CityMama™

Weekend in Southern Oregon: Antiques and Wineries

I went up to Southern Oregon with a couple of girlfriends—and no kids, woohoo!—this weekend.  Our goal was to check out the annual antiques fair in the hopes of scoring some excellent, tax-free finds.  My personal goal was to have a tamale at the Southern Oregon Grower's Market (mission deliciously accomplished), to relax after a couple of very busy weeks, and to spend time with my brother and his kids which is always a pleasure.

The antiques fair was well-worth it despite the searing heat.  We all found lots of treasures for not too much money.  My favorite find was a copy of Conran's The House Book published in 1974.  I was eyeing my parents' worn copy at my brother's house and even asked him if I could borrow it. Not necessary!  The next day, Alisyn found a copy (with cover!) on an antique store book shelf and after negotiating a 10% discount, it came home with me. 

My brother gifted us moms with belated Mother's Day gifts-- tickets to the Applegate Valley wineries' barrel tasting event so we spent Sunday afternoon at Wooldridge Creek, Troon, and Schmidt wineries tasting their selections.

On Monday we were back on the road heading down I-5 hoping to make it home before school got out, which we did. I came home to a nice, clean house (thanks, J!) and a two hour power nap. It was a great time.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend:

Saturday night dinner: grilled veggies and grass-fed tri-tip from the farmer's market and wild, local salmon caught in the Rogue River by my sister. The yellow bowl holds grilled spring onions, garlic, and jalapeños.

At the Antiques Fair.

20% off Bauer bowls in my favorite colors...

Food, no-so glorious, food

Recently J. and I have been having passing conversations about food, what it costs, and how we want to feed our family. It started because I notice that every time we go to the farmer's market together, he's a total grump (yes, you are @theJB, don't EVEN try to front) when he sees his 60 fresh-from-the ATM machine dollars whittled down to zero dollars in a matter of 20 minutes. It is startling, but since I am the one that normally does the shopping, it doesn't phase me as much. I know what we are buying is exactly what we need and that it's things that my girls will eat. They help to choose our produce and I'm teaching them to support their local food growers, their local community. J. and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye on this subject. In fact, I'm realizing we have two divergent opinions on the matter.

Me:
I like to shop at farmer's markets for organic, locally grown produce. I do the cooking so I should have the most say. I read Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver and don't want to feed my kids genetically modified foods or tainted beef. Plus, rainbow chard makes a pretty picture in the morning sun. See?

Him:
"Giant packs of frozen burritos are BOGO at Safeway! That's 20 burritos for five bucks! That's lunch for, like, two weeks! Michael who?"

"But I like shopping at the farmer's market because everything is fresh and organic,"  I'll say.

"And I like Safeway because it's cheap," he'll counter.

The thing is, he's right. He is. But I want to be right, too. Though, when I find myself noticing the "pretty chard," I have to stop my visual-learning-self and say, "You sound like an idiot."  Shopping at farmer's markets is expensive, hell, it's a luxury, and we live in one of the most expensive communities in the entire country. You can make six figures here and still never feel "wealthy." So how do we strike a balance?

Asparagus with Black Forest Ham, Potatoes, and Hollandaise

My brother made this for lunch today after we returned from the farmer's market. It's a recipe he learned when he lived in Germany.  It was simple and oh-so-so good. The smokey ham complements the asparagus and the lemony hollandaise brings the dish together.

For this he chose fat asparagus trimmed and ends peeled with a vegetable peeler. They were perfectly cooked and he put three or four spears together and wrapped them with a slice of ham and made tidy bundles. The new potatoes were boiled and served on the side, and the whole dish is topped with zingy-buttery hollandaise, in this case, from Knorr (which is actually terrific).

A beautiful meal in every way.

Farmer's Market Soup

The Saturday night before you visit the farmer's market, pull all the chicken carcasses, turkey bones, celery and onion scraps and parmiggiano reggiano rinds you've been storing in the freezer and huck it all into a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and let hang out uncovered on the stove for 3-4 hours. Other than skimming foam as needed, you don't need to watch it at all.

I do this around dinner time and then turn off the pot (and cover it) right before I go to bed. If you are worried about food safety, refrigerate the stock. If you are like me, just let it sit tightly covered on the stove. (Return stock to boil then turn off stove and tightly cover.)

