Ned Ludd, Portland, OR

Lately there seems to be nothing better than meeting our friend Sam in Portland, OR, for a meal before heading to the coast to see family. Sam is a native to Portland and has become quite restaurant savvy as of late. He knows the best place to get a coffee, best place for Lebanese, best food cart, best dessert, best pizza… you name it and he has an idea. So, we couldn’t wait to see what Ned Ludd had to offer.
While walking up to Ned Ludd it became clear that Sam had chosen a winner. The landscape of edible plants let us know right away that we were going to experience farm-to-table, local, seasonal fare. The re-purposed interior decor kept us quite entertained while waiting for Sam.

And then came the food. Our first plate of pickles was quite inspirational. I love that “pickles” is a word we associate now with a pickled cucumber, but it is actually a preserving method for many things. Here we enjoyed a plate of tomatoes, mushrooms, yellow squash, chard, cucumbers, beets, and onions. I plan to reproduce this… or something like it.
Next, I had a perfect cup of gazpacho. I could have eaten a huge bowl of this, but, one must show restraint while out in public. This gazpacho with heirloom tomatoes was without a doubt some of the best gazpacho I’ve ever had. (Let’s also note here that I used to live in Spain… land of gazpacho).
The late summer vegetable plate was my main dish. Potatoes fried in butter(…need I say more?), roasted eggplant, and a breaded and fried yellow heirloom tomato topped with an aioli. I was in heaven.
Ned Ludd’s menu reads a bit like The Jabberwocky, but that’s part of the fun. They play with turn-of-the-century English in their forebits, kaltbit, plats, and rearbits, but they don’t play with food. They’re seriously plating some of the best food we could have eaten one hundred years ago. Two thumbs up to Ned Ludd. I wish we had something like this place here in Boulder.

Turkey Meatballs in Grilled Roma Tomato Sauce

I am so glad I made a huge batch of my Grilled Roma Tomato Sauce and froze a number of jars because it went really well with my turkey meatballs.
For the meatballs- start with 1 pound of ground turkey thigh in a large bowl. To that, add:
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • a few tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
  • pinch of sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
Mix this all well with your hands and form golfball-sized meatballs on a separate plate.
Heat 4-5 TB olive oil on medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. When hot, add the meatballs and let them cook a few minutes before rotating them a bit. I like to brown mine on all sides and I’m not too picky about little pieces falling off of some meatballs as I flip them. After 10 minutes or so, add 1/2 cup red wine, let it start to sizzle like crazy, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Let this cook a few more minutes and then add it all, and I mean ALL… pan juices, burnt-to-the-bottom turkey bits, etc. – to a pot of hot Grilled Roma Tomato Sauce.
Finish cooking the meatballs all the way through in the sauce. Serve with warm crusty bread, parmesan cheese, and whatever else you like.

Enjoy.

Ratatouille

I, like a lot of Boulder residents, read The Daily Camera– our local paper- online. I saw this recipe in August and recreated it it exactly. This simple, fast dish had me so impressed that I made it again.
The second time was just as great as the first, and led to a conversation about how such a simple dish can have complex, developed flavors. Fresh, seasonal produce is the key to an absolutely delicious ratatouille. It is the time of year to make ratatouille, so let’s all head out to our gardens or local market, gather these ingredients, and savor some seasonal veggies.

Ingredients:
  • 1 small eggplant, un-peeled, cut in 1/4 in dice
  • 3 TB olive oil
  • 1 pound zucchini, quartered and sliced
  • 1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 TB finely chopped garlic
  • 6 plum tomatoes, 2 beefsteak, or 2 large heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut in large dice
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 4 TB fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and peppers, and stir continuously for 4 minutes or so over high heat to ensure the pieces cook evenly.
Add the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and stir to blend. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or so.
Remove the bay leaf and stir in some of the basil. Use the rest of the basil as garnish. Enjoy.

Minnesota Midget Melon

I swear… this heirloom melon is really called a Minnesota Midget. I wouldn’t make that up. I thought Mark at Ollin Farms was kidding, but he assured me that was the name of this small, sweet, juicy melon. I looked it up… he wasn’t kidding.

This small melon is just the right size for two people to split for dessert. I included a cork in my photo so you can get an idea of the Minnesota Midget’s small stature. But, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in flavor. It tastes like one of the best cantaloupes ever, but not exactly like a cantaloupe. I can’t really describe it well, so go out to your local farmers’ market and see if anyone is growing them. If not, ask them to grow some next year.

Orzo Mac n’ Carrots and Cheese

I made WAY TOO MUCH orzo one night for a simple orzo and pesto dish. I don’t know what I was thinking… Why did I keep adding orzo to the pot of boiling water? Did I not think it was going to expand and take over the pot?
Well, it did. I had so much orzo left over that I needed to make something else with it because I really try to avoid wasting food. Since it is carrot season, I decided to make my Macaroni and Carrots and Cheese using orzo rather than traditional macaroni. Turned out to be a great idea.
I added some fire roasted green chilies that I got from my CSA with Ollin Farms to spice it up a bit, and served it with an avocado and tomato salad. Nothing went to waste.
If you are a fan of baked mac n’ cheese, give my Mac n’ Carrots and Cheese a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised and pleasantly stuffed.

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A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
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