Sm HH Food Exchange @ Peppercorns Kitchen, Sun Nov 10, 5 pm

Octarine (aka Mike Gilbert) generously praised Peppercorns Kitchen on a current episode of WTTW's Check Please! (link) So, join us at the Small Household Food Exchange to get a taste (or more) of what he was talking about so enthusiastically. And since he'll be joining us, you can grill him (or broil, sautée, fry, bake him) on his comments and preferences.

The Small Household Food Exchange, among other things, is an opportunity for like-minded folks to gather, share the ordering power of a group, and describe and show off their cooking skills.

So get to work cooking dishes to share with other LTHers.

Or don’t … everyone’s welcome to join for the three c's — camaraderie, conviviality and companionship.

Note that we cap attendance at 12 with a maximum of 10 people exchanging dishes. Those who exchange dishes will have first priority, but they should post by November 4, to allow cooks to plan, shop and create.

The Basics
We’re always interested in fresh blood. Even if you can't exchange, please join us for dinner and conversation! But we encourage all to bring a few samples of the cuisine you enjoy at your home; it’s a great way for all of us to get to know each other better, discuss food and cooking techniques, and ultimately, later, have a meal at home that we might not have thought of making for ourselves.

What is the Small Household Food Exchange, you may ask.
Most importantly, it’s a gathering of like-minded folks at an interesting restaurant for a meal, taking advantage of the ordering power of a good number of people to share and sample a good number of menu items.

The Small Household Food Exchange started so that those of us in 1-2 person households who love to cook aren't stuck eating that big pot of chili for a whole week. Instead, we make 4-10 servings of one dish, and bring home 4-10 different dishes. Exchanging participants bring one pre-portioned serving of their food for every exchanger who has RSVP’d to come that month. The priority will be for entrees, meats, soups, salad, stews, pastas, grains, etc. (Check the Events Board, there’s a separate Dessert Exchange.)

The fine print
Number in the group: We will cap attendance at each gathering at 12, and food exchange participants at 10, so that participants are never making more than 10 servings of anything. Couples can be counted as one serving, or two — if you come as a couple, please specify whether you're bringing one or two dishes to exchange.

There will be no restrictions on the food – we’re an omnivorous bunch. IF ANYONE HAS ANY ALLERGIES, PLEASE LET THE GROUP KNOW.

The containers/delivery system: Everyone in the group should use the GLADWARE 3 1/8 CUP PLASTIC CONTAINERS (7” x 7” square container with a blue lid). You’ll portion your food into those containers to bring and hand out at the gathering. You can freeze them or not depending on your schedule and when you make your food. If you use something else to deliver your food that month (Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, etc.) you should also return the empty containers from the last round so that everyone always has a stash of these containers for the exchange, and no one has to run out and buy more. Ideally, everyone will find a way to label their containers, describing the contents, so we don’t end up staring into our freezers at a field of blue-lidded containers and wondering what’s in each one (not that there’s anything wrong with the occasional surprise …).

Please RSVP your attendance by responding in this thread about one week before the monthly gathering. If you're exchanging, please post what you're bringing at least three days before the gathering.

The organizer will monitor the thread to see what people are bringing. The organizer will also make reservations for the group at the restaurant where we will be gathering.

Hope to see you there!

Attending:

Dinner and Exchange (prepare two exchanges)
nr706 & Moetchandon — crepe cake with sausage, spinach and mushrooms
Cathy2 — braised pork shoulder in milk
BW77 & KCPK-W — szechuan red-braised oxtails

Dinner and sparkling company
Octarine
Fifille (the girlfriend Mike refers to repeatedly on Check Please)

Save the date!
Sunday, November 10, 2019, 5 pm

Peppercorns Kitchen
620 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 563-8461

(street parking, or parking at the large city parking garage a block west on Davis St. Also, Davis St. stop on both the El Purple Line, and Metra Union Pacific North Line, then walk approximately one block east)

www.peppercornskitchen.com

Hi,

I plan to attend for exchange and dinner.

Regards,
Cathy2

Fifille and I will be happy to attend!

Octarine wrote:Fifille and I will be happy to attend!

Yay!

BW77 and KCPK-W would like to attend and bring a dish to exchange.

Thanks for organizing this.

I will join for dinner.

Include me for dinner, please.

Giovanna

Hi,

I am making braised pork shoulder in milk. I did it for the first time last winter and just loved the results.

Regards,
Cathy2

Planning to bring szechuan red-braised oxtails.

Due to time constraints this week, I won’t be able to cook and bring an exchange. I will still attend dinner on Sunday with nr706.

I've spent the last couple of days under the weather and won't be able to join you for dinner tonight.



Giovanna

I don't think that I will be able to be at the Exchange tonight. Don't expect me. Sorry.

We'll miss you guys - both GAF and Giovanna ...

Super meal for this tender tongue and great conversation, which made this a great evening.

Looking forward to resuming in January!

Regards,
CAthy2

Very nice to meet you all. Looking forward to digging into the braised pork shoulder and intricate crepe cake.

The bouillion cubes passed out last night are Djon-Djon from Haiti made by Maggi. It is black mushroom, which is quite black and rather expensive. The cube is used as a substitute to color and flavor rice. I also read about a roast chicken dish with a sauce made from Djon-Djon.

Looking forward to trying the bullion cube.

Watch this space (or somewhere else hereabouts) for the next Food Exchange in January, probably at the new Al Bawadi Middle Eastern Grill in Niles.