M.E.A.T...seriously.

So, to balance out yesterday's vegetarian post, I have some equally lovely pictures of meat.  Last spring, I went to Memphis, Tennessee for the first time.  Cristie (yes, the same one who gave me the vegetarian cook book) and I met there for the Society for American Archaeology meetings, and we stayed with friends right in the heart of Memphis.  We had a blast!  Among many memorable moments - including visiting the Lorraine Motel and running into a high school friend at the local beer festival - was a visit to Central Barbeque.

Now, I respect my vegetarian friends for their dietary choices...but who can go to this part of the world and resist the ribs?  The collard greens swimming in pork fat?  The barbeque sauce?  All accompanied by live music and good, Tennessee beer!  Cristie and I sure couldn't, and we have John and Kristin to thank for throwing us right into the deep end.  My mind boggles when I think Cristie and I were able to finish this entire rack, but I wish I could go back for more.  Can't get these kind of ribs in New England.

The iconic Lorraine Motel.  While it may not belong on a food blog, this was the highlight of our trip to Memphis and one of the most powerful places I've ever stood.  Visitors can stand inside the motel and look out over the balcony.

Thanks to Cristie

Ooof.  I have just emerged from the first seven weeks of a very busy semester.  While I was searching for a new recipe to cook farmer's market carrots this evening, I opened my brand new, shiny, hefty cook book, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.  I feel a little flutter of joy every time I pick up this book because I have yearned to own this cook book for many, many years.  Long ago, I had a roommate who had this book and I have always thought it held important secrets that would unlock the mysteries of vegetarianism...or, at least help me to eat better vegetarian meals.  For some reason I could never bring myself to buy it.

Isn't she lovely?  Maybe it's the seductive colors, maybe the earthy decor...something about this book speaks to me.

Well, not only do I own this cook book now, but it was a total surprise:  a couple of weeks ago, I left the house to do errands and found a package waiting on my porch.  Turns out, my dear friend Cristie remembered how much I covet this book and sent me a surprise package!  Oh the joy!  This book is a wonderful resource for several reasons:  1) Madison's recipes require few ingredients.  I love my Moosewood cookbooks, but I rarely have all the ingredients for their recipes.  2) She has a lengthy section organized by individual vegetables, which I love for inspiration.  Need to cook carrots 8 ways?  Done!  3) She provides a lot of basics: dressings for simple salads, easy soups, creative salads.  I can find easy-to-assemble meals from what I have in the fridge, with a tasty twist.

It's the small things in life that keep us happy.



Glazed Carrots with Mustard and Honey
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison

1 1/2 pounds carrots, scrubbed (I used little ones and kept the tops on - so fetching)
1 T butter
1 T honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
Chopped parsley

Prepare the carrots how you like them and steam or boil until tender.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter with the honey, then stir in the mustard and carrots and season with salt and plenty of pepper.  Cook over medium heat for several minutes until well coated and bubbling, then toss with chopped parsley and serve.

Newfoundland Adventures

St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

When considering where we wanted to go on vacation this year, Andrew's first suggestion was...Newfoundland!  Newfoundland?  I was shocked because he hates cold weather and I thought going 1500 miles northeast into Canada would be a nightmare - packing warm clothes, keeping him happy in the dreary, foggy north.  However, this turned out to be a dreamy vacation, full of adventure, cozy pubs, good food, traditional music, and relaxation...and a sunny heat wave to make Andrew happy.

Local food?

 Since food is normally the center of our lives, I had one thing on my mind: to eat as much cod as possible.  Andrew had something a little different on his mind: to sample as much local brew as possible.  Luckily, these products go hand in hand, especially in a pub's fryer!  As is reported in the news frequently, the Atlantic cod fishery suffered a massive crash in recent decades, putting northern fishermen out of work, changing international law, and pitting locals against scientists and government officials. While the cod stocks have not significantly improved (nor the lives of the fishermen) despite aggressive management, there was plenty of fish to be had on the island of Newfoundland (pronounced "Newfin-Land"). This region is surrounded by some of the most famous fishing banks in the world.  If you're interested and think it's incredibly cool that the Basques visited North America in the 16th century to harvest this fish, I highly recommend "Cod" by Mark Kurlansky - a fascinating read! 

A view of the city

I enjoyed cod poached, fried, pan-fried, and in chowder.  For those who haven't sampled this delicacy, it is slightly oily, but extremely sweet and buttery when freshly caught and properly cooked.  I vote for poached: it helped the fish maintain the sweetness and moisture, and I was in absolute heaven in Petty Harbour on the waterfront with my poached fish.

