We have started a tradition of going out to dinner on Tuesday nights. Originally, we were thinking maybe every other Tuesday, but this month went to three places — of course, I am certainly not complaining. We tried two new places: Bar Avignon and Nostrana and revisited an old-standby: Cafe Castagna. This post is mostly pictures, enjoy!

Bar Avignon 2138 SE Division Street Portland, OR 97202

I liked the food a lot. Also, it was a very cozy space. But, jwa and I were both a little surprised with the vibe. Not really uninviting but not that inviting either. It was weird, the whole time we were there I don’t think I saw any of the staff smile at all. I’m perfectly willing to assume it was . . . → Read More: Tuesday Night Dinners]]>

Caesar Salad at Cafe Castagna.

We have started a tradition of going out to dinner on Tuesday nights. Originally, we were thinking maybe every other Tuesday, but this month went to three places — of course, I am certainly not complaining. We tried two new places: Bar Avignon and Nostrana and revisited an old-standby: Cafe Castagna. This post is mostly pictures, enjoy!

Bar Avignon
2138 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97202

I liked the food a lot. Also, it was a very cozy space. But, jwa and I were both a little surprised with the vibe. Not really uninviting but not that inviting either. It was weird, the whole time we were there I don’t think I saw any of the staff smile at all. I’m perfectly willing to assume it was just a strange night or something and go back again, though. I really want to love this place. And it’s totally walkable from our house which is a huge score. C’mon, Bar Avignon, cheer up! I think you may be secretly awesome.

Arty menu shot.

Ambiance through a water carafe.

Paprika spiced hazelnuts.

One of my most favorite newly-discovered prosciutto applications: prosciutto wrapped lettuces with fromage blanc.

jwa’s meal: a artisan cheese & charcuterie selection with salmon rillettes and a blue cheese.

Roasted chicken with a nutty, currant-y rice and a cucumber, garlicky yogurt accompaniment. Oh, it was so good!

Vanilla bean crème brûlée.

Nostrana
1401 SE Morrison St # 100
Portland, OR 97214

Nostrana, Nostrana, Nostrana. I want to like you a whole lot. Really. I’ve heard so many good things and the space was really nice and all and I loved my cocktail. I just wanted more, I think, for the money we spent. I also thought our server was a little condescending, especially when we were just ordering pizzas and salads (put your fancy-pants away, okay?) Also especially when he asked how I liked the radicchio, which I was tentative about, since I normally am not a fan of the bitter lettuces, and then seemed bored by my response that I did actually like it in the salad. Dude! You asked.

I’d totally go again and try the 3-course farmhouse dinner. Just probably not until we go to a few more new places (Laurelhurst Market!) and hit a few more old favorites like Country Cat and Cafe Castagna. So, don’t hate me, but I didn’t love it. Bummer.

Green Smoke cocktail…it had gin, chartreuse and a few other things along with a smoked salt rim.

Nice ambiance with tall ceilings and a well-stocked, colorful bar.

Funghi verdi pizza: shiitake, house mozzarella, pecorino, garlic, lemon oil, arugula.

Alla fiamma pizza: tomato, red onion, Mama Lil’s peppers, wild oregano, spicy oil, black olives.

Cafe Castagna
1758 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214

Speaking of which, when we left Nostrana I really kind of wish we had gotten cocktails, pizzas and salads here instead. So, the next Tuesday we went and had dinner at Cafe Castagna and paid the same amount of money. We also really enjoyed the food, got a server that joked around with us and was very pleasant.

Regarding pizza, I guess it can depends on whether you are more of a crust person or a toppings person. Myself, I am more of a toppings person. Plus, their crust is not bad at all, very light and almost crackery with a nice poof to the edges. Nom-nom-nom.

Cocktails: Aviation gin martini with one olive and a raspberry lemon drop.

Arancini: fried risotto balls filled with fontina.

Gooey, tasty fontina.

Pizza: summer squash, fresh sheep’s milk cheese, sweet onion and oregano. Very fresh and delicious tasting. I loved it!

This is a great all-purpose soup. You can make it in the summer with a pound of garden or farmer’s market carrots, or any time with a bag of peeled carrots, as in the original recipe. We actually have the bag of carrot snacks in the fridge quite often and if they don’t get used for…snacks, I am often wondering how to use the bag up fast. This soup was the answer.

