Here at Watershed, we have a tradition of hand-crafting something delicious during the holiday season as a way to pay tribute to the wonderful artisans we spend the rest of the year learning from and promoting.

Our inspiration this year? Cocktails. More specifically, barrel-aged bitters.

The first person we called was Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager of Clyde Common.  If there’s barrel-aging involved, he’s the man to call. Jeff advised us to follow Gary Regan’s Orange Bitters no. 5 recipe, so naturally we went for it. It was when Jeffrey so generously loaned us the small oak barrel that aged his first ever barrel-aged negroni that we knew this was going to be quite the experience.

Next, we reached out to Douglas Derrick, bar manager of Nostrana, for a little advice on the process since he makes bitters seasonally. Luckily for us, he was just beginning his own cranberry bitters project at the restaurant and took us under his wings.

After 85 hand-peeled oranges, innumerable bags of Oregon cranberries, and countless hours of cooking in giant brewing vats, we have produced something we are really proud of.

What a great pairing: Oregon cranberry bitters and barrel-aged orange bitters — both perfect for creative versions of the Manhattan (a nice nod to our NYC office, led by media guru and cocktail loving Helen Baldus!)

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, we would like to share two fantastic Manhattan recipes and recommend you sip with friends and family. Cheers to a wonderful year to come and taking the time to craft something truly special.

Nocino Manhattan

Recipe by Douglas Derrick of Nostrana, Portland, Ore.

2.0 oz. Ransom Whippersnapper Whiskey

0.5 oz. Handmade Nocino or Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur (See Note)

1 bar spoon of 2:1 Demerara Syrup

2 dashes of Oregon Cranberry Bitters (or Fee Brothers cranberry bitters)

Ice cubes

Stir ingredients, serve up, add two cranberries for garnish.

Demerara syrup:

2 parts Demerara Sugar and 1 part hot water.  Mix well.

Note: Look for a product imported by Haus Alpenz called Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur, but using this version will require added sugar.

Orange Manhattan

2 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Orange bitters (or to taste)

Ice cubes

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass, strain into a chilled martini glass.

Did you see the brilliantly written review of several new foodie books by B.R. Myers in the most recent Atlantic?  I learned about the story and the thread of electronic havoc it’s causing from food politics writer Hannah Wallace, in her weekly round-up for Faster Times.

Where do I begin? His basic thesis is that foodies have formed a tribe whose value system is focused on creating an exclusive community, brutal moments of violence (killing their dinner, for instance), and elitist experiences only affordable if you have trustifarian rootstock.

Many of Myer’s  comments and observations contain grains of truth but he seems to be expanding those little grains into fully developed absolutes, which they’re not. I’d like him to stop and consider the simple quest for flavor and those who seek it.  I know that most of his attacks are directed at what he calls “fringe foodies,” and perhaps I’m talking about more mainstream foodies, but it seems ill-informed and unhelpful to lump all degrees of “gourmets,” “foodies,” or “flavor seekers” into one  scorn-deserving pot.

The f-word has long been banned  from my vocabulary because it doesn’t describe me, my company or how we think about the food system and why good food matters (though we still have we call “Foodie Fridays” at which we learn new craft food and drink techniques as a continuing education practice — the name just sounds too good to change!). So, perhaps the big idea Myers meant to convey was not that Gabrielle Hamilton’s poetic appreciation of raw flesh is pornographic, inappropriate and the emblem of what’s wrong in the national food conversation but that the club of those who relish cooking, sourcing, writing about food is one whose door was shut on him for some reason — not sure why — and he wants membership.

And, it’s probably good news for him that there are a lot of recipes  available for bitters on most cocktail websites, because as Robert Sietsma says (speaking for so many of us, thank you) in his rebuttal in the Village Voice, “Myers’ real problem is dyspepsia. He really, really doesn’t enjoy eating. And resents those of us who do. ”

Enjoy, and let me know what you think after you read both Myers and  Sietsma.  Both are worth the read.

For those who care:  Gabrielle Hamilton is doing a book dinner for her new book Blood, Bones and Butter, at Nostrana in Portland on March 13th.

