We’re thrilled to announce a special Thanksgiving edition (if you will) of our Market Chef series! This coming Sunday, Nov. 18th, come see the Country Cat’s own Mike Eels and Daniel Miller of Adalu Stew– both former Market Demo Chefs — join forces and cook up a complete Thanksgiving feast. They’ll be using fantastic produce that our wonderful farmers are bringing in and a turkey from Cerigioli Gardens, as well as turkeys kindly donated specifically for this cause by New Seasons market (a very close second best thing to a local farmers market, as we all know).
The boys will use their super cheffing skills to transform the bounty of the Autumn market into a delicious repast, worthy of every food lovers’ favorite holiday. Starting at 10 am, Mike and Daniel will be demonstrating a new dish every half hour :
10:00 Squash soup
10:30 Celery root and sweet potato gratin & Cranberry Sauce
11:00 Braised brussel sprouts
11:30 Perfect Country Gravy
12:00 Deep Fried Turkey (did you catch that? – DEEP. FRIED. TURKEY. dig it.)
Finally at 1pm, ‘dinner’ is served! Plates heavy with all that marvelous food will be sold at $5 a pop, and 100% of the proceeds will go to support our Everybody Eats program, an incredibly important local outreach program that is so very needed at what for many of our neighbors is a cold, lonely and hungry time of year.
This will be more than just another meal. Mike and Daniel have a high hopes for this puppy, far beyond simply filling bellies and teaching kitchen skills. As Daniel so eloquently describes; “We’re hoping it’ll be much like being in the kitchen all day for a family Thanksgiving; enjoying the food preparation and camaraderie as much as the gustatory experience. The whole idea of the demo, and of Thanksgiving itself, is to be thankful for the bountiful food that is so prevalent here in Oregon, to truly appreciate the food as well as those who grow it. More than simply a cooking demo, Mike and I are hoping to foster the communication between farms, farmers and home cooks. The shared food is our medium.”
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. See you at the market & Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Yes! It’s true! We have not one but TWO market chefs this week. Patrick Pugh (who you may recognize from around the market) will be bringing his chefing skills to the demo table to accompany Arnon Kartmazov and his sure-to-be amazing knife demo. Patrick is a relatively young chef, just starting to get his feet wet, and we’re thrilled to have him. Here’s a bit about the man himself!
1.Tell me a bit about what you do. What role does food play in your life?
Since my first job at an auto body shop here in Portland, I’ve enjoyed working with my hands. I eventually ended up in the service industry, and realized that restaurant work is where I wanted to be. My first job was at a home-style Italian restaurant, but eventually found my way to culinary school here, where I studied under chef instructors like Ken Rubin, Cory Schreiber, Eric Wynkoop, David Diffendorfer, and Hank Sawtelle. When I graduated, culinary jobs were actually rather few and far between, and searching for the perfect fit quickly took a back burner to just really needing a job. I ended up at Rogue Creamery, working for them at farmers markets around Portland. I just recently took a job as a chocolatier with a local vegan truffle maker, Missionary Chocolates.
2. What brought you to this work? Why is food so important to you?
Food is the lifeblood of existence, without it we wouldn’t last very long. However, I believe it is more than just eating to survive; every person has a palate, every culture has a tradition, different areas of the world have varieties of available meats, produce, seafood. I love creating, and I love exploring flavors, styles, and cultures. To love food is to explore and love all of those things.
3. What are some of your earliest food memories? When did you first know that food would be so important in your life & what was the catalyst for your realization?
My mother ran a catering business when I was young, and my dad would often help out. I had to try new things when I was growing up, and I definitely inherited my mom’s love for cooking.
4. What do you cook with you cook for your family/friends? What do you cook when you cook for just yourself?
For friends and family, I love to throw something on the grill, like Columbia River salmon, or some local grass fed beef. There are so many simple ways of taking a single main ingredient and presenting it different ways, with different flavors and cultural influences. I particularly gravitate towards a Japanese style of cooking ; I always have rice on hand, or some noodles that I can turn into a stir fry, or a bento, some sort of soba or somen dish. Soy sauce, ginger, sesame, miso, and rice wine go a long ways in my kitchen at home, and can be found in many of my own meals.
5. What are your hopes for the future of the food culture in this country? In Portland? What are we doing right, what needs to change?
