Posts Categorized: Recipes

An Inspired Evening in Nature

Pan-Roasted Whole Trout with Union Wine Company Chardonnay

Some of us love to camp, some of us feel so-so about it, and some of us want a real bed while still enjoying the outdoors. A little something called “glamping” has gained in popularity over the years. It generally involves a structure of some sort, but still the open sky and a place to enjoy food, friends, and a good beverage while being outside in nature. We think this is the perfect moment to enjoy a bottle of our Alchemist wine for an elevated experience.

Alchemist Chardonnay pairs perfectly with this fancy-looking, yet simple-to-make meal. We dug through our favorite cookbooks and found a whole trout recipe that is easy to prepare and doesn’t require too many ingredients. Bonus points if you catch the trout earlier in the day. Otherwise, just make sure you ask your local fishmonger for a “dressed” whole trout. Dressed means it is descaled and gutted. Start off the meal with a fire-baked brie and you’ll be in heaven.

Camp Fire Baked Brie

Camp Fire Baked Brie

1 small brie wheel

1 apple

honey

Rosemary and thyme

Crusty bread

Cut the top off the wheel of brie and place the brie in a small cast iron pan. Slice the apple and place it around the wheel along with some fresh herbs. Put some tin foil over the pan and place it over a fire with hot embers. Check on it every 5-10 minutes until the top is gooey and slightly melted. Once it is done, remove it from the fire, drizzle with honey and some fresh apple slices. Enjoy on pieces of bread or crackers.

Camp Fire Baked Brie with Chardonnay

Whole Pan-Roasted Trout with Green Goddess Butter and Roasted Spring Vegetables

Open Fire Glamping Recipe Ingredients

Whole Pan-Roasted Trout 

serves 3 to 5

2–3 whole trout, branzino, or small black bass (12–14 ounces each), gutted and scaled

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

A few sprigs of fresh savory, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or rosemary

1–2 tablespoons canola oil

Green Goddess Butter (see the recipe below)

2 lemons or limes, halved

Flaky sea salt.

Whole Roasted Trout

Pan Roasted Trout

Make sure your fire has enough hot embers to cook

Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the inside with the herbs of your choosing and rub the outside of the fish with the oil. Place the fish directly on a pre-warmed cast iron pan with the spine facing you (this will make it easier to flip later). Let it cook, without moving or fussing, until the skin is charred, crisped, and fully cooked on one side, 6 to 8 minutes.

Test to see if the fish is ready to turn by using a spatula to flip the fish away from you onto its other side. A perfectly cooked fish will easily release from the grill; if it struggles, chances are it’s not ready, so give it another minute. Once ready, flip the fish and continue cooking until the skin is crisped and the fish is fully cooked, another 6 to 8 minutes.

Use the spatula to transfer the fish onto one large serving platter (or two large plates). Spoon on some of the butter, letting it melt over the fish. Squeeze the citrus over and sprinkle with the flaky salt. Serve any extra butter alongside.

Green Goddess Butter

Green Goddess Butter – Can be made ahead of time

1⁄2  cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1⁄2  cup fresh parsley, tender leaves and stems, very finely chopped

1⁄4  cup fresh tarragon leaves, very finely chopped

1⁄4  cup very finely chopped fresh chives

4 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely grated

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the butter, parsley, tarragon, chives, anchovies, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Smash with a fork until well blended (alternatively, place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined). Season with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD  Green Goddess Butter can be made up to 2 weeks ahead, covered tightly, and refrigerated. Bring the butter to room temperature before serving.

Glamping dinner recipe

Pan-Roasted Late Spring Veggies 

1 bunch of small turnips

1 bunch radishes

Green garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

Flaky sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Trim green tops off of radishes and turnips and half lengthwise. Trim off the bottom and tops of green garlic and half lengthwise as well. Toss radishes, turnips, and garlic in olive oil with salt and pepper. Add a glug of olive oil into your second cast iron pan. Add a piece of tin foil to the top to act as a lid, or a lid if you have one. Roast anywhere from 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until the vegetables look brown and roasted.

Alchemist Chardonnay

Chardonnay pairs nicely with a more meaty fish like salmon, trout, or halibut. Our Chardonnay is fresh and bright, aged in neutral French oak for only a few months. This gives it a little bit of body and texture, but not an overpowering oakiness.

Alchemist Chardonnay Glamping Dinner at Getaway House

Trout and Green Goddess Butter Recipe by Alison Roman. The roasted vegetable recipe is based on an Alison Roman Recipe. All these recipes can be found in her book, Nothing Fancy.

