Chuck Charlie

Jim Dixon, yurt-owner, olive oil and salt maven, and an adept at a myriad of other hyphenated pursuits, gives us a reason to never open another tin of tuna.

Olive Oil Poached Albacore

New Seasons sells frozen-at-sea Oregon albacore, and I can usually find a pack of what might be called “steaks” instead of the more common “loins” (there’s no loin on a fish, of course, but that’s what the dressed fillets from these smaller tuna resemble). I like the steak cuts because they’re easy to fit into the bottom of a saucepan in a single layer. You can do this with the loins, too, but it requires some knife work.

However you get there, once you have the fish in the pan (and you want a tight fit), add enough oil to barely cover it and turn the burner on as low as it goes. When the oil just begins to bubble a bit, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for about 45 minutes. This is great hot, or store the cooked albacore with the olive oil used for poaching in the refrigerator and use for salads or fantastic tuna sandwiches.

NYT Does Portland...Frugally

The New York Times' Frugal Traveler columnist, Matt Gross (left, below), had "Sausage egg cheddar anchovies on a hard roll -- 1 of 3 best breakfast sandwiches ever" at Bunk Sandwiches this morning. How do I know this intimate detail? Like the rest of the world, I read his most recent tweet on Twitter. I was tipped off to his trip here by a comment from Meghan, a GSNW reader who'd seen the announcement on Matt's blog.

Want to let Matt in on your hot tip for frugal fun? You can follow him on Twitter @frugaltraveler and let him know what GSNW readers think he should (or shouldn’t) be doing in and around Portland.

Photo of Matt Gross by Tracy Sham © 2008.

In Season: Rapini By Any Other Name

Wanted: Rapini, aka raab, rabe, broccoli raab, broccoli rabe, broccoletti, broccoli di rape, cime di rapa, rappi, friarielli (in Naples) and grelos.

Known Associates, Other Aliases: One of the notorious Brassiceae tribe of the Brassicaceae family, but may also be calling itself Brassica rapa subspecies rapa, in the same subspecies as the turnip, but has had various other designations, including Brassica rapa ruvo, Brassica rapa rapifera, Brassica ruvo, Brassica campestris ruvo.

May disguise its looks, in this case, chopped and sautéed with garlic.

Distinguishing marks: Many spiked leaves surrounding a green bud which looks very similar to a small head of broccoli. There may be small yellow flowers blooming from the buds, which are edible with a flavor that has been described as nutty, bitter, pungent, and "an acquired taste."

When found: Report its whereabouts immediately to the nearest dinner table, preferably sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Salt and pepper may be required.

(Thanks to Wikipedia for the descriptions.)

Grateful for Pangrattato

You know the recession has hit home when the cover article of Gourmet magazine, bastion of culinary entitlement, is titled "One Terrific Ham Makes Six Incredible Dishes!"

As so many articles are telling us, though, you don't have to give up flavor just because the piggy bank has that scary hollow sound. In Italy, or so the story goes, in one of those times when the poor were getting poorer and they couldn't afford their beloved Parmigiano to sprinkle on their pasta, some genius fried bread crumbs in olive oil and garlic and used that instead, hoping her family wouldn't notice.

The magical mixture (I added some cheese anyway).

They were so hungry they most likely didn't, but she should have run down to the local patent office (surely the Romans had invented patents by then, hadn't they?) right then and there to tie up the rights.

The dish, called pangrattato or pasta con la mollica (mollica or modica being slang for breadcrumbs) was so popular it hung on even when better times (and the cheese) returned, where it was often modified with all kinds of condiments like olives, basil, anchovies, capers, mushrooms, etc., etc.

I'd never made it before, but while rummaging through the pantry as I so often do when I'm stuck for what to make for the ravening hordes (well, OK, Dave and Mr. B), I ran across a bag of garlic croutons that was reasonably fresh. All it took was crushing them with a rolling pin, mixing in a little lemon zest and parmesan, a side dish of sautéed rapini and, voilà, dinner! Genius!

