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lifestyle & arts
THe North shore weekend
05/04 – 05/05/13
A Matter of Taste
Gonzalez enjoys freedom to make own menu ■ by katie rose mceneely
Armando Gonzalez
photography provided by libertad
Armando Gonzalez is the executive chef of Libertad in Skokie. How did you start cooking? I started cooking a long time ago, when I was probably 8 years old. My parents got divorced, so I was the only guy in the house cooking for my youngest brother (my mother was working). It was easy for me, and I also helped out in my mother’s restaurant. I came back to the U.S. in 1993, and I started to work as a line cook in a sports bar. What made you decide to become a professional chef? The thing is, I didn’t go to school, and when I worked in my first restaurant, I was in love. It’s in my blood. To work in a restaurant, you have to be in love. It’s not about a job. Best advice? It’s very simple: I worked for many different kinds of restaurants, and I learned a lot of stuff. To make a recipe is easy. Make sure you have a really good team to work with. Signature dish? Scallops, pan-seared and served with black rice, Chinese long beans, and a little butter sauce. Favorite food to make? I like to work with everything — meat, fish, vegetarian —and at Libertad, we have three signature dishes: scallops, skirt steak, and a poblano pepper tempura-style that we fill with wild mushrooms, goat cheese, tofu, salsa — it’s very light. The carne asada has heirloom tomatoes and chipotle goat cheese and chimichurri. It’s unique — Libertad means freedom and I’m free to use my recipes to make my own menu. We change the menu seasonally. Only my signature dishes stay on the menu. What do you like to eat at home? My wife cooks for me once in a while! I cook at home for my wife — I do the same thing, I pretty
much go for fish, because my wife likes it. Worthwhile gadget? My knife and my tongs. Favorite cookbook? I try to be unique — I’ve spent my life in the kitchen, so I don’t use any recipes. I think that’s why people love it here; it’s a lot of big surprises. I don’t use any books. Favorite fruit or vegetable? My favorite fruit is the mandarin and bananas. Vegetable is the chayote, a Mexican squash, because there’s a lot of things you can make with it. Funniest or most memorable kitchen incident? There’s a lot of funny stuff. One time I was working late and one of my crew was downstairs, but I didn’t know he was there, and he didn’t know I was there, and we scared each other. We laughed a lot. Recipe: Carne Asada For the sauce: Place 3 bunches of chopped cilantro; 3 bunches of chopped flat parsley; 8 chopped garlic cloves; 1 lime with the ends cut off; 1 cup white vinegar; 3 chopped Serrano chilies; 3 tablespoons salt; and 1 tablespoon fresh pepper in a blender and pulse until finely blended. Add 2 cups extra virgin olive oil. Mix 6 ounces goat cheese with 4 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo until fully incorporated. Grill 3 pounds of peeled outer skirt steak seasoned with salt and pepper to desired temperature. Top with chipotle goat cheese and serve with chimichurri to taste. Libertad is located at 7931 Lincoln Ave. in Skokie. For more information or to make a reservation, call 847-674-8100 or visit libertad7931.com
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