As for the beer, we sampled Quidi Vidi, a local brewery in St. John's, which actually makes beer from melted iceberg water!  How "cool"!  We also visited the Yellow Belly brew pub in downtown St. John's, a cozy brew pub with tasty beer and friendly staff...and central enough to shuffle home afterwards.

 We capped off the trip by camping in a National Park for several days and watching whales and puffins on the coastline.  We feel like we got just a small taste of what Newfoundland has to offer, and we will be back to explore more of this amazing place.

Okay, so maybe a little Molson made it in to the mix - seemed appropriate at the time, eh?

Growing potatoes

Growing potatoes.  I have always wondered what it would be like.  It's a bit silly, but gardening is a constant mystery to me.  My jade plant is currently in distress, so it's unlikely I can have a home garden - or so I thought!  No thanks to me, our Maine garden is flourishing.  Andrew has nursed it carefully during our few summer visits, and we are hoping to find a good harvest waiting when we return at the end of August.  One of his more inspired ideas was to plant all the potatoes I accidentally let sprout in the pantry.  After preparing the soil, he cut the potatoes in pieces, dug holes, and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  We were rewarded during out last visit to Maine when Mom suggested we dig one up to see!

Andrew thrilled with his harvest - a sign of things to come.

Inspired by our growing crop, we visited the Orono farmers market and purchased a bucket of beautiful, quarter-sized new potatoes.  Mom remembered buying these while camping in Nova Scotia on her honeymoon 40 years ago and cooking them Foster Style - this means my Dad mixes these with sliced onions, olive oil, and a splash of oil (or butter) and throws them on the grill in a foil packet.  They were, I can say with utmost confidence, the best potatoes I have ever eaten in my entire life.  Stay tuned for news of the autumn harvest!

Beautiful new potatoes - after cooking, they melted in our mouths like butter.  Like butter!

Breakfast on the farm

Our membership to the Waltham Fields Community Farm brings us so much joy and the farm is now a central fixture in our lives.  While we visit the farm weekly to pick up our CSA share, we try to participate in other activities when we can - tonight we're off to gaze at the stars with member Andrew West! 

Waiting in line for breakfast on the farm!

Recently, we attended a fundraising breakfast hosted by the farm.  The stupendous meal was made entirely of farm veggies cooked by a local restaurant, Kitchen on the Common.  For a modest donation, we were treated to creamed kale with eggs, swiss chard fritters, pickled veggies, and cole slaw.  I know, I know.  We were skeptical about this selection at breakfast-time, too, but it proved to be a revelation!  The kale was softened by the cream sauce and the eggs, and the creaminess was balanced by the pickled veggies (though I don't think many guests to my home would welcome pickled beets at any time of day, let alone early in the morning).  While we were settled in a corner of the field sampling these goodies, we all agreed that it was the swiss chard fritter that beat out the competition.  It was flavored with scallions and had a little crunch, with the softness that comes from pancake batter.  I have tried to make this since, with varied success, and was thrilled when the farm sent out the recipe this morning.  So, now I share this fabulousness with you, fresh from the farm:

Swiss Chard Fritters

This recipe was provided by Chef Joh Kokubo of Kitchen on Common restaurant. He made these fritters for our 2012 Breakfast on the Farm event and they were a big hit! Recipe serves 8-10 Fritter Batter Ingredients

• Half cup All Purpose Flour
• Half cup Cornmeal, finely ground
• Half tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• Quarter cup Milk
• 1 tsp Butter, melted
• Salt & Pepper

Garden Ingredients

• 1 bunch Swiss Chard
• Chopped Fresh Herbs, your choice - parsley, thyme, scallions, etc.

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Add the eggs, milk and melted butter all at once and whisk to combine. The batter should be about the consistency of a loose pancake batter. Wash and dry the Swiss chard, remove the ribs, and cut into quarter inch ribbons. Using a spatula, fold the Swiss chard and fresh herbs into the batter until well coated. Cook the fritters in a pre-heated saute pan over medium to medium-high heat until lightly browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side. The fritter can be cooked in individual portions using spoon-sized amounts or in a larger pancake size and then cut into wedges to serve. Note: Smaller sized cooked whole grains like quinoa and kaniwa make a very nice addition to the fritter batter. I have not tried flax seed or cooked amaranth, teff, or millet but if you are feeling adventurous I think they would work equally as well!

Orono to Tuscaloosa

The University of Alabama, home of the Crimson Tide, has a spectacular campus!

