Coastal Cuisine - Spring 2011

supplement to the February 2, 2011 issue of the port townsend & Jefferson county leader

Coastal Cuisine – An Olympic peninsula edible Adventure

2 ❘ February 2011 ❘ Coastal Cuisine: An Olympic peninsulA edible Adventure the port townsend & Jefferson county leader

Coastal Cuisine ≈ An

An Olympic peninsula edible Adventure

February 2, 2011

2 editOr’s nOte

How mussels, mendocino and a roast beef sandwich helped launch a magazine.

4 sOme liKe it HOtt

Once a machinist, now a chile grower, port townsend’s charlie bodony smokes his peppers in the makah tribal style before grinding them into savory paprika.

8 FOOd FOr tHOuGHt

Food as art: A conversation with chef Arran stark.

10 mise en plAce

How to braise a French classic and short ribs with beer and black beans.

12 tHe KitcHen sinK

Gadgets and tech for the gastronome: Olympic peninsula wineries featured in new iphone app.

12 mOvAble FeAst

Olympic peninsula vintners team up with artisanal chocolatiers for an annual celebration of red wine and chocolate.

14 tAstinG nOtes

Hot toddies to warm the soul.

14 tHe disH

indian food in port townsend, bite of Grays Harbor, Fifth Annual Ocean shores razor clam Festival, Westport crab races and the northwest Wine & cheese tour ... all that’s hot and happening on the peninsula.

I n the fall of 2007, I visited Mendocino, Calif., as part of a tasting trip to the Russian

River Valley and Paso Robles. It was late October, and battleship gray clouds hugged the coastline like snarled clumps of steel wool. The rain came down in a fi ne, drenching mist.

Despite the weather, I decided to wander on foot through Mendocino’s sleepy streets. Like a fool, however, I wore shorts and a light rain jacket, and within an hour, I was chilled to the core. Needing food and a hot drink, I ducked inside a small grocery store and bought coffee and a roast beef sandwich from the deli counter. Upon exiting, I noticed a fl yer on the wall. It stated that most deli ingredients and many items in the store came from farms or producers within 100 miles of the town. I looked at the sandwich again. The lettuce radiated a verdancy I hadn’t noticed before. The coil of thickly sliced red onion glistened under a sheen of its own juices; it shimmered with purple electricity. The beef, layered into a plush mattress of medium-rare goodness, appeared fresh and perfectly prepared.

Sandwich and drink in hand, I jogged back to the car, cranked up the heater and drove to an overlook south of town. Once there, I ate and watched the tempest lash the coast. The storm was spectacular. And the sandwich? Extraordinary.

I can still hear the crunch of the lettuce and feel the zesty red onion burst between my teeth. To this day, I’ve had no better beef outside of Argentina.

My Mendocino sandwich experience reaffi rmed my belief in the profound pleasure derived from simple food prepared consciously and lovingly from local goods. Moreover, it underscored the power of what can be accomplished when a region’s residents and businesses make local agriculture and food production a priority – and all that from a simple sandwich.

When I arrived in Port Townsend last year, I experienced the Mendocino epiphany again – this time over a steaming bowl of local mussels and clams at Hudson Point Café. As I sat lost in the heady aromas of white wine, garlic and fresh shellfi sh, the parallels between the places became apparent, and the seeds for this magazine were sown.

With its cideries and wineries, bakeries, small farms, cheese makers, fi sh mongers, creameries, and local meat and fi sh, the Olympic Peninsula, and its coastal-inspired cuisine, has earned a place on the nation’s gastronomic map and sparked the idea for Coastal Cuisine: An Olympic Peninsula Edible Adventure, a quarterly magazine dedicated to celebrating the

verve of dining and living on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

With roots in the slow-food movement and capitalizing on the bounty of the region, area chefs have created a signature cuisine that excites locals and draws visitors seeking regional dining experiences. Artisanal bakers and cheese makers also produce savory products, and area winemakers are bottling exciting vintages using Old World varietals that thrive in the region’s maritime climate. In 2007, area farmers, fi shers and restaurateurs created the Olympic Culinary Loop – a group dedicated to drawing culinary tourists to the peninsula and helping area producers get their goods to local markets. The fruits of all their labors remind us of why we’re lucky to live here and it’s what keeps visitors coming back.

With its focus on food and drink, Coastal Cuisine will tell the stories of the restaurateurs, winemakers, cheese mongers, small farmers, artisans and fi shermen who live here. It is a magazine dedicated to capturing the synergy between people, food and place – from the blackberry patch and small vineyard to the oyster bed and salmon stream, to the bakery, festival and farmers’ market.

Welcome to our inaugural issue.

James Robinson

≈Coastal Cuisine: an olympic Peninsula edible adventure

publisHerscott Wilson

[email protected]

On tHe cOver:Arran stark

works his magic at undertown coffee

and Wine bar.photo by James robinson

editOrJames robinson

[email protected]

AdvertisinG directOrsara radka

[email protected]

desiGn & lAyOutmarian roh

[email protected]

pHOtOGrApHersAllison Arthur

catherine Kappsteve mullenskyJames robinson

WritersAllison Arthur

catherine KappJames robinson

scott Wilson

cOntActthe port townsend &

Jefferson county leader226 Adams street

port townsend, WA 98368360.385.2900ptleader.com

Welcome to our fi rst issueeditor’s note

the port townsend & Jefferson county leader Coastal Cuisine: An Olympic peninsulA edible Adventure ❘ February 2011 ❘ 3

Café & BistroCafé & BistroSweet Laurette

Now offeringDinners

Fridays & Saturdays5 pm - 9 pm

1029 Lawrence St.360-385-4886

www.sweetlaurette.com

1965 Woodcock Rd., Sequim(360) 683-6344

www.cedarsatdungeness.com

NorthwestSmoked Salmon,Jerky & Sausage

Galatea CafeOpen Nightly for Dinner

824 Washington Stgalateacafe.com 360-385-5225

A Spirited Wine Bar824 Washington St

alchemywinebar.com 360-385-2882

Pane d’AmoreArtisan Bakery

Award-winning bread availablearound the peninsula.

617 Tyler St., Port Townsend360.385.1199

www.panedamore.com

Commercial Quality Food Equipment & Supplies

for anyone who cooks!Quality Equipment

Great Service • Low Prices GUARANTEED!

SALES • SERVICE • NEW • USED DESIGN • CONSULTING

Olympic RestauRant equipment inc.

51 Dryke Road, Sequim WA 98382360-582-1050 • Fax 360-683-3455 olympicrestaurantequipment.com

Open to the public! • Mon. - Fri.: 9 am - 5 pm; Sat. 10 am - 3 pm

Visit our tasting room, open Tuesday-Sunday!

338 Sherman St., Port Townsend360.379.0895

www.mttownsendcreamery.com

CHEESE WITH A SENSE OF PLACE

The Olympic Peninsula’s Destination Sushi Bar1208 Water Street (opposite ferry dock) Port Townsend

360-379-4000

Open EverydayEveryone welcome!

414 Kearney StreetPort Townsend

360-385-2883

Regional Seafood witha Beautiful View

1st Place forBest Seafood

Lunch & Dinner • Closed Wed. & Thurs.Starting in March open 7 days

Deck SeatingUpstairs in the Flagship Landing

1019 Water St. • 360-379-FISH (3474)www.fi nscoastal.com

800.785.5495

www.OlympicPeninsulaWineries.org

Fresh Northwest Seafood & Steakhouse

117-B E First St., Port Angeles 360.417.6929

www.michaelsdining.com

established 2001

Michael’s combines Fresh Organic Produce, Local Wild Caught Seafood

and Free Range Meats together with great Wine and Spirits.

720 Water St. Port Townsend www.thegreeneyeshade.com

360-385-3838, Toll free 888-785-3838Open Daily 9:30 - 6:00, Friday 9:30 - 8:00

Free Gift Wrap • Shipping available

Located on Port Hadlock’s Historic Waterfront

385-3450 www.ajaxcafe.comOpen for Dinner Tues. - Sun. at 5 pm. • Closed Mondays

Featuring locally sourced eggs, vegetables, fruit, fish, beef, mushrooms, cheese & beer

Our wine list features an exclusive assortment of Pacific NW wines

CULINARY LOOP

1-800-942-4042www.OlympicCulinaryLoop.com

Coastal Cuisine Directory

dining out or dining in, this directory will let you

know where to go!


