When I was in
the opportunity to visit Fox and Obel Gourmet Market and Café. Located near
Navy Pier, it was a good walk from my hotel along
door, I knew it was well worth the trek.
I felt like I was stepping
into a little European market. It is a gourmet food-lovers delight. After
browsing through the aisles of fancy pasta, gourmet chocolates, a bakery full
of beautiful sweet temptations, the olive oil tasting bar, I stopped into the
café and had a big delicious tuna sandwich.
The store is not very large,
but they found a space for a
where they offer cooking classes. Fox & Obel’s Executive Chef, Suzanne
Edwards, had just finished teaching a class on main course salads. She had
little bits of salads that she had me taste when I stopped in to check out the
classroom. She also offered me tastes of wines she had chosen from the Fox
& Obel wine aisles to pair with the salads.
Her Asian Chicken Salad is
packed full of fresh vegetables. It is good all by itself, but after a long
bike ride late yesterday afternoon, I decided to add some rotisserie chicken to
the salad.
Shreds of
sweet peppers, carrots and cashews are tossed with an Asian-inspired dressing.
Chili garlic sauce adds a bit of heat to the dressing. I used a Vietnamese
Chili Garlic Sauce that I purchased at the Asian market in
pizza with this red sauce. You could use the Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili
Paste found in most grocery stores. Add it a little at a time until the heat is
just right for you.
Most grocery stores carry
pickled ginger, another ingredient in the dressing. I like the Natural Pickled
Sushi Ginger made by the ginger people. I find it in the natural foods area of
the grocery store. The minced ginger adds a burst of freshness to the dressing
without overpowering all the other flavors.
Use the vegetables in
amounts that suit your tastes. I didn’t measure any of the salad ingredients.
This salad makes a healthful
dinner on a warm, sunny day.
- Red cabbage, cut in shreds
- Head lettuce, cut in shreds
- Green onions, sliced
- Yellow pepper, cut like
matchsticks - Red pepper, cut like
matchsticks - Green pepper, cut like
matchsticks - Carrot, cut like matchsticks
- Cashews, roasted, unsalted
- Rotisserie chicken, meat
pulled off - Asian Dressing
green onions, sweet bell peppers and carrot together in large bowl. Add just
enough Asian Dressing to lightly coat the salad. Store remaining dressing in
jar in the refrigerator.
Add cashews and chicken to
salad and toss well.
Asian Dressing
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1½
teaspoons Hoisin sauce - 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- ¾ teaspoon chili garlic
sauce - 1 tablespoon pickled ginger,
minced - 1 cup olive oil
Place rice vinegar, hoisin,
sesame oil, chili garlic sauce and minced pickled ginger in small mixing bowl.
Gradually whisk in olive oil until emulsified, with all ingredients blended
well.
