Photo via Denver Urban Farm Truck
Last week, we took a little trip out to Denver, Colorado. Nestled right between the mighty Great Plains and the looming Rocky Mountains, this city is a convergence of food, sites, and culture. The entire city, or so it seems, was built using brick. Besides being absolutely charming, fusing old world sophistication with present day style, those homes are super sturdy and there to stay! It reminds me quite a bit of the Washington D.C. neighborhood, Capital Hill–but with a bit bigger lots and a little more yard (only a little though). However, interestingly enough, there is a reason behind the mostly brick architecture in Denver. In 1863, Denver had a huge fire, akin to the Chicago fire of 1871. The mayor of Denver at the time was also the owner of the city’s only brick manufacturing company. So, he deemed it “illegal” to build with anything other than brick–for the safety of the city’s citizens of course–oh, and his bank account. However, even though the ethics of what he did were highly questionable (both then and now!), the city’s history and character have been preserved beyond most cities I’ve seen and it is truly beautiful.
Denver also has something else really amazing going for it: an urban Truck Farm!
Photo via Denver Urban Farm Truck
Two University of Colorado master’s in landscape architecture students, Ashleigh Quillen and Ryan Sotirakis, decided they wanted to give Denver a new idea about what urban agriculture means and where it can reside. They are demonstrating for the city that “growing your own food can happen in even the most unlikely of places. Remnants of the past can literally become new vehicles for growing food”. Just because they didn’t have access to a backyard or garden plot to grow fresh food didn’t stop them–and they don’t want it to stop others either. Check out how they turned an old Ford 250 from Craigslist into their garden here! Personally, I think it’s a fantastic idea and am a little bit jealous that Portland doesn’t have something like this too. Seeing what they were up to was so inspiring, it made my mind explode with ideas–teaching gardening demonstrations for inner-city neighborhoods, school or corporate teaching/lunch programs… Just the sheer accessibility of the garden in a vehicle is a tremendous asset, and it really puts them way above and beyond the average “community garden”. Keep your eye out for them, they are going places! (pun totally intended).
The other night, I had the great pleasure of meeting up with some fellow food bloggers, restaurant owners, and chefs. A new friend of mine, Joshua Chang of PDXploration, invited me to Taste Unique for a wonderful private meal. This is a gem of a restaurant here in town–it’s tiny size makes it a wonderful, intimate setting for small private dinners, perfect for take-out lunch, oh and they have a well stocked freezer so you can take home a home-made lasagna with a tiramasu, made by the owners Stephania and Lawrence themselves. Made with love, of course.
The menu was traditional Sicilian–unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before! I haven’t had the opportunity to visit Italy yet (yet being the key word here) so all of my Italian food experiences I’m sure have come with a bit of an American slant. Stephania was born and raised in Italy and her husband Lawrence is American. They lived in Rome together for many years, but after their first child, realized they wanted out of the city hustle and bustle and decided to try Portland. Their mutual love of good food and cooking was met with open arms here in Portland (have I mentioned this is a pretty foodie place ? 
) and within a year of moving, they opened up their little Italian storefront, Taste Unique.
We had a five course meal that was fantastic. First was an appetizer called Sfincione Palermitano– a special focaccia made with onions, Pecorino, breadcrumbs and tomatoes. Then we had Pasta ‘Ncatenata Rigatoni with broccoli, crushed peppers and anchovies. This pasta packed a little heat (via hot pepper flakes) which was a fantastic compliment to the broccoli and Parmesan. Next there was the Sarde Beccafico, a dish of baked stuffed sardines. This dish, we were told, has a long preparation time and is one of Sicily’s most famous traditions. The fish was served next to Bastaddu Affucatu, or cauliflower cooked ‘drowned’ in red wine with olives, anchovies and pecorino. And finally, for dessert we had fresh Cannoli Siciliana with pistachio and chocolate. Delicious.
Sfincione Palermitano
Pasta ‘Ncatenata Rigatoni
Sarde Beccafico
Sicilian Canoli
I had a great time meeting the owners of Gladstone Pizza, one of Portland’s best kept secret pizza places! I had tried their pizza about a month ago and really enjoyed it–it was nice to put faces to that deliciousness. I also met the Chef’s behind the foodcart Garden State–apparently they make one of the best meatball hero’s ever, I need to give them a try for sure! And it was so nice to meet the writers of the food blogs Good Stuff NW and Foodrighter!
