Archives for August 2015

Chinese Tomato and Eggs Recipe

August 10, 2015 by 17 Comments

Looking for something new to do with fresh summer tomatoes besides sauces and salads? Have you ever had Chinese Tomato and Eggs?

In 1997, there was a summer where I spent a summer in China as part of the UCCEC program with Columbia University. It was a couple weeks in Beijing, and then a couple weeks in Kunming. We had classes every day, but we were learning Chinese while in China so the immersion forced us to learn faster and broader, and the weekends included trips such as what you see below to Beihai, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, and the Great Wall and more.

Beijing Sightseeing:
Temple of Heaven, Beijing Our UCCEC group at Temple of Heaven, Beijing in summer of 1997
Me in the Forbidden City, China in 1997 The steps at the Great Wall of China in summer of 1997

Beihai Park, an Imperial Garden:
Lily pads in Beihai

During that first week or so in China, as my stomach and my new friends adjusted to the new sights, sounds, smells, and foreign language, we discovered this simple dish of Chinese Tomato and Eggs. Every restaurant in Beijing had it, it was easy to recognize in Chinese on the menu and say without people being confused, and it was a safe bet for eating as our stomachs became used to the new bacteria in this part of the world.
'Easy 'Easy

This recipe for Chinese Tomato and Eggs is not a dish seen often in Chinese restaurants United States, maybe because it’s too simple.  But it’s so delicious. It only takes 20 minutes or so, so it’s very fast. And, it can feed 2-4 for dinner when served with rice (2 as the only dish with the rice, 4 with another dish).

The key to this dish, which sounds plain but is not, is that the eggs get a touch of sesame oil, and the tomatoes get a touch of sugar. My version uses the secret ingredient of one tablespoon of Red Duck Ketchup, which adds just that little extra depth of flavor.
My secret ingredient to my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe is a tablespoon of Red Duck Ketchup

Ingredients:

  • Some chopped green onions, with the white and green parts separated, I used about 4 green onions but I really like green onions!
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil, separated (you will use 2 and then 1 tablespoon)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup

Directions:

  1. Beat eggs together; season with salt and pepper, and add the sesame oil. Whisk so it’s airy.
  2. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan (or wok if you have one, but it’s not absolutely necessary), turning up the heat to high. You should see the oil start to be steamy so you know it’s hot. Now add the white parts of the green onions (approximately – I still had some green-white parts and it was fine for me!) and sauté for about 30 seconds or so until fragrant.
  3. Next, add the egg mixture and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir and then carefully fold the eggs for another minute or less, just until the eggs are about to set (wherever it is shiny and still liquidy just fold down so it can cook for a few seconds until there are no more liquid parts), then immediately remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
    Setting aside eggs with green onions for the Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe
  4. In a small bowl, combine together  2 tablespoons of water  with the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix until it all is incorporated into the liquid.
  5. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is steaming again, add the roughly chopped tomatoes and the cornstarch sugar water and my secret ingredient, the tablespoon of Red Duck ketchup. Let the tomatoes cook, stirring only a bit, until you can see the tomato meat firm up slightly and you can smell the tomatoes. This should only take about 5 minutes.
    You only need to roughly chop the tomatoes for the Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe Cook the tomatoes until it is fragrant and the flesh is more firm for the Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, just a few minutes
  6. Pour the eggs you set aside earlier back into the pan and stir to mix the eggs and tomatoes. Add the green part of the green onion and after another good stir, pour into your serving dish.
    Easy comfort food of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, enjoy with rice and is only 20 minutes from prep start to finish! Easy comfort food of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, enjoy with rice and is only 20 minutes from prep start to finish!
  7. Serve with rice.
    Easy comfort food of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe, enjoy with rice and is only 20 minutes from prep start to finish!

You can fancify this dish with more vegetables like spinach, a bit of ginger, putting it on fried rice instead of regular rice. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner – and I promise you, although it sounds simple, so does pasta with cheese (aka classic mac and cheese), and no one can deny the comfort of that dish. That’s what this Chinese Tomato and Eggs is.
My secret ingredient to my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe is a tablespoon of Red Duck Ketchup

I am a huge fan of Red Duck Ketchup. It’s made from organic ingredients and no high fructose corn syrup (it’s 100% corn free), and is supporting a local business. The name of the ketchup comes from the fact the three founders are from University of Oregon and thus are fans of the Oregon Ducks. And ketchup is red… aka Red Duck.
Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup

Although I’m not specifically an Oregon Ducks fan, on the day I was born as my mom was sitting on the front steps as my dad prepared the car, she saw a mother duck and her ducklings under a bush (our backyard had a lake) walk out and she almost, almost nicknamed me Duck. Thank goodness I got Pech instead.

