Funemployment Feast: Arugula Pizza Blanca and Hood Strawberries with Stratiacella Cream

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Portland's unemployment rate has more than doubled in the past year, making it significantly higher than the national average. They even refer to P-town as a "drizzly city along the Willamette River." Wow, sounds appealing. So, what's the deal? Why are people inexplicably, uncontrollably drawn to this jobless, sunless doldrums? Why?!?

Because it's the best goddam city in the country, that's why! We're all feeling the pinch here, but one of the reasons that Portland rules is that you can still have a high time livin' the good life here as an unemployed, cafe-hopping, iPod-shuffling twenty-something. And so, this meal is a nod to those of us who won't be dining at Higgins this month, but still want to feel a little fancy...

Here is the complete ingredient list for tonight's dinner:

-pre-made pizza dough
-fresh mozzarella ovoline
-ricotta salata
-organic arugula
-truffle oil*
-sea salt
-Oregon Hood strawberries
-whipping cream
-sugar
-vanilla
-dark chocolate

That includes dinner AND dessert. Not bad.

I tried pizza dough from Pastaworks on Hawthorne for the first time, and like everything else that I've purchased there, it didn't disappoint. For a whopping $1.50, you can try it, too. I also picked up a fresh mozzarella ovoline for $2 and a beautiful little wedge of ricotta salata for $1.50. Oh, and I grabbed enough organic arugula to top the whole pizza. I think I spent about $6 all together.

Plus, it's incredibly easy. Roll out pizza dough and brush with truffle oil. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella and shaved ricotta salata. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 450 F for about 9 minutes, or until the crust is bubbly and brown. Top with arugula right before serving. Et voilà.

Dessert is just as easy. Go to the corner of NE 60th and Halsey and grab a basket of local Hood strawberries from the dude with the stand for just $2. Then pop over to QFC for a half pint of whipping cream for about $1 and a bag of dark chocolate chips for about $3. Clean the berries and just let them sit there and do their thing. Oregon strawberries are amazing like that. They need no embellishment and are nothing like any other strawberry you've ever had. So, pour your whipping cream in a mixing bowl, add about a tbsp or less of sugar and a splash of vanilla, and whip it (good) until soft peaks form. Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler or the microwave. Scoop some of the strawberries into a bowl. Top with a dollop of your homemade whipped cream. Swirl a fork through the melted chocolate and drizzle it back and forth over the cream so it makes pretty streaks. Serve.

So, that was about $6 at Pastaworks, $2 at the strawberry stand, and $4 at QFC. I'm not going to use the sickeningly exhausted mass media hook terms like "recession-buster" or "stimulus package," but please note that that's a pretty damn fabulous meal for a very small price.

Consider this my ode to the unemployed masses of Portland. Only in Stumptown could you start your day sipping locally roasted coffee for a couple bucks while using free WiFi, have a free snack at the New Seasons sample table, catch up on your reading at the Central Library, stop and smell the roses in Ladd's Addition, slam a dollar Pabst tallboy at any number of happy hours, and still afford a gourmet meal like this one. Screw you, economy!

Serve this feast with the Dead's High Time and remember:

Nothing's for certain
It could always go wrong
Come in when it's raining
Go on out when it's gone
We could have us a high time
Living the good life
Well I know.

*Note: the truffle oil will be your one expensive purchase, but a little goes a LONG way so you'll have it forever. Plus, once you taste it, you'll agree that it is totally worth it. Trust me.

As for health, you'll be happy to know that strawberries' unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one. Also, though arugula looks like a lettuce of sorts, it is actually a cruciferous vegetable (like broccoli), and is similarly rich in cancer-preventing phytonutrients.

P.S. I've been out of town, so my apologies for the lapse in updates. Vacation post coming soon!

Happy Hour Cupcakes

They say that cooking is an art, but baking is a science. Well, this is certainly true and while I think I can throw together a nice dinner pretty well with my limited education in food, baking is certainly a different story. My latest culinary marathon was truly a grueling one because of this whole food science business. I was asked to make some cookies to help my favorite carpet slinger woo designers all over Portland into buying his product, so of course instead of just saying yes, I decided I had better make it a whole lot more involved. After much consideration, along with the knowledge that people in PDX have a thing for little tiny cupcakes (i.e. Cupcake Jones and Saint Cupcake), that's exactly where I ended up: in the capital of Mini Cupcake Country.

