Farmer's Market Demonstration with Kathryn Yeomans and Kelly Myers

Thanks to all of you who braved the rain and made it to our demo at the Portland Farmer's market on Saturday, June 9! We had a lot of fun creating dishes from what you chose from our pantry. For those of you who couldn't join us, let us fill you in...
We thought it might be interesting to do something a little different than the usual market demo. Rather than demonstrating a set, planned ahead recipe, we decided to let the audience select what they wanted to see used from an assortment of produce. We brought with us staples from a typical Italian pantry, and assorted cooking tools and equipment. The morning of the demo, we shopped the market, selecting vegetables that caught our eye and that were at the peak of the season and readily available, as well as fresh eggs and cheese. Five items were chosen by the audience from our display. We discussed how to prepare and cook each vegetable, and combined them to create several dishes.
The items we presented to the audience included: English peas, fennel bulb, radishes, white asparagus, Monteillet cheese (a soft, ripened cow's milk cheese), artichokes, spring onions, eggs and basil.
English peas, fennel bulb, white asparagus, basil and eggs were chosen. This is what we came up with...

Fennel and Radish Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette and Monteillet Cheese
serves 4
2 fennel bulbs
10-12 radishes
2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
scant 1/4 Tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Shave the fennel bulb crosswise on a mandoline or slice thinly with a sharp knife.
Thinly slice the radishes and toss them with the fennel.
In a bowl, combine lemon juice, salt and pepper. While whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more lemon, oil or seasonings as needed (as we mentioned in our demo, recipes for vinaigrettes are guidelines - different vinegars or citrus have different levels of acidity, and various olive oils counteract these acidity levels in different ways. Tasting and adjusting are the keys to a well balanced vinaigrette. It is helpful to taste a vinaigrette with a piece of fennel or a lettuce leaf, rather than off a spoon).
Dress the fennel and radish with some of the vinaigrette, arrange on a serving platter, and top with slices or pieces of Monteillet cheese.
Note: if the vinaigrette recipe yields more than you desire for your salad, it makes a great dressing for a green salad or marinade for chicken.

Warm White Asparagus with a Poached Farm Egg
serves 4
1-2 bunches white asparagus (about 16-20 spears)
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
scant 1/4 Tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 fresh farm eggs

Make the dressing: steep the shallot in the red wine vinegar with the salt and pepper for several minutes.
Whisk the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Adjust seasoning and set dressing aside.
Snap off the tough fibrous ends of the asparagus. If the asparagus is very fresh, it should snap easily. Leave 2 inches from the tip end of the asparagus unpeeled, and peel the remainder of the stalk using a vegetable peeler. Cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water for several minutes until tender but not soft. Cooking time depends on the size and freshness of the asparagus. The best way to tell if it is done is to take a piece out of the water and slice off a piece of the bottom end to taste.
Drain the asparagus and toss with the vinaigrette. Let the asparagus marinate while you poach the eggs. Serve 4-5 asparagus per person with some of the dressing. Gently place a poached egg on top of the asparagus spears. Season the egg with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
If white asparagus is not available, green asparagus is an acceptable substitute.

Risi e Bisi - Rice and Peas
This Venetian dish celebrates early spring with fresh market peas. It's perfect for Portland's fickle spring weather - you long for green vegetables, which rush into the market with the coming of the season, but the cold rainy weather persists. More thick soup than risotto, it is best when just runny enough to eat with a spoon.

serves 4
3 pounds fresh young English peas, shelled
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp chopped spring onion, white bulb only
salt
3 1/2 cups homemade meat broth (or chicken broth)
1 cup carnaroli rice
2 Tbsp sliced basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Put the butter and onion into a shallow soup pot and cook over medium heat until the onion softens and becomes pale gold. Add the peas and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring to coat the peas with the onion and butter.
Add 3 cups of the broth, cover the pot, and adjust the heat so the broth bubbles at a slow, gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 cup broth, stir and cover. Simmer at a steady, moderate simmer until the rice is tender, but firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally while the soup is cooking. Add more broth if the mixture seems dry.
When the rice is done, stir in the basil, then the grated parmesan. Adjust salt and serve immediately.

