Where Every Day is a Sheep & Wool Festival
- A new lamb just born at the Oregon State Sheep Research Center
Who doesn’t love sheep, and especially their little baby lambs? Well, it’s lamb-birthing season here in Oregon, the surest sign that spring is soon to come (though we might finally get those dreaded dreary weeks of rain before then. It’s been an unusually mild and dry winter.) Oh, and did I mention the crocuses are starting to bloom here?
Silly Rabbit. What, You Chicken?
Hope the rabbit carcass isn’t too gruesome (see before and after pictures below). But if you can’t engage with your meat in its natural state, you shouldn’t eat it, right? For me, it’s become almost a reverent experience to butcher a whole bird or beast. Especially when you meet the farmer who raised it and slaughtered it, with care, the day before bringing the fresh meat to market.
This “Mustardy Braised Rabbit With Carrots” recipe nudged me to finally try the meat I’d been eying from “My Pharm” in nearby Monroe. The farmer Julia also specializes in vivid green leeks, which we needed for the recipe. With the carrots, broth, wine and herbs, they braised into a rich, savory sauce. The meat was tender and succulent, but rather boney. We still prefer whole roast chicken to rabbit, and even free-range ones are cheaper then bunny.
I won’t make rabbit again anytime soon, but I’m glad I tried. It’s amazing we didn’t have it in Baltimore, what with all the bunnies hopping around our apartment’s front yard, especially at night, tempting us to consider them for dinner. We had a superb rabbit ragu sauce at Simpatica dining hall in Portland last fall. My few other rabbit experiences were not pleasant though. I still gag thinking about those gefilte fish-like ground rabbit logs served to us at a youth hostel in Paris, when I was there for a school French exchange trip.
Any rabbit recipes or memories to share? Or do you, like us, still prefer the other white meats? Rabbit does have slightly more protein and less fat then chicken. Any other health or environmental benefits of rabbit over other meats?
Timberline Lodge: Depression Stimulus $$$ Well-Spent in Oregon
Timberline Lodge/Flickr Creative Commons/by Joe Leeteerakul
We took advantage of a recession deal and snuck away for the night to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. Weekday lift tickets there are now $20 off Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (thanks Willamette Week recession busters guide) Instead, we got two free tickets included with our room. The bored waitstaff eagerly leapt to attention when we entered a vacant dining room for lunch. It was poignant to stay at the stately Lodge, hastily constructed by WPA workers between 1936-38, amidst this current depression. You should recognize the eerie stone structure from the movie, The Shining.
It’s also unreal to have such good skiing conditions so nearby. It snowed most of Tuesday and we had the tranquil powdery slopes to ourselves. Nestled in the national forest, Timberline is small and thankfully lacks the touristy development of Colorado and Utah, though I found the skiing about as good. Taking the Magic Mountain lift up to the open bowl above the treeline was turly sublime. The snow-capped mountain and grey-white sky merged as one, as we skied down the edge of the world. In the summer, you can take the Palmer lift up to the top of Mount Hood, for glacier skiing. But that’s all snowed in now. A building near the start of that lift was completely buried in snow.
Well, I got my day of skiing in at least, which is more than I’ve done in several years. Of course I forget my camera, though:(
Mt. Hood-Timberline/Flickr Creative Commons/Joe Leeteerakul
Valentine’s Day on the Farm
Mocha Brownie Torte with Raspberry Coulee
We really need to start cooking in for Valentine’s Day. We know restaurants exploit the Hallmark holiday, usually charging a premium that makes the meal cost more than it’s worth. But we couldn’t resist a chance to return to our favorite local farm, which had a dinner tonight though it is closed for the off-season through March.
Gathering Together has an informal ambiance: mismatched plates, they don’t replace silverware between courses, etc., but the food couldn’t be better and features the freshest local meats and produce. Meat tonight included a “Crispy Sweets with Honey Mustard Dip” appetizer. No, those sweets weren’t a succulent vegetable, but tempera-fried veal brains (the thalamus). The grey matter was moist and tasty, similar to sweetbreads (pancreas). Most memorable was the beet “ravioli” salad with chevre, orange, mizuna and pistachios. Instead of pasta, thin slices of beet sandwiching a lump of the goat cheese formed the ravioli. A playful trompe d’oeil, hmm?
It also revived the spirits to dress up in an actual dress and heeled boots. I put on some real make-up for the first time in months! Fashion is about the last thing one worries about in Oregon. Though I might have a wardrobe crisis when I return to New York next month.
Beet Ravioli
Crispy Sweets
Pretty Frugal Fungal Feast
Gnocchi with Oregon black truffle and black chanterelles
How lucky we are to live next door to two wise and kind mycologists (forest mushroom experts). We learned from them about this affordable Fungal Feast the Cascade Mycological Association hosted tonight at Lane Community College in Eugene. We managed to snatch up the last two tickets for the dinner off the waitlist.
The meal didn’t disappoint. The pungent white truffle-infused butter and bread might have even been my favorite part. When put in a jar with a ripe truffle, the fat in the butter naturally absorbs the truffle aroma and flavor, without even making contact with the fruit. The gnocchi appetizer, with the black truffle, asparagus and black chanterelle (trumpet) mushroom cream sauce was our favorite dish. Though after reading Barbara Kingsolver, I shudder at eating asparagus outside of their precious and fleeting spring season. A buttermilk panna cotta topped with syrup-bathed oyster mushrooms surprisingly worked for the dessert. Unfortunately the crusted cod with blacked-eyed peas and chanterelles was bland. It just didn’t work as a dish.