Pangrattato

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1 1/2 c. crushed bread crumbs*
Zest of one lemon
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. parsley, chopped fine (optional)

Pour olive oil in skillet, add garlic and, while the pan heats, briefly sauté it, being sure not to brown the garlic. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until brown. Cool. Mix with remaining ingredients and toss with one lb. cooked pasta. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

* If using already toasted bread crumbs simply mix in with hot garlic and oil and cool. If using toasted garlic croutons, crush and proceed to mixing with other ingredients.

Optional ingredients include anchovies, capers, olives, mushrooms, fresh chopped herbs, red pepper flakes, etc.

A Gem Sparkles in Sellwood

It happened right in the middle of slurping a steaming bowl of noodle soup. Not that I couldn't have been anyplace doing just about anything, since the feeling comes over me all the time. It could be my friend Kathryn who simply must go to a particular gift shop tucked away in a downtown highrise. Or a bar that my brother (ha!) hadn't yet managed to find and blog about. But in this case I instantly knew I had to take my son to have a bowl of the steaming deliciousness.

In this case the must-share discovery was a little noodle shop in Sellwood where April Eklund (on right in photo at left) and her immensely talented mother, Cuong "Lucy" Eklund, have opened Jade Teahouse. Lucy bakes the bread for the banh mi sandwiches and makes the noodles for the udon and rice noodle soup fresh every morning. She also bakes all the picture-perfect desserts in the display case that look as though they've come straight out of a shop on the Ile Saint-Louis.

The Jade version of banh mi (right) is reason enough to go, with chewy, golden baguettes stuffed with thick slices of barbecued pork and the requisite pickled daikon and carrot with sprigs of cilantro. Need I mention that Lucy makes the sweetly tart pickles, too? And if pork doesn't ring your bell, they also have drunken chicken, tofu, turkey and Vietnamese meatball versions of these tasty sandwiches.

But the soups are what really shine here. We had the udon rice noodle soup with chicken and shrimp (left), the noodles thick and toothsome with plenty of chicken and large pink curled shrimp playing hide-and-seek in the broth, the crispy fried onions sprinkled on top that give an extra depth to the whole dish.

My wonton soup with spinach, pork and shrimp (top photo) blew me away with the tender, almost ethereal noodles enclosing a succulent bit of ground meat. The dumplings floated in the broth almost like some kind of sea creatures waiting to be brought to the surface. I've always wanted to try the Chinese specialty called xiaolongbao or soup dumpling which, when you bite into one, squirts out an incandescently flavorful broth surrounding its meaty center. Jade's wontons seem almost as luscious, and the baby spinach and those crispy onions make this an entirely satisfying meal.

So gather up your posse and head over to this little jewel. After all, what are friends for but to share with?

Details: Jade Teahouse & Patisserie, 7912 S.E. 13th Ave. 503-477-8985.

They Noticed!

I once came home with purple hair.

I sat down next to Dave and said, "Whaddaya think?" He got that deer-in-the-headlights look and said, "About what?"

"My hair, silly!" I replied. He looked at it.

"Did you get it cut?" he asked.

It kinda felt like that when I looked at the cover of the New York Times "Escapes" section yesterday and saw a photo of a bicyclist crossing the St. Johns Bridge under a headline that read "Portland, Portland Style: Touring By Bicycle."

It appears that, after twenty-plus years of becoming one of the country's most bikable cities, the word has finally reached the Gray Lady in her crumbling mansion.

"Careering through streets on a bicycle in Portland, Ore., this time of year can be an easy weekend adventure that mixes showers, sunbursts, cafes and a robust bicycle culture...It’s not unusual to see women riding through the winter in skirts and knee-high boots, followed by athletes training in winter riding clothing."

There was even a shout out to Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB), though describing it as "a tavern decorated with spare bike parts that serves organic beer" doesn't do justice to the model of green redevelopment that it has become.

