Chicago's Best Poutine
So you're having your friends in from Chicago & you don't know what you can cook to surprise the s&*t out of them. You've heard this buzz of "Giardiniera" (pronounced Jar-Din-Aire, with a silent ending 'a') from all your friends that grew up in the Chicago area. You've seen an "Italian Beef Sandwich" on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives or some other Food Network travelling show but you don't truly understand it. You've seen "Poutine" on menus all over the place now & you've tried them & thought to yourself, "This is good, but it really is missing something." It's missing that Chicago factor. It's missing that texture difference & depth of flavor in between the heavy & rich gravy & cheese curds with that soft, gravy soaked fried potato. It's basically a good tasting pile of mushy texture. I've created Chicago Poutine to fill in that gap in flavor & introduce a layer of textures that has been missing in Poutine that we're eating at every brewery & diner!
Introducing Chicago Johnnys Poutine!
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| Chicagos Best Poutine |
It's not that hard to make this "Poutine" thing really friggin' delicious. It's a dish that is almost where it needs to be, but it's missing that difference in texture & that gap in rich flavors that should break up this heavy, soft, mushy texture. Let's start by stating a traditional Poutine is fries, cheese curds, & a rich beef gravy (typical to what you would get on mashed potatoes at a, let's say, "fast food chicken joint"). It's rich in deep flavors (which I generally associate with dark mushrooms, beef, 'earthy' flavors), creamy salty cheese curds, & fluffy salty fries. So you basically have this salty, earthy, deep, rich dish that basically turns to mushy texture as it sits for 10 minutes while you talk to your friends at the table as the gravy soaks into the fries & melts the cheese curds. So that's basically Poutine.
What is "Italian Beef"? That's a question so many people outside of the Chicago area have, & that's ok, not every city can be surrounded by such delicious food! Italian Beef is a traditional Chicago dish, started with a round roast that is seasoned with Italian herbs & spices, then roasted in the oven, chilled, & sliced very thin. These thin slices of beef roast are then reheated in the beef drippings seasoned in more Italian spices & herbs & then put on a crusty French roll. We're going to take those thin slices of beef & put them in this "Chicago Poutine" instead of a French roll.
The other question is What is "Giardineira?" Giardiniera is a (typically) hot pepper, carrot, cauliflower, & celery mix (sometimes with olives) pickled, then drained & kept in oil. This vegetable mix is then used on Italian Beef sandwiches, pizzas, cold cut sandwiches, salads, as an antipasto, & to the spicy food lover, just eaten with a spoon.
We're going to use both "Italian Beef" & "Giardiniera" in this recipe, & we're going to use Chicago Johnnys Italian Beef Gravy Seasoning & Chicago Johnnys Hot Giardiniera because, well, they're the best in the market!
To make this Chicago Johnnys Poutine you will need:
• Waffle Fries (baked or fried, a handful or so)
• Cheese Curds (or you can dice up cheddar in about 1/4" - 3/8" cubes if you can't get your hands on cheese curds) - about 4-6 ounces will do
• Sliced Italian Beef (recipe is on the Chicago Johnnys Italian Beef Gravy Seasoning) or grab some from your local Italian grocer or deli - about 4 slices per serving
To prevent your cheese curds (or diced cheese) from pouring out of your tempura when frying, freeze them for 5-7 minutes before frying.
*Don't worry so much about the timing of this, you can always throw the dish in the oven to reheat*
So step one is to throw your waffle fries in the oven or fry them in oil. Then batter your cheese curds or diced cheese & put them on the fries. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of Chicago Johnnys Italian Beef Gravy Seasoning, one cup of water, & one tablespoon of corn starch; heat stovetop until thick, you know, like a gravy. Kill the heat on your gravy & throw in your sliced Italian Beef. Pour that over your waffle fries & curds. Top with Chicago Johnnys Hot Giardiniera & eat wit' a fork!
*Make a larger version in a casserole dish (just increase the recipe) to serve at a party*
That's it! It sounds harder than it actually is. You will get that rich, deep, dark flavor regular Poutine has from the Italian Beef & Gravy. You will get that creamy richness from the cheese curds that regular Poutine has. You will get that satisfaction of eating regular Poutine that you get at your local brewery & diner. But you will also get that brightness from the giardiniera. You will also get that extra bit of crispy & chewy texture from the giardiniera & the tempura batter. You will get that full loaded flavor from the shape of a waffle fry that you don't get from regular French fries because the waffle fries hold your curds, beef, & gravy like a tortilla chip holds salsa. You will get that texture & flavor depth that you miss in a regular Poutine!
To get your hands on Chicago Johnnys products or recipes visit
www.ChicagoJohnnys.com or order off of Amazon (I don't know how they get shipping so low, but they do it). Tag your Chicago Johnnys Poutine on social media with #ChicagoJohnnysPoutine so I can see how yours turn out!
Thank you my friends - Johnny
