Perfect Summer Pairings

The last of the amazing farmer’s market beefsteak tomatoes were the star of dinner last night. It’s amazing how different fresh garden tomatoes are from store-bought tomatoes; these were juicy and firm at the same time, and tasted and smelled just like a tomato should. Because they were so good alone, they needed almost nothing. The perfect pairing of summer flavors is the classic caprese salad.
Slice tomatoes, layer them with wads of fragrant basil from the garden, add chunks of fresh mozzarella, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and drizzle with olive oil. That's it.
I like the Olivar de la Luna olive oil; it’s made from high quality Spanish olives, and has a fruity flavor of green grass, apples and almonds. With the smooth texture and long finish, it is the perfect oil for drizzling or dipping. You’ll definitely want a loaf of artisan bread to soak up all of those wonderful flavors. Isn’t summer great?

-Josie

Eating Green

Recently on epicurious.com, there was an article about progressive restaurants and their eco- friendly practices. The article pointed out that while you can’t control how a restaurant operates, you can choose where to eat. The same goes for stores, and even cooking schools. Portland is a great city to for those that want to be environmentally conscientious. Eco- friendly programs for recycling, composting, commuting and shopping are all fairly accessible.
I was excited to read about all of the restaurants and companies that are starting to think about the impact of their practices. Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to find “green” businesses. Portland is a great example of a city that is thinking “green.” And with the opening of the farmer’s market, fresh foods from small farms are that much more accessible. This weekend, we’ll be celebrating earth day by shopping at the farmer’s market. The menu sounds wonderful; herbs and lettuces are in season, as are asparagus, radishes, morel mushrooms and more. Our purchases will be part of the Oregon’s Spring Bounty Dinner with Chef Nancy Forrest on Sunday, April 22. Her seasonally inspired menu features Seared Scallops on local Baby Greens, a velvety Asparagus soup, Herb Crusted Halibut, and Painted Hills Skirt Steak.
To give you an idea about where our ingredients come from, I thought I’d mention a few of our favorite producers. It’s also a way for us to say thank you to all of the businesses that we rely on.
For hazelnuts, we like Freddy Guys Hazelnuts They have Oregon filberts, farm direct. (For personal snacking, I like the chocolate covered version).
Our beef is Painted Hills Natural Beef. A great local meat market, just up the street, is Viande Meats. The pancetta is excellent and the sausages are made daily. City Market, which houses Viande Meats, is also home to Newman’s Seafood. They have very fresh fish and carry sustainable seafood.
Williamette Valley Cheese Company produces farmstead specialty cheeses like gouda, jack, fontina and havarti.
With such a wealth of natural resources and conscientious purveyors, selecting local, organic and sustainable ingredients is easy. Eating well can be good for you, and for the earth too.
--Josie

Spring Resolutions

Like many people, I have always made ambitious New Year’s resolutions, vowing to be better, do better, and live better. And like many, by about March, I’ve sort of forgotten about my initial goals. This year however, I had an epiphany- what about making a Spring Resolution, to mark the first day of spring and all things fresh and new? So this year, on March 21st, the first day of spring, I renewed my vows to do better and eat better by starting the 100 Mile Diet. This is not a typical diet; it’s an effort to eat food that comes from within 100 miles of your home. The idea is to reconnect with your food, your local farmers, and the seasons. By supporting local, sustainable agriculture, you learn about the area around you, the great artisan products that you might be missing, and skilled craftsmen that make or grow them.
So much of our food now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up in our kitchens. Globalization of the food supply has a tremendous impact on the environment, our health, our communities and our taste buds. The apple that you ate with breakfast most likely came from Chile- but what about the bounty of apples growing in Hood River? Many of us do not think about them at all.
Rather than obsessing about every single detail and product that I use in the kitchen, I’m going to try the 80/20 rule- 80% of ingredients will be within the 100 mile radius, while the other 20% can be carefully selected from anywhere. As excited as I am about the Eat Local challenge, I’m not quite ready to give up my morning coffee.
For me, the Eat Local Challenge is more of a way to enjoy the harvest of each season and celebrate Oregon’s Bounty. At In Good Taste, we have an “Oregon’s Bounty” series of classes that do just that. Each class has a seasonal menu based on local ingredients from sustainable farmers and purveyors.
I look at this like a great scavenger hunt- how fun is it to research food and find the best and most interesting ingredients from around the Portland area, and then create a fantastic menu? It’s like a Mystery Basket challenge, but with a much bigger basket.

-Josie Ross