As with many of our recipes, I’m all about the ‘kitchen-sink technique’; it’s all about what we have on hand. I prefer recipes that I can easily substitute something of a like kind and that it satisfies all three of our diverse palates (harder to come by with some dishes for the kid but we manage, sometimes it’s all about ‘deconstructing’ the elements to make her happy). This dish is easy peasy. Creamy, cheesy dip with an added vegetation and optional crab, imitation crab, or lobster (this recipe celebrates Maine with lobster). This could easily stay a veg dip with spinach, baby kale artichoke, or even cooked broccoli or asparagus. And eaten with whatever it is you like to dip (you could even leave out the veg and instead use crudité to dip with…) – chips, crackers, bread, veg, etc.
This is hearty but not heavy (unless you eat too much, I suppose) and works great as a dish to bring to a gathering (y’know, when those can happen again) or for a ‘family style dinner’ – which we do often. We’re all about a dish we can all share from a center dish (no individual dishes, just utensils and napkins). I am not savvy enough to substitute the cream cheese with plant-based cheese (though I am really nerding out on plant-based cheese recipes from Pascal Baudar’s book: Wildcrafted Fermentation – more to come on that when I feel successful).
It’s funny that here in Maine, people do very little with lobster. As I’ve probably mentioned before it is mostly eaten steamed or boiled, on a roll with mayo, sometimes tails split/stuffed/roasted, and once in awhile with pasta – either simply with something like linguine or decadently with macaroni and cheese. There’s always bisque. I’m always looking for new ideas and options (why do we rarely see it flourishing atop a nice green salad?). I find this dish handy for the lobster leg meat you painstakingly pulled out and saved, or a frozen portion of imitation crab (there are healthy versions out there, why can’t they just call it what it is?), or a nice little container of crab meat.
Hot Lobster Dip Serves 4 as a main ‘dish’
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, plus a little more to sprinkle on top 3/4 Mayonnaise 8-10 oz Lobster/Crab/Imitation Crab – cut into smaller bits if needed 1/2 cup Minced Green Onion/Scallions (optional) 13 oz can Artichoke Hearts – chopped into smaller bits if needed (or a big handful of fresh baby spinach/kale or 1 cup frozen greens/broccoli bits, etc) 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice or White Wine 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional) 1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1/2 tsp Ground Mustard 1/2 tsp Ancho Chili (or any kind of Chili you like) powder 1 Tbsp Butter or Oil to prepare baking dish Tortilla Chips or other dipping option
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a Medium to Large bowl whip or mash Cheeses with Mayonnaise with Lemon Juice. Sprinkle spices over mix, then fold in Lobster, Onions, and Artichokes. Using a rubber spatula, turn out into a buttered square baker (8×8) and sprinkle extra Parmesan on top.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until heated through and the top has browned a bit.
Besides one little lump in the driveway, under the construction materials due for the Transfer Station, is the last bit of snow on the front side of the property. I found myself near the Longfellow Greenhouse/Nursery yesterday and came home with a selection of delicious Pansies, and a few extra Heuchera to go with my dozen Primrose as a start of 2 new shade gardens: one along the Southeast rock wall and now one next to the Sugar Shack (on order are more Heuchera and Primrose, Bleeding Hearts, fancy Hosta – like White and Mouse Ear, Virginia Bluebells, and Hellebore) – I have been dying for a couple of years to take on this ‘shade garden’ project. I moved a nice little Rhododendron and Azalea up to the wall the year before last so now it is time to rake out and clean up errant saplings/thorny bits and add some love and interest. Josh just cleaned up the area around the Sugar Shack, opening up a nice space in front of the large Sugar Maples and began rebuilding an old rock wall there, too. A little cultivated space next to a little wild space – that’s how we roll.
Meanwhile seeds are in the sprouting room making contact with baby plant starter, on the heating mats, some under the lights, and many perennials in recycled milk jugs – after the milk, many of them hold whey for awhile, then they get cleaned and cut mostly in half/holes in the bottom and filled with enriched potting soil & perennial seeds. The cut half gets taped back together, then placed outside to stratify many seeds and naturally acclimate the seedlings. As they get bigger – and it gets warmer, remove first the cap for a few days, then the tape to flip open the jug during the day and close during the eves – to ‘harden off’, then remove the top completely when the weather and size of seedlings are established. For perennials this works great as it creates a large clump to plant, which gets disturbed less in transplanting, and quickly establishes a successful plant. Works great for my Echinacea & Rudbeckia/Forget-Me-Nots/Pansies/Canterbury Bells/Milkweed/Daisy and many herbs.
