Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

November 16, 2015 by 9 Comments

For a get together with a neighbor to discuss some shared property plans, they provided the wine and fruit plate along with cheddar, and I pondered what to bring with my wine. I wanted something that was a snack, but was above and beyond just regular chips and dip, or throwing more sliced cheese on a platter.

A recipe that I recall several of the reps from a Food Should Taste Good event mentioned came to mind. They had raved about one of the recipes on the website, a Caramelized Shallot Jam with Goat Cheese for being super easy and tasty. I had onions instead of shallots in my pantry, but otherwise I had the ingredients on hand and decided to give a try.
Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips and Willamete Valley Farmstead Brindisi

I paired this with sweet potato tortilla chips. Food Should Taste Good chips are gluten free, vegan, non GMO, low sodium and ingredients that when I read the list, I understand and recognize: Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Dried Sweet Potatoes, Cane Sugar, Sweet Potatoes, Sea Salt. No weird science names.
Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Food Should Taste Good gluten free GMO free Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Food Should Taste Good gluten free GMO free Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

The sweet potato chips were one of the discoveries I made when I attended a Food Should Taste Good promotional event a couple months back – I have always stood by the multigrain chips. That event, plus the fact that while I was in Denver, they had these sweet potato chips at Denver Airport’s beer flight event, put them onto my radar for a great chip that embodies fall without having to go to pumpkin spices and apple cinnamon donuts and ciders.

This Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips is great for a small get together for 6-10. You will want to start making the jam at least an hour ahead of time so it has time to cool off from hot to warm before you serve it. At the same time, make sure you have your goat cheese out from the fridge so it can soften and warm to room temperature to be spreadable.
Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Food Should Taste Good gluten free GMO free Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup of diced onions (or 4 large shallots, thinly sliced to equal about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 oz plain goat cheese
  • 1 bag of Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips (or other chips or bread or vehicle of your choosing for the onion jam and goat cheese)

Directions:

  1. In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil for a few minutes. Now add the 1 cup of diced onions and saute for a minute or until the onions start turning translucent.
  2. Add the 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Stir constantly to combine the two for the next 5 minutes or so. Turn down the heat to medium and let cook, stirring once in while, so that it all reduces into a consistency like jam.
  3. Then carefully pour in the 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (it may steam up) and generous pinch of salt to your caramelized onion and brown sugar jam. Stir well, let reduce for another couple minutes, and then remove from heat.
    Caramelized Onion Jam uses onions, brown sugar, some red wine vinegar and heat and just a lil patience for it to reduce! Caramelized Onion Jam uses onions, brown sugar, some red wine vinegar and heat and just a lil patience for it to reduce!
  4. Place the Caramelized Onion Jam in a small serving dish and let it cool from hot to warm. Now place it on a serving platter or alongside a small serving dish of your softened goat cheese (mash it down if it comes in a tube or other odd shape to encourage spooning and spreading it).
  5. Serve with the Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips and it’s all fancy when you know this was all silly easy.

Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Food Should Taste Good gluten free GMO free Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Food Should Taste Good gluten free GMO free Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

Even if you don’t make this recipe for Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese (I could also see the combo working in a sandwich), you should definitely check out these delicious Sweet Potato Chips!

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Blackberry Pizza Recipe

September 14, 2015 by 8 Comments

Since the Oregon Berry Festival that I recapped a bit ago, I’ve had the idea of creating a Blackberry Pizza. I was inspired by the savory combinations of blackberry from the Gala Dinner I attended. I thought that instead of a sweet dessert pizza, I was going to create a savory version.
Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries

Other dessert pizzas often use a cookie as the base, such as a sugar cookie or oatmeal cookie. But I knew that having a regular pizza dough could work, given that I had adored Pulehu Pizza’s strawberry pizza before. I still have a huge crush on that seasonal special pizza, which had a light creamy base instead of the sweeter cream cheese base or whipped topping base. I know berries and creme fraiche are a classic combination, and so that with a pizza dough base was my start.

Next, instead of going with a sweet cream, I opted to lean into the savory per my Gala Dinner inspiration. From creating my Blackberry Grilled Cheese recipe earlier, I knew that basil is a great pairing with blackberry. It is only a short jump from fresh basil to my use of pesto.

