What’s the perfect gift for… the foodie on your list? The relative or friend who is currently a Mainer in exile, longing for a taste of their home state? The person who has everything? Yourself?
It’s not too late to order the gift of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, a gift that will continue giving all year long with great recipes, local chef profiles, in-depth articles, and stunning photography.
Give the gift of Maine’s original food magazine, and make someone smile this holiday season. We’ll send the recipient a gift letter stating this gift is from you. Subscribe today for yourself or someone special on your holiday list!
Happy Holidays to you and those you love!
Melanie Hyatt & Jim Bazin
When I first began researching for this post, I was astounded by the wealth of information on mache (Valerianella locusta), sometimes known as Lamb’s Lettuce, corn salad, or field salad in Europe. Evidently, mache is a superfood.
image: kblog.lunchboxbunch.com Continue reading “Mache, a New Leaf” »
In issue 13 of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, we introduce Certified Master Gardener Maryann Blaisdell. Her new column, “In the Garden,” explores the inception of her gardening life. She shares what got her started, and how her garden grows.
A slice of Maryann’s garden oasis.
We are pleased that in future issues, she will be sharing her tips, techniques, and insights in a regular column. She reminds us that the key to her ideal garden is to strive for four-season interest through all parts of plants—bark, branches, leaves, and flowers. For Maryann, “the joy of gardening in Maine is enjoying the changes you see in your garden all through the year.”
Maryann, a retired elementary school teacher, now enjoys teaching others to find gardening success through her business, Amaranth.
Look for more from Maryann’s garden in the next issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
This is a simple, nutritious, and delicious way to use up the last of your summer garden vegetables. Your whole family will like this soup. Great as a starter or as a main course!
End-of-Summer Vegetable Soup
image and recipe from realsimple.com
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 large zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large yellow squash, cut into bite-size pieces
½ pound green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups corn kernels (cut from 2 ears, or frozen)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
¼ cup fresh dill sprigs
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the broth to a boil.
Add the cannellini beans, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, corn, onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the dill.
Serves 4.
My gardens are winding down but I am still picking tomatoes every couple of days which makes me very happy! This fresh tomato soup is a “must have” in my freezer. I love its versatility: For a richer version, add about 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream to each cup of soup and reheat gently. Other options include a Mexican version by substituting cilantro for the thyme and basil and adding a bit of chile powder and a pinch of dried hot pepper flakes. You can make the soup as written below but then clean out the ‘fridge: add leftover rice, pasta, veggies, chicken, or whatever you have on hand that pairs well with tomatoes. But my fave is just as is with a dollop of sour cream and garnished with fresh basil.
photos by Paula Anderson Continue reading “Fresh Tomato Soup” »
In the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, caterer Laura Cabot shares her amazing recipe for Eggplant Caponata. Laura says, “When in Paris, ratatouille rules. When in Rome, try caponata.”
Laura’s Caponata is a dish tailor made for the bounty of the end of summer garden, and in her recipe she uses eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes (with other special ingredients) for a savory and truly beautiful dish.
Once you’ve tried making this recipe a few times, Laura recommends experimenting and substituting favorite ingredients, making it “your own.” Great with bruschetta or as a quick pasta fix with anchovies and Parmesan cheese, Eggplant Caponata also freezes well, allowing you to enjoy your garden’s offerings over the long winter months.
If you love Laura Cabot’s recipe as much as we do, we’d like to remind you to peruse our blog, where she is a regular contributor with a large archive of great recipes for you to make at home!
Laura Cabot is the president of Laura Cabot Catering in Waldoboro. She is a regular contributor to Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine with her column, “Locavore’s Kitchen.”
Get Laura’s Eggplant Caponata recipe in the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle. Subscribe today!
In the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, Editorial Assistant Chelsea Sonksen shares the magic of a Full Moon Supper.
Just what is a “Full Moon Supper”, you may ask? We’ll give you a hint: It is a delightful local and seasonal dining experience to be had during the time of every full moon at Saltwater Farm in Lincolnville.