Still many big plans being developed in the Outdoor Bread Oven/extended Grape Arbor/freestanding Pergola reconstruction of La Petite Jardin. I think this will be our big push this Summer on the property as well as maintaining and solidifying the Blackberry Patch/the Medicinal & Dye Garden/and establishing Flower Gardens. I think the world needs more flowers this year!
“Cultivation is the shallow stirring of the surface soil in order to cut off small weeds and prevent the appearance of new ones. Weeding takes place after the weeds are already established. Cultivation deals with weeds before they become a problem. Weeding deals with the problem after it has occurred. When weeds are allowed to grow large and coarse, the task becomes much more difficult. But weeds should not be allowed to become so large. They should be dealt with just after they germinate. Small weeds are easy to control, and the work yields the greatest return for the least amount of effort…In other words: Don’t weed, cultivate.” ~ Eliot Coleman
I know, I tease you all by never posting photos of the food. There is just such a ‘thing’ about pictures of food on the interwebs these days, it’s funnier if I don’t indulge you. Ha! But here are some random pics of food and food like bits. Enjoy.
Duende loves Spring. She’s happy to have the sunshine and longer days. Running around to see what the creek is doing this time of year, doing hula hoop tricks, even trying to ride her bike on the firmer ground.
Which is hard around here – we are downhill and then across the street from a swamp. We get the snow run off from the higher ground which fills a small seep we have and into the creek on one side and down into our basement on the other. As part of the ‘lakes’ region we were already wet. As part fish, my child likes it wet. I suppose she’s more of a ‘mud puppy’.
This past week has been pretty exciting – Maple Sugaring weekend with guests to check out the process/enjoy the warmish weather along with D’s good friend Pear, some country drives (to Portland for the Tuesday delivery with a bit of scootering in the park and then again on Wednesday to go to Fedco to pick up a few things) and a quick trip to Longfellow Greenhouse to get some seedling soil and more Primrose.
What’s on the agenda for today? Raking, planting, seed starting and apparently radio tinkering (she found an old radio on the porch that she has taken over) and jello making (she uses juice or homemade lemonade with gelatin). She made a delicious Tortilla Espanola for dinner the other day and is excited to help making a ‘Hawaiian Rice Bowl’ tonite with spicy rubbed pork belly, pineapple, and broccoli. Duende is becoming quite the adept little cook!
Some moments that I’ve had Some moments of pleasure
I think about us lying Lying on a beach somewhere I think about us diving Diving off a rock, into another moment
The case of George the Wipe Oh God I can’t stop laughing This sense of humour of mine It isn’t funny at all Oh but we sit up all night Talking about it
Just being alive it can really hurt These moments given are a gift from time
On a balcony in New York It’s just started to snow He meets us at the lift Like Douglas Fairbanks Waving his walking stick But he isn’t well at all The buildings of New York Look just like mountains Through the snow
Just being alive it can really hurt And these moments given are a gift from time Just let us try to give these moments back To those we love, to those who will survive
And I can hear my mother saying ‘Every old sock meets an old shoe’ Isn’t that a great saying? ‘Every old sock meets an old shoe’ Here come the Hills of Time
I have to say that I have always hated Baked Beans – there was something about the grainy texture of the beans and the sweetness that never appealed to me. And then I started making them myself and now I can balance the sweet with the savory more effectively. My lovely Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish (after her long time column in the Maine Sunday Telegram since 1948, the collection came out in 1969) points me in classic directions. Though sometimes the shortcuts of the time are less than appealing like canned soup additions, Accent, but it’s not as bad as some of my other collections which feature Velveeta, Ritz crackers, etc. However, if a recipe has lard in it, I’m there. I have been known to get a little wild and crazy in the past and have thrown in Garlic and Ginger and even a little deep Chili to my beans, but this is a more traditional approach. Remember you need a long cooking time to make these just right (though you can speed up the process if needed by either cooking beans on stovetop for an hour before baking; bring drained soaked or parboiled beans with 8 cups water to a boil for 2 minutes, then simmer 1 hour. Add the rest of ingredients plus more water if needed to another boil, then bake for 3 hours).
