Chicago Sun Times

I’ve never been to Maine for a lobster roll, but the ones I’ve had in other places have been so good that I knew I needed to make one myself.This version is from my cookbook “Home” and is made with perfectly cooked lobster meat that is plump, juicy, and tender but also firm, and slightly chewy. The trick to this recipe is soaking the lobster meat in the cooled cooking liquid to give it an extra burst of flavor and to rinse away any residue from the surface, leaving nothing behind but sweet, briny lobster meat. This image released by Voracious shows the cookbook “Home” by Bryan Voltaggio. (Voracious via AP)Voracious via AP Lobster RollsMakes 6 to 8IngredientsTrinity Sauce1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)1 tablespoon sriracha1 teaspoon soy sauce1/2 teaspoon fish sauce1/8 teaspoon sesame oil1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh chives1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leavesOur Bay Seasoning Blend1 dried shiitake mushroom1 tablespoon black peppercorns4 bay leaves1 tablespoon coriander seeds1/8 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds½ teaspoon red pepper flakes½ teaspoon piment d’Espelette2 teaspoons onion powder2 ¼ teaspoons paprika2 ½ teaspoons celery seeds½ teaspoon garlic powder2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fine sea saltLobster Salad8½ quarts water¾ cup white vinegar½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fine sea salt¼ cup Our Bay Seasoning Blend6 1 ½-pound lobsters3 celery ribs, peeled and thinly sliced½ head fennel, cut into small dice3/4 cup Trinity Sauce1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice6 to 8 hot dog buns, homemade or store-bought, for servingUnsalted butter, room temperature, for griddling the bunsPotato chips, for servingDirectionsMake the Trinity Sauce: Put all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well to blend. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed. Trinity Sauce will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.Make the Our Bay Seasoning Blend: Place all of the ingredients except the salt in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the salt. If you have weighed the ingredients correctly, the mixture should be in between orange and brown in color, and will be so delicious you’ll want to put it on everything. Our Bay can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one year.Cook the lobster: Put the water, vinegar, salt and Our Bay Seasoning in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and submerge the lobsters in the pot. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Take out the lobsters and transfer to a large platter to cool. Reserve the cooking liquid.Once they are cool enough to handle, use kitchen shears and a lobster cracker to remove all of the meat. Put the lobster meat in a large container and pour over just enough of the cooking liquid to cover the meat. Let the lobster meat macerate in the cooking liquid for 30 minutes.Make the lobster salad: Drain the lobster meat, pat dry, cut into bite-size pieces (roughly 1-inch dice) and put in a large bowl. Add the celery, fennel, Trinity Sauce and lemon juice. Mix gently with a spatula to blend. Reserve the lobster salad in the refrigerator.Prepare the lobster rolls: Split open the hot dog buns and spread butter on the insides. Set a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the buns, butter side down, in the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the insides of the buns are crisp and golden brown. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer to a large platter and fill generously with lobster salad. Serve with potato chips alongside.Bryan Voltaggio is the executive chef and owner of restaurants Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse, Showroom, and Wye Oak Tavern at Visitation Hotel in Maryland. He was a finalist on Top Chef Season 6 and Top Chef Masters Season 5, the first chef to compete on both programs.Excerpted from “Home,” by Bryan Voltaggio. Copyright (copyright) 2015 by Bryan Voltaggio. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

A Kane County resident recently contracted measles, according to the county’s health department. The resident, who was unvaccinated against the virus, is no longer infectious, according to a statement from the Kane County Health Department. The statement included two possible exposure locations: Kaneland High School in Maple Park on Aug. 18, 2026 during the school day.Next Generation Pediatric Clinic in South Elgin on Aug, 21, 2026 between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.There have been five measles cases reported in the state so far this year, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents died from measles, state health officials reported on Tuesday. Those are the first two deaths tied to the virus so far this year in the U.S.Measles was once considered to be eradicated in the country. But cases have been on the rise in recent years. In 2025, the U.S. had more reported measles cases and deaths since 1992, according to KFF.