Ingredients

Last weekend we had an interesting experience at Nostrana. Part one of the documentary "Ingredients" was filmed around and about us. The film will be about Oregon's sustainability and bounty. There are four parts planned for this project that will eventually air on OPB. Part one-Spring -features the daily routine at Nostrana including accepting produce from our main farmer, Sheldon. Your Kitchen Garden was also filmed harvesting of our produce. Throughout the weekend the crew filmed us prepping, cooking and serving the produce. On Sunday Cathy and Deb met the film crew out at YKG to tour with Sheldon and Carol. Besides being a great piece in the film the chefs had a great time getting an idea of the time line for this summer's produce. All kinds of ideas and recipes were flying around the garden beds! Look for the finished film next year (yet to be filmed are Summer, Fall and Winter episodes).

Farmer's market demonstration

Kelly Myers and Kathryn Yeomans, Nostrana's chefs de cuisine will be at the Portland Farmer's Market (at PSU) this Saturday (June 9) at 10am.
They are planning on having a very interactive demonstration. Kelly and Kathryn will chose a variety of produce and meats from local vendors for the stage and then have the audience choose what they should work with to create a tasty pasta--just like opening the refrigerator.
Hope to see you there!

Some philosophy

Boy, we really didn't realize how long it had been since we'd posted. It has been a busy Spring here at Nostrana. As the weather has warmed our produce deliveries have become numerous. We are now using cardoons, peas, pea shoots, fava beans and strawberries in the restaurant.

We also have hired a Dining Room manager. That is a big step for us that is sure to cure some of the problems we have heard about from our customers. We know our attention has been so focused on the food that we have made some slips on the floor. Alison Blythe comes to us with a long background in Portland restaurants. She has already made some positive changes that we are very happy about. We are bringing her up to speed on Nostrana's cuisine.
Last weekend we had an employee meeting. This was mainly to introduce Alison to the front of the house and talk about some new procedures. But we also wanted to refresh old staff and make sure some of the newer staff really knew how passionately we in the kitchen feel about our food.
Today I was thinking that this is also a good venue to post some of this as well.
Here is a page in the Nostrana handbook:

Pizza for me is one the perfect dishes in Italian cuisine. In its simplest form, e.g. the Margherita, there are a few great ingredients on a delicious crust, cooked at high heat in less than three minutes.

It is also a dish that brings people together in fun, social gatherings for the purpose of sharing food. I have always thought of it as the perfect date food and that is one of my fondest memories growing up.

The impetus behind Nostrana was to make great pizza in a wood fired oven in a space that would attract all kinds of people. When I traveled I Naples it was so enjoyable to see how democratic a dish it is with people of all ages and incomes gathered in simply decorated spaces sharing a common love for pizza. At Nostrana we try to replicate a return to old world cooking with flavors driven by the wood fire and ingredients that haven’t traveled far.--Cathy Whims

WHAT IS NOSTRANA?

Nostrana literally means ours. It is most commonly seen spelled “Nostrano”, but as both the chefs are female we spell it using the Italian feminine form of the word. Nostrana also means local. It is used in Italian markets to designate produce that is from that specific town or village. It is more prized and therefore more expensive.

At Nostrana we are striving to provide an Italian dining experience with Oregon’s local bounty. There are certain ingredients that aren’t naturally made here (olive oil, Parmigiano, prosciutto) that we do bring in from Italy or other areas of the US. But what really makes Italian food special is that it is fresh and local. In Italy and here at Nostrana food is prepared to show off the ingredients in their purest form. If you have excellent ingredients you have excellent food!

The majority of our entrees are Tuscan in origin (as is the “Road House” interior). You will find dishes that represent many other areas of Italy however. Piedmonte is a favorite area of all four owners and we have kitchen staff who are trained in cuisines of different regions.