Finally, for an additional layer of flavor, I wanted some heat since many of my favorite cocktails include a combination of berries and spicy vodka or tequila. Enter the Marshall’s Haute Sauce special edition Hatch Sesame Balsamic.
Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries

I didn’t make the pizza dough or pesto – I already had frozen Kirkland Basil Pesto (which uses Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, Pecorino Romano, and pine nuts) that I could utilize. I bought pre-made dough and I wanted each one to be personal pizza sized.. The only slight time consuming part (which is really more of a wait then prep steps) was making homemade creme fraiche.

To make your own creme fraiche, you just needs 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to every 3 tablespoons of buttermilk. You stir it up and let it sit on your kitchen counter, covered and in a glass container so it doesn’t absorb plastic taste, for 8 hours minimum until it’s thick. It should be a little reminiscent of sour cream in consistency, but the flavor will be a light tangyness compared to sour cream. You then refrigerate your creme fraiche (keep it in glass!), and it can last up to 10 days. The more tablespoons of buttermilk the thicker it is.
Homemade creme fraiche is easy to make using just heavy cream and buttermilk and time Homemade creme fraiche is easy to make using just heavy cream and buttermilk and time

Ingredients:

  • 4 personal sized pizzas (about 6 inches diameter)
  • 1 pint of Oregon blackberries. If blackberries are not in season, I suggest going into the freezer section to get the local frozen blackberries. For Oregon frozen berries, while they are still fresh and perfectly ripe they are fresh frozen within mere hours of being picked. That means from when they were picked to frozen is most likely even a shorter period of time than imported berries in the off season. Plus, Oregon blackberries taste better because of the great Northwest climate here.
  • 1/2 cup of creme fraiche
  • 4 tablespoons of pesto
  • 4 teaspoons of hot sauce (we used Hatch Sesame Balsamic from Mashall’s Haute Sauce, but you could also mix hot sauce with a touch of balsamic if you have a hot sauce that doesn’t already have that acidic note

Directions:

  1. If your personal sized pizzas are still in dough form, you are going to want to pre-cook it (brush a little olive oil on the dough before putting it in the oven) until it the the dough is cooked. If the pizzas are pre-cooked and just need to be heated, you can skip this step.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. For each personal pizza, spread about 2 tablespoons of the creme fraiche. Next, add in 1 tablespoon of pesto and swirl the pesto around in the creme fraiche to create a bit of a swirl pattern throughout. I personally liked this look rather then mixing the creme fraiche and pesto directly. Top with the blackberries.
    Blackberry Pizza recipe. Add the creme fraiche, then mix in the pesto. top with the blackberry Blackberry Pizza recipe. Add the creme fraiche, then mix in the pesto. top with the blackberry
  3. Add the Blackberry pizza to the oven and turn off the oven. Let the pizza warm for 5-7 minutes, then remove. Add about a teaspoon of your choice of hot sauce in various dots throughout.
    Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries
  4. Serve and enjoy!

I and F both really liked how this was a combination of the slightly creamy with hint of tang from the creme fraiche, then the saltiness with bit of pungency from garlic thanks to the pesto, and a little heat and balsalmic acid from the Hatch Sesame Balsamic sauce. YUM!
Blackberry Pizza recipe with homemade creme fraiche, pesto, a little hot sauce and Oregon Blackberries

If you haven’t tried any of Marshall’s Haute Sauce, run to the website and also visit them at the Farmer’s Market. I buy the standard sauces at the store (I think it helps reinforce for the store that these are good products that will sell of their shelf to encourage them to continue ordering), and my favorite of their regular sauces are the Habanero Carrot Curry.

If you visit them at the Farmer’s Market though you can get access to their seasonal specials that they do, varying from his Hatch Sesame Balsamic during the summer to Gin Roasted Pepper to one off collaborations like their Honey Tincture with Serrano Ginger Lemongrass with Bee Local (follow Spicy Marshall on Instagram to hear what the special might be).

What’s your favorite Marshall’s Haute Sauce? What do you think of a fruit pizza, have you  had fruit pizza before?