I am a New England girl, through and through.  I always suspected as much, but my suspicions were confirmed during my recent research trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  I am certain I was the only person who traveled Orono-Bangor-Washington-Charlotte-Birmingham-Tuscaloosa that day, and I felt like a bear just out of hibernation.  I was also in heat shock, since it was 50 degrees when I left Maine and 100 when I arrived in Birmingham...the "warmish" temperatures would also explain why I was the only person out on foot.

I visited the farmers market during the heat of the afternoon - and got a little sunburn along the way.

My local eating radar is always on, so I was determined to try as many southern treats as I could. As luck would have it, the University hosts a farmers market!  Expecting to find a little slice of Alabama life, I braved the heat to walk to the campus farmers market - and I was not disappointed.  While it featured local produce that New England won't see until August, it had the same, familiar feel of every farmers market I've been to:  friendly people, bountiful veggies, local honey, meat, and baked goods, and live music.   

My University of Alabama hosts made me feel right at home and - luckily - they were really interested in local products and cuisine, so treated me to some fantastic southern fare.  The barbeque was amazing, but my favorite thing?  Real grits!  I had never had real, creamy, southern grits before and they were incredible - nothing like we northerners make from the box, I'll tell you that right now.  They balanced out the savory crunch of the real fried chicken, too.  During our sublime dinner that night, my hosts asked me what I would include in a traditional New England dinner, and I was a bit overwhelmed by the answer.  So, I pose that question to you here:  what would you serve to this New England girl that epitomizes our cuisine?

Spring has sprung!

My yard is full of lilacs - and I have brought them in the house.  If I close my eyes, their heavy scent takes me to my Grandmother's back yard in Philadelphia. 

Finally, finally, finally.  We have lift off!  Spring has come to Maine and it is very welcome.  After a relatively mild, but very long, winter, we are ready for spring flowers, new life, and warmer temperatures.  In the fall, my mom and I pruned and readied the garden for some new planting this spring...but, I know myself.  I am not a gardener, despite the influence of generations of master gardeners in my family.  However, I was unaware of the secret trick for successful gardening: Andrew West!  Also the product of master gardeners, Andrew has shown a very strong interest in the garden at 59 Park Street (he never, never ceases to surprise me).  Andrew recently spent a weekend preparing beds, turning and enriching the soil, and purchasing baby plants.  We are now the proud caretakers of a small plot of lettuce, potatoes, strawberries, chives, rhubarb, and brussels sprouts.  In fact, as I write, I am enjoying a bowl of rhubarb cobbler from the garden, and I am thrilled to say that homegrown lettuce was on last night's menu.  The future possibilities seem endless!

Red leaf and romaine lettuce leaves - tender and perfect with a light, homemade vinaigrette.

Rhubarb Cobbler:

I had about 10 small stems of rhubarb, which was about 1 1/2 cups chopped.  So, I halved the Joy of Cooking recipe for Cornmeal Cobbler Biscuit Dough - the full recipe is shown here.

1 1/2 pounds of rhubarb
1/2 c. sugar (or so...I sprinkle a bunch on 'til it looks thick with sugar)
Spread this mixture evenly in the baking dish

Prepare cobbler biscuit dough:
Whisk together -
1 c. all purpose flour (King Arthur from New England!)
1/3 c. corn meal
2 T sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt (Maine sea salt!)

Add:
5 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (Maine's Kate's butter!)

Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry mixture until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.  Add:

1/2 c. milk (Maine organic!)

Stir together until a dough forms.  Separate into small balls and press these flat into biscuit shapes, then lay these on the fruit mixture.  You may brush these with butter or milk (I didn't, and they still browned beautifully).  Cook at 375 for 45 minutes, until biscuits are brown and fruit is bubbling.

A garden....at Chicago O'Hare?

The urban garden at Chicago's O'Hare airport!

 The last time I was stuck in Chicago's O'Hare airport en route to Seattle, I decided to take a walk.  En route, I stopped at Rick Bayless' new Mexican food stand for a salad and noticed a sign that said some of the produce came from the "O'Hare Urban Garden."  Well, wasn't this local eater intrigued?  So, I went on a quest to find this garden during my layover, and couldn't believe my eyes:  on a balcony overlooking the hallways, there is an actual garden.  It appears to be hydroponic and everything grows in columns, fueled by water and lamps. 

Each plant is labeled and the airport restaurants serving this produce are listed.

