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Enjoy Food Fit for a Palace
Annual Awards Gala on June 3rd
By Sue
Tinnish
Seal, Inc.
Chicago is a city rich in culture. That richness is expressed
in the variety of people who call Chicago
home. Anyone, from conventioneers to tourists to
locals, can enjoy the variety of Chicago through its
neighborhoods, museums and, of course, restaurants.
On June 3, MPI members will have an opportunity to
enjoy the bold flavors and sensuous tastes of Mediterranean
cuisine at Alhambra Palace, the site of the
Annual Awards Gala.
The Mediterranean countries offer one of the most
colorful and vibrant collections of cuisines in the
world. Although people might think of Mediterranean
cuisines as including Italy and Greece, the region
is much more extensive. The Mediterranean
waters wash along the shores of the three continents
of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The 28,000 mile Mediterranean
Sea borders 20 countries including Spain, Morocco,
Egypt, France, Turkey and Yemen. The food
varies across each of these different countries and
sometimes even varies across different regions within
each country. Yet they all have common characteristics
that make the food popular worldwide.
One thing consistent about the different Mediterranean
cuisines is that they all share boldness of taste,
the purity of ingredients and the simplicity of conception.
In other words, they take the best ingredients
possible and do very little to them. The cuisine is
healthy and tasty.
Passed Appetizers:
-Spices Pita Chips with Hummus and Baba Ghanoush
Baby Artichoke Confit, Crispy Potato Skins with
Sliced Filet
Mini Empanadas
Curried Chicken Skewers
Table Hors D’ Oeuvres
Falafel
Baba Ghanoush
Dolmeh
Fattoush Salad
Hummus Chicken Wings
Buffet
Cumin Crusted Salmon Kabobs
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
Alhambra Rice
Assorted miniature desserts
Beverages
Open bar featuring beer (Lebanese, American, and
other imports), wine and a specialty cocktail. Coffee
and other beverages will complete the evening.
Please note that the bar will be closed during the
awards presentation.
Although varied, there are some common ingredients
enjoyed throughout the region, including olive oil, and
an emphasis on fresh vegetables and seafood. Common
ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine include
fresh vegetables, olives, yogurt, capers, chickpeas,
lamb, prosciutto, rice and couscous, cheese, honey,
pita bread and herbs and spices.
During Galahambra, MPI-CAC’s Annual Award Gala,
guests will enjoy eye-catching Mediterranean foods
rich in flavor, smell and taste that are only matched
by the exquisite surroundings. Alhambra Palace’s
menu is called Mediterranean East West with an emphasis
on Morocco, the Middle East and Spain. Our
delectable menu will consist of:
18 news & views | may-june 2008 www.mpicac.org