Well, at least a few people at Meatopia wanted to learn about sustainable meats. Panelists: Peter Hoffman, Jacquie Berger, Bev Eggleston, Alberto Gonzales, Ken Jaffe

Earlier this month I went to a meat-fest on Governor’s Island in NY called Meatopia, organized by food writer Josh Ozersky and restaurateur and Slow Food proponent Jimmy Carbone. The event – which was essentially a giant meat-focused dine-around – was intended to promote sustainably and locally raised meat.

At the event itself, NY beef farmer Ken Jaffe of Slope Farms noted that he wasn’t finding much local meat being served by the 30+ restaurants, a fact he found immensely troubling. He’s not alone, as you can see in this article he passed on to me – super interesting reading.

To me, it’s not the no-sustainable-meat-at-the-sustainable-meat-celebration that’s interesting, it’s the underlying causes of this regrettable — but understandable –occurrence.

I think we’re at the stage in the local food movement where we’ve moved past the warm-and-fuzzy part and we’re into the “ok, if we really mean it, now what” part. Especially in ag-rich places like Portland, it’s hard to find a chef who isn’t trying to source responsibly and deliciously, and we all think it’s a grand concept. But how do we grow beyond the small-scale farmer selling to a small group of quasi-affluent urban consumers? That model probably works for some, but those economics  aren’t sustainable for anyone — I think most farmers would like to make more than $10K a year from farm income, and as we see in the article – and in a forthcoming piece from Leslie Cole in The Oregonian – food service operations have a hard time executing on the local-sustainable promise.

Meat seems to be the paradigm where these issues are screamingly apparent, given the nature of how animals need to be raised (over many months with lot of $$ up front) and how they’re constructed (you can’t just plant a few more rows of tri-tip if you think there will be demand next grilling season).

I think it’s time people get past the mindset of either-or. Either it’s virtuous family farm/CSA-type operations or unacceptable industrial feedlots. But there are options in the middle.

Take Organic Prairie (our client). They raise animals as well and humanely as any small local family farmer because they actually are a bunch of family farmers, but they operate as a coop mostly in the mid-West, so the availability of supply is greater and more flexible. They would be considered local if you live in Wisconsin, for example, but not local if you’re in New York City.

In order to expand the good food system beyond small pockets, it may be necessary to prioritize – satisfying volume, selection, delivery time, local, carbon footprint, humane animal treatment, and overall sustainable agriculture all in one package  (not to mention that the meat needs to be delicious…does anyone talk about flavor anymore?) may not be possible in today’s world, so choosing what matters most and compromising on the rest is not a bad thing.

If the purpose of Meatopia was to showcase local farmers and stimulate the local ag economy, then the meat really needs to be local – in which case you won’t get that 1,000 pounds of skirt steak, as Ken points out. But if the key feature was to promote meat that was humanely and sustainably farmed, then looking to a source like Organic Prairie – what you might call “ag of the middle” – can be a solution that takes the movement to a new place.

On our way to the barns at Gary Welch’s farm, a member of Organic Prairie co-op.

Meat’s definitely at the center of Watershed’s plate these days, as we expand on the research we started last year with our study on consumers’ attitudes around meat, called The Carnivore’s Dilemma.

As part of a branding project for our new client Organic Prairie, we spent several weeks examining the cultural context for meat: what the conversations are around meat buying, butchering, cooking, eating, safety, nutrition, meat’s role in environmental issues…even meat as entertainment.

And then we went to the source of all that meat – farm country in Wisconsin, headquarters of Organic Prairie and its parent company Organic Valley – to get a first-hand look at some organic farms and farmer-ranchers, as well as to meet the whole Organic Prairie management team. The most interesting challenge I learned about was the fact that Organic Prairie needs to sell the whole animal, but not in the way a small farmer sells an entire animal to a restaurant or through cow-shares. Organic Prairie is a co-op that raises, processes and sells its own animals, so they’re responsible for finding a market for all the meat from every animal. This is the flip side of having so much quality control over their animals – but we love challenges!

Grilled tri-tip: our blind tasting revealed some surprises

Last month, I saw a fascinating side of the beef industry…namely, SIDES of beef, lots of them, hanging in a butcher’s walk-in. I was part of a small group of chefs (I was the token non-chef) invited by Cory Carman to visit Carman Ranch, her grass-fed beef operation in the Wallowas in eastern Oregon. She and food-writer/beef-guru Lynne Curry organized an awesome butchery demo by Kevin Silveira at Valley Meat Services, who custom-cuts her meats.