But it was a festive meal and a learning experience for the hospitality and culinary students at Lane Community College. The executive chef at the nearby King Estate Winery planned the menu and took off work to oversee the students in the kitchen today. Hopefully I’ll get back to Lane soon for reporting for my Hechinger community college fellowship. Maybe there’s a story that would get at my dual interests in food and education?
A Tropical Treat
Fruit Salad with Papaya, Mango, Kiwi, Banana, Orange and Dried Coconut
Ok, so this fruit salad wouldn’t exactly qualify as localvore fare. But it got a stamp of approval from our local food co-op. I couldn’t stop scooping up samples of this concoction with graham crackers there. It’s a simple fresh salad of chopped papaya, mango, banana, kiwi, dried coconut and I added some orange to the mix. Nothing more. The crunchy kiwi seeds and nutty coconut provided a nice texture. And hey, at least the kiwis were of Oregon origin. You should make this dessert for your Valentine’s Day honey. It’s chock full of aphrodisiacs: banana, papaya, maybe even mango? Isn’t all fruit sexy in its own womb-like way? For more sensual ingredients, check out the Intercourses cookbook, which makes a lovely wedding gift.
The Simplicity of Soup: A Meaty, Tangy Chili for the Ages
I have nothing but praise for this “Chili For a Crowd Recipe” from the venerable Silver Palate cookbook. We had it at an inauguration party, and I couldn’t wait to recreate it. Ah, The Silver Palate, that bible-like tome for those nouvelle foodies coming up in the 1980s. Fond memories of my parents peering over its sauce-splattered, dog-eared pages. I think I made our host feel old, referring to it as “my parent’s cookbook.” What will be our generation’s Silver Palate? Let’s hope it’s more Mark Bittman, and less Rachael Ray.
Chili demands cornbread: I made this rosemary/olive oil one from the Baltimore food blog Coconut & Lime. I halved the chili recipe and substituted brined kalamata olives, per our host’s directive. No need to drain the tomatoes– you’ll want that broth. The Italian sausage adds bite, but it did call for too much ground chuck, and not enough beans, for my taste. I might do ground turkey (or lamb and white beans!) next time. I can’t believe we’ve had beef two weeks in a row. Sinners, repent! At least tomorrow we are going to a soup lunch, sponsored by the statistics department, that’s a fundraiser for the Oregon State University Food Bank. Let’s hope they have vegetarian options:)
Borscht and other Beet Soups
Here’s the prize-winning borscht recipe my friend made for the local foods recipe contest. I really liked the presence of celeriac and mushrooms and the cardamom and cumin seed spices. I didn’t add enough water though, and Dan said borscht should have more broth. Also, couldn’t find dried red pepper so substituted fresh, and I would up the spices more. But beet soups are a cozy, sweet treat in winter.
My sister recommends this Five Spice Beet Soup from Bon Appetit, though it’s rather rich. I added some variations from this beet soup recipe to the borscht above. Here’s another vegetarian borscht from Culinate. Any beet soup recipes to pass along? I also love chilled beet soups in summer. I’m also realizing I prefer eating beets in moderation.
And the Winner Is…(Not) Potato Leek Soup
I meant to post that I entered my first cooking contest last week, sponsored by the local Ten Rivers food security group. Using as many local ingredients as possible was key. Some gorgeous green local leeks seduced me into making Potato Leek Chickpea soup, but unfortunately four out of the 16 entries were variations on potato leek soup (one included smoked salmon, unique). I also used the dried chickpeas harvested from a nearby grass seed farm. But it wasn’t an original recipe (I adapted it from the Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, see below). I’m especially excited to try this vegetarian borscht recipe that won first place, made by my friend Anna Cates, from my Acro-Yoga class. Borscht or some other beet soup might be in the cards tomorrow night. Or a hearty chili.
Jamie Oliver’s Potato-Leek-Chickpea Soup
12 oz. chickpeas (I used canned or soak dry ones)
• 1 medium potato peeled
• 5 medium leeks
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Parmesan Cheese for garnish
Directions:
1. Cooks the peas and potatoes covered with water until tender (if you used canned, cook the potatoes first until more soft then add chick peas.)
2. Remove outer skin of leeks, slice length-ways, wash carefully, slice finely.
3. Warm a thick-bottomed pan, add oil and butter, then leeks and garlic. Cook until tender and sweet. Add 2 of the 3 cups of stock to the sautéed leeks. Simmer 15 mins.
4. Puree half or all the soup. You can also just leave it chunky. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock.
5. Enjoy!
Teaching Yoga for the Very First Time
Teaching yoga is quite a different experience from practicing it yourself. I had the chance to do so, alone, for the first time today at the Milestones Recovery Center here in Corvallis, where women can live with their children as they go through rehab. I’m volunteering with Reach Out Yoga here, a new non-profit here bringing yoga to a youth homeless shelter, a children’s psychiatric home and rehab centers, etc. It’s similar to this Living Yoga organization Portland that has taught yoga to thousands, including prison inmates.
Only two students showed up (not pictured above) for my class. But the class naturally flowed. You really relearn the postures as you teach them to someone for the first time. And it’s much more magical than practicing alone. We rolled out the matts in an unkempt rec room, cluttered with children’s toys and socks. Somehow we managed to create a slightly meditative space. They said I had a soothing voice, which surprised me. They loved letting their heads, necks and shoulders go in the surrender of bent-over, rag doll pose. Now I understand why my Baltimore teacher always closed class saying: “I thank you, my students, who are truly my greatest teachers.”
BaltimOregon to Maine 