Page 4C
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
East Oregonian
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By ALISON LADMAN
Associated Press
Lots of people love their slow
cookers. Just as many folks don’t.
We tend to be in the latter group.
Not because we don’t appreciate
the dump-and-go convenience.
And we certainly enjoy being
greeted at the end of the day by
delicious smells before we’ve
even taken off our coats.
Our objections come down to
taste and texture. Too many slow
cooker recipes taste just like every
other slow cooker recipe, no mat-
ter what the ingredients. And after
bubbling away for so many hours,
most recipes end up with that just-
shy-of-mush texture. No thanks.
So we decided to see whether
we could come up with a stack
of slow cooker recipes that didn’t
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need for variety. Our inspiration?
Barbecue pulled pork and chicken.
The process is simple. You
start with either boneless, skinless
chicken thighs or country-style
pork ribs or rib chops. Throw
them in the slow cooker with a
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ful liquid. Put your cooker on low
and head off to work. When you
get home from work, you’ll have
a tender meat ready to shred and
turn into an easy dinner.
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No time for a slow cooker?
Combine all the ingredients plus
an extra 1/2 cup of liquid in a
large saucepan. Simmer, covered,
for 1 hour, then proceed with the
recipe.
6WDUWWR¿QLVK 4 to 5 hours on
high, 8 to 10 hours on low
6HUYLQJV 4
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly
sliced
• 1 cup white wine, low-sodi-
um chicken broth or apple cider
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless,
skinless chicken thighs or coun-
try-style pork ribs or rib chops
• 1 teaspoon whole black pep-
percorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Italian herb mix
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
In a 4-quart slow cooker, com-
bine the onion, liquid of choice,
meat of choice, peppercorns,
bay leaves, Italian herbs and salt.
Cover and set to cook on low for
8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to
5 hours. The meat is ready when
it is fork tender and falls apart
easily. Remove and discard the
peppercorns and bay leaves. Shred
the meat using 2 forks, discarding
any fat or bones. Use the meat in
one of the following dinner ideas:
²4XHVDGLOODV Drain any
extra liquid from the meat. Spread
over large tortillas, sprinkle with
shredded cheese, black olives,
scallions and diced jalapenos. Top
each with another tortilla. Toast on
Fresh-faced, yet utterly jet-
lagged. That’s how I arrived in
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that’s how I was introduced to
Belgian endive.
Madame Gabillet was
hosting me for my college
semester abroad and she
welcomed me pretty much
right off the plane into her
chilly, dark home. Dinner
was waiting, so we sat right
down and rather silently (since
I didn’t yet speak a word
of French) began the meal.
That’s when I saw a vegetable
I didn’t recognize.
Was it cabbage? No. But
whatever it was, it was bathed
in a luscious cream sauce with
Gruyere bubbling on top. It
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would be a cold and rainy few
months. I understood precious
little of what my host family
said to me that night, but I did
catch the name of the tender,
slightly bitter, delight that we
ate — Belgian endive.
Madame Gabillet loved
Belgian endive (and luckily,
as I discovered, so did I). She
served it chopped and sauteed
in sweet butter, or sliced and
tossed raw in a mustardy
vinaigrette, or — my favorite
— baked in a white cream
Mardi Gras in New Orleans: glitzy balls followed by parades
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Rev-
elers danced into the wee
hours Tuesday at glitzy balls,
kicking off the annual Mardi
Gras bash that spills cos-
tumed merrymakers into the
streets of New Orleans for
partying, parades and trinkets
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Al Johnson, singer of
the catchy Mardi Gras tune
“Carnival Time,” served as
grand marshal of the Red
Beans and Rice foot pa-
rade, a Monday prelude to
the all-out revelry known
as “Fat Tuesday.” He and
others downed traditional
fare of spicy red beans and
rice before attending the
Orpheus Ball, one of several
as the partying began in this
Mississippi River port.
Johnson told The Asso-
ciated Press his catchy song
— now synonymous with
the annual Carnival seasons
— got its inspiration from
the Lower 9th Ward, a New
Orleans district devastated by
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“It all started down there,” he
said of the Louisiana neigh-
borhood where levees broke
and surging stormwaters
splintered wooden homes.
But after Katrina, he said,
“Life is going on.”