Charlie Bodony remembers the first moment Zephyr Paquette of Elliott Bay

Café savored his homegrown, alderwood-smoked Some Like It Hott paprika.

“She opened the bottle of Piment and said, ‘Cherry ice cream.’

“Cherry ice cream with my Piment d’Espelete. Oh my God. Wheew.” It’s a creation that has been on the café’s menu ever since that day back in July.

Bodony lives for those “aha” moments when people take in the heady paprika, crafted from poblano, jalapeño, diavoletto and other chile peppers he grows, slices, smokes, dries, grinds, blends and packages in Port Townsend.

More than almost anything, except maybe driving the Magic Bus in Port Townsend’s Kinetic Skulpture Race, Bodony loves watching the wheels of culinary imagination turn. His sure do. Bodony is known for many things, including the famous kinetic bus and his pork tenderloin recipe, which he shares with anyone who asks. He’s also becoming synonymous with hot fudge, fudge that’s been infused with a bit of diavoletto and a pinch of paprika. His paprika.

“You can use it in eggs, rice, polenta, soup, salad dressing, barbecue, any place that you would use salt and pepper you can substitute this, and it’s a whole new ball game. All bets are off.”

on the chilly peninsula

Growing peppers was a hobby for Bodony until 2007, when the economy declined. After losing his job as a machinist at the Port Townsend Foundry, he decided

to pursue chiles full-time. An unemployment assistance program kicked in and because he had a business license he was eligible for a program that paid for him to take classes through Peninsula College and write a business plan.

That helped him grow the business.

Although growing peppers isn’t unusual on the peninsula or in Washington, turning peppers into paprika is unheard of in this moss-loving neck of the woods.

“The rain shadow makes it possible to do here. We have 30 percent more sun than the rest of the Seattle area, and that makes a huge difference,” he said. “I don’t know anyone who makes paprika this side of New Mexico.”

First, his nine varieties of peppers have to grow, from seed, some of which come from the world-famous PepperGal in Texas, although he also has acquired seeds from friends such as Christine Manzoni, who picked up diavoletto seeds for him when she was in Italy. After seeds, the next ingredient is hot weather. And for that, enter, what Bodony calls “Costa Rica” – a 18-by-36-foot cold frame greenhouse on Bodony’s property off Hastings Avenue. On a mild spring day it can get up to 89 degrees inside “Costa Rica.” On a summer day, the temperature approaches 115. Then, the peppers are really happy, Bodony says of his plants, which he also calls his “children.”

Breathe in. The aroma of growing peppers fills your lungs and covers you like you’ve stepped into a steamy green jungle.

In 2009, Bodony boasted he was able to harvest an average of 20

pounds of chiles from every one of his plants, and that all added up to 550 pounds. His goal for 2010 was 600 pounds of chiles. Aphids ate some of his jalapeños, so he ended up having to purchase some from other farmers.

From those 500 to 600 pounds of chiles, Bodony estimates he loses about 92 percent of the bulk to dehydration. The drying and smoking process reduces the pepper harvest to about 40 to 50 pounds.

A few yards east of “Costa Rica” is a red garden shed that serves as a commercial kitchen, where Charlie cuts and dries his chile peppers.

Next to the shed is a homemade outside smoker that consumes about a half a cord of wet, green alderwood every summer. The smoker is where the fresh chile

‘Some Like It Hott’ on the Olympic Peninsulanorthwest chefs spice it up with port townsend paprika

Peppers are yellow, green and red before being dried, roasted and ground into paprika. photos by Allison Arthur

after drying, peppers are roasted in a homemade smoker that is fueled by alderwood.see PaPrika, Page 6▼


8 First Place Best Foods Awards

The Olympic Peninsula’s Destination Sushi Bar1208 Water Street (opposite ferry dock) Port Townsend

Menus & Hours: Ichikawa-PT.com 360-379-4000

Breakfast • Sweet & Savory

CrepesEspressoFree WiFiGlutenFree

Open 7 Days 6 am-7 pm1046 Water Street

We deliver to downtown locations!360-385-1151

www.waterstreetcreperie.com

The Olympic Peninsula’s“Crepe Escape!”

New in Port Townsend!

INDIANR E S T A U R A N T & B A R

360-379-9275

2330 Washington St., Port TownsendAcross from the Aladdin Hotel

Spice Route • Bainbridge Island Pavilion • 206-780-3545

Banquets • Catering • Take Out

hand crafted fresh healthy local

Artisan Ice Cream

627 Water Street, Port Townsend 360-385-1156

NewIce Cream Memories Made Here


peppers “sweat it out” for about 12 hours.

“I’m the only one who smokes the peppers the way the Makah taught Peter [Jones], and Peter taught me,” says Bodony of using the outdoor alderwood-fired smoker he and Jones built just for those peppers.

Stick your head near the smoker and you may clear your sinuses for a season.

And that little red garden shed is actually a “chile kitchen.” It’s where Bodony also whips up his paprika-infused fudge and talks about everything from peppers to dreams of making all-terrain art (The Magic Bus) part of a national 4-H program. Bodony admits his mind is always at work, dashing between his pepper business and his dream of building a catamaran rescue vehicle that can carry emergency workers into disasters.

After a detour through that particular dream, Bodony eventually lands you back into his world of food, and how chefs these days are learning to use his paprika like salt and pepper. Each .7-ounce bottle – 20 grams – costs $20.

“It’s a little pricey until you find out a little bit goes a long way.”

Hot to market

To grow his market, Bodony joined the Seattle Chefs Collaborative last year. At one event, he met Paquette.

“They love it,” he says of the feedback he’s gotten from chefs in Port Townsend and now throughout the Northwest. “It’s a whole new toolbox of flavors.”

Bodony will next appear at an event in February called the Seattle Farmer-Fisher-Chef Connection, where locavore food makers get to know food inventors like Paquette.

Such events are how Bodony has been able to introduce his paprika to Portage Bay Cafe, Crystal Mountain Lodge, the Herb

Farm in Woodinville, Emmer & Rye and Aqua Verde Café, top restaurants in Seattle.

Farmers market

Big-name chefs aren’t the only ones who can buy or sample Bodony’s paprika. Come April when the Port Townsend Farmers Market opens on Tyler Street, Bodony will pitch his pole tent on Tyler along with other local farm vendors.

It’s not uncommon for him to bring eggs and sausage, and cook over a camp-size propane

stove. He adds his paprika and suddenly there’s an intense, savory smell.

“Everyone in the market knows I’m cooking,” he says.

Locally, his paprika is used at Sweet Laurette’s Café & Bistro, Sirens Pub, Castle Key Restaurant, Salal Café, Galatea Café and the Ajax Café. It also is sold at Aldrich’s Market, the Food Co-op, Key City Fish and Northwest Horticultural Supply in Sequim.

How hot are they?

The peppers have names like fatalii – as in fatal.

“Guess how hot they are,” Bodony says.

Bodony tried growing bhut jolokia, which is reportedly the hottest chile in the world. “We tried. All I know about them is that they are blistering hot. They’re the hottest on the planet. They didn’t like it in my greenhouse.”

Hot. Bodony wants to explain hot. It’s measured on a Scoville scale with 15 Scoville heat units, a heat unit being the equivalent of 1 part per million of capsaicin. And it’s that chemical capsaicin that stimulates nerve endings and also is reported to have healing properties.

Toward that, Bodony has given away some of his chiles to people who are ill. “I do not charge cancer patients,” he says of giving away free chiles.

“Food is sacred,” says Bodony of loving food, and loving to share chile stories and recipes. “It’s directly related to life. If you don’t eat, you die. Every chef is a priest.”

So if you taste his paprika and want to pair it with cherry ice cream, or carry a bottle of it on a camping trip down a river or just stick it in your favorite chili recipe, said Bodony, “Bon appetit!”

≈ By allison arthur

reCiPe

Poblano Pork Tenderloin

pork tenderloin, 1/4-inch slices, 1/2 pound per servingsome like it Hott Alder smoked poblano chili powderGarlic salt to taste1/4 cup olive oil3 to 4 cloves chopped garlicred bordeaux or cooking wine2 cups heavy cream spinach, fresh leaves, washed

prepare spinach and place individual servings on plates. liberally sprinkle pork slices with chili powder and garlic salt.

Gently sauté pork in oil over low heat until done (2 to 3 minutes per side). set pork on bed of spinach. After all pork is cooked, add fresh garlic to skillet on medium-low heat. When sticky, deglaze with red wine. Add cream and reduce, stirring often. pour sauce over pork and spinach. serve hot.

