Local restaurants share tips, recipes of some of customer favorites

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When you sit down in a restaurant and look over the menu specials,have you ever wondered how they arrived at that list and whathappened to those recipes at the end of the day or week?

each restaurant has its own method of establishing specials.

While some are purely experimental, some are repeats of pastspecials that went over well while others incorporate favoritecustomer ingredients.

Karen Jesso, owner of Cafe Borgia in Munster, said her husbandMike, an award-winning chef, decides what goes on the specialusually based on customer feedback and suggestions at his chefworkshops.

The chef workshops are interactive sessions where customers sampledishes and give their opinion, advice and suggestions on what theylike and don't like about the dishes.

"He tries some (dishes) there and gets customer feedback and runssome as specials," Jesso said. "He does a lot of research. Theworkshops start back up in September."

A special offered earlier this month (Pork Osso Bucco) was sopopular they ran out. The braised pork shank was served withvegetables and au jus, and it was the first time in therestaurant's 22-year history that it appeared on the menu.

The regular menu changes at least once a year, and some of thespecials that have gone over well make their way onto the regularmenu, such as Penne Porcini and Stuffed Rolled eggplant, whichbegan as specials.

Cafe Borgia's list of specials runs for one week.

"We typically have a format where we run a soup special, a saladspecial, a pizza special, a pasta special, a meat special, a fishspecial and a desert special, in addition to a cheesecake specialand our gelato and sorbets," Jesso said.

Chef Patrick Scholz of Lucrezia Ristorante in Crown Point likes tobe able to share his creativity through the weekly specials hechooses.

Scholz said his inspiration for dishes comes from many places.

"I love going to the store and getting cookbooks and seeing whatother chefs are doing. I don't make it exactly the same. SometimesI switch it up," he said.

"It always helps to get inspiration from cookbooks, magazinearticles, pretty much anything I can."

Under the same ownership, Lucrezia Cafe in Chesterton has adifferent line-up of specials specially picked by the chef at thatlocation.

Scholz's specials run for one week, changing each Thursday.

The specials usually include a salad, a small pizza appetizer, aregular appetizer, two pastas, one fish, two meats and vealscallopini. What goes on that list has a lot to do with the time ofyear.

"I'm big with seasons. This time of year, when it's really hot, Idon't want big heavy dishes. I keep it light, especially for on thepatio outside."

Some of his most popular past specials have been pork saltimboccaand seared duck breast with sun-dried cherry and Marsala winesauce.

Both landed on the regular menu as a result of the large demand.

Among the current specials, which you can still try if you getthere today, are a spinach salad with capicola ham, pine nuts, ahard-boiled egg and a creamy goat-cheese dressing and a pan-searedAlaskan halibut with a Clementine reduction sauce.

Penne Porcini

1 pound penne pasta

8 ounces porcini mushrooms (soaked in water)

4 tablespoons butter

16 ounces heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

* Boil pasta in saltwater until al dente, rinse and set aside.

* Combine cream, butter and porcini.

* Simmer.

* Add pasta to the sauce.

* Use parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce.

* Add salt and pepper to taste

Source: Cafe Borgia





Melanzane Involtino (Rolled Stuffed eggplant)

1 medium size eggplant

Flour

4 eggs (beaten)

1/2 to 1 cup vegetable oil

6 slices prosciutto ham (or boiled ham)

1-1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 fresh basil leaves

* Slice eggplant lengthwise (Approximately 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch - 6slices)

* Soak in salt water 30 minutes.

* Dry eggplant between 2 paper towels.

* Dredge eggplant in flour, then beaten eggs.

* Heat oil in large skillet until oil is hot enough to fry.

* Place eggplant in oil just until brown, flip over and brown otherside. Do all 6 slices.

* Lay eggplant flat on table.

* Put 1 slice of mozzarella cheese and 1 slice of prosciutto on topof eggplant.

* Roll eggplant.

* Place all 6 rolls in baking dish.

* Add tomato sauce and bake in 425-degree oven for 5-6 minutes oruntil cheese has melted inside.

* Place eggplant on serving plate.

* Add cream to tomato sauce in baking dish and whisk in.

* Pour sauce over eggplant and shred fresh basil leaves over top.

Source: Cafe Borgia



Linguini with Shrimp, Clams, Cherry Tomatoes and Cilantro Pesto

1 pound dry linguini pasta

1/3 pound shrimp (peeled, deveined with tail removed)

1/2 pound fresh little neck clams

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1-1/2 cups tightly packed cilantro leaves

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

4 cloves fresh garlic

6 ounces olive oil

1/4 cup dry white wine

Salt and Pepper to taste

* For the Pesto: Add the cilantro leaves, toasted pine nuts,cheese, garlic, 4 ounces olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender orfood processor and blend until well combined. Set aside.

* Bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil in a large pot.

* Add pasta and cook over high heat stirring often until pasta iscooked "al dente."

* Drain pasta and transfer to a serving bowl.

* Add remaining olive oil to a large skillet and cook over mediumheat.

* When warm, add clams, shrimp and tomatoes.

* Cook until clams open and shrimp is firm and pink in color.

* Deglaze pan with white wine and cook until most of the wine isevaporated.

* Add the pesto and cook until hot.

* Add the contents of pan to the pasta. Stir well.

* Serve immediately.

Source: Chef Patrick Scholz, Lucrezia Ristorante