Not to mention, this is just the most delicious ketchup I have ever had. They make a few flavors (I also love their spicy ketchup and curry ketchup, and they sometimes make other seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Spice!). The Red Duck Original Ketchup flavor isn’t too sweet but has a little depth of flavor thanks to a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Red Duck Ketchup was a discovery for me at Feast Portland‘s Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting. This event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday on September 18 and 19, is a great value in that so many amazing local vendors are all gathered in one place, ALL are offering samples so you can try everything and know what you are buying!

Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting Feast Portland 2014, Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting

That’s how I discovered and got to try Red Duck Ketchup, which I’m not sure I would have noticed normally since I’m not usually a big ketchup fan. But, Red Duck totally changed my tune.

This ketchup is amazing with anything and everything… and I loved it even when Coalition Brewing brewed a one keg special edition Spicy Ketchup Beer and a keg of Curry Red Ale with Red Duck Ketchup as part of National Ketchup Day. That’s right, this ketchup can even hold its own when used in beer!
Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup

So of course it’s going to be awesome in your basic uses like paired on an Olympia Provisions hot dog, on your burgers… or as a secret ingredient of my Chinese Tomato and Eggs recipe.
Coalition Brewing Spicy Ketchup Beer and Curry Red Ale were brewed with Red Duck Ketchup as part of National Ketchup Day. So of course the ketchup is awesome paired on an Olympia Provisions hot dog.

Have you had Red Duck Ketchup, or Chinese Tomato and Eggs before? Have you studied abroad and learned of a new local dish during your visit that has special memories for you?

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Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo

August 7, 2015 by 21 Comments

I was so excited when one of my favorite food carts, Kargi Gogo announced they were going to host a Supra dinner pop-up. I have been a fan since first visited in 2013 when they initially opened with their ode to Georgia (the Eastern European country, not the US State). Just a couple months ago the Kargi Gogo owners, husband and wife team Sean and McKinze, just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of their cart.

Sean and McKinze spent 2 years in Georgia as part of the Peace Corp, and fell in love clearly with the country, people, and the food and brought it back with them. This video from Behind the Food Carts really captures what Kargi Gogo is like as they create some of their favorite Georgian street food. You can tell they really love Georgia and love sharing this relatively unknown country and food with everyone and anyone.

Being able to expand beyond the space and kitchen in their cart for this supra was a great opportunity for me to explore more of the cuisine of Georgia, and I was really interested in how Kargi Gogo was going to be able to tell more of a story about Georgian culinary culture without the constraints of the faster service pace needed of food cart patrons at lunch. I also love the idea of a supra – which is a celebratory dinner that going into it that night, I only knew involved a lot of food, a lot of drinks and a toast before every drink.

The closest dinner party equivalent would be Thanksgiving in the US – a huge feast of food bringing together family and friends – but add in the influence of going around and around the table with toasts and drinking. And imagine that you could hold a supra for any event or holiday, it’s not just one day a year.

The $90 per person prepaid reservation, as I already knew, included seven full courses with wine pairings. I dutifully did a class at Pulse PDX and walked almost 10000 steps (not counting the Zumba class) even before I showed up for dinner in the Holdfast Dining space at 7 PM, attempting to cultivate a big enough appetite for what the parade of food I thought would ensue. I woefully did not prepare enough. I guess at least I got to experience a traditional supra side effect- restricted breathing because I was so over-full. My take home leftover container alone was probably 2 pounds and an additional 3 meals for me!