Yesterday I was fortunate to have one of those authentic Oregon moments. Driving through wine country with a good friend — rainy November day, no traffic — we were power tasting through some of our favorite wineries in and around Carlton, we spontaneously popped into Red Ridge Farms.  Their street sign said “Olive oil tasting,” and we had heard for the past 3 years that they were leading a local movement to experiment with Spanish and Greek varieties here to see if olives could indeed become a viable Oregon crop.

Paul Durant was at the press having lunch and immediately invited us to taste the Arbequina oil spurting out from the small, shiny Italian press.  It has notes of banana and butter, and slight fresh grass with a super spicy finish.

Red Ridge Farms is presenting their first Olio Nuovo Festival (think the oil version of Beaujolais Nouveau) this weekend, and we highly recommend checking it out.  For the past two years, our client Cathy Whims has done a similar thing in partnership with Jeff Bergman, Pricipal of Bergman Culinary Concepts in Seattle, and presented a flight of fresh-pressed Italian oils at Nostrana each December.  The season celebrating fresh pressed imported oils begins on December 15th at Nostrana.  In the meantime, the local Willamette Valley event sounds like a wonderful way to learn about this ancient tradition and how it’s being interpreted locally.

Freshly harvested Arbequina olives. They press the unripened ones for olive oil production. In this case, unripened means more flavor.

Each time I walk into Nostrana, something great happens. It may be a memorable conversation over the Nostrana salad and funghi pizza, or a ‘mmm‘ silence after a forkful of something so delicate and fresh that it makes me wish the bite lasted for hours.  There’s just something about this restaurant that makes me feel at home and I know I’m not the only one.  Locals and visitors alike adore it, and this year this Portland institution turns five.

Restaurants like Nostrana don’t come around often, and the same can be said about chefs like Cathy Whims.  She’s fun and creative, and serious in the kitchen.  She’s humble too, but let’s face it, those bangs deserve a shout out of their own. The thing that’s so great about Cathy is her ferocious curiosity and genuine hunger to bring the most authentic and regional Italian cuisine to Portland that she can.  Coming off her second James Beard Best Chef Pacific Northwest nomination, Cathy and her talented staff are in the groove and we’re happily along for the ride.

Cathy and Lisa have worked together since the restaurant launched five years ago and we are extremely proud to be celebrating this wonderful weekend!

What to expect: Cathy has invited one of her culinary heros, Cesare Casella of Salumeria Rosi in New York City, to join her in the kitchen this weekend.  Together these two regional Italian chefs will share the menu and prepare a prix-fixe meal aptly titled “Eat Like A Tuscan.”  Trust me, you’ll do just that.  This $85 meal for two is served with…

St. Helens 1 kilo rib steak (bistecca alla fiorentina)

or

Laughing Stock pork porterhouse/loin chops (equal in size to bistecca)

and

Ayers Creek purgatorio beans

Your Kitchen Garden radicchio pancetta salsa

47th Avenue mustard greens al pomodoro

Fresh porcini or other wild mushrooms

Dessert is a choice of:

Espresso walnut torte, panna cotta, melon marmalade, apple blackberry crisp, torta della nonna, torrone semifreddo, vanilla gelato and Hotel Cipriani chocolate gelato.

Plus, there’s Italian birthday cake each night with bubbles for all and farmers will be hanging out in the restaurant both nights!  Make a reservation quick and be sure to say hi to Cesare and Cathy.  They’ll be beaming in the kitchen.

With Spain’s recent Wold Cup victory, the country that popularized tapas and late night dining is top of mind, and on everyone’s lips…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Its been four years (this Saturday, October 17th) since Executive Chef/owner Cathy Whims and her team moved to the corner of Southeast Morrison and 14th to open Nostrana, which has since become one of Portland’s most beloved restaurants.

Nostrana’s humble, rustic Italian fare continues to charm the likes of many – Nostrana was named The Oregonian’s Restaurant of the Year in 2006 and most recently, Cathy Whims was a James Beard Award finalist for the Best Chef Northwest title.

This Saturday, Whims and team are excited to shine the spotlight on the local farmers and winemakers that help Nostrana maintain its longstanding commitment to community producers.  In honor of the occasion, Whims is preparing a four-course menu that features ingredients from the farmers with whom she has longstanding relationships including: Ayer’s Creek, Cattail Creek Farm, 47^th Avenue Farm, Kingfisher Farm, Laughing Stock Farm, Prairie Creek Farm, and Your Kitchen Garden.  Local winemakers include Cameron, J Christopher, Matello, and Westrey.  Farmers and winemakers will be on site for the celebration, so this is a great opportunity to savor local food and wine with the producers themselves, prepared by one of Portland’s leading chefs.

