Category: Cooking

Talking Turkey

| Posted in Cooking

Forecaster columnist Edgar Allen Beem shares his experiences buying an $80 turkey.

Spending $80 on a turkey (about four times as much as supermarket bird) strikes me as something of an exercise in feel-good environmentalism, but if it makes my family happy, so be it.

Food is about my only extravagance. We’ve lived in the same little house for 30 years, don’t go on exotic vacations, don’t drive expensive cars, and I buy most of my clothes at the L.L. Bean employee store. The pants I’m wearing (in fact all my pants) cost 25 cents, so I guess I can afford an $80 bird once a year.

Wine at Bresca and a Turkey Buying Guide

| Posted in Wine, Cooking

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article about Bresca’s “thoughtful and passionate” wine list,

[Chef Krista Kern Desjarlais’s] attitude combines a strong personal investment in small wine makers; a passion for lesser-known varietals and wine-making regions that produce low-alcohol, food-friendly wines; and a commitment to politely, graciously nudging guests to step outside their comfort zones.

“We aim to have the guest invite us into their experience,” she said. “We want to be more educated about the wine and help people and stand for what we stand for, but not make anyone feel uncomfortable about their wine knowledge.”

and a Q&A about Thanksgiving turkeys with the head of the meat department at Whole Foods. The article includes a helpful buying guide to Maine farms selling locally raised turkeys.

What’s the difference between a hen and a tom turkey, and does one taste better than the other?
A hen is a female bird; a tom is male. How they taste will depend primarily on where and how they were raised. The main difference is size; a tom will be larger than a hen. Designating whether a turkey is a hen or a tom is not required on the label.

Iraqi Chicken and Rice

| Posted in Cooking

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Iraqi Chicken and Rice from Mona Galee (read the recipe and see the photos).

The grey spice she was putting in the rice is a combination of ground green cardamom pods, cinnamon powder, whole cumin, whole clove, and black pepper. She calls it bar timon. Then she ads turmeric to make the rice yellow. Once the chicken has cooked through in the spices and water, she takes it out of the gidduh, and then pan-fries the whole chicken in a wok. The spice-infused bird takes on a crispy texture and gorgeous golden-brown color. She mounts it on a platter on top of the yellow rice and sprinkles sautéed golden raisons and onions all around…

September Bollard: Review of Gingko Blue and Upgraded Italian Sandwiches

| Posted in Cooking, Reviews

This month’s edition of The Bollard includes a review of Gingko Blue,

It seems like Gingko Blue is trying to be two things at once: an ultra lounge for trendy twentysomethings and a jazz club for older professionals. The short-seated, high-backed chairs in the lounge, the wavy ceiling sculpture and the metallic gingko tree make the interior look like a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Miami Vice. I found the experience of drinking there rather vapid; more style than substance. If you miss Una, the upscale ultra lounge that formerly operated a block down the street, then Gingko Blue is the bar for you.

and advice on how to upgrade the traditional Maine Italian sandwich with bread from Standard, cold cuts from Micucci, veggies from the Farmers Market and pickles from Medeo in Westbrook.

While there’s nothing wrong with the ingredients of Italians from sandwich shops like Amato’s, Di Pietro’s and Anania’s — the junky-goodness being part of the appeal — there’s no reason for the home caterer or lunch prepper not to take it up a notch. This involves some culling ingredients from a variety of local purveyors.

Immigrant Kitchens: Cambodian Curry Soup

| Posted in Cooking

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Cambodian Curry Soup from Makara Meng (read the recipe and see the photos).

It was there that Makara told me this story, in — as a very strange God would have it – the rice aisle. Because it’s what I do, I asked her if she would teach me a dish from her homeland. This Cambodian curry is a dish she and her mother made in her childhood before all that hell broke loose. Today the two of them make it, still together, in South Portland for family birthday parties. It’s bone-in chicken pieces, eggplant, yam, green beans and onion wedges all covered and wading in a thick red sauce.

Monday Market, Tequila & Macrobiotics

| Posted in Farming, Distilling & Cocktails, Cooking

Today’s Press Herald reports on efforts to bring the Monday Farmers Market back to life,

Farmers on the wait list said they won’t come on Mondays because no customers attend. They can’t afford to take time from planting and harvesting to travel downtown and not sell anything. Likewise, customers won’t come on Mondays because no farmers attend.

