Edible Portland Blog

From Chef John Eisenhart, Pazzo Ristorante

4 filets wild Oregon salmon, skin on, at 6-oz portions
2 1/2 cups fresh fava beans, blanched and shelled
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, finest available
3 Tbsp 12-year balsamic vinegar
1 drop lemon oil, found in organic markets
Endive, core removed, sliced into long julienne slices
1/2 lemon, juiced

In food processor, finely chop the fava beans with thyme, 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup water to just rotate the contents. Blend favas until somewhat smooth and season with salt. Grill salmon filets to desired temperature. In the meantime, pour the balsamic vinegar, lemon oil, and the remaining olive oil in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the favetta on medium heat, stirring often. Place the puree on the center of the plate, spoon vinaigrette around it, and place salmon on top. Place the endive in a small bowl and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Set some endive on the salmon and serve.

Story and Photo by Jen Marlow
For Spring 2007

MATT ZAFFINO WATCHES the sky from Eagle’s Nest, his home office. The highest room in the house, it’s connected to the second floor by a dizzy climb up a wrought-iron twist of spiral stairs. From this carpeted perch, computers, microphones, even a weather cam hooked to the roof come as no surprise. But beckoning out the small, square row of windows above Zaffino’s desk is Sauvie Island. “This is why I moved here,” explains Zaffino, gesturing to the view. He points to where the Willamette drains into the Columbia River.

The view is simple and stunning. So is Zaffino’s kitchen, which is downstairs on the first floor. With Finnish alder cabinetry, earthy granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances, weather’s elemental shades are invited inside. A flat screen TV next to the fridge broadcasts CNN. A pyramid stack of oranges and bananas shows that Zaffino and his wife, Lisa, love to eat healthfully.

In summertime, Zaffino’s favorite fare—Italian food—takes a back seat to salads, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries. But in winter, when it’s cold outside, he says, “Bring on the pasta.” Today is that kind of day. It’s been snowing on and off all morning.

It’s perfect for Zaffino, an avid skier who is also a marathoner, hiker, and climber. His house—and his eating habits—match his lifestyle. “Some people live to eat. I eat to live,” he says. True, I think, for the most part. But wait until you hear what gourmet treats he brings back-packing. First let’s hear about what’s in his fridge:

CHEF ZAFFINO'S SAUCE
My wife Lisa loves to cook Italian food, but she can’t compete with my spaghetti sauce. My mother, who happened to be Irish, handed down the recipe. Marrying into an Italian family, she had to compete with my Italian grandmother so her sauce is extraordinary.

Growing up Italian, I was raised on great food. There is no better meal than a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs—my favorite comfort food.

HOMEMADE PECTIN STOCK
From Harriet Fasenfest, Co-owner, Preserve

1. Put 3-4 pounds chopped apples in a non-reactive pan. Add enough water to barely cover apples and bring to a boil. Lower temperature immediately and let simmer until soft, approximately 20-30 minutes.

2. Pour apples and liquid through a fine sieve into a second pot. Without stirring, let this liquid drain overnight.

3. Bring liquid to a boil and cook until it has reduced to half its original volume.

4. Test pectin content (see instructions below) and continue to cook if necessary.

5. Once liquid pectin reaches the desired strength, store it in the fridge or freezer.

Testing the Pectin Level
I admit to loving this part. To determine the amount of pectin in your liquid, put 1 teaspoon of the liquid on a plate and add 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to the mix. Swirl the mixture around until clots start to form. It will amaze you, but it will happen: You will know the strength of the pectin by the size of the clots.

You want a fairly large viscous clot to indicate strong pectin. Weak pectin will show up as several small, scattered clumps. If that is the case, bring the liquid back to a boil and reduce further. And toss out the test batch-you don't want to return that to the pot. Once the pectin reaches the desired strength, refrigerate, freeze, or can it until you make jam. It will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Using Homemade Pectin
As a general guide, 2/3 cup of liquid pectin is enough to set 4 cups of low-pectin prepared fruit or fruit juice. Here again, you have room for whimsy. If you use strawberries (low in pectin) alone, use the full amount of liquid pectin. If you throw in a few currants (high in pectin) with the strawberries, use less liquid pectin. If you use half currants and half strawberries, you might not need any liquid pectin at all.

In the end, willingness to learn by trial and error and to love whatever the outcome is what will win the day.

From Ellen Jackson

I've been making these muffins for many years, tweaking the recipe as I go. I think the original calls for raspberries, but any sort of berry works wonderfully, as do apples, pears, stone fruit, and rhubarb. I love that these are mostly fruit, held together with a bit of batter. But best of all is how quickly they come together if you do some of the steps in advance.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups diced rhubarb or other fruit
1 tsp lemon zest
8 oz (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Topping
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 oz butter, melted

Mix the flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set it aside until you're ready to bake the muffins. Make the muffin topping by combining everything but the butter in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork. Your topping should have lots of pebble-sized lumps. Cover and refrigerate. Dice the rhubarb in 1/2-inch pieces, cover, and refrigerate. You can add the lemon zest to the rhubarb now, or wait until morning.

When you wake up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the eggs, butter, and milk. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Fold in the rhubarb and lemon zest. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups with paper liners and sprinkle evenly with the topping. Bake until nicely browned and firm, about 30-35 minutes.

From Janie Hibler

Makes 3 half pints

Cardamom is an ancient spice with an exotic flavor that binds the fruitiness of the strawberries and the tangy sweet and sour taste of the rhubarb in this jam recipe.

3 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups frozen strawberries, thawed with juice
8 oz (2 cups chopped, not peeled) rhubarb
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp unsalted butter

Have washed and hot 3 half pint jars. Prepare lids according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Combine the fruit, sugar and cardamom in a heavy, non-reactive skillet. Use a potato masher to thoroughly crush the fruit. Let set at room temperature for 1–2 hours, stirring occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.

Add the butter and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30–40 minutes, until the jam thickens. (Test by dropping a teaspoon of jam onto a cold plate. Put into the freezer for a few minutes. If it’s thick, it’s done.)

Ladle the jam through a wide-mouth funnel into jars. Attach the lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

EGG NOODLES WITH FAVA BEANS, LEEKS AND MORELS
From Sheldon Marcuvitz and Carole Laity, Your Kitchen Garden, Canby

Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs fava beans, blanched and hulled (see below)
4 Tbsp butter
3-4 young leeks, white parts only, washed and julienned
12 oz morel mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cream or crème fraiche
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt to taste
1 lb fresh or homemade egg noodles

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Shell the fava bean pods, add the beans to the boiling water, and stir. Blanch the beans for 30 to 60 seconds, depending on their age and size, or until the husk comes off easily. You don’t want to cook the beans through, as they will finish cooking with the leeks and morels. Quickly scoop out the beans (you can use the same water to cook your noodles) and rinse them under cold water. Remove the husks by piercing them, and squeeze the seeds out. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a wide sauté pan. When it is foamy, add the leeks and toss to coat with the butter. Cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes before adding the morels and a pinch of salt. Increase the heat to medium high, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will begin to release some of their liquid at this point. When it has reduced, add the fava beans and cream and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and season with additional salt and freshly ground pepper.

Return the bean-blanching water to a boil, add the noodles and give them a stir. Taste the noodles as they cook and drain them when they are still very slightly undercooked. Add the drained noodles to the pan and turn them over in the sauce several times to coat well.