It's beautiful and very peaceful, and there are comfy chairs provided for passengers - it is certainly unlike any other airport waiting area I have ever seen.  I was a little torn thinking about the amount of energy required to grow these plants indoors, but the air there was very fresh and the produce very green!  A small oasis in the hell known as O'Hare.

Andrew was thrilled!

Here, fishy, fishy, fishy!

As good New Englanders, we are trying to remember to eat more fish. Now, this can be a problematic proposition here, given the overfishing that has occurred off our shores (a political and environmental discussion for another time...). However, our grocery stores are carrying many fish that used to be seen as inferior to New England's favorite Atlantic cod, such as hake, haddock, and pollock.


During our most recent visits to the local Hannaford's in Old Town, Maine, Andrew noticed that our fish counter labels those fish that are both New England-caught and sustainable. He made us some *spectacular* fish tacos one week, and last weekend we made pollock cakes.

These actually left us speechless.

We chose pollock because it was brought in that morning. Pollock is sweet, robust, and slightly oily, just like Atlantic cod. Andrew oven-roasted the pollock in lemon juice, pepper, and a touch of olive oil, until it was just cooked. When it was cool, we flaked the filet, mixed it with an egg (a Maine egg!), fine bread crumbs, Old Bay seasoning, sauteed Waltham Fields onion and celery, and formed this in to patties that we satueed in olive oil. With Andrew's homemade cole slaw, this was a killer meal and will no doubt stay on the menu for a long time to come - as long as the fishing is sustainable, that is.

Citrus Holiday Treats

Citrus season is a blessing for New Englanders. While citrus obviously does not grow in New England (nothing does in the winter, let's be honest), we get an abundant supply of grapefruit and oranges through our Enterprise Farm winter share. Andrew normally squeezes all of the oranges to make juice (and cocktails!), and this year I used the fruit to make candied citrus peel. This elegant treat takes some time, but is a relatively easy task that requires just a bit of patience.

I found the recipe in a Martha Stewart Living magazine and suggest that grapefruit and large oranges are the easiest - the lemon peel is delicious, but it is delicate and fell apart more easily. When we were in France for Christmas I found couche de soleil (or sunset) in a candy store, which is a candied orange slice dipped in chocolate - the beautiful name and presentation inspired me to learn to make these for next year's holiday season.

Here is the recipe from Martha Stewart Living (or, see her website):

Ingredients

• 2 pink grapefruits
• 4 lemons
• 4 tangelos
• 4 cups sugar
• 3 cups water

Directions

1. Using a paring knife, cut 6 slits from top to bottom of each citrus fruit, cutting through peel but not into fruit. Using your fingers, gently remove peel. Reserve fruit for another use. Using a paring knife, remove excess pith from peel, and discard. Slice each piece of peel lengthwise into thin strips, each about 1/8 inch wide.

2. Place citrus-peel strips in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain. Repeat twice (boil three times in all).

3. Bring 3 cups sugar and the 3 cups water to a boil in the saucepan, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Stop stirring; wash sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Add strips to boiling syrup, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until strips are translucent, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and let strips cool in syrup. (Strips in syrup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.)

4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet. Let liquid drain and dry off, about 30 minutes, then roll strips in remaining 1 cup sugar. Let dry in a single layer on a wire rack at least 30 minutes. Sugared peels will keep, covered at room temperature, up to 2 weeks.

Oma's Pancakes

Even though I live in the Great White North, I have dear friends who make the treck to visit me. Paul came in January and we spent most of our time indoors, since it was the coldest weekend of the winter (and when the two of us get together with a bottle of wine, the talking does not stop).

While he was here, Paul told me stories about his family history and what it was like to grow up with a grandmother - Oma - from Germany. She taught him many traditional recipes, which he has started to share with me. While he was here, we made Oma's pancakes using what I could throw together from my Maine pantry, including King Arthur flour and Maine organic milk. This recipe makes a basic, thin batter that can be enhanced with both sweet and savory fillings or toppings. Paul and I opted for Maine blueberries, but I have since made them with cheese and potato. Next stop, spaetzle! Prost!

Oma's Pancakes:

This is a very forgiving recipe, so play with the amounts as you like. I even substituted rice flour for wheat flour once and they were still wonderful. If you are using wheat flour, don't over mix or they will become gluey.

2 c. flour
2 c. milk
These should be equal quantities, so you can make whatever amount you like.
1 egg (or more if you want to thin the batter)
Stir gently and cook in butter or vegetable oil.

To this mixture, Paul suggests you can add:

Shredded apple and cinnamon
Blueberries or strawberries
Shredded pear and nutmeg
Shredded or very thinly sliced potato with cheese and/or bacon (you may want to parboil the potato if you are using thin slices)

Or, these can be served plain as a side for a main dish - creamed chicken, perhaps?

