Boneless pork tenderloins are available at some farmers’ markets in Maine—or in the meat case at the supermarket, of course! Tenderloins are a perfect candidate for brining (soaking in a spiced salt solution for a few hours) because the process helps the lean meat retain moisture and it also injects flavor. If they are not overcooked, pork tenderloins will be buttery-tender, and the smoky grilled meat is beautifully complemented by this end-of-summer salad made with juicy, right-from-the-vine heirloom (or otherwise) tomatoes.
image: dailyfillblog.com Continue reading “Grilled Spice-Brined Pork Tenderloin with Heirloom Tomato Salad” »
It gets cool when the sun goes down around here, and it can often be cool right in the middle of a beautiful, sunny day, too. Chowder, therefore, is a year-round favorite on Maine tables. There are a few surprises to this version of the Maine staple, not the least of which is the fact that you bake it. You can make this in the cool, early morning, when the kitchen could use a warm-up, and heat it up in a kettle or saucepan that night for supper.
image: simplyrecipes.com Continue reading “Baked Fish Chowder” »
In the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, Martha Greenlaw shares her love for Maine shrimp in her column, “Notes From Isle au Haut.”
One of Martha’s favorite places to sample and purchase Maine shrimp is at Holbrook’s Dock in Cundy’s Harbor. During the season, Holbrook’s will cook shrimp for their workers, boiling them in 35-gallon drums in the fish house, then offer complimentary samples to customers.
Martha Greenlaw on Isle au Haut.
Martha says she usually takes home about 10 pounds of the tiny delicacies, and one of her tried-and-true Maine shrimp recipes is her Cundy’s Harbor Shrimp Casseroles.
For Martha’s recipe, purchase the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine. Order your subscription today! Also, check out Martha’s archive of great Maine recipes on our blog.
For even more Martha and Linda Greenlaw recipes, purchase their new cookbook collaboration, Maine Summers (for which MF&L publisher and creative director Jim Bazin did all the photography, over 90 images).
“The combination of sweet corn kernels mixed with yellow and red tomato, green pepper, a touch of jalapeno, and fresh mint is a good one. Serve this salsa with chips, or use it as a quick, simple topping for pan-fried or grilled fish, meats, or poultry. The salsa can be made about an hour or so before serving; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.”—Kathy Gunst
image: capitalcookingshow.blogspot.com Continue reading “Fresh Corn, Tomato, and Mint Salsa” »
“Scabechi is an Aruban dish of pickled fish. Unlike seviche, which is raw pickled fish, scabechi is made with fish that has been seared and cooked through. Scabechi should be made ahead and refrigerated for at least 24 hours before serving to allow the fish to pick up the flavors from the marinade. This is the perfect dish to prepare ahead of time for a hot summer day picnic.”—Michael Salmon
image: frechrevolutionfood.com Continue reading “Scabechi (Aruban Pickled Fish)” »
“If I can’t get fresh green beans, I don’t cook them. Luckily, I can usually find them in the markets and even at the little store on the island. My family loves them, and this preparation is a nice change from the usual steamed and buttered beans.”—Martha Greenlaw
photo © Jim Bazin
Piquant Green Beans
Martha Greenlaw, Recipes From a Very Small Island
1½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
3 bacon slices, chopped
2 Tablespoons diced pimiento
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
2 drops red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
In a steaming basket set over boiling water, steam the beans, tightly covered, for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
In a skillet, sauté the bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and drain. Add to the beans.
To the bacon drippings in the skillet, add the pimiento, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, and red pepper sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute until blended. Pour over the beans, mix well, and serve.
Serves 6.
“I don’t think I’ve ever deviled an egg before the middle of June or after Labor Day, and isn’t that stupid? But then, maybe not. Maybe some things just taste better when you’re sitting outdoors on a blanket, or indoors when the windows can be wide open. I’ve hidden an optional secret in each egg and called in Major Grey to flavor the yolks. But he’s not the only chutney maker. Use whatever brand, or homemade version, you wish.”—Karyl Bannister
image: food2.com Continue reading “Black-Eyed Susan Deviled Eggs” »
Ripe summer berries are topped with dollops of sweetened goat cheese and briefly baked in a hot oven. What could possibly be simpler? Or more delicious? If you have lots of fruit and need to feed more people, simply use a larger dish and increase the ingredients accordingly.
image: dailycrave.wordpress.com Continue reading “Gratin of Berries with Sweet Cheese Topping” »
One of our favorite greens to grow is arugula, which is so versatile—delicious warm or chilled. Its sharp, peppery flavor complements the sweet, briny taste of Maine clams, which are similar to the tiny Adriatic clams favored in Italy.
image: sunjournal.com Continue reading “Maine Sweet Clams with Risotto and Arugula” »
Kathy Gunst’s Notes From a Maine Kitchen is a delightful cookbook, an education in all aspects of Maine cooking from sourcing local ingredients to achieving their ideal preparation on the plate. Essays, stories, cooking hints, and over 75 wonderful Maine recipes, this book offers it all. A charming culinary adventure you’ll be sure to devour!
