This 4th of July I visited a local-farmer's market in a Chicago suburb. I bought Michigan blueberries (those farmer's must have gotten up WAY early to make it to the market by 7:00). And I sampled, but didn't buy, the 2009, world championship winning Gruyere cheese from Switzerland.
I stopped at the stand because I recognized the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's logo prominently displayed next to the variety of cheeses for sale. I thought it odd to see the Milk Marketing Board's logo in IL so I enquired about it. The farmer (?) was very proud to say that the cheeses he was selling, except for the Gruyere, had been made in Wisconsin. Furthermore, the milk used in the cheese had come from Illinois cows! Yes, Illinois cows produced milk worthy of consideration by a Wisconsin cheese-maker. To the farmer (?) this was a key selling point. I asked which dairy the cheese had come from, but the farmer (?) couldn't say right off. After some reflection he said Foremost, which makes sense because Foremost is a such a large dairy-product company that there are not enough cows in Wisconsin to satisfy its production needs. I asked if the farmer's (?) own cows had contributed, but my question puzzled him, and we moved on.
Little did I know that I would meet his imported, championship Gruyere cheese that night in my dad's back yard. At the market we had run into Dad's neighbors who invited us to their house for dinner. We accepted the invitation but insisted on bringing the trout we had bought to grill. All was arranged, then rearranged later when the party moved to our house after their other invited guests canceled and the 'charm' of Tao enticed them to our patio. They entered the yard bearing excellent wine and championship cheeses. Note to self from tongue: stay on good terms with these neighbors. Click on "Continue reading..." to learn what other tapas our gourmet neighbors shared and for an easy recipe for stuffed grilled trout.
After a leisurely period of sipping and cheese-tasting,
our guest served the summer-inspired vegetable appetizer he'd imagined and concocted that afternoon. He didn't know what to call this colorful tower of fresh zucchini, yellow squash and goat cheese nested in a seasoned bed of quinoa. But he repeatedly noted the yellow squash and goat cheese's similarity in appearance to that of a fried egg. I strained to see the resemblance, but went with the flow. He solicited names for his newly-created dish. Being German and surrounded by Germans in Wisconsin the only name I could offer was vegetable schnitzel since German-style schnitzel is typically topped with a fried egg. Dad's neighbor is not from Wisconsin and may not be German, which likely explained his coolness to my suggestion. But after we drank more wine, the name grew on everyone else. And just as irreverent nicknames are the ones that tend to stick, so too this summer-time, gourmet tapas treat became vegetable schnitzel. 
After the vegetable schnitzel we enjoyed the neighbors' farmer's-market-fresh salad of arugula, red and yellow tomatoes, and a selection of delicious sprouts, so fresh it felt as if I were eating something still alive. These neighbors are definitely gourmets. I'm not used to such fine dining, although such habituation is definitely a worthy aspiration.
Next, the neighbors retrieved a barbecued pork shoulder which they had also purchased at the farmers' market, rubbed with spices, and cooked for hours in a slow oven. We ate the exquisite pork on little plates, savoring every bite.
Then is was our turn to deliver a tapas treat. The pressure would have been great if it had not been for my dumb luck. That morning I had wanted to try a new recipe, stuffed grilled lake trout, which had I found in the cookbook, Wisconsin Wildfoods: A 100 recipes for Badger State Bounties. The recipe is intended for a 4-6 pound lake trout that I was supposed to have just pulled out of a northern Wisconsin lake or Lake Superior. I'm sure such a fish would have been superior to Dominick's rainbow. But when in Chicago, I do as the Chicagoans do and go to the grocery store. That afternoon I had made a mixture of steamed new potatoes, celery, onion, and mushrooms, seasoned it with lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning and stuffed it into two rainbow trout which I then wrapped in foil. That evening, while we enjoyed the other tapas dishes, the stuffed trout steamed on the grill. 
Twenty minutes later, we served the stuffed trout and it tasted as marvelous as it looked. The seasonings and vegetables more than made up for any deficiency in the fish's freshness. What a find, a delicious recipe for grilled fish which can actually be made ahead of time. You too can make this easy summer recipe; here's how:
- 1 4-6 pound lake trout
- fresh lemon juice
- Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 pound new potatoes, steamed
- 1 rib celery
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
- butter
- heavy-duty aluminum foil
Season fish inside and out with lemon and Old Bay seasoning. Stuff fish with vegetables. Butter inside of foil and wrap around fish. Place on hot coals or heated gas grill and cook. Check after 20 minutes to see if fish flakes; if so, remove from heat. If not, check every 5 minutes. Serve fish whole, on a platter, so diners can help themselves. This works well as part of a Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or other summer barbeque.
We ended the evening sipping a small selection of Greek liqueurs served in small clear glasses and enjoyed against the background explosions of 4th of July fireworks. Ahh, once again living the good life, but this time it wasn't in Wisconsin.
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