The evening’s menu is below.

Two reservation options are available on anniversary night, Saturday, October 17; one at 5 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m.  The cost for the evening is $60 per person, wine and gratuity not included.  Reservations are required.  For more info, visit Nostrana’s website.   Come celebrate!

First Ever Livestock To Piggyback On Wordstock

Two New Culinary Events To Spur Sustainable Farm-To-Fork Conversations Through Literary Arts And Live Butchery Demonstrations

Portland, OR (September 24, 2009) - Watershed Culinary Productions, in collaboration with Camas Davis, food writer and founder of the soon-to-be-launched Portland Meat Collective, is pleased to present the first ever Livestock, an urban conversation designed to explore the literary and literal aspects of killing our dinner.  Livestock will be held on two consecutive Wednesdays, November 4th and 11th, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland. Tickets are $25 each with $10 from every ticket sold going to Friends of Family Farmers, an organization working to promote and protect socially responsible agriculture in Oregon.

“Our goal is to produce an educational experience that brings the discussions happening around food safety and animal welfare to life in a thoughtful, and poetic way,” says , executive producer of Watershed Culinary Productions and director of Watershed Communications.

At Livestock Cathy Whims of Nostrana and Adam Sappington of The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar will respectfully display their butchery craft as ranchers share their bond to the land, and writers present short stories exploring the food politics and emotions embedded in eating meat.  Both evenings of Livestock will include a question and answer session where guests are encouraged to actively participate in the greater debate surrounding our food and where it comes from.  The evenings will wrap up with a terroir tasting of a flight of beef or pig from three local farms cooked by the evening’s featured chef, with the purpose of showcasing place and encouraging conversation.

Livestock will emulate Wordstock, an annual festival of books, writers, and storytelling in Portland, Oregon.  To date Wordstock has hosted more than 550 writers, who have read and performed for nearly 55,000 people at past festivals.  “One of the literary developments that excites us most is the growing crossover between the experience of food and the experience of writing,” says Greg Netzer, executive director of Wordstock.  “We’re thrilled to partner with Livestock to showcase more of this work in Portland, which is lucky enough to enjoy a very rich culture in both.”

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:  Local writers, chefs, and other artists are encouraged to submit personal essays of no more than 1200 words for consideration as part of Livestock.  Essays can explore anything from the politics of eating (or not eating) meat to the emotional (or unemotional) context of killing (or not killing) your dinner.  Submissions might only explore the chop or the rib, or they might go as deep as the tail or the trotter, but metaphor and style will be prized above technicalities and generalities of any sort.  Six finalists will be chosen to read their essays at the event.  An honorarium will be offered to each author, along with all the charcuterie they can consume in one evening.  To submit please contact Camas Davis by October 12th at:  camas.davis@gmail.com

Space is limited so please call (503) 827-6564 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to reserve your place.  Pay by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or cash.  Sorry no checks.

Livestock 1: The Butchery of a Cow

What:

The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar Chef Adam Sappington and Sweet Briar Farms, with readings & butchery demonstration.  Chef Sappington will prepare three cuts from three different farms, and guests will be invited to compare and contrast flavors.

When:

November 4, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where:

The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland
34 NW 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 228-6528

Cost:

Tickets are $25 each.  Please call (503) 827-6564 to reserve your seat.

Livestock 2: The Butchery of a Pig

What:

Nostrana Chef Cathy Whims and Laughing Stock Farm, with readings & butchery demonstration. Chef Whims will prepare a flight of meat and invite guests to compare and contrast flavors.

When:

November 11, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where:

The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Portland
34 NW 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 228-6528

Cost:

Tickets are $25 each.  Please call (503) 827-6564 to reserve your seat.

#    #    #

ABOUT LIVESTOCK
Livestock was developed by Watershed Culinary Productions as a collaboration with Camas Davis of the Portland Meat Collective (PMC).  Sponsors of Livestock 2009 include The Art Institute of Portland, The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar, Nostrana, Laughing Stock Farm, and  Sweet Briar Farms.  Wine will be donated by Big Table Farm, and other local wineries.