And next time, I’m definitely wearing loose clothing and not jeans. And, yes, next time – because I would definitely highly recommend this experience to anyone. Kargi Gogo did a spectacular job in successfully using food as a gateway to Georgia for all of us. Although Georgia was dominated by the Russian Empire and Soviet Union from the 19th century until the fall of the USSR, it has thousands of years of strong national identity and traditions that is unique and fascinating. Looking at the menu at the Georgian script for instance, you can see similarities to Arabic writing from Georgia’s history with Persia hundreds of years before the Russia Empire even existed.
A Supra Dinner with food by Kargi Gogo and wine pairings by Jeff Veir on May 18, 2015 Menu at Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

A supra always has a tamada, or toast master, who lead the toasts throughout the evening and is the leader of the supra. Sean and McKenzie took turns in leading us to toast to Georgia, to women who are mothers and daughters and sisters and wives, to those no longer with us, to the children the future generation, to peace, to many things that I can’t recall them all since there were like a dozen toasts during the course of the supra. By the end of the evening, we all felt a sense of camaraderie and affection by being brought together by these toasts throughout the dinner, and our mutual stumbling and improvement of cheering the toast with the Georgian phrase “Gaumarjos“, pronounced “gao-oo-mar-jos”… or at least that’s what I left with.

Before each toast, Jeff Vejr, who crafted all the wine pairings and also works as the Winesman for Holdfast Dining, always explained the wine and had a story to tell about the winemaker or the wine grape or how they made the wine or similar. In the photos below, Sean is in the apron, Jeff is in the blazer and pocket handkerchief.
One of the Kargi Gogo owners, Sean in the apron and wine pairings by Jeff Veir in the blazer and pocket handkerchief Owners of Kargi Gogo, husband and wife team Sean and McKenzie
Jeff Veir talks about the next wine pairing One of the Kargi Gogo owners, Sean One of the Kargi Gogo owners, McKinze

On the Table

On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Tonis puri (a Georgian bread), smoked sulguni cheese, Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce), imported Georgian adjika sauce (the red spicy and salty sauce) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce, Borjomi natural mineral water, a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs, a housemade Tarkhuna Soda (with the blue cap), and a bowl with a tomato and cucumber salad On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Tonis puri (a Georgian bread), smoked sulguni cheese, Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce), a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs, tomato and cucumber salad
The seats for the supra in the space were either at a communal table, or at the countertop bar – the communal table gives you the advantage of lots of conversation, while the countertop bar lets you see the food being prepared and plated. For this meal, I was at the counter. Scattered already were plates of

  • Tonis puri (a Georgian bread)
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Glass of Pheasant's Tears Kisi 2011, a basket of Tonis puri (a Georgian bread), smoked sulguni cheese, imported Georgian adjika sauce (the red spicy and salty sauce) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce
  • Smoked Sulguni cheese (it reminds me of the flavor of a smoked gouda but texturally is softer like provolone)
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Smoked sulguni cheese, it reminds me of the flavor of a smoked gouda but texturally is softer like provolone
  • Tomato and Cucumber Salad
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: tomato and cucumber salad
  • Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce, and one of my favorite Georgian dishes).
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce) On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce)
  • imported Georgian adjika sauce (the redder sauce that is spicy and salty – there is a great Road & Kingdoms article about adjika here) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: imported Georgian adjika sauce (the red spicy and salty sauce) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce
  • Borjomi natural mineral water (you can read about this legendary mineral water and how it is a symbol of the relations of Georgia and Russia at the Economist), and a housemade Tarkhuna Soda (a tarragon-flavored soda like drink)
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Borjomi natural mineral water, a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs
  • a Vegetable Plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs
  • And all of these was paired with the welcoming wine of Pheasant’s Tears Kisi 2011. This is the first of several Pheasant’s Tears wines we would have during the meal – Pheasant’s Tears is located in Georgia and grows Georgian grape varietals using the ancient traditional techniques – ancient as in they are aged in qvevri, which are terracotta pots buried underground. Georgian wine is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, dating back 8,000 years, Jeff explained, including before the invention of amphoras, the portable version of qvevri that the ancient Greeks created later.
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo and wine pairings by Jeff Vejr, this glass is the Pheasant's Tears Kisi 2011

Course 1: Appetizer

It was finally time for the beautiful plates we had been looking at while nibbling on the On The Table stuff… and watching two of the chefs Brad and Keaton preparing the bread boats for the Acharuli Khachapuri, which would be the next course.
Preparing the plating of the Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio at the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner Preparing the bread boats for the Acharuli Khachapuri, which would be the next course at the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner
These are the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant (Badrijani with a walnut sauce), spinach pkhali, and roasted beets pkhali. Texturally except for the pomegranate topping, all the pkhalis were soft, reminiscent of what you might think of for pates, but all vegetable.

