Eat • Drink • Get Out • Get Together MIXpdX.CoM
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editor’s note Ask me almost anything about Italian cooking and I will likely know the answer. It’s in my blood. And after more than a decade in food journalism, editing recipes and food stories day in and day out, I can tackle a lot of American and European recipes with a fair degree of confidence, too. But Asian cooking is perennially cloaked in a formidable shroud of mystery for me. It’s the food I crave the most — but am terrified to make. The thing is, the techniques really aren’t any different from any other culture. It’s the ingredients that are the stumbling block. Head to the Asian market for, say, fish sauce and I’m faced with dozens of brands with labels I can’t begin to decipher. Which one should I choose? Are there differences? If I’m looking for something a bit more obscure, say a special fermented bean paste, I wouldn’t even know what aisle to go to.
What I and every other uninitiated home cook needs is a guide. Someone who knows exactly what brands to buy and which to avoid. Someone who knows which stores have the best selection, and who can help us unlock the secrets to our favorite Asian dishes. That’s why we asked five local chefs to guide us through the ingredients and markets they know best. With them leading the way, Asian cooking just got a lot more accessible. But once we started asking questions we couldn’t stop. How hard is it to make kimchi? Not hard at all, as the Choi family shows us on Page 24. Where
can we find the best Mexican dishes? Chef Oswaldo Bibiano points us in the right direction on Page 16. What does Portland’s growing population of Eastern Europeans cook when they’re craving a taste of home? Find out on Page 42. The list goes on. We packed this issue with expert advice for finding and making great food and drinks with global flavors. There’s a lot more to our little city than meets the eye. In fact, there’s a world of food out there, and we’re hungry for it all.
Danielle Centoni, editor dcentoni@oregonian.com PHOTOGRAPH by beTH nAkAmuRA
Want to be sure you get every issue of MIX? S u b S c r i b e ! 10 issues for $20. Go to MIXpdX.coM or call 503-221-8240.
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Lucky you: Jia You, chef-owner of Lucky Strike, takes us on a tour of Southeast Portland’s Oriental Food Value, so you can cook her Szechuan dishes with confidence / Page 32
Starters
eat
Drink
Get Out
11 Beautiful Japanese treats, whey cocktails, drinking vinegar, great table wine, African cooking class
16 Scene: Where the expats eat
26 Wine: How to pick a bottle to go with your takeout
50 caLendar: What to do and where to go
21 Good for you: The nourishing benefits of broth 24 Technique: How to make great kimchi
29 MixMaSTer: Asian flavors go down easy
52 hiGh five: Where to sip and sup by the fire
Get Together 42 dinner parTy: Czech dishes that hit close to home
Page 11
MIX is 10 issues a year! It’s easy to subscribe online — go to Mixpdx.coM and click on “subscribe.” You can also find past articles, restaurant reviews and all our recipes at Mixpdx.coM, so get clicking and start eating.
BROADWAY & MORRISON • PORTLAND 971. 295.5555 SHREVE.COM
contributors liz Crain is a Portland-based food and drink writer whose first book “Food Lover’s Guide to Portland” was published by Sasquatch Books in 2010. She’s currently working on the “Toro Bravo Cookbook” due out in fall 2013 from McSweeney’s Books. Liz is also a fiction writer, editor and publicity director at Hawthorne Books and co-organizer of the annual Portland Fermentation Festival. For this issue, she got to know Le Ho at Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen (Page 41) and wrote about the mother-son duo behind Choi’s Kimchi Co. (Page 24). “I had the pleasure of meeting Matt and Chong at last year’s Portland Fermentation Festival. It was fun to reconnect with them for this story and learn more about one of my favorite fermented foods. Chong moved to Oregon from Seoul in 1979 and her love of Korean food certainly traveled with her.”
Photographer fred joe says he used to have his finger on the pulse of the Portland food scene, but that all ended when he became a daddy six years ago. So he was more than happy to photograph some of Portland’s Asian cooking experts and learn a thing or two in the process (Page 32). “I’ve been cooking at home more than ever so it was great to get tips, recipes and places to shop.”
,
For this issue, photographer beth nakamura captured the beauty of Asian dishes like miso soup (Page 23) — one of the many Japanese dishes she’s intimately familiar with. She’s married to Japanese photographer Motoya Nakamura, so Japanese food is on the dinner menu several nights a week. “At home there’s lots of nabe, miso, ramen and, of course, curry,” she says. “But there I deal with the cleanup, the small bits of sticky rice that seem to materialize everywhere. In the studio all I have to do is look at it. Making pictures in that setting is, relatively speaking, like a form of meditation.”
other contrIbutIng photographers/Illustrators: thomas boyD, brinkhoff/möGEnburG, faith CathCart, rEED Darmon, motoya nakamura, DaviD rEamEr, GEna rEnauD, tom rosEnbErG
other contrIbutIng WrIters: Grant butlEr, abiGail ChiplEy, paul ClarkE ivy manninG, kErry nEwbErry, DEEna priChEp, traCy saElinGEr, raEChEl sims, taylor smith, ChaD walsh
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index whErE to finD thE rECipEs in this issuE: Drinks: • Genki-Su Perfect Match Cocktail, p12 • Tamarindo, p29 • Tamarind Whiskey Sour, p31 • Yoyogi, p31 soups • Beef Bone Broth, p23 EntrEEs • Smoked Pork Roast, p48 • Svícková (Braised Beef With Cream Sauce), p48 DEssErt • Traditional Apple Strudel, p46 ComponEnts • Choi’s Kimchi Co. White Napa Kimchi, p25 • Village Rye Bread, p45 • Traditional Czech Dumplings, p46
onlinE Extras at mixpDx.Com Find out where to buy our picks for takeout-friendly wines Watch our video of Chong Choi making her famous kimchi Get almost a dozen Asian recipes: • Bacon and Egg Kimchi Fried Rice • Bi Bim Bap • Dan Dan Noodles • Kimchi Roesti With Dried Shrimp and Sesame Oil
• Miso Soup with Pork and Vegetables • Num Tok (Thai Beef Salad) • Pho • Shrimp Tacos with Kimchi and Sriracha Mayonnaise • Spicy and Sour Tofu Custard • Traditional Kimchi • Vietnamese Spring Rolls
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starters
Wagashi If it’s true that we eat with our eyes, then Japanese diners are privy to many feasts. Take wagashi, the broad category of small, intricately made sweets, often shaped to represent seasonal aspects of nature (think maple leaves in fall, cherry blossoms in spring). They hit an apex during the Edo period, between 1603 and 1868, as a part of “sado,” traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Now the delicate sweets are eaten anytime as a snack, but unless you’re in Kyoto regularly, you may only be able to read about them. Fortunately for us, Portland is home to Gena Renaud, founder of Yume (u-may) PhOTOGRaPhY BY GENa RENaud
Confections. Renaud took her fine art background, experience as a graphic designer at top companies like Nike, and her familiarity with Japanese culture (her mother is Japanese-born) to teach
herself the art of wagashi. Now in her second year of business, she supplies handcrafted wagashi to tea shops and retail stores in the area. Of the hundreds of types of wagashi made, most are made with traditional ingredients like sweet rice, bean pastes and agar agar, so they’re quite subtle and not very sweet by Western standards. But what they lack in sweetness, they make up for in aesthetic beauty and sophistication. Take Renaud’s manju — smooth lightly sweetened lima bean paste wrapped in thin pastry impressed with ornate designs of tortoises, cherry blossoms, cranes and other natural january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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starters, cont.
themes. When glazed and baked, the cakes resemble tiny pieces of priceless pottery. Renaud makes another wagashi aptly named “sea glass.” They look like pastel shards of glass, but when you bite into the crisp exterior you’re met with a surprising jelly center flavored with subtle essences of bergamot, violet, elderflower or peppermint. They’re positively otherworldly. Because Renaud’s delicacies are so beautiful, they can transform any tea break into a soulful experience. “here in the u.S. we eat lots, but we don’t pay a lot of attention to what we are eating,” says Renaud. “Wagashi brings back an appreciation and mindfulness to sharing food. It’s about enjoying the art of it, the feel of the season and the beauty of nature. It’s about sharing a moment and letting the rest of the world dissolve away.“— IvY MaNNING Yume Confections are available by special order from yumeconfections.com, 971-269-5940. The baked manju cakes are available at Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants. The sea glass is sold at Tea Chai Te (Northwest location), The Japanese Garden Gift Shop, Cargo, and will be at Steven Smith Teamaker for the entire month of February.
drink this: the Whey We Were Blending dIY sensibilities with penny-pinching pragmatism is “The Whey We Were,” Ox restaurant’s very Portland cocktail using extra whey left over from the kitchen’s homemade ricotta cheese. Barman Jamal hassan’s creation is like a standard gin fizz, except it includes caraway-flavored aquavit and, in lieu of egg whites, whey. What you get is a tall, white, frothy, slightly savory drink to enjoy with some snacks as you wait for Ox’s dinner crowd to thin out before taking your table. — Chad WalSh Whey Bar at Ox, 2225 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., 503-284-3366; oxpdx.com
PhOTOGRaPh BY ROSS WIllIaM haMIlTON
drinkinG VineGar: a siP With a kick
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PhOTOGRaPh, GENKI-Su
Japanese health aficionados claim that drinking diluted vinegar helps balance ph levels, boost metabolism and cause you to eat less. That’s fine news, but what we love about the newly launched, Portlandmade Genki-Su drinking vinegars is the taste. The energetic team of Japanese-born Takako Shinjo and self-proclaimed Japanophile Judy Tan start each bottle with mild coconut vinegar (which has half the acidity of cooking vinegar) sweetened with stevia and honey instead of refined sugar. The elixir is then blended with fruits and herbs to make refreshing flavors like punchy yuzu citrus, ginger-honey and herbal shiso leaf. While delicious mixed with water for a post-workout refresher, they are just as tasty blended with vodka or Belgian white beer for a post-work happy hour. — IvY MaNNING $12.99 per 12-ounce bottle at genkisu.com, Uwajimaya, and People’s Co-op
The Genki-Su Perfect Match Cocktail 1 part Patron tequila 1 part Genki-su yuzu Japanese drinking Vinegar 1 splash soda water Mint leaf garnish Fill 1 rocks glass with crushed ice. add tequila and vinegar and stir to combine. Top off with a splash of soda water and garnish with a mint leaf. — From Genki-Su
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ECO Centers in the nation.
