OPB’s “Superabundant” explores the stories behind the foods of the Pacific Northwest with videos, articles and this weekly newsletter. Every week, Heather Arndt Anderson, a Portland-based culinary historian, food writer and ecologist, highlights different aspects of the region’s food ecosystem. This week she offers a recipe for pasta with a vegetarian Bolognese sauce.

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Is it me, or have you noticed that once the Halloween candy starts appearing on store shelves in late September, that means the year is pretty much over? It’s like the shrinking daylight hours have a direct effect on how we perceive time itself — the days are literally shorter even if they’re still technically 24 hours long. First the leaves start turning red on the edges, then *poof* we’re clinking glasses over a round of “Auld Lang Syne.” Do our brains go into hibernation mode, or is it something else? Maybe this is why so many cultures ascribe symbolism to noodles for special occasions. Noodles can be reminders of longevity, history, cultural identity or just plain peace and happiness — also typical themes for the winter holidays. But why are there so many different shapes of pasta? Read on to find out!

Don’t judge an apple by its cover

Meet the comely Mountain Rose, first spotted in Oregon, which sprang into existence by chance from a volunteer seedling some 60 or 70 years ago. You may have walked past this red apple without realizing it, because the carmine hue is on the inside, not the outside. Its yellow-green skin belies the fuchsia flesh driving cider makers wild, and OPB’s Crystal Ligori recently uncovered some of the history of this unusual apple variety while chatting with a few of its enthusiasts.

Orcas sport salmon hats

The grunge fashion that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s is back, and not just for humans. Some street fashion trends will never die — just ask local orcas, who, for the first time since 1987, have been spotted on the Washington coast wearing salmon beanies. Why they’re doing it is something of a mystery, according to scientists who perhaps haven’t considered that humans don’t have a monopoly on wearing food on their heads.

Break out the charcuterie

Welp, looks like Oregon just became the best place for a fancy wine and cheese party. Not only was Tillamook cheddar just named the best in the world at the World Cheese Awards, but Wine Enthusiast Magazine has named five sparkling Oregon wines among 2024’s 100 best wines in the world, including first place honors to Roco 2013 RMS Brut Delayed Disgorgement 10-Year Sparkling from the Willamette Valley.

More apple news: the rise and fall of Honeycrisp

Once the darling of the produce aisle, the honeycrisp apple seems to be dropping in quality lately. Serious Eats’ Genevieve Yam chatted with Washington State University pomologists to examine some of the reasons why this may be happening. (Part of the problem may be that the apple variety doesn’t grow especially well in the Northwest.)

Kimchi beats keto

South Korea’s World Institute of Kimchi (yes, it’s a real thing) has published its preclinical findings that eating 60 grams (about ½ cup) of kimchi daily is associated with a 15% drop in body mass index and 12% lower rates of obesity. Kimchi’s efficacy at reducing obesity seems to point to one specific beneficial bacterium, Akkermansia muciniphila, which out-competes obesity-related Proteobacteria.

Pukey cukes

On Monday, Newsweek reported yet another outbreak of food-borne salmonella, this time found on cucumbers which has so far made 68 people sick in 19 states, including Washington. The SunFed cucumbers have been recalled from all 26 states where they are sold.

Readers share their favorite non-profits

Readers, you really came through with your suggestions! Though Giving Tuesday has just passed, generosity has no expiration date. For your end-of-year donation consideration, here are a few reader-recommended nonprofits working to combat food insecurity:

Stone Soup PDX empowers people experiencing barriers to employment to achieve self-reliance through training for careers in the food service industry.

The Farmers Market Fund “Double Up Food Bucks” program provides a dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP purchases at over 90 Oregon farmers markets (up to $20 per day), putting fresh food within reach for folks who otherwise have less access to it.

Growing Gardens aims to teach any Oregonian how to grow and harvest their own produce, empower a network of food system leaders and inspire them to advocate for a more equitable food system policy.

Pacific Northwest Community Supported Agriculture (PNWCSA) supports local small farms by connecting their products directly with consumers, to increase access to nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Lower Columbia School Gardens of Southwest Washington develops place-based curricula to teach school kids about growing food, cooking and sharing what they grow with their community. They also promote Indigenous and immigrant food sovereignty by growing culturally significant crops.

Salem Angels supports families in the foster care system through mentorship, community-building and intentional giving. Their “Love Box” program provides groceries and other essentials to those in need.

Oregon Food Bank works to eliminate hunger and its root causes in Oregon and Southwest Washington through providing access to nutritious food, community-building and hunger policy advocacy. They operate from five facilities (and hundreds of food pantries) around the region.

Meals on Wheels provides meals and a social outlet to seniors experiencing poverty and isolation to help the elderly maintain their health and independence.

