Tag: Pea Shoots

Collard Greens — A Southern Favorite

During all of the years we lived in Texas, I never learned how to make collard greens, even though it was a dish I loved to eat with fried chicken. It wasn’t until we moved to Oregon that I actually mastered collard greens, from a true southerner who had moved here to Oregon. Mary Irby Jones is from Mississippi and learned to make collards from her mother. When I told her I wanted to learn to make them, she offered to come over to show me her mother’s secrets.

Summer Succotash of Corn and Soybeans

If I lived by a culinary clock, pea shoots would herald the arrival of spring and corn would signal that summer had finally come. We love corn on the cob but also in a Succotash, where the combination of corn with other vegetables can add flavor as well as variety. For an Asian twist, I add edamame (soybeans).

A Hearty Asian-Style Vegetable Stew — For Those Days When You Just Can’t Eat Another Bite of Meat

It doesn’t happen frequently, but every now and then I just can’t bear to eat another meal of chicken, beef, pork or seafood. On those occasions when Mom’s in charge of the meal and asks what we want for dinner, I’ll say Kang Chup Chay, or our family’s version of a hearty Asian-style vegetable stew.

Cream of Corn Soup — An Easy Way to Enjoy Summer’s Bounty, Hot or Cold

There are a few foods I first experienced in grade school cafeterias that I’ll admit to still loving. One of them is tuna casserole, another is green bean casserole. The third is creamed corn, although I’m sure the creamed corn served to us in school came out of a can. My version is simple and tasty, and you can enjoy it either hot or cold. If you want to serve it as a refreshing cold soup, make it the day before and refrigerate it. You’ll be amazed at how simple and delicious this is.

Grilled Marinated Baby Artichokes

While perusing artichoke recipes recently on epicurious.com, I came across one called Grilled Baby Artichokes with Olive Oil and Lemon. As per my usual habit, I checked out the overall rating and also the users’ reviews. Lo and behold, deep into the reviews, a generous reader left the following share. Subsequent readers began reviewing this reader’s offering. We are making this today.

A BLT Eggs Benedict

BLT in CCCXLIX AD - The Romans were familiar with the bread, bacon and lettuce part of this famous quartet — even with the toasting of bread — but they would have to wait centuries before the Spaniards would deliver the tomatoes.

Breakfast Pie

An egg pie with a crust of hash browns and topped with tomatoes makes a quick and easy breakfast on a lazy Sunday. Kick it up a notch by serving it with some salsa on the side. Mimosas, anyone?

Salmon Chanted Omelette — with Alaskan Sockeye Gravlax and Cream Cheese

The next time you’ve got company or are craving something a little different for breakfast, try making an omelette with some chopped shallots and chives in the beaten egg, and stuff the omelette with gravlax, cream cheese and capers. Yummy! Omelettes are so versatile. I’ve stuffed them with tater tots and sausage; tomatoes, bell peppers, bacon and cheese; crab and cocktail sauce; roasted peppers and beans. Heck. Be brave. Dream it up and just stuff it in an omelette and try it out. You may be surprised where your imagination leads your tastebuds!

Breakfast for Supper - Migas!

Austin, Texas is the self-proclaimed Migas Capital of the Southwest and is certainly deserving. I have warm memories of lingering over a brunch of migas and aguas frescas with many of my dear friends in Austin, and I depend on them to lead me to the best table there. Well, I’m not in Austin, so I’ll just crank up my Oregonian Tex-Mex mojo.

Huevos Benedictinos and a Bloody Maria for Barbara

Memories of Barbara’s food haunts me from time to time. She once made a shrimp creole that was absolutely one of the best things I have ever eaten. She was using a recipe this time, one from Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen. It involved making a seafood stock with the heads and shells of the shrimp. I took a whiff and doubted its benefit in the recipe. To me, it had an offensive smell. Now Barbara was doubtful. Her husband, Jimmy, said to use it anyway. Lucky for us that she followed his advice. It was memorable. And, after all, who am I to doubt a Paul Prudhomme recipe … or Barbara?

Open-face Buffalo Stew Sandwich — It’s Boffo!

The weather in the Mid-Willamette Valley has turned cool and wet again. It’s the perfect weather to light a fire in the fireplace, turn on some relaxing music and cozy up to a serving of hot stew and a glass of pinot noir.

Pork Hocks Slow-braised in Sweet Dark Soy Sauce and Star Anise

I’m convinced that there are spices that can make you high. I can be roaming the streets of Portland, Vancouver, B.C., Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and my hair will start to vibrate and stand on end when I get that first whiff of star anise in the air. My heartbeat quickens. My sweat glands go into overdrive. I start blinking uncontrollably, as my mind disconnects from my body and my feet start searching for the source of the heavenly aroma. Pungent, sweet, savory. Like licorice but more intoxicating. It’s a key ingredient in one of my favorite Thai dishes of ethnic Chinese origins, a stew of hard-boiled eggs, sweet dark soy sauce and pork hocks, that is flavored with star anise and cinnamon.