Wake up Sunday morning, have your coffee then head out to the farmer's market. Fill your bags or baskets with whatever looks good. When you come home, turn the soup back on use a spider or slotted spoon to strain out all the bones and stuff, and bring stock (about 3 quarts) to a simmer. If you are like to me you slide the following into the pot:

• 5 small sliced pale green zucchini
• 1 lb. of green beans, chopped
• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 2 big handfuls of tatsoi
• 1/2 a red cabbage, chopped
• 1 lb of small potatoes, halved
• 4 big carrots cut into half moons
• 4 stalks of celery chopped, leaves and all

Then add a 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, and 2 cans of kidney beans drained. Simmer on low for about an hour. Right before serving dump in a (half box to a box depending on size) of small pasta like farfalline (me), small macaroni, small shells, or pennette. Taste for salt and pepper—this is the first time you are adding any.

Serve in wide bowls adorned with spoonfuls of pistou (aka pesto, a blend of grated parmiggiano or pecorino, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil) or just a drizzle of fragrant, fruity olive oil. Bread on the side? Okay.

Whatever you don't eat, freeze. Happy Sunday!

Fresh local organic cornish game hens—a total score

These beauties came from Petaluma, California.

And the easiest one dish meal ever.

I dumped a pound of quartered fingerlings and 2 cut up parsnips into a pyrex baking pan, drizzled everything with fruity olive oil and tossed with sea salt, pepper, herbs, and garlic. Then I put the two seasoned hens atop the root veg and stuffed them with fresh rosemary. The prep took maybe 10 minutes.

Baked the whole thing at 325º for about an hour then removed from the oven and tented it for about 15 minutes before carving and serving. Tasty, easy, and yummy. This is one reason why I don't use a Crock-Pot.

Celery Root (Celeriac) Remoulade

Perhaps one of the easiest salads ever.

Looking for an usual salad? This might be it. Recipes I've read mention how tough celery root can be to cut or grate, but I haven't had a problem with the celery roots I purchase from my local farmer's market. They are no tougher to grate than a sweet potato and certainly much easier to deal with than a butternut squash. Maybe freshness is key. (Edited to add: Celery root tastes just like celery—maybe a little milder— but with the texture of a grated crisp apple or Asian pear.)

In any case, I've been enjoying this simple, tangy, crunchy refreshing salad all spring.

CELERY ROOT (CELERIAC) REMOULADE

• 1 celery root, cleaned, peeled and grated with a box grater or food processor
• the juice of one lemon
• two glops of mayonnaise (or enough to make it creamy)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl (reserving some parsley for garnish). Mix well, season to taste. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve.

Green Garlic Soup with Pernod

Green garlic signals spring to me just as much as asparagus does. When I see them at my farmer's market I get all excited because they aren't around for long, a month maybe.

What to do with green garlic? You can treat them as you would regular garlic or leeks or onions. They look like really fat green onions (or smaller leeks) and go really mellow and sweet when sauteed. I like to make souffle or soup with them. We started our Easter meal yesterday with this quick and easy Green Garlic soup.

I was recently sent a bottle of Pernod to try, and since I love the licorice flavor of fennel in my rustic vegetable soups, but didn't have any fennel on hand, I added a shot to the soup and it was delicious without being overpowering. (Plus it's nice to have on hand for cocktails.)

GREEN GARLIC SOUP WITH PERNOD

Serves 6.

If you'd rather use fresh fennel than Pernod, add one small chopped fennel bulb to the garlic sautee and proceed from there. A stick blender will make quick work of this.

• 2 bunches of green garlic (about 10 stalks), cleaned, trimmed, and chopped (remove top 2-3 inches)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 glugs of olive oil
• 2 pats of unsalted butter
• 1 shot of Pernod
• 6 cups of chicken or veggie stock (or water)
• 2 medium potatoes, chopped (I never peel potatoes, but you can if you like.)
• sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream

Saute green garlic and garlic in butter and olive oil over medium heat until just starting to caramelize (about 10 minutes). Be careful not to overly-brown. Deglaze pan with Pernod, stir, scraping up all the crusty bits. Add in stock and raise heat to med-hi. When stock starts to simmer, add in potatoes. Cook about 15-20 minutes until potatoes are softened then remove from heat and whiz soup with a stick blender until very smooth. Season to taste, stir in cream, warm through, and serve. (Once cream has been added, do not boil soup.) If you want a very smooth soup, strain it through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer, but it's not necessary.