Our beans change a bit with what we have around but I try and keep Salt Pork on hand, Molasses and Maple, sometimes Apple Cider syrup. The beans are what I have on hand, as well, like Pinto or better yet Maine Marfax beans or Yellow-Eye or Soldier if that’s what I have. Marjorie says a good Brown Bread and Pickles accompany nicely, as well as Fish Cakes if you desire something to cut the richness and add a hearty addition.
I’ve come across many a fish cake recipe that makes this process a little too complicated. I think what makes a great fish cake is simplicity though that is not to say you can’t substitute the fish: I use thawed frozen cod or haddock here but fresh is generally best, however, even can tuna or salmon could work, classic recipes (like Marjorie’s) use Salt Cod, and even smoked fish (you just don’t want an oily fish), and can even swap crab or lobster or small Maine clams or Maine shrimp. Adding herbs and maybe even a little chili powder ups your game (if you are a stickler for companion-cooking, add a little dry mustard, or just serve with a mustardy aioli or Tartar sauce). Frying with a little Lard is exceptional but as long as your cooking oil is made for higher heat and Non-GMO, you’ll have success here (for added flavor that’s not lard, consider adding a little butter or ghee to your oil while sautéing, and they also bake really well – put a little oil on a sheetpan, then drizzle a little more oil on top of the cakes to help them brown/crisp, flip if you like). For me it’s more about the pan and a strong little spatula – cast iron, either well-seasoned or ceramic-glazed works best for keeping the cakes from sticking and patience – just leaving them alone until they are ready to be turned.
Perfect for hanging out around the Sugar Shack. I think we’ll make an Apple Cake, too, just to have something else to ladle a little fresh hot syrup onto (I just got chills thinking about it – yesssss). Beans set well for a couple of days, deepening the flavors and leftover Fish Cakes for a Sunday brunch or Monday Pita lunch doesn’t sound too bad either. Enjoy!
Maine Baked Beans Serves many
1 lb Dry Beans (2 cups), a kind that will retain its shape/be tender after long cooking 1/2 lb Salt Pork, cut into lardons (or Bacon or 4 Tbsp Veg oil) 2 cups Yellow or Sweet Onions, finely chopped (optional) 2 firm tart Apples, chopped (optional) 1/4 cup Molasses 1/4 cup Dark Rum (optional) 1/4 cup Maple Syrup (or Brown Sugar if needed & nowhere near New England/Canada) 2 tsp Kosher Salt 1 tsp Dry Mustard, ground 1 big sprig of Sage or Thyme (dry or fresh, Rosemary or Marjoram could work nicely, too) 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Rinse and check for stones or any less than stellar beans then soak overnight in a large pot or bowl with enough cold water to cover beans 1″. If you forget or cannot soak them you can parboil them (cover with 2″ water in pot, bring to boil for 2 min. put a lid on them and let sit for 1 hour.) Drain beans.
Preheat oven 300 degrees. In a heavy bottom pot (one that can go from stovetop to oven is best but you can separate all of these if needed), fry Lardons gently to render their fat and brown up any meat bits (but not crunchy crispy), add Onions and Apples if using and saute until they are softened. Add beans, herb, mustard, black pepper, and half the salt with 3 cups of water, cover and bake.
After 3 hours, check water levels and add more if needed (generally a cup at a time), add molasses/rum/maple and rest of salt. Cook up to another 3 hours or as needed, check hourly for water levels and tenderness. During the last hour of baking you can also uncover to brown up top of beans. Sweeten with more Maple and S&P to taste.
These reheat and freeze well for any leftovers, too (and are great the next morning with an egg on top!).
Down East Fish Cakes Serves 4-5 as side
1 lb Cod (fresh or frozen/thawed, Haddock/Maine shrimp/clams, crab/lobster, can fish) 4-5 Medium Yukon Gold or starchy Potato, unpeeled, cut into 2″ chunks Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper 1 Large farm fresh Egg 1 tsp fresh or dried minced Parsley or Tarragon or Lemon Balm 1-2 cups Panko bread crumbs (optional)
If using thawed or fresh Cod, put in a shallow pot or deep saute pan with potatoes and enough cold water to just barely cover. Bring to a soft boil and cook until potatoes are tender and fish is flaky. Drain then add to bowl.
