sixty seconds with david reamer: 2019

One from the Vaults for the WSJ

Not sure, but i think this is actually my first time being in the Wall Street Journal.

Burn the Ice is gaining a lot of momentum. Forget Amazon... buy it right HERE from Powells and support local business!

What do I do with all this freakin' zucchini?

This year I was tasked with putting some serious effort into the Union Wine Co. FIELD NOTES This is a part of their site that tells employee stories, showcases recipes and cocktails as well as a few cool How To’s…

This is one of those posts. Check them all out in the above link.

Garden Bounty Pt 3:

What do I do with all this zucchini?

If you have ever grown zucchini in your own garden or had a neighbor or co-worker who has grown it, you know all too well that right about this time even the smallest zucchini plants start producing like gangbusters and they suddenly become everyone’s favorite gift. And no matter how much you love this particular Italian veggie, there is only so many things to be done with it before it begins to pile up on your counter.

So in our continuing series, we have dug deep for a lesser know, but absolutely delicious recipe to make great use of those few extra zucchini… (even those really giant ones that nobody really knows what to do with.)

For this post, we are going to teach you a pretty basic zucchini fritter recipe and a delicious creamy Green Goddess dressing to serve along with it.

Let's start with the dressing, as it will last several days in the refrigerator. Hopefully you still have a good cache of fresh herbs in the garden, although you may need to pick up a few at the store.

Green Goddess Dressing

(recipe makes about 1 pint)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C fresh basil leaves

1/2 C fresh dill fronds

1/2 C fresh tarragon leaves

1/2 C fresh italian parsley leaves

3/4 C mayonaise

1/2 C sour cream

2 oz cider vinegar

1/2 C buttermilk

salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Place in a tupperware container. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight and then adjust for seasoning. Extra dressing is great on grilled meats and fish, as well as most vegetables.

Zucchini Fritters

(recipe makes about 4-6 fritters)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 LBS zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini) grated

1 tsp salt

1 large legg

1/4 all purpose flower

3 TBS finely chopped fresh chives

1 TBS cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

Canola Oil for frying

STEP ONE:

Grate the zucchini, place in the sink in a colander and toss with the tsp of salt. Let sit for 20 minutes and then wring shredded zucchini dry in a kitchen towel, cloth napkin or cheesecloth. This step is very important.

STEP TWO

Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently add in the egg, flower, cornstarch, chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

STEP THREE

Heat about 1/2 inch of canola oil to about 375 degrees in a large pan. Very very careful place 1/4 C scoops of the batter into the oil and gently flatten. Cook til brown on each side without burning, about 3-4 minutes per side.

STEP FOUR

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Place on a platter, spoon a generous amount of Green Goddess over the top. Serve immediately.

Bon Appétit!

Photography, Recipe and Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)

Saving lives, one paw at a time

A few months ago, I was chosen to shoot what ended up being the best, most rewarding, most karmically enriching project of my entire career. Zoe Mendell of ZoePDX Design Studio here is Portland was tasked with redesigning the website for VRC Veterinary in Bend. She had a great idea of shooting a series of portraits of pets and their owners to accompany testimonials about what amazing work VRC was doing. And luckily she thought my portrait style would fit really well. It was our first collaboration, but certainly not our last.

#beyourpetshero

I'll let the photos speak for themselves but i will mention that this project prompted a whole Pet Series on my website.

MONTAVILLA REPRESENT!

This is one of those posts. Check them all out in the above link.

The Montavilla ‘Hood:

From Farmers Market to Amazing Summer Supper

Featuring Chef Ben Bettinger

As Portland expands and more local businesses emerge, we think it's as important as ever to support the local community.

Recently, we reached out to chef extraordinaire and Montavilla resident Ben Bettinger to show us what he loves about his neighborhood. Ben is part owner of "Your Neighborhood Restaurant Group”, which includes Laurelhurst Market, La Luna Cafe, Ate-oh-Ate, Reverends BBQ, and Bigs Chicken. He is officially the Executive Chef at Laurelhurst Market as well.

Having recently moved to the East side of Mt. Tabor, Ben often hits up the Montavilla Farmers Market (Sunday 10-2) for all the local produce he needs to create a beautiful dinner for his wife Autumn and son Reed… as well as friends that might stop by. We tasked him with creating a fresh and delicious summer meal that would pair well with Union’s Underwood Rose Bubbles… and oh boy, what a feast he whipped up!

