The Hodgin Abode

We are introducing a new feature to the Takeover. On occasion we are going to take some of the food we had at the various restaurants and attempt to re-create it at home. This way we can truly appreciate (or expose) the quality of the food served at some of the restaurants that we have visited. Last night was our first venture, and we chose to prepare a main dish of Italian beef, with pasta salad, jalapeno poppers and mozzarella balls appetizers. If any of you followers would like to try some of the recipes or have any questions, please leave us a comment and we will do our best to get back to you or answer any questions you may have.

We will start with the appetizers. Ashley made some mozzarella balls (think mozzarella sticks but in round form) and home made marinara sauce. These were the hit of the meal, as they were demolished no more than five minutes after their grand escape from the pan. The breading was flavorful and delicious, as was the cheese itself. The homemade marinara sauce was something that added to the flavor of the cheese without competing, a sign of a wonderfully designed dish. I think all in attendance would agree that these mozzarella balls were better than any we had ever eaten at any restaurant.

Nick showed up with home made jalapeno poppers. These were jalapeno peppers stuffed with a wonderful mix of sausage, cheese, garlic and onion all baked together. These were a nice spicy compliment to our meal, adding a bit of that "zing" feeling to our palate. These poppers contained much more flavor than any this critic has ever tasted at a commercial chain restaurant.

Finally, Beth made a pasta salad (without olives!) for all of us to enjoy. Her initial fear of having leftovers was quickly quashed by our hungry mouths. The mix of pepperoni, pasta, carrots, onions and everything else blended perfectly and gave us a less spicy alternative for those eaters who prefer calmer food items.

All of these appetizers led us up to the main dish. Sarah and I hosted last night so we had the honor (pressure?) of making a main dish that could compete with the wonderful appetizers that we had just gorged ourselves on. To create our Italian beef Sarah and I placed a roast, pepperocinis, Italian salad mix and Italian Giardiniera into a crock-pot© and slow cooked it for 13 hours or so. Once the meat had tenderized a bit, I used a couple forks to pull the meat apart and allowed it to cook a little bit longer. The result as a tender mix of meat and vegetables, simmered in a flavorful sauce. We had the meat straight off the plate, but I would recommend having it in sandwich form with some crispy Italian rolls as bread. The meal went very well with a nice wine, but depending on your personal preference I think that a nice IPA would complement the beef perhaps even better. The Italian beef we had was slightly different in form than what we had at Fat Dan’s Chicago Style Deli, and therefore is hard to compare. However, they both were great in their own distinctive ways, and I would highly recommend the both the slow cooker recipe and the sandwich presented at Fat Dan’s.