The bounty was to be distributed on a Friday, most likely in the afternoon, and what is everyone in an office thinking on a Friday afternoon? That's right, happy hour. Especially in Portland, where we are so happy we have happy hour twice a day. Seriously, we do. And now I give you, Happy Hour Cupcakes!

Ingredient Army

I decided on four flavors, (which I would later come to regret, as this required a hell of a lot of work), all based on some of my favorite cocktails. There would be two vanilla based cupcake flavors, and two chocolate. So here they are:

Meyer Lemon Drop

Bourbon & Ginger


Spanish Coffee

Rubinator

Meyer Lemon Drop: I chose this because the lemon drop is a pretty popular, easily recognizable drink, and I really wanted to incorporated a sugared rim into one of the cupcakes. For the cake I figured I had better get back to basics and choose a truly classic vanilla cupcake, so for that I had to use the recipe from Magnolia Bakery in NYC, which basically put the cupcake on the map. (Or at least on Page Six.) You can find that recipe here. To make it a little lemony, I just added a bit of lemon juice in place of some of the milk, and some fresh lemon zest. Warning, do not over bake these guys. I did it and I'm now kicking myself. If you are making mini cupcakes like I did, the bake time is less than what is listed in the recipe. After they cooled, I rolled the edges in a little water and then in a mixture of organic evaporated cane sugar and Meyer lemon zest. (Just like the sugared rim on a lemon drop glass! Get it?!) The frosting was a classic buttercream, but I added a good bit a fresh Meyer lemon juice, which really kicked the flavor into lemon land. Yum! These were actually my favorite of the bunch.

Bourbon & Ginger: I had to do this because bourbon and ginger is my favorite drink of all time. (Remember the Kentucky thing? And the ginger thing? There it is.) I will make these again because they weren't quite spot on, but they still tasted like a good cupcake...just not B&G enough. I used the same vanilla cupcake recipe, but instead of lemon juice I added 1/4 cup of Reed's Extra Ginger Brew (the best, in my opinion) and 1/4 of good Kentucky bourbon.* I also added about a tsp of grated fresh ginger, and about a tsp of ground ginger. While they were baking, I reduced some bourbon and ginger ale on the stove. After the cupcakes came out, I poked them with toothpicks and drizzled a bit of the reduced B&G over them, to keep them moist and bourbony good. They were topped with a basic cream cheese frosting, kicked up with about a tbs of bourbon. Oh, and of course I used pure bourbon vanilla in the cakes and the frosting. I topped them with chopped up all natural ginger candy, also from Reed's. (You can find Reed's at any nice grocery store, and even some not-so-nice ones. I got mine at New Seasons, but unfortunately for those of you outside of Portland, you don't get to experience this blissful store. Sorry.)

Spanish Coffee: This was a must because Portland freakin' loves Spanish Coffee. I can't say for sure because life before Portland is sort of becoming a blur to me, but I don't think I had ever even heard of Spanish Coffee before I moved here. Maybe it's because of all the great coffee in Portland, or maybe it's just because the dark, rainy days of winter are really not good for anything other than sitting inside with a nice flaming cup of alcoholic coffee. Either way, they're quite the thing around here. Though almost every bar has it's own Spanish Coffee method, the place that made it famous is Huber's, the oldest restaurant in the city, which specializes in delectable Spanish Coffee and turkey. Yeah, weird, right? Anyway, I used their recipe as my inspiration for the cupcake. The chocolate cake recipe actually came from Ina Garten, which you can see here. The addition of some extra coffee grounds really gave the cakes a nice coffee flavor, without being overpowering. Another warning: the batter is extremely runny and you will probably think you did something wrong, but they bake up nicely. Just don't overfill the pan. They were topped with a cinnamon buttercream and dusted with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, just like they do at Huber's. (They also serve the coffee on fire at Huber's, but that didn't really go over so well with the cupcakes.)

Rubinator: This is another local favorite from McMenamins, which is probably the most unique pub/theater/hotel chain on earth. Among the hundreds of things the McMenamins properties do, they brew their own beers, which include the Terminator Stout and the Ruby Ale. It's not on the menu, but if you ask for a "Rubinator," you'll get a blend of the Terminator and the Ruby. It's kind of like a black and tan, but the Ruby Ale has a hint of raspberry to it, so it's more exotic. So, this cupcake was a chocolate stout cake recipe that I sort of fudged (no pun intended) from a few different sources. One that I kind of used is here. The raspberry part was the raspberry cream cheese frosting, which was a basic cream cheese frosting recipe combined with mascerated raspberries pressed through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. I was very pleased with this frosting, as it turned a beautiful pink color without any food coloring whatsoever. And the fresh raspberry taste was really perfect. I topped these with a bit of shaved organic dark chocolate. These seemed to be the favorite of the bunch, which I honestly think has to do with the visual aspect; they just looked so pretty! (They did taste quite good, too...)