– Recipe courtesy of Charlie Bodony of Some Like It Hott

Charlie Bodony’s pepper plants get to be taller than he is in “Costa rica,” which is what he calls his greenhouse off Hastings avenue in Port townsend. photo by Allison Arthur

Paprika: From ‘Costa Rica’ to market▼Continued from page 4

≈

“i’m the only one who smokes the peppers the way the makah

taught peter [Jones], and peter taught me.”

Charlie “Chili Charlie” Bodony

≈


Fresh Northwest Seafood & Steakhouse117-B East First Street • Port Angeles • 360.417.6929 • www.michaelsdining.com

Michael’s combines Fresh Organic Produce, Local Wild Caught Seafood and Free Range Meats together with great Wine and Spirits.

established 2001

Take a stroll back in time and enjoy a home-cooked

BREAKFAST, LUNCH or DINNER

Burgers • Steaks • SeafoodPasta • Salads • Sandwiches

Cocktails • Beer • WineHomemade Desserts

Old Mill Cafe721 Carlsborg Rd., Sequim

360-582-1583Tues. 8am-3pm

Wed., Thurs., Sun. 8am-8pm Fri. & Sat. 8am-9pm

Closed MondaysHours may change seasonally

Northwest Smoked SalmonSmoked Salmon: Kippered, Hard Smoked

Salmon Jerky, Pepperoni & LoxJerky: Teriyaki, Cajun,

Black Pepper & Garlic, RegularSausage: Summer Salami, Jalapeño Salami,

Thuringer, Polish/German/Italian Brats,Jalapeño & Cheddar Brats,

Pepperoni & Jalapeño Pepperoni

Mailed Anywhere in the U.S.A!

TRY & BEAT OUR PRICES!

SUNRISE MEATS1325 East First Street

PORT ANGELES WA 98362

360.457.3211 1.800.953.3211

Commercial Quality Food Equipment

& Supplies for anyone who cooks!

Quality Equipment Great Service • Low Prices

GUARANTEED!SALES • SERVICE • NEW • USED

DESIGN • CONSULTING

OLymPic RESTAURANT EQUiPmENT iNc.

51 Dryke Road, Sequim WA 98382360-582-1050 • Fax 360-683-3455 • olympicrestaurantequipment.com

Open to the public! • Monday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm; Saturday 10 am - 3 pm

Pane d’AmoreArtisan Bakery

Award-winning Breadserved at your favorite restaurants

and grocery stores around the peninsula617 Tyler St.

Port Townsend360.385.1199

150 South 5th Ave.Sequim

360.681.3280

4569 Lynwood Ctr Rd.Bainbridge Is.206.780.1902

www.panedamore.com

Italian by NameLocal Foods by Nature

~ Est. 1996 ~

Featuring fresh Olympic Coast Cuisine

360-457-5442118 East First Street

Port Angeles, WA 98362 Open 7 days at 4pm

www.bellaitaliapa.com


C hef Arran Stark has caused a stir in Jefferson County and has reached across the rest of

the Olympic Peninsula in pursuit of great locally grown food and the regional chefs who know how to use it. Following in the footsteps of chef Jay Payne, Stark makes a point of preparing meals and even feasts for hundreds from as many local ingredients as possible. He is an ardent fan of Olympic Coast cuisine.

Stark began his culinary career in Atlanta, working for a French master chef and an American master chef. He then worked in Boston, the Berkshires and Portland, Ore., where he was executive chef of the Peruvian restaurant Andina when it was named Portland’s Restaurant of the Year. Stark and his wife, Micaela Colley, moved to Port Townsend in 2006 with the dream of running a sustainable-farm-to-table business. They have a baby daughter, Crenna, and are expecting one more. He operated Brassica Restaurant, and now runs Cultivated Palette Catering, soon to include a commercial-size kitchen to be used as a cooking school.

When someone says to you “Olympic Coast cuisine,” what comes to mind? What is it?

What I’d like to see it become is the idea of a lot of people using very fresh ingredients to make simple flavors. We want the simple flavor of mushrooms or salmon. People wouldn’t be spending a lot of time trying to put Indian spices into food, but just let the real flavor of local food go through. It’s local and regional ingredients, cooked in the craft, not pulled out of a box. No one exemplifies that better than Gabriel Schuenemann of Alder Wood Bistro in Sequim. We are one and the same when it comes to food theory.

You’ve really made a splash at this end of the Olympic Peninsula with your passion for locally grown food and teaching people how best to use it. What is your favorite recipe?

My food philosophies are methods based, rather than a recipe. I don’t really teach people the recipe. If people

learn the techniques behind cooking, then it’s an exciting venture. You get into the kitchen, you know how to do it, and you say, “What if we tried this?” You never really mess up, because it’s edible. That’s how great-grandma’s sweet potato recipe got started. She was just messing around with food.

Where were you just before coming here?

We were in Portland, in the Pearl District. I was in a Peruvian restaurant, chefing. That lifestyle is very demanding in the inner city. A big-city chef has a beautiful limelight, and money, and having fun. But it’s not conducive to having a family. Micaela said, “Let’s check out Port Townsend.”

What did you see when you got up here from Portland?

We said, “This place has so much potential as a food town.” There is so much happening, food-wise, with organic farms, wild foraged foods, beef products and pork products grown here. Locally, you’ve got everything here, plus the shellfish. I thought I could do something here. I have the materials to do it. Port Townsend is a fun town but a fickle town when it comes to restaurants and cooking. We are a seasonal town.

What works in this area for fine food? What needs work?

Hopefully, the climate in Port Townsend is changing. There are lots of restaurants in the town. A restaurant is only as strong as its staff. We have great chefs, but the skilled labor force is lacking. That’s why I’m interested in education, in the schools. Cooking is a life skill. Vocationally, we should be teaching in the schools. We should have vocational programs in 4-H or the high school.

People need to understand the value of their food. We don’t use chemicals. More and more people are saying no to industrial foods. I’d like to let school kids taste the difference between local organic celery and industrial celery. Also, we

should start raising the bar in the labor force on the offerings for food in town.

I know how important local food is to what you are doing. Talk about that.

Some culinarians have gotten lazy in the U.S., relying on what they know. If they know how to make spaghetti, that’s their repertoire. So they want to make tomato sauce out of tomatoes in January, but we don’t have any January tomatoes. There was a time when the farmer showed up at a restaurant with his cart, threw back the flap and said, “This is the food you have to work with during this month.” And that’s what you used. That’s the mentality I’m trying to work with.

So it’s all about local foods, used in their season?

I come from the Deep South. I moved to Portland from a Victorian town in Georgia. On the East Coast, you don’t put salmon on the menu, because you know it’s going to be farm-raised. Here, you’ve got clean water, you have oysters and clams, you dig them right out on the beach. The food is right here. We should never serve New England clam chowder here; it should be Port Townsend clam chowder. We have world-class chefs right here, and great local food right here. Steve De Santos, he grows organic mushrooms, but many of them leave the Olympic Peninsula and go overseas. In Clallam County, Nash’s [Organic Produce] has

400 acres of organic farming. [Nash Huber] is a National Farmland Trust Farmer. That’s huge. Sometimes that produce leaves the Olympic Peninsula [for processing] and comes right back. I tried to donate organic carrots to a school in Clallam County. It was almost like they couldn’t take the donation directly. It had to go through channels, then come back. There are also some great wines made here, and more coming.

The local farm movement has come a long way in the last 10 years.

You’ve got to be happy with how locally grown foods are,

well, growing. An example is the Chimacum Corner Farmstand.

There’s a big movement in Chimacum. The local farmers started a market, and it’s been a huge success. Then they started the farm stand. The amount of traffic through Chimacum makes it very prominent. It is a beautiful valley of farming. We have cheeses from the Mt. Townsend Creamery; they are making wonderful cheeses. A Marrowstone Island creamery just won a national award.

All of these artisans are trying to do it. Some of them don’t own their own land, however, and that’s a hard thing for the farmers, to put in all that energy without owning their land. We need to buy more land for the farmers.

Now there’s the whole cidery thing. In the Sequim area, wheat has taken off. Nash’s farm in Sequim produces more wheat per acre than any other wheat farm in Washington. The soil keeps its moisture. You see that big grain storage in downtown Sequim, but what is in now? A Mexican restaurant?

You are famous for creating banquet meals using 100 percent locally grown ingredients. How hard is that?

