Some Like It Hot.....

And some like it hotter.  After a winter in Maine some of you might think I'm talking about the climate, but this is about "hot in the pot".  As winter approached, we heard many of the year-round residents talk about how they hibernate and eat soup during winter.  We thought they were exaggerating, but apparently not.  In light of the fact there were many days when we looked outside and didn't see a person, car, or light in a window they were totally serious.  At one point, Dan commented he wouldn't be surprised to see tumbleweed rolling down Main Street.  This post is dedicated to all the year-round soup-eaters in Castine.

My first cookbook was The Nancy Drew Cookbook.  The Case of the Smothered Pork Chops could have been the beginning and end of my culinary adventures if my father hadn't been so kind and complimentary.  In hindsight, I'm thankful his stomach didn't rupture as I failed to understand rice increases with size and if you add more because what the recipe calls for doesn't look like a lot, you have to add more liquid.  Needless to say, the rice was more than a little crunchy.  Live and learn.

As I entered my teens and started dabbling with vegetarianism, I purchased Moosewood Cookbook.  Fast forward thirty-five years to the opposite coast as I was perusing the cookbooks at a bookstore in Pasadena.  There on the shelf was Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health.  How could I resist but have a glance inside.  I guess we've all grown up because there wasn't a kugel recipe insight and I wasn't wearing Birkenstocks. 

So what's with the hot factor?  The recipe calls for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  I had never tried or cooked with chipotles until we were living in L.A.  For anyone who loves cuisine with a kick, you understand there's hot and then there's hot with flavor.  Hot just for the sake of being hot isn't the name of the game.  Chipotles, on the other hand, have a divine smokiness, a sublime flavor, and fabulous heat.  They are the crowning glory in this recipe.  So who in our family likes it "hot" and who likes it "hotter"?  Let's just say I'm all about the burn.

Sweet Potato, Apple, and Chipotle Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup thinly sliced celery
5 large peeled sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
2 cups peeled apples, chopped
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
water

Warm the oil in a large soup pot on high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring continually, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add the celery, sweet potatoes, apples, chipotle peppers, vegetable broth, salt, black pepper, and enough water to cover the veggies.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer gently until the sweet potatoes and apples are soft, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches until smooth and creamy.  You may need to add a little water if the soup is too thick or if it refuses to puree easily in the blender.  Blend in more chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and/or black pepper to suit your taste.  I've taken to drizzling the adobo on top of the soup after it's in the bowl as I don't want to burn Dan's taste buds off.

Note:  the above is a slight variation of the original recipe.  I've also discovered (in the depths of winter when the pantry is a little empty) you can substitute water for the vegetable broth. 

My Favorite Four Letter Word for the Day

VOTE! 

The Calm Before the Storm

When the going gets tough, the not-so-tough get baking.  Go figure.  Last night I made a loaf of Rye Soda Bread and I just finished making a batch of mini corn bread loaves.  This morning I am asking myself why on Earth all my friends and family wanted me to move out of California for fear of earthquakes.  As Hurricane Sandy approaches the Northeast, a thirty second earthquake doesn't seem all that forboding. 

I am a control freak.  I think we have already established that in many of my previous posts.  The worst part of this storm is the uncertainty.  At this point, we all know it is going to be bad....especially for those in the Mid-Atlantic states, Manhattan, and Long Island.  I am planning on staying put no matter what, but I do have offers to hunker down with friends who have generators.  Dan and I are rarely apart and this is one of those unusual times.  I am thankful he weathered the storm without much ado in Charleston, but now worry about him returning home amid all the potential damage and power outages.  The plan is for him to stay put until we're sure he has a clear shot home.

I have never been  a corn bread girl, but this is the second time I've made it since arriving in Maine.  There's something warm and cozy about it....whether served with soup, eggs, or just topped with a little butter....it says "home".  So here I sit in my home in my new hometown of Castine with wonderful friends who continue to extend great kindness and comfort during uncertain times. 

Corn Bread

1 cup yellow corm meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup real buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425˚.  Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan or six mini loaf muffin tins.  Combine corn meal, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix the oil, buttermilk, and egg together and add to the dry ingredients mixing just until the batter is combined and uniform.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan or mini loaf tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes if using the 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan or 15 to 20 minutes if making the mini loaves.  I think it is best eaten when still warm.

To everyone in the path of Hurricane Sandy, please be safe, take cover, and know prayers and positive thoughts are with you.

Time to Wise Up

Falling off the wagon happens all the time.  The trick, however, when one does fall off the wagon is to not get run over by the semi following you.  This year has been a whirlwind....deciding to leave L.A., moving to Maine, setting up a business, working seven days a week....that has left me off-kilter.  Last week I came to the realization that my lack of balance had left me teetering precariously on the brink of falling into the carton of Camp Coffee and living a seemingly blissful existence in an ice cream coma.

Okay....the ice cream wasn't the only culprit.  There was the ooey gooey jalapeno pizza from our favorite local bar, the hard apple cider that ushered in Autumn, and the ultimate over the top food frenzy of Belgian fries fried in duckfat.  Yes, my friends, it was time to wise up.  So here I sit on Day 5 of my return to sane eating listening to Aimee Mann sing Wise Up.....my new anthem.

My foray into healthy eating three years ago didn't have as much to do with looking good in jeans as it did with feeling good and living an active life.  Four days without white flour and white sugar has left me, once again, with more energy and a clearer head.  Four days is a big deal.  From my experience and according to many books I've read, four days is the length of time it takes to eliminate "the white poisons" from the body.  After you clear that hurdle, it becomes surprisingly easy.  From there, as with any wagon ride....it's just one day at a time. 