 


Spring Brunch paired with Rosé

Spring Brunch with Rosé
While our gatherings indoors might still be small, that doesn’t mean you can’t go big with a delicious brunch spread. These recipes pair great with our Underwood Rosé, so if you’re going for a “rosé all day” type of day, these tasty dishes will keep you balanced.

First up—a Spring Quiche!

A Very Simple Crust

1 1/2 C flour

1 t salt

1/2 C (1 stick) butter chilled

cold, iced water (about 3T)

Add flour, salt, and sugar in the mixer. Mix until combined.

Cut butter into small cubes. Add a few at a time. Mix until texture is like a crumble.

While the mixer is on, slowly add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, to the dough until it forms a ball.

Flatten dough into a disc and wrap to be stored in the frig until firm and cold (about 1 hour)

Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out dough and fit into deep pie dish. Prebake crust using blind baking supplies (I used foil and dried beans) for 15 minutes.

While crust is pre-baking, start on the egg mixture.

Egg Mixture

10 Eggs

1/2 C Chevre (half mixed into eggs, other half scattered on top)

Wild Spring Onion (or you can use Ramps if they are available), chop up 2 to go into egg mixture, and slice 2 to vertically and thinly to arrange on top of the quiche.

Garlic

Spinach Bunch

Salt and Pepper

Spring Quiche

Instructions

Clean Spinach in a large bowl of water and dry.

Saute garlic and wild onion over low-med until slightly caramelized. Add cleaned spinach to garlic and spring onion. Cook until most is wilted. Set aside.

Whisk eggs, 1/4 C goat cheese, and 2 T of water together until blended. Add salt and pepper.

Add spinach and spring onion to the egg mixture.

Pour mixture into pre-baked crust.

Scatter the leftover goat cheese into chunks to float along the top. Lay the thinly cut spring onions along the top to float as well.

Turn oven down to 350F, bake until the crust is golden brown and the middle is firm, about 30 minutes.

Escarole Salad with fennel and strawberry, white wine vinaigrette

White Wine Vinaigrette

1 T White Wine Vinegar (Champagne/ Moscato)

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

Salad

Fennel

Strawberries

Lettuce or Escarole if you like more of a bitter taste

Instructions

Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette.

Slice 8 strawberries

Thinly slice 1/2 cup of fennel.

Wash, dry, and then tear apart lettuce leaves.

Toss all ingredients together in a large salad serving dish and pour the vinaigrette on top and toss again.

Rhubarb Loaf

Rhubarb WALNUT BREAD
(Recipe from King Arther Baking)

2 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb, plus 3 or 4 colorful stalks for garnish

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1 C sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/4 t nutmeg

1 T lemon zest

1/2 C chopped walnuts

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 T coarse sugar for topping; optional

Instructions

Put the rhubarb (minus your brightest red stalks for the garnish) into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until it collapses and cooks down. Remove from the heat and cool; you should have about 1 1/2 cups. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest (or lemon oil). Stir in the walnuts.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and vegetable oil. Combine with the 1 1/2 cups of cooked rhubarb.

Stir the egg and rhubarb mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing until the batter is evenly moistened. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

Wash the reserved rhubarb stalks and cut in half, lengthwise. Place cut-side down on top of the batter in the pan.

Bake the bread for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester, toothpick, or paring knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and cool it in the pan for 15 minutes. Then remove it from the pan and place it on a rack to finish cooling completely before slicing.

Store the bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for three days; or sliced and frozen for up to 3 months.

Rosé Brunch

Introducing Everyone’s Table: Featuring Kareema Fernan

In the world of food and wine, we often hear the term “farm to table”. This beautiful partnership begins with amazing local growers and producers working to provide delicious goods for all of us to bring home. Most of us know a local farm or garden that we may have bought produce or goods from, or, maybe a nearby brewery or winery (cough, cough,) that we get our favorite adult beverages from. However, today we are going to take a closer look at our tables, the heart of the household, which for many of us is where we enjoy the meals we put so much effort into. This table might be in a grand dining room, or more realistically, it might the kitchen counter where you sit after a long day, decompressing with your closest quarantine companion.  

Wherever it may be, and whoever may be seated, this table is for all of us. This is a table that holds the recipes of all cultures and backgrounds. This is a table that fills us with delight as we try new flavors. This is a table where we all can grow and learn. This is Everyone’s Table.  

 

Today we welcome Kareema Fernan to the table. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipes. 

Hello Kareema, and welcome.  