We were fortunate to join Chelsea on this enchanting communal dining experience. In her in-depth story, she tells the tale of a memorable evening from beginning to end, and Jim Bazin, publisher/photographer, captures the images which made it such a special night.
Saltwater Farm teamwork applied to putting together a delicious . . .
Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcake
From appetizers to dessert, gracious hostesses Annemarie Ahern, Ladleah Dunn, Abby Avey, and Irene Yadao brought out the best in the seasonal local ingredients they prepared. Included in this article is their elegant recipe for lettuce and lovage soup.
From left: Abby Avey, Irene Yadao, Ladleah Dunn, Annemarie Ahearn
Find out what a Full Moon Supper at Saltwater Farm is really all about in this issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine. Subscribe today!
I am thinking of a dish using native lamb, local eggs, eggplants, potato, and herbs. Call it Greek lasagna or…Moussaka! A quick walk around the barnyard and garden should get you most of your ingredients. Now that the weather is beginning to turn towards Autumn, it’s time to bring out the casserole dishes and to use the garden’s fall bounty.
I like my moussaka with a thick Béchamel sauce as well as a red sauce. It’s a recipe to make your own. If you prefer vegetarian dishes, try subbing in kasha for the ground lamb. This is a recipe that’s hearty, good enough for company, and enough work (give yourself a couple of hours) that I always make one for the freezer.
image: friendseat.com Continue reading “Greek Eggplant Moussaka” »
We’re excited to report that the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine prints this week! Issue 13 will be available soon! On the cover, we tease you with our lobster dinners at Cod End in Tenants Harbor.
As always, we offer recipes galore from several Maine destinations. Engaging feature articles complete with gorgeous photography await your every turn of the page.
In this issue: Travel Channel Andrew Zimmern’s Maine Connection, including his favorite Maine restaurants and recipes; Old Vines Wine Bar in Kennebunk, and The Stolen Menu Café and The Union Grill/Bluff Pub in York; Amalfi On the Water and Rustica Cucina Italiana, both well-established Rockland restaurants; two new eateries: Scott Yakovenko’s Slipway in Thomaston and Lynn Archer’s Archer’s on the Pier in Rockland, and much, much more!
Certified Master Gardener Maryann Blaisdell shares her love of gardening in her debut column. Editorial Assistant Chelsea Sonksen offers a tribute to Rock City Coffee and explores the Magic of a Full Moon Supper at Saltwater Farm.
Come sample some more of the good life in Maine. Subscribe or give the gift of good taste to those you love!
Heirloom tomatoes are well loved, if sometimes puzzling, to use. Cooks who do showcase them suggest recipes that elevate their uniquely natural and individual flavors without overpowering them. Here is an all-time family favorite recipe to try using heirloom tomatoes, the classic BLT.
image: wholefoodsmarket.com Continue reading “Heirloom Tomato BLT” »
Leo Kottke, master acoustic twelve string guitar player and keeper of all musical styles Americana, wrote a wonderful frenetic finger picking song called “Bean Time” that captures the feel of the impossible task of keeping up with the bean harvest.
I love beans, and getting them fresh out of the garden takes them to a whole new level. It does feel a bit frenetic trying to keep up with harvesting to get those wonderful little beans we all love. This year I grew a Provider type, a savory Romano broad bean (great with the herb savory, by the way), and the long and lovely pencil thin Haricot Vert.
I could eat them forever… raw while picking in the garden or with a dip, blanched, steamed and buttered.
But if you ever want to change it up, try this country style recipe we always ate growing up. Substitute bacon, fat back, lardon, pancetta, or cooked pork scraps if you prefer. There is something about green beans and “side meat” that feels and tastes so right, so summery and so “country.” You may have a hard time keeping up with your family’s request for this dish!
image: ginnysaustin.com Continue reading “Bean Time” »
The first time I made this basil syrup, I couldn’t get over how green and fresh it was. The flavor is even better, sweet but distinctively basil. Beyond martinis, the syrup is delightful combined with sparkling water for afternoon refreshment.