You maybe can’t do 100 percent. There are some ingredients you can’t grow here. But there are many more things you can do with local ingredients than many people realize. How many different things can you do with a beet or a carrot? What can you do with kale? That’s a huge one. What this area does is grow kale. This is one of the best places in the world for brassica seed. My challenge is, what can you do with kale and what can I do to help people eat mor e of it?

Speaking of brassica, you’ve operated a part-time restaurant called Brassica in Port Townsend’s Uptown district, but I understand that’s ended. What’s next for you?

During the Port Townsend Farmers Market, every week I do a cooking demonstration. I pick an ingredient and that is what’s happening that weekend; these are some of the things you can do with it. I’ve done brassica; I’ve done roasted cauliflower. People are amazed after they have eaten boiled cauliflower all their lives. I cook at the Undertown [a Port Townsend coffeehouse] every Wednesday night. It’s not a restaurant. I’m just cooking food and putting it out there. We think it’s a good value, nothing more than $16, and it’s all local or regional, certainly local vegetables. It’s kind of impulsive – what do I want to do tomorrow night? We’ve done meatloaf, apple-baked cod, chicken cordon bleu with Mt. Townsend cheese. Then we try things. I’ve also been putting together a commercial kitchen.

How do you see yourself using the commercial kitchen?

I have wanted to get a regular cooking class going, and this space will be perfect. Instead of a demo, it’s actual cooking. I can say, “Pick up a knife and let’s start chopping vegetables. Here’s how you butcher a chicken. And here’s how you use a chicken to feed your family three meals.” I

found the perfect space, next to the Mt. Townsend Creamery office on Upper Sims [Way]. It’s at 1433 Upper Sims. We’re all excited about being in each other’s back pocket. It’s a full-on, humdinger of a kitchen. We’ll offer some hands-on cooking classes. We have a website: CultivatedPalette.com.

Whom do you see in there?

All kinds of people, including people who have a limited food budget. Let’s show low-income families how to cook, and they can spread their dollar so it tastes good. Kids these days, they eat from box to box, just pushing buttons. People don’t have time to cook, these double-income families. The energy we put into what we eat is less and less. This kitchen can be for rent. People can use it for canning; you’ll have a big kitchen to spread it out on the table or do communal canning – squash, zucchini – bring all your jars. It can become more of a party.

For you, cooking is actually a social event, isn’t it?

Fun is a big part of this. Anywhere, the kitchen is where people gravitate to. I’ve cooked all over the East Coast, and you start telling people what you do, and the questions just start coming, because everybody eats. You’re hanging out with people. It’s a good conversation piece. They tell you the story of their favorite steak recipe. I like turning people onto things, like turning people on to white balsamic vinegar. That’s an exciting thing!

Arran, how did you learn to cook?

My dad was a machinist. He taught machine tool and die at a technical school. He told me I should learn a trade to put myself through college. I wandered through a kitchen one day and saw a chef working. I said, “That’s what I want to do.” I was 18. I had an

apprenticeship in Atlanta, and there were a lot of European chefs coming to Atlanta in the late 1980s, early ’90s. I got to work for amazing chefs. It was easy to get in with the best, including a French master chef and a master chef certified in the U.S. It was very intense.

What was your path out to the West Coast?

I did my journeyman work in Boston, did some big-city chefing. For a while, I got lost in culinary country-club work in the South. Then one day I woke up and said, “I need to move west.” I went to Portland, starting working around there. One of the

big things I wanted to do was teach, and to do that I needed the expensive piece of paper [diploma], and I got that in Portland. I worked at Andina, a Peruvian restaurant in Portland, and trained under a Peruvian chef. Later I became executive chef, and we won Restaurant of the Year in Portland in 2005. That was a lifestyle change, when you get publicity like that. Everybody and their brother came to that restaurant. You’re living a life of 70-hour weeks. You’re paying someone to walk your dog and do your laundry. You are always tired, always haggard. I wondered, “Is this life I’m living or am I just a tool?” Every big chef will tell you, you can’t have a family, you can’t spend time with your kids. Not only is it your job, but it’s your passion, your artistic expression. You push the limits, you don’t eat well, you forget your kids and your dog.

You describe being a chef the way artists describe their work.

You see, cooking for me is my expression. It’s the truest form of art that there is. You look at a painting, you touch a sculpture. But in the culinary art you are making something that appeals to all of the senses. You get instant gratification from it when you put it in front of someone. You can see its quality right away. It’s visually appealing, you can smell it, you can feel the texture and then you taste it. In some cases, you can even hear it sizzle.

≈ By Scott Wilson

food for thought

A conversation with Arran Stark≈

“Cooking for me is my expression. It’s the truest form of art

that there is.”Arran Stark

≈

8 ❘ February 2011 ❘ COASTAl CUISIne: An OlympIC penInsulA edIble Adventure the port townsend & Jefferson County leader COASTAl CUISIne: An OlympIC penInsulA edIble Adventure ❘ February 2011 ❘ 9

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader Coastal Cuisine: An OLymPiC PeninsuLA edibLe AdvenTure ❘ February 2011 ❘ 9

C hef Arran Stark has caused a stir in Jefferson County and has reached across the rest of

the Olympic Peninsula in pursuit of great locally grown food and the regional chefs who know how to use it. Following in the footsteps of chef Jay Payne, Stark makes a point of preparing meals and even feasts for hundreds from as many local ingredients as possible. He is an ardent fan of Olympic Coast cuisine.

Stark began his culinary career in Atlanta, working for a French master chef and an American master chef. He then worked in Boston, the Berkshires and Portland, Ore., where he was executive chef of the Peruvian restaurant Andina when it was named Portland’s Restaurant of the Year. Stark and his wife, Micaela Colley, moved to Port Townsend in 2006 with the dream of running a sustainable-farm-to-table business. They have a baby daughter, Crenna, and are expecting one more. He operated Brassica Restaurant, and now runs Cultivated Palette Catering, soon to include a commercial-size kitchen to be used as a cooking school.

When someone says to you “Olympic Coast cuisine,” what comes to mind? What is it?

What I’d like to see it become is the idea of a lot of people using very fresh ingredients to make simple flavors. We want the simple flavor of mushrooms or salmon. People wouldn’t be spending a lot of time trying to put Indian spices into food, but just let the real flavor of local food go through. It’s local and regional ingredients, cooked in the craft, not pulled out of a box. No one exemplifies that better than Gabriel Schuenemann of Alder Wood Bistro in Sequim. We are one and the same when it comes to food theory.

You’ve really made a splash at this end of the Olympic Peninsula with your passion for locally grown food and teaching people how best to use it. What is your favorite recipe?

My food philosophies are methods based, rather than a recipe. I don’t really teach people the recipe. If people

learn the techniques behind cooking, then it’s an exciting venture. You get into the kitchen, you know how to do it, and you say, “What if we tried this?” You never really mess up, because it’s edible. That’s how great-grandma’s sweet potato recipe got started. She was just messing around with food.

Where were you just before coming here?

We were in Portland, in the Pearl District. I was in a Peruvian restaurant, chefing. That lifestyle is very demanding in the inner city. A big-city chef has a beautiful limelight, and money, and having fun. But it’s not conducive to having a family. Micaela said, “Let’s check out Port Townsend.”

What did you see when you got up here from Portland?

We said, “This place has so much potential as a food town.” There is so much happening, food-wise, with organic farms, wild foraged foods, beef products and pork products grown here. Locally, you’ve got everything here, plus the shellfish. I thought I could do something here. I have the materials to do it. Port Townsend is a fun town but a fickle town when it comes to restaurants and cooking. We are a seasonal town.

What works in this area for fine food? What needs work?

Hopefully, the climate in Port Townsend is changing. There are lots of restaurants in the town. A restaurant is only as strong as its staff. We have great chefs, but the skilled labor force is lacking. That’s why I’m interested in education, in the schools. Cooking is a life skill. Vocationally, we should be teaching in the schools. We should have vocational programs in 4-H or the high school.

People need to understand the value of their food. We don’t use chemicals. More and more people are saying no to industrial foods. I’d like to let school kids taste the difference between local organic celery and industrial celery. Also, we

should start raising the bar in the labor force on the offerings for food in town.

I know how important local food is to what you are doing. Talk about that.

Some culinarians have gotten lazy in the U.S., relying on what they know. If they know how to make spaghetti, that’s their repertoire. So they want to make tomato sauce out of tomatoes in January, but we don’t have any January tomatoes. There was a time when the farmer showed up at a restaurant with his cart, threw back the flap and said, “This is the food you have to work with during this month.” And that’s what you used. That’s the mentality I’m trying to work with.

