A friend of mine turned me onto Nuestra Cocina place. You’ll notice my mention of it among the top restaurants in Portland. I just wanted to share a picture of the pork chops I got there. They’re sliced thin and grilled. They come with potato wedges all on a sea of tomatillo salsa. It’s out of this world.
Thank you to everyone who has been writing in. I’ve only been at this a couple of weeks and am amazed at how many people are already looking in.
Safeway is running another one of their loss-leader meat sales. This time it’s whole fryers for 79¢ a pound. With this week’s hot weather, it’s a perfect time to grill up a chicken.
Prep:
Take out a gallon sized Zip-Loc® style bag. Open the bag and turn the zipper inside out so that the bag will stay open. Set aside.
Cut up the chicken. If you are intimidated, or inexperienced, there are lots of videos on YouTube.com showing how to do it. I looked through 10 or so and thought this one was the best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_8hCbyBMqc As you cut the chicken up, put the pieces into the storage bag.
Marinade:
Just like with your Thanksgiving turkey, you need a salty marinade/brine. It will make your chicken juicy and flavorful.
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons whiskey (Jim Beam is my choice)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 chipotle pepper – crushed
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
Mix the ingredients up and pour into the bag with the chicken. Remove all of the air and seal. Then squish the chicken around for a minute. Then let rest in the fridge for 1-24 hours.
Grill
The trick to grilling a chicken is that you want it to take 35-45 minutes. You don’t want the chicken to burn but you want it to fully cook. The key is to grill over medium heat and to never leave it alone for more than a few minutes at a time. Most times, when the chicken burns, it does that during the last 15 minutes so figure that you will not leave it alone at that time.
BBQ Baste
The marinade alone will make a great BBQ chicken. I however like a little of my famous BBQ sauce basted onto the chicken during the final 15 minutes on the grill.
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 small chipotle pepper – finely crushed
1 teaspoon whiskey
Mix this up and brush it onto the chicken
Oh, and one more thing. If you get out a measuring cup or scale or anything else to measure any of the ingredients in this recipe, then it won’t turn out. BBQ Whiskey Chicken is strictly an “eyeball” recipe!
I’ve lived here for most of my life. I thought I knew every nook and cranny of this place. Today though, I walked into the Edelweiss Sausage and Delicatessen for the first time. I turned and asked my wife, how it was that we had missed this little slice of nirvana. Humorously, not 90 seconds later, a guy walks in and sasks his wife how it was they had missed this magical slice of heaven.
I’ll tell you how we missed it. The building is as boring as can be and it sits on a side street, on the east side of the Ross Island Bridge at 3119 SE 12th (at Powell). This non-descript, Soviet-designed building, houses the best delicatessen, this side of Chicago.
The center of the store contains three or four aisles of European imported food… though one entire aisle is devoted to European cookies and candy. On the south wall of the store, there’s a cold case full of cheese. On the north wall, you’ll find German beers and wines. The magic — and I mean magic — is on the back wall. There you will find dozens and dozens of house-smoked salamis, meats and wursts. Don’t know what you want? Ask for a sample. Piled high are things like house-made wieners, countless varieties of salami, smoked beef, smoked pork chops, ribs, bacon. They’ve got bologna, liverwurst, ham, and pastrami. They also have bowls of potato salad and pasta salad.
You can also get lunch here. Today I ordered up a bier sausage on a bun, and I downed it with a German BitBurger bier. On the table were several condiments. I chose horseradish and a rustic mustard.
The woman at the counter said that they were busiest on Saturdays but that’s also the day they put more meat out. They’re closed on Sundays.
This place rocks. You must check it out.
For a period of time I was traveling to Chicago every week for work. During that time, I discovered Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill and became a regular. A couple of times each week, you’d find me sitting at the counter overlooking the kitchen, watching the cooks’ every move. One of the things I learned was how to make great guacamole.