The amount and variety of food are amazing in this city of Portland, and I would love to see other cities follow suit. The competition in this town requires you to be unique, to try to be the best. All too often I see a restaurant pop up with the same old thing, and it’s just OK. With the availability of food, there’s no reason not to try to be the best.
6. If you don’t mind, would you share a recipe with us?
I love winter cooking – there is still terrific produce available, you just have to know what to do with it. This soup will take right around 40 minutes start to finish, and is a delicious, hearty meal. Using coconut milk and vegetable stock makes a vegetarian option, or beef and chicken stock will provide a rich flavor for those that prefer it.
Simple Squash Soup
1 lb Squash
1 Small Onion
.75 C Coconut Milk
2.5 C Stock of choice
1 T Butter (or oil for cooking)
Salt and Pepper
Cut pumpkin into large blocks and remove seeds. Slice pumpkin thinly. Heat butter (Oil) in saute pan and cook onion slices until softened (not brown). Add pumpkin slices to the pan and saute. Add stock and simmer vegetables until softened.
When cooked, whirl the vegetables and broth in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the pan and add milk.
Heat the soup over low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meet Kimi Reid, the very adorable chef who will be representing Slow Food Portland at the Chef Demo table this week at the market! We were able to spend a little time with her this week, and here for your reading pleasure, is her take on everything from the importance of eating well to the health of the local food movement here in Portland. She’s a truly experienced woman, and a fantastic chef. Come see her this Sunday, and read even more about her at ChefKimiReid.com!
Tell me a bit about what you do with Slow Food. What role does food play in your daily, professional life.
Slow Food has been a part of my professional and personal agenda for many years now. While spending time cooking in Europe, I had the chance to connect and buy from Slow Food Farms as well participate in the Slow Food International Cheese Festival. Here in Portland, I have been a participant in Slow Food events, and thoroughly enjoy writing articles as a way to share the vital information that is conveyed. Slow Food Portland is out there making great changes, and this needs to be shared. Food is my way of creating a healthy life for myself and others, and I do this by offering Personal Chef services to the greater Portland area. I also enjoy teaching cooking classes, cooking for wellness retreats, and even creating recipe plans. I specialize in ‘naturally gluten, dairy and soy-free’ cuisine.
I am launching a site called Real Recipe Plans at the end of October, which provides a weekly plan to cook 5 healthy meals, which are naturally gluten, dairy and soy-free. I am passionate about getting everyone back in the kitchen, where they have direct access to their own health.
What brought you to this work? Why is food so important to you?
Food has always been an important part of my life. After working on a farm in Colorado, cooking for start-up food businesses and testing my cooking skills in the kitchens of fly-fishing lodges, I eventually attended and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Miami. I then spent many years working as head chef on private yachts in worldwide locations as well as refining my skills at a few Michelin star restaurants including ‘The Fat Duck’ (ed. note : wowza!!) in England, and a few others in Australia. Travel has been a huge part of my culinary career, and this has allowed me to experience many different types of cuisines and has highlighted the importance of local ingredients and making strong connections with local farmers and their products. Also, while working with many different clients with various nutritional needs, I have come to appreciate food as the ultimate key to good health.
What are some of your earliest food memories? When did you first know that food would be so important in your life & what was the catalyst for your realization?
Some of my earliest food memories stem from growing up in the lowcountry of South Carolina. I always loved sitting outside underneath the mossy oak trees, and enjoying a lowcountry shrimp boil with family and friends, with a side of live bluegrass. Food is about community and atmosphere, and I really try to share that. I also have fond memories of roaming through my grandparents’ garden in Australia and being mesmerized by passionfruit vines, citrus trees and those beautiful curly sweet pea vines. Growing up with an Australian mom, there wasn’t a holiday that didn’t include a fluffly pavlova topped with fresh cream and kiwis. When I was 19, cooking at a fly-fishing lodge in Chile, I remember going into town to meet the local farmer. He took me into his greenhouse and pulled a humongous head of fresh bibb lettuce out of the ground (which was a first for me). This was a definite catalyst in my burgeoning food career and helped me to appreciate local products and the simplicity of good food.
What do you cook with you cook for your family/friends? What do you cook when you cook for just yourself?
Enjoying food with family and friends is a huge part of my life. We keep the food very simple and seasonal, leaving time to enjoy the presence of others. I really love making soups, grilled salmon with a finish of good salt, braised greens with roasted garlic, quinoa tagines, and healthier versions of southern cuisine. Brunch with friends would typically include bircher meusli with toasted coconut, fresh green smoothies, a seasonal vegetable frittata, fresh fruit and home-roasted coffee with almond milk. Cooking for myself usually involves the simplicity of a fried egg in coconut oil with roasted brussels sprouts, and lots of fresh green juice.