Stephania and Lawrence, Taste Unique Owners and Chefs
This fun gathering couldn’t have been held in a better place–when I think of Italy, I think of family gatherings, good food, good people, conversation, and it all lasting for hours and hours lingering over the last bit of wine and coffee–which is precisely how it all went down. And I now have a list of new places I need to try here in town– can’t wait to taste my way through them! Thanks again for the fantastic evening!
Cheers 
Yesterday was the opening day of the Portland Farmer’s Market. It could not have been a more perfect day–the sun was shining, the air was fragrant and heated by the sun, and the farmer’s market itself has doubled in size since last year. I got their right as it opened and there were swarms of market-goers already shopping. It was amazing! I also had a field day with my camera–taking pictures of food is like a never ending story or an incredible meal. I could not get enough! I brought home with me two varieties of raab (or rapini), home made pappardelle noodles, fresh farmers goat cheese, line-caught from the ocean smoked salmon, fresh kale (but of course), and a crepe from my favorite crepe-man. The sweet tastes of a successful trip to the farmers market! I took quite a few pictures to give you a slice of this wonderful market, so you can have a taste too…
(This cheese farmer, looking a little worn out and weary, was telling one of his customers how he spent the whole night delivering twin goats. This is one of the best aspects to the market, knowing the sources of and faces behind your food!)
It’s days like yesterday that make me so thankful, so refreshed, so alive. Having the market back, filling my bag with an abundance of goodness, running into friends at each turn, and reconnecting with the vendors with a happy grin and a hearty “welcome back!” were all woven into my market day experience. So good! Below is a recipe for an excellent pasta dish I made with my homemade pasta from the market. It has a wonderful garlic flavor infused into the olive oil it was baked in and the mushrooms gave it lovely body. Great with a crisp rose or lemony sauvignon blanc.
Olive Oil, Garlic, Mushroom Pappardelle
2 whole heads of garlic (medium sized)
olive oil
fresh pasta–the wide noodle of the pappardelle was really nice but you could use fettucini noodles as well
10-12 whole fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Take apart the heads of garlic so the cloves are separated. To get the skin off, use the side of your large knife–put a clove or two under the side of it and with your palm, press down until you hear a “crunch”. The clove will have been crushed and the skins are super easy to pull off now. Fill a 2-cup baking dish (like one you’d use for creme brulee) with the cloves and then fill with olive oil until the cloves are covered. Cover with a double-layer of foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Boil your fresh pasta for only 1-4 minutes. If it is from the box, follow the directions on the box/bag for how long to cook it. The fresher it is, the less time you need to boil it.
Using some of the olive oil from the garlic, put it into a frying pan and toss the sliced mushrooms into it. Cook until tender.
Using the same pan with a little more garlic olive oil, toss some greens onto it to sautee as a side dish. I used one of the rapini’s–it was excellent.
Then, toss together the rest of the olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms with the pasta. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese, enjoy!
I love that name. Not only because there is a character on the Simpson’s with that name, a Lovejoy street here in Portland (in which the Simpson’s character was named after), and a new bakery here in town which also dons the name (because of the street is is located on), but they are two words we don’t hear enough. I once did a project on the meaning of Joy and Love (as well as Passion, Anger, Fear, and Pain)–I was making meditation cards for one of my yoga classes as one of my first letterpress experiments:
is a sense of warmth for the self or another that motivates us to treat ourselves and others well. It gives us a sense of inherent worth.
Joy
gives us hope and a sense of abundance or “I have enough”.
. This is why I think it is a wonderful name for a bakery. A bakery feeds us physically, but sharing a good baguette, croissant, or slice of cake also feeds us in another way. Food has a way of connecting us to ourselves through memories and tastes. It is hard to feel full of anything when hungry!
I was super excited to have been asked to do an installation for Lovejoy Bakers opening, which was today. They were looking for something playful and interactive. I wanted it to be colorful, fun, and incorporate their fundamental passion and foundation of starting their bakery: a love of good bread. Really good bread. I also wanted to keep it simple and playful–so I came up with the Sample Board.