Canada struck back Tuesday at the United States with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment, as the trade war between the once friendly neighbors escalated sharply.The confrontation threatened one of the world’s largest trading relationships and further strained ties between the United States and a country long considered one of its closest allies. A prolonged dispute could raise costs for U.S. businesses and consumers less than 2½ months before the midterm elections.The new tariffs extended well beyond industrial goods, hitting everyday purchases such as seafood, cheese, clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper, with some facing duties as high as 50%.“We did not choose this conflict, but when our economic integration is used as a weapon rather than the foundation for a win-win partnership, we need to stand up,” Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in French, calling the situation “an unprecedented challenge imposed on Canada.”Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urged Canadians to buy Canadian goods, saying doing so would help protect jobs and launch a “movement of resistance.” She said the tariffs would put pressure on particular states in the U.S. A senior Canadian official said Ottawa did not design the new measures around the U.S. electoral map, unlike during Trump’s first term, when retaliatory tariffs were crafted to hit politically sensitive products. Back then, Canada targeted U.S. yogurt that came largely from Wisconsin, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan’s home state, as well as whiskey from Kentucky, home state of then-Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the government’s strategy, said the new tariffs were chosen primarily to match U.S. measures and put pressure on American industries and supply chains, with state-level political effects a secondary consideration.Canada’s retaliation came after the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs over the weekend on Canadian goods after the collapse of trade negotiations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Washington of trying to subordinate Canada and said U.S. demands during the failed talks showed that Americans wanted to “destroy our major industries.”Trump told Canadian leaders to ‘fall in line’Trump intensified the confrontation Monday, telling Canadian leaders to “fall in line” or face consequences “far WORSE” than existing tariffs and threatening new 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel.Trump added another provocation Tuesday, saying the United States was giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” in a feud with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Such a change would be reminiscent of the Republican president’s unilateral action last year by executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.In the hours before Canada’s announcement, Trump went on a social media tear against the country, accusing it of ripping off American farmers and driving American companies out of business.“I deal with many countries, and Canada is easily the most difficult and unreasonable,” Trump wrote in one post. “They feel entitled, but they are not a State, and will be entitled no longer!”Because the Supreme Court struck down his biggest tariffs in February, the president turned this time to an obscure provision of a Depression-era trade law that gives him the power to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses. No president has ever imposed such tariffs before, so they are untested in court.The tariffs will take effect Sept. 8 at rates of 15%, 25% and 50%, with Canada matching the corresponding U.S. tariff rate on more than 700 products. The tariffs on many American products would double from 25% to 50%, with the largest share of the new measures affecting steel and aluminum.Canadian officials said the goal is not to raise revenue but to protect Canadian companies and reduce U.S. imports.U.S. steel imports, for example, have already fallen 30% since Canada imposed a 25% tariff, and the new 50% rate is expected to cut them further, Canadian officials said.Goods facing 50% tariffs include some steel and aluminum products, furniture and clothing. Appliances, dairy products including cheese, fish and seafood, and certain steel and aluminum derivatives will face 25% tariffs. Existing Canadian countertariffs on U.S. autos will remain in place.Canadian officials acknowledged the countertariffs will raise costs for some businesses and consumers but said they expect the overall economic effects to be moderate.Canada and the United States have deeply integrated supply chains across autos, energy, agriculture and manufacturing, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border. Related Illinois attorney general sues over Trump’s latest tariffs Canadians cancel trips to Chicago over Trump, sparking worries ahead of summer tourist season

The Sky banned former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom from attending their games.Principal owner Michael Alter spoke to local Chicago media to give his account of Sunday’s incident at the Fever game, when Natasha Cloud and Kanter Freedom got into a verbal altercation that ended with Kanter Freedom’s ejection.Alter’s view, summed up, was this: The Sky are no fans of Kanter Freedom’s, and he’s not welcome back until he can prove to their satisfaction that he will abide by their rules.Overall, Alter was proud of how security handled the situation. His only regret, he said, was not informing the players ahead of time that Kanter Freedom would be there.Kanter Freedom mocked the league and the queer community in recent weeks by claiming to be a woman and declaring for the WNBA draft. He showed up at the Fever game Sunday wearing a shirt that defined women by biological sex and later claimed to be supporting his friend, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, whose profile has risen since she opposed transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.“It was pretty clear to us that his purpose of coming here was trying to be provocative and see how much attention he could get,” Alter said.Kanter Freedom went on Fox News Monday to give a very different account: he implied that Sky were happy to have him there, that he was a well-intentioned and well-mannered guest, and that the WNBA hypocritically tossed him out for “supporting women.”“All that is completely false,” Alter said. “He portrays himself as this victim who did nothing, said nothing, was just wearing a T-shirt that he thought was so cute and provocative, and all the sudden he got thrown out of the game.“We had five different security authorities all agree very quickly that there was no alternative but to throw him out because he made himself into a threat.”Alter said the Sky learned Kanter Freedom was coming only a few hours before the game and immediately got arena security, team security and the league involved. The fact that his ticket had not been purchased in his own name was, in Alter’s view, further evidence that he came with bad intentions.Sky staff members were instructed to ignore Kanter Freedom and not “take the bait.”According to Alter, everything changed when Kanter Freedom responded to Cloud by standing up from his seat, extending his arms, pointing a finger and taking a step toward the court.“He went from being a fan, an obnoxious fan but a fan, to being a potential threat,” Alter said.He also rejected Kanter Freedom’s claim that Cloud’s outburst was entirely unprovoked. He said he interviewed fans seated next to Kanter Freedom who told him the former NBA player had started chirping at Cloud — basketball-related trash talk — in the third quarter. The two went back and forth from there.Finally, Alter emphasized that Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca is no fan of Kanter Freedom’s, either.Kanter Freedom implied that Pagliocca, his former trainer, had welcomed him to the game.Alter said Kanter Freedom and Pagliocca haven’t spoken in years. Kanter Freedom’s manager was the one who sent Pagliocca an unusual message about attending the game, and Pagliocca simply replied, “Appreciate the text.”Alter said he’s spoken to Cloud since the incident, but preferred to let her speak for herself when she’s ready.