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A September Dinner at Farm Spirit

September 11, 2015 by 4 Comments

I’ve had Farm Spirit on my wish list for quite a while since they first opened a few months ago in mid June, and recently for our wedding anniversary F and I enjoyed a Saturday evening 12 course dinner there.

Farm Spirit is completely vegan, and their dinners are purchased by ordering online a ticket to one of their 9 or 12 course chef’s choice dinner courses. The tickets prices listed already include a gratuity, though beverages are extra and you can choose from individual wine glasses to individual housemade non-alcoholic drinks, or a flight of either of those. The flights can be pre-purchased on the website, or  you can order the flight or individual drinks at dinner and pay for them then.

Wednesday and Thursdays are 9 courses for $65, and Friday and Saturday nights offer 12 courses at $75. You arrive slightly before 7 PM which is when they open the doors for everyone. When they serve dinner they do so when everyone arrives and everyone gets their courses simultaneously, so don’t be late as you’ll hold everyone else up!
Outside of Farm Spirit at 1414 SE Morrison Street waiting for doors to open (they did around 6:50 for our 7pm dinner) The inside of Farm Spirit consists of 14 seats Inside of Farm Spirit, at seating. Chef Ricardo welcomes us at the door and explains the beverage program while Chef Tim is on the final prep of the first course. Inside of Farm Spirit, at seating. Your placecards have your name from the reservation to indicate your seats. Wall behind the bar at Farm Spirit

The 14 seats inside Farm Spirit are right at a chef’s bar, which will remind you of a omakase bar such as the chef choice dinners at Nodoguro, or Holdfast. You get to watch them plate every course, which is pretty impressive as they plate the next upcoming courses on each side of the two induction burners in the center.

I was pretty excited because F, who is vegetarian, never accompanies me to these kind of chef’s choice fine dining dinners and has never had the experience of seeing chefs running the pass and the incredible art for the eye that these food plates offer besides culinary art for the palate. Also, he has a much better cameraphone than I do (Nokia Lumia 1020 vs my Samsung Galaxy S4) that is incredible at picking up light.
Seating at Farm Spirit Seating at Farm Spirit Inside of Farm Spirit, at seating. Your placecards have your name from the reservation to indicate your seats. Chef Aaron Adams is working on the prep of the second course.

The chefs of Farm Spirit are serious about their food, and serious about service that includes placecards for your assigned seats, replacing napkins when a guest is on a bathroom trip, and changing out silverware a few times (but not every course – each seating has a silverware rest used for a few courses before the next swap).

At the same time, Farm Spirit has a very laid back, playful vibe. During the 3 hour dinner experience, we saw a little dancing, a little singing, and the dining soundtrack varied from Under Pressure to Safety Dance.
Front of Menu on September 5, 2015 at Farm Spirit Back of Menu on September 5, 2015 at Farm Spirit\

As you can expect at a farm to table restaurant like this, the menu changes based on the availability of what is at the Farmer’s Market or the various farms they buy directly from, which Chef Aaron Adams seems to be at pretty much everyday as he listed off seriously half a dozen markets and farms from where he sources his ingredients.

Alongside Chef Aaron is Chef Ricardo (who also is the man behind the handmade drinks and all fermentation be it pickles, kombucha or yogurt) and Chef Tim (tweezer master who also bakes the bread and is responsible for desserts), and the three men pow-wow every week to decide what the dishes will be.

But, here’s what we had on September 5th, 2015.

First Course

Smoked eggplant pureed with fennel jam on housemade bread
Housemade bread, a smoked eggplant pureed, fennel jam

As I enjoyed my Tempranillo for the night, F had ordered the homemade non-alcoholic beverage flight so Chef Rico poured the Watermelon Mint Juice as Chef Adam explained the course and the philosophy of Farm Spirit and where they source their food.
Chef Aaron Adams of Farm Spirit explains the philosophy of the restaurant and where he sources his ingredients Chef Ricardo pours the Watermelon Mint Juice, the first of the housemade non-alcoholic drink flight Watermelon Mint Juice

