CheekyChicago

When you stop and think about it – November might just be one of the most anticipated months of the year. And for good reason – for the hearty colors of squash, fiery red of peppers, aromatic fruits, meaty brown nuts, the multihued game birds.

But wait, there’s more!! Thanksgiving – Turkey Day – is a well placed opportunity to settle into the rhythm of the holidays without any distractions. The more ambitious among us might seize the opportunity to start shopping for Christmas presents, while most of us are content and line up for the first of Hollywood’s holiday movies. There are, after all, still nearly four weeks until Christmas.

Having shared all of this, you may be interested to know that, at Quartino, I have chosen to transform Turkey into Prosciutto, Venison into Salame and offer these preparations daily from our Salumeria. Pork is sautéed and paired with oven-roasted Portobello mushrooms and Sicilian dry Marsala wine creating an unexpected variation on the obligatory ingredients. And pears, one of the most autumnal of fruits, are put to dramatic effect when tossed with spinach leaves, walnuts and ricotta salata.

Appropriate to November, Sea Scallops are caramelized and simply presented with sautéed Swiss chard, caperberries and fresh lemons.

And finally, I will be traveling to Italy. In fact, in Puglia, I will be carefully gathering varities of olives, blending and pressing ever so gently. This is the beginning of a subtle and sophisticated process by which the resulting Extra Virgin Olive Oil will be able to retain color, aroma, taste and the glorious sun for our customers to experience the coming year.