Maybe they'll notice next time.

Photos by David N. Seelig for The New York Times.

Letter from Manhattan: Shingle and Shimmy with a Shake

Our GSNW Man in Manhattan, Carlton native Mark Dundas Wood, pulls on his snap-brim hat and turns up the collar of his trench coat to reflect on his favorite dive diners.

In boom times and bum times alike, culinary familiarity—comfort food—does a body good. In New York, smart entrepreneurs harnessed that need 13 years ago with their Comfort Diner outlets. On Comfort Diner platters, there’s plenty of mashed-potato-and-pumpkin-pie assurance that God’s in His kitchen and all’s right with the world.

Comfort Diners are a bit like culinary theme parks, with a snazzy logo (above) and even an annual Great Grilled Cheese Meltdown. It’s a fun, moderately upscale dining experience. Sometimes, though, no-frills, down-and-dirty snack shacks strike the fancy better than high-concept lunch counters.

What is it about turn-of-the-mill diners, with their laminated menus running on for 6 or 8 pages? We love them, but grudgingly. Sometimes I think we want meals that remind us of the food we grew up with, even if we grew up with some pretty tacky eats. My favorite since I’ve been in New York is the Galaxy Diner on 46th Street and 9th Avenue. Other, trendier restaurants in the neighborhood—Thai, Chinese, Italian—come and go, but the Galaxy pulls in SRO crowds consistently, especially during weekend brunch hours.

Their fare is ordinary, really. If you look online for reviews, you’ll see a few raves, more than a few raspberries and a lot of noncommittal comments such as “pretty good omelets” or “I do like the fact that they don’t butter their toast.”

The Galaxy certainly strives to be “out of this world.” When I started going there in the 1990s, there were murals on the wall showing fleets of Martian spaceships invading Earth, and of Martian infantry swarming the corner of 46th and 9th. A couple years ago, the place went upscale—outdoor sidewalk seating was added, along with a far-out planetarium-style ceiling. (The little green men, meanwhile, were painted over.) The menu didn’t change much, but the prices went up.

The Galaxy is a cleaner, better-dressed cousin of some real dive diners from my youth—The Sincere Café (in San Francisco’s Mission District) and Quality Pie (on 23rd Avenue in Northwest Portland). Those are not places I would want to revisit nowadays. I remember once taking a friend to the Sincere, and being horrified when he discovered a dead housefly nestled in the hollow of his spoon.

These days—when Time magazine trumpets the “End of Excess,” people seem to tread carefully around haute cuisine, perhaps equating it with high finance. Diners, though, are above—or below—suspicion. Surely Bernie Madoff never sat at a lunch counter very often—although these days, he’d probably welcome a night out even at the Sincere or QP. A place like the Galaxy assures us that, even if the economy bottoms out entirely, we’ll still be able to participate in a communal dining experience once in a while.

Just hold the dead houseflies.

So Thaaaaaat's Where It Comes From!

A little frivolity to get your weekend off to a good start.

(Thanks, BB!)

Livin' in the Blurbs: InFarmation and Wine

With the goal of supporting Oregon's family farmers and promoting socially responsible agriculture, Friends of Family Farmers was started in 2005. This last year they began a database of Oregon farmers at iFarm Oregon, and what they're calling a Facebook for farmers to provide social networking opportunities for farmers around the state. In Portland they've been holding InFARMation meetings for farmers and those interested in becoming farmers, as well as for food advocates and the general public, and presenting speakers who address issues and answer questions about family farming. The next meeting features third generation dairy farmer Jon Bansen of Double J Jersey farm in Monmouth, so plan to drop by!

Details: InFARMation (and Beer!) with Dairyman Jon Bansen of Double J Jersey Farm. Tues., April 14, 5:30-6:30 reception, 6:30-8:00 speaker; free with no-host food and drink. Roots Organic Brewing, 1520 SE 7th Ave. 503-759-3276.