So it’s all about local foods, used in their season?

I come from the Deep South. I moved to Portland from a Victorian town in Georgia. On the East Coast, you don’t put salmon on the menu, because you know it’s going to be farm-raised. Here, you’ve got clean water, you have oysters and clams, you dig them right out on the beach. The food is right here. We should never serve New England clam chowder here; it should be Port Townsend clam chowder. We have world-class chefs right here, and great local food right here. Steve De Santos, he grows organic mushrooms, but many of them leave the Olympic Peninsula and go overseas. In Clallam County, Nash’s [Organic Produce] has

400 acres of organic farming. [Nash Huber] is a National Farmland Trust Farmer. That’s huge. Sometimes that produce leaves the Olympic Peninsula [for processing] and comes right back. I tried to donate organic carrots to a school in Clallam County. It was almost like they couldn’t take the donation directly. It had to go through channels, then come back. There are also some great wines made here, and more coming.

The local farm movement has come a long way in the last 10 years.

You’ve got to be happy with how locally grown foods are,

well, growing. An example is the Chimacum Corner Farmstand.

There’s a big movement in Chimacum. The local farmers started a market, and it’s been a huge success. Then they started the farm stand. The amount of traffic through Chimacum makes it very prominent. It is a beautiful valley of farming. We have cheeses from the Mt. Townsend Creamery; they are making wonderful cheeses. A Marrowstone Island creamery just won a national award.

All of these artisans are trying to do it. Some of them don’t own their own land, however, and that’s a hard thing for the farmers, to put in all that energy without owning their land. We need to buy more land for the farmers.

Now there’s the whole cidery thing. In the Sequim area, wheat has taken off. Nash’s farm in Sequim produces more wheat per acre than any other wheat farm in Washington. The soil keeps its moisture. You see that big grain storage in downtown Sequim, but what is in now? A Mexican restaurant?

You are famous for creating banquet meals using 100 percent locally grown ingredients. How hard is that?

You maybe can’t do 100 percent. There are some ingredients you can’t grow here. But there are many more things you can do with local ingredients than many people realize. How many different things can you do with a beet or a carrot? What can you do with kale? That’s a huge one. What this area does is grow kale. This is one of the best places in the world for brassica seed. My challenge is, what can you do with kale and what can I do to help people eat mor e of it?

Speaking of brassica, you’ve operated a part-time restaurant called Brassica in Port Townsend’s Uptown district, but I understand that’s ended. What’s next for you?

During the Port Townsend Farmers Market, every week I do a cooking demonstration. I pick an ingredient and that is what’s happening that weekend; these are some of the things you can do with it. I’ve done brassica; I’ve done roasted cauliflower. People are amazed after they have eaten boiled cauliflower all their lives. I cook at the Undertown [a Port Townsend coffeehouse] every Wednesday night. It’s not a restaurant. I’m just cooking food and putting it out there. We think it’s a good value, nothing more than $16, and it’s all local or regional, certainly local vegetables. It’s kind of impulsive – what do I want to do tomorrow night? We’ve done meatloaf, apple-baked cod, chicken cordon bleu with Mt. Townsend cheese. Then we try things. I’ve also been putting together a commercial kitchen.

How do you see yourself using the commercial kitchen?

I have wanted to get a regular cooking class going, and this space will be perfect. Instead of a demo, it’s actual cooking. I can say, “Pick up a knife and let’s start chopping vegetables. Here’s how you butcher a chicken. And here’s how you use a chicken to feed your family three meals.” I

found the perfect space, next to the Mt. Townsend Creamery office on Upper Sims [Way]. It’s at 1433 Upper Sims. We’re all excited about being in each other’s back pocket. It’s a full-on, humdinger of a kitchen. We’ll offer some hands-on cooking classes. We have a website: CultivatedPalette.com.

Whom do you see in there?

All kinds of people, including people who have a limited food budget. Let’s show low-income families how to cook, and they can spread their dollar so it tastes good. Kids these days, they eat from box to box, just pushing buttons. People don’t have time to cook, these double-income families. The energy we put into what we eat is less and less. This kitchen can be for rent. People can use it for canning; you’ll have a big kitchen to spread it out on the table or do communal canning – squash, zucchini – bring all your jars. It can become more of a party.

For you, cooking is actually a social event, isn’t it?

Fun is a big part of this. Anywhere, the kitchen is where people gravitate to. I’ve cooked all over the East Coast, and you start telling people what you do, and the questions just start coming, because everybody eats. You’re hanging out with people. It’s a good conversation piece. They tell you the story of their favorite steak recipe. I like turning people onto things, like turning people on to white balsamic vinegar. That’s an exciting thing!

Arran, how did you learn to cook?

My dad was a machinist. He taught machine tool and die at a technical school. He told me I should learn a trade to put myself through college. I wandered through a kitchen one day and saw a chef working. I said, “That’s what I want to do.” I was 18. I had an

apprenticeship in Atlanta, and there were a lot of European chefs coming to Atlanta in the late 1980s, early ’90s. I got to work for amazing chefs. It was easy to get in with the best, including a French master chef and a master chef certified in the U.S. It was very intense.

What was your path out to the West Coast?

I did my journeyman work in Boston, did some big-city chefing. For a while, I got lost in culinary country-club work in the South. Then one day I woke up and said, “I need to move west.” I went to Portland, starting working around there. One of the

big things I wanted to do was teach, and to do that I needed the expensive piece of paper [diploma], and I got that in Portland. I worked at Andina, a Peruvian restaurant in Portland, and trained under a Peruvian chef. Later I became executive chef, and we won Restaurant of the Year in Portland in 2005. That was a lifestyle change, when you get publicity like that. Everybody and their brother came to that restaurant. You’re living a life of 70-hour weeks. You’re paying someone to walk your dog and do your laundry. You are always tired, always haggard. I wondered, “Is this life I’m living or am I just a tool?” Every big chef will tell you, you can’t have a family, you can’t spend time with your kids. Not only is it your job, but it’s your passion, your artistic expression. You push the limits, you don’t eat well, you forget your kids and your dog.

You describe being a chef the way artists describe their work.

You see, cooking for me is my expression. It’s the truest form of art that there is. You look at a painting, you touch a sculpture. But in the culinary art you are making something that appeals to all of the senses. You get instant gratification from it when you put it in front of someone. You can see its quality right away. It’s visually appealing, you can smell it, you can feel the texture and then you taste it. In some cases, you can even hear it sizzle.

≈ By Scott Wilson

food for thought

A conversation with Arran Stark≈

“Cooking for me is my expression. It’s the truest form of art

that there is.”Arran Stark

≈

8 ❘ February 2011 ❘ COASTAl CUISIne: An OlympIC penInsulA edIble Adventure the port townsend & Jefferson County leader COASTAl CUISIne: An OlympIC penInsulA edIble Adventure ❘ February 2011 ❘ 9


reCiPe

Cat’s Short Ribs with Beer & Black BeansNote: Best prepared a day ahead of servingServes 6Preparation time: 3 to 4 hours

5 pounds short ribs2 cups leeks, white part only, washed and cut into julienne1 large head of garlic3 bottles of beer (36 ounces total)1/3 cup soy sauce (chinese soy sauce recommended or substitute tamari)1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger6 medium scallions, cleaned and chopped1/2 cup chinese fermented black beans*, divided into two 1/4-cup portions

*note: Fermented black beans are available at most Asian markets and at central market in poulsbo. they are not expensive and keep for a long time in a tightly sealed jar. don’t be tempted to substitute the more readily available prepared black bean sauce, which is very salty and lacking in flavor.

1. using the flat side of a cleaver or large knife, press down on the head of garlic to separate it into cloves. leave half of the cloves whole; peel and finely dice the other half.

2. place the black beans in a small sieve and rinse briefly. reserve.

3. render the fat from the ribs by placing them in a casserole and searing on all sides. remove ribs to a plate and keep warm. drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

4. Add leeks, garlic, ginger and scallions to the fat in the pan. cook gently 1 minute or until aroma is released.

5. Add the ribs and 2 cups of beer, the soy sauce and enough water to just cover the ribs. stir in the first 1/4 cup of black beans.