Editor’s Note: Read about Lani’s Top 10 things to do with fresh basil, and learn more basil recipes, in her column Easy Entertaining in Issue 12 of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
image © 2010 Jim Bazin
Continue reading “Lani Temple’s Basil Cocktail” »
We wait for this! Oh, do we anticipate the long-awaited first sweet and succulent bites of fresh, native Maine corn!
It takes awhile to get our fill of corn on the cob; we boil it, serve it with our lobster bakes, grill it with chile butter, and eat it raw. But before too long, most cooks are thinking of ways to gussy it up and maybe get it off the cob and into a recipe or two. I like a good Southwestern corn salad with black beans, corn pudding with a ham dinner, but my favorite is the delicious corn fritter.
Southerners seem to do fried food best, and here is a wonderful recipe for Southern style corn fritters. Sprinkle with a little finishing salt or fleur de sel and you’re “good to go.” Everyone will love these! Makes a nice appetizer, but serve them hot out of the pan.
image: mainecottage.wordpress.com Continue reading “Native Maine Corn Fritters” »
We’ve seen them in farmers markets, or in the gardens of friends around this time of year. If you grow garlic you know garlic scapes: the curly, almost goose necked green tops of hard neck garlic. The scape is cut off in order to send the growing energy down to the developing bulb, rather than letting it form a flower and eventually a seed head. A scape is simply a leafless flowering stalk present on any member of the allium family, also called a topset.
With a mild garlic flavor, scapes lend themselves to many usages. I like to cut them into a one or two inch inch batons to add to stir fries (pairing well with sugar snap or sugar pod peas available now in gardens everywhere) or blanched and mixed (like a string bean) with a simple vinaigrette. I also use scapes to prepare a delightful and faintly garlicy green mayo that’s great with crab cakes or soft shell crabs…
Or try showing off their loopy curves and grilling them whole as a side to steak after a slathering in good oil. How about a garlicky green goddess dressing featuring scapes? A frittata with spinach, new potatoes, and peas is a wonderful summer brunch dish. How about a scape pesto, or pickled scape?
But you have to be vigilant, since the window of opportunity is so short. I suspect that just a few short years ago, the pigs got these beauties, until one smart farmer realized the “value added’ component to getting them to a farmers’ market.
Garlic scapes have a cult following, sort of like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” They appeal to those interested in the health benefits of garlic without the powerful aftermath, (and trend setters of all stripes). I never realized this special love ran so deep until I spotted a girl at a farmers’ market wearing them as a necklace and bracelets. That look might even work for a summer gallery crawl! No vampires in that crowd.
Here is a simple recipe for a summer vegetable frittata featuring garlic scapes and other summer produce.
image: chewonthisvegan.blogspot.com Continue reading “Cooking with Garlic Scapes” »
The constant in this dish is the corn kernels (and salt). Everything else is subject to cook’s preferences, mood, and availability of ingredients. Tomato hater? Try ½ cup of blueberries instead. No red onion in the house? Use up the scallions. This is a template meant to be played with.
image: tasytype.blogspot.com
Continue reading “Corn Kernel Salad” »
Now that the hot weather is upon us, we’ve had several requests for cold and chilled soup recipes. Not surprising! Who wants to slave away in the kitchen over a hot stove this time of year? These soups are unique in that they allow you to savor the summer garden’s harvest in some truly refreshing ways.
Here is a link to the chillin’ hits from blogs past to cool you off:
CHILLED SUMMER SOUPS
(And to learn more about our featured restaurants, check out the links below.)