I bent spoons and hung them with colorful duct tape. On the spoons (of reaching height of course) samples will be interspersed throughout the day as a new bread or pastry comes out of the oven and is featured. Tea lights, sprigs of herbs, fresh olives, or other nibblies could be interspersed for a special event or just on a gray afternoon! The possibilities are endless for what could be put on the spoons and displayed. I wanted to set up a simple framework for them that they could interject what they needed to put on there or have nothing at all, and it would still look good.
If you are in town, have yourself a treat and a look at my installation at Lovejoy Bakery!
939 NW 10th Avenue | Portland, Oregon 97209
Today’s lunch was a cacophony of flavors, faces, tastes, and emotions. Lacy approached me early in the summer about an idea she had: she wanted to bring together the people in her life who helped her recover from anorexia, thank them, and connect them with each other through her healing process. Having done a favorite meal with her–my first favorite meal–as she was just beginning to accept food as a friend, not foe, this was an incredible opportunity to bring things full circle for both Lacy and myself.
So I started to think–how could I help connect these very important people with Lacy and with each other? What things could we do to weave meaning and history through sharing a meal–through eating as an action? Two things came to mind: the tiny-clothes braid and the box. We were all there because we have helped her move forward and will continue to do so. The braid represented this, each of us taking a small piece home to remember the meal by as well as helping Lacy lighten her load as she continues towards health and peace in mind and body. The box was something fun and different I wanted to try. It represents the hidden messages that we all carry, rarely exposing them to the outside world or even to ourselves. But what if we were to take a look at some of those “darker” thoughts, read them for what they are, and realize that by recognizing and embracing them is the sweetest taste of all? By bringing our fears and hurts out of the shadows, or in this instance, a story Lacy wrote for us out of the darkness of the box and sharing it with a supportive and loving network and with our self, they suddenly becomes less scary and less huge and even taste sweet.
(the box had no bottom, this made it light and easy to carry! It was beautifully hand crafted by our good friend Derek who is an amazing and talented artist!)
Lacy’s Story
(one sentence was written on a ribbon, attached to a Da Kine cookie)
I came to every single one of you feeling alone and confused
I was somehow simultaneously proud of my control and terrified of how I had manipulated my body.
I was exhausted by this tension, realizing that I had no grasp on reality- no clue what I really looked like.
I could not feel much of anything anymore. I was so hungry I was paralyzed, I became so small I felt barely human.
I said “I’m worried I may be underweight” and waited for you to confirm or deny.
I weighed in officially for the first of what would be many times in early September, just as it began to get cold. I am five foot seven. I clocked in at 102 pounds.
I had picked my support network out of convenience: who was already comfortable, who was most available, who was covered by my health insurance, who was female and willing to listen, who practiced in my neighborhood.
What I ended up receiving in response to my choices was the preciousness of an informal team that believed in my humanity and demanded that I exist in a healthy manner.
I somehow managed to cobble together an alliance that unconditionally supported my process.
Even when I was a jerk because I was scared, even when I lost my health insurance and could no longer pay for services, and even when I barely remembered that I wanted recovery at all.
My team gently demanded that I eat, they firmly demanded that I be kind, and they became the backbone and will of my recovery when I could not conjure up the will of my own.
You became my strength. Day by day, food by food, pound by pound you held the emotional turmoil of my necessary weight gain and recovery.
You gave the ultimate gift of compassion, especially in times when I could not give it to myself.
What greater gift exists in the world?
Shape cookies and place on a parchment paper lined or well
The guests a lot of dietary restrictions–sugar free, wheat free, gluten free–so we made do and came up with a lovely menu of whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, and spelt bread. Lacy gave me a list of the foods that were most inspirational to her personally through her recovery, the foods that first became her friends. Using those ingredients we crafted a menu together that would satisfy everyone–and I’m pretty sure it did! We made a lovely chard and chick pea salad, a quinoa, mango, and black bean salad, spelt olive bread, no bake chocolate and nut cookies (which were excellent! if you ever have a chocolate craving, these will totally do the trick!!), and halved avocados, figs, and dates.