Learn how to take care of your body like you take care of your car with free health screens, healthy food, and excercise in the Healthy Life Garage sponsored by PacificSource Health Plans.
Come to The Oregonian and OregonLive.com exhibit and enter for a chance to win a brand new car!
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Camp Jeep Take a ride in the Camp Jeep exhibit and experience the off-road power of the new Jeeps!
starters, cont.
cookinG class sPice oF aFrica
{
PhOTOGRaPh BY REEd daRMON
When Wambui Machua moved to Portland, she wanted to be reminded of her home in Kenya, so she started the Spice of africa, a combination of online shop, catering service and cooking school. For the classes in her commercial kitchen in Beaverton, she prepares traditional staples like ugali, a cornmeal dish, and braised collard greens called sukuma wiki, which in Swahili means “to push the week.” The nutritious greens are commonplace there, and often used to stretch a meal when other food supplies are low. To experience tastes from the Kenyan family table and learn about african cooking, purchase a cooking class or dinner online. There’s a dinner coming up Jan. 19 and proceeds go toward building a library in Gachie, a rural village on the outskirts of Nairobi. — TaYlOR SMITh Spice of Africa, 503-619-5541 spiceofafrica.com
Wine Pick torMaresca’s nePrica
PhOTOGRaPh, SPICES OF aFRICa
— jimmy fallon
{
Pabst Blue Ribbon may buy Hostess and start making Twinkies. Yeah, beer and Twinkies — or as I called that in college, “brunch.”
looking for a great-value, easy-drinking red “house” wine? Check out the 2010 Tormaresca Neprica from Puglia, a ruby-red blend of three grape varietals: negroamaro, primitivo and cabernet sauvignon (the first two to three letters of each combine to make the wine’s name). The wine retails for as little as $10 a bottle and offers aromas of red berries and spicy licorice, with a soft, medium-bodied mouth feel. Sip it on its own or pair it with pizza, pasta with red sauce, or grilled and roasted meats. look for it at Zupan’s Markets, Fred Meyer wine steward locations and Sheridan Fruit Company. — JOaN CIRIllO
Serving the Best Chai in Portland Soups, salads, sandwiches, fresh baked goods…
8600 SE Stark St. (Inside Monticello Antique 503-256-8300 • Weekly Specials on facebook.com/monticelloantiquemarketplace
Marketplace) •
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Expats tell us where to find the real deal When we’re craving ethnic cuisine, we want the real deal — dishes that transport us to another world with their authenticity. so we asked some of Portland’s expats to tell us where they go to get a taste of home.
Taqueria Antojitos Yucatecos
Panuchos at Taqueria antojitos yucatecos
When asked to choose his favorite Mexican dish in town (one that he doesn’t cook himself, of course), chef Oswaldo Bibiano thought carefully. There’s a lot to choose from, but the owner of Autentica, Mextiza and Uno Mas restaurants nominated a food cart way out in Hazelwood, saying the panuchos alone are worth the trip. A dish imported from the Yucatán peninsula, panuchos look like traditional tacos, but the small corn tortillas are filled with black beans, then deep fried and topped with either chicken or cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pork). The shells are crispy, the beans practically melt, and the best place to get one (or two, or three), says Bibiano, is Taqueria Antojitos Yucatecos, tucked inside the A La Cart pod. “It’s one of my favorite places,” he says. “They just do it perfect.” — CHAd WALsH
Taqueria Antojitos Yucatecos, 10175 S.E. Stark St., 503-867-2328
Tamales at Tamales de Lupe
Noé Garnica admits, a little bashfully, that
Taqueria Antojitos Yucatecos owners Ricardo Martin and Maria Chay make some of Oswaldo Bibiano’s favorite foods. PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS BOYD
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most Mexican food — even in Mexico — disappoints him, because he likes what he considers that most exotic and rarely used of all Mexican ingredients: the vegetable. Garnica leans heavily on those veggies at his own restaurant, Verde Cocina, but when he’s craving Mexican food made by the hands of another, he heads to the Tamales de Lupe stall at the Forest Grove farmers market (which will reopen in May). Born out of the Adelante Mujeres nonprofit, which empowers local Latinas by providing them with entrepreneurial opportunities, the tamales are “made with care and dedication,” says Garnica, noting that they also embody the history,
EAT
Riyadh, p18 january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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dining, cont.
experience and positive energy of the people who make them. In short, they’re made with everything that owner Guadalupe Maldonado’s got to give. “It’s from the heart.” — CHAd WALsH
Tamales de Lupe, 503-992-0078, adelantemujeres.org Forest Grove Farmers Market, between Pacific and 21st Avenues, adelantemujeres. org/fg-farmers-market
Mole at Xico
Jaime Soltero, Jr., is a busy man.
When he’s not helping his parents run their family franchise (the metro area’s four La Costita restaurants), he’s running Mayahuel Catering, for which he cooks up dishes like pozole and menudo. And when he’s not catering, he’s hawking meaty, vegan and gluten-free tamales to office workers or partygoers from wherever his Tamale Boy van is parked. so he doesn’t eat out as often as he’d like, but when he does, and he wants Mexican food, he heads to Xico, especially when mole is on the menu. “It’s really spot-on,” says soltero. “As close as you can get to the ones made in southern Mexico.”
Riyadh
— CHAd WALsH
Xico, 3715 S.E. Division St., 503-548-6343, xicopdx.com
Kibbeh at riyadh
Personal chef and cooking instructor Margot Massoud Marver comes from Beirut, Lebanon. And in her search for hometown flavors, she’s tried pretty much all of the “hummus, tabbouleh and falafel” shops in Portland. For authentic Lebanese, she heads to Riyadh on southeast Hawthorne. Marver says the restaurant’s homecooked Lebanese specialties remind her of meals from her childhood, especially the kibbeh, a traditional dish made with bulgur wheat, ground beef, onions and cumin. Riyadh chef Armando Monroy serves it the same way he remembers his parents making it, atop a crisp salad with tangy tzatziki. — TAYLoR sMITH
Riyadh, 1318 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, 503-235-1254
Zereshk Polow at Kabob House
Finding Persian food in Portland is a bit like a game of “Where’s
Kabob House Waldo.” Luckily Iran native Masoud Zadeh, coordinator at the Andisheh Center (a nonprofit aimed at preserving and promoting Iranian heritage), knows exactly where to go when he’s craving the foods of his homeland. He recommends the Kabob House in Beaverton, where he usually orders koobideh, a mixture of seasoned ground beef and rice grilled on a skewer.
But what he really loves is zereshk polow, a grilled chicken kabob served on rice studded with tangy dried barberries, or zereshk. He says the combination of sweet, savory and piquant flavors actually “tickle his tongue.” — TAYLoR sMITH Kabob House, 11667 S.W. Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, 503-672-9229 PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOMAS BOYD
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HILLSDALE
Shop • Sip • Dine
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Hillsdale Eye Care Hillsdale Eye Care is dedicated to providing personalized eye care based on the patient’s individual needs. We enjoy working with patients requiring demanding visual needs such as sports vision, difficult to fit contact lens (bifocal or astigmatism) and children’s eye care. Call for appointment. Open 6 days a week.
1522 SW Sunset Blvd. 503.672.9190 www.hillsdaleeye.com
Wine About Winter Cozy up by the fireside at our SW Portland winter oasis and taste wines of distinction from 25 local wineries, paired with just the right small bite. Wine about Winter with friends, enjoy live music and expand your wine palate.
Sunday, February 10, 2013 Hillsdale Business District Info & tickets: HillsdaleMainStreet.org/events/waw/
Food Front
Food Front Cooperative Grocery has the most delicious and fresh groceries in town. Farm-direct produce, local wine & beer, fresh local meat, hand selected grocery items and more. Shop Local, Eat Colorfully and Live Vibrantly at Food Front Co-op. Join us for a Vitamin-C packed Citrus Tasting on January 19th & 20th, 11am to 4pm.
6344 SW Capitol Hwy. 503.546.6559 www.foodfront.coop
shop local ~ shop hillsdale town center on sw capitol hwy.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 MIXpdx.com
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dining, cont.
Hanoi Kitchen
Smoked Sausages at Good neighbor european Deli Market
The options seem endless. Wander the aisles of Foster-Powell’s Good Neighbor Market, and you’ll find untold varieties of teas, candies, meats and spices with German, Polish and Russian roots, bound in packages imprinted with languages you probably can’t read. But it’s not the market’s near-limitless inventory that Karel Vitek, owner of the Tabor food cart, finds most appealing, it’s the way the place feels. “This is the place where you can practice your rusty Russian — with babushkas and 100-year-old tough guys,” he says. And if you don’t speak Russian, don’t worry. The folks who run it can answer your questions. And when you smell the market’s smoked sausages and warm loaves of bread, your stomach knows but one language that’s spoken by all. — CHAd WALsH Good Neighbor European Deli, 4107 S.E. 82nd Ave., 503-771-5171
Konnyaku at yuzu
Kumiko Read of the Portland Japanese
Gardens is picky when it comes to Japanese food. If it doesn’t remind her of her home in sapporo, Japan, it’s not good enough. That’s why she goes to Yuzu, a small restaurant in Beaverton, for some Japanese-style home cooking. Without fail, Read orders a bowl of chewy konnyaku (also called Japanese mountain potatoes), which are steeped in the flavors of soy sauce and mirin, before being stir-fried in sesame oil. There are only seats for 20 to 30 people, and there always seems to be a crowd, but Read insists it’s worth the wait. — TAYLoR sMITH
Yuzu, 4130 S.W. 117th Ave., Suite H, Beaverton, 503-350-1801
bun bo Gio Cua at Hanoi Kitchen
sipping savory soups from Hanoi Kitchen connects Jeannie Vuong, co-director of the Vietnamese student Association at Portland state University, with the flavors of her family tradition (her grandmother is the powerhouse behind HA & VL, one of the city’s most celebrated Vietnamese soup joints). she loves the Bun Bo Gio Cua, a spicy beef noodle soup laden with lemongrass and ginger, making it as aromatic as it is deliciously warming. The inventive broths — from a vegetarian version with apples and ginseng, to clear pork soup with la hán qua fruit — offer a shift from her grandmother’s traditions while staying true to the flavors of Vietnam.
