Notes from a Maine Kitchen celebrates seasonally available Maine ingredients, anchoring recipes with a sense of place

Hilary Nangle

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August 6, 2011

Notes from a Maine Kitchen celebrates seasonally available Maine ingredients, anchoring recipes with a sense of place

Talk about perfect timing: A review copy of Notes from a Maine Kitchen: Seasonally Inspired Recipes, by Kathy Gunst, arrived in the mail at the same time my local produce stand was brimming with possibilities.

Experiencing Maine is as much about plate as it is about place. The state has developed a national reputation for its farm-to-table fare. Farmers markets, farm stands, and humble honor bars salt the landscape and food festivals—from lobster to blueberries, chowder or bean-hole bean suppers to harvest fairs—pepper events calendars. Gunst understands this. She writes:

“These days Maine is a major culinary destination, and not only because of lobster. While this is not a book about restaurants or chefs, what inspired me to write this book is how the climate of the food world here has changed dramatically. The local, sustainable food movement is alive and strong, making Maine a place where good local food abounds. Be it wild ramps or fiddleheads, amazing cheeses, crusty breads, smoked local salmn, Maine-grown wheat, berries, and so much more.”

She shares recipes for all of those, and so much more. A renowned food writer (author 14 cookbooks, Resident Chef on PBS series Here & Now, recipient of IACP and James Beard nominees), Gunst live in southern Maine and knows Maine food. In this book, she shares her knowledge, providing recipes as well as insights (her essay Hunger in Maine is a must read), stories, facts, and trivia.

It’s the recipes highlighting seasonal Maine foods that snagged my attention. She provides snappy versions of Maine classics, such as a lobster roll, but also encourages cooks to get creative, with preparations such as Latin-style lobster (recipe below).

Chapters cover the months, and as I perused through, a few that caught my eye were: Maine Crab Cakes; Rich Dark-Chocolate Tart with Maine Sea Salt (listed in February…as if I’m going to wait that long to make it!); Fried Eggs in Olive Oil with Fresh Chive Oil Drizzle; Ginger Shortcakes with Local Strawberries and Lemon Cream; Filet of Sole with Slivered Almonds, Capers and Whole Lemon Slices; Cold Cucumber Soup with Mint, Dill, and Lemon (recipe below). And those are drawn only from the January through July chapters.

August is devoted to lobster, including the a lobster and corn chowder and an intriguing (if somewhat intimidating) Angry Lobster (a name likely derived from the preparation). And when fresh corn is abundant, recipes for Maple Breakfast Corn Fritters (recipe below) and Fresh Corn-Cracked, Pepper-Scallion Cornbread are begging. Since I love making potato-leek soup, her version with sharp cheddar cheese and a chive-walnut-cheddar swirl is on my fall must-make list.

Truth is, I’m a cookbook collector. I have way, way too many on my shelves. I usually use them for inspiration, only a handful I keep within reach and actually follow the step-by-step instructions. Gunst’s book, Notes from a Maine Kitchen, will be one of those.

Latin-Style Lobster Salad

As much as I’m a purist when it comes to eating lobster, this salad — flavored with fresh corn, lime, and avocado — is delicious and refreshing served as a summer lunch or light dinner. All the fresh flavors, colors, and textures work well with the lobster meat. Serve with warm biscuits, French bread, or tortillas. The salad can be made, covered, and refrigerated, several hours ahead of time.

Serves 2-4

1 cup cooked lobster meat, cut into small cubes

1 cup fresh raw corn kernels, shucked off the cob of 2 or 3 ears of corn

1/2 ripe (but not overly ripe) avocado, cubed

juice of 1 large lime

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 dash hot pepper sauce

tender butter lettuce leaves

In a medium-size bowl, gently mix the lobster, corn, avocado, lime juice, oil, salt, pepper, and a dash of hot pepper sauce; season to taste. Scoop the salad in the lettuce leaves and serve with any of the accompaniments listed above.

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Cold Cucumber Soup with Mint, Dill, and Lemon

On a steamy summer day this is ideal cooling food. The soup is whirled in a blender or food processor and can be made in less than fifteen minutes. Chill for several hours (or overnight) and serve with chopped cucumber, dill, mint, and drizzle of lemon oil. Warm pita triangles make a nice accompaniment.

Makes about 4 cups; serves 4 to 6

1.5 pounds cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill

1/4 cup fresh mint

1 cup low-fat milk or buttermilk

1 cup sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 dash hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon lemon-flavored olive oil, plus more for garnishing drizzle, or 1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, optional

For the garnish

1 cup cucumber (peeped, seeded and finely chopped) mixed with 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill and 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

drizzle of lemon olive oil or olive oil mixed with touch of grated lemon zest, optional

In the container of a food processor or blender, add the cucumbers, dill, mint, milk, and sour cream or yogurt and process until blended, but not totally smooth. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce to taste, and drizzle in the olive oil (and lemon zest) if using. Place in a bowl or jar and chill for several hours.