“As much as I’m a purist when it comes to eating lobster, this salad — flavored with fresh corn, lime, and avocado — is delicious and refreshing served as a summer lunch or light dinner. All the fresh flavors, colors, and textures work well with the lobster meat. Serve with warm biscuits, French bread, or tortillas. The salad can be made, covered, and refrigerated, several hours ahead of time.”—Kathy Gunst, Notes From a Maine Kitchen
Latin-Style Lobster Salad
Kathy Gunst, Notes From a Maine Kitchen
1 cup cooked lobster meat, cut into small cubes
1 cup fresh raw corn kernels, shucked off the cob of 2 or 3 ears of corn
½ ripe (but not overly ripe) avocado, cubed
Juice of 1 large lime
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
Tender butter lettuce leaves
In a medium-size bowl, gently mix the lobster, corn, avocado, lime juice, oil, salt, pepper, and a dash of hot pepper sauce; season to taste. Scoop the salad in the lettuce leaves and serve with any of the accompaniments listed above.
Serves 2-4.
If you are looking for that one, year-round cookbook that provides amazing recipes for every holiday, this is it! Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations, by Eric Akis, offers holiday appropriate menus for all seasons. This cookbook comes complete with gorgeous full-page images, information about seasonal ingredients, and Eric’s Options (suggestions by the author to spice up or change up your recipe).
If you enjoy entertaining, this cookbook is a “must-have.” You’ll never be at a loss for perfect recipe ideas for all your holiday parties with Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations on your shelf. (But we doubt it will ever stay on your shelf for very long, because you’ll be too busy using it all the time!)
Many of the recipes within the pages of this book allow for make-ahead preparation. That way, on your special holidays, you can spend more time with your friends, family, and guests than you do slaving away in the kitchen. Eric’s recipes are easy to follow, making the stress of cooking for holidays a thing of the past.
Everyone Can Cook for Celebrations will help you help you celebrate all the seasons of your life with style. Check our blog as well as Eric’s website for great sample recipes!
The following recipe is from the Wild Blueberry Book by Virginia Wright. Chock full of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Maine blueberries, this fun book, full of wonderful recipes and images, would make an ideal gift for yourself or someone who shares a love of Maine’s super fruit!
Author Virginia Wright extols the health virtues of the blueberry recipe she shares here:
“Soy milk is rich in isoflavones, which reduce cholesterol and the risk of prostate and breast cancers. Like blueberries, whey protein may have anti-inflammatory properties; it has a slightly sweet flavor.”–Virginia Wright
Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie
© 2011, Virginia Wright, The Wild Blueberry Book, Down East Books
1 cup wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
3⁄4 cup vanilla soy milk
1-2 Tablespoons honey
1 ⁄ 3 cup whey protein powder
Dash of fresh ground nutmeg or cinnamon
In blender, combine soy milk and honey. Add blueberries and
whey protein and puree until smooth. Season with a dash of
cinnamon or nutmeg.
Serves 2.
“Traditionally, Afghan naan is baked in a beehive-shaped tandoor oven that is heated on top of hot coals. The baker uses a special peel to slap the dough onto the oven’s preheated clay walls. In just a few minutes, the bottom crust becomes well browned because of the direct contact with the hot clay, while the top crust firms up but stays soft, cooked by hot air moving upward from the coals. Grilling the dough is a simple way to get a similar effect: a charred bottom crust, a moist interior, and a soft top crust. Serve them with chicken or lamb kabobs and grilled vegetables for an exotic summer dinner that you can cook entirely outdoors.”–Lauren Chattman
image: banaraskakhana.blogspot.com Continue reading “Grilled Whole-Wheat Naan” »
This tomato recipe is a delicious nod to summer. Makes a great side dish!
image: mybrownieswillmakeyoufat.wordpress.com
Continue reading “Brown Sugar Fried Tomatoes” »
Every proper picnic needs a bit of fancy fork work. We nominate this tasty-tangy beet salad. We love cold beets captured in a jellied ring, tossed with macaroni and mayonnaise, or, as here, spiffed up with unexpected accompaniments. For picnic preparation, pack the dressed beets and onions in a plastic container, the lettuce leaves and walnuts in separate plastic bags, and bring a small can of mandarin oranges and a can opener. You will look so clever when you put it all together.
image: celebrationsathomeblog.com Continue reading “Beet and Orange Picnic Salad” »
This soup has a kick to it, and it’s a great way to use up summer produce. The soup pictured here used the corn, basil, potatoes, onions, and carrots that I got in my CSA share one week. Fresh corn will give the best results, but you can try frozen if it’s all you’ve got; just be sure to rinse it under cool water before adding it to the soup to remove any weird freezer taste. If you’re opening a new can of chipotle in adobo, freeze the rest for later use.
image courtesy of veganyumyum.com Continue reading “Chipotle Basil Corn Chowder” »
What a combination of flavors! Savory, sweet, and creamy…this sandwich recipe will become one of your new favorites!
image: glorioussandwiches.blogspot.com Continue reading “Grilled Roast Beef, Nectarine, and Brie” »
Here’s a dessert recipe I’ll bet you haven’t tried before. This is one of actor Larry (of ’80s TV’s Dallas fame) Hagman’s secret gems.
image: feastingonpixels.blogspot.com
Fire and Ice
from Legends in the Kitchen: Celebrity Recipes for a Cause
Oranges
Vanilla Ice Cream
Honey
Cayenne Pepper
Peel oranges and slice. Add to a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Mix honey and cayenne pepper. Heat a little. Pour over ice cream and oranges.
Enjoy!
This is the perfect brew for weddings, lawn parties, and assorted special events and warm-weather occasions when a lot of people are going to be thirsty. For just a few, halve the quantities and you’re all set to enjoy a picnic and an afternoon tea party on the back porch, with a few glasses left over for cool breaks from gardening chores.
image: eteaket.co.uk Continue reading “Fancy Iced Tea” »