Bunny and Wallie's favorite, three-helping, sprouterriffic salad

We walked around the farmer's market this morning, some of us (not me) sporting wicked beef n bourbon hangovers. Nothing that a little fresh-brewed French press coffee, a warm ham and cheese croissant, and a little cold, fresh pomegranate juice can't fix.

When all was said and done, we came home with: a sack of apples; a sack or oranges; a half-half-flat of strawberries; a head of butter lettuce; a bag of mixed sprouts; a bag of sprouted peanuts; 4 pounds of assorted potatoes; a bunch of broccoli; some garlic, onions and shallots; 2 bunches of green garlic (making its first market appearance); a celeriac; cilantro; carrots; cabbage (for corned beef and cabbage); salmon; whole grain bread; a 1/2 gallon of apple-cherry cider, and eggs. All organic (or wild), all local.

Tonight I made a big salad for dinner, and this is one salad where Bunny and Wallie eat everything in it and ask for more. And more. And more. Bunny had 5 servings and I am not even kidding.

If you have little salad lovers in your house, you might try this protein-rich salad. The dressing is really tasty. If you don't try it anyway. Cuz you never know.

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing

I made this salad just now and between me and the girls, it might not last until dinner.  It's based off a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks. I used brown rice miso instead of tahini because, well, I'm just not a fan of the tangy-gritty flavor of tahini. (When I make hummus I cheat and use ground roasted sesame seeds and a touch of sesame oil instead of tahini.)

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing

• 1 cup of quinoa cooked in 1 3/4 cups water for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• 1 can of organic garbanzos, drained and rinsed well
• 1/4 white onion, finely diced
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup brown rice miso (or any you like) thinned with 2 tablespoons of hot water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed
• 1/2-2/3 cup of olive oil
• freshly ground pepper

Mix or shake well and set aside.

Toss cooked quinoa and garbanzos with dressing until well-mixed, then add onion, cilantro and mix again. Taste for salt/pepper. I found that it didn't need any salt because the miso is salty enough. Just before serving fold in the spinach leaves. Serves 4.

Note: The spinach holds up very well in grain salads, especially if it is freshly picked (as from a farmer's market). It's fine even the next day--I often combine handfuls of spinach with my grain (quinoa, barley) and pasta/couscous salads for extra color, texture, and nutrition.

Farmer's Market Haul

I just read that NaBloPoMo is going monthly. Mrs. Kennedy is expanding the concept beyond November and will have a different theme for each month.  For those that want to participate you can add your blog to the monthly blogroll on the NaBloPoMo site.

This month's theme is lists, and while I won't be posting a list everyday, I thought I'd at least share what we got at the farmer's market today. I haven't figured out what I'm making this week yet so I'm hoping that listing everything will help to shake out some ideas.

P.S. As a family we are still not eating red meat and meat in general, although this week, we did have an organic roast chicken.  I am slowly trying to use up the meat in our freezer (where the chicken came from) and there isn't much left aside from some turkey meatballs, some Virgina ham, and a package of brats. I haven't purchased any meat for the last two shopping trips...although, I have to admit, the charcuterie guy at the farmer's market was tempting me with his sausages, salami, and duck confit. Sigh.

• broccoli—one bunch
• baby bok choy—2 bunches
• asparagus—2 bunches
• a bag of baby yukon golds
• a bag of new red potatoes
• carrots—one bunch
• artichokes—4
• onions—3
• dill and cilantro—one bunch each
• "sweet ugly" apples—6
• satsumas—6
• 1 pomelo
• a brick of Hodo Soy medium-firm tofu
• a container of Hodo Soy spicy tofu noodles (I am addicted to these.)
• a loaf of whole grain bread
• honey sticks for the kidlets

And from the natural foods market next to the farmer's market:

• a can of garbanzo beans
• a can of "salad" beans
• a can of coconut milk
• a box of no-chicken broth
• a package of Tofurella (my fave flavor—cheddar, for hubby who is trying to cut out dairy)
• a package of St. Yves "salami"
• a package of Savvy Stir-ins Shiitake flavor (local!)
• cucumbers, 2
• collards, 1 bunch

Check back tomorrow to see what these ingredients will turn into for the week.  And if you have any suggestions, please share them!