6. cover tightly and place casserole in oven at 325 degrees for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

7. Add the third can of beer and the remaining black beans.

place in oven and cook for another hour or so. if the gravy appears to be too thin, remove cover to evaporate some of the liquid until it is the desired consistency.

note: For a leaner version: let the casserole cool after step 6, refrigerate overnight and then skim off the fat before finishing the recipe.

serve with greens sautéed in garlic and oil, or a green salad, and rice.

tips for browning and braising

• pat the meat dry with paper towels before browning, and do not crowd the meat in the pan.

• make sure your casserole dish or braising pot has a tightly fitting lid. if you are not satisfied with the tight seal, place a sheet of parchment paper over the pot before putting the lid on. you want the moisture to drip back off the lid and into the pot to keep the contents moist.

• if you prefer to use an electric slow cooker, be sure to brown ingredients first in a heavy, nonreactive pan. After you add the wine, stock and meat, you can then transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker, adding the vegetables after three hours of cooking.

• slow, even cooking is the secret of a great braise!

A bitter winter day. Tired, hungry and chilled to the bone, you step in the door and ahhhhhh, you’re enveloped in an aroma so warm and delicious it’s like being wrapped in a big hug. It’s Sunday and raining cats and dogs – a good day to loll around reading the paper or watching a game, or maybe even busying yourself preparing your taxes. Now think braising – it rhymes with “lazing.”

One of the most effortless techniques for preparing meat, braising is merely slow cooking by another name. Take any of the tougher cuts of meat (lamb, pork and beef are best); sear to seal in the juices; add a little liquid, spices and vegetables; cover and cook slowly for hours until the collagen in the meat breaks down and the flavors meld – and that’s it.

The equipment you will need is minimal. If you prefer the one-pot method, choose a large, nonreactive pan such as an enameled casserole dish or Dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid. If you’re concerned about leaving the oven on while you go out, simply sear the meat in a large skillet, then transfer meat and juices to a slow cooker. Either way, once the ingredients have been combined, you can just let things simmer away while you go about your business.

Here you’ll find a couple of recipes to get you started. One, by Laurette of Sweet Laurette’s Café & Bistro in Port Townsend, is a classic wine-and-beef braise in the French manner. The other is a take on some favorite Chinese ingredients and uses beer.

Winter braisesmise en place

reCiPe

Laurette’s Boeuf BourguignonServes 6

Preparation time: about 3 hours

3 1/2 to 4 pounds lean stewing beef, chuck is preferable

6 to 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips

3 tablespoons butter

12 ounces shallots, peeled and cut in half

12 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, cut in half

1 carrot, peeled and sliced, plus 3 more cut across on the bias into 2-inch wedges

1 onion, sliced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups red wine, preferably burgundy, cabernet sauvignon or a hearty red

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or sprig of fresh thyme, leaves removed from woody stem

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

you will need a 9- to 10-inch heavy, flameproof casserole dish or dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid. lecreuset, martha stewart, mario batali and even costco make great pots for this application. A heavy cast-iron pot with lid also would work well.

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

1. cut the beef into 2-inch pieces, if not already prepared when purchased. cut the bacon crossways into thin strips.

2. in a large, heavy, flameproof casserole dish (or dutch oven), cook the bacon over medium heat until brown and crisping around the edges. remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

3. increase the heat to medium-high. make sure your meat is patted dry with paper towels. Add enough meat to the casserole to fit easily in one layer (do not crowd the casserole or the meat will not brown) and cook, turning to color all sides, until well browned. transfer the beef to a plate and continue browning remaining meat pieces in batches.

4. in a heavy frying pan, melt one-third of the butter over medium heat, add the shallots


FOODSTAMPS

We now offer gourmet wraps, baked spicy chicken wings with 4 homemade sauces, giant tacos, 8” personal pizzas, gluten-free dough, take-n-bake enchiladas.

We make our dough andsauces fresh daily.

WE CAN BAKE ANYTHINGON OUR MENU FOR YOU!

814 South “C” Street, Port AngelesPizza by the slice!

www.VanGoes.com

1010 Water Street • Port TownsendOpen 7 Days a Week • 360/385-7673

1-888-MAX-WINEwww.PTWineSeller.com

Rare & Older Vintages!

Special Orders!We Ship!

“The small-town wine shop with the big city selection.”

MEET/BEAT PRICES atCostco, Central Market, Safeway, QFC, etc. (See store for details & Ordering)

Wine & Bubblies • Beer & Ales • Cheese • Crackers • Chocolate

and 2-inch carrot wedges and cook, stirring frequently, until evenly golden. set aside on a plate.

5. in the same pan, melt half of the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, until golden brown, then set aside with shallots and carrots.

6. When all the beef has been browned and set aside, pour off any fat from the casserole dish and add the remaining butter to the dish. When the butter has melted, add the sliced onion, sliced carrot and minced garlic and cook over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until just softened, stirring frequently. sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine, tomato paste and herbs. bring to a boil, scraping the base of the dish.

7. return the beef and the bacon to the casserole and pour in the stock, adding more if needed to cover the meat and vegetables when pressed down. bring to a simmer on top of the stove. then cover the casserole and place in the lower third of a preheated 350-degree oven. regulate heat so the liquid in the dish simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

8. When the meat is fork tender, add the mushrooms, shallots and carrot wedges. stir the vegetables among the meat pieces to evenly distribute. if it looks as though you need more sauce in your casserole, add between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of beef stock to moisten. continue to cook for 30 minutes. At this point, you can keep the casserole warm before serving by placing on the stove top on a very low setting. be careful not to scorch the bottom!

When ready to serve, remove from oven or stovetop, transfer to a large bowl. top with fresh minced parsley and serve over buttered noodles.


new iphone app guides travelers to Olympic peninsula wineries

the kitchen sink

T ravelers and locals seeking a smartphone app capable of guiding them

to Olympic Peninsula wineries should make room in their iPhones for WineWherever’s guide to Washington wineries.

Released in October and featuring more than 300 Washington properties – including 13 on the Olympic Peninsula – the app can help users locate area wineries while providing key contact information and space to store photos, tasting notes and other information gathered on their visit.

Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery, Black Diamond Winery, Camaraderie Cellars, Eaglemount Wine & Cider, Eleven Winery, FairWinds Winery, Harbinger Winery, Holmes Harbor Cellars, Hoodsport Winery, Olympic Cellars, San Juan Vineyards, Sorensen Cellars and Whidbey

Island Winery are all featured in the Olympic Peninsula section of the app. And WineWherever’s app offers only properties with tasting rooms open to the public on a regularly scheduled basis; “appointment only” wineries are not included.

The app organizes wineries in its database in a number of ways: by proximity to the user’s current location, alphabetically, by city, by region and according to those wineries identified as “favorites.”

Each listing includes the winery’s name and address, mapping tools to get the user from their current location to the property, and options for adding and sharing photos and tasting notes. The app also includes links to winery and visitor associations, such as the Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Center, the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce and the

Port Townsend Visitor Information Center.

Perhaps the app’s slickest feature is its “one-tap” calling and Web-browsing capabilities. Once the user has found a winery or organization they want to call or learn more about on the Web, they just tap on either the “Call Us” or “Visit Website” buttons. From there, the phone will immediately make the call or go the Web page – no additional steps are required.

While the one-tap feature makes calling or Web browsing uber-

efficient, those using the app for navigational purposes should do so with caution – distances in the main application are charted “as the crow flies” from the user’s current location, according to the app’s codeveloper Ken McKowen. McKowen visits the Olympic Peninsula regularly and is enthusiastic about Washington state and area winds. More accurate mileage information and driving directions are provided when the user taps out of the main app and into the iPhone’s Google-based GPS. The transition out of WineWherever and into the phone’s GPS is seamless.

While the app provides fast, efficient phone and Web connectivity, the journaling feature is slightly disappointing, as it only allows the user to input tasting notes and photographs on wineries included in the app’s database. For properties that haven’t been added yet to the app, iPhone-armed oenophiles will have to find another way to store and catalog that winery’s information – or better yet, contact McKowen.

“If they find a winery that’s not in there, we’ll be happy to add it – just call or send us an email,” McKowen said, noting that new winery information is regularly added to the app’s database as soon it becomes available, without the need for additional downloads or updates.

With more than 300 listings for wineries across the state, the WineWherever guide to Washington provides one of the most comprehensive listings of Washington wineries in an iPhone app. With its slick and efficient one-touch dialing, Web linking and mapping features, WineWherever’s guide to Washington is well worth the $2.99 – don’t leave home without it.

J ust about the time the winter doldrums take hold – and just in time for Valentine’s

Day – Olympic Peninsula wineries band together to celebrate two things virtually guaranteed to warm the heart and soul – red wine and chocolate.

