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Your blog authors at Our Home Works,

Amy & Matt

Our weekend trip to Portland was successful on all accounts.  In addition to picking up our beans at the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market, we also spent time with some of our closest friends, picked up a Harsch crock at the Mirador Community Store, and ate dinner at The Country Cat.  The Country Cat was a recommendation from Eugene friends (thanks Brian and Caroline!) and it did not disappoint.  We thought that it was a bit like Belly in atmosphere, menu, and price.  And in case you don’t know how we feel about Belly, read about it here.  Matt ordered their special which was a flat iron steak sliced thin with chanterelles, andouille sausage, and potatoes.  I ordered two starters – a citrus salad with avocado and chesnut and potato dumplings.  We also placed two orders of their braised greens for the table.  They cooked the heck out of them, which is not my style, but they were good, good, good.  Another standout dish at the table was the fried chicken.  The only complaint was not getting any dark meat.

In summary…  I was more blown away by Belly, but our meals were delicious.  If there weren’t so many great restaurants in Portland, we would probably return soon.  And like many Portland restaurants, it is kid friendly.

Overall, I am really liking this trend (can we call it a trend?) of restaurants serving good local food at reasonable prices.  Do you know of other places in the Northwest doing the same?  Please tell us about it in the comments!

PS – If you are wondering about the Harsch crock, we already have a batch of sauerkraut brewing in it.  I am sure you will be hearing more about that later.  I learned about Harsch crocks from Culinaria Eugenius, another Eugene local food blog.  I have to say these crocks are really cool.

We made our first winter squash soup of the year with the Sibley Squash that I picked up at the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market this morning .  Our main purpose of going to the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market was to procure some Ayers Creek Farm heirloom beans but I couldn’t resist when I saw this beautiful squash at their stand while waiting in line to pay for my many bags of beans.  Several people even commented on my arms full of beans.  I overheard someone say “now there’s a bean lover”.  Guilty as charged, but I do have a good excuse in that we don’t live in Portland, right?

A little about Ayers Creek  Farm..  Although I didn’t ask the many questions I wanted to because the stand was mobbed, the reason that just about every local food writer in the Northwest is writing about Ayers Creek was obvious.  They were even being filmed for a short film on Cooking Up A Story today.  When I first heard about them, I was a little confused how a farm without a website could be so well known in the local food world.  Eventually, I  found an email address and wrote them a note.  Anthony emailed me back right away, taking the time to explain things he has probably explained hundreds of times. Things began to make sense – this guy really knows his stuff and is really open to sharing his knowledge.  As I asked more questions, he pointed me to a blog that he writes guest posts on, and I was blown away.  At their stand, I realized that they treat their farmstand customers the same way my email was treated -  generous with their time and knowledge.  They offered ideas on how to use their ingredients, even with a line 5-10 people deep.  The draw of Ayers Creek Farm is clear  – they grow unique and delicious food, they know how to prepare it, and they genuinely enjoy interacting with their customers.

If you are thinking about going to this market to get Ayers Creek beans, I recommend getting there right when it opens (which is 10am for the winter market).  Luckily I thought of this and got my pick of beans.  When I returned to their stand about 20 minutes later to take some photos, the beans were almost gone.

On to the soup…  I took their recommendation and made a soup.  It is perhaps the best squash soup I have ever tasted.  The credit goes almost entirely to the freshness of the squash and its superior quality.  I also added some roasted garlic to the puree, which really combined well with the sweetness of the squash.

Winter squash soup

Serves about 4

Ingredients

2 lbs winter squash (we used Sibley, butternut would be a good substitute)

8 cloves of garlic

1-1/2 cups of chicken or turkey stock (more for a thinner soup)

1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

2 Tbsp butter

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Truffle oil – optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.  Place squash in a baking dish, skin side down.  Brush on olive oil and place the garlic in the cavity where the seeds were.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bake until tender.  Baking time will depend on the type of squash.  The Sibley took longer than any other squash I have ever cooked before – about 90 minutes.  Butternut squash halves typically take about 40-60 minutes.  When the squash is done, remove from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes, and then scoop squash filling out of the shell.  If you prefer really smooth squash soup, put squash filling and garlic in a food processor to puree.  We prefer our soup to have a little texture, so I use a potato masher to break up the squash filling and roasted garlic.