ABOUT PORTLAND MEAT COLLECTIVE
The Portland Meat Collective brings local meat to local people.  It’s a network of Portland citizens who want a cost-effective way to buy meat directly from Oregon’s small ranchers.  While PMC is modeled after traditional meat CSAs that are popping up around the country, it is also an up-close-and-personal traveling butchery school.  Once PMC procures that whole cow, pig, or lamb, members can take part in master butchery and charcuterie classes with Portland meat masters. They’ll get to decide how they want their animal carved up.  They’ll wield knives and bags of curing salts.  And they’ll learn what to do with all those specialty cuts once they’re at home in the kitchen.  PMC brings a dynamic, local, sustainable approach to buying and eating meat straight to the people.

ABOUT WATERSHED (Formerly LAD communications)
Watershed is a strategic editorial services company specializing in the restaurant, beverage, and hospitality industries.  With deep expertise in natural foods, beverages and products, Watershed promotes national brands as well as regional companies with a strong appetite for growth. Watershed’s special expertise is in helping place-based brands (such as farms, ranchers and wineries) take that big leap up to the national scene.  Livestock is the autumn event for Watershed Culinary Productions, producers of the Indie Wine Festival.

San Francisco based freelance writer Laura Fraser looked to Watershed for culinary and wine country recommendations when assigned a story on Portland for Frontier Airline’s Wild Blue Yonder magazine. Watershed worked with Laura to craft a story on Portland’s spectacular restaurant scene and Oregon’s beautiful wine country.

Laura uncovers the gems of Portland and Oregon’s wine country in her feature story “Portland in its Prime,” published in the September issue of Wild Blue Yonder.

You can also read this story on Wild Blue Yonder’s website – http://www.gowildblueyonder.com/

Check out our clients in the August/September issue of Ultimate Northwest. The Country Cat, Mother’s Bistro & Bar, Ten 01, Tabla and Nostrana were all included in the Best Restaurants: Editor’s Picks roundup.

Chef Adam Sappington of The Country Cat was also pictured as winning the 2009 Original Portland Iron Chef competition.

The Italians know how to throw a party, so when Cathy Whims called about throwing a Palio di Portland party at Nostrana, we knew it’d be a good one.  Get ready Portland, because it’s time to take your foot off the brake and get in gear for the races, Siena-style!

Every year in the summer huge crowds flock to the Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy, where representatives from 10 of the 17 city wards compete in Il Palio, a harrowing horse race around the famous tilting Piazza. On Sunday, August 16th from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Nostrana is throwing its own “Palio di Portland” complete with races (bikes, skates, tricycles, three-legged, horse headed broomsticks!), a rustic Siena feast, bottles of Italian Rosé and Prosecco, prizes and more.

Executive Chef and owner Cathy Whims has crafted a Siena inspired menu with dishes like grilled pork sausages; onion foccaccia Siena-style; charcuterie of prosciutto, salametti and chicken liver crostini; and panzanella salad of ciabatta bread, fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil and vinegar. Dishes will be served buffet-style alongside Italian Rosé and Prosecco at a $25 flat rate, gratuity included.

Guests are encouraged to bring family, friends and their competitive spirit, because between bites all are welcome to participate in the races, which take place outside of Nostrana. The races begin at 1:20 p.m. with an awards ceremony to follow at 2:30 p.m., at which time the winning racers’ own Portland neighborhood flag will be raised and bottles of wine and gift certificates awarded.

The schedule is as follows.

• 1:20 p.m. – Two-legged stick race
• 1:30 p.m. – Three-legged race
• 1:40 p.m. – Roller skate race
• 1:50 p.m. – Bicycle race
• 2:00 p.m. – Tricycle race
• 2:10 p.m. – Three-legged stick race

Nostrana’s “Palio di Portland” party is on Sunday, August 16th from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Reservations for the event are recommended. Please call Nostrana at 503.234.2427 to secure a spot in the races and a seat at the table. Nostrana is located at 1401 SE Morrison, Portland, OR 97214. For more information about Nostrana, visit www.nostrana.com.

Click here to see a youtube video of what’s to come…!