Mash with a fork the Fish and Potatoes together with herbs/S&P, and Egg. Scoop with a tablespoon; flatten and shape into small patties (about the size of the bottom of a 1/2 pint Mason jar). Slide onto a platter as is, or onto a plate with Panko crumbs (press down lightly to help the Panko adhere to the patties) and then to a platter until ready to fry.
Back in the cleaned deep saute pan, have 1/4″ hot melted Lard or a mix of Oil/Butter ready. Fry patties until crusty golden brown on both sides – flipping once about 2-3 minutes in(but do try and wait, if you try and flip too early they will fall apart). Serve with aioli or Tartar sauce and alongside a nice warm bowl of Baked Beans.
Ever since she was a small pea Duende has loved to hunt for things – and eggs for Spring is a special treat. Most of her egg-searching career has been inside our various homes because this is Maine and outside is generally covered in snow during the Vernal Equinox. She doesn’t just search once, she has us hide them again and again (one year she hid them from herself and couldn’t find them! I think the year before last her and her friend Pear hid them from each other and spent the afternoon searching…too funny). This year she had an inside (because after decorating them she just couldn’t wait) and an outside search (multiple on both).
Her obsession with breeding the cat, for example, is another (though I think the obsession is more about having a thing she can focus on which is contrary to my interests, like her listening to the country radio station). And her only semi-conscious obsession with cardboard (which I support whole heartedly, paper-cutter I am, myself). And her lately ‘snack’ of salt/vinegar chips with chocolate milk (eww). Sometimes obsessions aren’t so bad, as long as they don’t get out of hand.
Of course, as a parent, I wish she would be more obsessed about her hygiene and cleaning her room but she’ll get there (hopefully in a healthy way). Until then, we’ll just enjoy her little idiosyncrasies as hopefully she does ours.
A welcome warm spell has brought some unintended hurry to our maple sugaring process – normally what gets done in a few weeks has to happen in essentially one week. Though we did start late this year (setbacks abound) we might finish ‘on time’. Josh drew the first delicious syrup yesterday. Fortunately the nights are cool enough to offset the warmth of the days (too warm and not only will the sap stop flowing, but the sap we have in 55 gallon drums will sour before we can get to boiling it) as long as Josh keeps up with the process (and bakes, delivers, collects sap, etc). It is a dawn to past dusk process.
Meanwhile, it’s officially Spring! Yay! Happy Spring! The snowmobile trail has been closed (though with the weather it seems it was a seamless transition from the sled to the motorcycle for local folks), and buds are swelling on the lilacs and the silver maple tree. There is still plenty of packed snow in the shady areas of the hill and woods but the garden is bare and the lower lawn can finally be seen again. I am still suspecting another snow but the ground will be thawing underneath at that point. The woodstove is still warming our nights despite my opening windows during the day.
Plans are still moving forward with the studio reno (though everything is on hold when it’s sugaring season), and renewed plans of the outdoor bread oven resurface. I must get to the seeds this week; I couldn’t find the front porch/seedling room for awhile there – it’s only really a 2-season porch so I had to wait until it warmed up enough (and over the Winter it was frequently used as a giant closet/storage shed). Now I must really begin growing those flowers and herbs in earnest.
The marvelous child has been up to loving the sunshine (cheer, cheer, cheer, like a cherry in my ear) – hula hoop tricks, mud baths, and egg hunts. She helps with the sugaring, the chickens, and has been collecting basketry supplies (mostly willow and bittersweet vine). And those chickens, well – they have been loving going off into the woods lately (makes me a bit nervous but ‘forest chickens’ are sort of a delight to wander upon). They have only been out for 2 hours this morning and I have already seen them traverse the dooryard, the orchard, the garden, and now they are working their way across the lower lawn – they get around!
We wish you well and hope your Spring brings fresh new awakenings.
I know it’s close to Spring when I start craving green things big time (I think I mentioned the same last year). We pull out all the frozen kale we put away last Summer, use up the fresh CSA micro-bitter-greens and baby Chard/Spinach (the Rainbow Chard from the farm this week is stunning!) and start drooling over Indian Saag or Palak and Trinidadian Callaloo or Moroccan Greens Dip or even just a nice slow braised pot of Collards (man, I love Collards). Much to my child’s dismay I support chucking in a couple of handfuls of Spinach to every red sauce and bean dish (Spaghetti/Meatballs, Pizza, Tuscan beans, yes). I can’t wait for late Spring and Summer Salads, foraging for Dandelion and Sorrel, and pulling Hosta, Daylilly, and Milkweed shoots for warm Spring vegetable dishes.