* * *

It's all about spring this month at Castagna. They're celebrating the return of tender green things with a series of Thursday Night Flights featuring favorite lesser-known wine regions, with a focus on small organic and biodynamic winemakers who apply modern methods to traditional grape varieties. They'll pair each of them with a dish highlighting their region’s ingredients and culinary traditions for a memorable four-course meal. The schedule so far looks like this:

• April 9: Wines of France's Loire Valley
• April 16: Wines of France's Jura region

Details: Thursday Night Flights at Castagna. Four course meal with a flight of three wines, $45. Also available a la carte. Castagna Restaurant, 1752 SE Hawthorne Blvd. at the corner of 18th. 503-231-7373.

* * *

And speaking of spring and the avalanche of fresh produce that is about to come our way, you can help provide health care for the workers who harvest this bounty and get a gift for yourself or a friend by buying a copy of Oregon: The Taste of Wine by photographer Janis Miglavs. The book, a great behind-the-scenes look at wine and the people of the vineyards, was sponsored by Willamette Valley Vineyards and the proceeds go toward ¡Salud!, an organization that provides health care to Oregon's seasonal workers.

Details: Click Oregon: The Taste of Wine to order your copy!

Sunshine on a Rainy Day

People here in the Northwest start feeling a tad sun-deprived about this time of year. We've had a few warm, sunny days, but now we're in that darkness-before-dawn phase of spring. Folks are itching to plant vegetables in the garden and to go out on long hikes in the woods, but the ratio of mud to boots is still daunting.

Autentica's house margarita.

I'm finding myself dreaming about tropical beaches at sunset, or remembering long summer evenings sipping cocktails in the back yard. So when the neighbors wanted to meet us for dinner, I immediately suggested a trip to Mexico via NE Killingsworth.

The nopal cactus salad.

We hadn't been to Autentica for a couple of years and a large margarita was sounding mighty appealing, so as soon as we were seated (or was it even before all of us were in the door?) we ordered a round of their delicious lime-packed house concoctions, which might rate as among the best margaritas in Portland.

More cactus, this time relleno style.

They came almost immediately (what, had someone called ahead and warned them?) and as we slurped our first round we chose a couple of appetizers and a salad to share. The salad of strips of nopal cactus tossed with avocado, tomatoes and crunchy radishes, lightly dressed and topped with cilantro was terrific, as was the shrimp and avocado salad. Both were perfectly fresh and hit just the right notes for flavor and visual appeal. The octopus salad was equally fresh with the two curled arms a gorgeous shimmering black, but suffered from a chewy, overcooked texture. Sad, because when this salad is fresh there is nothing like it.

Carne ranchera, grilled beef in an ocean of beans.

Entrees ran the gamut from grilled pork loin served with black beans and a verde sauce (top photo) to a paddle of nopal split and stuffed relleno style, the cheese oozing out from the edges and served with a mild, creamy red chile sauce. The order of beans, lapping up against an island of steak topped with ranchero sauce and more of those cactus strips, was outstanding and possibly the best dish of the evening.

Carnitas.

It had stiff competition from the carnitas, falling apart in its chile-inflected marinade with a side of red chile sauce. And I'd like to take a moment to sing the praises of all the sauces we had, each uniquely complementing the dish it was served with for taste, texture and heat. In a cuisine known for its complex salsas, it's rare to find a place with such a wide-ranging selection, and speaks volumes about the care taken with each dish.

And since we'd come this far together, we decided to dive in and do dessert, too, sharing two slices of heaven in the form of a trés leches cake and the lime torte on the right. Both were incredible, the cake rich and moist, the torte, a pie, really, light yet rich and infused with enough lime to make that certain tang at the back of my tongue.

If we hadn't had to leave and head out into the chill, I'd be willing to suspend my disbelief and think I was in a little restaurant in Oaxaca. Not a bad feeling to have on a chilly Portland evening.

Details: Autentica, 5507 NE 30th St. 503-287-7555.