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— TAYLoR sMITH
Hanoi Kitchen, 7925 N.E. Glisan St., 503-252-1300, hanoikitchen.com
Chicken in red Pepper Stew at Horn of africa
When cooking teacher and caterer Wambui Machua moved to Portland from Kenya, she worried that her chances of finding authentic African food were as slim as a rainstorm in the sahara. Instead, she found a wealth of East African fare, and her favorite is Horn of Africa. Using soft pieces of bideena — also known as injera, a thin, spongy flatbread made from tangy teff grain — she mops up chicken stewed in a rich, red pepper sauce seasoned with garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin. Machua recommends going there for the lunch buffet, which leaves your stomach full — and your wallet, too. — TAYLoR sMITH
Horn of Africa, 5237 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd., 503-331-9844, hornofafrica.net
PHOTOGRAPH BY REED DARMON
SubScribe at mixpdx.com
Meaty bones don’t just add flavor to stocks, they add important nutrients, too. Roasting the bones along with aromatics like carrots and onions develops depth that makes stocks richer and more flavorful.
good for you
Broth that’s good to the bone By ABigAil Chipley phOTOgRAphy By BeTh NAKAMURA
A
s in so many matters related to food, the French have it right: Stocks made from long-simmered bones and vegetables are unsurpassed when it comes to building flavor, whether you’re making a humble soup or a haute cuisine sauce. But beyond their ability to add body and depth to recipes, stocks are also a surprisingly rich source of nutrition. Bones used to make stocks are filled with minerals that many Americans don’t get enough of, including calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. But minerals are only a part of the story. Bones also contain cartilage, collagen and marrow — substances found in no other foods. “There’s no food that replicates the nutritional benefits of broth,” says Erika Siegel, N.D., a naturopath at Nature Cures Clinic in Southwest Portland. Siegel is so convinced of the healing powers of stock, or “bone broth,” that she gives patients a recipe and advises them to
make a pot of it each week. In particular, she recommends it to pregnant and postpartum mothers, whose bodies may be depleted of important minerals. Sally Fallon, author of “Nourishing Traditions” (New Trends Publishing, 1999), a cookbook that popularized the idea of using traditional foods to improve health, has long been an advocate of including bone broth in the diet. “The really interesting aspect of broth is how good it is for digestion,” she says. According to Fallon, gelatin, derived from the collagen in bones, maximizes the effects of digestive juices and has a healing effect on the small intestine. Gelatin also helps the body use protein more efficiently and may improve the digestion of grains and legumes — making it of particular use to people with food intolerances, or those with digestive troubles like leaky gut syndrome. Bone-based broths also have a long history as a beneficial food for people recuperating from illness or surgery. january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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good for you, cont.
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The minerals, soothing gelatin and absence of fiber make broths nourishing and easy for the body to assimilate. “You can almost consider it predigested,” says Siegel. “In fact, when you’re ill, it’s a great idea to simply drink bone broth and nothing else.” If you think you don’t have the time or skills to make stock, think again. It’s the original fix-it-andforget-it dish. First, a variety of bones — including cartilage-dense knucklebones and meaty shank bones — are roasted in the oven to add depth and richness. Then they are combined with vegetables, water and herbs and cooked at a low temperature to draw out the flavor and nutrients. Stock can be cooked from 4 to 72 hours or, as Julia Child directs in the “The Way to Cook”: “Simmer until you feel the bones have given their all.” Luckily, you don’t have to watch the pot. Just skim it a few times and add water once in a while to keep the bones covered. Once the stock has been strained, it will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week. Or, you can reduce the strained stock until it becomes more concentrated and freeze it in icecube trays. You can use those cubes to flavor all sorts of dishes, including French onion soup, risotto or pot roast. Or do what Tressa Yellig does. The owner of Salt, Fire & Time, a Northwest Portland business that sells homemade beef broth among other traditional food products, seasons the broth with a bit of salt and a tablespoon of miso, and drinks it as a soothing winter pick-me-up. If you don’t see yourself making stock in the near future, you can still reap the benefits by buying pre-made versions. But make sure it’s the good stuff, advises Fallon. “It’s hard to determine what’s in most commercial broths because they don’t have to say on the label. I’m skeptical that they are really using bones,” she says. Happily for Portlanders, we have two local sources of high-quality beef stock made with bones. Besides the excellent beef stock Yellig sells out of her shop, another local company, Stock Options, offers beef stock in the freezer section at local stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons.
beef bone broth Makes about 4 quarts if you’re pressed for time, you can skip the roasting step and add the raw bones and vegetables directly to the pot. The result will be a lighter flavor, but just as nutritious. 4 to 5 pounds meaty beef bones, such as knuckles, shanks, oxtails or short ribs 2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered 2 carrots, peeled and quartered 2 celery stalks, quartered 2 cloves garlic, smashed 1 large tomato, quartered, or ½ cup canned plum tomatoes 4 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley 1 sprig fresh thyme ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns 1 bay leaf
preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange bones in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan; scatter onions and carrots around bones. Roast until bones are sizzling, about 30 minutes. Turn the bones, and roast until bones and vegetables are browned, about 15 minutes more.
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Using tongs, transfer bones and vegetables to a stockpot. Discard any fat from roasting pan. immediately pour 2 cups water into pan. Using a wooden spatula, scrape up browned bits and pour into stockpot. Add celery, garlic, tomato, parsley, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf to pot. Fill pot with enough water to cover bones and vegetables (about 4 to 5 quarts). Bring stock to a simmer over medium-high heat. Use a ladle to scoop off any foam from the surface, and discard. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for at least 6 hours and up to overnight. (The liquid should have only small bubbles around the edges of the pot.) Add water as needed to keep water level over bones. Strain the stock through a fine-meshed strainer into a 4-quart container. Discard solids. if using right away, skim off and discard fat. if not, cool stock completely, then refrigerate, covered, until cold. Scrape off congealed fat before using.
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FROM THE OnLIne eXTra: Turn your beef stock into a hearty bowl of Vietnamese pho at mIXpdX.cOm
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Professional secrets to delicious kimchi By Liz Crain PhotograPhy By motoya nakamura
I
n 2010, Matt Choi had just graduated with a business degree from U of O and was working his first suit-and-tie job when his mom, Chong Choi, told him she wanted to start a kimchi business. Friends and family had told her for years how much they loved her kimchi — the often spicy and always fermented cabbage and vegetable mix that is the national dish of Korea. At the time Chong was helping her husband run their dry cleaning business and she was ready for a change. So in the spring of 2011, the motherson duo founded Choi’s Kimchi Co., and their small-batch, hand-chopped kimchi quickly became a farmers market favorite. Now you can find it at many local stores, including all Zupan’s markets. Matt, 25, handles the business
end of things, from packaging to delivery, while 57-year-old Chong chops, salts and ferments all of the kimchi by hand, including less seasonal and less-common varieties like a white kimchi with ginger and Asian pear. Matt and Chong say making your own kimchi is simple and it’s ready to eat in just a couple of days. The most important thing is “repetition,” says Matt. “The first time — like anything — there will be trials and errors.” Equally important? Freshness, says Chong, especially when it comes to raw chile peppers. Chong and Matt source their produce from local farms, such as Cereghino Farms and Gathering Together Farm, and encourage you to do the same.
OnLIne eXTra: Get the recipe for Choi’s
Kimchi Co.’s Traditional Kimchi, plus three inventive ways to use it (roesti, shrimp tacos and fried rice) at mIXpdX.cOm aLSO: Watch a video of Chong Choi making kimchi.
choi’s Kimchi co. White napa Kimchi Makes about ½ gallon
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Sprinkle the cabbage in the bowl with Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, the salt. toss it with your hands until cut out the core then cut lengthwise again. the cabbage is thoroughly coated and then Slice crosswise into 2½-inch pieces. Place cabbage in a large bowl and cover with water. press it down into the bowl to help it release its water. Let the salted cabbage sit at room Drain and return cabbage to the bowl. temperature for 5 to 6 hours.
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transfer cabbage to a colander and drain. transfer the cabbage to another bowl. rinse with cold water until it is as salty Place the remaining ingredients in the you like. taste it and adjust seasoning or bowl and mix thoroughly. rinse accordingly. gently squeeze out the excess liquid.
