Siren’s Feast, An Edible Odyssey by Nancy Mehagian is a story set against the backdrop of the late ’60s, early ’70s and captures that colorful era with over 40 recipes as delectable as the journey itself.
Tristine Rainer, PhD and author of Your Life as Story, Discovering the New Autobiography and Writing Memoir as Literature has this to say about Siren’s Feast:
“What a romp—sex, drugs, and gourmet food! As Calvin Tomkins’ Living Well is the Best Revenge recalled Fitzgerald’s generation of ex-pats, so Mehagian’s culinary memoir celebrates the ’60s generation. And underneath the book’s sensual fun, there is spirit feeding the soul.”
Here, Mehagian shares a delectable fresh peach and hazelnut tart recipe.
image: sweetandsavourygrace.blogspot.com
Continue reading “Fresh Peach and Hazelnut Tart” »
Carrots are a wonderful vegetable accompaniment to just about any meal. These carrots are especially good with the addition of brown sugar, thyme, and pistachio nuts.
image: laeasymeals.com
Continue reading “Glazed Carrots with Pistachios
” »
Carding Brook Farm in Brooklin, Maine, brings all kinds of wonderful things to local farmers’ markets, including its famous mesclun, herbs, baby potatoes—and most recently, tomatoes. Like many farmers, Jon Ellsworth and Jen Schroth have been doing more and more experimenting with tomato varieties that do well in Maine, and they’ve come up with some winners, with names like Ida Gold, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, and Black Prince. Mostly we simply turn these beauties into fabulous tomato salads, but this delicious “scallop” is a lovely way to serve the tomatoes in a lightly cooked state.
image: smellslikehome.com Continue reading “Carding Brook Farm Scalloped Tomatoes with Garlic Crumbs” »
We’re all familiar with the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but be forewarned: it is significantly more expensive to eat that apple this fall. Mother Nature’s nasty joke of that frost in May has apparently wreaked havoc with the apple crop here in Maine and the harvest is sadly on the skimpy side. I guess we all need to be prepared to dig a little deeper into our pockets to buy apples this season.
The apple is a member of the rose family and its relatives include pears, cherries, raspberries, and quince. Two-thirds of an apple’s fiber and most of the anti-oxidants are stored in the peel, so whenever you can, munch away on the entire piece of fruit. Americans consume about 20 pounds of fresh apples a year which translates to about 65 apples – that’s only a bit more than one apple a week. (I guess we’d better try and eat a few more if we’re going to attempt to keep the doctor at bay.)
There are over 7,500 known varieties of apples throughout the world, but only 20 varieties are grown commercially in the USA. The eight favorites in order of preference are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Jonathan, York, and Stayman. My personal favorite, the Honeycrisp, didn’t make the list. Do try one – they are sweet-tart, firm, juicy and absolutely delicious for eating out of hand.
image: bakingandboys.com
Continue reading “Baked Apple Doughnuts” »
Any fish lover knows halibut is arguably the filet mignon of the fish world. Meaty and wonderful grilled, the halibut in this recipe is perfect centerpiece for utilizing the last of the fresh, end-of-summer vegetables like corn and tomatoes.
image: sundaypaper.com Continue reading “Halibut Steaks with Corn and Tomato Salad” »
This tomato sauce is heavenly, served over angel hair pasta with Parmesan or Romano cheese.
fresh tomato sauce image: squidoo.com
Continue reading “Tomato Sauce Supreme” »
This hearty recipe for Bluefish Chowder comes to us from Maine Food & Lifestyle contributing writer Mary Syrett. Her article on these fascinating fish, titled “Wolves of the Sea,” will appear in our upcoming issue.
bluefish image courtesy of superflycharters-reports.com
Continue reading “Bluefish Chowder” »
Do you love cooking and art? Are you a cookbook collector looking for that unique new find? There is a wonderful new book available now called Kitchen Memories, Recipe Paintings with A Taste of Art, by Brenda Erickson. This book is noteworthy for many reasons, including its total Maine Production. From Brenda’s Round Pond, Maine art to its Rocky Hill Publishing in Damariscotta and printing by Penmor Lithographers in Lewiston, this book is a total delight.
image above from page 84 of Kitchen Memories, Recipe Paintings With a Taste of Art by Brenda Erickson
Continue reading “Kitchen Memories Recipe Paintings with A Taste of Art” »
Where do you go to get some of the best produce around? The same place many chefs and home cooks in the area do: Beth’s Farm Market!