It’s common for most people to add a lot of stuff, trying to make it taste like something else. There’s a Midwest restaurant chain called Cozymel’s where they make their guac at the table side. There are 11 ingredients in their guacamole. It’s good, but I argue it’s not guacamole. With that many ingredients, why bother putting the avocado in it?
So here’s my recipe. It was gleaned from my experience at Frontera Grill. It can be doubled, tripled, whatever to meet your needs…
1 poblano or pasilla pepper
1/2 lime
1 large ripe avocado (diced)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Turn a burner on your stove to high. Wash the pepper and place directly on the burner — Gas burners are best but this will work on an electric burner or outdoors on the BBQ grill. Use tongs to turn the pepper, cooking until it’s fully charred. Put the pepper into either a paper bag or into one of those ZipLoc containers with a lid. Leave it alone for 10 minutes. What it will do is steam itself. Take out of the container and remove the charred skin. Do not put under running water… just brush off the skin. Dice the pepper and put into a bowl. With a fork, squish the pepper a bit to release some juices. Add the avocado, juice from 1/2 of a lime and the salt. Mix with a fork but make sure to leave the avocado kind of chunky.
I had the chance this evening to see an advanced screening of the upcoming movie, Julie & Julia. It’s two true stories — the stories of Julia Child and Julie Powell.
Julia Child, we all know. Julie Powell is a blogger from Queens, NY who dedicates her life for a year, cooking every recipe from Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Julia Child is played spot-on, by Meryl Streep. Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams.
The food was another star of the film. You won’t get many tips for how to de-bone a duck, but it’s quite possible that you will leave the theater wishing you hadn’t just filled up on just popcorn. Coq au Vin anyone?
I grew up with Julia Child. Though I was raised in a suburban neighborhood, I went to a grade school where fights broke out daily. Not being much of a fighter, I found ways to avoid the scene. One way was that I would go home at lunch. My routine was to turn on Julia Child while I cooked up my lunch. This really was my first experimentation in the kitchen and it made my lunch hours fun for me.
The movie seemed to capture that for me. We get to view Julia through the eyes of Amy Adams’ character. Her naivete is a central element to the picture. Julia Child had some odd quirks and a personality that was bigger than life. We knew that from her shows, but through Julie Powell, we get to experience it in a different way.
The stories of the two women run parallel to each other, sometimes mirroring each other. It’s a fun way to tell the story and keeps it from ever dragging. Stanley Tucci is one of my favorite actors and he plays an excellent Mr. Child.
The movie is oftentimes hilarious. Some of the laughs are from the dialog and some are from Streeps perfect portrayl of Julia. It is fully entertaining and I highly recommend it. A-
My wife and I try to get out at least once a week. Here’s our list of the best dinner spots in Portland:
1.) Toro Bravo www.torobravopdx.com
Located in NE Portland, it’s a tapas restaurant. The first time we ate there, I looked at the menu for five minutes and declared to my wife that nothing sounded edible. We asked the server to make some recommendations and everything was outstanding… some of the best tasting food I’ve ever had. If you check out their website, you can see their menu. Don’t let it scare you away. It reads like an adventure but trust me, everything you eat you will love. The restaurant is small and crowded. Expect to end of waiting a bit for a table (they don’t take reservations)… there’s a cocktail bar next door that helps with the wait. I can’t overstate how worth the wait this place is. 120 NE Russell Street
2.) 10-01 www.ten-01.comThis does not look or feel like a Portland place. It’s in the Pearl District but it feels like LA. They have a new chef and I have tried a few things from him but can’t speak to the entire menu. The previous chef left to work at a luxury hunting lodge in Alaska. Everything is beautifully presented, the servers are cool and the food is great. High attention to detail here. 1001 NW Couch Street at the corner of Couch and 10th Avenue. Reservations: 503-226-DINE
3.) Le Pigeon www.lepigeon.com