Celebrities and celebrity
watchers are also around at
Mardi Gras and this year was
no exception.
The cast of the CBS crime
drama “NCIS: New Orleans”
got to experience Mardi Gras
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Orpheus parade late Monday,
tossing beads to revelers
lining city streets before
heading off to the ball. Their
Mardi Gras episode airs
Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CST.
Other celebrities joining
in this year’s revelry were
comedian Ron White and
country music star Dierks
AP Photo/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune, David Grunfeld
The parade rolls through on Mardi Gras Tuesday in New
Orleans. The crowd was thick along St. Charles Ave-
nue, where the route of Zulu, the day’s first big parade,
merged with that of Rex, one of the most elaborate. Rex
was followed by two long “truck parades,” floats built up
from flatbed trailers and decorated by costumed riders.
Bentley.
Ordinary folks took to
dressing up. Friends Alex-
andra Sergutin and Ashley
Dornier of New Orleans said
donning elegant gowns for
the Carnival balls is one of
their favorite Mardi Gras
activities.
“It feels good to be a part
of that tradition. It really
does. It touches your heart,”
said Sergutin, draped in
colorful beads. “ ... You’re a
Caribbean
escape
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
Slow cooker pulled chicken coconut curry.
part of something amazing
and big.”
Around daybreak Tues-
day, retired clarinetist Peter
Fountain was to help kick off
the citywide party. The Na-
tional Weather Service said
some early rain was expected
to clear out shortly before
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temperatures in the upper 30s
to the lower 40s by midday.
Now 84, Fountain no
longer makes the walk of 10
miles or so of his Half-Fast
Walking Club, which he
helped found more than half
a century ago.
Celebrations also were
scheduled throughout south
Louisiana and in coastal
Mississippi and Alabama,
sharing the traditions brought
by French Catholic colo-
nists in the 18th century. In
Louisiana’s swampy bayou
parishes, costumed riders
on horseback go from farm
to farm, collecting ingredi-
ents for a huge community
gumbo.
After Fountain’s Half-Fast
Walking Club, parade groups
were to follow, including
the “krewe of Rex, king
of Carnival,” who wears a
golden crown and carries a
golden scepter. That group
features some of the season’s
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After Rex two groups were
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topped by costumed riders
— whether families, clubs or
other social groups.
The parades wind down
late Tuesday afternoon and
outdoor celebrations cease at
midnight, when the solemn
Catholic season of Lent
begins. New Orleans police
ride horseback down the
French Quarter’s Bourbon
Street to clear the last tipsy
revelers at the end, signaling
the party is over for another
year.
EAT
SHOP
PLAY
Exploring Pendleton,
Milton-Freewater,
Mission, Pilot Rock
& Walla Walla
AP Photo/Kavitha Surana
This January 2015 photo shows Bottom Bay in Barbados. The Caribbean island is relatively easy on the wallet, with
easy-to-use public vans to beaches around the island, plus dining options like Oistins Fish Fry, an outdoor bazaar of
restaurant shacks serving heaping plates of food.
Slow cooker pulled chicken pesto pizza.
both sides in a dry skillet. Cut into
wedges and serve with sour cream
and salsa.
²6ORSS\-RHVMix in 1 cup
barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup apple
cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons
brown sugar. Serve on bulky rolls.
²&RFRQXWFXUU\ Stir in
1 can of coconut milk, 2 cups
chopped cooked vegetables (such
as broccoli and roasted red pep-
pers) and 2 tablespoons red curry
paste. Serve over rice.
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Whisk together 1/2 cup half-and-
half with 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Drain the liquid from the meat
into a saucepan. Stir the half-and-
half mixture into the meat liquid
and cook over medium heat, stir-
ring continuously, until it simmers
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
and thickens. Stir in 1 1/2 cups
thawed corn kernels and 2 table-
spoons chopped fresh thyme. Stir
together with the shredded meat
and serve over mashed potatoes.
²3HVWRSL]]D: Stir 1 cup
purchased pesto into the shredded
meat. Spread over 2 prepared
pizza crusts. Sprinkle each with
grated Parmesan cheese, then top
with slices of fresh mozzarella and
sliced roasted red peppers. Bake
at 450 F until golden and melted,
about 20 minutes.
