Late Summer BBQ Skewers: Go Big or Go Home

I honestly don’t know how the whole thing got started. When most people think BBQ skewers, they envision a full meal on a stick: chicken next to onions next to peppers next to more (raw) chicken. You even see this at many meat counters around town. But that’s just not the way to get the job done. Ignoring for a moment that you really don’t want your raw chicken, seafood, or beef crammed up next to your uncooked veggies, all of those ingredients have different cooking times, and it’s crazy to think they can all be cooked correctly, all jammed together, over an open flame. And since undercooked protein is never an option, it’s always the poor veggies that suffer.

But don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. There are two main rules for successful BBQ skewers. First, each ingredient gets it’s own skewer, and secondly, go big with your ingredients and cut sizes, ensuring that everything stays safely secured to their sticks during cooking. You can always cut everything smaller before serving. I found it best years ago to invest in metal skewers but if you use wooden ones, just make sure to soak them in water for several hours beforehand so they don’t burn on the grill.

With this approach to your dinner, you will want to have a slightly more involved game plan for the meal, since you will need to remove all the cooked food from the skewers before serving. So what we planned was a family-style meal of grilled shrimp and vegetables with Soy Vay Teriyaki Sauce and fresh Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander—more on that in a bit) over rice. Here’s what you will need to feed 2-3 people:

1 large sweet onion
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
About 8 large crimini mushrooms
8 to 10 large Tiger Prawns
1 bottle Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce
1 & 1/2 C uncooked white (or brown if you prefer) rice
1 bunch of fresh Rau Ram
Olive Oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 ice-cold bottle of Underwood Pinot Gris

In these times of COVID, when I have a long shopping list, I will go to a big supermarket. But when I only need a few ingredients, I have been going out of my way to visit and support some of the small and often times open-air markets around Portland. Right down the street from my studio is a small produce market called Berry Good Produce (5523 SE 28th Ave). I picked up my peppers, onions, and mushrooms there. They always have a great selection of locally grown fruits and vegetables and no long checkout lines.

Next, I swung by ABC Seafood (6509 SE Powell Blvd). If you’ve never been, it is definitely worth checking out. For a very small shop, they have an amazing selection of locally caught seafood. It’s the only place around town to get fresh large Tiger Prawns. During Dungeness crab season, their live selection and prices are unbeatable.

I was also able to pick up some fresh Rau Ram there. If you’ve never tried this herb, it’s wildly memorable, to say the least. It’s kind of like a cross between basil and cilantro, but also has a distinct flavor, unlike any other herb I have ever come across. Here it is pictured below. Once you try it, you will always be able to immediately identify it.

You can pick up the Soy Vay at most small supermarkets. This is a delicious and versatile product that we will be using both as a marinade for the shrimp and as a sauce on our final dish.

Now that our shopping is done, let’s get to prepping. Years ago, when I was cooking at Paley’s Place, a dishwasher there showed me a quick and painless way to peel and clean ‘shell on’ shrimp. With a pair of kitchen scissors, clip halfway down the top of the shrimp, just cutting slightly into the flesh, to both make peeling easier and opening up a channel to “devein” it as well. (That’s when you remove the little center intestinal track.)

To prep out the onion, cut it in half straight through the base, peel it, and then cut each half into segments, leaving just a little bit of the stem to hold the pieces together like this:

And now we can finally get to skewering!

I try to cut the peppers into large uneven shapes to make them more secure and pick up better grill marks:

People often ask how to skewer mushrooms without having them split. Well, the first way is to get bigger mushrooms so there is more to work with, but also, if you skewer them at an angle, instead of straight through the stem, they will hold much more firmly, and also have more of the cap open to the grill surface:

Finally, I always skewer my shrimp fat side down to make sure the tip goes straight through the thickest part, rotating 45 degrees each time:

Once these are all complete, fire up your grill and start cooking your rice. Pour 3 Tbs of the marinade over the shrimp skewer and liberally oil, salt, and pepper the vegetable skewers. When the grill is good and hot, place the skewers on and tend to each as necessary, flipping and removing each when cooked through.

Allow the skewers to cool slightly and then remove the shrimp and veggies. You can leave everything whole or cut into smaller pieces at this point. Put everything into a bowl and mix in another 1/4 C of the Soy Vay. Spread your cooked rice on a platter and spoon the shrimp and veggies over the top. Garish with the fresh Rau Ram leaves.

Get out the chopsticks, crack open your ice-cold bottle of Underwood Pinot Gris and you are in business!

Bon Appétit, please stay safe out there and keep those
#pinkiesdown.

Happy Labor Day Everybody!