The dish was paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010, which you can see a hint of in the 2nd picture. Georgian white wines are not actually white or clear in color but more of this honey color (which Jeff explained are sometimes referred to as “orange wines”) because the grape juice is fermented with the pits, seeds and skins, which also provides natural preservation. I don’t really care what the color is, but I did notice that the mouthfeel of these orange wines is much rounder but without it being a red or taking on the characteristics you would get from using an oak barrel.

I was so full at the dinner that when Jeff announced that he had extra bottles for sale I was not in the state of mind to contemplate purchasing any, but now I regret it. So, if you attend these dinners, you might want to think about if any of these are unique enough to take home to experience again, but with a more manageable amount of food than a supra.
Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015

Course 2: Bread

Bread course of Acharuli Khachapuri, which is a bread boat that is filled with a sulguni cheese blend and topped with quail egg and local butter, and here is paired with Iago’s Wine Chinuri 2010. To eat it, you tear off the crusty bread around the outside and dip it into the well of gooey cheese and egg.

Bread course of Acharuli Khachapuri, with a bread boat and sulguni cheese blend and quail egg and local butter, paired with Iago's Wine Chinuri 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Bread course of Acharuli Khachapuri, with a bread boat and sulguni cheese blend and quail egg and local butter, paired with Iago's Wine Chinuri 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Apparently my joy and fingers full of bread and cheese got lost in the experience here and did not even take a photo of the wine. The only notes I have is that Iago’s Wine is owned by Iago, he has a white wall where visitors write their name with a sharpie, and some of the wines are sometimes called “snowglobe wines” because you might see natural sentiment in the wine instead of it being completely clear, and these natural sediments are sometimes called “wine diamonds” and “wine vitamins”.

I think I also wrote a note about Jeff being a great storyteller at this point, I was surprised later when he said he only had visited wineries for a week in Georgia. It’s really amazing how much he retained in his memory about the wines, the people, the wineries, and all the little nuggets of personality and facts to flesh out Georgian wines, which most of us know nothing about, until something I am more curious about. I had just attended DaNet (a Russian dinner popup) a few days before this supra, and this supra was everything contextually I had wished DaNet had offered more of: more educational as well as personal stories, more sharing of the culture and legacy of the country.

Course 3: Vegetable

Vegetable course of Lobio Mchadit, which is a kidney bean stew. Here, we were served a version that has all the homey comfort of the red kidney beans, onions, Georgian spices, greens but then is elevated with a sophisticated presentation with a scattering of pomegranate and some fried pieces of Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Cornmeal, and all paired with Okro’s Wine Rkatsiteli 2010.
Vegetable course of Lobio Mchadit, with red kidney beans, onions, Georgian spices, greens and Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornmeal, paired wtih Okro's Wine Rkatsiteli 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Vegetable course of Lobio Mchadit, with red kidney beans, onions, Georgian spices, greens and Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornmeal, paired wtih Okro's Wine Rkatsiteli 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Course 4: Dumpling

The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali by Brad here: putting down the initial dough circle which would then be filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, and then pinching closed the dumpling
The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - putting down the initial dough circle which would then be filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - pinching closed the dumpling The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - pinching closed the dumpling The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - pinching closed the dumpling
The boiled finished product, Tskhvris Khinkali, is a dumpling of dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired with Pheasant’s Tears Takveri Rose 2013 (look how beautiful the color is of the rose!). To eat the khinkali, you hold it by the nub at the top so it is upside down, take a small careful bite and then tilt the dumpling so you can drink the soup inside. Then, you work your way around eating the dumpling – and you choose to eat the nub or do as Georgians do, which is leave it on the plate to count how many khinkali you have accomplished.
Dumpling course of Tskhvris Khinkali, dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Takveri Rose 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Dumpling course of Tskhvris Khinkali, dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Takveri Rose 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Dumpling course of Tskhvris Khinkali, dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Takveri Rose 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Course 5: Meat

Meat course of Khbos Chakapuli, a stew with Nicky Farms Veal, tarraton, Georgian white wine and butter, paired with Pheasant’s Tears Shavkapito 2013. 
Meat course of Khbos Chakapuli, with Nicky Farms Veal, tarraton, Georgian white wine and butter, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Shavkapito 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Jeff Veir talks about the next wine pairing, a Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013