²0DUPDODGHQDFKRV: Drain
the meat and stir in 1/2 cup orange
marmalade, 1/2 teaspoon red pep-
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vinegar. Spread over tortilla chips.
Top with sliced scallions, sliced
Peppadew peppers or pickled
Slow cooker pulled chicken Greek pitas.
jalapeno peppers, and shredded
cheese. Heat in a 350 F oven just
until the cheese is melted.
²3LFDWWDSDVWD Add the
meat to a pound of pasta, cooked
according to package instructions.
Stir in 1/4 cup capers and the
zest and juice of 1 lemon. Serve
topped with grated Parmesan
cheese.
²*UHHNSLWDV: Drain the meat
and mix with the zest of 1 lemon,
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
oregano and 2 minced cloves of
garlic. Combine 1 peeled, diced
and seeded cucumber with 1/2
cup plain Greek yogurt and 1/2
cup crumbled feta cheese. Serve
in pita pockets with chopped fresh
tomato.
²6HVDPHQRRGOHVCook an
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
8-ounce package of udon or soba
noodles according to package
directions. Whisk together 2
tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons
soy sauce, 2 tablespoons toasted
sesame oil and a splash of hot
sauce. Toss with the meat, 1 thinly
sliced red bell pepper, 1 thinly
sliced bunch scallions and the
noodles. Top with 2 tablespoons
toasted sesame seeds.
²/HPRQJLQJHUEDUOH\
VRXSAdd 1 quart low-sodium
chicken broth, 2 tablespoons
grated fresh ginger, the zest and
juice of 1 lemon, and 3/4 cup
quick-cooking barley to a large
saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes,
then add the meat and its cook-
ing liquid. Season with salt and
pepper.
Getting to know Belgian endive with the help of cheese
By MELISSA D’ARABIAN
Associated Press
Saturday, February 21, 2015
sauce with onions and cheese.
Back in the U.S., I saw
Belgian endive slowly make
its way into supermarkets.
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pretty much all year. They
look like a cross between an
elongated oversized Brussels
sprout and a very small head
of compacted romaine lettuce,
but more yellow. Both Belgian
and regular endive are part of
the chicory family and sport a
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Each Belgian endive has
only 15 calories, but packs
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calcium. And for something
that sounds so exotically
European, it’s downright
inexpensive.
So grab a few and try
them in some of your favorite
recipes that star other greens
— raw in place of escarole,
sauteed instead of cabbage or
kale, simply grilled or roasted
with olive oil, salt and pepper
and squeeze of lemon. Or
try my version of the dish
that started it all — Madame
Gabillet’s Belgian endive
gratin.
———
Food Network star Melissa
d’Arabian is an expert on
healthy eating on a budget.
She is the author of the
cookbook, “Supermarket
Healthy.”
BELGIAN ENDIVE GRATIN
6WDUWWR¿QLVK 45 minutes (15
minutes active)
6HUYLQJV 4
By KAVITHA SURANA
Associated Press
ROSALIE, Dominica —
“Are you sure this is the right
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in the tree knots below me.
Luca, my husband, respond-
ed with a grunt — not very
reassuring.
Luca and I are not exactly
avid hikers or adrenaline
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or bungee-jumping for us
on a typical vacation. But
when the urge to escape
the winter grind struck, we
didn’t just want to relax on
the beach. We also wanted
some element of inspiration
and adventure — however
mild. Only question: Where
to go? We decided to make
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to two islands, Dominica and
Barbados, each with its own
allure.
And that’s how we ended
up hanging over a cliff face
in Dominica.
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• 2 tablespoons butter
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chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
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• 2 cups reduced-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 4 small to medium Belgian
endives
• 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a
medium (9-by-9-inch) baking dish
with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan over
medium heat, melt the butter. Add
the onion and cook until translucent,
about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and
tarragon, then cook until fragrant,
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cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the
milk, whisking constantly. Cook over
medium heat, stirring, until the sauce
begins to thicken, about 6 minutes.
Turn off the heat, stir in mustard, then
season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cut off the woody stems of
the endive and slice them in half
lengthwise. Season them with salt
and pepper. Place the endive in the
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Belgian endive gratin.
prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce
over the endive halves. Cover with
foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove
the foil, then sprinkle the cheese
evenly over the top. Return to the
oven for another 15 minutes, or until
the endive is tender.