2.  Melt butter in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  Add squash and garlic puree, and stock.  Stir and heat through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  When heated through and soup starts to simmer, add heavy cream and turn heat down to low.  Stir cream in and serve with walnut pieces sprinkled on top and a drizzle eof truffle oil.

Notes about ingredients:  To make this a Dark Days meal, we used local walnuts (Hentze’s), turkey stock (from our Thanksgiving turkey), and heavy cream (Organic Valley).

To read about other local sources on this site, click here.

For other soup recipes on this site, click here.

Other winter squash recipes on this site:

Pumpkin enchiladas

Crustless quiche with winter squash, leeks, and prosciutto

I couldn’t wait to make this when I first saw the photo of borlotti beans in tomato sauce over polenta in the Heirloom Beans cookbook by Steven Sando of Rancho Gordo.  You are probably wondering when we will get sick of beans.  We have made pot beans, and ham and bean soup over the last couple of weeks, and now cranberry beans in tomato sauce over polenta.  And we haven’t even told you about all of our bean meals….

Would you think I was crazy if I told you that beans have become one of my comfort foods?  Our cold, dreary Northwest winter weather has a way of making me want comfort food like soup and vegetable braises, and beans seem to make their way into these dishes quite often.  It’s hard to think of a better comfort food – they’re healthy, relatively low in calories, and they go in just about anything.

We are headed to Portland this weekend to pickup Ayers Creek Farm heirloom beans, so this is probably not the last bean recipe you will see for a while.  I have my eye on some other beany recipes.  Let me know if you have any recipes that you love, especially those that feature heirloom beans.

I almost forgot to mention – this dish is really good.  It’s perfect for a vegetarian meal with friends and also a great weekday meal with a little planning.

Cranberry beans in tomato sauce over creamy polenta, adapted from Heirloom Beans

Serves 4

Beans in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced small

1 medium fennel bulb, diced small

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dried marjoram

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes (with juice)

2 cups cooked cranberry beans (borlotti beans would also be wonderful)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Heat oil over medium heat in small dutch oven.  (I used our 1-3/4 quart LeCreuset and it worked perfectly.)  Add onion, fennel, and garlic.  Saute until vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes).  Add marjoram, tomatoes, and tomato juice.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for a couple of hours, if possible.

Polenta

Ingredients

4 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 cup polenta

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup parmesan

1.  Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add salt and polenta.  Add polenta slowly so it doesn’t clump.  Stir continuously as the polenta cooks.  This prevents clumping and the steam venting that causes polenta to splatter everywhere.  The polenta is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, or when you like the texture.  Overall, it will cook about 30-40 minutes.  When done, turn the heat off, stir in butter, and 1/2 cup of parmesan.

2.  Add beans to tomato sauce, along with chopped parsley.  Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, long enough for the beans to heat through.

3.  Serve by spooning polenta into shallow bowls.  Make a small well in the center of the polenta and spoon tomato bean sauce in the well.  Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

Local information: We used Bob’s Red Mill cranberry beans and polenta, which I learned are not sourced locally.  However, the tomato sauce was local with our homegrown and canned San Marzano tomatoes, and fennel, onion, and garlic from Eugene Local Foods.  I will try this dish again using Ayers Creek Farm borlotto beans and polenta.

Read about other local food and food related sources here.

