Food from old bowls feed generations

  • By Jan Roberts-Dominguez
  • Monday, December 3, 2012 8:50pm
  • Life

I love the heft and beauty of a well-made bowl and over the years have brought a fair number of them into my kitchen.

Old or new, it’s shape that defines their use: large with high sides and rounded bottom for batters and doughs; medium and deep for hot rice and freshly mashed potatoes; wide and welcoming for pasta, tossed greens and tortilla chips; miniatures for dipping sauces or a nosh of leftover soup at midnight.

As you can imagine, antique stores and craft fairs are my downfall.

In the former, I’m encountering pottery that has already performed a lifetime of service in unknown kitchens.

Because I’m intrigued with each bowl’s functionality, as well as its inherently artistic form, I can relate to friend Jeff Taylor’s attraction to antique tools. In his wonderful book from over a decade ago, “Tools Of The Trade,” Taylor delivered the essence of a carpenter’s most basic aids through a series of essays focusing on each one of his favorites.

As he wrote in his introduction: “It takes a while to find the meaning of tools, the aura of them, if you will, the way they seem to be asleep until you learn how they work and how to use them.

“Suddenly you have a tool that is yours, and more than yours, because it has a history that precedes your ownership. It may have been handled by giants and wizards of the craft; it may act a little skittish in your hands, but at that moment, you are becoming part of its working life.”

When I reach for one of my beloved well-used antique bowls, Taylor’s words ring true. Its past — although unknowable — forever links me to a line of cooks who grasped its sturdy form and used it to feed grateful spouses and children.

For completely opposite reasons, I’m drawn to the work of present-day potters. We’re lucky to have such a talented community of them here in the Willamette Valley. At any given art festival my resolve to cap my bowl collection is undermined by these alluring vessels; each one an original piece of art. So much beauty and purpose brought into being from a humble lump of clay, speaking to me on multiple levels.

But ultimately it boils down to shape, texture, glazing and something far too intrinsic to identify. I just know it’s the right bowl for me.

Unlike the mysterious tales that accompany the antique beauties, for these brand new bowls, my ownership marks a journey just begun. Their inner surfaces will never again be as pristine. But hopefully their golden patinas will speak to future generations of the love and use they received in that first Corvallis kitchen.

Spinach salad with brown sugar bacon vinaigrette and roasted hazelnuts

1 pound tender young spinach, trimmed of coarse stems

10 slices bacon, snipped crosswise into julienne strips before cooking

1/3cup red or white wine vinegar

1 firmly packed tablespoon golden brown sugar

1/2teaspoon salt

1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 mushrooms, washed, dried and sliced thin

1/2cup chopped roasted and skinned hazelnuts

2hard-cooked eggs, peeled and diced

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Wash spinach well in several changes of cold water, spin dry, then bundle in paper towels and refrigerate. When ready to proceed, mound spinach in a large heat-proof salad bowl.

Brown bacon in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden and crispy. Drain the crisp brown bacon bits on paper towels and set aside.

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Stir in the vinegar, scraping up all the cooked-on bits of bacon. Whisk in the brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Add the olive oil, then adjust the seasonings; set the dressing aside while you assemble the salad ingredients.

Tear the spinach into bite-sized pieces, discarding tough stems. For individual servings, divide the spinach between 6 to 8 salad bowls or plates. Over each bowl, layer the mushrooms, hazelnuts and some of the dressing. Sprinkle each serving with some of the egg, crumbled bacon, and Parmesan cheese. For one large bowl, prepare as above, and toss the salad at the table, right before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Here’s another great holiday salad. Persimmons are in season, as are new-crop Willamette Valley hazelnuts.

Salad of mixed greens with Fuyu persimmons and roasted hazelnuts for a crowd

3/4cup fresh orange juice

1tablespoon grated orange peel

3tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1/3cup canola oil

2tablespoons hazelnut oil

1/2teaspoon salt

1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

6cups of mixed salad greens, torn into 2-inch pieces

10ounces total of baby spinach and baby arugula

1large bunch watercress, stemmed (about 6 cups)

3Fuyu persimmons, peeled, halved, thinly sliced

1red onion, thinly sliced into rings

2cups coarsely chopped roasted and skinned hazelnuts

Boil orange juice and orange peel in heavy small saucepan over medium-high until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar, canola oil, hazelnut oil, salt, pepper, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Season dressing with pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead; cover, chill)

To serve: Place all greens and half of persimmon slices in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among plates. Top each with remaining persimmon slices and hazelnuts.

Makes servings for 10 to 12.

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, artist, and author of “Oregon Hazelnut Country, the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” and four other cookbooks. Contact her at jan@janrd.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.