Pack the kimchi into a ½ gallon jar and push it down until the salty liquid released from the rinsed cabbage rises above the cabbage and vegetables (see note). Seal the jar with a tightfitting lid and let it sit at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Ingredients: 1½ heads napa cabbage ¼ cup fine sea salt ½ pound daikon radish, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 1-inch squares 1 carrot, peeled and julienned ½ small onion, thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch lengths 10 cloves garlic, sliced 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger ½ Asian pear, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 1-inch squares
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Fermentation time varies, but it should take 2 to 3 days at warm room temperature. it can take up to a week during winter. Sample the kimchi at regular intervals and once it is to your liking, eat it and/or store it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months.
notes: Vegetables should remain submerged in brine as they ferment. Because this is a small amount of kimchi in a small jar, the kimchi should stay submerged without needing to be weighted down. Check on it every day to make sure the kimchi remains below the brine. if it’s not, use clean hands to push it down again. if you make a larger amount of kimchi, you can use a clean plate or boiled stone to keep the kimchi submerged. as the kimchi ferments it will build up pressure in the jar. the jar might leak but shouldn’t explode unless it’s packed too tight. Every time you open the jar to sample it you release pressure, which is a good thing. £
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drink
When you order takeout, take out the right bottle of wine By Raechel SimS photogRaphy By motoya nakamuRa
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J
ust because you flaked on cooking dinner doesn’t mean you have to flake on the wine, too. Your delicious, instantly gratifying takeout deserves a suitable bottle. The only trouble is, the most common takeout dishes present a winepairing challenge. “Pairing these cuisines is an interesting intellectual process,” says wine expert David Holstrom. “These are not, typically, wine-focused cultures — but that doesn’t mean it can’t work.” Holstrom is a bit of a local legend in the Portland dining scene. After 20 years of curating award-winning wine lists for restaurants in New York, Boston and then Portland, he formed Guy Du Vin, a wine consulting business that services 25 restaurants with over 350 locations nationwide. Having created the original wine list for restaurants like David Machado’s Vindahlo, Holstrom is no stranger to the intricacies of pairing wines to worldly cuisines. The key to pairing wine with
spice-driven, ethnic dishes, he says, tends to be sugar — specifically residual sugar. “In the same way as in cooking with sugar, a wine with a spot of residual sugar helps everything. It rounds out the sharp edges and conflicts with some of the more bitter vegetables. Leafy greens, spices … sugar softens it all up a bit.” We asked Holstrom to help us find the perfect pairings for five of the most common take-out dishes.
Pad Thai
For a traditional, shrimp-based pad thai, consider the 2011 abbazia di novacella Kerner from Italy’s Alto Adige region. A unique varietal, Kerner is a genetic cross between red Trollinger grapes and riesling, first bred by famed German wine farmer
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August Karl Herold in 1929. This interpretation is a mineral-driven delight, with the faintest kiss of sweetness at the end that will accentuate peanuts and scallions. For a more Americanized pad Thai using chicken for the protein, Teutonic Wine Co.’s 2011 alsea blanc, a 50/50 blend of pinot blanc and pinot meunier, is a low-alcohol (9.7 percent), soft-on-the-palate surprise. “It’s a bit young right now, but I think the Alsea is going to become one of the best whites coming out of Oregon,” Holstrom says. “It’s a very exciting wine.”
Pho
To contrast with the savory saltiness of pho, Holstrom recommends a fuller-style sauvignon blanc, such as the 2011 efeste “feral” from the Columbia Valley. “For a newworld sauv blanc, it still retains some of those rounder, more grassy notes you find in Loire wines,” says Holstrom. The strong acidity and overt ripeness of “Feral” pleasantly accompany beef broth, and, when served chilled, the wine will provide a refreshing temperature contrast with your steaming bowl of soupy goodness.
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black bean burritos
“The trick here is going to be cutting through the fattiness of the lard or carnitas or whatever you’re working with,” says Holstrom. Whether your burritos are full of pork, tofu or just extra veggies, the 2010 Marietta Cellars Sonoma County Zinfandel provides broad pairing ability. A perfect embodiment of both Dry Creek and Russian River fruit, its initial bouquet of dark raspberries gives way to more
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wine, cont. complex rhubarb and sage notes, creating a mouthful of assertive deliciousness that can stand up to any burrito-based feast.
broccoli beef
Though a bottle of Italian red might not leap to mind when choosing what to drink with your Chinese takeout, the Corvina grape’s distinctive sour-cherry tartness may surprise you with its culinary compatibility. The 2010 Tenuta Sant’antonio Scaia Corvina Veneto IGT, finished completely in stainless steel, is a light-bodied, pepper friendly crowd-pleaser. Attempting to impress a Francophile? joseph Drouhin’s 2009 Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis is always a safe bet. “It’s one of my favorite, everyday, all-purpose wines – that happens to be really, really tasty,” says Holstrom.
Sushi
Though sushi entails a broad spectrum of fishy delights, the majority of locally found fare trends toward rolls made with salmon and tuna. What better complement to the clean flavors and smooth textures of your preferred sushi than bubbles? Clotilde Davenne Crémant de bourgogne extra brut nV is “easily the best value for this level of quality,” says Holstrom. “She makes really beautiful wine, a great representation of crémant.” An initial nose of brioche and heavy cream give way to hints of Meyer lemon and crab apple, with a tangy, ripe finish, turning any late-night sushi run into an instant celebration. £
OnLinE EXTrA: Find out
where to buy these wines at miXpdX.cOm
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MIXpdX.coM january/february 2013
drink
Asian flavors take flight in local cocktails By paul clarke
C
reated in the New World and ardently embraced by the Old, the cocktail has nevertheless remained a traditionally Western affair. Constructed from American whiskey or English gin, and modified with vermouth from Italy or liqueurs from France, cocktails have an international aspect — but for much of mixology’s history, large swaths of the planet have been mostly overlooked. Increasingly, though, the American palate is becoming more globalized, and just as our culinary cravings have expanded to include ramen, pho and dim sum, our drinks are starting to include Asian influences, as well. Not that this is entirely new. Sakespiked martinis and bloody marys laced with wasabi have become standards at restaurant-bars looking for simple crosscultural liquid connections. But only recently have bartenders become more adventurous with the ingredients and flavors found in restaurant kitchens serving Thai, Vietnamese or Japanese cuisine. Today a thirsty customer is likely to find drinks that match the juniper bite of gin with the aromatic heat of ginger, or pair the vegetal sweetness of tequila with the crisp tang of tamarind. Pok Pok and the affiliated Whiskey Soda Lounge have been among the early adapters and most visible purveyors of Asianinfluenced drinks in Portland. In addition to the line of Som drinking vinegars — which Pok Pok began serving in 2005 and entered national distribution last summer — Andy Ricker and his staff
phoToGraphy By faiTh caThcarT
Tamarindo MakeS 1 ServinG
prepare the salted rim before you begin shaking this drink so it won’t sit too long on ice and get diluted. To salt the rim, rub a cut lime wedge around the edge of the glass, then dip in a shallow dish of salt until coated all the way around. 2 ounces tequila 1½ ounces tamarind syrup (see below) 1½ ounces fresh lime juice Ice Garnish: lime wedge
combine tequila, tamarind syrup and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. add ice and shake well. Strain into collins glass with a salted rim filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
To make the tamarind syrup: in a small saucepan combine ¼ cup tamarind concentrate (available at asian markets), ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar and tamarind paste are dissolved. refrigerate until ready to use. — From Ping, Portland JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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drink cont.
regularly tweak classic-cocktail recipes using ingredients from their Southeast Asian-focused kitchen. Menu stalwarts include the tamarind whiskey sour and a vodka Collins made with the fragrant funkiness of salted plum. “I have a background in bartending as well as cooking, and I wanted to use the products we have on hand to match the flavors in the food we’re making,” Ricker says. “There are a lot of Asian ingredients that work well with drinks because they’re bright, clean flavors, and that’s what you want with cocktails.” These bright, resonant ingredients are appearing on drink menus around the city. At Smallwares in Northeast Portland, the bar reflects the kitchen’s eclectic approach, serving drinks such as a rum cocktail with Thai chile and pineapple, and a whiskey old fashioned with the warm aromatics of garam masala. The summer menu at Teardrop Lounge has included a Blue Bark Rickey (created by Seattle bartender Anu Apte), made with gin and turmeric syrup. And at Ping in Chinatown, bartenders serve the gin-based Tropic of Cancer — prepared with black Thai tea, pear drinking vinegar and palm sugar — and
the Tamarindo, which mixes tequila with the double-whammy tartness of tamarind and lime. At Biwa, bartenders use salted plum in the Yoyogi, a vodka-based drink also flavored with ginger syrup. As with most of these other bars and restaurants, Biwa bartenders focus on simple preparations — many of them basic twists on classic cocktails — that use ingredients from the restaurant kitchen. The result is drinks such as the Milwaukee, a basic Manhattan prepared with ginseng-infused bourbon, and a Collins made with cucumber and soju. “It’s helpful in terms of having drinks that harmonize with the food,” says co-owner Gabe Rosen. “We take the same approach as in the kitchen: We’re serving Japanese food using U.S.
ingredients, and we’re very methodical in the way we put the flavors together.” Adam Ho took a similar approach for the drinks at Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen. Ho’s menu features standard Vietnamese drinks with a nudge of alcohol — such as an iced coffee with the minty herbaceousness of Branca Menta, and an avocado smoothie spiked with rum and served with tapioca bubbles. But it also includes ambitious originals such as the Team Dac Biet, made with bourbon, pear cider and pho syrup, a sweetener flavored with signature pho spices including cinnamon, star anise and coriander. Ho says that when Luc Lac opened, he was concerned that the public might not be ready for such cross-cultural cocktails, only to discover his clientele was thirsty for this kind of option. “I was really worried at first — I’m going against the grain where we’re located, but when we opened, people came to see what we offered,” he says. “Now they make many different visits to try each of the drinks out, and our customers know these cocktails now.”
Hillsboro area Restaurants 5 Yuki Sushi and Sake Bar Restaurant
Reedville Cafe
At Yuki Sushi and Sake Bar Restaurant of Oregon, we make it a priority to give you the best sushi eating experience along with budget friendly prices.
A great place for family and friends to meet since 1950. Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and happy hour daily. Terrific appetizers (like our famous Reedville Rings) and delicious desserts baked in-house.