Other bean recipes and posts on this site:

Pot beans

Ham and bean soup

Beans and grain in the Willamette Valley

Beans and grain in the Willamette Valley revisited – Ayers Creek Farm

Crustless quiche is one of my favorite go to breakfast dishes for company – it looks beautiful, tastes delicious, and it’s all done at once.  What’s not to love?  I developed this crustless quiche recipe a few years ago by experimenting with ingredients that go well together.  Quiche is really forgiving that way, which makes it really adaptable to eating seasonally and locally.  Our local or regional ingredients include eggs from Laughingstock Farms, delicata squash from our CSA, and cream from Organic Valley.

Besides fresh, free range eggs, and seasonal produce, the key to a crustless quiche or savory tart is Herbes de Provence.  We use the Herbes de Provence from Dean and Deluca, although it would be simple enough to make your own.  The herbs included in their mixture are savory, fennel, thyme, rosemary and lavender, with the fennel playing a leading role.

Other egg dishes on this site:

Baked eggs with dungeness crab

Because I use a tart dish to bake in, this is probably more accurately called a savory tart.  I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you call it when it tastes delicious.  I prefer the shallower dish for presentation and ease of serving.

I used the Joy of Cooking recipe for the ratio of eggs and cream.  The Joy of Cooking also recommends that you add a tablespoon of flour to the grated cheese before adding it to the quiche.  The flour helps keep the cheese from lumping together while the quiche bakes.  The flour also helps give the quiche structure.

Crustless quiche (or tart) with winter squash, leeks, and prosciutto

About 6 servings

Ingredients

4 large eggs

1-1/2 cups cream

1 cup finely chopped winter squash, steamed in the microwave for 1-2 minutes

2 leeks, finely sliced

2-3 oz prosciutto, torn into strips about 1/2 in wide

1 cup grated gruyere cheese (emmenthaler, or other swiss cheese will work too)

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp butter, plus about 1 tsp for buttering the dish

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 freshly ground pepper

1-2 Tbsp Herbes de Provence

1.  Preheat oven to 400F and butter a pie pan or tart.

2.  Melt butter over medium to medium high heat in saute pan.  Saute leeks until softened and slightly browned.  While leeks are sauteing, beat together eggs, cream, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.  Toss flour with cheese until cheese is well coated.

3.  Assemble & bake.  Pour egg cream mixture into tart dish.  Add ingredients one at a time, starting with squash, followed by leeks, cheese, and finally prosciutto.  (I like ending with the prosciutto because it looks good when its done).  Sprinkle each ingredient evenly in the tart.  Finally grind some pepper over the top, and sprinkle Herbes de Provence last.  Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and it passes the toothpick test.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes out of the oven before serving.

We were looking for an easy meal afterreturning from a long weekend in Bandon.  And I didn’t want to go to the grocery store, so pasta with bolognese sauce it was.  Typically bolognese sauce simmers for several hours, but I found a recipe in Cooks Illustrated last year that cuts the time way back (to about 30 minutes) and achieves similar results.  It makes a pretty big batch, so we freeze the leftovers for lasagna.  We used some of our home canned tomatoes and ground beef from Deck Family Farm to make it a local meal.

Easy bolognese sauce, adapted from Cooks Illustrated (March & April 2008 issue)

Makes 6 cups

Ingredients

4 oz white mushrooms (we substituted about 1 oz of dried porcini mushroom that were soaked in hot water)

1 large slice of white sandwich bread (we used stale sourdough bread, and have used whole wheat before)

2 Tbsp milk (if you have whole, use that)

1 lb ground beef

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped fine

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained and reserving 1/4 cup liquid

1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced or 1 tsp dried (we used marjoram because I don’t have any oregano left)

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (we used tomato puree)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1.  Process mushrooms in food processor with about 8 pulses.  Transfer to bowl.  Add bread, milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper to food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add ground beef and pulse about 6 times (until combined).