So, while I'm not a baker, I'd say with the help of some really good recipes and a little creativity (and an affinity for things that celebrate drinking), the Happy Hour Cupcakes were a great success. I even got a catering request out of the deal! And hopefully, lots and lots of carpet will be sold. The moral of this entry is, if you want to get someone to do something, make them cute little cupcakes. And if you really want things to work in your favor, make the cupcakes somehow related to drinking. Yeah!

Cupcake Army

*A note about bourbon, since I am from Kentucky. Bourbon is only bourbon if it's from Kentucky. All bourbons are whiskeys, but not all whiskeys are bourbons. Just like champagne is only sparkling wine unless it comes from the Champagne region of France. Don't let anyone try to tell you that Jack Daniels is bourbon. It's not.

Holy Mole Oaxaqueño

Or: Yes, I did disarm the smoke detector on purpose.

“No hay ningun mayor amor que el amor de alimento,” said George Bernard Shaw.

(Well, he said it in English, but I’ve translated it to stay consistent with today’s theme, and for your reading pleasure.) What he actually said was, “There is no greater love than the love of food.” This certainly rings true for me, and served as my inspiration for Valentine’s Day.

I thought long and hard about the best way to really show my love via gastronomy. How can I make something delicious that is also romantic AND not overdone? (I mean that in both connotations; I’m not interested in offering up some tired heart-shaped cookies with pink icing, nor do I want to serve a pork chop cooked to a nice brick-like consistency.) Of course, chocolate comes to mind, but can I make that interesting? Sure, Hallmark has clichéd it all up by loading it with fat and sugar and a nice dose of guilt, but I think chocolate in its pure form is worthy of its romantic roots. The Aztecs started chocolate’s reputation as an aphrodisiac, and they have like 10 gods and goddesses associated with love, sexuality, or pleasure, so they must know what they’re talking about. Anyway, I figured I’d stay away from the red plastic packaging and invoke some serotonin with a traditional love molli. (Meaning, “love stew” à la Náhuatl, which is the language of the Aztecs. That’s right, all kinds of cocktail party conversation starters coming your way today.)

*Note: If you really want to reap the benefits of chocolate, make sure it’s got at least 70% cocoa solids. That’s seductive, complex, dark chocolate folks. Here’s one of my favorite varieties.

So, obviously, chocolate got famous in the dessert sector, but it also has some lesser known hits in many main courses around the world. Think of entrée chocolate as the indy rock band to the pop-radio brownie. The b-side to the Hershey Bar. (I’m a big fan of b-sides myself, so if I were chocolate, I’d take this as a huge compliment.) Since I got my inspiration from chocolate in its original form, I decided to keep it traditional and work with the antioxidant-packed bittersweet variety as a compliment to our other mood-enhancing little friend, the chile pepper. Chocolate and chiles, you say?!? This could be a pairing of the ages. All we need are a few other star ingredients and we have a culinary Traveling Wilburys on our hands. Alright, I’ll stop with the dorky music metaphors.

If you haven’t guessed it already, I decided the best way to incorporate creativity, romance, and deliciousness while using chocolate and honoring its origins was to attempt a traditional Oaxacan mole (moh-LAY) for my Valentine. Oaxaca is famous for its moles, and while there are many varieties of the concoction (seven, actually), the most famous for its chocolatey, spicy complexity is mole negro.

So, why is this a culinary marathon, you ask? Well, if you ask around, most home cooks (and restaurants) don’t make their mole from scratch because it has like 30 ingredients and takes at least a full day to complete. And no, I’m not talking a full day like homemade marinara, where the beauty of the sauce comes largely from simmering it slowly and hanging out drinking Chianti while it’s cooking. (Nothing against homemade marinara. I love me some marinara.) I’m talking a full day of chopping, frying, toasting, roasting, grinding, pureeing, and reducing. A full day. Sorry Rachael Ray.

Just as there are many varieties of mole, there are even more ways to make the stuff. Everyone has his own secret ingredient or special process that makes it his own. This being said, I had no freakin’ idea where to start. So, I read up on a bunch of recipes and theories, but decided next to having an abuela Oaxaqueña to teach me her secret, the Rick Bayless school of thought was my best jumping off point. And now, the marathon begins!

