Eating on the King Salmon

Patrick with his catch!

I have just returned from a month of doing archaeology with the Alutiiq Museum on the King Salmon River in Alaska. Could you eat locally on the King Salmon River, you ask? There is a reason this river got its name: the runs of king (or Chinook) that pass through here on their way to spawn each year. While the runs were small, dig director Patrick Saltonstall was able to catch some for several meals as a fresh alternative to the camp food we normally enjoyed. Patrick cooked the filets on our Coleman stove with Old Bay Seasoning, which made for a delicious treat. Trust me, this ain't your grocery store salmon.

Enjoying king salmon on the King Salmon!

The people who lived on this site more than 1000 years ago probably fished for salmon, captured migrating birds and caribou, and also made use of local plant life. Thanks to Discovering Wild Plants, we were able to identify many usable plants on our landscape. While we were a bit early to eat the abundant cloud berries, we did nibble on fireweed shoots, beach lovage, and watermelon berry leaves, and enjoyed the strong scent of Labrador tea as we walked through the muskeg around camp. I was too afraid to make it into tea after I found out the potential side effects, but it is also quite popular for throwing on the steamy rocks in the banya.

Collecting Labrador tea. It smells like pine and rosemary.

Dr. West in action. Note the "summer" outfit.

Kodiak, Alaska is an amazing place to take advantage of local food sources, but most of these come through subsistence activities: hunting deer, elk, and goat, gathering berries, fishing for halibut and salmon, and storing these foods for the winter. Betty Odell supplied our camp with homemade salmonberry jelly and her very own smoked salmon, which were produced by the berries and fish she and her family harvest on the island. Patrick keeps a lovely garden that flourishes in the short growing season, since local veggies are impossible to buy in the grocery store, and he is a skilled and committed hunter. Enjoying Kodiak elk roast and halibut filets in our Massachusetts kitchen brings a whole new dimension to our local eating pledge!

The beautiful chocolate lily - named for its color, not its taste.
The root can be boiled and ground into a paste or flour, I believe.

Bordeaux Part Quatre: Steak Frites!

Need I write anything about the famous steak frites? Sean and Marisa took us to L'Entrecote in downtown Bordeaux, which is a restaurant that serves one thing: steak frites. The only thing required of the patron is to choose red or rose wine and how the meat should be cooked (a point, saignant, bleu, etc.). When the steak arrives, it appears on a warming stand smothered in butter and herb sauce and accompanied by an enormous pile of perfect French frites. These frites are not too big and not too small, taste like fresh potatoes, and are fried to an even golden crisp that stands up to the richness of the meat and the buttery sauce. Oh la la!

The warming tray with our portions of steak swimming in butter sauce. Hopefully the red wine balanced out this cholesterol fest...

Owen is a wonderful dinner companion! You can see du pain clutched in his fist.

Bordeaux Part Trois: Du Pain!

As a small child, one of my first words was "bread", and when my Uncle Bob called me on the phone to ask what I was doing I said, in a very small voice, "I'm eating bread." For me, French bread is unparalleled and ranks highly among my favorite foods. Susan and I used to pick apart a loaf on the way home from the grocery store, and I loved the crackly crumbs, moist interior, and that mysterious flavor that cannot be reproduced outside of France. To my delight, Owen shares my love for bread, and his ears perked up whenever he heard the words du pain.

French bread comes in a much wider variety than just the plain baguette, and the local boulangerie will offer several types of grain, shape, and flavor. My favorite is the traditional baguette, and the price of this iconic loaf is tightly controlled by the government. This bread comes with each meal in a restaurant, and the bread is often used as another utensil for pushing food and sopping up delicious French sauces. A tartine is a lovely way to start the day: cut a length of baguette, slice length-wise, slather with creamy French butter and homemade jam, and enjoy!

Bordeaux Part Deux: Wine Tasting!

"Uncle Cafrin" among the barrels.

When in France...drink wine! The wines of Bordeaux are world famous, and we enjoyed many bottles during our visit with the Raymonds. Sean took all of us through the countryside in search of chauteaux participating in La Porte Ouverte (the open door). This was a special weekend when the wine makers open the chateaux for visitors and free tastings, and many offered special lunches, activities, and local items for sale. We enjoyed reds, roses, and the special sweet white wine of the region - which was the perfect partner to strong blue cheese and also to foie gras. Delicieux!