2.  Heat oil over medium high.  Add onion and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are browned.  Add garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste and cook for about a minute.  Add reserved tomato liquid and oregano (if using dried).  Loosen any browned bits from bottom of pan.  Add meat mixture and cook until meat loses its red color (about 2 minutes).  Stir in crushed and diced tomatoes and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to low and very gently simmer.  Cook for about 30 minutes.  Stir in cheese and oregano (if using fresh).  Season & serve over pasta.  I recommend a fresh tagliatelle pasta here.  We had tagliatelle with bolognese sauce at Matt’s holiday party at Adams Place that was amazing.  Dinner tonight was almost as good.

If you are a purist, Marcella Hazan has a great recipe in Essentials of Italian Cooking.

We did manage to pick up a pound of local cranberries through Eugene Local Foods right before Thanksgiving, but I didn’t feel like I got my cranberry fix for the year.  After reading the Culinaria Eugenius post about most Oregon cranberries being shipped away, I did not have high hopes on our trip to Bandon.

We paid a visit to Misty Meadows, an Oregon coast producer and retailer specializing in cranberry jams.  While completing our purchase of cranberry jam, gooseberry jam, tayberry jam, and some local frozen huckleberries , I asked whether they sold frozen cranberries.  They suggested that we look in Coffee Break, a weekly publication of classified ads published by the local newspaper, Bandon Western World.  Sure enough there was an ad for organic cranberries from Brush Prairie Farm.  I was giddy and could hardly wait for them to call me back.  Eventually, we arranged a rendezvous and we are coming home with 10 lbs of organic cranberries.  I will probably make cranberry ketchup and cranberry salsa.  If you have other ideas, please put them in the comments.

I am encouraged to find a farm that is willing to sell smaller quantities directly.  We are hoping that some of their cranberries can find their way to Eugene next year.

They still have a small quantity available this year.  If you plan to be around Bandon in the next couple of weeks and are in need of a cranberry fix, contact Brush Prairie to see if they have any available.  If you are interested in how cranberries are grown, harvested, and packaged, they also have a beautiful set of slides on their website that chronicle the process.

Read about other local food and food related sources here.

Anthony and Carol grow a wide variety of heirloom beans and grains on their farm in Gaston, OR.    They grow a number of Italian heirloom beans including Bianchetto, Black Basque, Purgatorio, Zolfino, Borlotto Lamon, and Tabais.  They also grow barley, corn for polenta and popcorn, durum wheat, and soft red wheat.  Until now, they have focused on growing non-bread grains.

They use some of their durum wheat harvest to produce frikeh.  Frikeh, a grain featured in Middle-Eastern cooking, is wheat that is harvested while still green, then roasted, and finally threshed, and winnowed.  Anthony wrote a very informative, detailed description of the process, along with information about required equipment here.  According to Anthony, frikeh is best enjoyed within a month of harvest, which begins in July.  I am looking forward to picking some up this summer and exploring ways to use this unusual grain.

The polenta, popcorn, and beans listed above are all available right now and can be purchased at the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market.  They are sold out of barley and frikeh until the summer.  I can hardly wait to try some Ayers Creek Farm beans, polenta, and popcorn.  Of course, we will share our experiments and recipes with you here.

If you are a small grain farmer or wish to know more about growing and harvesting grains, Anthony shares his experience on growing grains on the Small Grain and Pulse Production blog.  You can watch a short video about Ayers Creek Farm on Cooking Up a Story here.

Read our other bean and grain posts here:

Beans and Grains in the Willamette Valley

Ham and bean soup

Pot beans

Cranberry beans in tomato sauce over polenta

Read about other local food and food related sources here.

Staying with the bean theme, we made ham and bean soup for dinner.  Ham and bean soup has always been one of my favorite comfort meals.