Man on a Mission

I wasn't looking forward to going. It was a week night, and it would have been nice to stay home and hang out with the family, have dinner, maybe watch a movie. But my friend Susan was meeting me, and I sighed heavily so everyone would know I was only going because I had to.

But once Bryant Terry walked out and opened his mouth, I was glad I came. A former graduate student in history studying social movements of the 60s, he eventually stumbled across references to the Black Panther Party. The food programs the Panthers ran in black urban neighborhoods were revolutionary at the time, centering around issues of food justice, with grocery giveaways and free breakfasts for poor children.

His own grandparents were from a rural area of Tennessee, and brought their rural food traditions with them when they moved to Memphis. This included vegetable gardens covering every inch of yard that fed not only their family but provided goods for bartering with the neighbors.

It was a tradition rich in community and bolstered by sharing food, and his interest in hip hop, the social efforts of the Panthers and educating people about healthy eating came together when he left the graduate program to enroll in culinary school. He sees cooking as a way to bring people together to build communities around good food and quotes freely from Anna Lappé and Alice Waters.

His new book, Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine,is an imaginative take on the traditional cookbook, not only because of its updating of traditional soul cuisine, but because he also includes suggestions of music to listen (and dance!) to while you're making the food. And I know that I, for one, will be looking forward to listening to more of what this young man has to say in the future.

Cardiologist Recommended But Not Required

The crazy guys at Kenny & Zuke's were just playin' around and came up with the ultimate (and you're not out of line to think, "Yeah, ultimately insane!") reuben sandwich. In Nick's own words:

"That, my friends, is a DDD reuben—as in triple-decker. In the middle is the standard lovely reuben with 9-10 ozs. of house-made pastrami, two slices of Swiss, Russian, and kraut. On top and bottom is another reuben, each with about 4 ozs. of pastrami and two slices of Swiss cheese. That's over a pound of pastrami, 1/4 lb. of swiss cheese and a whole bunch of creamy Russian all grilled together into a delicious mess. And as if that wasn't a cholesterol bomb waiting to explode in your heart, we went ahead and battered and deep-fried it. Hey, what can I say, we like to have some fun once in a while."

You can take a look at the process of creating this masterpiece/monstrosity here. And by the way, they're not planning on putting it on the menu, but it will be offered one day only on Wednesday, April 1.

Details: Kenny & Zukes, 1038 SW Stark St. 503-222-3354.

Intimations of Spring

The mention of miner's lettuce (claytonia perfoliata) in Jim Dixon's most recent post got me drooling in anticipation of the fleeting green delights to come...favas, pea shoots, spring peas, asparagus and so many more.

We spent our weekend up at the yurt. Spring at the east end of the gorge brings a vivid blast of green to a landscape that’s beautifully muted most of the year. It also means we’ll find the tender, near-succulent leaves of miner’s lettuce, a member of the purslane family, under the clusters of Oregon white oak. Right now they’re more like tiny micro greens, but we still picked enough to add to a simple salad of chopped Romaine drizzled with Madre Terra extra virgin olive oil and a splash of Katz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc vinegar.

But most of the produce available still looks back to the colder months. Along with the salad, we had brussels sprouts.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts

Coarsely chop a pound or so of brussels sprouts and a walnut-sized shallot. Cook them together in a healthy glug of extra virgin olive oil with a good pinch of sea salt until just tender. Add a splash of good vinegar or a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Proust in Mexico

Just think of it. If Proust had grown up in Mexico and his mother had offered him, instead of a cup of tea and a madeleine, a warm tortilla fresh from the comal. And a small bite of it had brought back a single, happy memory of the tortillas his beloved aunt had made for him as a child.

Would a "Remembrance of Things Past" that conjured a Mexican village instead of a French one, with "its surroundings, taking shape and solidity," have affected the history of literature as it did?