Serve ice cold sprinkled with cucumber-mint-dill garnish m ixture and a drizzle of oil.

(TIP: To seed a cucumber, simply cut it in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds in the middle)

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Maple Breakfast Corn Fritters

This recipe makes a sweet fritter by adding maple syrup to the batter (and omitting the herbs and scallions) and serving the finished fritters with maple syrup. Either way, you want to use really fresh corn.

Makes about ten small fritters; serves 3 or 4

1/2 cup flour

1 pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus syrup for serving

2 cups fresh corn kernels cut off 2 or 3 cobs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

warm maple syrup for serving

In a large bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Beat in the egg and maple syrup and then gently mix in the corn.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the hot oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Serve hot, with a small pitcher of maple syrup on the side.

Dip into Maine’s logging heritage at the Ambajejus Boom House

Hilary Nangle

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July 31, 2011

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Dip into Maine’s logging heritage at the Ambajejus Boom House

If you get a sample of what it really was like during the hey day of Maine’s Great Age of Logging, make plans to visit the Ambajejus Boom House, on Ambajejus Lake, near Millinocket and Baxter State Park.

It’s been more than 40 years since Maine’s last logging drive, more than 40 years since trees felled in the northern forests were cut into four-foot lengths and floated down rivers such as the Kennebec and Penobscot to the lakes below. There, they’d be corralled and chained into boom bags, each holding between 3,500 and 5,000 cords of pulpwood, and towed onward by boat. If it weren’t for Chuck Harris, the Ambajejus Boom House likely would have been lost to history.

Ambajejus Boom House history

Ambajejus Boom House & River Driving Museum ©Hilary Nangle

Sited northwest of Millinocket, where the West Branch of the Penobscot River flows into Ambajejus Lake, this National Historic Register-listed property is the only structure remaining from the West Branch drives. Its heritage as a shelter for river drivers and boom workers dates back to 1835.

“This one was built in 1907 and transported across the ice in three sections,” says Harris, the self-appointed caretaker. It remained in use until the last West Branch log drive in 1971.

Harris is a soft-spoken man who has river water running through his veins. He’s worked in Maine’s woods and rivers since he was 18, first as a deck hand on a tow boat on the Chesuncook Lake drives, later on the Kennebec drives, and then for Great Northern Paper.

When the drives ended, he helped clean the waterways, salvaging lost boom logs and dri-ki or driftwood with foreman Harold Kidney, who lived in the camp adjacent to the boom house. One weekend Harris and Kidney returned to the boom house to find the windows broken. “Vandals had made a mess of the property, so we boarded it up,” Harris says.

Labor of love

Former river driver Chuck Harris on site at the Ambajejus Boom House — Credit former river driver Chuck Harris for saving and restoring the Ambajejus Boom House. ©Hilary Nangle

The boom house remained boarded until Harris began repairing it in the mid- to late-1980s. “I knew it was on the National Historic Register, and I’d had it in the back of my mind for a while to fix it into a museum, so the history wouldn’t be lost,” he says.

He’s since replaced all the windows, painted it, replaced bunks that had been burned, and rebuilt the lakefront log restraining wall. “I spent summer after summer working for nothing, I was never paid for being a watchman, it was a labor of love, but it worked.”

To counter vandalism, Harris stopped locking the door. “Out here in the woods, if someone wants in, they’ll just bust down the door,” he says. “In the last 10 years, nothing’s really been harmed.” Now property owner Brookfield Power sends crews to help with repairs, including most recently leveling the building and rebuilding the porch.

Breathing new life into the Ambajejus Boom House

Artifacts fill the interior of the boom house and river drivng museum — Visitors may tour the boom house interior. ©Hilary Nangle

Harris didn’t simply save the boom house, he also outfitted the shed, kitchen, main room, and upstairs bunkrooms with artifacts. “When I worked around the dams and lakes, I had the opportunity to go into old barns and boom houses and collect old tools,” he says. “I had a little shack, and I kept saving things.”

He went to local libraries and researched the history, enlarged old photos, and created signage explaining the purpose and often heritage of the items on display. And he used his artistic background to make paintings of different boom houses and structures associated with the drives. Visitors who take the time to examine the exhibits and read the explanations leave with a solid understanding of Maine’s log-driving heritage.

Artifacts fill the interior of the boom house and river driving museum

“Lumbering here made Bangor the lumber capitol of the world at one time, it also made Great Northern Paper one of the best papermakers in the world, and this is how it got started, driving logs down the river,” Harris says.

He saved the Ambajejus Boom House to educate a younger generation about what their forefathers did and what the area is all about. He’s dedicated it to the men he worked with who didn’t have a chance to tell their story.