My original intention was to make black-eyed pea soup for an pre-New Year’s Day good luck meal, but I couldn’t find any locally grown black-eyed peas, and opted for the Yankee version instead.  We used our recently purchased Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye beans, but you can use any white bean.  If you are trying to use local beans, Azure Standard carries several regionally grown white beans including their organic navy beans.  (Incidentally, they also carry black eyed peas that are grown in Moses Lake, WA)

Other bean recipes and posts on this site:

Pot beans

Cranberry beans in tomato sauce over polenta

Beans and grains in the Willamette Valley

Beans and grains in the Willamette Valley revisited – Ayers Creek Farm

The recipe couldn’t be any easier (and it is really good).  I started the soaking process in the morning and stopped by Long’s to pick up a ham hock this afternoon. Again, I used Rancho Gordo’s Senate Bean Soup recipe that can be found in their new Heirloom Beans cookbook.

Ham and Bean Soup, adapted from Senate Bean Soup recipe in Heirloom Beans

Serves about 8

Ingredients

1 lb Yellow Eye beans (or other white beans), soaked and drained

2 lb ham hock, cut into 4 pieces

8 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

8 celery stalks with leaves, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

Salt & pepper

In a dutch oven or soup pot, combine beans, water, ham hock, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and turn down heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 1 hour.

Add the onion, celery, garlic, 1/2 cup parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to simmer for about another hour.  Traditionally, ham and bean soup is cooked until the beans begin breaking down, but you can see from our picture that we didn’t cook it that long and it was still delicious.  Remove ham hock and allow to cool long enough to handle.  Shred ham meat and add back to the soup.  Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.

I learned about the Southern Willamette Valley Bean & Grain Project through my volunteer work at Willamette Farm & Food Coalition.  The project began a few years ago when a local farmer and founder of Oregon Tilth, Harry MacCormack, was shopping for beans at First Alternative Co-op in Corvallis and realized that none of the beans or grains were grown in the Willamette Valley.  He planted several varieties of beans to see if they would be viable and determined they would.

Harry & his wife, Cherie, run Sunbow Farms.  They sell organic beans, grains, and vegetables produced on their farm.  They sell beans and grains by contract in 5lb to 100lb quantities and grow a variety of each.  The bean varieties they sell include pinto, black, fava, and garbanzo bean, and grain varieties they sell include wheat, oats, rye, amaranth, and quinoa.  Their 2008 crop is completely sold out, but contact them via email to let them know you are interested in placing an order for their 2009 crop.

Before the 1980′s when many of the valley’s bean and grain farmers converted to grass seed, residents of the valley sourced about 50% of their food locally.  That number currently stands at less than 5%.  The aim of the project is to reverse the trend by reconverting much of the grass seed land back to producing beans and grains.  One grass seed farmer,American Grass Seed Producers, has already begun the transition back to growing some beans and wheat.

Through their food production arm, Stalford Seed Farm, American Grass Seed Producers also sells beans and grain.   They produced red wheat, white wheat, garbanzos, and pinto beans this year and currently still have everything for sale except the red wheat.  The prices for the white wheat, garbanzos, and pintos is $0.75/lb.  The 2008 crop is in their last year transition from conventional to organic.  The 2009 crop will be certified organic.  I plan on making a run up to their farm in Tangent after the new year to pick up some garbanzos, pintos, and possibly some white wheat.  Please leave a note in the comments or send me an email at ourhomeworkseugene at gmail dot com if you are interested and I will pick some up for you too.

In addition to buying direct, there are also some buying clubs that you can purchase through.  Ten Rivers Food Web has a buying club in Corvallis and Krishna Khalsa organized an informal buying club in Eugene.  I will post updates to buying club information in future posts – so stay tuned.

If you want to read more about this exciting project, Dan Armstrong at Mud City Press maintains a biannual report.  The latest report can be viewed here.  In addition, the December issue of Edible Portland features an interview with Harry MacCormack.  Read the article online here or pick up a copy of Edible Portland at Laughing Planet Cafe on Blair between 7th and 8th.

Other recipes and posts on beans:

Beans and grain in the Willamette Valley revisited – Ayers Creek Farm

Pot Beans

Ham and Bean Soup

Cranberry beans in tomato sauce over polenta

Read about other local food and food related sources here.