For me, all it takes is the aroma of warm corn tortillas, or a whiff of the sharp citrus scent of a freshly cut lime to bring back memories of Mexico, of a beach at sunset, a line of palm-roofed palapas illuminated by candles flickering in the warm breeze off the ocean.

It was at just such a place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, that I had Veracruzana, a dish made with the local fish called huachinango. Quickly cooked in a sauce of chiles, green olives and tomato, then brought to the table and scooped up with fresh tortillas, it instantly rocketed to the top of my list of most-ordered menu items. And it's become a big favorite here at home when its cold and rainy and we need a reminder of more tropical climes.

Snapper Veracruzana
Adapted from Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook by Susanna Palazuelos and Marilyn Tausend

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 bell peppers or combination of peppers like poblano, jalapeño, serrano, red bell, etc. (mixing colors is good, too), about 2-3 c. sliced in strips
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. oregano
2 lbs. tomatoes, seeded and chopped or large can roma tomatoes, crushed, with their juice
3 Tbsp. capers
1/2-1 c. green olives, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. red snapper or similar fish filets

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and sauté onions, garlic and peppers till tender. Add bay leaves and oregano and sauté 1 min., then add tomatoes, capers and green onions. Simmer 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in another skiller. Brown snapper on both sides and transfer to 9" by 12" baking dish. Pour tomato sauce over top and bake in 375° oven for 15 minutes. Serve with rice, fresh tortillas and green salad.

Finally, Some Payback!

Grateful isn't the right word. And neither is thankful. Blessed comes close, though I'm not particularly prone to using religious analogies. But what else can I say about the people who've been so supportive of this science experiment, my attempts to learn to write? You've stuck with me through the silly and the profound, the ups and downs. So this year I'm dedicating myself to giving back to you.

First up is a discount on tickets to Matt Miner's Hollywood House Concerts for GSNW readers. Matt and his wife, Sasha, host music concerts in their home and have started working with the folks at Blackbird Wineshop on NE Fremont. Matt is offering GoodStuffNW readers a discount on a pair of tickets to the April 11th show featuring New York jazz singer Kendra Shank with phenomenal guitarist John Stowell. The clincher is a special appearance by legendary jazz vocalist Nancy King.

For only $50 for two (regularly priced at $60 for the pair), you get up close and personal with these nationally known musicians, accompanied by a selection of desserts from Sasha. Wine is available for purchase from the shop to make the whole evening even better!

Details: Kendra Shank, John Stowell and special guest Nancy King in concert. April 11, 8 pm; $50 for two. E-mail Matt to reserve your tickets.

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Wait! There's More!

And if you vote for my post on Culinate.com before noon on Tuesday, Mar. 31, you could help GSNW win a signed pre-release copy of Deborah Madison's new book What We Eat When We Eat Alone that I'll give away in a future drawing. So both of us can win!

Scene in Public

Yup. That's him. Watching a ball game and drinking a beer.

According to an article in today's New York Times, he went to a (Chicago, of course) Bulls/Wizards game recently. And he and Michelle have even (gasp!) dined out at Washington restaurants like Equinox, Bobby Van's Steakhouse and other spots not normally associated with presidential appearances.

Whose cockamamie idea was this, anyway? Doesn't he know that a president isn't supposed to venture outside the bubble that is the White House with its sycophantic, self-referential babble? And how welcome a sign is that?

More to the point, even: What beer is he drinking?

Livin' in the Blurbs: Stuff Yourself for a Good Cause

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

- Ghandhi

On Tuesday, April 7th, you can join Mercy Corps and your neighborhood restaurants in their wish for a world that is free of suffering, poverty and oppression. Dine at any participating establishment and 25% of your bill will be donated to Mercy Corps to change the world for the better. The list of participating restaurants is growing all the time, so mark the date on your calendar and check the Dine For Mercy Corps website for the latest updates.

Details: Dine for Mercy Corps. Tues., Apr. 7. List of participating establishments on the website.