Second Course

Celtuce, harukei turnips, peach puree, Soarer cucumber, fried walnuts
Celtuce, harukei turnips, peach puree, Soarer cucumber, fried walnuts Celtuce, harukei turnips, peach puree, Soarer cucumber, fried walnuts
This was one of F’s two favorite platings because of the charm the plating of a plant made from plant. This was the dish Chef Aaron was adding the nuts when we first walked in to be seated as Chef Tim worked on plating the third course…

Third Course

Tomato Water, plums, herbs, basil oil, nasturtium capers, cherry tomatoes
Plating of Third Course by Chef Tim at Farm Spirit Tomato Water, plums, herbs, basil oil, nasturtium capers, cherry tomatoes
As casual as Farm Spirit it, still felt too soon to be lifting bowls to our lips to drink every single drop of this course. Not sure we’d be shy the next time we have a bowl presented to us though.

Fourth Course

Summer Squash, ground cherries, arugula sauce, yellow tomato vinaigrette, calendula
Summer Squash, ground cherries, arugula sauce, yellow tomato vinaigrette, calendula
You can’t help but admire what a pain this probably was to prep and plate but with such effect at the end. As Chef Aaron began to plate the next course (we saw the tomato leaves in sauce being warmed by him as we enjoyed this first squash course), Chef Rico finished plating with Chef tim this Summer Squash dish and shifted back to beverage director role as he poured the next homemade non-alcoholic drink, the Earl Grey Kombucha
Teamwork by Chef Tim and Rico in plating the Summer Squash, ground cherries, arugula sauce, yellow tomato vinaigrette, calendula Chef Rico pouring the Earl Grey Kombucha Earl Grey Kombucha

Fifth Course

Squash Blossom stuffed with crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish
Squash Blossom crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish
Chef Aaron read everyone’s minds in explaining that yes, see, tomato leaves are totally edible and his 90 something year old grandmother has been eating them for decades.
Chef Aaron putting together the Squash Blossom crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish Chef Aaron putting together the Squash Blossom crushed potatoes, tomatillo, sweet corn, peppers and chilis, tomato sauce, tomato leaves dish

Sixth Course

Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill
Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill
I think the Eggplant was just roasted, grilled, and smoked or some combination that involved more cooking than one fire element, despite being listed as simply eggplant on the menu. I loved how smoky the eggplant was, and the combination with coriander and pollen.
Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill Eggplant, coriander filbert yogurt, fried hazelnuts, fennel pollen, mint, dill

Seventh Course

Roasted (after Sous-Vide in aromatic herb bath) Carrot, smoked walnut milk, cabbage cider, golden beet juice
Roast Carrot, smoked walnut milk, cabbage cider, golden beet juice Roast Carrot, smoked walnut milk, cabbage cider, golden beet juice
Has a carrot looked so good before?
Roast Carrot, smoked walnut milk, cabbage cider, golden beet juice

Eighth Course

Chanterelles, celeriac puree, chervil, onion cream, chard
Chanterelles, celeriac puree, chervil, onion cream, chard Chanterelles, celeriac puree, chervil, onion cream, chard
We loved how creamy the celeriac puree is to give us richness in this dish. It was dramatic watching this plate begin to be plated given it started with Chef Tim literally firing each plate with a blowtorch.
Chef Tim just literally firing up the plates for the next course Chef Tim just literally firing up the plates for the next course

There was a little too much chervil in this dish for my taste that threw off the balance of the dish,  but still all the plates were scraped clean up and down the chefs bar. This dish was paired with the next homemade drink of the flight, Golden Beet Apple Ginger non-alcoholic beverage
Golden Beet Apple Ginger non-alcoholic homemade beverage at Farm Spirit

Ninth Course

Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation
Chef Aaron painstakingly prepearing the Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation Chef Aaron painstakingly prepearing the Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation Chef Aaron painstakingly prepearing the Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation
Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation Filbert yogurt and ash coated potatoes with herbs on red beet kombucha with a River Rock presentation

Both F and I loved watching this plating happen since it was being done right in front of us by  Chef Aaron and Tim as they painstakingly arranged each element, picking just the right ingredients down to watching Chef Aaron carefully consider which potato from the roasting pan to use.