The Tail End of the Lobster

Dan's impression of Woody Allen in Annie Hall

It may be the last day of the month, but I was bound and determined to get the Lobster Tale Trilogy finished by month's end and got it in just under the wire.  For awhile I pondered doing a lobster linguine to pay homage to my favorite dish at The Pentagoet Inn, but asked myself what on Earth was I thinking trying to replicate such an exquisite entree.  As a result, I decided this was the perfect time to create a Maine-based version of Eggs Benedict.

Dan and I have made a habit of coming up with different takes on our favorite....albeit deadly to one's waistline....breakfasts.  My favorite has always been Eggs Bjornstein which substitutes smoked salmon for the ham.  Dan, on the other hand, still being a carnivore at heart has embraced the Eggs Benedetto.  The Benedetto variation pays tribute to one of our favorite singers, Tony Bennett, and Dan's Italian heritage with prosciutto stepping in for the American oink.

Eggs Emoggin is the newest addition to the roster.  Unless you happen to be from this area of the country, the name probably has you stymied.  Eggemoggin Reach is a body of water that separates the Blue Hill Peninsula from Deer Isle and plays host to the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta.  The Deer Isle Bridge is a suspension bridge completed in 1939 which spans Eggemoggin Reach and provides the only vehicular connection between the mainland and Little Deer Isle.

The Easy Hollandaise Sauce is from The Black Dog: Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook and has never left me down.  While chefs may cringe with this quick take on the classic sauce, it's made my Sunday mornings far more enjoyable.

Eggs Emoggin

4 poached eggs
2 pieces toasted multigrain bread
butter
2 lobster tails, cooked and cut into 1" medallions
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup Easy Hollandaise Sauce (recipe below)
2 teaspoons capers
salt
freshly ground pepper

Poach eggs to your liking.  I've always been a runny yolk girl, but Dan has only recently discovered the wonders of the runny yolk.  While the eggs are poaching, lightly toast the bread and butter it if you like.  Place the spinach on the bread and top with the poached eggs.  Top with the lobster and drizzle with the Hollandaise sauce.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and garnish with the capers.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 stick butter, melted
splash of Tabasco sauce
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Combine the egg yolks and lemon juice in a food processor or blender.  Turn on and slowly pour in the melted butter.  The sauce will emulsify.  Season with Tabasco, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Yields 1/2 cup.

A Lobster Tale: Part Deux

Once again, apologies for the delay of this next segment of the Lobster Tale.  My goal is to post the final installment by the end of the month.  Yes, that would be in four days and not terribly likely to occur you may be saying, but if I don't get this moving the third recipe could very well end up being a lobster bisque for Christmas Eve.

Let me start by saying I have way too many cookbooks as anyone who has spent time in our home can tell you.  Sad to say, many are rarely taken out of the hutch and even more embarrassing, some have yet to result in anything edible.  One of those books was Gourmet LA.  It must have been purchased more than a decade ago during my first period of exile in California and is a collection of recipes from the Junior League of Los Angeles. 

Ironically, the cover photo is of what I believe was supposed to be Lobster Dijonnaise, but looks far more like a chopped lobster tail with hollandaise sauce.  Never once during my time in The Golden State did I eat lobster as it really isn't something associated with the region.  This is my way of connecting my past life with my current one where lobster really is an inherent part of the culture.  The below recipe is my variation on the published recipe as I'm still mayo free.

Lobster Dijonnaise

2 lobster tails, cooked and chilled
6 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh           Italian parsley
2 teaspoons capers
Salt and pepper
Spinach, arugula, or mixed greens

Remove the lobster tails from their shell and chop the meat into 1/2"-1" chunks and set aside.  Combine the yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, parsley, and capers and blend well.  Add the lobster meat, and mix gently.  Season with salt and pepper and chill.  To plate, place the lobster mixture on a bed of greens.  Serves 2.

A Lobster Tale in Three Parts

Apologies all around for the inordinate amount of time since my last post, but August seemingly flew by and here it is the first day of September.  I have intended to do a series of three lobster recipes.....hence the "lobster tale (tail) in three parts"....ever since the price of lobster dropped below $4.00/lb.  Needless to say, I am only one part into the trilogy. 

A few weeks ago Dan went to our favorite lobster shack and returned home with four big boys.  The actual cooking of the lobster falls to Dan as well.  I'm a total wimp when it comes to throwing a living creature into a pot of boiling water or as Dan calls it, "the hot tub".  After they had met their untimely demise, we froze the four tails and decided to use the claw meat for a Lobster Fra Diavolo.

So what might parts two and three bring to the lobster tale?  I'm pondering a Lobster Dijonnaise and a Lobster Linguine, but have yet to determine the final destiny for the four frozen tails currently residing next to the container of Gifford's "Muddy Bean Boots" in the freezer.  The outcome for the "Muddy Bean Boots", however, is very clear....it's safe to say the lobster tails will be all alone tomorrow morning and the empty Gifford's carton will be in the trash.

 Lobster Fra Diavolo

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes with juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine or lobster stock
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cups cooked lobster meat
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 ounces brown rice fettuccine or linguine

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Cook the pasta to desired tenderness.  While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until lightly caramelized, about five minutes.  Add the minced garlic to the onions and saute about 30 seconds.  Do not let the garlic burn!  After the garlic is fragrant, add the crushed red pepper flakes and saute briefly before adding the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, wine or stock, and oregano.  Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by approximately half, about fifteen minutes.  Add the lobster meat to the pan and cook for a few minutes to warm through.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Add the lobster mixture to the drained pasta and plate.