As courts continue to decide the fate of President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in ballots, Cook County and Illinois election officials say they’re going full speed on their preparations for early voting and vote-by-mail ballots in the November election. And as Trump continues a multi-pronged effort to sow doubt on mail ballots, they’re also working to assure voters that the process is secure.“Voting by mail is not a shortcut around the safeguards that protect our election,” Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon said. “It is a secure, established voting option that is governed by state law and is subject to multiple checks throughout the process.”Gordon on Tuesday morning hosted U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, State Sen. Laura Murphy and voting rights leaders from ACLU Illinois, Common Cause and the League of Women Voters for a tour of Cook County’s ballot processing center in Cicero — a day after the U.S. Supreme Court paused a lower court ruling that had blocked parts of Trump’s March executive order.The court did not weigh in on the legality of the order. Trump’s executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security to create a list of U.S. citizens, with the Postal Service also creating a list of eligible voters from each state. The Postal Service would then deliver mail-in ballots to only those on the lists.Beyond the Supreme Court decision, an injunction is already in place from a ruling that blocked the U.S. Postal Service from following Trump’s order. The Justice Department, however, is asking for a pause on that ruling. The U.S. Postal Service also released a new rule for mail ballots — requiring a bar code on the envelope — but it comes less than two weeks before some states begin sending ballots to voters. Additional legal challenges are expected — and it’s unclear whether states would be able to change their procedure in time. Trump has said his executive order is intended to stop people who lack legal status from voting in federal elections, which is already extremely rare. The Illinois State Board of Elections says 10 “noncitizens” have been confirmed to have voted in an Illinois election since 1982. The Cook County Clerk’s office on Tuesday said they have had no records of that happening. Related As Trump pushes sweeping changes to mail voting, here’s where things stand in Illinois “The Postal Service should deliver ballots, not decide who gets to vote,” Krishnamoorthi said. The Schaumburg Democrat said Trump is trying to give the federal government and the Postal Service powers over elections that Congress hasn’t doled out to the Postal Service.“A federal district court has already found that Congress did not give the USPS authority to decide which voters receive mail-in ballots,” Krishnamoorthi said. “State and local officials administer our elections. The Postal Service delivers the mail, and that’s it.”Krishnamoorthi said he’s also renewing calls for Postmaster General David Steiner to resign. He has also pressed for Steiner to testify before Congress, but Republicans have thus far failed to subpoena him.“I respectfully submit that it is time to remove him because he’s weaponizing the USPS for voter suppression,” Krishnamoorthi said.Despite the ruling, Gordon said it’s “business as usual,” and she’s preparing for the election by fighting misinformation at her “Trusted Source” website, expanding “smart ballot” drop boxes for mail-in ballots and preparing for an influx of early voting, which begins Oct. 19.“We always have contingency plans in place for anything that can occur, whether it’s a sudden decision, whether it’s weather, any type of emergency. But I’ll say this is business as usual,” Gordon said. “We’ll continue to do what we’re doing in terms of our mail ballots, making sure that we get them counted, making sure we give everyone in the county accurate information.”The clerk’s office is deploying 56 of the “smart ballot” drop boxes at early voting locations in suburban Cook County, for voters who don’t want to use the mail to send their ballots back. The machine has a built-in surveillance cameras, tamper-resistant construction and ballot tracking, giving voters a way to see what happens to their ballot after depositing it. Views of the new drop off ballot boxes housed at the Cook County Elections Processing Center Tuesday. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ Gordon is recommending voters who choose to mail their ballot to send it in early.“My message is not don’t vote by mail,” Gordon said. “My message is make a voting plan.”Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich added that nothing has changed with the state’s mail ballot plan, even though legal challenges abound.“At this point, it doesn’t change anything about the vote by mail process in Illinois,” Dietrich said. “And now we’re basically a month away from vote by mail ballots being sent to voters, so all of this stuff is really coming up. We’re only nine weeks out from the election, so the clock is ticking on all of these things.”