Me! On the Radio!

Go check out my podcast-y debut over on Savor Portland! I had the extreme pleasure of stopping over at the PDX.fm studio and chatting with the lovely Devlyn about Portland food, offal, growing up with a dad who cooks a lot of meat and stalks me on Twitter, fancy salt phobia, the sadness that is the Southwest Portland Starbucks scene, my new house and NEW DOUBLE WIDE WEDGEWOOD OVEN, Gaspachogate 2010, and the glory of Southern Californian citrus and avocados, and being "tongue scarred" by raw olives as children growing up with olive trees.

Also, for the record, I don't expect people to start calling me Allison E. Jones - allisonejones is only my twitter handle because allisonjones was taken... I'm not some brat that requires a middle initial in interviews... yet... It could have been worse, I could have gone with @theallisonjones, my high school email address - another unfortunate result of having a pretty common name. I don't think I'll ever live that one down. Who puts an article in front of their name? Ugh. I call a do over.

Anyway - go check out my ramblings. I'm hooked on talking into microphones. Someone make this happen again? Thanks!

Hawthorne Bridge Lighting and Lift 100: PDX Bridge Festival 2010

"The centerpiece of this years festival is the Hawthorne Bridge, which celebrates its hundredth anniversary in 2010. In honor of the centennial of the nation’s oldest working vertical lift bridge, we’ve designed an installation that will transform this bridge into a large-scale work of kinetic art. The lighting display makes use of programmable and environmentally aware lighting technology to interact with the nightly vehicle and bike traffic on the bridge. The lights accentuate 48 panels of colored fabric installed in three spans of the bridge trusses, turning the structure into a wash of color and moving light, and marking the rhythm of commuter traffic as it moves across the bridge. The installation will be visible for the 15 days of the festival and can be viewed from neighboring bridges, both esplanades of the Willamette River and downtown buildings."

For more information about the Portland Bridge Festival, the Hawthorne Bridge's 100 year anniversary, the bridge lighting and lift, and the Multi-Media Hawthorne Bridge Show on July 31st, check out the PDX Bridge Festival website here.

All photos © Allison Jones 2010

Pescado Al Pastor with Cilantro and Pineapple Sauces

This month's Bon Appetite was filled with recipes that actually stuck me as novel - a rare event, indeed. Usually food magazines are filled with retreads of whatever seasonal classics are timely. I don't really need another recipe for peach cobbler, instructions on how to make a deli sandwich, or tips for zucchini bread (I've already got the recipe for the best zucchini bread ever). But this month, from Corn and Dulce De Leche Panna Cotta to sweet Tomato Tarte Tatin to this recipe for Pescado Al Pastor from a restaurant in Mexico City, I've been cooking directly from recipes and have been floored by the results.

Here's the sad thing, though. I ripped out the page for the Fish al Pastor, and now I have no idea where it is. PLUS it's not on the Bon Appetite website. So really, there is no way I or anyone else in the world will be able to cook this ever again. Unless you, dear reader, also have a copy of this month's BA and would scan the page for me. (ahem, it's Lemonbasilpdx@gmail.com)

Anyway, for this recipe, which is now lost to the ages, I needed a few ingredients I knew I could get at any mexican supermarket. Unlike my hometown in Southern California, however, we don't have many awesome supermercados within Portland city limits. Now, I'm the kind of person that hates to wait for the elevator so much that I walk down nine flights of stairs a few times of day, and I brought a book to my college graduation because I didn't want to waste time, but I will gladly take an hour and a half to drive out to Cornelius, Oregon to go to Grande Foods for achiote seeds and guajillo chiles. And THEN take a few more hours preparing my own achiote paste, a caramelized pineapple sauce, pico de gallo, and cilantro pepper sauce from scratch to make a "simple" dinner for two of my friends. I'm weird like that.

Food exists in this alternate reality for me. On one hand, there's life obligations - like work, errands, and most human interactions - that can really make me angry if they require a bit more time than I had allotted for them in my meta life schedule. But with food... I don't know, I can get lost in it, spend an entire afternoon making SAUCE, and be completely happy.

Sorry I don't have a recipe for the amazingly delicious pescado al pastor. It was seriously one of the best fish dishes I've ever made. As a consolation prize, here is the recipe I used to make my achiote (aka annato) paste. It's really, REALLY worth it to make your own and not buy the paste you get in stores. The taste of fresh achiote paste is incomparably better - trust me, you'll want to put that on everything.

Which recipes would you miss the most if they ended up lost? What foods are you willing to drive more than an hour to find?

Happy Birthday, Lemonbasil!

Today marks two years since I opened up my laptop and decided to start a food blog with a silly name. Thanks to everyone who reads these words; it's been an absolute joy to share my meals, adventures, and emotions with you through the seasons. Two years ago I was a student with a new camera, a penchant for fruity desserts, and the goal of getting a few people out there to comment on some blog posts. Now, as a graduate, a photographer, a (small) voice in the Portland food media, and an experienced navigator of the harvest year, I still find the greatest pleasure reminiscing about last night's meal, last weekend's party, or this morning's news. I've cooked in so many different kitchens in the many places that I've called home, and all the while Lemonbasil has been my virtual dinner party through the changes. I'm recently come to figure out that I don't necessarily love food - I love sharing food with people I love, even if it's through the blog the morning after. I can only hope to spend many more years taking in the farmers' markets, typing away at these keys, snapping photos around Portland, and meeting friends around the world. I can't wait to see what comes next, and I truly hope you'll join me for the ride.

Here's to another year of eating well!

Photo Credits and Market Props

Hey guys... The lovely Mona from the Portland Farmers' Market just let me know that a photo of mine was featured on CNN.com's America's Best Farmers' Markets! I love it when PFM gets the credit it so very much deserves (even if they just talk about our mushrooms...) and it doesn't hurt to see my name along the side of a photo on CNN: the fine print on the right side there says "Courtesy Allison Jones/Portland Farmers' Market"... The article focuses on the appeal of farmers' markets for travelers, and I certainly agree with some of their picks. The Portland Farmers' Market (presumably the PSU incarnation) joins the Columbia City Farmers Market in Seattle, Santa Monica Farmers' Market, Alemany Farmers' Market and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Fransisco, Green City Market in Chicago, the The Union Square Greenmarket in NYC, Santa Fe Farmers Market (with its ungodly variety of chili peppers for sale), Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market in D.C., and the Flint Farmers' Market in Flint, Michigan.

Someday I hope to travel and take pictures (and tastes) of all of the markets on the list, but until then, I'm happy with my hometown favorite. The farmers' market at Portland State University on Saturdays is far and away one of the best things to do in Portland, whether you're a visitor or a long-time resident. When you're only in town for a weekend, it's like a little microcosm of the region, because you get a glimpse of the local food scene, the seasonal changes, the popular music and fashion, the attitude... and when you live in Portland, the farmers' market can become a social hub, a grocery store, and, at least for me, a home away from home and a launching pad for a career. Check out the full article here: America's Best Farmers' Markets, and be sure to check out the farmers' market next time you're in Portland. I'll show you around!

Wordless Wednesday: Of Cabbages and Kings