A vintner showing Andrew and Sean his collection of vintage bottles. His father-in-law used these at expositions, and stacked them in the cave each year. We saw bottles dating to the 1940s.

Owen was such a trooper while we tasted wines!

This year's crop of baby grapes will become sweet Bordeaux nectar. Those that stay on the vine longest to develop their sugars (and get moldy!) will become the sweet, white Sauternes and other wines.

Sante! The Raymond boys tasting.

Bordeaux Part Un

Say fromage! Owen, Marisa, and Sean Raymond among the Bordeaux vineyards.

Oh la France. We just returned from a wonderful visit with the Raymonds in Bordeaux, where Sean has an astronomy research position at the Universite de Bordeaux. They live among the domes of the observatory in a beautiful little house, where a neighbor cares for an enormous garden and brings them fresh produce.

Radishes fresh from the garden. Yum-eeee with butter and salt.

Bordeaux is in the southwest corner of France, which is famous for its gastronomic delights. French cuisine is my favorite style of food, and I was in taste-bud heaven during our visit. This was the region where we spent several months at the Ecole Maternelle in Souillac when Susan and I were little, so the visit was full of nostalgic tastes, smells, and sounds. The southwest specializes in duck products, foie-gras, delicious cheeses and pates, as well as Spanish-style hams, red wines, and the sweet white Sauternes. Sean gave us a tour of the open-air market in Bordeaux, where we saw all the vendors with local wares and enjoyed our first lunch of the visit. The flavors of cheese, pate, and red wine are a spectacular feast for the tongue and the tummy!

Dejeuner (lunch) in the Bordeaux market.

While it is not common in American grocery carts, duck (le canard) makes a regular appearance on the French table. In the southwest, le canard comes in many forms, including the confit du canard. In this elegant dish, the duck legs are first cured in salt and then poached in duck fat. The result, which can be bought in a can to avoid this lengthy and difficult process, is beyond words. Sean served us this with the local cepes, or mushrooms, and French fingerling potatoes.

While the work day has grown a bit longer and people's lives more complicated, food still takes central stage in French culture. Smaller markets are being replaced by the larger super-grocery stores (Auchan, Intermarche, L'Eclerc, etc.), but local shops specializing in individual items are still common. There is nothing better than a morning walk to the boulangerie for fresh baguettes and croissants...except maybe eating these treasures.

Cranberry Cornbread

At Christmas-time, I discovered that Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square sells organic Maine cornmeal. It is finely ground, soft, and fluffy, and makes the most delectable muffins and cornbread. Since I am currently addicted to my hearty morning muffin, I decided to combine my Maine cornmeal with the beautiful Cape Cod cranberries I have stashed in the freezer. The result was an indescribable New England treat...and it was gone in a flash!

Look at that golden crust!

To make this lovely cornbread, which also translates well as muffins, I adapted the Joy of Cooking Northern Corn Bread recipe and as many local ingredients as possible:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425. Grease a 9x9 inch pan or muffin pan. Roughly chop 1-2 c. fresh cranberries on a board and sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of sugar. While this is macerating, whisk together:

1 1/4 c. cornmeal (Maine organic!)
3/4 c. all-purpose flour (Vermont King Arthur!)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

In another bowl, whisk together:

2 large eggs (RI farm!)
2/3 c. milk (Shaw farm!)
2/3 c. buttermilk (I used 2/3 c. Vermont yogurt instead)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together until just moistened. Fold in the cranberries and chopped nuts, if you like, as well as 2 T oil (I forgot the oil and they were fine - the yogurt added plenty of moisture).

Bake 10-12 minutes for muffins, 20-25 minutes in a square pan. Serve with butter (Kate's from Maine!) and honey (Farmer Al's!).

Start 'em young

For this year's Mother's Day, we visited Kris, Steve, and the kids in Rhode Island. After a lovely organic brunch by Chef Steve, we spent the afternoon at their favorite farm for a plant sale.



The highlight of this trip was watching little Greta choose plants on her own and seeing her play fearlessly with the chickens. Kris and Steve are starting early and teaching Greta where her food comes from! We went home with locally-baked bread, eggs, and maple syrup. Hopefully this year, some of this food will come from her very own garden.