Chopped chard and bean salad
1 medium onion, diced
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can red beans, rinsed & drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 bunch of chard, rinsed and dried, stalks chopped, leaves cut into strips
Handful of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/3 extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup star apple vinegar (Vom Fass) or perhaps a balsamic
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust of necessary. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Spelt bread
makes 1 loaf
2 teaspoons fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1.5 cups lukewarm water
4 cups white spelt flour
1 heaped teaspoon salt
Dissolve the yeast and honey in half a cup of water and leave until it begins to froth. Add 3 and a half cups of flour, the rest of the water and the salt and knead to a dough. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then continue kneading, adding more flour or water as required to make a soft silky dough. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to double in size, approximately 1 hour. Punch down, form into a loaf and cover again with a damp tea towel and leave for half an hour. Preheat the oven with a baking stone to 445°F.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes.
This was an amazing experience for me to be a part of and am thankful that I was invited to do this. This was not only important closure–as it represented an era past–but a door opening with a fresh breeze blowing through, smelling of newness and opportunities to come.
Amuse Bouche! (Happy Mouth!)
Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to help out the talented bakers (the lovely Lauren and Morgan) of Dovetail Bakery! They were getting ready for a huge event here in Portland called Sunday Parkways, in which hundreds of people would be attending, hungry for some baked goodies. Sunday Parkways is a huge biking event where people ride a specific route around town and stop at parks along the way where local businesses (like Dovetail) are set up to help feed the many! So, Dovetail recruited some extra help as it was short notice since there was a lot to do. It was my first time making huge batches of cookies (I made over two hundred cookies just myself that day!) using huge equipment and massive quantities of ingredients. It was really fun and a great experience! I had never made that much of anything baked, but it was so enlightening to do it, it kind of blew my mind a bit.
(check out how huge that mixer attachment is! the spatula is for scale)
(A LOT of earth balance butter…the fork is for scale too:)
Dovetail baked goods are some of the best vegan treats in the city. They are sold at several local groceries around town plus Whole Foods, but what is most exciting is they are looking to open up their own little bakery cafe! Soon a true Dovetail Bakery cafe will be amongst our midst here in Portland which will be a treasure for sure. I’ll be sure to let you know when they do .
The summer solstice has been in full effect bringing a wave of energy and lots of things happening with it. That’s why it was so wonderful to be able to hang out, cook, and eat with a big group of friends a few nights ago. Leif Hedendal was back in town so he, my friend Lauren (the big bread baker!) and myself hosted a small gathering of peeps and food. Held at Lauren’s house right in the heart of the Mississippi neighborhood, we wanted to eat outside in the lovely June evening air. So we pulled most of her tables from around the house together on her breezy side porch to seat everyone. It was pretty magical, course after course was brought out of Leif’s wonderful food and there was ample good conversation, company, and wine to be had as well.
Leif made a farrow, snap pea, herb, and hazelnut salad, red lentil soup, grilled up a bunch of fresh veggies like garlic-scapes, zucchini, and asparagus, a cherry clafoutis, and we had a team effort making the chocolate truffles. Lauren made fresh bread and two versions of homemade butter with different salts: one a more smokey salt, the other a flaky sea salt. This meal was like a breather amidst a busy storm. It just reestablished how important it is for me to pause and enjoy things in the moment and there isn’t a better way to do that than through food.
Cherry Clafoutis
I made a apricot honey cake that was delicious. It had that rustic flavor that comes with what fresh fruit and a little whole wheat in baking bring. It was something I imagined a farm wife in Provence would serve her hungry family with a dollop of lavender whipped cream. The honey infused with the apricots as they sank to the bottom of the cake while baking (like an upside down cake), making a beautiful caramel-like layer along the bottom and a shimmering honey glaze on the top of the cake. It was the perfect June dessert!
Honey Apricot Cake (inspired by Molly Wizenberg)
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or ground pistacios
1 cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
5-7 ripe apricots, washed, halved, and pitted
local honey
Set an oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 inch round pan.
If you use pistachios, use a food processor to finely ground them. To test if they are fine enough, take a pinch between your fingers; if they feel too course, keep going, but if they feel fine, like sand, they’re ready.
