In the wake of the Austin Food & Wine Festival, and Portland’s Eat Mobile Festival I wanted to share a gourmet foodie recipe from Portland that you can try at home. These recipes are courtesy of Addy Bittner, owner of Addy’s Sandwich Bar, which I had the pleasure of visiting last December. Here is an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming Portland Edition of the Trailer Food Diaries Cookbook.

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Addy Bittner had dreamed of having her own restaurant since she was refilling waters and cashiering at T&A (as in Ted and Adelle’s) Café during her high school years in Boise. After putting in her dues at various positions at the café and completing a degree in journalism, Addy worked up the nerve to enter Le Cordon Bleu’s restaurant management program. Upon graduation, she worked at getting a few more years’ experience before jumping into the highly competitive Portland food-cart scene in August of 2009.

Her dear old dad is her best customer, coming from his nearby office every day for a sandwich. In good Dad form, he insists on paying every time. Her next-best customer is Luke, a local museum employee. “Luke holds the single most enthusiasm for my cart out of anyone I have ever met,” says Addy. “Maybe it’s just the nature of his beamingly positive personality, but he sure goes bananas for our food. Plus, he sends museum-goers our way.”

Addy suggests the country pâté sandwich, which contains a thick slice of pâté, made with pork and pork liver, arranged on a baguette with Dijon and cornichons. If you think pâté is just for foodies, think again: an adorable little girl named Raquel comes by with her dad occasionally just to order this sandwich.

Addy’s bestseller is the turkey and brie sandwich. Also on a baguette, this sandwich features turkey breast (roasted on-site), a slab of Miramont brie, crème fraiche, cucumber slices, and fleur de sel. She has served everyone from the downtown lunch crowd to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and is inspired by people who create good food without a lot of pretense.

Cured Ham
Host a pot-luck, baby! Curing your own Ham can be richly satisfying. This earthy recipe will please whoever gathers at the table to enjoy it. Slice it up for sandwiches, or serve it as the main protein portion of a bigger spread.

Ham:
One bone-out pork leg

Brine:
8 quarts water
24 dried juniper berries
24 black peppercorns
24 cloves
10 bay leaves
3 cups sea salt
3 cups sugar

• Combine brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature.
• Put the ham in a food-grade plastic bucket or ceramic crock. Pour the brine over the ham and place a heavy plate on top to keep it submerged. Store in refrigerator for 10 days.
• After brining is complete, remove ham from liquid and roast in a 300ºF oven until internal temperature reads 160ºF. Allow to cool about 20 minutes, then loosely cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Ham can be thinly sliced and served on a baguette with butter and Gruyère. Leftovers can be stored, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in refrigerator up to one week.

Pesto Chicken Salad
Champagne vinegar gives this classic a vogue twist.

Chicken:
5 pounds leg and thigh pieces

Pesto:
1 pound garlic cloves, simmered in olive oil until soft
1 pound fresh spinach
½ pound basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Pinch of sea salt

• Boil chicken in water until cooked through. Remove meat from the bone, coarsely chop, and set aside.
• Put softened garlic, spinach, and basil in a food processor along with olive oil and champagne vinegar. Pulse until smooth to create pesto.
• Mix enough pesto in with the chopped chicken to create a mixture that’s to your liking texture-wise. Add salt to taste. Save any leftover pesto for another batch.

Country Pâté
What? Make your own pate? You can do it! Addy can help.

4 pounds pork shoulder
2 pounds pork fat
2 pounds pork liver
1 tablespoon butter
3 teaspoons ground cloves
4 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 onions, diced
1 cup brandy
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons sea salt
3 eggs

• Put all pork products through a meat grinder on its coarsest setting.
• Sauté onions and spices in butter until tender and aromatic. Add this to the meat mixture along with brandy, cream, eggs, and salt. Combine thoroughly and pack into terrines. If available, use caul fat to line the terrines.
• Cover the terrines with foil and bake in a water bath (a larger pan containing 2 inches of water) in a 275ºF oven until internal temperature reads 160ºF.

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For more information, stories and recipes from trailer food vendors, visit: www.trailerfooddiaries.com or follow on Twitter @trailerfood.