Julia in Maine

Portland Magazine has published an article on Julia Child’s 50 year history with Maine.

For a chef like Julia, who insisted on the freshest possible ingredients, Maine was a delight. The family caught pollock for her Bouillabaisse à la mode de Blue Hill Bay (which she made with the fish, potatoes, fennel, and saffron). At low tide they gathered fat purple mussels for her to make Moulles Marinères. Local lobsters became her Lobster Archduke and Butter-Poached Maine Lobster.

Are You Going Vegan?

William Lee advocates a more vegetarian/vegan diet for all in this Maine Voices opinion article that was published in today’s Press Herald.

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and East Asian food as well have an inexhaustible supply of delicious vegan dishes. I am learning more about the glorious cuisines of Africa. For anyone ready to embark on the vegan adventure, the world’s plenty awaits in all its splendor.

Inside Immigrant Kitchens: Maili Kern

In the new installment of Inside Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to cook Estonian Roast Beef and Root Vegetable Salad from Maili Kern.

Maili Kern learned this from her mother in a village on the Baltic Sea in Estonia. It’s a popular dish served on buffet tables at celebrations. The color, bright pink from beets next to bright yellow and white hardboiled eggs, is a stunning example of how powerful simple things can be in the right hands.

Kelp, It's What for Dinner

Ocean Approved and Maine Coast Sea Vegetables are the focus of a feature story in the new issue of The Maine Switch. Both companies harvest and sell seaweed-based products harvested in Maine. Ocean Approved was also featured in the Boston Globe back in late April.

“You can’t help but notice the health benefits,” says [Ocean Approved co-owner] Olson, whose kelp noodles are a good option for those with gluten issues. “(Kelp) adds vibrancy to the dish without stealing the dish.”

Kelp, It’s What for Dinner

Ocean Approved and Maine Coast Sea Vegetables are the focus of a feature story in the new issue of The Maine Switch. Both companies harvest and sell seaweed-based products harvested in Maine. Ocean Approved was also featured in the Boston Globe back in late April.

“You can’t help but notice the health benefits,” says [Ocean Approved co-owner] Olson, whose kelp noodles are a good option for those with gluten issues. “(Kelp) adds vibrancy to the dish without stealing the dish.”

The Bollard's Sausage Showdown II

The Bollard has published the result from its 2nd Smokin’ Sausage Showdown in the new issue.
Fresh Approach won in the sweet Italian category, “…herby and flavorful Sweet Italian. Sporting plenty of fat content, this sausage was juicy and delicious.”
Moran’s Market won in the hot Italian category, “…instantly juicy, peppery burst, but without the blistering heat we expected from that first bite.”
and Pat’s Meat Market won in the wild card category for their Lithuanian sausage which has a “nice, unique flavor, with the herbs and mustard seed cutting through“.

The Bollard’s Sausage Showdown II

The Bollard has published the result from its 2nd Smokin’ Sausage Showdown in the new issue.

Fresh Approach won in the sweet Italian category, “…herby and flavorful Sweet Italian. Sporting plenty of fat content, this sausage was juicy and delicious.”

Moran’s Market won in the hot Italian category, “…instantly juicy, peppery burst, but without the blistering heat we expected from that first bite.”

and Pat’s Meat Market won in the wild card category for their Lithuanian sausage which has a “nice, unique flavor, with the herbs and mustard seed cutting through“.

Where to Buy Fish

Both Harbor Fish Market and Browne Trading made it on to the short list of authentic Maine seafood markets that appears in the new issue of Down East magazine.

It’s an easy assumption: Maine, a state revered worldwide for its seafood, has an abundance of fabulous and authentic seafood markets. The truth is that authentic fishmongers are a dying breed — even in this seafood-loving state. Nonetheless, plenty of authentic fish markets still exist — you just have to know where to look. So we did the legwork for you. We traveled more than five hundred miles on our quest to find markets that demonstrated three major qualities: selection, freshness, and the more subjective standard of trustworthiness.

IIK: Thai Spring Rolls

Lindsay Sterling from Inside Immigrant Kitchens has published another installment in her series on authentic ethnic cooking. This month’s recipe is for Thai Spring Rolls with Chili Peanut Sauce.

Rattana Sherman, from Bangkok Thailand, is the source of this healthy, scrumptious recipe that my young kids and friends all gobble up with glee. Here she is Maine (on Forest Ave. across from Baxter Woods in Portland) about to show me the curious wonders in Haknuman, our town’s Asian market. You can find what you need in a well-stocked supermarket, but it’s less fun.