They’re filming several movies and TV shows in Portland right now and the Hollywood folks have discovered LePigeon. It’s the most “Portland” of the places on this list. You sit at community tables, elbow to elbow with your neighbors in what can best be described as the kitchen (that is VERY Portland). Gabriel Rucker, the chef was named by Bon Appetite as the best young chef in America. The food is perfect. The local daily paper, The Oregonian, named it as Co-Restaurant of the Year in 2008. It’s very possible that you’ll see celebrities here. 738 E Burnside Street Reservations: 503-546-8796
4.) Paley’s Place www.paleysplace.net
Portland’s most famous restaurant. It’s an annual nominee for the James Beard Award. It was the Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year in 1999 so it’s not all that hip, but the food is excellent. It’s kind of along the lines of the Palmer House that we ate at on one of your previous visits. It’s local cuisine with a French twist. 1204 NW 21st Avenue Reservations: 503-243-2403
5.) Nostrana www.nostrana.com
Italian with a local Portland flavor. Their specialty is anything they cook in their wood oven. My favorite is to order the Margherita Pizza (it’s virtually a salad on thin bread) and the Tagliata flat iron steak. 1401 SE Morrison Reservations: 503-234-2427
6.) Beast www.beastpdx.com
Shared Restaurant of the Year honors with Le Pigeon last year. It’s expensive and eating there will take all evening. You sit in the kitchen at community tables. There are two seatings per night and everyone gets the same thing, served at the same time. You will converse with the chef and enjoy 6 (yes, six) courses of some of the best food you have ever eaten. Dish after dish will blow you away. It would be higher on my list except for the price. I couldn’t find it online exactly, but I think it was $75 per person, not including gratuity. We ate there about 2 months ago and had a great time. No one at our table was from Portland. 5425 NE 30th at the corner of 30th and Killingsworth Reservations: 503-841-6968
7.) Nuestra Cocina www.nuestra-cucina.com
A new discovery for us. Authentic home-cooked Mexican cuisine. We sat at the counter and enjoyed Portland’s best margaritas. The food is good and simple. We are looking forward to going back. It might just end up higher on my list but we’ve only been there once and were dazzled with our food. 2135 SE Division Street. Reservations: 503-232-2135
Fred Meyer is running a sale this week on blueberries. Their price is $3.48 for a 2 pound container. I happen to have five blueberry bushes of my own so I won’t be rushing to Freddy’s. This time of year, I’m more likely to be giving away blueberries to my friends. However you get your blueberries, it’s July and you should get them. They flourish here in the Willamette Valley, they are so healthy for us and deals are everywhere. They also freeze exceptionally well so even if you’re reading this in February, you too can cook with blueberries.
I have a recipe for something called “Blueberry Buckle” that I’ll share another time. I’m taking a shortcut with today’s recipe.
Fruit syrups are great year around to liven up a plate of pancakes or french toast. A good syrup can also be mixed with club soda for an excellent homemade soft drink option. They are easy to make so if you don’t already make syrup, maybe you ought to give it a try.
Prep
1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Cook
Put it all in a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Heat to boiling and then keep it at a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Pour through a wire strainer to remove solids. You will likely have to use a fork in a stirring motion, to press the syrup through the strainer and past the blueberry solids.
Cool
If you’re serving right away you can serve it hot, but mostly I store it in a plastic container in the refrigerator.
Works with other fruit too… mangoes, strawberries, raspberries and pineapple.
You might also consider something else that I really like and that is cinnamon syrup. Pick up cinnamon sticks at a Mexican grocery store (they’re cheaper there). Cooking takes longer… up to 10 minutes to get the flavor out of the sticks.
The site is named for a certain evening meal, but really, my favorite meal is breakfast. I think most people feel that way and that’s why bacon is showing up in all sorts of entrees and even desserts right now.
Portland is really getting the hang of breakfast. Ten years ago, the breakfast options were few. We had the Original Pancake House (which still ranks in my top 10), but that was about it. Now, there are some great place all around town… so many in fact that I think the Food Network’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives is going to just move to Portland.