********

Photography, Text, and Recipe by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)

GET OUT AND VOTE!

VOTING HISTORY 101

DID YOU KNOW

Oregon was the first state to offer mail-in ballots for the presidential election back in 1998

Oregon had a 79% turn out rate that year.

DID YOU KNOW

Oregon mail-in ballots have an accuracy rate of 99.8%?

In a University of Oregon survey, 30% of respondents said they voted more often since vote-by-mail was enacted.

IT’S YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!

And it’s EASY!

You can do it from your living room, your back yard, or even your bathroom!

Here are some resources to help you:

1. Everything you need to know including how to register to vote BY STATE!

2. Request an absentee ballot before your state deadline!

3. Ways to vote in YOUR STATE during COVID.

 

SO SIMPLE AND EASY AND SAFE!

DM us on our Instagram channel and let us know how you plan to vote.

Will you celebrate somehow? We suggest you pop open a can of wine!

 

Cheers to you! Thanks for voting!

Safely Reconnecting with Co-workers: Tacos, Tequila and Radlers in the Driveway

As I’m sure many people out there can relate to, working from home, although a novelty at first, has definitely got its down sides. The biggest of which is missing the camaraderie, conversations and socialization found in a typical office setting. For instance, my wife Meredith works for CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate service company. CBRE’s main Downtown Portland office closed back in March with no real plan of reopening any time soon.

Luckily, everyone was able to work from home, but for an office of folks used to weekly meet-ups, trivia nights and happy hours, those plans very suddenly evaporated. Now that people are feeling more comfortable getting together in small groups
(and of course respecting the rules of social distancing), Meredith thought it would be fun to “get the old gang back together”, as they say, and have a driveway gathering to reconnect. I was tasked with coming up with a signature cocktail to serve and some appropriate local cuisine. So without further ado, I present…

The Tequila Sunrise Radler

(This will make one drink. Multiply out for the amount of people you are entertaining.)

2 oz Reposado Tequilla (I like Lunazul.)
4 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Grenadine
1 can of Underwood Riesling Radler

I found it easiest and safest to measure and mix the tequila and OJ in a separate pitcher before beginning. As the always dapper and talented Michael is demonstrating, line up your glasses—we found 16 oz Mason Jars best for this—fill with ice and add your tequila and OJ mix to just under halfway up the glass.

Then, in true Tequila Sunrise fashion, gently add 1/4 oz of grenadine to each glass, thus creating the sunrise effect.

Distribute your drinks and at this point have each party member come up and grab their own can of the Reisling Radler.

Then, have each person top off their cocktail with the Radler, and continue to do so as they consume their cocktail, adding a little Radler each time there is room in the glass.

I thought that tacos would go great with this drink and since we have an amazing locally owned taqueria at the end of our street, it was a great opportunity to support a local business and also offer something that could be easily and safely self-served by each person.

If you are in the Burnside/82nd Ave area, definitely stop into Taqueria Santa Cruz for some amazing tacos or burritos. (I highly recommend the chorizo and if you are feeling adventurous, the lenqua.)

To keep everything “hands-free”, all chips were individually bowled up, the sauces were separated and tongs were used to serve the tacos.

And it never hurts to have a little hand sanitizer at the ready for anyone who feels the need.

And once the cocktails are in hand and the tacos are plated, its time to relax and catch up.

No carne asada for the puppers…

And with these beautiful summer evenings, what better and safer way to get home than on your bicycle?

So, there you have a solid groundwork for a full evening of entertainment to reconnect with whomever in your life you have been missing. All we ask is that you stay safe and responsible and of course keep those
#pinkiesdown.

Photography, Recipe & Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)

Summer Gardening: Reaping the Fruits of your Labor

Admittedly, the last few summers in Portland have been hit or miss, weather-wise, for getting the most yield from your home gardens. But with the spate of hot days, we have been having, everything is falling nicely into line for maximum yields from all of your late summer vegetable and herb plants.

That being the case, we figured we’d share two recipes: one a new take on an old classic and the other one an unexpected mélange that will hopefully appear on your summer tables for years to come.

Before we dive into each dish, I’d like to present a little background on the veggies and herbs I used for each dish. Every year we grow cucumbers and we have tried myriad attempts at sturdy and attractive trellising. This year I do believe we found a winner.  It was my wife’s idea (she is definitely head gardener on our property.) She thought it would be an interesting idea to take a few of her old bicycle wheels and attach them to 2×4’s to create a not only sturdy but very original trellis system. And as you can see, it worked great.

