Danielle Centoni - Little Local Portland Cookbook

Recipes for Classic Dishes

DANIELLE CENTONI

Copyright 2019 by Connected Dots Media
Illustrations by Courtney Jentzen

All rights reserved
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,
write to Permissions, The Countryman Press,
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact
W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830

Book design by Debbie Berne
Production manager: Devon Zahn

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Names: Centoni, Danielle, author.

Title: The little local Portland cookbook : recipes for classic dishes / Danielle Centoni.

Description: New York, NY : Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company Independent Publishers Since 1923, [2019] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019006341 | ISBN 9781682684214 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: CookingOregonPortland. | Cooking, AmericanPacific

Northwest style. | CuisineOregonPortland. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX715.2.P32 C46 2019 | DDC 641.59795/49dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019006341

ISBN 9781682684221 (ebook)

The Countryman Press
www.countrymanpress.com

A division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com

Neatly tucked at the confluence of two salmon-rich rivers, encircled by farms and forests, and less than 100 miles from the ocean, Portland is perfectly positioned as a culinary paradise. Here, we can hike into the woods and come back with mushrooms for dinner. A day trip to the coast yields a cooler full of crab and fish. And almost everything we crave thrives in our fertile Willamette Valley soils, filling our glasses with world-renowned wines and our near-daily farmers markets with abundance.

Of course, its what we do with all that bounty thats made Portland a must-visit town for food lovers. Our local breweries, neighborhood cafes, corner bakeries, and grab-and-go food trucks thrum with the kind of talent and creativity usually only found in big-city kitchens. And yet theres a particular flavor to it all, a fresh culinary style and independent spirit that goes big on experimentation, low on fuss.

Best of all, supplying these talents is an army of dreamers who are also doers, people who arent afraid to jump into their passions with both feet to bring us things like exquisitely blended teas, artisan cheeses, boundary-pushing spirits, and artfully crafted charcuterie. As the award-winning fruits of their labor find their way into menus, markets, and home kitchens all over town, its easy to see why Portland has earned its reputation as a top food destination.

The recipes in this book celebrate the makers, growers, and ingredients that set Portland apart. Sip a riff on the flaming boozy coffee from the citys oldest restaurant. Bring the brew pub home with a burger spiked with beer. Re-create an iconic bowl from one of Portlands most successful food carts. Bake up cookies scented like a walk through the evergreens. Whatever you choose to make from these pages, youll get a taste of what makes life in the Rose City such a delicious adventure.

Makes 1 serving

Raise a glass to the City of Roses with this pale pink summery sipper. In this drink, a slightly sweet, Riesling-based white wine provides the perfect fruity-floral backdrop to the bright-pink strawberry-rose petal syrup. I make the syrup in the summer, when Oregons famously sweet and delicate Hood strawberries are at their peak. The syrup is also wonderful in milkshakes and smoothies. Look for dried rose petals at tea shops and find rosewater in gourmet shops or Middle Eastern markets.

For the strawberry-rose syrup

1 pint strawberries, sliced (about 2 cups)

1 cup granulated sugar

cup dried rose petals

2 teaspoons rosewater

For the spritzer

4 ounces ice-cold white wine, preferably one made with Riesling grapes

2 teaspoons strawberry-rose syrup

2 ounces ice-cold seltzer water

Garnish: rose petal, sliced strawberry, or lemon twist

Make the strawberry-rose syrup:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the strawberries and 2 cups water to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries look pale and flabby and have given up most of their juice, about 10 minutes. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (to keep the syrup clear instead of cloudy, and therefore better for cocktails, do not press the solids), yielding about 1 cups. Discard the solids.

Return the strawberry juice to the saucepan over medium-low heat, add the sugar, and cook until the sugar dissolves. Add the rose petals and gently simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the petals to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in the rosewater and set aside to cool. Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate.

Make the spritzer:

In a chilled wineglass, combine the wine and strawberry-rose syrup. Top with the seltzer water. Taste and add more syrup if desired. Garnish and serve.

Makes 1 serving

This utterly refreshing cocktail pays tribute to the coastal town of Bandon, which is known as the Cranberry Capital of Oregon. The tart red berries have been cultivated there since the late 1800s. This drink is best when made with real fresh cranberry juice. If you cant find fresh cranberry juice, substitute cranberry juice cocktail. If serving a crowd, batch up the mixture and refrigerate. Then set out the pitcher, a bucket of ice, and chilled DRY Sodas, and let everyone mix their own.