The chefs — Cathy Whims of Nostrana, Dolan Lane of ClarkLewis, James Green and Mark Harris, both from Bon Appetit Management Co. — were mesmerized by Kevin’s skill, and all the chefs left with a deeper understanding of meat-cutting and  beef quality.

Kevin Silveira shows how to custom-cut

After the demo, Carman used us as a focus group. We did side-by-side blind tastings to test dry-aging vs. wet-aging and fresh vs. frozen beef. The results?  1) The group generally had the same preferences, so the differences truly were discernible,  2) we preferred the dry-aged meat (which is Carman’s standard practice), and 3) we preferred the texture of previously frozen meat…that was a surprise.

But it’s knowledge that may help Carman provide meat year-round, and is of interest to other ranchers, too. Later in the month I spoke with rancher Ken Jaffe of New York’s Slope Farms Beef, who was fascinated with Carman’s findings. He’s experimenting with dry-aging the split cows first, then wet-aging the primals (big sections of meat) for another few weeks, to develop even more tenderness and flavor. I was gratified to learn about all the decisions that go into creating delicious, sustainably raised meat.

Carman burgers and rabbit sausages

We ended the weekend with a cookout, of course, with burgers made from beef that we custom-ground during our butcher session. How’s this for a mix: miscellaneous trim from all the cuts, plus 3 chuck roasts, and about 10 pounds of lusciously fatty short ribs…who needs kobe burgers when you’ve got grass-fed succulence like this?

I visited Spain last month – Barcelona to be exact – and was fortunate enough to spend the end of last year there too.

Barcelona is a magical place.  I could write a novel about the beauty in the landscapes, breathtaking cities, warm and welcoming culture, relaxing beaches and world-renowned artwork.  For now, I’ll just focus on the unique foodie culture that makes Spain so wonderful.

I love Barcelona’s outlook on life.  They don’t live to work like we do here in the states, they work to live.  They prioritize life around spending time with the ones they care about.  Some of my best memories include enjoying tapas and wine over casual conversation and playful banter.

The Spanish culture is all about socializing, which means they love their food and drink.  The freshest food in Barcelona is found at the local market located on Las Ramblas, near the beach.  You’ll find seafood (caught the morning of) still squirming and clawing as you pass by.  Every spice you can imagine orcandy ever craved can be found at this hidden gem of a market.

Spanish cuisine is heavy on the seafood, which is readily available since it borders the Mediterranean Sea.  This is especially true for Barcelona, where fresh seafood can go from ocean to plate in mere hours.  There are thousands of recipes and dishes that make up the varied cuisines of Spain. These range from croquetas (a small fried food roll containing mashed potatoes and/or minced meat, often encased in breadcrumbs) to rare Spanish sea urchin.  One thing is certain; you will not be disappointed or bored with the food offerings.

Spain’s most common dishes include: potato omelet (tortilla de patata), cheeses, various stews, migas, sausages (such as embutidos chorizo, and morcilla), jamón serrano, and of course paella.  Seafood paella is a popular favorite throughout Spain and typically includes rice, seafood and seasoning.  This dish dates back to the 15^th century and is tender, flavorful, and exotic.

While Spain has a traditional paella style, creative chefs worldwide have given their own twists using local ingredients.  For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, Chef Cathy Whims from Nostrana has a delicious version that features chicken and chorizo.  Portland Monthly recently featured this recipe as a great option for a summer meal with friends. Try it out and let us know what you think. And enjoy a few of my favorite photos from Spain!

Check out details below…

The last few 4th of July parties I’ve been to have lacked one thing, a great cocktail!  So this year I asked Brandon Wise, bartender at Irving St. Kitchen, for a delicious and easy-to-execute cocktail recipe that I can mix up on site (and impress my friends with, of course).

His answer:  Pimm’s Punch.  It’s a classic English summer recipe that’s perfect for a festive BBQ, or cocktail party, and can be done in larger batches – perfect!  Bonus, it’s a gin cocktail and I love gin.

Hey Britain, we don’t want your King, but we’ll sure keep your cocktail!  Check out Brandon’s recipe.

Pimm’s Punch from Brandon Wise of Portland’s Irving St. Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 parts Pimm’s No. 1 (Pimm’s is a gin based spirit that should be available at your local liquor store)

2 parts London Dry Gin

2 parts fresh lemonade

1 part soda water or seltzer

Seasonal fruit salad (Brandon likes to use strawberries, cucumber, lemon and mint, but says you can also use what’s fresh in the garden)

Directions

Mix ingredients together in punch bowl with ice and add your summer fruit salad.

Cool ice cube twist…

Another fun way to use seasonal produce is to take an empty plastic container (or any mold you have around the house), fill it with water and fresh fruit or herbs, and freeze it into a large ice block for the punch bowl.  Keep your eyes open at resale or antique shops for great bargains on vintage punch glasses and punch bowls.