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7575 SE TV Hwy, Hillsboro OR 97123 503.649.4643 reedvillecafe.com
Yuki Sushi and SakeWelcome Bar Restaurant to
Hillsboro
At Yuki Sushi and Sake Bar Restaurant of Oregon, we make it a priority to give you the best sushi eating experience along with budget friendly prices. We aim to fulfill what our customers expect at sushi restaurants by providing them with a fresh, healthy taste with every dish.
1335MIXpdX.coM NE Orenco Station Parkway 30 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2013 Hillsboro, OR
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Tamarind Whiskey Sour MakeS 1 ServinG
at pok pok, andy ricker took a classic whiskey sour for a spin through Southeast asia, adding tamarind for extra tartness and sweetening the drink with palm sugar. 1½ ounces bourbon 1 ounce fresh lime juice 1 ounce tamarind concentrate (available at Asian markets) 1 ounce palm simple syrup (see below) Ice Garnish: Orange wedge and a cherry combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well until chilled, and pour into an ice-filled double oldfashioned glass. Garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry.
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To make the palm simple syrup: combine 1 cup palm sugar with 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat, and whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. refrigerate until ready to use. — From Pok Pok, Portland
yoyogi MakeS 1 ServinG
Ginger syrup and umeboshi — a Japanese salted plum — give this gimlet variation from Biwa extra dimensions of flavor. 1 pitted umeboshi (available in Asian markets) 1½ ounces vodka ¾ ounce fresh lime juice ½ ounce ginger syrup (see below) Ice place the umeboshi in a cocktail shaker and crush with a muddler or wooden kitchen spoon. add remaining ingredients and fill shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled, strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. To make the ginger syrup: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil over medium heat. add ½ cup peeled, chopped ginger and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. let mixture cool completely then strain, pressing solids to extract the flavorful liquid, and measure. add an equal amount of sugar, and whisk until dissolved. refrigerate until ready to use. — From Biwa, Portland £
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expert advice for bringing asian cooking to your kitchen The biggest hurdle to cooking delicious Asian dishes? Knowing — and finding — the right ingredients. How many times have you gone to an Asian market, recipe in hand and hopes high, only to leave dazed and confused? We know the feeling all too well. That’s why we asked five local chefs intimately familiar with the cuisines of Korea, Thailand, Japan, China and Vietnam to help us navigate our way through some of our favorite dishes. You’ll find their expert advice on stores and ingredients on the pages that follow, and their delicious recipes at mixpdx.com. pHotograpHy by fred joe / recipe pHotograpHy by betH naKaMura
Chef:
bo Kwon of Koi fusion Store:
H Mart Recipe:
bi bim bap Bo Kwon’s rise to success in Portland’s food scene can only be described as meteoric. In three years, his Koi Fusion taco truck has grown into a small empire consisting of two indoor “Koi-osks” at Bridgeport Village and downtown Portland, trailers at Mississippi Marketplace and The Row, plus three mobile trucks. Kwon’s foray into fusion cuisine occurred naturally. Growing up in Tigard as the son of Korean immigrants, he’d blend “the Korean side of the refrigerator — my mom’s kimchi, other banchan (salty, spicy, sweet or sour side dishes) — with the American side: the hot dogs, the mac-and-cheese.” Koi’s menu — an intriguing assortment of traditional Korean food served as small tacos, burritos and quesadillas — relies on Korean staples that Kwon gets from H Mart in Tigard. “No one else locally offers the selection or quality of Korean meats and spices that these guys do,” he says. “Plus their kimchi selection is huge; easily the best in town.” For those wishing to explore Korean cooking, Kwon suggests starting with Bi Bim Bop, or Dolsot Bibimbap, a traditional rice bowl topped with an assortment of vegetables, chili paste and an egg. Key ingredients for the dish include kimchi, coarse red pepper powder and gochujang red pepper paste. When it comes to kimchi, Kwon prefers homemade (get a recipe on Page 25) because you can adjust it to your 32
MIXpdX.coM january/february 2013
find the recipe for bi bim bap at mixpdx.com preference. “My mother has a specific taste that she favors, which is very different than mine,” says Kwon. “So at dinner she will pull out my over-fermented, supersour kimchi for me to enjoy.” When he buys kimchi, he shops for it only at Asian markets and prefers the Woori brand. As for the coarse red pepper powder, which is commonly used when making kimchi, Kwon recommends Taekyung, Gogukaru and Wong brands. The gochujang, however, is a bit harder to shop for. “There are so many to choose from now that it’s like barbecue sauce,” Kwon says. Trusted brands, many of which are written in the Korean alphabet, include Chung Jung Won (look for a rainbow-colored logo that looks like a sun tucked behind a purple mountain and green field), and Haechandle (the logo
is a red rectangle with a thin line arcing through the top left corner). The paste also comes in a variety of heat levels and styles. The word sunchang on the label means it’s from the city of Sunchang, which is famous for gochujang. Taeyangcho means it’s made with sun-dried peppers, chalgochujang or chapssal-gochujang is made with sweet rice, and cheongyangcho is made with the addition of a jalapeño-like hot pepper. Kwon suggests buying small amounts and sampling different ones until you find a favorite. “It’s really up to your palate and preference, like Coke or Pepsi,” he says. “All will work with the recipe just fine.” — RAeCHel SIMS Koi Fusion, various locations, koifusionpdx.com H Mart, 13600 S.W. Pacific Highway, Tigard, 503-620-6120, hmart.com
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Chef:
noriko Hirayama of Miso Magic cooking School Store:
uwajimaya Recipe:
Miso Soup With pork and Vegetables Miso soup — that sushi joint staple — seems so easy. Mix some miso paste with water, right? Or maybe use an instant packet? Turns out, that’s a pale imitation of the real thing, which is made with high-quality miso paste and a flavorful base of dashi stock. It can also be turned into a hearty, belly-filling version filled with vegetables and meat. To get a real-deal recipe, we turned to Noriko Hirayama, Japanese native and founder of Portland’s Miso Magic cooking school. She obliged with a recipe and helped us pick out the ingredients at the Beaverton outpost of Uwajimaya, the regional chain of Asian markets that grew out of an early Japanese food truck in Tacoma in 1928. She led us to the miso section — yes, there’s entire section devoted to miso in the 25,000-square-foot store — and explained there are three types: white, red and mixed. All miso is basically fermented soybean paste; the starter determines the color. White is made with a rice or wheat starter and is sweeter. Red miso is made with a soybean starter. Hirayama prefers the mixed variety nowadays, but says any will do for the soup. She always looks for an organic brand — Hikari is one — but it can be hard to tell on foreign packaging. “Just ask someone!” she says. Miso is alive, like yogurt, she adds, so it should never be boiled — add it to the soup last, after all the other ingredients are cooked. Next, the meat aisle. Uwajimaya sells super thinly sliced pork, perfect for the soup, or you can buy any boneless pork chop and thinly slice it yourself, Hirayama says. In the produce section, she picks up a purple Japanese yam, which adds sweetness; a small, firm daikon (a white, mild radish); burdock (a long, brown, crisp root
find the recipe for miso soup With pork and vegetables at mixpdx.com vegetable); as well as carrots and scallions. As for the broth, you can make an Americanized version of miso soup with vegetable or chicken broth, but Japanese dashi gives you a richer, deeper flavor. To make it, Hirayama offers two options: a dashi made with dried kelp and bonito flakes (dried fish flakes), or dried kelp and dried anchovies or sardines. (In a pinch, she says, you can use dashi powder, which is similar to bouillon.) Dried anchovies and shrimp tend to be in the refrigerator case (freeze what you don’t use, she says). Dried kelp, bonito flakes and dashi powder, meanwhile, are in the dry goods section of the store. Hirayama isn’t picky about brands for these, but if you don’t want MSG (monosodium glutamate), look for the word “mutenka” on the dashi powder. For her vegetable- and meat-laden miso soup, Hirayama uses fried tofu for its
sturdy texture (she prefers the House Foods brand). But when she’s shopping for the fresh stuff, she, like most Portland chefs, prefers Ota Tofu. It’s made daily in Southeast Portland, in the Japanese tradition of a 102-year-old family company. Overall, the miso soup is very healthful, Hirayama says. Miso itself is rich in nutrients and known to be healing. The Japanese traditionally eat it every morning for breakfast, she says, though the younger generation typically eats it more for dinner. “Miso is like an apple a day here in America,” she says. “It keeps the doctor away.” — TRACY SAelINGeR Uwajimaya, 10500 S.W. Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Beaverton, 503-643-4512, uwajimaya.com Miso Magic Cooking School, 503-867-6367, misomagic.com january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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Chef:
jia you of Lucky Strike Store:
oriental food Value Recipe:
Spicy and Sour tofu custard; dan dan noodles If you follow the gospel of Szechuan peppercorns, chances are you’ve dined at lucky Strike. “We use it in about 80 percent of our dishes,” says Jia You, chef and co-owner of the restaurant. “This is the taste I crave most.” The petite chef, as sweet as her food is spicy, has the peppercorns shipped fresh from China every few months. Technically not a peppercorn (it’s the dried berry husk of the prickly ash tree), the spice adds pungent lemony and floral aromas to many traditional dishes and gives your tongue a unique, tingly sensation that’s almost addictive. You, a native of the Sichuan province of China, fell for Portland on her first visit to the city as a high school exchange student and later returned for college. “The only thing missing for me at the time was the food from Sichuan,” she says. An accountant by trade, You and her husband opened the first rendition of lucky Strike in a strip mall near Southeast 82nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard five years ago. The tiny, labor-of-love restaurant quickly gained a large and loyal clientele that followed the couple to
their current location on the corner of Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 33rd Avenue. The signature dish at the restaurant, dan dan noodles, is what You makes most often for family and friends. “Dan dan noodles are dear to my heart,” she says. After calligraphy or other extracurricular pursuits on weekends, “my parents always took me to get dan dan noodles.” You recalls eating up to ten (tiny) bowls of noodles each time. “I specifically remember my mom asking, ‘Are you sure you want one more?’ And I’d respond ‘Yes, yes!’ ” The name dan dan refers to the shoulder poles that walking street vendors would use to carry their goods; the two baskets swinging at either end held secret sauces in one, and noodles or tofu custard in the other. The spicy and sour tofu custard is also one of You’s favorites. “It’s a very common dish in Sichuan,” she says. Some restaurants in the region serve only tofu custards; and in more remote areas, you can still find vendors walking through villages, tofu custard dangling from the dan dan on their shoulders. You buys her tofu from Ota Tofu, a long-standing family-run company that uses all organic soybeans. When she is seeking Chinese-specific ingredients, she heads to Oriental Food Value in Southeast Portland, a family-run store that’s been in business for more than two decades. Not