UWC – Kareema, you are nothing short of a modern-day superhero: with a family and a full-time job, you are the chef for the household. All during a global pandemic. As we all tiptoe into this next year, can you share some of your feelings, concerns, hopes?   

Kareema – Wow! Those compliments sure feel amazing but they are also ingrained in me as pure survival. I am approaching the new year with a softened heart and extreme caution. A new year often allows us all to start fresh, or perhaps set a goal or two. I plan to accept our current evolving future. I plan to dig myself deep into cooking and nurturing my soul.  

UWC – You and your family are based in New York. Can you tell us what it was like as a young girl coming from Jamaica to the US? Especially in the middle of winter?  

Kareema – I can still remember how frozen my bones had become. I think the weather shock was far more extreme when compared to the sight of a brand new world. I definitely remember not quite understanding why we left home to start a new life. Picture a very cold island girl that wanted to immediately go home. 

UWC – For most of us, our diets have changed over the years. What was your favorite junk food as a kid?  

Kareema – Jamaican households are not known to have many varieties of snacks to offer. If you are looking for a 3-course meal that was leftover from Sunday dinner then you would be in luck. My favorite indulgence as a child was a McDonalds Happy Meal. What a world to live in to be rewarded with a new toy just to eat your meal.  

UWC – Fast forward to 2021, what recipe did you bring to Everyone’s Table first meal? Can you tell us a little about it? 

Kareema – I brought a recipe duo: (1) Good Food Fish Marinade and (2) Whole Roasted Red Snapper 

As I came up with recipe ideas for Everyone’s Table I knew that I wanted to focus on proteins that are a true staple to my Jamaican roots.  I wanted to highlight the simplicity of layering approachable ingredients that packed a great deal of flavor. My recipes come from my soul. I like to truly share a memory. A memory that is simply brought on by a good food experience. In Jamaica, eating a whole fish is second nature, meanwhile; in America, a filet-of-fish reigns supreme. I was raised with a mindset to eat the entire animal. If you raised the animal and killed it for your nourishment then you should honor it by not being wasteful.  

First, the Good Food Fish Marinade features Underwood Pinot Gris wine. I wanted to highlight the delicate fish and also showcase some fresh ingredients. I definitely did not want to “cook off” the wine, but utilize its delicate flavors to marinade the fish all the way to the bone.   

Second, the Whole Roasted Red Snapper recipe is simply roasting the fish with the marinade. The marinade first breaks down the fish and then adds a rich flavor. 

UWC – You’ve mentioned you try to get your food from as close to the earth as you can. How important do you feel it is to find the right ingredients?   

Kareema – For me, it is pivotal when cooking at home. I try to stock my fridge and pantry with ingredients that will enhance any meal. Here is a list of items that I cook with the most: thyme, garlic, lemon, lime, turmeric, scallion (green onion), nutmeg, onion, shallot, greens, and butter. 

UWC – It might not be possible, but if you could only have one spice for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?  

Kareema – I think it would be cheating if I selected one of my very own spice blends… 

Smoked sea salt would have to be my selection. I like to double brine my protein: wet brine to add moisture and dry brine to add flavor. Smoked sea salt would allow me to achieve a cooking preparation that runs far too deep in my veins to get rid of.  

UWC – The last year has inevitably led us all to spend more time inside and be closer together. What silver linings, if any, did you and your family find?  

Kareema – As a two working parent household, it allowed me to enjoy all the little things I normally miss out on. I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work from home, and in doing so, I eliminated a 4 hour commute time! The little things such as not waiting for the weekend to have quality family time, cooking a little every day, rather than meal prepping all day long, and, finding more time for myself. 

UWC – Kareema, we can’t thank you enough for sharing this beautiful recipe with us. It is an amazing, delicious, and beautiful dish. To close us out, if you could think of three words to describe your idea of “Everyone’s Table” what would they be?  

Kareema – Soul. Home. Clean Plate. 

 

Good Food Fish Marinade

Ready in 20 mins
Makes 3/4  cup

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 5 scallion (green onion) stalks cut in half
  • 1 small shallot sliced
  • 1/2 lemon zested (approximately 1/2 tsp)
  • 1/2 lemon juiced (approximately 1 tbsp)
  • 1/2 lime zested (approximately 1/2 tsp)
  • 1 scotch bonnet pepper (seeds removed)
  • 4 – 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 c Underwood Pinot Gris wine
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp sea salt

Sauce Preparation

  1. Remove leaves from thyme. Place all ingredients into a tall glass jar or bowl. Blend together with an immersion blender.
  2. As an alternative, place all ingredients into a stand-alone blender or food processor.
  3. The sauce will become smooth and well incorporated after a couple of minutes.
  4. Use immediately or refrigerate and place in a tightly sealed container for up to 2 days.