Called the Red Wine & Chocolate Festival, the event takes place over two weekends: Feb. 12-13 and Feb. 19-21. During the five-day event, participants can visit seven Olympic Peninsula wineries, including Camaraderie Cellars, Eaglemount Wine & Cider, FairWinds Winery, Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Harbinger Winery, Olympic Cellars and Sorensen Cellars, sipping and tasting chocolates carefully paired to each vintner’s specialties.

“Each winery will also be offering appetizers, in addition to their chocolate,” said Judy Cavett, co-owner of FairWinds Winery and member of the Olympic

Peninsula Wineries group. “Most wineries offer upscale truffles, local handmade chocolates, and a variety of dark and milk chocolates to enhance the flavor of their red wines.” Some wineries, Cavett said, may also offer music and feature special vintages or new releases.

This year, the event features two cideries – Eaglemount Wine & Cider and Finnriver Farm & Cidery – with exciting chocolate pairings planned for each.

“We will be serving five red wines, and our ciders. We will also have an apple mead and maybe something else,” said Trudy Davis, co-owner of Eaglemount Wine & Cider. “We will carry chocolates from Chocolate Serenade. Jim Queen is the chocolatier and will be here on both weekends. We will also carry chocolates from Jennifer Michele Chocolat. [Jennifer Michele] will also be here those weekends.”

red wine & chocolatemovable feast


Open Wed-Sun • 360-683-7510Lunch 11 am - 3 pm • Dinner 4 pm - 9 pmLunchLunch2577 W. Sequim Bay Rd., Sequim, WAIn the beautiful John Wayne Marina

“We proudly serve locally caught seafood!”

Pacific Northwest CuisineSteaks Pasta • Local Seafood

caught seafood!”caught seafood!”Serving “Scalone Steaks” a succulent

blend of scallops & abalone prepared to perfection!

Enjoy a Martini, Cocktail or Wine from our extensive wine list in the “Pelican Room” lounge. Beer & Local Microbrews on Tap.

Visit ourTASTING ROOMWinter hours:

FRI & SUN 12-5Summer hours:

THURS - MON 12-5www.fi nnriver.com

360-73-CIDERLocated in Chimacum’s Center Valley

Spectacular Happy Hour4-6 pm

Northwest Cuisine at its FinestOutside Waterfront Dining

Lunch 11am - 3pm • Dinner 4 to close Closed Tuesday

141 Hudson Street at Point Hudson, Port Townsend360-385-0700 • www.Ts-restaurant.com

Come on over to my house for dinner!

Café & BistroNow offeringDinners

Fridays & Saturdays

5 pm - 9 pm

New winter hours:Breakfast/Lunch: Wed./Thur./Fri.: 8 am to 2:30 pmBrunch: Sat. 8 am - 2:30 pm

Brunch: Sun. 8 am - 2 pmDinner: Fri. & Sat. 5 pm - 9 pmClosed Mondays & Tuesdays

1029 Lawrence St. 360-385-4886www.sweetlaurette.com

Café & BistroCafé & BistroCafé & BistroSweet Laurette

Come try the best Fish ‘n’ Chips around!

Fresh, local, snapper, cod or halibut!You won’t be disappointed.

2123 W. Sims Way between the roundabouts360-379-5418 • Hours: 11 am-7 pm, Tues.-Sat.2123 W. Sims Way between the roundabouts2123 W. Sims Way between the roundabouts

Dan’sBeef & Tractor

Horse, Sheep & Beef Hay by the BaleLocker Beef by Order

(Feeders for sale. Pasture, Irrigation, Tillage Consulting)

80 Cook Rd. •Sequim360.683.6883 • 360.808.2581

Be Our Guest ...You’ll feel like familyGreat Daily Specials • Fabulous Fish & Chips

Beer • Wine • Cocktails

Open @ 11:30 am Daily1038 Water Street, Port Townsend • 360-385-9708

“We are partnering with Lynn LeMaster’s Port Townsend Chocolate Company to provide chocolates, and she is currently experimenting with an apple cider chocolate and some fudge-style chocolates as well,” said Crystie Kisler, co-owner of Finnriver Farm & Cidery. “Last year, she made blueberry chocolates for us.

“Along with our champagne- and farmstead-style ciders, we will be pleased to serve tastes of our newly released fruit wines,” Kisler added.

Finnriver makes a spirited apple wine as well as a black currant and blueberry wine, both in the cordial style.

Cavett said last year’s event drew between 700 and 900 people, many of them coming from beyond the Olympic Peninsula.

“During the two weekends, the majority of our people come from Seattle, Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula,” Cavett said, adding that visitors typically break up their visits to the seven participating wineries over two weekends, rather than trying to tackle all of them in just a day or two.

“If they want to visit a few wineries one weekend and the rest the next weekend, that’s fi ne, that’s the way many people do it,” Cavett said. “They either start at Harbinger in Port Angeles or FairWinds in Port Townsend. A lot of people get designated drivers; that’s a really big thing. As winery owners, we appreciate it.”

Advance tickets for the event cost $25 per person. The price includes a commemorative glass, guaranteed admission and a tasting at each participating winery. As an alternative, visitors can pick just a few wineries on the tour and pay a $5 wine and chocolate tasting fee at each winery they visit. Ticket and glass packages will also be sold on the days of the event at the participating wineries and are available on a fi rst come, fi rst served basis.

Doors open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.

Advance tickets are available through the Olympic Peninsula Wineries website or at participating wineries. Go to olympicpeninsulawineries.org or call 800.785.5495.


FeBruary 7Braising workshop at sweet laurette’s - learn the art of braising with laurette at this hands-on workshop at sweet laurette’s cafe & bistro, located at 1029 lawrence st. in port townsend’s uptown district. For more information, call 360.385.4886.

FeBruary 12-13 and 19-21red Wine & Chocolate - doors open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., with each participating winery serving pairings of red wine and chocolate. the $25 advance ticket provides admission to seven wineries, a commemorative wine glass, and a wine and chocolate tasting at each winery. those without advance tickets can pay a $5 wine and chocolate tasting fee at each winery they choose to visit. tickets may be purchased online or by calling 800.785.5495. For more information, go to olympicpeninsulawineries.org.

FeBruary 12Culinary arts classes with sidonie at Fort Worden – “Biscotti, Paximadia & Feggas: italian, Greek and Moroccan rusks” - the cost is $25 per class for adults and $15 for youths. call 360.385.0655 to register. Go to olympichostel.net to learn more.

FeBruary 22Woodinville Winery superstars - the Wine seller’s sit-down tuesday tasting for February will feature Woodinville winery superstars, such as betz Family Winery, delille cellars, matthews estate, Jm cellars and perhaps others. Admission to the tasting is by prepaid reservation only. the cost is $60 per person or $30 for Wine seller club members. prepayment is required. to learn more, go to ptwineseller.com, or call 360.385.7673 or 888.629.9463. the Wine seller is located at 1010 Water st. in downtown port townsend.

FeBruary 25-27Fourth annual Chocolate on the Beach Festival - A three-day celebration of all things chocolate in the communities of pacific beach, moclips and seabrook, Wash. Go to chocolateonthebeachfestival.com for more information.

MarCH 19expo Grays Harbor & Bite of Grays Harbor - enjoy the trade show and taste a variety of foods from area caterers, restaurateurs, bakers and more during this one-day event. the bite and expo is held in the Aberdeen High school gym and commons. doors open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Go to graysharbor.org or call the Grays Harbor chamber of commerce at 360.532.1924 for more information.

Fifth annual ocean shores razor Clam Festival - the festival opens at 7 a.m. at the Ocean shores convention center and includes a clam dig, professional and amateur cook-offs, and more. Go to 2011clams.com for more information.

MarCH 29drinking History, Part ii - participants of the Wine seller’s sit-down tuesday tasting for march will raid the Wine seller’s inventory of older and rare wines. Admission to the tasting is by reservation only. the cost is $60 per person and $30 for Wine seller club members. prepayment is required. to learn more, go to ptwineseller.com, or call 360.385.7673 or 888.629.9463. the Wine seller is located at 1010 Water st. in downtown port townsend.