only does it stock her essential ingredients, but everyone knows her by name and the owners call her when her favorite ingredients arrive. The first stop for You is often the aisle lined with dozens of bottles of Chinese black rice vinegar, an ingredient in dan dan noodles and the tofu custard. This vinegar can be a great mystery for the uninitiated. You makes it easy: Avoid vinegars that don’t have water listed as one of the first ingredients, and avoid those made in Hong Kong. Instead, look for bottles that feature the name of a town, because they follow the traditional Chinese process for making vinegar and will be fermented and aged. One of her favorites is Chinkiang vinegar from the city of Zhenjiang in the Jiangsu Province (it has a bright yellow label). “This one is good for the sweet and sour tofu custard,” says You, “because it is not as potent as the more aged vinegars and it brings out a little sweetness so it is easier to balance.” She recommends the Shanxi Superior Mature Vinegar for noodle dishes, like dan dan, because they can take a more intense flavor. The vinegar is aged for up to five years and hails from a region where vinegar has been made for centuries. Oriental Food Value is also the only store in Oregon where You can find prickly ash oil, a Szechuan-peppercorn-infused oil that the chef drizzles over the hot and sour tofu custard, and it can be used to add pop to many Chinese dishes. “Once they run out they don’t usually get it in for another three to four months,” she says. — KeRRY NeWBeRRY Oriental Food Value, 8303 S.E. Insley St., 503-775-8683 Lucky Strike, 3862 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., 503-206-8292; luckystrikepdx.com
find the recipes for spicy and sour tofu custard and dan dan noodles at mixpdx.com
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Chef:
tanasapamon rohman of chiang Mai Store:
fubonn Recipe:
num tok (grilled beef salad) People come to Hawthorne’s Chiang Mai —as they come to any good Thai restaurant, really — for that addictive interplay of spicy, salty, sour and sweet flavors. And for chef/owner Tanasapamon Rohman, one of the best dishes to capture that is num tok. A traditional dish from Northern Thailand, the region the restaurant specializes in, this salad takes many forms depending on where in the region you’re eating it and what meat is used. Rohman’s version uses marinated sirloin to top a salad that is served with a bright, herb-rich dressing and brought together with the signature taste of roasted sticky rice powder. It’s quintessentially Thai. But with so many different elements (marinade, dressing, salad, chiles) and unfamiliar ingredients (cilantro roots, powdered rice), it’s also a dish most cooks are a bit afraid to tackle at home. But with a bit of guidance, num tok can easily be made at home. As with most recipes, this starts at the market, with quality meat, fresh herbs — and, Rohman stresses, ingredients that come from Thailand. Japanese and Chinese soy sauces (and, for that matter, Vietnamese fish sauces) all have flavor profiles that differ slightly yet significantly from the Thai versions. Rohman says to look for the telltale Thai script, and labels that clearly state “made in Thailand.” When shopping, she prefers Fubonn because it’s not too far from home and the restaurant, and it offers a good supply of Thai ingredients, both on the shelf and in the produce section. If your closest Asian market isn’t large enough to have fresh galangal, lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves, you might be able to find them in the freezer section (with only a small sacrifice in flavor).
For the produce and meat, Rohman recommends New Seasons, Whole Foods and farmers markets for their supply of locally grown, super fresh, sustainable ingredients. When it comes to the actual cooking, Rohman suggests you take the Thai approach and pound things out in an old-fashioned mortar and pestle. Yes, it’s hard, messy work. And sure, you could just dump everything in the food processor. But the mortar and pestle let you connect with
your food in a truly authentic way, working the flavor out of every clove of garlic or root of cilantro, and stopping exactly when you’ve reached the particular sweetsalty-spicy balance that makes the dish so addictive. — DeeNA PRICHeP Chiang Mai, 3145 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., 503-234-6192, chiangmaipdx.com Fubonn, 2850 S.E. 82nd Ave. 503-517-8877, fubonn.com
find the recipe for num tok (grilled beef salad) at mixpdx.com january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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2013 WINTER
FARMERS MARKETS PORTLAND FARMERS MARKET Winter Farmers Market at Shemanski Park Downtown Portland at SW Salmon St and Park Ave Saturdays from 10am-2pm January 5 – February 23 503.241.0032 www.portlandfarmersmarket.org
PEOPLE’S YEAR-ROUND FARMERS MARKET 21st Ave and Tibbetts St., one block north of Powell Wednesday, 2pm – 7pm 503-674-2642 www.peoples.coop/farmers-market
OREGON CITY WINTER MARKET 8th St at Main 10am-2pm 1st and 3rd Saturdays Nov- through Apr. 503 734-0192 www.orcityfarmersmarket.com
MONTAVILLA FARMERS MARKET Winter Stock-Up Markets 7600 Block of SE Stark Street, Portland Second Sundays 11am - 1pm ** 2 hours only** December – February www.montavillamarket.org
LLOYD FARMERS MARKET Oregon Square Courtyard NE Holladay between 7th & 9th Avenues Tuesdays, year round! 10am - 2pm www.lloydfarmersmarket.com
HOLLYWOOD FARMERS MARKET Winter Markets NE Hancock between 44th & 45th Avenues 1st & 3rd Saturdays, December - April 9am - 1pm www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org
HILLSDALE FARMERS MARKET Wilson High-Rieke Elementary parking lot, 1405 SW Vermont St. Parking entrance at SW Capitol Hwy and SW Sunset Blvd. Sunday 10am-2pm January 6 & 20, February 3 & 17, March 3 & 17, April 7 & 21 503-475-6555 http://hillsdalefarmersmarket.com
BEAVERTON FARMERS MARKET West parking lot of the Beaverton library 10am – 1:30pm First and third Saturdays of February, March and April 503-643-5346 www.beavertonfarmersmarket.com
FARM FRESH • ALL YEAR LONG
Chef:
Le Ho of Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen Store:
an dong Recipe:
Vietnamese Spring rolls Hip, cocktail-focused and open late, luc lac is the brainchild of two 20-something brothers, Adam and Alan Ho, who own the downtown Vietnamese restaurant together. But while its fresh vibe offers a welcome departure from the bare-bones decor of so many Asian spots in town, the menu is grounded in authenticity thanks to their mom and head chef le Ho. Whether she’s making steaming bowls of pho or almost-too-pretty-to-eat spring rolls, le Ho relies almost exclusively on An Dong Market on Southeast Powell Boulevard. It’s not as big as Uwajimaya or Fubonn, but she says the service is great. If she needs an item they don’t carry, they’ll source it for her from other markets around town and include it in her daily delivery. Thankfully for those of us without restaurants, An Dong isn’t just a wholesaler. The midsize market is open to the public, and well stocked with produce, seafood, meat and Asian ingredients, including 20-plus brands of rice paper — essential for making Vietnamese spring rolls. Ho’s spring rolls are truly some of the best in town. They’re lovely, plump and accompanied by a sweet peanut sauce so good you might be tempted to lick the bowl. She says there are a few secrets to their success. First, they must be carefully constructed, because presentation is important. “They have to be pretty,” she says. Second, Ho has tried every brand of rice paper at An Dong and says none comes close to the pliability and good flavor of the Three ladies Brand. She’s particular about the rice noodles, too. Ho urges cooks not to use the bright white rice vermicelli noodles, but the more transparent and slightly gray ones, because they contain fewer chemicals and taste better. One more insider secret: The key ingredient in luc lac’s peanut dipping sauce is the bubbly, Puerto Rican, coconut-flavored Coco Rico Soda. look for it, or the similar Coco Solo soda, at latino markets. When asked why Ho chose her spring roll recipe to share with us, she says: “They are really healthy and Oregon people love fresh. I think spring rolls are great, too, because of all the variations. You can use any kind of meat — beef, chicken, tofu, or even just vegetables. You really can do so much with them.” — lIZ CRAIN
An Dong Market, 5441 S.E. Powell Blvd., 503-777-2463 Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen, 835 S.W. Second Ave., 503-222-0047, luclackitchen.com
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Remembering home, one plate at a time
Owners of a Czech food cart host a hearty meal, rich in tradition BY CHAD WALSH / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID REAMER
Menu Beef bone soup Smoked pork, served with pickles, mustard and homemade rye bread Svícková (Braised Beef With Cream Sauce) Traditional Czech Dumplings Apple Strudel
Karel Vitek leaps up the flight of stairs that link his cellar to his firstfloor kitchen, a plate of steamed dumplings in his hand. Then, in one twisting movement, he delivers the dumplings to his wife, Monika, pivots to his right and lowers the flame on the stovetop where his roux is simmering, stirs it once, and then bounds up a second flight of stairs to tend to his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Agata, who’s just burned her finger by touching a hot pot just moments before. In an evening that unfolds in tempo like a well-rehearsed orchestra playing a canonic symphony, it’s the only moment when the night seems more like a jazz combo rumbling off its rails. But the truth is, the Viteks could put this dinner together in their sleep. On windy, wintry, drizzly nights like this, they often welcome friends and frequenters of their downtown food cart, Tábor (pronounced TAH-bor), into their home for a night of home-style Czech comfort food. january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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Visitors to the cart already know 8-year-old Tábor for its goulash and bramboráks (potato pancakes stuffed with arugula and horseradish sour cream). But the cart is best known as the home of the Schnitzelwich — a no-nonsense breaded pork loin, chicken breast or eggplant sandwich, piled deep and high with lettuce, sautéed onions and a paprika spread called ajvar. Though the sandwich has won celebrity status — and inspired “Schnitzelwich for President” bumper stickers — its expat creators are still unknown to most. Before moving from what is now Central Europe’s Czech Republic, Monika studied ecology and landscape regulation, and then, for one year, ran a small private preschool before flying off to Portland in the mid1990s. Shortly after her arrival, she met the man she would marry, although it would take a few years of flirting and courting before rings were exchanged. Karel’s story also begins in the Czech Republic, but it starts with a plan that only a plucky, fearless, 20-year-old would try. Karel had grown restless and frustrated by the limits of living under the communist regime that governed what was then Czechoslovakia. So he hatched a plan to escape an all-too-painfully-certain future by swimming across the river Mura, which 44
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borders Austria and Hungary. If he was lucky, he’d swim to the banks of Austria, where he could ask to be granted refugee status. If he was unlucky — like many who had come before him — he’d be swept further south by the river’s strong current to find himself greeted by communist troops guarding the Hungarian border. But he was young, strong, fit and lucky, in the end. After spending nearly a year in Austrian limbo, he sought and was granted asylum by the United States government, eventually finding his way to Portland and PSU, where he earned degrees in philosophy and psychology. It would still be another three years (or four, depending on whom you ask) after getting married before the Viteks decided that they should open a food cart. So they saved up, bought one and parked it in their driveway. It sat there for nearly a year before they fixed it up and dreamed up an authentic Czech menu — no small feat since neither had ever cooked professionally. But the thing about preparing Czech cuisine, Karel says, is that there are no real rules. The recipes are but guides to consult, rather than laws to be followed. Every Czech cook arrives at his or her own conclusion. A sauce simmering in one
house will taste subtly, if not completely, different than the sauce simmering in the home next door — and both are authentic. Turns out, real Czech cooking is in the tiny, idiosyncratic details. It’s knowing, for instance, that what tasted very good yesterday tastes even better today. This, the Viteks say, is especially important when it comes to making knedlíky, or dumplings. “The first step in making any good Czech dish is to find yesterday’s dumplings,” says Karel. Day-old dough, they insist, give even the accompanying dish a depth of flavor.
