A Jersey Girl in Portland

Potato water saves the day (and the squash)

I was not born in Portland, but I'm about as 'Portland' as you get. My clothing comes from a thrift shop. I walk (or bike) almost everywhere. I haven't used a

plastic grocery store bag since I-can't-remember-when and I arrived four-years-ago with a dog and a bicycle. I even have an ordinary Portland career as a cook, with a tattooer Manfriend.

I digress.

Frugality in Portland is a way of life. Everyone I know mends stuff, fixes things, knits, cans food, dehydrates, etc.  For me, frugality is almost unconscious. I use every scrap of meat, veg and/or starch that comes my way. 

It's how I show respect for the food and forces that brought it to me.

One of my favorite 'savies' is the gravy and veggies leftover from braises like short ribs or pot roast. Heat up three packages of braise veg, strain, and you have a perfect, hearty meat stock. It makes a KILLER soup.

Today I sing the virtues of another freezer staple. Potato water. I've put it in bread but save it for any soup that needs to be stretched or thickened. When Manfriend Spike* and I made haggis I froze the potato cooking water. If you cook potatoes properly, you won't have much pot water. I had a lot because we cook two or three pounds of spuds for the party.

This morning, I woke up hungry for soup and took mental inventory. I had half a roasted acorn squash, some mushrooms and shallots but no stock. Damn. I thought about making a quick batch of chicken stock until I remembered that I had a quart of potato water in the freezer.

Acorn squash and potato essence** soup

4 cups pot water (pot for POTATO, silly stoner) (it's the water used to boil potatoes)

1/2 roasted acorn squash

1 large shallot, fine dice

5 crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 cup cream

1/4 cup white cooking wine

2 Tbsp olive oil (divided use)

1 Tbsp butter

salt TT

Heat pot water. Add roasted squash. Mash with a potato masher.

While the pot water and squash heat, saute shallots in 1 Tbsp olive oil until just soft. Add to pot water and squash. Heat OO and butter. Saute mushrooms until well caramelized. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Reduce au sec (until syrupy). Add to soup. Heat thoroughly, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add cream and adjust seasoning.

4 servings

I haven't put up a photo of Belmont in ages. Here she is in all her 5-year-old glory.

 Always cook like you mean it.

XOXO

Nancy

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* Spike has a really good food blog. He's an amazing cook -- every bit my equal in the kitchen. He's also a very good writer. His blog is a hoot. Check it out.

** In fine dining, a thin broth becomes an 'essence.'

.

 

Sunday night dinner: Risotto, confit buffalo ribs, chimicurri

Manfriend Spike and I had the day off so we had some fun, ran errands, sold some of his  books at Powell's, bought books at Powell's, went to happy hour and had a quiet dinner at home.

Hmm. Let me start over. Manfriend Spike and I had the day off. We moved furniture, worked deals, had adult libations, adult relations, dined out, and cooked. Oh did we cook.

But first we ate ceviche. At a local joint, Limo Peru. Had the causa (a potato cake --almost a molded potato salad garnished with avocado and hard boiled egg), Leche de Tigre ceviche, and chicharron de pescado (fried fish). Wonderful. The cooks use perfect ingredients and each dish shone with talent.

Adding to the excitement of the day...we sold books at Powell's. Spike got some dough so we came home with two new cookbooks: The Silver Spoon (for me) and Ferran Adria's The Family Meal for Spike. A lot of food lit to peruse.

"Silver Spoon" clocks in at 1263 pages and a whopping 6 pounds. Small type. It's going to take a day or so before I work up the courage to open the book or use the brand-new green or yellow satin ribbon recipe/place markers. It's sooooo much book.

Spike's "The Family Meal" has remarkable visual appeal. Each menu of three items each is visually organized. A photo of all three finished dishes, a photograph of all the ingredients (mise en place), photo's of the dishes as they build --  cooking shots with comments in cartoon bubbles. Followed by shopping lists and a time line. Each menu is amazingly well thought out. Elaborate first course, simple dessert. I'd give this book to anyone who says, "I can't cook." With this book they can.

But on to our dinner. Confit buffalo ribs with chimichurri. The ribs were simple. Score the 'boney' side of the ribs, the side with the heavy-duty membrane. Run your knife along the rack, perpendicular to the bones. This allows the meat to expand without exploding. The ribs were rubbed with salt and pepper and put in a deep baking dish, covered with olive oil. (Note: Save the oil and use it when you confit - you can get about three uses out of one batch of oil). Parchment paper keeps the bones submerged and foil goes over the whole thin

g. Bake in a cool (175 degree F) oven for at least two hours. Ours took more  like two hours, 45 minutes.