If desired, increase heat to broil
and broil the gratin until the cheese is
bubbly and browned, about 1 minute.
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
Be careful as the cheese will burn
quickly. Let cool for a few minutes
before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
230 calories; 120 calories from fat
(52 percent of total calories); 14 g fat
(8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 45 mg
cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 3 g
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sodium.
A rugged, hard-to reach,
self-proclaimed “nature is-
land” dropped into the Lesser
Antilles, Dominica is as far
away from the all-inclusive
Caribbean experience as you
can get. Instead of bands of
tranquil beaches crawling
with tourists, it’s covered
with lush rain forest and
enough trails to keep you
hiking for weeks.
We were climbing down
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day, a vertical trail of tangled
mangrove roots and impro-
vised rope ladders. And we
had, in fact, managed to lose
our way. There was nothing
to do but keep going.
But as we learned
throughout the trip, Domini-
ca always rewards a struggle.
Safely reaching the bottom,
we found ourselves on a
scene straight out of “Pirates
of the Caribbean” with a
secluded black sand beach,
a waterfall shooting off the
cliff into the rough sea and a
coconut tree swaying lazily
in the breeze.
Dominica was full of
AP Photo/Kavitha Surana
This January 2015 photos shows Victoria Falls on the Ca-
ribbean island of Dominica. Dominica, sometimes called
the “nature island,” offers hiking trails, lush rain forest,
cliffs and black-sand beaches.
small astonishments like that.
After scrambling over muddy
rocks and wading through
rivers for an hour, we’d
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with a powerful waterfall
emptying into a basin of
turquoise water — perfect for
swimming. Snorkeling, we
not only enjoyed watching
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but thanks to the island’s
volcanic activity, we were
surrounded by sparkling
bubbles that give the spot its
name: Champagne Reef.
I couldn’t have felt farther
from my usual busy sched-
ule. In the morning, we’d
start the day with a refresh-
ing jump into the river. At
night, we curled up in a
comfortably furnished yurt at
a property called Mermaid’s
Secret, falling asleep to the
calls of crickets and frogs.
But sometimes, as they
say, you need a “vacation
from the vacation.” Domini-
ca’s isolated natural beauty
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days of exploring, our mus-
cles were tied up in knots and
our legs were crisscrossed
with scratches. Before we
headed back to snow, we
were still dreaming of a
perfect beach day. Luckily,
Barbados was next on our
itinerary.
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Soon, we were crammed
into a white van, Luca
scrunched up next to our
suitcase, reggae music mak-
ing us want to dance. For one
U.S. dollar, we were heading
from the airport to the home
of our Airbnb hosts.
We chose to visit Barba-
dos because it was on Dom-
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also pass through Antigua)
but also because we’d heard
it was relatively easy on the
wallet. Its postcard-perfect
beaches are free and public
transportation is simple to
navigate. Almost every time
we stepped onto the street,
a van pulled up next to us,
ready to whisk us away.
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dazed by the crowded beach-
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on vacation. But thanks to
the vans, with a little legwork
we found perfectly secluded
beaches in Barbados too.
Juma’s Restaurant, in
Speightstown, was an easy
favorite. Pool-calm waters,
an immaculate stretch of
sand and free use of lounge
chairs and umbrellas make it
the island’s best-kept secret.
On the Saturday we visited,
the lounge chairs didn’t even
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lunch you can buy a sand-
wich for $5.
On the other side of the
island, try Bottom Bay.
With its dramatic cliffs and
foamy waters, it was clear
to see why it’s popular for
fashion shoots. There are no
restaurants nearby, so pack
a picnic, but you can buy a
pina colada in a fresh coco-
nut onsite.
Still, there’s a time and
place for crowds in the
Caribbean. On Friday nights,
tourists and locals alike de-
scend on Oistins Fish Fry, an
outdoor bazaar of restaurant
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LQJSODWHVRI¿VKSODQWDLQV
and macaroni for $15. As
the night went on, the music
turned up, more locals joined
in, and the stage became a
freewheeling dance scene
where everybody showed off
their moves.
On our last morning, we
woke up with the sunrise. As
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warm waters before head-
ing home to face the rest of
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we’d accomplished our goal:
the perfect introduction to the
Caribbean.
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coming back,” Luca said.
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