But first, off to the market...

Montavilla Market is one of the smaller local weekend markets, but offers many options. For stone fruit alone, Fulton Farms has beautiful peaches and nectarines as does Baird Farms. They also offer lots of activities for the kids, including face painting, which Reed took full advantage of.

Many other vendors, such as Denison Farms & Crooked Furrow Farm offer beautiful peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onion, herbs and many other fresh produce options.

Okay, the shopping is done, so let's get to creating some beautiful dishes. I personally lucked out, and since Ben and his wife had friends in town, my wife and I were invited over for a truly outstanding Sunday Dinner with the Bettingers. I will let Ben tell you in his own words what was on the menu and how you can make it for yourselves next weekend!

White Nectarine, Roasted Onion and Tomato Relish

(Makes 3 cups)

2 White Nectarine, cut small dice

1/2 Sweet Onion, roasted in a cast Iron pan with 1 T olive oil until nice and charred on the cut side

1 Jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise and then into half moons, remove seeds if you are sensitive to spice

1 small Tomato, Cut into a small dice

1 T Chopped Parsley

1 tsp Chopped Tarragon

6 basil leave, chiffonade

3 T Rice wine vinegar

1/4 C olive oil

salt and pepper

Combine all, adjust with honey if the nectarines are not as sweet as you may like.

This relish will be used on the grilled albacore tuna...

Spice Grilled Oregon Albacore Tuna

I chose Albacore tuna because it pairs so well with Rosé and I seasoned the albacore tuna with a spice mix that I refer to as my All Purpose spice mix.

AP Spice mix:

equal parts of the following - I grind all these together in a coffee grinder

Cumin Seed

Yellow Mustard Seed

Corriander

Black Pepper

Fennel Seed

Generously coat the fish with olive oil and liberally sprinkle with the Spice mix.

Tuna does best on a hot grill. I love these albacore loins because they are so easy to grill whole and slice for a quick backyard BBQ. Top them generously with the Nectarine, Onion and tomato Relish.

Heirloom Tomatoes and Grilled Summer Vegetables, Basil and Aged Balsamic

This is a quick and easy dish that can be put together with any summer vegetables that you may get at the farmers market. Tomato season is here so that was a no brainer. For this dish, i sliced the tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices, keeping them raw. I also chose to use Eggplant, Summer Squash and Onion. These vegetables were coated with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled, arranged over the sliced tomatoes and then drizzled with olive oil, aged balsamic and torn basil leaves.

In this dish, i tried to take the major flavors of a ratatouille and deconstruct it to better enjoy large chunks of the vegetables, as well as mixing fresh with grilled.

(Author’s Note: My wife and I had just harvested a whole garden box full of fingerling potatoes, so we added them to the local bounty.)

Rizzeamer Farms Garden Potatoes with Sautéed Summer Chanterelles , Garlic and Oregano

I cooked the Potatoes in salted water until just tender(easily pierced with a fork),cut the down the middle, then sautéed them in a cast iron pan with olive, salt and pepper. Add chanterelles to the pan and a touch more olive oil and gently stir them together, re-season, add chopped garlic, oregano and parsley and a hearty squeeze of lemon.

As requested, Ben created the menu to pair perfectly with Union’s Underwood Rose Bubbles, the best choice for a late summer dinner.

Grilled Sweet Corn, Seed & Chile Flake Butter, Cilantro Salt

Grilling Corn can be done many ways. I chose to grill them whole in the husk, then peel back that husk once they fully cooked, this gives the flavor of being grilled without drying out the corn too much.

You can't have corn without butter so I placed a stick of soft butter in a small mason jar, and seasoned it with 1 T sesame seeds, 1 T poppy seeds and and a pinch of red pepper flakes. I reserved a few tablespoons of butter and poured it over the soft butter and seeds right before eating.

Bon Appétit!

Photography and Text by David L. Reamer. (@dlreamer)

Mad kitchen skillz by Ben Bettinger. @benbettinger

Your Neighborhood Restaurant Group:

@laurelhurstmarket

@bigschicken

La Luna Cafe: @simpaticapdx

@reverendsbbq

@ateohatepdx

Montavilla Farmers Market: @montavillamarket

New work for Q Restaurant

I rarely get to shoot at restaurants anymore.... thanks a lot iPhone 10... but when i do, i make the most of it. Q Restaurant and Bar is one of my most consistent restaurant clients, so they had me in to update some seasonal photos.