And fabulous cooks that Spike and I are, we still got a lot from the book. I think it's one of the most important cookbooks of the last five years.

Tonight's dinner was influenced by what we read in "Family Meal."

 

 Spike + Nancy + heat = good food (with a lot of love)

XOXO
Nancy

Giardiniera, Jerky and juice

Greetings from Rainy/Sunny/Overcast Portland!

I got (another) nasty case of food poisoning on Monday, and spent most of the night in the bathroom, squirting and hurling. Yuk.

After a long night of trips to the WC, I finally fell asleep at 9 am Tuesday. I had to call out sick.

I'd been wanting to fast so I tried turning the food poisoning into a juice fast. I have a Champion juicer so I made a sweet juice; apple and ginger and a savory juice; cucumber and lemon.

I tried. Oh, how I tried to fast.

But the fast lasted just a day. I stopped eating on Monday at midnight and resumed eating solid food today (Wednesday) at 3 pm with a hella good slice (Mr Toad's Wild Ride) from Pizza Oasis.

The worst part of food poisoning was the bottle of red wine Manfriend Spike and I ate with a lovely dinner of tenderloin, baked potatoes and salad. Delish going down, the return flight was rather more bumpy. 'Nuff said.

But I have two days off and a number of projects. I'm making a batch of beef jerky for a work friend, Keene, who's leaving Portland and Deschutes to join his GF in N. Carolina.

It's actually a trade. He has a commercial sewing maching, and I have a spendy pair of Lucky Jeans sorely in need of drastic repair. (Aside: I fell down a hill on my ass and put an eight-inch, 'L' shaped tear in 'em). He's healing them for me so I'm making jerky for him. The barter economy is alive and well, and living in Portland.

Other projects. Manfriend/Primo Spike is off on a No Cal tattooing spree in a week or so, so I made some Giardiniera (Italian style pickled veggies) for him to take on the road.

Jars, veggies and garnish awaiting vinegar solution.

Truth be told, I'm showing off. I want him to take a little piece of me -- a little piece of the best of me -- to his peeps in Cali. Those people include some Eureka kinksters (who I adore without knowing) and his ex-wife and step-son in Sacramento. Spike's step-grandchild will be born while he's in Sacto.

Spike's ex, her name is Tari, will also get a 'thank you' note for helping form Spike into the extraordinary man that he is. She's a cook as well.

I love pickling so very much. This recipe is the one that won a first-place ribbon at the Oregon State Fair.

Giardiniera

Equal parts white vinegar and water. Carrots and celery cut on a bias, jalapenos cut into slices -- seeds and all, chunks of cauliflower, and an onion, julienne. Stearlize the jars and lids.

Pack the jars with layers of veggies. Add 1 bay leaf, 8  or 10 peppercorns, a fat pinch of red pepper flakes, a heaping teaspoon (for a pint jar) of salt and a heaping teaspoon (for a pint jar) of sugar.

Top with boiling vinegar/water solution. Seal.

Hold for three weeks before opening.

Pickles = Love

I learned a new hip phrase today. GGG it means Good Giving and Game. Good in bed, Giving, and game for (almost) anything. Thanks Dan Savage.

 

Hurry up spring. I have a case of pickle fever

I'm getting a serious case of cabin fever. But I don't long to get out of the house, I long to preserve fresh things in vinegar and water.

I want to sterilize jars, dig out lids, chop onions and peel garlic. I want the apartment windows to glaze with condensation from boiling jars and bubbling brine.

Mise en Place: sprouts, shallot, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper flakes. 

 

I have a case of 'pickle fever.' If I don't pickle something soon, my head will explode. Figuratively, not actually but you get my drift. I've spent the winter braising, roasting, stewing, and soup making.

Now I need some pickles damn it.

So I pickled Brussels Sprouts.

The formula is easy. I stole it from my friend Kim McCollum, another line cook at Deschutes and very dear friend.

Here goes: Equal parts vinegar and water, with the garnish as seen in the photograph.

I 'hot pack' pickles like this. What that means is that I boil clean jars and lids for about 15 minutes. I also boil the vinegar solution.

Fill the hot jars, top with vinegar, and cap with hot lids. Given the amount of vinegar I use, this is a fool proof and safe way to can acidified foods.

The jars are happily popping -- music to my ears.

May all your pickles be sweet. Or sour. Or both.

XOXO

Nancy

Pickled Brussels sprouts.