Tenth Course

Candied Sungolds, basil, rye, olive oil semi-freddo
Candied Sungolds, basil, rye, olive oil semi-freddo Candied Sungolds, basil, rye, olive oil semi-freddo
Finally, the dessert courses right? So full already… the pairing of homemade beverages for this course was the Melon Pear juice. This was another dish where I thought it was slightly off balance because of the intensity of the basil sauce, though I have to admire its color.
Melon Pear juice

Eleventh Course

Blackberry, olive oil cake, licorice mint, fennel pollen, anise glass
Blackberry, olive oil cake, licorice mint, fennel pollen, anise glass
The white powder you see Chef Tim carefully plating with is olive oil powder. This and the next course were paired with Apple Fennel Thyme Scrub that is diluted a bit with soda water for effervescent bubbles.
Chef Tim plates the Blackberry, olive oil cake, licorice mint, fennel pollen, anise glass course Chef Tim plates the Blackberry, olive oil cake, licorice mint, fennel pollen, anise glass course Apple Fennel Thyme Scrub

Twelfth Course

Seascape Strawberries, aqua faba, lemon filbert cream, sorrel, hardy kiwis
Seascape Strawberries, aqua faba, lemon filbert cream, sorrel, hardy kiwis Seascape Strawberries, aqua faba, lemon filbert cream, sorrel, hardy kiwis
We got to hear a little ode of love to aqua faba by Chef Aaron, who explained that this was a solidfier that can replace the traditional role of eggs in desserts – aqua faba is created from chickpea liquid, which means it is also gluten free and natural instead of a processed starch or gluten or soy. So that meringue you see up there on the plate – I could not tell the difference between one that would have traditionally been made from egg whites. So it definitely works and tastes right.

To finish, we were treated to a hot beverage service which included coffee or tea, and I went with the green tea. Chef Rico also gave us a little goodie bag of zucchini bread for us to remember Farm Spirit by later that night/the next morning.
Warm beverages to finish off the dinner at Farm Spirit - I went with tea while F went with coffee Chef Rico joyfully passes out his zucchini bread wrapped in white paper Chef Rico's Zucchini Bread A goodbye gift from Farm Spirit via Chef Ricardo's zucchini bread

We wanted to enjoy the food upon serving so that we could taste it at the peak of the intended temperature, but each plate was so gorgeous it was hard to limit myself to only 30 seconds of photo taking. I’m curious to see how Farm Spirit will find the upcoming winter where the produce variety dwindles from the summer and autumn bounty, and wish them all the best. I love the concept and the way they focus on really putting together unique flavor combinations. They really celebrate and show off that when you get the best product, you don’t need meat or dairy to enjoy deliciousness.

Farm Spirit Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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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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Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

July 27, 2015 by 15 Comments

Last week, I walked you through making your own fresh ricotta. Today, I’m going to share another recipe on how to enjoy that fresh ricotta. This Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich is vegetarian and a mix of flavors textures like the soft creamy ricotta and firm edamame and grassy microgreens, crunchy slighly spicy radish and acid of quick pickled red onions. This is my take when I saw the recipe of Summer Pea and Radish Pita in the Vegetarian Times and was inspired to make a version that’s more me and less pea.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

The original recipe made 6 sandwiches, and there was not an easy way to reduce the amount for quick pickling the onions (and you use the leftover liquid to help make vinaigrette), so I followed that portion exactly. So, you will have a bunch of leftover quick pickled onion to enjoy as you will. I only needed to make 2 sandwiches for my household of 2, so you’ll notice I give instructions in the ingredients and directions below for what is needed per each sandwich.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