Of course, I’m getting ahead of myself. Spring in mid-Maine is only ‘technically’ so – our weather can be pretty ‘Wintery’ for awhile. We’re in a warm spell right now (which hopefully won’t cut us short on Maple sap) but it’s possible we could still get snow. Last frost in my Zone 4b-5a isn’t until mid-May. It is generally colder inland in the Winter, and hotter in the Summer than the coast. And most of our growing space is on a North slope (the vegetable garden in 4b, the orchard in 5a). This year we will be growing mostly flowers (to sell, for beauty, in baskets, etc) and herbs and getting some perennial beds in place. I need to work on my dissertation in order to distract me from buying more seeds and seed supplies!
We are on celebration weekend – our chalkboard menu tells me we are full to the brim with ‘party foods’, Harold tonite (our Cheese/Bread board with Roasted Eggplant/fresh Cucumbers, Dukka, Pickles/Olives, Almonds, and fancy Salami), Wild Mushroom and Ham Ricotta/Black Olive Pepperoni Pizzas, New England Boiled Dinner for the holiday dinner on Saturday (Corned Beef, Potatoes, Cabbage, Turnips, Carrots, Rutabaga, Parsnips), and then likely ‘Red Flannel Hash’ supper on Sunday (with our lovely Eggs and crusty slices of buttered Sourdough) because Josh and Duende will likely be boiling syrup all day.
I still have lots of beets, so Roasted Beets on Micro-greens Salad will be happening, Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Lemon with Spring Lamb patties or Irish Lamb Stew, Maple-glazed Roast Chicken with Roasted Roots, and maybe this here Quiche (via Sur La Table). When I was newly on my own (on my very own, in my own apartment above a deliciously smelling donut shop and laundromat), I pretty much just made myself a Pea Quiche to eat for a few days (I’m so glad I’ve advanced a bit). There is something about Spring that says Brunch and Quiche (probably because I love asparagus in it and the light these days begs for lingering Sunday brunch ). With a light vinegary Pea-shoot/Cucumber Salad and buttered French radishes, I will be bringing in April happily.
I’ve heard people being very successful with Potato-style crusts (my guess is par-boil a waxy potato/Yukon Golds could work, slice/oil or butter and lay across bottom and sides of pie dish in 1 overlapping layer, then add quiche ingredients), and GF-Flour (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill); though I won’t judge you if you buy a frozen crust (the GF at Whole Foods are quite good!). What’s nice is that you can also substitute veg or cheese, too (Broccoli? still have frozen shredded Zucchini? and even Jack cheese is soft and yummy enough). Enjoy!
Spring Quiche Serves 8
To make crust: 2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour 1 tsp Kosher Salt 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature ½ cup Ice Water
To make filling: 6 large Eggs 1 ¼ cups heavy cream ½ Tbsp Kosher Salt ½ tsp freshly ground Black Pepper 3 Scallions, end trimmed and thinly sliced (about ½ cup) 1 cup fresh Asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces, plus more for top 1 cup Gruyere, grated ½ cup Fontina, thinly sliced ½ cup Parmesan, grated + 1 Tbsp
Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, then whisk. Add butter and incorporate into flour using a pastry cutter until butter pieces are the size of peas. Add ½ cup water, then stir with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to clump together. Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and pliable. Roll into a large ball then flatten to 1″ disc and place between 2 pieces of parchment or wax paper, then let sit in fridge for 15-20 minutes to rest.
When ready, preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 15″ circle, or about 3″ wider than your quiche pan. Carefully transfer the dough to the pie pan, and then use your fingers to press onto the bottom and up the sides, crimping the edges over to line up evenly with the top. Use a fork to poke the bottom of the dough, ensuring it will bake flat. Bake for 20 minutes, and then set aside.
Meanwhile, combine eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl, then whisk to combine. Add in scallions, 1 cup asparagus, gruyere, fontina, and parmesan, reserving 1 Tbsp. Stir together, and then pour into prepared quiche pan.
Thinly slice a few pieces of reserved asparagus and lay on top of quiche. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp parmesan, then bake for 45-50 minutes, or until browned and bubbly on top. Cover with foil to prevent burning, and then continue baking an additional 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