Octopus

Boys and their mollusks.

No, Portland is not Portugal but last night, at my place, it was. Octopus stew, straight from the Azors.

And, we got to noodle around with a new-to-me food, octopus!

Aside from Fun with Octopi, the big news in my world is Manfriend Spike's new blog on Wordpress. It's called "Cooking in Spikeland" and it's going to be good. You see, he has a wonderful palate, and a lot of skill as a cook. Plus he's been around the world a time or two -- which always informs ones writing. Especially food writing.

So, Manfriend Spike and I picked up an octopus yesterday. Four-point-five pounds of liquatious mollusk. (But Nancy, how did it smell?) It smelled lovely, like rainwater.

Spike's degree is in aquatic biology so he knew exactly what to do. It was frozen, so we thawed it. Once thawed we realized it was also cleaned -- ink sac, guts and beak all removed.

After tenderizing.

First: tenderizing.

We dunked it in boiling water for five minutes. All before butchering. (An aside from the Australian Fish Market lady on Youtube: the legs hang straight before contact with the boiling water; they curl after boiling.) This matters because if you're working with smaller specimens or purchase an octopus pre-tenderized, it'll affect how you cook the thing. 

We were making stew so Spike butchered the beast -- cutting below and above the eyes, essentially removing a fat, crosswise slice. The head had three hard cartilage stays that must be trimmed, Then the head was scored (to tenderize).  If we were going to grill the thing, we'd continue tenderizing it by pounding the flesh with a mallet.

But, we were making stew so the legs were chopped into smaller pieces and the whole mess was ready to cook.

Spike's blog will have the recipe, this is just a glimpse.  

Spike's Version of Emeril's Portuguese Octopus Stew

Saute garlic and a large onion in XVOO. Deglaze with white wine. Add one pound dried Spanish chorizo. Add hot smoked paprika, two bay leaves, red pepper flakes, summer savory, salt and pepper. Allow flavors to marry before adding a can of chic peas (drained) and a large can of tomatoes (Spike insisted on an Italian variety) and the octopus. Bring to a simmer, add a pound or two of small, white potatoes. Simmer for two hours. Correct seasoning and add butter, if needed, to deepen the flavor.

Truth be told, I wish we'd picked up two octopi. I'd like to grill some as well as put it in stew. Next time....

PS: We got the critter from Pacific Seafood.

PPS: Oh, Fuck you very much typepad beta. If this post seems lame, it's because I lost the entire article -- all but one photo. Damn and it was a good post. It had drama, action, sex, and a lot of good food.

Portuguese baked cod with garlic and shitaki mushrooms

I love Portugal. When I was married, my husband traveled a lot for business. He worked in finance for an in-flight caterer, and worked a deal in Lisbon so he spent a lot of time there.

I was lucky enough to travel with him to Portugal numerous times. What I loved about that country is the food. Vinho verde, white port, bacalau fritters, skewers of squid and fat-back, 'caldo verde' or green soup (a regional specialty -- soup with lots of shredded kale), suckling pig, langousta. I could write a book about the food, and another about the people. They are lovely, and wonderful.

One of my 'go to' dishes when I want to impress a fella or make a lovely meal is baked cod with garlic and shitake or enoki mushrooms. It's e-a-s-y.

Baked cod with garlic and shitaki mushrooms

Baked cod with garlic, xvoo and 'shrooms

1 pound cod/ling cod/true cod

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup XVOO, the best olive oil you can muster

4 ea shitake or 1 package (roughly a pint)of enoki mushrooms

salt TT

Preheat oven to 375. De-bone cod. Salt on both sides, drench in OO. Top with minced garlic.

Cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and top with whole enoki or slivered shitake mushrooms.

Cover and bake for 10 more minutes.

Serve with something bland like rice so that the delicious oil from the fish can be drizzled over it. Really yummy stuff.

I made this last night for Manfriend Spike with cilantro rice and seared kale. It was a really, really green meal. Oh well.

Now I know why my mom always kept jars of spiced apple slices. She used them to add color to a boring plate. And, oh my, was it a boring plate. Yummy, yes but not visually intesting.

Live and learn.

Eat more fish

XOXO
Nancy

More Freezer soup; Yougurt Barley Soup with Turkey stock

Once again, today's cooking adventure is dictated by what fell out of the freezer. (Note to self: write down an inventory of freezer stuff)

One quart of turkey gravy/stock missed my feet (!!)* by two inches.