Rather than making a sandwich, you can totally eat this as a salad as well and ignore the bread (I used regular sandwich bread here and not pita). My version also uses microgreens and edamame, which I used instead of pea shoots and peas as called by the original recipe, though the idea of pea shoots and peas in a sandwich is pretty lovely too.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
  • 3/4 cup of diced onions
  • 1 cup shelled edamame (you can also use peas instead)
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 6 cups microgreens or pea shoots or you can use torn butter lettuce, your call (you will use about a cup of greens per sandwich)
  • About 2 cups of thinly sliced radishes (you will use 1/3 cup per sandwich)
    Slicing radishes thinly thanks to my new mandoline
  • Your choice of sandwich bread – I used multigrain
  • 1 cup of fresh ricotta (especially if you make it yourself, like in my recipe here for homemade ricotta)
  • Directions:
  1. First, place the diced onions in a heat proof bowl. Let me interrupt this step for a second to plug one of my favorite kitchen tools besides my silicon spatulas for scraping every bit of food in containers, KitchenArt ButterMate for measuring and cutting butter with no mess, and my rice cooker. My #4 fave kitchen tool is the Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard. I bought it a couple years ago when after (wearing glasses, not contacts) chopping a large beautiful onion I had procured from the Portland Farmers Market, I noticed at work the next day that the misty morning was continuing in that it was looking a little misty inside my work cubicle looking at my monitor. An emergency appointment that evening at the eye doctor yielded that I had somehow burned my eye with possibly onion vapors and needed steroid eye drops for the rest of the week. Shortly after that I bought this Chop Wizard and now I can get onions diced in less than a minute and there are never any tears. It even measures how many cups of onions I have so I only need to chop what I need. Some people like the repetitive ritual of chopping, but not me – and this chopper helps me get if over faster with all sorts of vegetables, not just onions. It’s awesome.
    <One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard makes dicing onions so easy One of my favorite kitchen tools, the Vidalia Chop Wizard makes dicing onions so easy
    Anyway, in a small saucepan bring to a boil a combination of the 1/4 cup water, the 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to a boil.  Once it is boiling, remove the liquid from heat and pour over your diced onions. Let the onions pickle for about 15 minutes before separating the onions out. Don’t toss the onion vinegar liquid – you’ll be using that as a vinaigrette later! This is a great trick for quick pickling onions for any of your sandwich needs.
    Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar Quick pickling the diced red onions is easy, just onions, and then boiled water with apple cider vinegar and some sugar
  2. If you use frozen edamame like I did, you should defrost them by steaming, boiling, or because of the summer heatwave I just used the microwave. They only need to be heated for a few minutes, and then blanched for the same number of minutes (I refreshed mine in water with ice). Drain the edamame from the water and set aside.
  3. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the leftover onion vinegar liquid that was left in a mixing bowl with the olive 3 tablespoons of olive oil. That’s enough dressing for 6 sandwiches, but I only needed to make 2 sandwiches so I eyed only a small amount to keep in the bowl and refrigerated the rest for future sandwiches and salads.
  4. In a mixing bowl I combined that small amount of onion vinaigrette (approximately two tablespoons) with a small amount of the quick pickled onions (probably two tablespoons, one for each sandwich again) as well as 2 cups of microgreens, a tablespon of the shelled edamame, and 1/3 cup of sliced radishes and tossed them all together so everything was coated with the vinaigrette.
    For the greens portion of the Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich, toss the onion vinaigrette with microgreens, radishes, edamame, and the quick pickled red onions For the greens portion of the Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich, toss the onion vinaigrette with microgreens, radishes, edamame, and the quick pickled red onions
  5. For each sandwich, I first spread the fresh ricotta (about 1 tablespoon for each sandwich half), and then topped each half with 1/2 a cup of the greens edamame radish mixture.
    My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

I left my sandwiches open-faced because that’s my thing right now, to let the insides of a sandwich be visually enjoyed. I also am a bit greedy and may overstuff my sandwich.
My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich My recipe for a summer sandwich of fun textures, a Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens Sandwich

The next day, instead of sandwiches I added more torn butter lettuce to fill it out (I added a bit more of the leftover vinaigrette to compensate) and had this whole thing in salad form instead of sandwich (and my homemade ricotta had gotten more firm, so was perfect for adding in little 1/4 teaspoon fulls instead of spreading on bread).
Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens salad Radish, Edamame, Ricotta and Greens salad

What’s one of your favorite go to summer sandwiches during the hot summer? What are your favorite kitchen tools/tricks?

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