* * *

Join 50 restaurants, 20 wineries and four breweries in an effort to help end childhood hunger at this year's Taste of the Nation celebration. It's happening on Monday, April 27, at LUXE Autohaus in NE Portland, and it's sure to be a party with a MIXology station featuring a rotating cast of some of Portland's most creative bartenders, emcee and no slacker with a shaker herself, Lucy Brennan of Mint and 820. Tickets are limited, so get yours now.

Details: Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation. Mon., Apr. 27, 6:30 pm; $75 general admission. Tickets available online or call 1-877-26TASTE.

* * *

During the month of April, Portland's own Hotlips Pizza is passing out free packets of wheat seeds to anyone who comes into any their five Portland-area pizzerias during the month of April (while supplies last). They have 2,000 seed packets to give away. The seeds are Tara red spring wheat from Shepherd's Grain Cooperative in Washington State. Says David Yudkin, co-owner of Hotlips, "This weekend is the sixth anniversary of the US war with Iraq, so we thought it was timely when our wheat farmer, Karl Kupers, handed us a sack of wheat seed from last season's crop, ready to plant."

Details: Free Wheat Seeds from Hotlips Pizza. All of April while supplies last. Check their website for locations.

Hot Coffee: Portland's New Breed of Micro Roasters

"It was my gateway drug; you know how it is. I was away at college and a supplier down the street offered high-quality product. After I'd had it once, there was no going back."

Read my article about Portland's new breed of coffee roasters in this month's MIX magazine!

In Season: Nettles?

The good news:

"Nettles are fantastically high in vitamins A and C, and rich in nutrients, including calcium, choline, magnesium, boron, iron, iodine, silica , sulfur, potassium, chlorophyll, histamine, serotonin, glucoquinones, bioflavonoids, tannins and amino acids. They're unusually high in protein (40%) for a plant."

The bad news:

"These are a great and healthful green to eat, but they are only eaten cooked. Take care when handling, they will sting while raw. It takes very little cooking to shed the stinging."

I think that qualifies them as "extreme food." They were eventually going to be the main ingredient, along with a couple of leeks from the farmers' market, in a tart I was making for an appetizer, and serving it with my hands wrapped in gauze would probably be less than appetizing for my guests.

So I donned my (brand-new) gardening gloves, dumped the bag of nettles into the colander, gave them a good rinse and then transferred them into a hot skillet to wilt. After they cooled, and without the gloves, the big stems were removed and the (now stingless) leaves were picked off. Basically tasting like spinach or fiddlehead ferns, I chopped them, squeezed out the water that remained and added them to the tart.

And I mean, how many times do you get to tell a story about risking your safety for the pleasure of your guests? So worth it!

Spring Leek and Nettle Tart

Crust
1 1/4 c. unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick margarine, frozen and cut into eight pieces
2-3 Tbsp. ice water

Filling
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, margarine or oil
2 leeks, white parts only, halved, rinsed and cut in 1/4" slices
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
4 c. nettles (not packed)
1 c. grated cheese
3/4 c. cream, half and half or milk
2 large eggs yolks
2 large eggs

For crust: Blend flour and salt in processor. Add margarine and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and pulse until the dough starts to come together in the bowl. Remove, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

For filling: While dough chills, chop garlic, slice leeks and mushrooms and grate cheese. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet and add garlic and leeks. Saute till wilted, then add mushrooms and saute till golden, about 10 minutes. Mix in thyme and cool.

Wearing thick gloves, dump nettles into colander and rinse. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet and add nettles, cooking until nettles are wilted and most of the water they release has evaporated. Drain in colander and cool. Remove larger stems if desired and squeeze out water, then chop coarsely.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough and place in non-stick tart pan with removable bottom, allowing 1/2" overlap. Fold rim down with 1/8" of dough remaining above rim. Line crust with foil and bake 20 min. or until lightly golden. Remove foil.

