart flavor to stews, roasted meats, soups and casseroles. From $4 to $8, it’s at Istanbul Market, 2324 S. Elmhurst Rd., Mt. Prospect. Also at Whole Foods Markets.
Rokiskio cheese
Ready to add a new cheese to your repertory? Rokiskio, an Eastern European semi-hard, cultured cow’s milk cheese, is tangier than mozzarella but just as creamy. We first tasted it in dishes served at Grand Duke’s Lithuanian restaurant and were happy to learn we could buy it in their adjacent deli market at 6312 S. Harlem Ave., Summit; it’s also at Caputo Cheese Market in Melrose Park. It costs about $5.50-$6 per pound.
Ground black-eyed peas
These peas, often labeled as blackeye beans, are hulled and ground and used in traditional West African stews. The powder is a good thickener and adds a slight flavor boost for any black-eyed pea recipes and other stews and braised dishes. A 16-ounce jar is $2.50 at Chika International Market, 522 E. Boughton Rd., Bolingbrook. Also at Old World Market in Chicago.
Pearl sugar
Scandinavian cooks use these large granules of sugar to decorate baked goods, but they can deliver an extra sweetness to treats from any corner of the world. They’re especially pretty now, adding a snowy motif to cookies, cakes and glazed pastries like cinnamon rolls. Another plus: The granules retain their appearance and will not melt in the oven. A 10-ounce box of Lars Own Swedish Pearl Sugar costs $4-$4.50 at Erickson’s Delicatessen, 5250 N. Clark St., Sur La Table (52 E. Walton St. and 755 W. North Ave.) and scandiafood.com.
Piquillo peppers
“Piquillo” means “little beak” in Spanish, and these sweet red peppers are roasted, then peeled by hand. In Spain, they’re often served as tapas stuffed with oil-cured tuna or cheese, but they’re also delicious with just bread and olive oil. The organic Matiz brand is about $9 per 7.6-ounce jar at City Olive, 5408 N. Clark St. Also at Paulina Meat Market, Schaefer’s in Skokie, Trotter’s to Go and Pastoral Artisan Cheese.
French mustard
The Fallot Co. in Beaune still makes Dijon mustard the old-fashioned way, grinding the seeds using a stone mill. And its packaging remains equally and colorfully old school. When opened, this metal “pail” of mustard reveals a wooden disc emblazoned with the phrase “Dijon en Bourgogne, J’aime ta Moutarde,” which translates as “Dijon in Burgundy, I love your mustard.” Under the disc is the simple 15.8-ounce jar. Use in salad dressings, in sauces and, of course, as a topping for hot dogs. Available for about $19 at Provenance Food and Wine stores, 2528 N. California Ave. and 2312 W. Leland Ave. Also at Fox & Obel.
Italian liqueurs
The real fruit and vivid colors in these cute, diminutive Italian liqueurs first catch your eye. Then the intense aromas and flavors complete the deal. Imported from Italy, the Caselli liqueurs feature fruit picked in the Appenine Mountains: Fragolino (strawberry), Mirtillino (blueberry) and Rubino del Bosco (cranberry). Enjoy chilled straight up, over ice, in a Champagne cocktail or poured on vanilla ice cream. $12 for a 200-milliliter bottle at Sam’s Wines & Spirits, $11 at Binny’s Beverage Depot stores.
Korean pears
We found these jumbo pears (about the size of a softball) to be sweeter-than-usual Asian pears with a firmer texture, similar to jicama. The golden beauties hover at nearly 1 1/2 pounds each. They are great eaten out of hand, but also as part of a cheese platter. The pears cost $7.80 for a three-pack at Chicago Food, a Korean grocery, 3333 N. Kimball Ave.
Quail eggs
Size matters, sometimes. Take the quail egg, which is only as big as a grape tomato. Within its wildly speckled shell lies an egg that looks and tastes very much like the usual hen’s, but in miniature. Use them hard-cooked in salads or, if you’re patient and nimble enough, stuff them for mini-deviled eggs. Fried sunny side up they can decorate small buttered toast rounds or blini pancakes. The eggs are $6 per dozen at Fox & Obel, 401 E. Illinois St.
Pappadums
These East Indian lentil-flour wafers may not look like much in the package, but they’re a wonderfully crunchy component to Indian fare as well as any soup or stew. Some cooks deep-fry them into puffy wonders or grill them on the stove top; others take the lazy route and microwave them 1 minute at a time, until they curl up and get crispy-tender. A package of about 20 costs $1.50-$2 at many Indian markets. We found a good selection (plain, cumin, garlic, red chili and black pepper) at Suchir, 669 N. Cass Ave., Westmont, and 2437 W. 75th St., Woodridge.
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ON THE STEW: More food finds will be listed on the food and dining staff’s blog, chicagotribune.com/stew.