Usually I am so-so on carrot soup but something about the flavors here just clicked for me. It was especially good the next day, as the different ingredients had time to come together and meld. I’m also already forming a plan to use this recipe in the Fall with some butternut squash or pumpkin for the . . . → Read More: Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon]]>

This is a great all-purpose soup. You can make it in the summer with a pound of garden or farmer’s market carrots, or any time with a bag of peeled carrots, as in the original recipe. We actually have the bag of carrot snacks in the fridge quite often and if they don’t get used for…snacks, I am often wondering how to use the bag up fast. This soup was the answer.

Usually I am so-so on carrot soup but something about the flavors here just clicked for me. It was especially good the next day, as the different ingredients had time to come together and meld. I’m also already forming a plan to use this recipe in the Fall with some butternut squash or pumpkin for the carrots!

Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit magazine
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1-pound bag classic-cut peeled carrots
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups low-salt vegetable broth (you can also use chicken broth)
1/2 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
1 tbsp brandy
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
Fresh tarragon sprigs for garnish

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and onion; sauté until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add broth; cover and bring to boil.

Reduce heat, uncover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth.

Return soup to pot. Stir in orange juice, brandy, and chopped tarragon. Simmer 5 minutes for flavors to blend.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish soup with tarragon sprigs and serve. Again, it’s even better the next day so if you can, make a few hours before, refrigerate and rewarm before serving.

This was a revelation in my ice cream making adventures. You see, I already had the cream but I also had only fat-free milk at home. And I was too lazy to go to the store and get some whole milk. Well, I thought, it might be weird anyway because of the sesame oil, so I should just make it with fat-free milk and see what happens. It’ll be an adventure!

Because it was an adventure, I chose to make a half recipe from the original recipe I came across in Food & Wine Magazine. I also halved it because that recipe used 8 egg yolks, which I have a problem with on a completely non-rational level. Eight egg yolks = crazy. A half recipe using only 4 egg . . . → Read More: Sesame Ice Cream]]>

This was a revelation in my ice cream making adventures. You see, I already had the cream but I also had only fat-free milk at home. And I was too lazy to go to the store and get some whole milk. Well, I thought, it might be weird anyway because of the sesame oil, so I should just make it with fat-free milk and see what happens. It’ll be an adventure!

Because it was an adventure, I chose to make a half recipe from the original recipe I came across in Food & Wine Magazine. I also halved it because that recipe used 8 egg yolks, which I have a problem with on a completely non-rational level. Eight egg yolks = crazy. A half recipe using only 4 egg yolks = sensible. I have no idea why.

That all said, wow, was this delicious! I didn’t miss the extra fat from the milk at all. And, truth be told, I did kind of monkey with the ratios a bit and used half cream to milk, instead of a quarter cream to milk as called for originally. But still, this was so smooth and creamy. I loved it. I think I will use my crazy half cream to half fat-free milk mixture for ice cream from now on.

Oh and sesame ice cream? Awesome! I really liked (almost peanut butter-ish) the flavor and there were these delightful, tiny, jellied-like sesame oil pieces throughout the ice cream. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about them, but by the third spoonful I pretty much loved them.

Sesame Ice Cream
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine. Recipe halved from the original. As written, this will make just under a quart of ice cream.
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fat free milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 tbsp of the sugar.

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, cream and the remaining sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Gradually whisk the warm liquid into the egg mixture, then return it all to the saucepan.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thickened slightly, about 4-5 minutes. Do not bring to a boil. Pull the custard from the heat before it reaches 200 degrees F (I pulled mine around 188 degrees F.)

You should be able to pull the wooden spoon up, run your finger across it, and create a path through the custard on the spoon.

Strain the custard into the bowl and stir in the sesame oil, vanilla and salt. Let cool and refrigerate until well chilled or overnight.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

The original recipe is here: halvah sesame sundae. It includes a mix of whole milk and cream and tasty assorted sundae toppings reminiscent of sesame-seed candy.

Well, it looks like this is the second salad post in a row. I will fix that by posting about ice cream next!

This recipe made a great cold lunch. You could serve it hot or warm, but I think it works just as well as a cold salad. The nice part there is you could roast all the veggies the night before (or in the AM), when it is cooler, toss it all together (minus the dressing), and then serve it later in the day, with the cool mango-sesame dressing. I actually made the salad at night, divided it out into bowls, packed the dressing up on the side, and both jwa and I had it for lunch at work the next day.

