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.