If you’re already getting burned out on root vegetables and squash, I hate to admit it but you’re in good company. Here’s the kicker, though: Even if you’ve already had your fill of mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving is only the amuse bouche to Winter Carbfest, so you may as well buckle up — it’s gonna be a starchy ride. I find the earthy sweetness of winter vegetables is easily balanced with some combination of acid, salt and something funky or bracing. Try them with a few dashes of a smoky chipotle adobo sauce and pickled red onion; with parsley, mint and a dribble of lemony-garlicky yogurt; or a slurry of maple syrup, orange zest and red miso. Sturdy, bitter greens work equally as well with this formula, either raw or cooked.

I winterized the fenced chicken run with a clear tarp so the hens have a dry spot to kick straw, eat bugs and dirt-bathe. I raked all the Japanese maple and paper birch leaves off the patio (otherwise the bricks turn to a slippery hellscape) and tossed them into the chicken run for the girls to ruffle and investigate.

While out for a stroll, I trimmed the suckers off a couple of a few California bay trees around the neighborhood and along with a few brushy incense cedar branches, turned them into a fragrant bouquet of winter greenery. I caught a few people looking at me curiously, but I assure you (and them!) that removing suckers is good for the tree!

Lately, in the “Superabundant” kitchen

✨ I made eight quarts of turkey stock, but only seven fit in my pressure canner so I used the leftover quart to make a pot of creamy turkey and dumplings. (If you want to peek behind the scenes of how I pressure-can broth and stock, I made an Instagram story about it a few years ago.)

✨ A couple of large pitas (and I do mean large — they were like 16” in diameter) became pizzas to clear out a few odds and ends like half a tub of pasta sauce, random olives, jarred roasted red peppers, leftover salami and sliced deli ham. The pizzas toasted up beautifully with a thin, crackery crust.

✨ I shredded the last of the leftover turkey and tossed it in taco seasoning to strew across a pan of nachos. As everyone knows, nachos are a perfect dish, consisting of every food group — chips, salsa, melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream — so I felt very proud of this healthy choice.

Recipe: Rigatoni with mushroom Bolognese

When it comes to the sensory delights of the kitchen, there’s nothing quite like a ragù. First, there’s the hiss and sizzle of aromatics hitting hot oil, then the soft bloopbloopbloop of sauce burbling away on a low flame, stippling your stove and walls in vermilion spatters. The fragrance of garlic, oregano and tomato merge harmoniously, filling first your kitchen, then your whole home, as amino acids and sugars slowly succumb to the Maillard reaction. You give it a stir, dragging the spoon through the viscid sauce, and swab your finger across the broad end of the spoon for a taste. Maybe it needs a pinch of salt, a dash more tomato paste and wine for sweetness and body; maybe it’s already perfect. Finally, the purl of pasta being folded in, the muffled rasp of hard cheese across a microplane grater a second before it yields to the steam.

As cooks, before we achieve any real mastery, most of us will learn to eke out a basic pasta with red sauce. It’s inexpensive, easy, fairly fast and infinitely adaptable — but if done well, an ordinary spag bol can be a total flex. (The most satisfying comfort foods always have simple, homey roots.) Traditional Bolognese sauce is typically made with some combination of beef, veal and pork, but here it’s made with hearty mushrooms instead, for a meat-free main that won’t strain the wallet. The main idea is to let it simmer for a long time, and like all stewy things, it’ll be even better the next day without any effort at all.

One last note: Use the right pasta. Italians have rules about this! Though the Brits tend to go with spaghetti for their meat sauce, thick, chunky sauces are really best with grippy, sauce-grabbing grooves (rigatoni, cavatappi or gnocchi), a broad, flat surface (pappardelle, tagliatelle or lasagna). Pair a ragù with slippery spaghetti and you’ll end up with a pile of meat sauce at the bottom of the bowl after you’ve finished the noodles. Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery rib, finely sliced

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

½ pound mushrooms (any kind), finely chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup white wine or vegetable broth

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons heavy cream (omit for vegan version)

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, finely sliced

1 pound dry thick pasta such as rigatoni or pappardelle (pick a shape that can handle a thick sauce)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan version)

Instructions

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrot and celery until fragrant and glossy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms, add the salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften and brown, another 5-8 minutes. Add the wine or broth, stirring to deglaze the pan, and then add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the pasta to al dente according to the instructions on the package. Drain, reserving about ¼ cup of the pasta water.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the cream (if using) and basil. Taste the sauce, adjust seasoning as needed, then stir in the pasta and reserved water. Cook until the pasta is done to your preference (but not mushy!), another minute or two. Serve with grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of sliced basil.

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