The chiles are probably the most important ingredient, and for those I went to a little tienda in town called Tortilleria Y Tienda de Leon. Inside I found a nice variety of dried peppers, some small bags of whole spices, and (most exciting to me) a huge tortilla press, rolling out fresh, hot corn tortillas by the dozen. I asked if I could buy some of the fresh ones, and the lady handed me a bag of 3 dozen for less than $3. “Still warm,” she said. (Mouth now watering profusely.) I left with guajillo, pasilla, and mulato chiles, a handful of tomatillos in their little husks, some Mexican cinnamon sticks, and my warm tortilla bounty.

So, the final mole is the result of 4 purees blended together, but let’s start with the chiles. The first step to this love potion is to deseed the chiles, reserving the seeds in a bowl. The chiles need to be toasted or fried to bring out their flavor, so I stuck to Rick’s advice and fried them in a little bit of oil, just until they lighten in color slightly and achieve their true piquancy. Next they go into a bowl of warm water to rehydrate for at least 30 minutes.

Chiles, post-fry. (Not beef jerky...)

Mixture #1: Seed and Nut Puree. Now, one of the most unusual steps of the process comes into play. You throw the chile seeds into a dry skillet with a torn up corn tortilla and you burn the crap out of them. That’s right. ‘Til they’re black. (Open windows, turn on the fan, and disarm your smoke detector first.) Seems weird, but it helps your mole achieve that dense, smoky flavor and rich dark color. Once you’ve fully blackened the seeds and smoked out all your roommates, throw those babies in a blender with some chicken stock. Next, toast your nuts. I used pepitas (pumpkin seeds), almonds, pecans, and sesame seeds. (While you’re at it, roast some onions and garlic for later. This multitasking will come in handy.) Into the blender the nuts go with the chile seeds and puree as smoothly as you can. Set this mixture aside.

Mixture #2: Tomato Puree. Blend a can of roasted tomatoes, some chopped tomatillos and chicken stock until smooth. Strain to get rid of some of the seeds, and set aside. (That was an easy one!)

Mixture #3: Spice Puree. Add your roasted onions and garlic (see, I told you), some cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, oregano, thyme, a handful each of raisins and dried cherries, a glob of peanut butter, and a ripe plantain to the blender with some more chicken stock and puree. Set aside.

Mixture #4: Chile Puree. By this time, your chiles should be rehydrated, so add them to the blender with some of their soaking liquid and puree until smooth. You know the drill.

Now you have four purees, and probably a really messy kitchen. But let’s focus on the purees. Add some oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and set to medium-high heat. When hot, add the tomato puree and stir until reduced and thick, like tomato paste. Then add the nut puree and reduce, and repeat the drill with the spice puree and the chile puree. All this stirring and reducing will probably take like an hour, but at this point, who’s counting? Once everything is nicely reduced and incorporated, add chicken broth (Rick says 7 cups) and chocolate (I used an unsweetened variety and a bittersweet variety). Season with sugar and salt to taste. I used a combination of brown sugar and evaporated cane sugar, mostly just because I had both and I wanted to experiment with flavors. The one thing I did that really took it out of me was strain the stuff. Yeah, all of it. I think I did it in about seven batches, and it really did help get ride of the grainy, seedy stuff the blender didn’t catch. Now that you have a smooth, beautifully seasoned, rich molli, throw in a Mexican cinnamon stick and let it simmer on low for, well, I’m gonna say the longer the better. (Now you can break out the wine.)

To make this into a meal, my advice is to keep it simple. (If you just fell out of your chair at the thought of keeping it “simple” after all that, let me explain.) The mole should be the star of the meal (I mean, it better be), so make the other flavors mild. I browned a whole cut up chicken in a large oven-safe skillet, then covered it in mole and braised it in the oven at 350F for about an hour. I served it with white rice seasoned with cilantro and lime and some refried black beans. (You better believe I bought canned refried beans.) Oh, and be sure to serve some warm corn tortillas on the side to help you sop up the extreme deliciousness that is the mole negro you just created.

If you fancy some wine, I paired this meal with a spicy red blend from northeastern Spain. So now you’ve got chocolate, chiles, AND red wine. Could this be any more romantic? I think not. Maybe try some Buena Vista Social Club in the background to set the mood.

Feliz Día de San Valentín