Tip

This sauce is best used as a marinade for seafood. The acid and aromatics allow for the most desirable flavor combination with a slow-building heat.

Whole Roasted Red Snapper

Ready in 30 mins (inactive time 60 mins)
Makes 3 servings

Ingredients

  • 3  whole red snapper fish (approximately 1/2 to 3/4 lb each) cleaned, scaled, and gutted
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • Water
  • Parchment paper
  • Large bowl

Fish Preparation

  1. Place fish in a large bowl. Cut both lemon and lime in half. Squeeze citrus all over fish. Cover with water and soak for 20 mins.
  2. Pour off water and pat dry.
  3. Pour half of Good Food Fish Marinade all over fish. Rub the marinade on the inside and outside of each fish. Marinade for 30 mins. Flip fish over halfway through.
  4. Preheat oven to 400F. Lay out 3 sheets of parchment paper. Place each fish on a separate paper and evenly spoon the remaining marinade over the fish. Wrap parchment paper tightly around each fish.
  5. Roast fish for 20 mins.
  6. Remove from the oven, unwrap, and serve immediately. 

Tip

Whole fish with bones intact is absolutely the best way to eat this dish. The flavor is amplified from the citrus brine and marinade. 

 

Thank you Kareema Fernan!

For more delicious recipes and specialty seasoning blends go to https://www.goodcleankarma.com/ 

Mellow Holiday Celebrating: Warm Spiced Mulled Wine with Gelato & Shortbread

We all know that this holiday season is going to be very different in comparison with those of years past, but that is no reason to abandon tradition or the fun and festivities of the season. Of course, there will be less travel and a lot less entertaining, but you can still have fun at home, making some simple but special treats for a cozy night with your family, (or perhaps a couple of your besties), maybe even in front of a roaring fire, listening to Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas (my personal favorite) on the record player.

So we thought, what is simple but simply delicious for a cold December evening? Why mulled wine of course! And we were thinking that ice cream sandwiches might be a great compliment, but then I remembered an absolutely amazing gelato shop here in Portland, and instead of full sandwiches, which may be structurally difficult using gelato, we thought that making some shortbread cookies and topping them off with a big scoop of gelato would make for an interesting variation as well as really compliment the warm spiced wine.
And, when was the last time you can say you had an “open-faced” ice cream sandwich??

You will want to make the spiced wine just before serving, so let’s first deal with getting some gelato and making some cookies!

A few years ago, a gelato shop opened on SE Division St. with little pomp or circumstance, but before you knew it, they settled right in and it seemed like they had been there forever. It’s called Pinolo Gelateria and I personally think it could be the best Gelato this side of Rome.

They have a few adventurous flavors, but in general, they stay very traditional. For this project, I decided that their classic “Stracciatella” would work best (although I was tempted by the hazelnut!) Stracciatella, one of the most renowned Roman flavors, takes their classic milk-based flavor, “Fior Di Latte” and drizzles in chocolate creating little shreds, (this is where Stracciatella literally gets its name.)

Once this has been safely procured, it is time to make the shortbread cookies. Shortbread is one of the easiest cookies to make. Since there is no rising agent involved, what you see is what you get, so keep that in mind when forming the cookies. I recommend making them slightly on the thicker side, so they will support the gelato.

Classic Shortbread Cookies

1 C (2 sticks) softened, unsalted butter
1 C powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2-3 TBS water—to be used just in case the dough is too flaky

STEP ONE:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a mixer, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add flour and salt until combined. Press together well with your hand, wrap tightly in Saran Wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

STEP TWO:

On a floured surface, roll out dough to your desired consistency, about 1/4” inch thick. If the dough is not holding together, add little drops of water and reform with your hands until it does.

STEP THREE

You can cut the cookies into any shape – I chose circular for this project. You can reform the extra dough to make more cookies.

STEP FOUR

Place rounds onto a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake until just turning golden, 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through so they cook evenly.

Now that we have all that ready to go, it’s time to get to the fun stuff…making the mulled wine.