The original recipe just had snap peas, . . . → Read More: Asian Chicken Noodle Salad with Roasted Vegetables]]>

Well, it looks like this is the second salad post in a row. I will fix that by posting about ice cream next!

This recipe made a great cold lunch. You could serve it hot or warm, but I think it works just as well as a cold salad. The nice part there is you could roast all the veggies the night before (or in the AM), when it is cooler, toss it all together (minus the dressing), and then serve it later in the day, with the cool mango-sesame dressing. I actually made the salad at night, divided it out into bowls, packed the dressing up on the side, and both jwa and I had it for lunch at work the next day.

The original recipe just had snap peas, but I substituted green beans and added a bunch of other vegetables (and decreased the grilled chicken to one breast, instead of two). I also chose to use frozen mango pieces, instead of the original recipe’s prepared, jarred mango chutney.

You can really add whatever vegetables you like here — as few or as many that you’d like. I kind of just used this as an excuse to clean out my produce bin. An excess of summer zucchini would probably work well here too!

Asian Chicken Noodle Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine — makes 2-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are
12 ounces green beans, trimmed
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into thin 2.5-inch long pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into thin 2.5-inch long pieces
1/2 a white onion, halved and sliced into 1/2 rings
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
10 cherry tomatoes, halved if large
1 8- to 9-ounce package fresh Japanese-style noodles (such as udon)
1 tbsp Asian sesame oil
1 grilled chicken breast, cut horizontally in half, then crosswise into thin strips
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup thai basil
Toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup frozen mango slices (or chunks), defrosted — of course fresh will work too!
6 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 3/4 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp (or to taste) dried crushed red pepper

Make Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover tightly; blend until dressing is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use. Leftover dressing can be kept refrigerated for about a week.

Salad:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange all vegetables to a baking sheet. It’ll look like a lot but vegetables always cook down. Sprinkle with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes. remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, add noodles to boiling water. Cook until tender but firm, 3 minutes (or as directed on package). Transfer to large bowl. Toss noodles with sesame oil. Add roasted vegetables, chicken, green onions and basil; toss with enough dressing to coat.

Arrange salad in bowls and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Extra dressing works great with almost anything. A dip for vegetables, sauce for more grilled chicken, spring rolls…a spoon.

The other day, I checked the freezer and discovered a bag of frozen, shelled edamame. Then, I searched online for something interesting to do with it. I found something that was both interesting and delicious, for this is a very tasty and refreshing salad. The ginger works well, as does the garlic I added to the original recipe, which sadly, had none. So sad. Everything needs garlic.

Anyway, we had this salad on the side with some Japanese grilled fish (salmon). That recipe is here and was also quite good. Together, the pair made a great, light Summer dinner.

Oh! And big discovery — I pulled the husks and silks away from the cobs, rubbed the corn with olive oil and grilled it on my grill pan! About 15 minutes . . . → Read More: It’s Summer! Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad]]>

The other day, I checked the freezer and discovered a bag of frozen, shelled edamame. Then, I searched online for something interesting to do with it. I found something that was both interesting and delicious, for this is a very tasty and refreshing salad. The ginger works well, as does the garlic I added to the original recipe, which sadly, had none. So sad. Everything needs garlic.

Anyway, we had this salad on the side with some Japanese grilled fish (salmon). That recipe is here and was also quite good. Together, the pair made a great, light Summer dinner.

Oh! And big discovery — I pulled the husks and silks away from the cobs, rubbed the corn with olive oil and grilled it on my grill pan! About 15 minutes total time and it was done and ready to use in the recipe. That’s a nice alternative to going outside to grill for just a couple of ears of corn (especially here, as it was just in a salad and not to be eaten on the cob). I was quite proud of myself for coming up with this method of cooking corn inside, because I certainly didn’t want to turn on the oven or boil it.

Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad
Recipe adapted from one published in Self Magazine
2 ears fresh corn, unhusked, or 1 1/4 cups cooked corn kernels
1/2 cup shelled edamame (frozen is fine, just cook according to package)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup small-diced red bell pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped or grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Soak fresh corn in cold water about 30 minutes. Heat grill on high. Grill corn in husk, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Let cool. Remove husks. Cut corn from cob into a bowl; combine with remaining ingredients.

Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Give it a stir and you’re good to go!

Coming up sometime in the future: something Greek, from the new $5.99 clearance Greek cookbook I scored at Borders, Miso-glazed fish, and a tasty halibut recipe!