So when the Viteks invite their friends to their home for an authentic Czech spread, they improvise. They’ll eye ingredients, intuitively knowing when to say when. They stay true to memories rather than recipes, Monika using techniques learned from watching her grandmother, Karel from watching his mother and grandfather. Because, really, reconnecting with that most important yet intangible ingredient — memory — is what these meals are all about. Tábor, S.W. Stark St., at the corner of Fifth Ave., 503-997-5467; schnitzelwich.com
Village Rye Bread MAkeS 1 LoAf
The flavor and aroma of fresh baked rye bread can’t be beat. It makes a delicious appetizer when served with thin slices of smoked pork, mustard and pickles. Starter: ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour ½ cup warm water (110 degrees) 1 (0.5-ounce) packet active dry yeast Dough: 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading 2 cups dark rye flour ½ cup buckwheat flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 large russet potato, peeled and grated 1 tablespoon caraway seed 2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
To make the starter: In a large bowl, combine flour, warm water and yeast. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for at least 1 hour (bubbles will appear on the surface). To make the dough: Into the bowl of starter, mix in the all-purpose flour, rye flour, buckwheat flour, salt, grated potato and caraway seed. Slowly stir in the water. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead, adding more flour, until it feels elastic and doesn’t stick to your hands. Shape it into a ball, place into a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm area for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and knead gently several times. Shape into a ball once again, place onto a well-floured cast iron skillet, and cover it with a towel. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Using a sharp knife, lightly cut the top of the bread crosswise to make a star or cross shape. Bake the bread for 35 to 45 minutes, until deep golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
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Traditional Apple Strudel MAkeS 10 To 12 ServIngS
With a flaky dough similar to puff pastry, this dessert is hard to resist — especially when filled and served with raisins that have been soaked in sherry for two days. If you’re not up to the challenge of making the dough, try using storebought puff pastry. 1 pound all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1¼ cups cold water 1 pound unsalted butter filling: 6 2 1 1 ½
to 8 medium apples (about 2 pounds) tablespoons ground cinnamon pinch ground cloves pinch freshly ground nutmeg cup coarsely ground fresh bread crumbs, toasted (divided) 1 cup coarse sugar (like raw sugar or sanding sugar, divided), plus more for sprinkling 2 tablespoons melted butter Optional: sherry-soaked raisins, toasted slivered almonds or toasted crushed walnuts 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing For serving: whipped cream and more sherrysoaked raisins To make the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt. Add water and process until a ball of dough forms around the blade (about 30 to 60 seconds). Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead into a smooth ball. Place under a damp cloth while you prepare the butter.
Traditional Czech Dumplings MAkeS 8 To 10 ServIngS
Although the word “dumplings” conjures images of little doughy pillows or filled pockets, these dumplings are more like rib-sticking slices of chewy bread. They’re perfect for soaking up sauces and meaty juices. 3½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour (divided), plus more for kneading 1 teaspoon dry yeast 1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees) 3 whole eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon kosher salt
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In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour with yeast, then whisk in milk. Let rest for 1 hour. Mix in beaten eggs and gradually add in remaining flour. knead dough slowly, but firmly, as it gets thicker. Add more flour or milk if needed. final dough should be elastic, but should not stick to your hands. roll the dough into 3 long baguette shapes (approximately 8 inches long and 2 inches wide). Let rest for 30 minutes. While dumplings rest, fill a large stockpot ¾ full with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Carefully place each loaf into the boiling water (boil them in batches if they don’t all fit). Bring to boil again, lower heat to medium and cover, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook for 7 minutes. Carefully turn each dumpling 180 degrees and cook 8 minutes longer. Quickly remove both dumplings using 2 spatulas. Transfer to a work surface and immediately stab both dumplings 3 times on each side with a paring knife. Allow dumplings to rest at least 5 minutes. Just before serving, use a serrated knife and slice dumplings crosswise into ½-inch-thick medallions.
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remove the butter from the refrigerator, unwrap, and place on top of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place another sheet of plastic wrap on top. Use a rolling pin to pound the butter evenly until it is a sheet ¼ inch thick. Dust the work surface and dough with flour. roll out the dough until it is rectangular and twice the size of the butter. Place the pounded butter in the middle of the dough and fold in the sides until the butter is completely enclosed. roll out the dough until it’s ½ inch thick. fold into thirds like a business letter. rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll into a rectangle again. fold into thirds and poke two fingers into the top of the dough (to keep track of how many times you’ve folded and turned it). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. remove the dough from the refrigerator and repeat the rolling, folding and turning two more times. Poke it with 4 fingers before wrapping in plastic and refrigerating for 30 more minutes. repeat the process again, for a total of six folds and turns. Wrap in
plastic and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. To fill the strudel: Line a rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Place in a bowl and toss with the cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Cut the dough in half and place one half in the refrigerator. roll out the other half on a floured work surface until very thin and 18 inches square. Sprinkle 2â „3 of the dough
with half the bread crumbs, leaving a 1 inch border around the sides. Arrange half the apples on top (use just the apples, do not use any juices). Sprinkle half the sugar over the apples. Sprinkle with raisins or nuts, if using. Carefully roll up the strudel into a log, starting on the side with the apples. Pinch the ends together to seal them, and place the log carefully on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with melted butter. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and refrigerate. Use the remaining dough and ingredients to make
a second strudel. Chill the strudels for 30 minutes before baking to allow the butter in the dough to firm up. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake strudels until deep golden brown (about 30 to 40 minutes). Allow to cool before slicing. Serve warm with whipped cream and sherrysoaked raisins. Cold strudel can be reheated in the oven (never in the microwave) for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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Svícková Omácka (Braised Beef With Cream Sauce) MAkeS 6 ServIngS
The rich cream sauce, tender beef and doughy slices of dumplings combine to make a hearty, celebratory meal to chase away the winter blues. 2 medium onions 3 carrots, peeled 2 parsnips 1 medium celery root ¼ pound unsliced speck (smoked pork fat, see note) 3 pounds of beef chuck or bottom sirloin 2 teaspoons kosher salt 5 bay leaves 11 peppercorns 11 whole allspice 1 ⁄3 cup red wine vinegar 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted 4 cups beef stock Cream sauce: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour ½ cup cold beef stock ½ to 1 cup heavy cream Salt accompaniments: Czech dumplings, cranberry sauce, whipped cream, fresh lemon juice To marinate the meat: Cut the onions, carrots, parsnips and celery root into small to medium slices.
Smoked Pork Roast MAkeS 8 ServIngS
If you don’t have a dedicated smoker, try turning your outdoor grill into a smoker by using foil pans filled with soaked wood chips. Look for howto instructions on barbecue websites. 1 large onion, minced 11 cloves garlic, smashed 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup vegetable oil 5 pounds pork butt (also called shoulder blade roast or Boston butt) accompaniments: grated fresh horseradish, your favorite mustard, pickles and warm rye bread
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Combine onion and garlic in a food processor or mortar and pestle. Add pepper, paprika, salt and oil and process or smash until combined into a paste. Spread and rub the paste over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days. Wipe the meat until clean and dry. Heat a cast-iron pan over high heat (turn your range hood on high if you have one). Sear meat in the hot pan on all sides until browned (about 1 minute per side). Set up your smoker. karel vitek uses 2 pounds of pear or apple wood soaked in water overnight. When the charcoal is red hot, he places the wet wood pieces on them and closes the vents of the smoker almost all the way. He keeps the temperature of the smoker low as he smokes the meat for 6 to 8 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of 195 degrees. He adds wet wood and charcoal as needed, and turns the meat every two hours. Let the meat rest 15 minutes. Cut thin slices with a sharp knife and serve with accompaniments.