It was around this time that the kantsi, a traditional drinking horn from Georgia, made its appearance as a vessel for giving toasts and which we then passed around the room, starting with Sean.
One of the Owners of Kargi Gogo, Sean with the kantsi, a traditional drinking horn from Georgia, which made its appearance in the 6th course and is a vessel for giving toasts and which we then passed around the room One of the Owners of Kargi Gogo, Sean with the kantsi, a traditional drinking horn from Georgia, which made its appearance in the 6th course and is a vessel for giving toasts and which we then passed around the room

Course 6: Grill

Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili that you use bread to push off the stick, then eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce. This dish was paired with Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi 2013. We had been smelling the aroma of the grill for a bit now, and were happy to finally see it arrive. I know everyone at my countertop area schemed about how to take a couple nuggets of that pork home in their take home box, ha ha (we all got some).
Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili that you use bread to push off, then eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Course 7: Sweet

Finally, the sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKinze learned from her host mother when she was with the Peace Corp. Kaklis Namtskhvari is a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, a piece of Gozinaki (walnut honey bar) both paired with Bagrationi Classic Brut and you can see the slightly greenish yellow liquid on the left is me sipping on the housemade Tarkhuna (tarragon soda).
Sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKenzie learned from her host mother, a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, paired wtih Bagrationi Classic Brut at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKenzie learned from her host mother, a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, paired wtih Bagrationi Classic Brut at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKenzie learned from her host mother, a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, paired wtih Bagrationi Classic Brut at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

All in all, this was a long meal with a huge amount of food. But, it also felt very apropos given the supra framework to this meal. I know they plan to do more of these, though I don’t know that they have announced specific dates. Sign up on their Events page to let them know your interest as that could help motivate an event and puts you hopefully on a list to be in the know. You can also follow Kargi Gogo on social media at their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

What do you think of this food that you see here compared to the Russian food I shared from DaNet or from Kachka?

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Filed Under: Food and Drink, Food Carts, Portland Highlights, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Berry Recipes from The Oregon Berry Festival and New Seasons: Berry Popsicles, Summer Berry and Farro Salad

August 3, 2015 by 20 Comments

I mentioned a couple weeks ago how I attended the annual Oregon Berry Festival and swooned at the Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner. Earlier during the day, as they have done for the past 5 years, they had a free festival in which they offered various booths promoting berries both in fresh and product form.
A look at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 at EcoTrust building Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July

If you’ve been to any Oregon Farmer’s Market or local grocery store, it probably doesn’t surprise you if I tell you that Oregon recognized worldwide as the “Berry State”, growing just about every major berry that grows in the United States. You can find strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, marionberries, loganberries, boysenberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, gooseberries, huckleberry, mulberry, even berries you and I probably have never heard of like sumac waldo berry and more. Many (including myself) particularly adore Oregon berries of the particular climate we have here, in which the days are warm the evenings in the spring and summer always cool off unlike many other places where it doesn’t drop as comfortably as we enjoy here.
Which Berry Are you? Marionberry: A native oregonian, complex, rich and earthy Cranberry: Zingy and versatile, loves holidays blueberry: well rounded easy going and popular Strawberry: sweet, traditional and well loved Waldo berry: Mysterious, original and easy going

Two stages hosted live music and berry demonstrations – including an hour berry cooking demo and samples from one of the sponsors, New Seasons Market who also had a booth. In the cloudless windless 90 something degrees weather, they cheerfully made Salmon with Blackberry Pinot Noir sauce and had samples.
New Seasons Market doing a demonstration of Salmon with Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 New Seasons Market doing a demonstration of Salmon with Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015

I’m going share two of my favorite recipes I learned from New Seasons at Oregon Berry Festival 2015: Raspberry Peppercorn Popsicles, and Summer Berry and Farro Salad. Keep in mind that although I am publishing this in berry season, you don’t have to only buy berries fresh in order to support your local Oregon berries. Check out the freezer section for frozen fresh berries from Stahlbush Island Farms, Scenic Fruit, Palmer Creek Fruit Company, etc.

Berry Popsicles

I love how dramatic these look, and they only use berries, sparkling water and local honey. There were two types that New Seasons shared: a Raspberry Peppercorn Popsicle version, and a Blackberry Basil Popsicle version you can see below.