My list of best breakfasts changes over time. Sometimes it’s my tastes that are changing and other times it’s because I found someplace better. My latest favorite is a case of the latter. Podnah’s Pit BBQ is located at 1469 NE Prescott (http://www.podnahspit.com/) It’s just a hole in the wall kind of place. You don’t go for the ambiance. Why you go is for some of the most delicious and unusual breakfast fare in the city.
The biscuits and gravy is the star for me. The biscuits are huge and easily the best I’ve had. They come with smoked sausage gravy and two eggs. My only complaint is I wish there was a little more gravy for the biscuits to soak up. A must-have side dish is their house-smoked ham. It’s a giant slab of meat and the perfect accompaniment to everything.
One of the most popular items on the menu is their beef brisket. You might not think of Q as a breakfast food, but the brisket is awesome.
Service is “slowish” but that’s not the outstanding server’s fault. It’s a lot of tables for the small kitchen and everything is cooked to order. Your payment for waiting is hot and delicous grub and I promise it’s worth the wait.
In October, watch for Podnah’s on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Safeway is selling top choice, “Rancher’s Reserve Angus” top sirloin, in the value pack, for $2.49 a pound this week. It’s a great deal and gets me thinking about fajitas.
Prep:
Slice up 1 medium onion, 1 red pepper, ¾ pound of top sirloin into thin long strips. Cut 1 lime in half. Chop 2 chipotles. There is additional prep items in the “Serve” section below.
Cook:
Open the windows and turn on a fan. Heat up a cast iron skillet until it is rocket hot… if it isn’t hot enough, the meat will lose all of its juice. Put the meat in the pan and cook, turning each strip just once, cooking until brown. When cooked, move the meat into a bowl and set aside. Put the onion in the pan and just when it starts to brown on the edges, add the red pepper. When the onion is carmelized, throw the meat back into the pan. Add the chipotle and the juice from ½ of the lime and a healthy pinch of salt. (A great addition if you have it, is a shot of tequila with the lime juice!)
Serve
Flour tortillas, salsa, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, refried beans… whatever strikes your fancy.
It’s a great deal… Safeway has Foster Farms chicken breasts, split but on the bone, for 99¢ a pound.
But what do you do with it? How about stir-fry!
Shop
You’ll need 1 pound of chicken, 1 red pepper, 1 onion, 1 handful of snow pea pods, 1 cup of baby carrots, 1 6 oz. can of pineapple chunks, 1 1/3 cup of uncooked jasmine rice, soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 garlic clove.
Prep
Remove the chicken from the bone and remove the skin. Slice the chicken into long strips and set aside. Julienne the onion and red pepper. Cut the baby carrots in half (at a diagonal). Crush one clove of garlic.
Cook
Cook the rice: In a saucepan, heat 2 cups of water to nearly boiling and add the rice. Give it a stir, cover and heat just until it’s almost boiling again. Remove from heat and start the rest of the dinner. Do not lift the lid! The rice will be cooked when dinner is ready.
Stir-fry: Heat a non-stick skillet until hot and add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Wait a minute and add the chicken. After two minutes or so, use a wooden spoon to flip the chicken. It will be fully cooked and lightly browned in another two minutes. Place the chicken into a clean bowl (I use the bowl I’m going to serve it in). Heat the pan back up and add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil. Put the onions and carrots in the pan. Don’t stir them around, just let them cook until they start to brown on the edges. Add the red pepper and cook for a minute. Add the chicken back in as well as the pineapple chunks (and juice). Let that cook a minute and add the peapods, crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce. Heat through for about 1 minute or so.
Serve over rice.
The purpose of this blog is to simply answer the question, “Whats for dinner?” The goal is to help people in Portland, SW Washington and the Willamette Valley, with this vital question. Each day I will post an item at a local grocery store that is on sale and a recipe or tip that uses that ingredient. So not only will you get a dinner idea, but I’ll save you some money too.