The White Barn Inn, Kennebunkport: Chef Jonathan Cartwright’s Chilled Pea Soup
Local 188, Portland: Chef Jay Villani’s Melon Gazpacho
Thomaston Café: Chef Brian Beckett (pictured below) with his Chilled Berry Soup
image by Jim Bazin
Hartstone Inn: Chef Michael Salmon’s Chilled Summer Gazpacho (pictured below)
image by Jim Bazin
For this salad, try to find white balsamic vinegar, available in many supermarkets and specialty markets. Because it is not aged, it is much lighter (and less viscous) than brown balsamic vinegar, although it is still more intense than conventional white wine vinegar. You can substitute a good-quality brown balsamic vinegar.
image: thecottagehome.blogspot.com Continue reading “Arrows Summer Salad” »
My German chamomile is blooming like crazy right now in the garden, a profusion of tiny daisy like flowers, rich in calming oils and aromatics. I pick the flowers fresh and steep them for a cup of relaxing night time tea. Interestingly, the patch of chamomile I have has jumped to a completely different part of my garden from where it was originally planted. Safe to say it self seeds wildly to a stunning and random effect.
Besides tea, how to use the stuff? I began to think about savory uses for chamomile when I noticed a recipe for chamomile infused milk toast in an old English cookbook. That sounds like a nice supper for a good night’s sleep!
I also found this recipe for Chamomile Crème Anglaise. I recommend it with poached pears or grilled nectarines, apricots…or any seasonal stone fruit for a summery dessert.
image: atastefulgarden.com Continue reading “Chamomile Crème Anglaise” »
Last Thursday I made my first visit of the season to the Rockland Farmers’ Market, and I have to say, it just keeps getting better every year. While I was comforted to see all my favorite local farms and businesses represented, I was also delighted by newcomer Jessica Shepard. Her new business, the Uproot Pie Co., offers freshly topped pizza pies and flatbreads from her mobile wood fired oven.
image by Jim Bazin © 2011
Last Thursday at the Market, Uproot had the following pizza offerings:
Appleton Creamery Mozzarella
Dandelion Spring Farm Spinach, Ricotta, Roasted Garlic, and a wee bit of bacon
Caramelized Sweet Curried Onion with Fresh Dandelion Spring Farm Arugula
4 Cheese (Fontina, Romano, Mozzarella, and Gorgonzola)
Cheese
Guini Ridge Farm Sausage
image by Jim Bazin © 2011
I had the Caramelized Sweet Curried Onion with Fresh Dandelion Spring Farm Arugula and it was absolutely scrumptious! The publisher tried the Spinach, Ricotta, Roasted Garlic, and Bacon and was equally impressed. We’re looking forward to our next visit!
What’s the first weed you can remember eating as a child?
For me it was sorrel or “sour grass” as we called it. I am speaking about oxalis or wood sorrel. Remember the one that looked like lime green clover with a little yellow flower that turned into something (now I know it was a seed pod) resembling a tiny green banana? It was puckery. But there is garden sorrel too, beloved by the French and originating in France’s southern highlands. It’s in the garden now and widely available year round at specialty markets.
A relative of buckwheat and with broad leaves that remind one of spinach, but more lemony, sorrel’s acidic finish is due to its high oxalic acid content, the same as rhubarb. That makes sorrel a natural pairing with rich or fatty fishes and meats as a sauce. It also makes a nice purée or soup.
In preparation, be sure to use a stainless knife or tear the leaves by hand. Sorrel will discolor a traditional French iron cooking knife as well as erode pots and pans, so use a stainless knife and enamel pot when cooking it.
I like to use an array of spring greens in my spring greens and sorrel soup. Try mixing fresh spinach, sorrel, and arugula with a handful of green garlic leaves for this energy boosting and easy soup. I am making this version a little bit leaner than a traditional French style sorrel soup. Sorrel is famous for turning an off-putting sludgy green color when cooked on its own. That’s why I like to mix in brighter greens like spinach for the soup. Much more appealing!
image: honeybellscookery.blogspot.com Continue reading “Using Sorrel: Soup of Mixed Spring Greens” »