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Cut the speck into about 20 thin slices. Use a paring knife to pierce the meat 20 times evenly around the piece, then stuff the speck into the meat. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Place the meat in heavybottomed Dutch oven and place the cut
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vegetables on and around the meat. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns and allspice. evenly sprinkle the vinegar over the meat. Pour the melted butter over the meat, cover pot tightly with plastic wrap, add the lid, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. To cook the meat: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. remove meat from the pot (scrape off any spices or vegetables sticking to it) and pat dry (reserve the pot and its contents). Set a cast iron pan over high heat (turn your range hood on high, if you have one). When the pan starts smoking, add the meat and sear on all sides until dark brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer meat to the pot with the vegetables. Deglaze the cast iron pan by adding the stock and scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour this liquid into the pot with the meat. Cover with the lid and place in the oven. After 30 minutes, lower the heat to 300 degrees and continue cooking for 1½ to 2 hours, until meat is very tender.
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To make the sauce: remove the meat from the Dutch oven and set aside. remove the bay leaf and the spices with a slotted spoon. remove about half the vegetables. Using a hand-held blender, blend the remaining cooking liquid until smooth. keep the cooking liquid warm over low heat. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly darkened. Slowly whisk the cold stock into the roux, a little at a time, letting the roux absorb each addition before adding more. Slowly whisk this mixture into the pot with the cooking liquid. Increase heat and bring to a simmer; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream and season with salt to taste. The consistency of the sauce should be creamy but not dense. If it’s too thick, add more cream, water or stock. If it’s too liquidy, continue simmering the sauce until reduced. To serve: Thinly slice the meat and serve alongside dumplings, cranberry sauce, a dollop of whipped cream and a squeeze of lemon. note: You can buy speck at Pastaworks. You can use bacon in a pinch. £ january/february 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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calendar Our picks for what to do when coMPiLeD By GraNt BUtLer
GaGa, ooh, La, La!
jAn. 15 Go to the edge of glory
with tickets to Lady Gaga’s born This Way ball, a concert/dance party featuring an open floor and the five-time Grammy winner performing her biggest hits. you’re on the right track, baby!
rosequarter.com
FaNcy Feet
Feb. 13 celebrating 35 years as one of the most original forces in contemporary dance,
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is acclaimed for its innovative repertoire as well as its versatile dancers. as part of the White Bird dance series, they’ll perform works by Israeli choreographers Ohad naharin and Sharon eyal. It’s sure to be one of the highlights of the winter dance season.
whitebird.org
Be First to taste
jAn. 25-26 it’s a new name and a new beginning for the old oregon wine, Food & Brew Fest, which is now called First Taste Oregon. it’s a nod to this venerable festival’s stature as the first major wine and food festival of the year, which fills the oregon state Fair’s exposition center (in salem) with boutique wines, artisan beers and gourmet things to nibble on. and if you’re new to it all, there will be beginner wine-tasting classes as well as chef and bartender demonstrations. firsttasteoregon.com PhotoGraPh By toM roseNBerG
Get iN the swiM
Feb. 1-2 the oregon convention center becomes seafood central with the Portland Seafood & Wine Festival. the eighth annual event happens as Dungeness crab season reaches its peak, so look for seafood cocktails and other dishes loaded with crabmeat.
Brave the chiLL Jan. 5-Feb. 23 Just
because it’s the dead of winter doesn’t mean you can’t score locally grown produce and specialty goods, thanks to the Portland Farmers Market’s Winter Market at downtown’s Shemanski Park. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays in January and February. expect plenty of hearty greens, cauliflower and pantry essentials like great pickles.
pdxseafoodandwinefestival.com
Love, iNtriGUe aND MUrDer!
Feb. 1-9 Puccini’s tumultuous opera “Tosca” has everything: Love, political intrigue, seduction, murder and a dramatic ending that’s so over the top it could be where the term “soap opera” comes from. Portland opera brings back one of the most-loved operas.
portlandfarmersmarket. org
portlandopera.org
oreGoN trUFFLe FestivaL
jAn. 25-27 truffle fanatics return year after year to the oregon truffle Festival in eugene with good reason. the weekend features a slew of cooking demos and forums. and the Grand truffle Dinner is a who’s who of some of our favorite Portland and san Francisco chefs, including Nick Balla of Bar tartine and Gregory Denton of ox. PhotoGraPh By Motoya NakaMUra
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oregontrufflefestival.com
Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue
503.445.3700
pcs.org
“Beautifully captures Beard’s zest for life.” —The Indianapolis Star
Love is everywhere
Feb. 14 if you wait until it’s too late, you may have a hard time getting a reservation for Valentine’s Day at one of the city’s great restaurants. Genoa, Noisette and Paley’s Place are high on our list of most romantic venues. genoarestaurant.com, noisetterestaurant.com, paleysplace.net
JAN 8– FEB 3
oscar NiGht!
Feb. 24 the biggest question surrounding the 84th annual Academy Awards isn’t whether host seth MacFarlane will say something offensive (trust us, he will). it’s whether your oscar party potluck will have culinary star power or all the charm of an adam sandler comedy. Don’t want to cook? think takeout from your favorite restaurant (indian food inspired by “Life of Pi,” perhaps?), or great finds from your supermarket deli.
Drs. Ann Smith Sehdev & Paul Sehdev Jan & John Swanson
Face & Body Cosmetic Surgery SURGICAL AESTHETIC TREATMENTS
• Breast Augmentation • Breast Lifts • Laser Liposuction • Tummy Tucks • Eyelid Surgery • Face Lifts • Brow Lifts • Arm Lifts
NON-INVASIVE TREATMENTS
• Botox • Dysport • Soft Tissue Fillers • Sculptra
ESTHETICIAN SERVICES
• Microdermabrasion • Chemical Peels • Sunless Tanning • Skin Care
Dr. Gorin provides a personalized approach to each patient, with each aesthetic procedure being tailored to meet the patient’s unique and individualized needs. This concept is vital in our goal to provide surgical and non-invasive aesthetic excellence. PhotoGraPh By BriNkhoFF/MöGeNBUrG
horse oF a DiFFereNt coLor
Feb. 26-MArch 3 if you saw steven spielberg’s film adaptation of the story “War horse,” you may think you’ve seen it all. But this acclaimed National theatre of Great Britain production features elaborate puppets that bring to life the horse Joey at the center of this world war i epic. portlandopera.org £
6464 SW Borland Road, Suite B1 Tualatin, OR 97062
www.GorinPlasticSurgery.com
503.692.7222 facebook.com/gorinplasticsurgery 24/7/365 email and phone access to Dr. Gorin: drgorin@gorinplasticsurgery.com jAnuAry/FebruAry 2013 MIXpdX.coM
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high 5 Fireside
dining
Irving Street Kitchen
When the snowflakes begin to flutter or the drizzle chills you to the bone, it’s time to seek refuge with a warm meal by a crackling hearth. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty brunch or an elegant cocktail, we found some of the best spots around town where you can enjoy a fireside feast. — Kerry NeWberry brunch at Meriwether’s restaurant: In the winter, this restaurant feels like an escape to a cozy lodge, with two old-world stone fireplaces accented by rustic mantels. Settle in at the bar or the main dining room and order the Dungeness crab omelet. 2601 N.W. Vaughn St., 503-228-1250, meriwethersnw.com
Champagne and Oysters at The Heathman: An elegant white marble fireplace casts a romantic glow over the Heathman’s Tea Court Lounge. Plush chairs and couches circle the flickering flames, and Wednesday through Sunday, live jazz bands croon throughout the evening. 1001 S.W. Broadway, 503-790-7752, heathmanrestaurantandbar. com
burgers and pinot at Cafe nell: A cherry-red enamel fireplace is the pièce de résistance in the main dining room. Grab a table front-and-center and dive into soulsatisfying fare like the moules frites and The Nell burger made with Cascade Natural beef. 1987 N.W. Kearney St., 503-295-6487, cafenell.com
Craft cocktails at Irving Street Kitchen: If we had to pick one fireplace with the best perch for peoplewatching, this one wins. Great cocktails and a fun vibe keep the ISK bar busy. Only a few seats frame the fireplace, so arrive early and snag one of the gold velvet chairs or a nearby bar stool. 701 N.W. 13th Ave., 503-343-9440, irvingstreetkitchen.com
Dessert at Papa Haydn: When it comes to the last course, few can beat the sweets at this Portland institution. you can’t miss with anything chocolate — particularly the threelayer triple chocolate cake filled with espresso ganache. you can make reservations to sit in the classic fireplace nook Monday through Thursday evenings. 701 N.W. 23rd Ave., 503-228-7317, papahaydn.com PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS BOYD
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Portland’s premier one-stop shop for chefs, bartenders and the home mixologist
Looking for that special beverage to highlight your dining experience?
We have it all! 1000 LIQUORS 600 beers 400 WINES 300 cigars 900 nw lovejoy pearl district 503-477-8604 www.pearlspecialty.com mon-sat 9-10
sun 12-7
Largest buffet in Oregon.
7 action stations: International, Pizza, Seafood, Carving, American, Asian, Bakery. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner specialties. Beer and Wine available. Incredible Sunday Brunch. Check website for specials, hours and prices.
Hwy 18 • Grand Ronde, OR • SPIRITMOUNTAIN.COM