Category: Cooking

Chef Cinzia Rascazzo, Director of Stile Mediterraneo in Puglia, Italy,and Michelle Goldman of Sea Change Cooking were interviewed on WCSH.

For this months collaborative food blogging project the group has broken a few eggs in celebration of National Egg Month.

Edible Obsessions – Eggtastic Photo Montage

This months installment of the “O-Rama” series is a celebration of ‘National Egg Month” and these are just a few–a very few–of some of the eggtastic dishes we’ve had over the past six months. I did make a Spanish Tortilla with kale, Chorizo, ramps, roasted red peppers and smoked cheddar, but it had a slight accident in the pan. When the recipe says you have to use a skillet, use a skillet and not a straight sided pan. It’s not as easy to flip and/or slip onto a plate. … read the full article

From Away – Deviled Eggs

The deviled eggs I would make for that party were the kind my mom used to make: heavy on the mayonnaise, with a touch of dijon, maybe a spoonful of horseradish, and a sprinkle of paprika for color. They’re perfectly serviceable, picnic-style deviled eggs, good for serving with a dried-out hamburger or a few hotdogs on a Saturday afternoon where the focus of the day is not on food, but on being outside with people you love. Preparing them in such large quantities, however, left me feeling pretty turned off by the whole idea.… read the full article

Vin et Grub – Les Oeufs

Eggs. I love them. I can’t get enough of them actually. When I’m stateside, it’s the only food I ever crave, as well as the only food I eat on a regular basis. Even other members of the animal kingdom covet them as much as we do. Foxes are known to steal unhatched eggs to no avail. And you know why? It’s because they’re delicious.… read the full article

Vrai-lean-uh – Hard-Boiled Eggs

Back in January when I said that I needed to figure out how to feed myself lunch like a regular human being and not some crazy food-scavenging wild animal, I was imagining salads with fruits and nuts in them, sandwiches with unusual cheeses, maybe grilled. Thus far, my big lunch-related breakthrough has involved hard-boiled eggs. And not in a sandwich (although it’s an important first step for egg salad sandwiches). I mean peeled, on a plate, with some salt and pepper on the side.… read the full article

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make South Sudanese Lamb and Collards from Nyatiem Lual (read the recipe and see the photos).

My road to collard green enlightenment opened up, of all places, at the checkout at T.J.Maxx. The cashier’s beauty was captivating. She was at least six feet tall, her skin the color of black-brown mascara, and her smile a shade of light unachievable by dental work. She was twenty-four and extremely nice. After my inquiring about the origins of her accent (South Sudan), and introducing my project (Immigrant Kitchens), she offered to teach me how to cook her favorite dish from home. A couple days later, I got a text. Nyatiem Lual: “Hey would you like to have a goat meat?” I felt like I’d just won a trip to Africa.

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Mexican Chili Pepper Soupk from Azminda Cancino Garcia (read the recipe and see the photos).

Well into her 30’s with two kids and a husband, Azminda was still being ribbed by her father for being a bad cook. “You need to learn,” he said in Mexican Spanish, “You won’t always have your mother and your sister to do it for you!”

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Burek from Sanja Bukarac (read the recipe and see the photos).

Once the top of the burek was crispy and golden brown, she served slices on small plates and glasses of kefir with spoons in them. She instructed me to take a bite of the burek and then a spoonful of plain kefir. I was hesitant. Plain kefir? Straight? It was delicious! So this is what plain kefir was made for! Since the pressure is on this week for love, I might suggest making burek and remembering as we eat it: if we are with loved ones and not being shot at, life is good. And if you’re looking for love, it can’t hurt to visit the dentist.

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Russian ravioli from Yulia Converse (read the recipe and see the photos).

My friend’s family only eats meat that he hunts: duck, venison, and moose. Because prime cuts on these animals are so few, ground meat is usually what the family has to work with. I guess I was feeling sorry for them. What’s for dinner? Chili. What’s for dinner? Sausage. What’s for dinner? Chili. What’s for dinner? Sausage. After my latest cooking lesson in an immigrant’s kitchen, I wanted to bust down that family’s door and rescue them, crying, “How about some Russian ravioli?”