New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015

Blackberry Basil Ingredients:

  • 2 pints of ripe blackberries (if fresh blackberries are not available, use fresh frozen local Oregon berries – this allows you to still support local and they are quick frozen while they are fresh so they will taste great. Buying frozen in the off season is great because you can just pour out the amount you need and reseal too!).
  • 1 bunch of basil: set aside one leaf for each popsicle mold, and the rest you should slice into thin ribbons aka chiffonade
  • 1 quart of sparkling water (4 pints)
  • 1/4 cup of local honey

Blackberry Basil Popsicle Directions:

  1. Gently rinse blackberries. Take one pint of the blackberries and place loosely on a sheet tray and put in freezer until the berries are firmed up and set.
  2. Take the other pint and place in a sauce pan with the honey on medium heat. Add the basil chiffonade and 1 pint of sparkling water. Heat until the berries dissolve and the honey is incorporated. Remove from heat and let cool before straining through a fine mesh sieve.
  3. Add the remaining 3 pints of sparkling water to your strained berry honey basil mixture.
  4. Meanwhile, in your popsicle molds (this should be enough for 6, but it depends on the size and shape of your molds), add some of the individual frozen berries from Step 1. Next, place a whole basil leaf inside each mold as well. Fill the rest of the popsicle mold with your berry mixture.
  5. Place your popsicle molds in the freezer until set.
  6. Pop out and enjoy!

A look at what these BlackBerry Popsicles look like as they are being popped out… and I am totally coveting that strawberries apron in the background.
New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015
Both of these Popsicles recipes are crazy easy and samples were disappearing in seconds at the Oregon Berry Festival and pleasing adults and kids alike.
New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015

Raspberry Peppercorn Ingredients:

  • 3 pints of ripe raspberries (if fresh raspberries are not available, use fresh frozen local Oregon berries – this allows you to still support local and they are quick frozen while they are fresh so they will taste great. Buying frozen in the off season is great because you can just pour out the amount you need and reseal too!).
  • 20 pink peppercorns, crushed
  • 18 pink peppercorns, whole
  • 1 quart of sparkling water (4 pints)
  • 1/4 cup of local honey

Raspberry Peppercorn Popsicle Directions:

  1. Gently rinse raspberries. Take one pint of the raspberries and place loosely on a sheet tray and put in freezer until the raspberries are firmed up and set.
  2. Take the other 2 pints and place in a sauce pan with the honey on medium heat. Add the crushed peppercorns and 1 pint of sparkling water. Heat until the berries dissolve and the honey is incorporated. Remove from heat and let cool before straining through a fine mesh sieve.
  3. Add the remaining 3 pints of sparkling water to your strained berry honey crushed peppercorn mixture.
  4. Meanwhile, in your popsicle molds (this should be enough for 6, but it depends on the size and shape of your molds), add some of the individual frozen berries from Step 1. Then place 3 whole peppercorns on top of them. Fill the rest of the popsicle mold with your berry mixture.
  5. Place your popsicle molds in the freezer until set.
  6. Pop out and enjoy

Summer Berry and Farro Salad

Oregon Blueberries are the star of this recipe for Summer Berry and Farro Salad, perfect to make ahead of time for a lunch or picnic

The Summer Berry and Farro Salad takes a little bit of time to prepare the farro first, but the recipe makes enough for 10. This fed us for several days of meals afterwards. The dish is great cold or room temperature, making it a great make ahead lunch to take to work or to take on a picnic or road trip to the Oregon Coast to cool off during a summer heat wave. I also love that it’s a savory way to enjoy blueberries.
Oregon blueberries Oregon blueberries

Ingredients:

  • 1 16 ounce package of whole farro
  • 3 tablespoons of raspberry vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of local honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions (or you can use chives)
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil (or mint)
  • Roughly 2 cups of blueberries (I know there will be some “loss” as you quality test the blueberries…)
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese (you can make this optional – I served the feta on the side as F didn’t want it, but I did)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. First prepare the farro according to package instructions and set aside to cool. This may vary in time – for instance the whole wheat farro I purchased I soaked for 30 minutes first, then after the water boiled I had to let it cook for 30 minutes.
  2. To make vinaigrette while the farro is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, and then the olive oil until it is all incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste – depending on how much raspberry vinegar taste you want you can play a bit with the vinegar, honey, and mustard with a bit more.
  3. Pour the raspberry vinaigrette you have just made into the farro when it is done and mix. Now let the farro cool – I stuck mine in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it cool faster!
  4. As the farro is cooling, you can chop your green onions/chives and basil/mint and gently wash your blueberries. When the farro is only slightly warm or room temperature, mix in carefully the green onions, basil, blueberries and feta. If you’d like, hold back a few small leaves of basil and feta to garnish on top when you serve!