What’s cookin’ on the peninsula

Cupcake maven LaTrecia Arthur has moved Perfect Endings Cupcakes from its Washington Street location to 909 Water St. in downtown Port Townsend. Hours are Monday through

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sundays. The arrival of Mus Kan Indian Restaurant and Bar to 2330 Washington St. has added a new dimension to Port Townsend’s international dining scene. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Silverwater Café on Taylor Street in downtown Port Townsend is now serving Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Upstage Restaurant has expanded operations with Dungeness Deli, located on Tyler Street in downtown Port Townsend. Kris Nelson of Sirens Pub fame has expanded her downtown Port Townsend operations with two new upscale establishments – Galatea Café and Alchemy wine bar. Both are located on Washington Street near its intersection with Taylor. The café is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The wine bar is open from 4 to 11 p.m. seven days a week.

the dishA lthough the holidays are over, plenty of cold stormy nights still lie ahead, and what better way to settle in for an evening than with a hot cocktail? In addition to a recipe for a classic, hot

Irish whiskey, local bartenders Ray Crowther of Mezzaluna Lounge and Rebecca Romine of Sirens Pub, both in Port Townsend, offer us two of their favorites for warding off winter’s chill.

two winter warmers to soothe the soul

tasting notes

Ramón CoffeeA Silverwater Café and Mezzaluna Lounge specialty

sugar1.5 ounces bacardi 151 rumnutmegcinnamon3/4 ounce cointreau3/4 ounce Kahlúawhipped creamtia mariajuice from a fresh orange slice

start by sugaring the rim of a coffee mug, then add a shot of bacardi 151 and flambé. the flambé process warms the mug and crystallizes the sugar on the mug’s rim.

While the bacardi burns, simultaneously add a dash of nutmeg and a dash cinnamon – both ingredients are most easily added by using a shaker and can create a fiery show.

Once the sugar has crystallized, add a half-shot of cointreau and a half-shot of Kahlúa, filling the

remainder of the glass with coffee, but leaving room for a whipped cream cap.

Finish with whipped cream, a drizzle of tia maria and a squeeze of juice from a fresh orange slice.

Recipe courtesy of Ray Crowther

Hot VoddyFrom Sirens Pub

1 lemon1 to 2 tablespoons of honey2 ounces yazi ginger vodka2 ounces hot water

Warm a pint glass by filling it with hot water.

cut 1/4 to 1/2 of a lemon into small chunks, leaving the peel on.

Once the glass is warm, empty the water and add the lemon chunks. using a wooden spoon or muddling bat, mash the lemon until pulpy, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey and a shot of yazi ginger vodka.

top off with hot water. Add additional vodka, honey or lemon to taste.

“it’s like a hot toddy with lots of lemon and honey,” said bartender rebecca romine of sirens pub.

romine said sirens’ variation on the venerable hot toddy has become popular with people needing to warm up and mellow out on a cold winter evening, and also works to soothe customers’ colds.


aPril 2Port townsend Farmers Market - the port townsend Farmers market reopens for the season. the open-air market is located on tyler street between lawrence and clay streets in the uptown district of port townsend. Open on saturdays April to december from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

aPril 16-17northwest Wine & Cheese tour - seven wineries located in the port townsend and port Angeles areas will host a different cheese maker and pair local artisan cheeses with local wines. Advance tickets for the self-guided tour are available online for $25. visitors who choose not to purchase the advance ticket can pay a $5 tasting fee at each winery they visit. For more information, go to olympicpeninsulawineries.org.

aPril 17-1823rd annual World Class Crab races - Held in Westport, Wash., the two-day event features a crab derby, crab races and a crab feed. Go to westportgrayland-chamber.org or call 800.345.6223 for more information.

aPril 3014th annual aauW kitchen tour - participants on this year’s tour will explore kitchens in the uptown district of port townsend. tickets cost $14 in advance or $18 on the day of tour. the tour starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Advance tickets are available at the Green eyeshade and Kitchen & bath studio in port townsend, dream city market & café near Kala point, dana pointe interiors in port ludlow and Over the Fence in sequim. For more information, call 360.385.2224 or visit aauwpt.org.

Maysequim open aire Market - starting in may, the market is open on saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the boys and Girls club at 400 W. Fir st.

May 15Chimacum Farmers’ Market - the chimacum Farmers’ market reopens for the season at the intersection of state route 19 and center road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on sundays until the end of October.

May 28-29Brinnon shrimpFest - the brinnon shrimpFest is a weekend festival celebrating Hood canal spot shrimp and other local seafood. the event features craft booths, food booths, belt-sander races, exhibits, live music, kids’ activities and more.

June 4allyn Geoduck Festival - the festival kicks off at 10 a.m. and goes until 6 p.m. enjoy fresh local geoduck and shellfish, live music and a beer garden.

onGoinGPort angeles Farmers Market - Open on saturdays year-round from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the market is located on the corner of Front and lincoln streets in downtown port Angeles.

the Food Co-op – cooking classes - the Food co-op in port townsend offers cooking and other food-related classes throughout the year. Go to foodcoop.coop for more information or contact brwyn Griffin at 360.385.2831, ext. 308.

Choose Dos OkiesBBQ catering for

weddings, parties and family events.

We let our fooddo the talkin’!

Find 0ut for yourself at Dos Okies Barbeque

2310 Washington St., Port TownsendOpen Tues. - Sat. from 11 am - 7 pm

GREAT FOOD AND GREAT FUN!www.dosokiesbarbeque.com

385-7669

Pulled Pork Sandwich Plate

PULLED PORK • BBQ CHICKENBARBEQUE BEEF

HOME-MADE SMOKED SAUSAGES PORK RIBS • PIGLETS

WORLD’S BEST BBQ BEANSCORN MUFFINS

Best Barbeque Around?

10893 Rhody Drive, Port Hadlock • 360-385-5285

Visit the

Happy Hour 3-6 pm

Voted Je� erson County’s favorite Mexican food – AGAIN!

• Daily specials • Party platters • Happy Hour Specials • 2 Banquet rooms Visit the peninsula’s favorite today!

Olympic Coast Cuisine reflects the diverse microclimates, coastal proximity and Native American heritage that characterize the Olympic Peninsula. The combination of sustainable locally-grown and foraged fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries, locally hunted game, bountiful local sea fare, and handcrafted local wines offers farm to table experiences that instill a unique sense of place. Prepared with reverence to the local history and culture, fresh Olympic Coast Cuisine is best enjoyed amid the beautiful scenery that surrounds the Olympic Peninsula loop.

From the Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary AssociationLearn more at our website:

www.OlympicCulinaryLoop.com

in tHe next issue oF Coastal Cuisine, CoMinG May 25...

Harvesting Seiku sea urchins • Ozette potatoes

Peninsula burger bliss • A taste of the Rhône – in Shelton

Delivered across the Olympic Peninsula!

advertising inquiries: Contact sara radka, call 360.385.2900

or email [email protected]

≈


A locally owned, awarding-winning waterfront restaurant

Located on Port Hadlock’s Historic Waterfront

Accessible by water, road and air! You will dine in the charming Galster House.

Built in the late 1800s, this quaint building was once the home of Samuel Hadlock, the founder of our town.

• Featuring locally sourced eggs, vegetables, fruit, sh, beef, mushrooms, cheese & beer, to name a few . . .

• Our wine list features an assortment of Paci c NW wines

360.385.3450www.ajaxcafe.com

Open for Dinner Tuesday through Sunday at 5 pm.

foodTHE

CO-OPPort Townsend

414 Kearney 360 385-2883

Fresh daily from our co-op kitchen

organic salads, soups, entrees, desserts, smoothies, nitrate & hormone free meats, gourmet cheeses, live foods, juice bar & organic coffee open everyday everyone welcome!

www.foodcoop.coop

foofoof THE

CO-OPPort Townsend

414 Kearney 360 385-2883

everyone welcome! welcome! welcome! welcome!

www.foodcoop.coop

RÖSLE, the � nest quality professional cooking tools and kitchen utensils for the professional chef and home cook since 1888.

720 Water St. Port Townsend www.thegreeneyeshade.com • 385-3838, Toll free 888-785-3838

Open Daily 9:30 - 6:00, Friday 9:30 - 8:00Free Gift Wrap • Shipping available

LE CREUSET Cast Iron Le Creuset cast iron, still forged and crafted by hand, reigns supreme with its versatility, good looks and ability to retain and spread heat evenly.

FRENCH OVENS BRAISERSROASTERSSKILLETS & GRILLS SAUCE PANSSPECIALTY COOKWAREACCESSORIES

to retain and spread heat evenly.

Coastal Cuisine - Spring 2011

Documents

Transcript of Coastal Cuisine - Spring 2011