We also grow several types of basil, but to be honest I like the flavor and soft leaf texture of the simple sweet basil. This will actually be used in both dishes, but more on that to come.

So for one of the dishes, I decided to combine our cucumbers and fresh basil with fresh peaches (’cause ya gotta eat as many peaches as you can while you can!). There are many great peach growers to be found at the local farmer’s markets all over town. For this recipe, I used Kiyokawa Family Orchard peaches. Although at first, this may seem an unlikely flavor profile, it’s a surprisingly simple but absolutely delicious and refreshing side dish. The secret is in the red wine vinegar and lemon juice, which really sharpen up all the flavors.

Peach, Cucumber and Basil Salad

1 cucumber
3 ripe peaches
1 bunch fresh basil
2 T red wine vinegar
Juice from half a lemon
1 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper

Peel strips off of the cucumber skin (if desired) and then cut longways. Gently scoop out seeds and cut into 1/4 inch half-moon shapes. Cut peaches into bite-sized pieces. Place both into a bowl and add the oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Mix gently and spread evenly on a plate. Evenly distribute the fresh basil over the top and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. This dish can be kept in the fridge for up to half an hour before serving. Much like revenge, this is a dish best served cold.

Our second dish is a slightly different take on a summer classic, the Caprese salad. Most people are familiar with this, but for the uninitiated, a Caprese salad at its core is fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil. We decided to take the 3 main ingredients and put a slight spin on each.

I am a die-hard cherry tomato fan, and we try different varieties every year. I like my cherry tomatoes round and red, so this year we chose two varieties that fit those qualifications but were actually quite different. First, we planted a slightly larger variety called Siletz:

We decided to pair those with a very small but “bursting with flavor” variety called Candyland Red Currants. (I have to say these are some of the most delicious cherry tomatoes we have ever grown.) Both plants came locally from Lil’ Starts Nursery.

So that was the first variation, cherry tomatoes instead of full-sized heirlooms. Next, instead of a regular firm cow’s milk mozzarella, I chose a burrata style water buffalo milk mozzarella from Calabro Dairy. This is one of my absolute favorite cheeses and locally in Portland can most often be found at Cheese Bar but I’m sure for folks outside the area, your local cheese shop will carry something comparable.

If you’ve never had burrata style mozzarella, I highly recommend trying it. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, but inside contains stracciatella (literally “small shreds”) and cream.

Finally, instead of fresh basil, I chose to make a basil & hazelnut pesto. My wife recently brought home fresh hazelnuts (Dorris variety), a new product being grown by Baird Family Orchard and they are hands down, no lyin’, the best hazelnuts (and easiest peeling) I have ever had.

Basil & Hazelnut Pesto

2 small cloves peeled garlic
1/3 C roasted and peeled hazelnuts
1 heaping tablespoon parmesan cheese
2-3 large bunches fresh basil
Roughly 2/3 C extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the garlic and hazelnuts in a large food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add in the parmesan cheese and basil and pulse several times. Slowly drizzle in the oil until just covering the basil. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remember that the parmesan cheese is pretty salty so taste the pesto before salting it. The final result should have a somewhat coarse texture.

To finish the dish, place a ball of the mozzarella cheese in the center of the plate, surround with cherry tomatoes and drizzle liberally with pesto. A small squeeze of lemon over the whole dish never hurts.

Crack open a few cans of Underwood Bubbles and you are set to feast!

As always, from everyone here at the Union family, we hope you are staying cool and safe this summer.

Keep those #pinkiesdown!

********

Photography, Recipes & Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)

Outside the Winery w/ Winemaker, Cheney Vidrine

First things first. Keep your distance, wash your hands, and wear your mask. Please and thanks. That being said, for those who love the outdoors, (like most of us here at UWCo), there are still plenty of ways to get outside and recreate responsibly. Join us as we follow one of our winemakers, Cheney Vidrine, to do just that. We explore the activities that many Oregonians know and love. From going vert at Smith Rock, to cooling off in the rapids of the Deschutes River. Then, letting gravity take us home, mountain biking from Timberline Lodge to Government Camp. Get ready, it’s going to be a wild ride.

6:30 am. Saturday morning. Terrebonne, OR. The parking lot at the trailhead of Smith Rock State Park looks something like an REI yard sale. Climbers slowly unloading all kinds of devices for ascending the 30 million-year-old volcanic Tuff formations. Counting each glimmering piece of gear with precise selection. Through the morning light, a familiar face (after he removes his mask) makes an appearance. Our very own Cheney Vidrine. As he makes his way past the cars greeting folks left and right, I wave a hand. We exchange greetings and go over the plan for the next few days. Listing off activities such as river rafting and downhill mountain biking as calmly as someone would explain a walk through a park. It is obvious Cheney is in his element.

