The Daley Question

Re-creating restaurant's Tuscan chicken pasta

Rock Bottom

The roofttop beer garden of the Rock Bottom restaurant on Grand Avenue in downtown Chicago is packed on a Thursday night in this Tribune file photo. (Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune)

2 cups tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3/4 teaspoons each: salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover, refrigerate until ready to use.

Roasted garlic butter

This recipe calls for a head of roasted garlic. To make it, slice the top off a head of garlic to expose the top of all the cloves, rub on some olive oil, wrap the head in aluminum foil, bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 to 60 minutes until the cloves are soft and golden brown. Let cool, squeeze cloves into a bowl and set aside. Unused roasted garlic butter may be refrigerated or frozen for future use.

1/2 pound each: butter, margarine

1 head roasted garlic cloves, pureed

8 cloves garlic, minced

4 sprigs parsley, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1.Place butter and margarine in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment on medium speed, mix until completely soft and smooth.

2.Add the remaining ingredients and mix until blended. Stop as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even blending.

Do you have a question about food or drink? E-mail Bill Daley at: wdaley@tribune.com. Snail mail inquiries should be sent to: Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611. Twitter @billdaley.

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