A Hearty Asian-Style Vegetable Stew — For Those Days When You Just Can’t Eat Another Bite of Meat

It doesn’t happen frequently, but every now and then I just can’t bear to eat another meal of chicken, beef, pork or seafood. On those occasions when Mom’s in charge of the meal and asks what we want for dinner, I’ll say Kang Chup Chay, or our family’s version of a hearty Asian-style vegetable stew.

Pork and Apple Cider Stew

Pork and apples make a perfect marriage. When stewed or baked with apples, the pork takes on the wonderful flavors of apples – sweet, but somewhere lurking in the background is that familiar tart flavor that’s a pleasant surprise.

Boeuf Beerguignon — Flemish-style Beef Stew

A beef stew appears on the tables in many cultures and countries. France has “boeuf bourguignon” as well as “daube de boeuf Provençal”. Belgium has “vlaamse stovery” or “les carbonades Flamandes”. Mexico and the Southwest have “carne guisada” which translates as “meat in gravy”. In Ireland it’s called, of all things, Irish stew and more times than not, it contains a liberal glug of Guinness Stout. Here in the US of A we have, well, beef stew and, being as we are the self-proclaimed melting pot of the world, we often make it any way we wish.

Rainbow Trout Poached in White Wine with Olive and Garlic Dressing: From Mt. Hebo Lake to the Dinner Table

I love fishing for trout in Oregon and go out every chance I get. Our freezer is always well stocked with vacuum packed rainbow trout, labeled with the date and lake where the fish were caught. Part of the fun is also figuring out different ways of cooking the trout.Tonight for dinner, I decided to poach the trout in some white wine, skin them, and then serve them covered in a dressing of chopped olives, garlic, herbs and olive oil. It was delicious, judging from the empty plates and smiles at the dinner table.

Miner’s Lettuce Salad with Pomegranate Dressing — Foraging in the Spring for Wild Greens

Mom and I took the dogs for a walk in a park not far from our home during one of the pauses in the rain, and I discovered to my surprise that several of the towering Douglas Firs in a grove at the edge of the park had green shawls of miner’s lettuce around the bases of their trunks. Miner’s lettuce grows wild in the woodlands of Oregon but its season is a brief one and it withers and dies back as soon as the rains stop and the weather warms. Native Americans ate this wild green. Early settlers of the Pacific Northwest also ate it. Folklore has it that California Gold Rush miners ate it to prevent scurvy, and thus its nickname. It’s also known as winter purslane, spring beauty or Indian lettuce.

Take a Culinary Adventure on the Rogue

For those craving a wild river experience and good food to boot, nowhere else in the United States can you raft a wilderness river during the day and stay in a comfortable lodge with delectable food each evening than with ROW Adventures’ series of culinary Rogue River rafting trips. ROW offers three this year: a gourmet food and wine rafting trip, a gourmet food and Oregon craft beer trip, and a gluten-free trip. The trips offer food lovers, wine lovers and beer lovers a chance to combine their passions with a fun outdoor adventure. And the gluten-free trip allows those with wheat allergies to enjoy a multiple-day rafting trek without having to bring along special meals.

Three Sisters

Commonly known as Sisters, but properly named Three Sisters, these three volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range each exceeds 10,000 ft in elevation. They are the third, fourth and fifth highest peaks in Oregon and are located in the Three Sisters Wilderness, about 15 miles southwest of the town of Sisters, Oregon. The three peaks were originally named Faith, Hope and Charity by early settlers but the names didn’t stick.

Siletz Bay

Wide and shallow, Siletz Bay is located just south of Lincoln City and is a popular spot for clammers in search of purple varnish clams near the edge of the bay. Four Brothers, a formation of rocks sits out in the bay just beyond where the Siletz River empties into the bay, like stone sentries marching towards the sea.

Domaine Drouhin Oregon — Beautiful Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay

Parlez-vous français? No? Well, that’s OK. English is perfectly fine at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, the U.S. outpost of the famed Maison Joseph Drouhin of Beaune, France. According to Domaine Drouhin, the first seeds for what would become Domaine Drouhin Oregon were sown in 1961. Robert Drouhin, head of Burgundy’s legendary Maison Joseph Drouhin, was visiting [...]

Elk Cove Vineyards

Elk Cove Vineyards in Gaston has a beautiful setting and focuses on making excellent pinot noir and pinot gris. It’s La Bohème Pinot Noir has been served twice at the White House during President Clinton’s term.

Torii Mor

Torii Mor is a small winery in Dundee that focuses on vineyard-designated Pinot Noir and has a tasting room that is Japanese influenced in its decor. The tasting room is open year-round and the outdoor spaces are wonderful settings for picnics.

King Estate

King Estate is the largest producer of Pinot Gris in the U.S. and is located near Eugene. The tasting room is open year-round and has a wonderful restaurant.

Grüner Veltliner and Oregon, a Grü-Vee Combination

Oregon may be known for its pinot noir, but the mild climate here makes it a perfect place to also grow cool-climate white varieties such as grüner veltliner, which is starting to take root in Oregon with a handful of vineyards and wineries now growing and making this wine that is developing a strong following among white wine lovers. And many of those vineyards are in our part of the valley. Grüner veltliner is a white grape variety closely associated with Austria, where it is the nation’s most important varietal in terms of quality and volume produced. Grüner veltliner is a white wine known for its food-friendliness.