It’s a self-defeating cycle, but a group of immigrant farmers will soon try to revive the Monday market. Dawud Ummah, president of the Center for African-American Heritage, is coordinating the effort.

an article about tequila featuring staff from Zapoteca,

For a lot of people, sitting in front of a line of three shots of tequila might conjure some flashbacks involving a pinch of salt, a lemon wedge and a pounding headache. But the shots that come in a flight of tequila at Zapoteca, a new Mexican restaurant and tequileria in Portland, are meant to be sipped and savored like a fine single malt Scotch, not downed in one gulp by a drunken college student.

and an article about the macrobiotic diet and the macrobiotic cooking classes at Five Season Cooking School,

The school is run by Lisa Silverman, and it hosts frequent visits from well-known macrobiotic teachers.

Next week, Jessica Porter, a former Portland resident and author of “The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics,” will teach a class at the school. At the end of September, internationally acclaimed macrobiotic educator Warren Kramer will come to the school to offer a lecture and teach a class.

Strawberry O-Rama

| Posted in Farming, Cooking, Reviews

For the July edition of our collaborative food writing project the group is publishing a celebration of Maine native strawberries. Strawberries are still widely available in Portland at the Farmers Market and other locations like Rosemont. If one of the wonderful recipes below isn’t to your liking then take CW‘s advice and pick up a strawberry pie from Blackbird Baking, or just eat them raw with a little heavy cream (my dessert tonight) or give the smoothies they’re making at the Farmers Market a try. Regardless of AP has to say, don’t let the season pass you by.

Appetite Portland – Anti-Strawberry “Preference”

I grew up with a strawberry-loving mom. She would just shake her head and say, “well, more for me then” while popping a plump red berry in her mouth. It’s not that I hate strawberries. To quote my never-admit-to-not-liking-anything, farm-raised Dad, “I just really don’t prefer them.”… read the full article

Chubby Werewolf – Review of Memere’s Strawberry Pie

The generously sized strawberry pie—like so many of the desserts I’ve tried from the Blackbird Baking Company of Maine—is a unique and memorable experience. For starters, it is just stunning to look at. Deep red berries sit in stark contrast to the ring of golden crust that encases them. The top of the pie is dotted with huge, whole strawberries, their tiny seeds visible through the thick red glaze, reminding you that you are, in fact, about to eat a dish made with fresh, flavorful ingredients.… read the full review

Edible Obsessions – Spring Panna Cotta w/Strawberry Balsamic Jam

In the land known for blueberries, for me, it is the strawberry that has come to represent summer in Maine. I think this is due to the fact that their appearance at the Farmers Markets signals the true beginning of the local produce season. The single hue of greens is finally broken by the brilliant pop of red berries at nearly every stall.… read the full article

From Away – Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs

The use of wooden barbecue skewers isn’t limited to cooking sad little dried-out chunks of beef and pepper; they can also be used to make simple, delicious grilled desserts. And you don’t even have to pre-soak the wooden skewers, because they are on the grill for such a short amount of time. Our grilled “Strawberry Shortcake” kebabs completely change the character of the classic Summertime dish.… read the full article

Vrai-lean-uh – Memories of (not)Picking Strawberries

So when A. suggest that this month’s O-Rama posts be focused on strawberries I had the wherewithal to reject my gut inclination to go picking strawberries. In theory, I want to pick strawberries. In real life, I want to do leisure activities that do not require me to labor in unrelenting sun, stooped to the ground with sunscreen dripping into my eyes for extended periods of time. Instead, I did what people who want to pick strawberries in theory but not in practice these days do. I went to the farmer’s market.… read the full article | hulling strawberries

And Portland fashion/food blogger also couldn’t resist the pull of Maine strawberries in prime season and has also posted a piece about going strawberry picking at Maxwell’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth.

Be sure to check Vrai-lean-uh’s blog later when she’ll be publishing the results of an interview with David Buchanan about his work at Origins Fruit to bring back the Marshall Strawberry.

SoPo Bees, Meatless Monday, Grilling Veggies, and Berwick Bison

| Posted in General News, Farming, Cooking

Today’s Press Herald reports on the bee ordinance in South Portland. Beekeeper Phil Gaven who was interviewed for the article plans on opening “a store in Portland called The Honey Exchange. He will offer local honey, wax products and honey-based food and drink.”

The paper also includes an article about Sebago Brewing’s new Meatless Monday menu,

“We’ve gotten a lot of requests for more healthy, more local and more vegetarian,” said Elise Loschiavo, Sebago’s marketing manager. “It’s not that hard to come up with a few more meatless options.”

advice on grilling vegetables,

Or brush some Brussels sprouts with olive oil and tamari, and toss them on the grill. “Brussels sprouts are excellent on the grill,” [Toni] Fiore said. “I’ve made them for people who don’t like Brussels sprouts, but they like them on the grill. It just adds a different dimension. It’s not so cabbage-y.”

and a report on a pair of friends who are raising Bison in Berwick, Maine.