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Lomo relleno from Jenny Sanchez (read the recipe and see the photos).

Lomo relleno is a classic Christmas and New Year’s dish in Nicaragua. I’ll admit, I was scared when I saw Jenny putting what looked like a lot of weird stuff in the pan together — and you will be too when you see the ingredients list – but I’m telling you, it works. Lomo relleno gets the award for being the most unpredictably delicious party feast ever encountered.

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Vietnamese Beef Stew from Quang and Minh Nguyen (read the recipe and see the photos).

I learned this stew from two brothers from Cam Ranh, Vietnam. Their names are Quang and Minh Nguyen. The soup’s name is Bo Kho, but they pronounce it Ba Kah. Their mother used to stay up until midnight making it so she could sell in the morning in front of their house. People in Vietnam eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at parties and everyday. After a couple months of eating Kix, Grape Nuts, and Special K, the brothers called their mom in desperation and had her tell them over the phone how to make the soup.

For the November edition of our collaborative O-Rama food writing project the challenge was to come up with a seasonal dish, perhaps one that one of our readers might want to cook for Thanksgiving. And to keep things interesting each of the recipes had to utilize as a key ingredient a Maine-made beverage.

There are certainly plenty of options to choose from, from the historic/iconic Moxie to one of Maine’s many beers as well as the state’s less well known ciders, meads and wines. As you’ll read in the individual pieces sourcing the right beverage became a bigger part of the task than anyone had imagined. Appetite Portland searched in vain for a bottle of Old Mean Tom and had to make due with her second choice. Vrai-lean-uh ended up cooking her dish 3 times with different ciders to get just the flavor she was looking for and Jillian at From Away ended up at Bootlegger’s Beverage Warehouse and Redemption to find what she was looking for.

The award for the oddest select by far goes to Edible Obsessions for using a Pumpkin Pie Soda from Maine Root. All of resulting recipes sound delicious and well worth trying out in your own kitchen. If you do end cooking up one of these dishes at home please write in and let us know how it went. Also, if you have an unusual Maine beverage recipe of your own, post it as a comment so everyone else can give it a try.

Appetite Portland – Evil Shenanigans’ Orange Chocolate Stout Cake

Music cranked, measuring cups clanked. I slipped into baking mode and relaxed. Zesting the orange made me particularly happy. Bright fruit tickled my nose as I danced around to Guster and began whisking. A lick of the batter had me hoping again. Bitter notes from the bourbony beer and the sassy citrus blended well. That extra kick of vanilla I was hoping for from Tom became beside the point.… read the full article

Edible Obsessions – Pumpkin Pie Soda Braised Beef

[Pumpkin Pie Soda from Maine Root] started appearing on shelves about a month ago and will probably be around for another few weeks. It’s definitely one of the odder drinks that I’ve had in my life. It’s an orangish hue, the only thing defining ‘Pumpkin’ thing about it (there’s no actual pumpkin in it, mind you, just ‘spices’) because the flavor is more akin to some bastardized Dr. Pepper bred with a root beer. Actually, describing it like that makes it sound more appealing than it really is. It’s just straight out weird to me.… read the full article

From Away – Lobster Fondue with Oyster River Reisling and Bartlett Estate Wild Blueberry Wine

Fondue is a food I can’t imagine hating. I suppose if you are lactose intolerant, detest the Swiss, and are a germaphobe – well, this is not for you. Please, leave. It’s kitschy! And European! And melty cheese and wine, inarguably two of the best things on earth.… read the full article

Vrai-lean-uh – Norman Chicken with Kennebec Cider

This recipe requires very little hands-on work. You brown the chicken, then basically abandon it for half an hour, then come back to make a really simple sauce from the cooking liquid. Chicken thighs are cheap, flavorful, and relatively hard to mess up (they don’t dry out like chicken breasts do), and the finished dish is rich and hearty. It would be nice with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts.
… read the full article