Gnocchi encore

Sweet potato gnocchi bathed in butter.

I have been lucky to have so many visitors up here in Maine this fall - including newlyweds Anne and Roger. These two came up on a frigid weekend in November to stay with me, and we enjoyed a UMaine-UMass football game, cocktails at Woodman's, and a visit to Pat's Pizza in downtown Orono where Anne's dad ate as a student at UMaine.

One of the highlights of our weekend was making gnocchi...this time, we made them out of sweet potatoes purchased from the Orono farmer's market. We were amazed at the bounty at the market in November, and partook of the veggies, goat cheese, and vegan Whoopie pies. (As an aside, I should write a whole entry about the famous Whoopie pie, which is a dessert thought to have originated in Maine.)

Chef Anne and sous-chef Roger yucking it up!

Using the recipe posted here, we substituted mashed sweet potato for regular potato, and the result was colorful and delicious! Roger acted as sous chef to Anne, who rolled out many, many gnocchi, which I cooked in boiling water until they bobbed to the surface. As they finished cooking, I tossed them in to a pan of melted Kate's butter and sage leaves...when we served this masterpiece, we topped it with a bit of grated parmesan cheese. As Anne would say, they were delightful!

Tip: The dough was very sticky and required more flour, so a possible compromise would be to use half sweet and half regular potato.

Wyman's Blueberries

Andrew seeks the majestic moose!

Every time I tell someone Andrew and I went moose hunting this fall, they look at me with shock and awe...and then I have to explain we used binoculars, not guns. Andrew is a moose enthusiast, and when we saw that several roads on our Maine state map were labelled "Moose Viewing Route," we decided to get in the car and head out into the unknown. And, let me tell you, what we saw made Orono look like a metropolis.

Unfortunately, we didn't see any moose, but we did stumble upon a Wyman's blueberry farm! I keep these Maine blueberries in the freezer for breakfast shakes, but had no idea they came from so nearby. These are the tiny, wild blueberries we New Englanders are used to - not the large, high-bush blueberries found elsewhere. Because it was fall, the blueberry bushes had turned a firey red, which were a beautiful contrast to the steely gray skies that day. When we arrived on the farm, I noticed the cute blue buildings that must house summer workers (who probably don't think they are cute)...as I got out to take a picture, a man in a truck with a shotgun appeared, so I hopped back in and we went on our way. Eeek!

...that wasn't our only gun encounter that day: as we took a stroll on the coast, looking at seals through the binocs, we heard the "pop pop" of a shot gun, and found a pair of duck hunters mere yards from where we sat. Don't underestimate rural Maine.

Seasonal workers' houses - painted blue as a blueberry!

Wyman's blueberry fields in their autumn colors.

Thanksgiving!

My little house in Orono, Maine - come for a visit!

Yes, I realize I am writing about Thanksgiving 2011 in January 2012, but I didn't want to overlook it...for the first time, both Susan and I went to our in-laws' homes for Thanksgiving. Because we were missing each other, Susan, Tim, and Andrew drove up here to the ends-of-the-earth Maine for an early November visit, and we cooked up an autumnal storm using ingredients from Massachusetts and Maine.

Chef Susan bastes The Bird.

Our menu featured a lovely Chestnut Farms turkey, which was butchered in Massachusetts mere days before we roasted it. Because the turkey was so fresh, the farmer instructed Tim to wash the turkey and its giblets each day - no mean feat with a 20 pound, lifeless bird in the kitchen sink, let me tell you. It was worth it: the turkey was succulent and we were all pleased to partake in the Chestnut Farms Thanksgiving harvest.

Our Thanksgiving table - yes, those are turnips with candles in them! Local decorating?

To round out the menu:

Mashed Maine potatoes, with Kate's butter and Maine milk
Susan's homemade stuffing with sage from the garden
Roasted farmer's market squash with Maine maple syrup
Maine apple pie with Geri's California quince, King Arthur flour,
and Kate's butter - lots of it!
Homemade Maine cranberry sauce
...and two items that are nearly impossible to make "local":
Bassett family salad (contains marshmallows!)
Green bean casserole

The last two items are standard on our Thanksgiving table and will never be lost, no matter how exotic or mass-produced the ingredients. We had a delightful weekend cooking, running, chatting, and drinking wine, and found compiling these local ingredients to be surprisingly easy. Happy holidays!

The most important ingredient!