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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2017)
Page 4C EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE East Oregonian Saturday, May 27, 2017 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dean Roy of Pendleton looks over at his wife, Theresa, as Dana Grieb of Walla Walla, portraying Stella Darby, flirts with him in the Cozy Rooms bordello in Pendleton. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Reenactors play a game of cards in a Prohibition era speakeasy during the Pendleton Underground Comes to Life. UNDERGROUND: Requires a lot of ad-libbing Continued from 1C usually still talking amongst themselves or feeling unsure, but by the time they get to the later stops they are “100 percent in the time period.” Tricia Mooney played a saloon girl in the Shamrock Card Room this year, passing out samples of sarsaparilla and Pendleton Whisky to tourists and mingling with the gambling cowboys. She said her daughters, ages 12 and 14, came along to play servers in the old-time ice cream parlor featured in part of the tour. Mooney lives in Herm- iston now, but when she started with the Underground Tours four years ago she was living in Pendleton and was invited by a friend to give volunteering for the event a try. “It takes tons of volun- teers,” she said. “It’s fun. There are people you see every year when it comes back together.” She said she never did high school theater or anything like that, but she’s found it is fun once a year to step into a new role as someone she is not. Dressing up in period costumes, making friends with the other actors and helping the tourists have a good time are also things that keep her coming back each year, she said. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Sophal Do, portraying Hop Sing, and Chris Sykes, por- traying Mr. McBee, both of Pendleton, reenact a scene in Hop Sing’s Laundry during the Pendleton Under- ground Comes to Life. The level of preparation for the event depends on the character a volunteer is playing. Mooney said she was given information to study ahead of time, but there is a lot more ad-libbing than memorizing lines. “You never know what to expect,” she said. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Staff photo by E.J. Harris Tricia Mooney serves shots of Pendleton Whisky while portraying a saloon girl in the Shamrock Card Rooms at the Pendleton Underground Tours in Pendleton. Dan Feil portrays a Presbyterian minister heckling people going to the Cozy Rooms bordello. Couscous and chicken takes very little time, work By SARA MOULTON Associated Press AP Photo/Pat Eaton-Robb This April 25 photo shows the ruins of Sagunto Cas- tle in Sagunto, Spain. The ancient castle was used by the Romans, Moors and Christians and is an easy day trip from Valencia. Day trip from Valencia, a trip back in time By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press VALENCIA, Spain — It’s an easy day trip from Valencia and it’s also a trip back in time: a visit to the castle in Sagunto. Sagunto is just a half-hour by train from Valencia. From there you can take a taxi or walk 15 or 20 minutes through the narrow cobblestone streets toward the big castle ruins on the hill. The fortress was built to protect the town and through the centuries has been used by Moors, Romans and Christians. There’s also a 14th century Jewish ceme- tery. Hannibal sacked the place in 219 B.C., Napo- leon’s army seized the castle after a siege in 1811 and the ancient parapets were used as machine-gun turrets during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. The site is made up of seven squares and stretches more than a half mile (almost a full kilometer) along the hill. There is no admission charge. You can explore the grounds, climb some of the ancient walls and even inspect the Roman outhouses. A small museum houses stones with Latin and Jewish inscriptions. A walk down the hill brings you to the restored Roman amphi- theater, dating to the reign of Augustus. The only restrooms at the site have no roof, offering a seated view of the castle walls. The fortress offers spectacular views of the town below, the Mediter- ranean and on a clear day, Valencia in the distance. The winding walk back through town, perhaps with lunch or souvenir shopping along the way, brings you to the train station. You’ll be back in Valencia with plenty of time left to enjoy the day. With Ramadan, Islam’s annual holy month, upon us, I thought I’d offer up some couscous, a dish that originated among North Africa’s Berbers a thousand or so years ago. The term refers to a kind of grain as well as to the broad range of recipes — a combined dish of broth, vegetables and red meat, chicken or fish — served with that grain. Couscous is the national dish of Morocco, where it possesses “a quasi-mystical character,” according to Claudia Roden in “Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon.” She writes: “Morocco’s Berbers call it keskou, a name said to be derived from the sound steam makes as it passes through the grain. It is served on all great occasions, both happy and sad. It can be very simple, with the couscous plus just one vegetable such as fresh green peas, or it can be quite grandiose with stuffed pigeons sitting on a mountain of couscous mixed with almonds and raisins.” The stew here consists of chicken thighs, frozen artichoke hearts crisped up in the chicken fat, green olives, chicken broth and lemon wedges. Why lemon wedges instead of lemon juice? Because as they bake among the other ingredients, the wedges impart a more lemony flavor to the dish. What’s wonderful about this dish (besides its lusciousness) is that it calls for very little time and work on your part. You can brown the chicken thighs while prepping the rest of the ingredients, a step that helps get the dish into the oven that much faster. And the sauce makes itself as the chicken bakes. Sara Moulton via AP Couscous with baked chicken, green olives, lemons and artichoke hearts. COUSCOUS WITH BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS Start to finish: 1 hour (40 active) Servings: 4 to 6 • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 8 small bone-in chicken thighs (3 to 3 ½ pounds) • Kosher salt • One 9-ounce package defrosted frozen artichoke hearts (about 2 cups), quartered and patted dry • 1 tablespoon minced garlic • ½ cup green olives • 1 lemon cut into 8 wedges, plus 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 1 ½ cups chicken broth • One 10-ounce box instant couscous • ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley, cilantro or mint, or a mix Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large ovenproof skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and working in two batches, season the chicken with salt and add it to the skillet skin side down. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Turn the The final touch? Chopped fresh herbs. And don’t skimp on them. They brighten up the whole shebang. pieces over and cook them for 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Pour off all but 2 ½ tablespoons of the fat. Add the artichokes to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up, add the olives, lemon wedges and chicken broth. Put the skillet on the middle shelf of the oven and bake the chicken for 20 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. While the chicken is baking, prepare the couscous following the instructions on the back of the package, adding the remaining tablespoon oil as instructed. Fluff up the couscous with a fork before serving. To serve: Mound the couscous on each plate and top with some of the chicken, artichokes, lemon wedges and olives, some of the broth from the skillet and a generous sprinkling of the herbs. Nutrition information per serving: 621 calories; 196 calories from fat; 22 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 130 mg cholesterol; 775 mg sodium; 65 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 39 g protein. ——— Sara Moulton is host of public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including “Cooking Live.”