What are your hopes for the future of the food culture in this country? In Portland? What are we doing right, what needs to change?
I believe that the future of our food culture lies in the appreciation and support of local and home-grown cuisine. My work as a personal chef exposes me to the plethora of food allergies and nutritional deficiencies present in our country at this very moment. We need to eat more produce, end of story. Local produce, that is. Travel to other locations and it’s easy to come home and realize that Portland is on the cutting edge of the food revolution and we are so blessed to have such involvement and support for our local farmers. This makes it easy for us to participate in CSA’s, shop at farmers markets and buy from amazing local stores such as Salt, Fire and Time. There are positive changes happening at this very moment, and we need to be sure that they continue! This mantra is at the heart of Slow Food Portland, which is why we need continued support in our community.
If you don’t mind, would you share a recipe with us?
Zucchini-Stuffed Zucchini
4 large zucchini
1 onion, cut into slivers
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 carrots, grated
1/4 cup Parmiggiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup chopped herbs on hand (basil, oregano, thyme)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
-Preheat oven to 375 F.
-Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, and scoop out the zucchini pulp with a
grapefruit spoon or a melon baller. It’s good to leave some body to the zucchini,
so don’t worry if you don’t scoop out every little bit. Set aside the zucchini ‘pulp.’
-On a baking sheet, place the halved zucchini, drizzle with a smidge of olive oil
and bake the empty zucchini ‘boats’ for 15 minutes or until just soft and remove
from oven.
-Meanwhile, in a medium sautee pan, add a nice glug of olive oil and sauté the
onions until just wilted. Now add the zucchini pulp, garlic, carrots and cook for
about 5 minutes until all is nice and soft.
-Remove from heat, season with S&P and stir in half of the Parmiggiano and all
of the chopped herbs! Lay out the zucchini ‘boats’ on a baking sheet and fill with
the cooked filling.
-Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmiggiano and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until the amazing smell permeates and the veggies are just on the verge of crispy. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and drizzle with another bit of your favorite olive oil.
Servings: 4 persons (2 Stuffed Zucchini/person)
Find more of Kimi at www.chefkimireid.com !
Noble Rot chef Leather Storrs is a Portland cheffing rarity : he’s actually an Oregon native! While we love our PDX transplants, it’s pretty fun to celebrate a home town boy once in a while. He left the state briefly for school; to pursue a BA at the University of Colorado and then later to get a culinary degree at the famed Culinary Institute of America in New York’s Hudson Valley. From there, it was back to the west coast where he landed in some of the best kitchens in the world, from Chez Panisse to The French Laundry, absorbing both their local, seasonal ethos and exacting, precise techniques.
In 1999, he found his way back to Portland, where he took a position at Portland’s classic Bijou cafe. Just three years later, he opened Noble Rot with his then-fiancee (now wife) Courtney and her friend, Kim. With a thoughtful wine list and crave-worth menu (remember that infamous onion tart?) received raves from local and national press. Some may remember that Storrs left Noble Rot in 2006 to try his hand at running his own restaurant, Rocket. While it was a worthy effort, the experience taught him that Noble Rot was where he truly belonged, and is now back in the saddle, “ wiser, happier and humbler”.
We’re thrilled to have him in our Chef Demo hot seat this coming Sunday and can’t wait to see what he does with all of the fabulous autumnal produce that has begun to roll in! See you at the Market!
The market was delighted to have a demo the other week from Nathan Gerdes of Kask. He concocted some fine mocktails inspired by the season. Here’s how to make them yourself!
Holding on to the last bits of summer:
- 1 part Basil Ginger Lime syrup*
- 1 part Fresh Lime juice
- fill with Soda water
- (add your favorite gin, light rum, or tequila if you like)
*Basil Ginger Lime syrup:
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 3 fresh limes (quartered)
- combine all ingredients, bring to a light boil then remove from heat. Let cool, strain, then bottle – will keep for approx 2 weeks if refrigerated.
Welcoming Fall:
- 2 parts Peach Ginger spiced syrup*
- fill with Soda water
- (add your favorite whiskey, brandy, or dark rum if you like)
*Peach Ginger spiced syrup
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups water
- 2 med fresh ripe peaches
- 1/2 cup fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- combine chopped peaches and sugar, muddle together until it forms a paste – then combine all remaining ingredients, bring to a light boil and remove from heat. Let cool, strain, then bottle – will keep for approx 2 weeks if refrigerated.