Cocktail, check.

Ribs, not so much. Last year, I was asked to ‘man’ the grill, but was quickly booted back to the veggie station.  This year, I’d like to avoid that… so I asked Irving Street Kitchen’s Chef Sarah Schafer for three simple tips to achieve success on the grill.

Sarah Schafer’s Three BBQ Tips:

1. Injection, injection, injection. With the right combination the flavor cuts right to the bone.  When I inject my ribs I like to use a combination of onion, garlic, Tabasco and butter.

2. Moisture! – when smoking.  When the smoker is full of meat more moisture gets trapped creating more humidity and more tender meat.  You can also use a water pan to add more moisture to the environment.  I like to put ketchup in the smoker to create smoked ketchup.

3. Thighs before breasts.  When cooking chicken remember if separate cook thighs first.  If it is a half chicken, use indirect heat with the thighs pointed toward your fire. This will produce a more evenly cooked bird and a better tasting breast.

Happy 4th everyone!  May your cocktails be balanced, and your grill smokey!

God bless America.

Check out this fantastic recipe for Orecchiette with Spring Vegetables and Speck from Chef Brock Willis of Southpark Seafood Grill and Wine Bar:

Koin Studio 6

Downtown gets a taste of the country at the new Pioneer Square farmers market.

Talk about convenience food:  there will be a lovely farmers market at Pioneer Square every Monday; the first one was yesterday. Since that’s just blocks from Watershed’s offices, Monday lunch options are looking good.

The market seems to offer a bit of everything (there are 48 vendors)  — beautiful fresh produce (with tons of cherries and berries as the star at the moment), Rogue Creamery and a couple of other cheese stands, cured meat from Olympic Provisions, breads from Pearl Bakery, excellent cookies from Two Tarts, and several prepared food stands so downtown office workers can pick up some ready-made lunch.

Hood strawberries, so sweet

I like assembling a picnic from the fresh food. Yesterday it was a pint of Hood strawberries from Unger Farms, super-voluptuous Brooks and Rainier cherries from Baird Family Orchards, a loaf of walnut levain from Pearl Bakery, and some lemon-dill goat cheese from a new vendor called Briar Rose.

And a market on Monday means an easy answer to the “what’s for dinner” dilemma — just fill your (reusable) tote with fresh goodies and then enjoy a seasonal supper. The spinach and orach (red spinach) from Gathering Together Farm is awesome — so sweet and tender. I sear-roasted a chicken breast from Dayton Meat’s chicken (not from the market, unfortunately — I got it at Pastaworks, and it’s so good), fried some red potatoes from Gathering Together in the chicken fat that came from the bird, and swirled the spinach through the pan so it was just wilted, then piled it all on our plates. So full of flavor and life!

Hours 10:00 – 2:00, through October 25

Can you name the character Kyle played in Blue Velvet?

What’s his liquor of choice in Sex In The City? (hint, it hails from his favorite country)

Who was his love interest in Twin Peaks?

What’s the name of his Walla Walla wine label?

Yes, you heard me right “his wine label”. While stopping through Portland to film, I had the chance to swirl, sniff and sip his beautifully structured ‘06 Pursued by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s as sophisticated and genuine as the man himself. The only thing that could make this wine experience better would be to follow it with a cup of joe and a slice of cherry pie. (insider reference for all the Twin Peaks fans out there)

Pursued by Bear '06 Cabernet Sauvignon

Today, I had the opportunity to swing by and sample their ribs.  Since the weather has been so gloomy, I wasn’t looking forward to walking the ten blocks over to 13th and Irving but I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived.  The BBQ masters were very friendly and I was even able to convince one of them to bust out some breakdance moves.  I was debating on whether or not we should have a mini dance battle but b-boying is tough in a collared shirt. Once the dance party wrapped up it was finally time for some ribs.

Even though it has been a few years since I’ve had some BBQ ribs, I thoroughly enjoyed Irving St. Kitchen’s house smoked St. Louis ribs.  It just rolls off your tongue, doesn’t it?  The best part about their ribs, in my opinion, is how they are able to slather them with their sweet and tangy St. Louis BBQ sauce and yet still manage to keep that smoky meat flavor in every fall-off-the-bone bite.  They were so good in fact that I forgot to take a picture of them before I inhaled them.  I guess on your next lunch break you will need to check it out in person.  Make sure you bring your dancing shoes!

Check out the menu attached below for food offerings and prices.

Irving St. Kitchen

703 Northwest 13th Avenue

Portland, OR 97209

(503) 343-9440

Directions