Sprinkle cheese in crust. Cover with vegetables. Whisk cream, yolks and eggs in bowl and pour over ingredients in crust. Bake until filling is set and top is golden, about 30 min. Serve immediately or cool on rack.

First Picks of the Season

It was early on a Saturday morning. Sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking my coffee and reading the paper, the idea of getting dressed, much less heading out into the cold morning, was distinctly unappealing.

For the optimists, bedding plants galore.

But once I got there and saw the gathering of tents, the first of the morning's shoppers with their bags starting to bulge with purchases and then got wind of the smoke from Tastebud's wood oven, I knew it had been worth coming. There's something about the first markets of the season that draw me, whether it's the promise of spring they bring or watching people's expressions on seeing the very first green things of the season piled high on vendors' tables.

No matter the weather, pasta is always appropriate.

I'd heard there might be protests over the banning of dogs at the markets on the Park Blocks, but no sign-wielding, poop bag-hurling dog owners were in sight. Maybe because no one could be cranky as the sun broke through the clouds and bathed the stalls in its early morning light.

Eventually my bag filled with arugula, nettles (see accompanying post) and paté, along with Fressen's dense, nutty rye bread and the Happy Chickens ladies' fresh eggs. What can I say? With all this goodness available, why would anyone stay home?

Details: Portland Farmers' Market at PSU. Sat., 8:30 am-2 pm. At Portland State University in the South Park Blocks between SW Harrison & Montgomery.

A Garden on the Lawn

"With the help of local elementary school students, Michelle Obama broke ground for a White House garden and initiated a public campaign to help Americans better understand where their food comes from."

- Washington Post, Mar. 20, 2009

While I read that Laura Bush insisted that organic foods were served at the White House to her family, she never bothered to share that with the nation. Is anyone else as excited as I am about how different things are now?

Watch the video here.

The Last Throes of Winter

Though we've had a couple of seductive days of near-60° weather here in the northern Willamette Valley, it's still a long, drawn-out slog till good weather comes to stay. But you gotta eat, right? And savoring those last few cold weather vegetables almost makes you miss them before they're gone. (Yeah, right...) Jim Dixon of Real Good Food shares his recipe for a New Orleans classic.

The foods of early spring might trigger anticipation of the coming bounty, but produce reality means I’m still eating lots of cabbage (not that I’m complaining). Celery root is another winter favorite of mine, and I just pulled one out of the vegetable drawer that I bought at the December farmers market (the things will obviously keep for awhile).

I wanted to try out my new Zyliss julienne cutter (it looks like a swivel peeler, but with a row of teeth), so I made my version of remoulade. Strictly speaking, remoulade is a mayonnaise based sauce with herbs. My version uses a little mayo, but offers a hat tip to New Orleans, where remoulade is usually tomato-based and served with shrimp, with a little bit of Crystal, Louisiana’s favorite hot sauce. You can eat this as a salad, alongside fish or meat, or pile it on a sandwich.

Celery Root Remoulade

Peel the celery root (I use a heavy knife and slice off the outer layer) and cut into julienne (you can also grate, tho’ the texture will be different, or cut into thin matchsticks by hand, which will take awhile).

Mix a couple of tablespoons of Katz Gravenstein Apple Cider vinegar* with a little sugar (about a tablespoon) and a healthy pinch of sea salt (for cooking I use the fine Sal Marinho Tradicional from Necton, and I’ll have a few bags on Saturday at the Portland State University farmers' market). Stir in about twice as much extra virgin olive oil (about a half cup), a couple of tablespoons or so of stone ground mustard, a few shakes of Crystal (substitute with a similar vinegar-based sauce like Frank’s or use a bit less Tabasco since it’s hotter), and, if you like things a little creamier, a bit of mayo.

Combine the celery root with the dressing and let sit for at least 20 minutes (if you can wait that long). Serve.

* Jim informs us that, though it isn't listed on his website, he usually has the Katz vinegar in stock. E-mail him if you want some.

Photo from Seasonal Eats.