Tonight we watched the Sicilian episode of "No Reservations" with Antony Bourdain. Have you seen this show? Bourdain is a bad boy gourmand. It works. Kinda like Hans Solo had a travel/cooking show. . . and grew up in New York. He smokes and drinks with relish so we don’t have to. Anywho, a Sicilian he spoke with on the show said that they refer to a grand display of produce or fish as a “triumph”, as in, "Ah, here is a triumph of salmon" or "A triumph of artichokes, my good man, well done!" A triumph makes me think of Mr. Cratchit, forgive the ye olde tone. Better to think of a heap of goods towering in front of young Bacchus. More baroque, less Dickensey. . . yeah, but what about that spread around the feet of the Ghost of Christmas Present? I think of Edward Woodward in the George C. Scott Christmas Carol:
“Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see:, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door.”
'Come in.' exclaimed the Ghost. 'Come in. and know
me better, man.”
- A Christmas Carol
Have that in mind when thinking about the Portland Farmer’s Market. Now, it is not the same scale as the San Lorenzo Market in Florence, Italy, for example-nor is it in a coastal city with glorious fruits de mer arranged like many eyed seraphim overflowing the market tables, but it is full of the wealth that does abound in the land all around Portland. And it is always teeming with life: Romany inspired music, colorful shoes and legwear, exotic dogs or mutts in wagons, brilliant bags and bouquettes held up like torches to light the way through the early (and late) spring rains, children chasing pidgeons, political protesters enlisting the help of giant papier-mache heads or even ponies (Ponies for Peace, all this under the canopy of the grand trees of the South Park blocks. It is a beautiful thing. If you ever come here, I’d say you should see it as a priority. We have gathered the components of many gorgeous meals there since moving here just over a year ago, but last night, last night we pulled together (Now here’s where it all comes around. . .) Dum-Dum-ta-Dum! - a Triumph of a Sandwich! So we though we owed it to posterity to write down every last ingredient of this sandwich and some of the vendors who brought them to the market. This is by way of writing a love poem to the Portland Farmer’s Market.
Here goes-
The Bread:
Fressen Bakery Bier Brot (with unbleached white Flour, Amber Ale, Sourdough, Beer mash, Sea Salt) We toasted it on the grill.
On the Bread:
Guacamole
Balsamic Syrup from The Crabapple company (Oh my God on Sandwiches)
Dulcet Madras Curry Mustard (of Dulcet Cuisine) OK-this mustard can make a sandwich an event.
The Meat:
1. (For Doug) Grilled Beefalo Burger from Pine Mountain Ranch. They specialize in grass fed buffalo meat; (You must talk with the passionate owner Alan Rousseau.) Though I am a vegetarian, I am thankful to have a meat loving husband and dog who are thrilled to try his wares, if only to hear him describe his products with tremendous pride. Read about him at http://pmrbuffalo.com/about.html Bahjah, our Saluki, had a catnip like reaction to yesterday's feast of (get this) Tibetan yak liver. She also lives for his raw buffalo bones and her teeth look so white for it.
2. (For me) Grilled Gardenburger Portobello mushroom burger. (Though you may scoff, the earthy mushroom taste was great with the bierbrot.)
The Fixins:
Heirloom Tomatoes
carmelized onions (White and red)
sliced red onions and lemon basil (on Doug's)
Fresh Sage leaves (on Mine)
The Sides:
1. Steamed Italian Kale and Collard Greens with Garlic, sprinked with Seaweed Gomasio (Seaweed, Sesame Seeds and Salt)
2. Oh, and a side of pimientos de padrón cooked in olive oil with course salt (Gray sea salt from ile de Re, France). These are amazing snacking peppers from Padrón, Galicia in Spain grown by Viridian Farms. A highlight of the meal despite its location here. Check out this link Doug found on the peppers-Hey, Mom, you can get them mail ordered! http:www.chowhound.com/topics/16095
And order them from these folks- http://www.tienda.com/food/products/vg-09.html?rlid=search&HBDCMP=IL-TSugSearch
Try it all with this Portugese red, Quinta de Bons-Ventos out of the Estremadura region - it zinged with the sandwich and was low cost to boot. Buon appetito!
