Chicago Hot Dogs - November 13 - St. Frances Cabrini

After ten years of ministering to the Catholic immigrants of New York City, Saint Frances Cabrini came to Chicago in 1899. She opened the Assumption School and then Columbus Hospital where she served the sick and at which she died in 1917. This was about twenty years before Chicago-style hot dogs became popular among the poor immigrant population she had loved. The “dragged through the garden” style of the classic Chicago hot dog was an inexpensive way for working-class Chicagoans to get protein and vegetables during the Great Depression, and it still is! To this day, the people of Chicago are very particular about their hot dogs. It has to be exactly these ingredients in exactly this order. And NO KETCHUP. I’d encourage you to give it a try, though. It really is a taste sensation. My plain-ketchup-dog-loving kiddos all give them two thumbs up.

Note: Some ingredients are difficult to source outside of Chicago. I either DIY’d or substituted as needed. Poppy seeds can be added to plain hot dog buns after steaming. Add a bit of blue food coloring to sweet pickle relish to get the surprising bright green of the Chicago-style, or just use it in its natural color. I substituted mild canned whole green chilies from the Mexican food aisle for the traditional sport peppers.