Otherwise, in a bowl, add the 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, regular flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt, and pulse once or twice to mix.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, mixing at low speed to just combine. Do not over mix.
Using a spatula, pour and spread the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the halved apricots cut side up on the top of the batter. Using your finger, dollop some honey in the center of each apricot half. Bake until a toothpick comes out of the center clean, about 35-40 minutes. The apricots will have sunk into the batter, but don’t worry: they will reveal themselves like little presents in each slice! Serve with a dollop of lavender whipped cream either warm or room temp.
Bon Appetit!
What do you do with left over five foot long bread? French toast! While in Seattle this weekend, I stayed with some lovely family and as a thank you, I made them breakfast the following morning for being such gracious hosts!
Big Bread French Toast
6-12 eggs, depending on how thick your slices of bread are and how hard they are (I used close to a dozen eggs for about 8 pieces, but they were thick and hearty)
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 capful of vanilla extract
Whisk together ingredients in a big bowl. Place your first few slices in there and let them soak up the mixture for a few minutes. Warm up your pan with a good sized pat of butter, place the slices on the pan with heat on medium to low heat. Brown on both sides until done. You might want to check the middles if they were especially thick slices to make sure it’s cooked through. While cooking, soak the next round of bread in the egg mixture!
Berry Compote
If you have some fresh berries around, clean and cut them up to serve with it. Take half of them and mash with a potato masher and/or fork for a nice compote to spread over the french toast!
Eggs a la Julia
3-4 eggs (serves 2)
3 tablespoons half and half or heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, approx.
Coat a small skillet with butter all along the bottom and sides. Combine eggs and cream in a bowl. With a fork, gently stab each egg until broken, but not whisked! Just break the yolks gently and pour the egg mixture into the pan. Turn on low heat and cook for about 10 minutes. After you notice it beginning to cook, gently pick up the skillet every now and then to move the egg mixture on top around. You will not be disappointed with these eggs!
The Bread Friend Map experience in Seattle went great! People were excited about the humongous bread, the chance to connect, and it was neat for me to see another map grow so organically in a different location.
I was excited to meet the people behind BRITE Collective as well as the brains and brawn behind the Seattle JOIN design collective. Seattle has a really dynamic and progressive design community that I was so excited to be a part of. The sheer size of Seattle lends to a wider range of designers from all walks of life to be a part of their community. This particular group (members of BRITE and JOIN) are interested in trying to break free of the “designer” mold that can creep up on practicing designers. What I mean by this is designers (especially in the states, I’ve found) can find themselves trapped in the business side of design not feeling as creatively free as their artist counterparts. They would like to show case the beauty and functionality of our everyday lives because of design through projects, charrettes, and possibly eating design events! By showcasing how design impacts much of our daily lives, they would like to bring awareness and a more widely percieved value back to what it is they love and do: creatively express, make, and design for the world around them. Bravo! I was very excited to be a part of their discussions and look forward to possible future collaborations and/or discussions!
Here are the Bread Friend Map Seattle pictures as well as a video of us putting the loaf into the wood fired oven over at Taste Bud. Bon appetit!
The Bread Friend Map experience in Seattle went great! People were excited about the humongous bread, the chance to connect, and it was neat for me to see another map grow so organically in a different location.
I was excited to meet the people behind BRITE Collective as well as the brains and brawn behind the Seattle JOIN design collective. Seattle has a really dynamic and progressive design community that I was so excited to be a part of. The sheer size of Seattle lends to a wider range of designers from all walks of life to be a part of their community. This particular group (members of BRITE and JOIN) are interested in trying to break free of the “designer” mold that can creep up on practicing designers. What I mean by this is designers (especially in the states, I’ve found) can find themselves trapped in the business side of design not feeling as creatively free as their artist counterparts. They would like to show case the beauty and functionality of our everyday lives because of design through projects, charrettes, and possibly eating design events! By showcasing how design impacts much of our daily lives, they would like to bring awareness and a more widely percieved value back to what it is they love and do: creatively express, make, and design for the world around them. Bravo! I was very excited to be a part of their discussions and look forward to possible future collaborations and/or discussions!
Here are the Bread Friend Map Seattle pictures as well as a video of us putting the loaf into the wood fired oven over at Taste Bud. Bon appetit!