Back home, Cheney is one of our talented winemakers overseeing the daily ins and outs that are required to create our delicious wines. Here in the central Oregon outback, Cheney is one of the many outdoor enthusiasts. What better place to take all that enthusiasm than to the birthplace of U.S. sport climbing, Smith Rock? We walked down the trail and crossed over the Crooked River Bridge. Just a hop, skip, and a jump, and we were at our first stop; The Morning Glory Wall. As I watched with a confused look on my face at the knot tying and climbing doodad organizing, I asked Cheney how he got into climbing. He said “Climbing was 2007. I was trying to get into whitewater rafting, but couldn’t afford it. My grad school roommate took me climbing. I was hooked. It was my only sport for a decade.”

As I watched Cheney and his rock scaling comrades go up and down the old lava wall, I was mesmerized. It was a beautiful way to start the morning. As the sun snuck over the edge of the peaks, the temperatures slowly but surely began to creep up. Luckily, we had a few (low alcohol) Riesling Radler’s and Strawberry Coolers to bring the internal temps down. The temps climbed higher and faster than anyone rigged up, so we decided it was time to pack up and head to the water.

An hour and 20-minute drive took us to the town of Maupin, Oregon. It was time to inflate the rafts, dish out the life vests, and sink the drag bag (the best way to keep those wine cans cold). We met up with some more of Cheney’s outdoor rec squad. After introductions were made and vessels were chosen, we launched. The cold Deschutes waters have never felt better than on this hot July day. After making sure my life jacket would probably keep me afloat, I figured it was time to ask Raft Captain Cheney some more adventure life questions. “So, when did you get this raft?” I asked, as I dangled one leg over the side and attempted my smoothest paddle. Cheney looked up, smiled, and said “I started rafting/whitewater kayaking in 2018. That’s when I essentially won the lottery: The Grand Canyon permit lottery.” For those that are unfamiliar, this is an incredibly lucky permit to draw. Cheney definitely has some good sportsman’s karma. With an even bigger smile and chuckle, he continues. “I didn’t think I would pick up a permit for years. I immediately bought a boat and forced my river friends to show me their ways.” We continued down the winding river with the sun to our backs and Cheney having us paddle “right side forward” or “left side back.” Everything was warm, calm, and serene. That all quickly changed once we hit some large rapids and a few folks, (including myself), went flying out of the raft. Laughing and swimming back to the yellow point of safety, we continued on our way. I looked back at the end of the boat just in time to catch a can of wine tossed over from our fearless captain. Not a bad way to cool down. After some hours of floating, paddling, bailing, and boat trading, we made it to the end of our river trip. We aired down the rafts and piled into Cheney and his girlfriend’s Anaïs’ Sprinter to take us back to our vehicles. It was time to make camp, and more importantly, make dinner.

Day two. After a beautiful night spent under the Milky Way with Cheney and Co., we packed the rigs to head to our third adventure. Mountain biking down Mt. Hood. We took the back road through Tygh Valley and headed to Timberline Lodge. Once there, we found some parking for all the adventure mobiles. Cheney and Anaïs have a sprinter that they travel to all their adventures in, but it’s more like an REI on wheels. Complete with a kitchen, sink, and mini garage under the sleeping quarters. While assembling his mountain bike and dawning more protection gear than I saw in the last Batman flick, I hovered nearby. My curiosity must have been written on my face. Cheney leans over and says “Mountain Biking started in 2017. After years of many of my friends nagging me to buy a bike. I fought it because I didn’t want to climb less or hurt myself. I’m glad I finally gave in. It is the best!” It was time get off this mountain. Sophie, their trusty dog, joined in for the mountain run. We raced down the road to meet up with the two-wheeled human batteries at the halfway point. There were a few fun jumps that were hit with significant speed. There’s a saying in the mountain biking community; “the slower you go, the more likely it is you’ll crash.” Apparently, that is the truth because they were flying.

After all that adventure, the squad met up at the Government Camp Dairy Queen for some cold treats. It was a weekend for the books to say the least. Gravity was tested in a number of different forms. We flowed with and fell into some of the most beautiful waters the state has to offer. Whether you’re cracking cans under the Milky Way or sipping cold wine coolers from a raft, Oregon is one hell of a state. Remember to stay safe out there. Abide by the rules and respect your fellow humans. We’re all in this together. Let’s try to see as much beauty as we can. Until next time.

#pinkiesdown

Photo credit: Austin White @austingwhite  austinwhitephotography.com