Oregon Blueberries are the star of this recipe for Summer Berry and Farro Salad, perfect to make ahead of time for a lunch or picnic Oregon Blueberries are the star of this recipe for Summer Berry and Farro Salad, perfect to make ahead of time for a lunch or picnic
I have one more berry recipe coming – and don’t forget about my Blackberry Grilled Cheese I shared with you a few weeks back.

Keep an eye out for the Oregon Berry Festival next year. As I mentioned, it’s a FREE festival celebrating Oregon (which did you know is the “Berry State”, home to just about every major berry that grows in the US?) and you too, can pick up great recipes like these! Here are a few more photos from the Oregon Berry Festival so you can see some examples of the great berries and berry products you can be introduced to at the festival. Of course, nothing is holding you back from seeking these delicious berry products right now either! Besides fresh, you can find Oregon berries in fresh form, pies and tarts, in

  • Hot Lips Sodas which you can get with your Hot Lips pizza but also at the store featuring half a dozen flavors (I like the Marionberry Soda, and also their Hawaiian Ginger Ale)
  • Beer (No Li Brewhouse in Spokane produced the Tart Cherry Ale with 1.5 lbs per gallon of Oregon Specialty Fruit cherries and cranberries, many of the beers at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival and from many other breweries also use Oregon Specialty Fruit purees)
  • Liquors like East Side Distilling‘s Cherry Bomb and Marionberry Whiskeys
  • Drinking Vinegars and Fruit Shrubs (like Lola’s Fruit Shrubs, hand made in Eugene OR and in flavors like Strawberry Balsamic, Raspberry Lemon, Blackberry Basil, Blueberry Ginger, and Straight Lime)
  • combined with goat cheese like with Portland Creamery
  • Your Northwest (with stores conventionally at the PDX airport to tuck into your carry on bag post security to take to your destination as a gift or for yourself) boasts berry products varying from jellies, syrups, vinaigrettes, pie and cobbler filling to grill sauces and glazes for your bbq
  • And more!

Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July, for example these delicious Hot Lips sodas Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July Oregon Specialty Fruit had a booth at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July No Li Brewhouse in Spokane produced the Tart Cherry Ale with 1.5 lbs per gallon of Oregon Specialty Fruit cherries and cranberries Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July You can find Oregon Berries in East Side Distilling's Cherry Bomb and Marionberry Whiskeys You can find Oregon Berries in East Side Distilling's Cherry Bomb and Marionberry Whiskeys Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July. One example is Lola's Fruit Shrubs, hand made in Eugene OR and in flavors like Strawberry Balsamic, Raspberry Lemon, Blackberry Basil, Blueberry Ginger, and Straight Lime Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July, including Portland Creamery goat cheese Representing berries as a healthy habit to have and promoting to end type 2 diabetes in children was the Blueberry Family Health Foundation at the Oregon Berry Festival At Oregon Berry Festival 2015 we learned how to incorporate berries into Indian cuisine with Minal Rajan at the Healthy Berry Pavilion Your Northwest boasts berry products varying from jellies, syrups, vinaigrettes, pie and cobbler filling to grill sauces and glazes for your bbq Your Northwest boasts berry products varying from jellies, syrups, vinaigrettes, pie and cobbler filling to grill sauces and glazes for your bbq

Which Berry Are you?

  • Marionberry: A native Oregonian, complex, rich and earthy
  • Cranberry: Zingy and versatile, loves holidays blueberry: well rounded easy going and popular
  • Strawberry: sweet, traditional and well loved
  • Waldo berry: Mysterious, original and easy going

Disclosure: I attended the Oregon Berry Festival Gala dinner as part of a media pass of the Oregon Berry Festival courtesy of the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own. 

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