Holiday Mulled Wine

1 full bottle of Underwood Pinot Noir
1 Clementine or Satsuma Orange cut into chunks, plus one for garnishing glasses
Juice of 2 oranges
6 whole cloves
2 whole cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
1/4 C Bee Local Honey
1/2 C Cointreau

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to the lightest simmer. Make sure honey is fully dissolved. Shut off the burner before it boils so you don’t cook the alcohol out of the Underwood and Cointreau. Allow it to sit, covered, for 10 minutes then strain out the liquid into a ceramic pot to keep it warm. Add more orange chunks if desired. Serve warm.

When everything is ready to go, ladle out a few cups of the warm mulled wine and garnish with a chunk of Clementine and a small cinnamon stick. Allow the gelato to soften slightly. (Be aware, this will happen pretty quickly.) Scoop a happy amount onto a few of the shortbread cookies and serve immediately with the mulled wine. The warm, spiced red wine will really compliment the cookie and creamy gelato.

From everyone here at the Union Family, we hope your holidays are safe and fun! As they say, ’Stay Positive, Test Negative.’

And as always, keep those #pinkiesdown.

Photography, Recipes & Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)
Cookie helper: Meredith Rizzari

Chefs at Home Series: Taco Tuesday with Jason French & Viola

Chef, consultant (and all-around great dude) Jason French has been a bastion of the Portland restaurant world for nearly twenty years. He ran the kitchen at Paley’s Place and helped open Clark Lewis before heading out on his own to open Ned Ludd and then Elder Hall. Thirteen years later, he can still be found where he is most comfortable…in his kitchen.

When Jason cooks at home, he often employs the help of his daughter Viola. Nearly thirteen herself, she has definitely followed in her father’s footsteps, honing her own kitchen skills. We asked Jason if we could hang out and get a (literal) taste of what kind of cooking he and his daughter collaborate on. He immediately suggested Taco Tuesday, a great way to spice up an otherwise bland day.

Jason chose to make Roasted Chicken, Squash, and Tomatillo Tacos with Refried Beans and Viola’s signature Guacamole.

For the tacos:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup whole tomatillos, husked
1 medium summer squash, trimmed and cubed (seasonally, acorn or butternut squash may be substituted)
1 C chicken stock
1 T cumin seed, ground
2 T chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Peel the husks from your tomatillos.

Cut your squash into large chunks.

Cut the chicken thighs in half, place all the ingredients into a large bowl, and season well.

Separate out in a single layer of a sheet pan and put into the oven. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and the squash is golden brown.

Cut up the chicken and half of the squash. Put into a heavy-bottomed pot.

Put the roasted tomatillos, remaining squash, and the chicken stock into a large blender. Pulse until chunky and add to the pot.

Keep warm on the stove while you prepare the rest of the food.

While her dad is taking care of all that, Viola is in charge of the guacamole.

For the Guacamole:
1 large ripe avocado
1 T fresh lime juice
2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop all the flesh into a bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasoning as needed.

And of course, get the chefs final approval…

Set the guacamole aside and make the refried beans. In a pinch, there is no shame in using canned refried beans, but if you have the time, and an extra set of hands to help, homemade is always best.

For the Refried Beans:
1 T olive oil or lard + 3 T more for frying
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 T fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
2 C cooked pinto, black or red kidney beans, drained
1 C chicken stock
Salt and pepper

To make the beans, heat 1 T of oil and slowly cook the onions and garlic until just starting to color. Add the beans, oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the chicken stock. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Put everything in a food processor and blend until smooth.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, add the remaining oil until hot, add the beans and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the beans achieve the desired consistency, continually scraping all the “crusty goodness” off the bottom as it cooks. Adjust seasoning and set aside.

Once everything is ready, finish up your Fixins.

Fixins:
(Feel free to add/subtract whatever makes you happy)
corn tortillas, hard or soft, served warm with dinner
fresh limes, quartered
grated cheddar or Mexican style cheeses like Cotija
scallions, thinly sliced
French radishes, thinly sliced
pickled jalapenos, canned are supreme
fresh cilantro leaves

Finally, heat your tortillas over an open flame (or on an electric burner) and keep warm.

With perfect timing, Jason’s girlfriend Carrie happened to come home just as the last tortillas were being cooked. A bottle of Underwood Pinot Gris was opened and the French Family dinner was a complete success.

We want to thank Jason and his family for sharing their Taco Tuesday with us. If you are somehow unacquainted with Jason’s work, you can check out his restaurant, Ned Ludd, and his event space Elder Hall. In his spare time, Jason also works as a personal coach and consultant.

Finally, from everyone here in the Union Family, we hope you are staying safe. And please get out there and VOTE!

Photography and Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)
Recipes by Jason French. (@jasonffrench)
Guacamole by Viola.