I got really lucky because not only did the frozen stock miss my feet but some home-made yogurt fell from the refrigerator at the same time. So, I found a recipe for:

Georgian** Yogurt and Barley Soup

(adapted from "Greene on Greens & Grains" by Bert Greene) (he was a food columnist in the 1970s & 1980s)

1 onion, small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups chicken stock/turkey stock

1/3 cup pearl barley

2 Tbsp butter

1 tspn cilantro, chopped

1/2 tspn mint, chopped

2 cups yogurt

2 eggs

1 Tbsp a.p. flour

5 scallions, cut on the bias

1 tspn red pepper flakes

salt and white pepper TT

In a large stock pot, saute onion and garlic in butter. Add barley and cook until fragrant.

Add stock. Simmer one hour. Cut the heat down to low

Whisk together the eggs, flour, herbs, and yogurt. V-e-r-y slowly add a ladel of soup to the slurry. Add another, and another until the slurry is warm (or you run out of room in the egg/yogurt slurry container).This is called tempering and if you don't do it, the egg will cook and you'll end up with a mess of cooked egg.

Only then, stir the egg/yogurt/soup slurry into the large pot of soup.

Heat thoroughly (but don't boil) and garnish with green onion.

On a personal note:

My formerly lovely fire escape is now barren. The fire inspector said that, even though the fire escape terminates some 15 feet from the ground, it has to be free of all obstructions. 

So, I have a yellow springer chair, herbs, a jade plant, a hops plant, a rose bush and various outdoor decor items in the living room of the tiny apartment I share with Manfriend Spike.

 

I really miss my fun fire escape.

Be safe and stay warm.

XOXO
Nancy

* I have broken each foot once in the four years I've lived in Portland. Needless to say, I'm very careful with my southernmost digits

** It's pretty racy-- OK dated -- that he's attributing this soup to a region of what was at the time part of the Soviet Union.

Pizza dough perfection -- The Bread Bible

Who doesn't love pizza? It's the perfect canvas for any damned thing a cook can dream up.

 Leftovers, gourmet, upscale, down low. A good pizza crust spells "OPTIONS." 

In this blog alone I've posted photographs of numerous pizzas. I remember making one for a date and a lamb 'n egg pie.  What I realized is that I make pizza for 'easy weekend meals,' dates, and depression, but have never put the actual recipe on this blog. That's going to change right now.

I use a recipe from "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum and I couldn't be happier with a book. It's one of four cookbooks I actually keep in the kitchen.*
I've doubled her pizza dough recipe and some of the measurements are in weight so get out the scale.

Pizza Dough

(adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible")

8 oz unbleached AP (all purpose) flour

1 tspn instant yeast

1 tspn sugar

1 tspn salt

2/3 cup water at room temp.

4 tspn olive oil

Weigh flour. Sift in yeast and sugar. Sift in salt (this is two steps so the salt doesn't kill the yeast when you add water).

If you are going to add chopped herbs, do so now.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add 75 percent of the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the water. Add the additional 25 percent of the water --if needed -- to make a stiff, crumbly dough. I usually knead it once or twice to give it cohesion.

Put olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Plop the dough into the oil, turn to coat and cover with plastic.

If I'm making two pizzas that day, I preheat the oven (475 degrees) and leave the dough out to rise. If I'm making the dough ahead, I leave it out for about an hour to rise, and then put it in the cooler.

When I'm ready to make pizza, I pull the dough out of the cooler, cut it in half, and put half on a baking sheet. I give it a quick kneading to smooth the skin of the crust (FYI the crust itself is called a 'skin' in some restaurant kitchens)  to rise while the oven preheats. It should warm up/rise for at least an hour before you manipulate it.

Now is a good time to assemble toppings. Put whatever you want on it. I've made pizzas with everything from corn to raw eggs.

Pull the dough into a pizza shape and rest, covered (in plastic) for another 30 minutes to one hour. Want it bigger? Pull it again.

Bake on the lowest rack of the oven on your pizza stone for 5 minutes. You have a pizza stone, right?

Pull from the oven and top with toppings.

Bake for 3 more minutes. The crust should hold it's shape when one edge is lifted and the cheese should be bubbly.

The stages of pulling and resting can seem time consuming and somewhat daunting. Make it once, and it'll make sense. Plus the deliciousness of a home made crust is worth the effort.

Yes, as you can see, I've tweeked the recipe a bit.

 

Cheers!

XOXO 

Nancy

*For anyone following along at home, the other books are Mark Bittman's "Food Matters Cookbook," "Home Cheese Making" by Ricki Carroll and "The Joy of Pickling" by Linda Ziedrich