When my family was younger, the holiday season inspired many days happily cooking away in the kitchen preparing gifts for teachers, swim coaches, debate teams and others. The house would be filled with the heavenly aromas of ginger and cinnamon; the kitchen warm and cozy. Together we would fashion dozens of cookies, trays of finger …
Chowder is such a comforting food. Traditionally a dish for the working class and fishing folk, New England style chowda, is believed to have originated in Newfoundland. In those days, fisherman would throw a portion of the day’s catch into a large pot. The fish would be cooked with salt pork, and thickened with crackers …
Turkey is such versatile meat; high in nutrients and easy to use to create delicious encore meals. Once the meat has been picked from the bone, be sure to save the carcass of the bird. Toss it in your largest pot, cover with water, add some chopped onion, carrot, celery and a bay leaf and …
Tender, sweet and delectable mini-cabbages, Brussel sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables. Although not specifically a root crop, Brussel sprouts can be stored in the root cellar while still on the stock hanging from the rafters. Larger sprouts keep longer and better than the small ones, but in our house, none last for very …
With the holiday season approaching, I’m scouting for quick, easy and healthy snacks that I can bake to share. Too often, we Americans are surrounded by processed foods loaded with chemicals, sugar, sodium and fat. Tempting as they may appear, these types of foods are not good nutritional choices, and excessive consumption contributes to obesity, …
Fish soup is one of the most ancient dishes of the Mediterranean, and in Italy, every coastal town has its own traditional version. The recipes vary from family to family, and with the varieties of fish. The names will vary; on the Tuscan coast it is known as cacciucco, on the Adriatic side, brodetto (little …
Early Greeks and Romans are believed to be among the first cultivators of mushrooms, using them in a wide variety of savory dishes. Sizes, shapes and colors of mushrooms vary tremendously; there are literally thousands of varieties. Although wild foraged mushrooms are delicious, it is vitally important to know which species are edible, as many …
Since raising rabbits is an important part of our organic farm plan for building the soil, rabbit is quite often on the menu at our house. This year we had a good harvest, 43 fryers, which we smoke, freeze or make in sausage. Rabbit meat is quite tasty, very similar to chicken. It does dry …
“I cannot get by without Poppy Seed Dressing, though I’m personally tired of it,” wrote Helen Corbitt in the 1974 book “Helen Corbitt Cooks for Company.” Dog-eared, brown and oil stained, forgotten until just recently, this page in my cookbook has seen almost 40 years of action. Early in my culinary career as a new …
Every month, I have the opportunity to showcase the delicious Maine foods in season and cook a meal for 200 folks. With the help of a dedicated group of volunteers, we source ingredients, most often from island gardeners, farmers and fishing folks, create the menu, and spend a weekend chopping, dicing and prepping for the …