In the hotseat this week, we’ve got Julie Merry! With a Bachelors in Nutrition and a culinary degree from Western Culinary Insitute, Julie Merry is one well-rounded lady. Since opening her buisness, the Merry Kitchen, in 2007, she’s been spending her days teaching children and teens one of lifes’ most important lessons ; how to cook! Come see her at the Market this coming Sunday, Sept 30th, for a freebie lesson at the Chef Demo table! From 10:30 – 1pm Julie will be doing totally hands-on cooking with kids, so definitely bring the little ones!
So, tell me a bit about what you do? What role does food play in your life?
I teach kids to cook out of my home in Northeast Portland. I started the Merry Kitchen in the summer of 2007. In each class, we cook a meal from scratch, kids eat at the end and they get to take the recipes home! The classes themselves are generally about 2 hours long, and it’s all very hands on — the kids are actually chopping, measuring, mixing, rolling out dough, etc. I consider myself the “director”, my job is to make sure things are going as planned. If something ever goes wrong, as so often happens in the kitchen, we learn how to fix it together. (editors’ note : Julie doesn’t mention it, but the classes are super affordable too! Just $35 for a 2-hour class!)
What brought you to this work? Why is food so important to you?
So many kids today don’t know how to cook because their parents are too busy, or their own parents don’t know how to cook either. Many of the kids come to be because they’ve watched a lot of Food Network or something similar they are just dying to do something hands on. There aren’t many year-round kids’ cooking classes here in Portland and I really love love having the opportunity to teach this lifelong skill. I have kids come from all over, even Eugene, Salem, Camas, Ridgefield and the coast!
What are some of your earliest food memories? When did you first know that food would be so important in your life ?
I used to cook sweets with my mom. There were five of us kids, so we each were in charge of the dinner menu one day a week during the summer. She would make a list of entrees, veggies, starches and other side dishes and then we would put our meal together by choosing from her lists. We’d help prepare it as well. My college degree is in Nutrition, and I loved our work in the food lab – I knew I wanted to work with food in my daily life, I found the science of it fascinating, too. During that time, I worked as a nanny for 4 kids. They had never so much as made Christmas cookies with their mom, so a light bulb went off. I decided to go to culinary school in Portland after college to lay the foundation for basic cooking skills I may have missed growing up.
What do you cook with you cook for your family/friends? What do you cook when you cook for just yourself?
I like quick and healthy cooking when I cook with my friends/family and also for myself. I like to grill fish, chicken or steak with a simple rub or marinade, then add grilled veggies or saute something in season on the stove. I actually don’t have time to cook much on my own since I teach so many classes.
What are your hopes for the future of the food culture in this country? In Portland? What are we doing right, what needs to change?
I like Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, the idea of changing the food that children are fed in public schools. I do think they need to add back some sort of culinary option in high schools, at least. Home Economics isn’t an option any more at most schools these days, and I hear a lot of parents complain about that. I know it’s probably not in the funding, but for parents who can’t afford to have their kids take weekend cooking classes year round, it would be easier for them to have it offered at schools again.
I love that a lot of Portland Public Schools have gardens. I think that’s brilliant! A lot of the kids who come to me know about composting, and even seasonality and growing seasons. I applaud Portland for making that part of the school curriculum. Kids need to know where food comes from.
Growing Gardens is another brilliant non-profit doing a great deed for low-income families. They go into low-income areas (even apartments) and teach people how to grow their own food.
If you don’t mind, would you share a recipe with us?
This quiche recipe is a great to get those veggies in! Throw whatever vegetable and cheese is in your fridge – it’s a very versatile recipe.
Asparagus & Broccoli Quiche
4 asparagus spears, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
½ cup broccoli, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
½ cup gruyere cheese, shredded
4 ounces deli-style baked ham, cut into ¼ -inch dice, optional
1 9-inch partially baked pie shell (warm), baked until light golden brown
Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
Blanch asparagus and broccoli in 1 quart salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk all remaining ingredients except cheese and ham in medium bowl.
Spread asparagus, broccoli, cheese and ham evenly over bottom of warm pie shell and set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2-inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean, and center feels set but soft like gelatin, 32 to 35 minutes. Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.