Our friends, Bob and Sue Jobes of Davie, FL, snapped this shot of Beth’s on their recent visit to the area. They had this to say:
“We took your suggestion and went on a field trip to Beth’s Farm Market. We bought a few things: apple cider, tomatoes, and some cheese samples. We both marvelled at the wonderful looking foods.”
I’m off to Beth’s soon for some mums and pumpkins for fall decorating!
Kyra Alex, cookbook author and chef/owner of Lily’s Cafe in Stonington, is famous for her quiches. She makes them with all manner of additions to the basic custard formula–one with tomatoes, basil, and local goat cheese, another with fresh spinach, one using flavorful Deer Isle sausage–but this one, utilizing the wonderful fresh local crabmeat, might be my favorite.
Quiche is an ideal showcase for sweet lump crabmeat. The herbed custard mixture doesn’t overwhelm the crab’s delicacy. You need only half a pound of picked meat, making it somewhat gentler on the pocketbook than other crabmeat recipes. This makes a great luncheon dish, served with a side salad of halved grape tomatoes tossed with simple shallot vinaigrette dressing.
image: culinaryfool.spaces.live.com Continue reading “Kyra’s Herbed Crabmeat Quiche” »
These quesadillas are full of flavor. The combination of salmon and mozzarella is heavenly! Great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
image: foodnetwork.com
Continue reading “Salmon Quesadillas” »
Fall is in the air! Try this elegant autumn recipe for pumpkin soup at home!
My gardens are looking pretty sad and the pickings are mighty slim. I snipped the last of the zucchini this morning and with a tear in my eye, gave the mother plant the heave-ho into the compost pile. Within a few minutes my basket was overflowing with the “last hurrah” of the tomatoes and as I headed toward the house my neighbor invited me to come pick some green bell peppers from his garden. Hmmmm, zuke, tomatoes, peppers – I feel a pot of soup coming on. This soup freezes well and is a perfect light supper on a chilly autumn evening.
image: cookingbytheseatofmypants.com
Continue reading “Garden Soup” »
This easy-to-prepare and robust soup is perfect for early fall, when the eggplants need to be picked. Puréeing the lentils and roasted eggplant gives this soup a more refined texture than traditional lentil soup.
image: recipes.terra-organics.com Continue reading “Roasted Eggplant and Lentil Soup with Sage Butter” »
No need to call for Chinese take-out. We’ve got the classic dish right here. It could be your fall-back answer to the question, “What am I going to make for dinner tonight?” as well as your automatic response to invitations to potlucks and other adventures in group eating. Like all good Chinese take-out, it’s great left over, so double the recipe and store the remains in the freezer, to, well, take out later. A thin pork steak works well, and so does leftover roast pork. The quantity you use depends on whether you’re big on meat or bigger on vegetables.
image: homechineserecipes.com
Continue reading “Pork Stir-Fry” »
Chowders, of course, are quintessential New England. Maine is especially known for its clam, fish, and seafood chowders. Lobster and corn combine to create an exceptional chowder that is creamy, rich and hearty, with tender chunks of potatoes and finished off with crisp-smoky bacon. It’s hard to beat.
image: seductionmeals.com Continue reading “Corn and Lobster Chowder with Crisp Bacon” »
When we talk about vegetables we have one thing in mind: Maine potatoes. Our thoughts turn to Aroostook County—fondly, may I add….The cultivated fields stretch from the highway to the far horizon on either side of the road, and they look exactly like great quilts. Often, firs and spruce mark the boundaries, their spires against the sky. You should take this trip when the potatoes are in bloom for it is a breathtaking sight. -Marjorie Standish
Here is just one of several ways included in this cookbook to indulge our love for the Maine potato.
image: cardcow.com
Continue reading “Delmonico Potatoes” »
Leftover grilled chicken (especially dark meat) and tomato/basil pestos are a match made in heaven. This is a delicious menu item, with ingredients that may appear as part of lunch, an appetizer, or dinner.
image: zupas.com
Continue reading “Chicken-Pesto Crostini” »
Here is a tasty and easy to prepare recipe from Gina Meyers’ Love at First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cook Book. This would make a delicious dinner idea this evening or a great snack.
Twilight Cook Book cover image from Amazon.com
Continue reading “Chicken Enchiladas” »