“Many died on the drives. For every man lost working the woods, 10 drowned on the drive,” he says. ” There was no safety equipment back then. A lot of the old timers I worked with couldn’t even swim.”

River drivers and cowboys

Upstairs bunk room in the Ambajejus Boom House

Harris doesn’t guide people through the boom house, but he’s often on site, either working on the house or building a birchbark canoe. He’ll answer questions from those who’ve taken the time to go through the house and read the signage. Sometimes he’ll relate stories from his experiences or passed down from other river men.

“Cowboys are nothing but river drivers on horseback,” Harris says. “When the logs jammed during the drive, sometimes there would be hundreds of cords piled up on rocks. You’d have to get it moving again, then jump back in a boat and get out of the way. If it happened in a gorge, a man would be lowered down with a rope tied around his waist carrying about a six-foot stick with dynamite tied to the end. He’d jam that into the jam, and get hauled out of there before she blew.”

And like cowboys, after a drive, many river men would head to Bangor. “They’d be broke within a month, just like the cowboys off a cattle drive. They’d whooped it up, spent the money, and be back on the drive again.”

Visiting the Maine Boom Houses

Katahdin dwarfs the Ambajejus boom House. Credit: Hilary Nangle — Katahdin dwarfs the Ambajejus boom House. ©Hilary Nangle

Ambajejus Boom House is one of two Maine Boom Houses Harris has restored. The other is the Chesuncook Boom House, which is accessible by road.

There is no admission fee to visit, but Harris is mighty appreciative of those who “slip a dollar or two into the donation box. Every little bit helps,” he says, as there is no fund dedicated to preserving this historic Maine site.

Access to the Ambajejus Boom House is by boat. Experienced paddlers with their own boats can put in at the public landing on Spencer Cove, across from the Big Moose Inn, approximately 8 miles northwest of Millinocket via the Baxter State Park Road; an alternative is to arrange a shuttle and put in at the bridge on Grant Brook Road and paddle downstream to the house, then take-out at the public landing. The trip is not advisable via canoe or kayak on a windy day.

The Big Moose Inn, Cabin & Campground offers a two-hour pontoon boat cruise to the Ambajejus Boom House; call for details. It also offers canoe and kayak rentals.

Guided paddles can be arranged through the New England Outdoor Center. Rates vary with number of paddlers.

A canoe docked in front of the boom house — You can get to the boom house by canoe, but that trip is best left to experienced paddlers as winds can come up suddenly on the lake. ©Hilary Nangle

Miyake’s new restaurant in Portland, Maine, is a perfect backdrop for the master’s cuisine

Hilary Nangle

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July 22, 2011

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Miyake’s new restaurant in Portland, Maine, is a perfect backdrop for the master’s cuisine

Miyake has barely been in its new location in the Portland Harbor Hotel building on Fore Street for a week, but judging from my lunch there earlier this week, Chef Masa Miyake and his staff are already feeling at home. I met two friends (a food writer and a newly minted culinary school grad) there for lunch, and between us, we sampled a small, but representative, selection of the fare, although none of us opted for the tasting menus. Nor did we imbibe from the wine, beer, and sake menu, a new addition with this space (previously, Miyake was BYOB).

Let’s start with the space. It’s chic, sophisticated, sleek, and comfortable, decorated in earthy tones heavy on charcoal and natural woods. The tables are set with stoneware accents and chopsticks rest on small stones. Chairs are supportive and comfortable. Adornments are few; the patterned ceiling adds texture without being obtrusive. It’s a down-to-business decor that tells diners (or at least me) they’re in the right place for a serious food experience, a restaurant that’s in the hands of a professional who values local and natural and understands that simplicity can be complex.

That decor complements the fare. Chef Masa Miyake skillfully blends techniques and flavors gained from his background cooking in New York and Tokyo in Italian and French restaurants when creating his style of Japanese cuisine. The results are unexpected pairings, innovative ideas, shockingly fresh, and unquestionably delicious.

I kept it simple, ordering a luncheon special that came with the daily miso soup, a house salad (mixed greens and vegetables topped with a homemade miso dressing), and the salmon lady ($15). My friends began with the marinated salmon (thinly sliced raw salmon served with capers, mustard vinaigrette and obba; $12), hamayaki (local lobster,crab,and scallop on sushi rice and coated in spicy mayonnaise; $10); and ceviche (Japanese snapper diced and tossed in lemon, lime juice, cilantro, truffle oil and obba, rolled in a soy aper wrap with tobiko and radish sprouts; $18. Presentation on each was superb, with ceramic and stoneware plates that enhanced the artistic assembly of each.

We did a bit of tasting and sharing, so I quickly realized my salmon lady Miyake-style roll was kind of an introductory choice. While I enjoyed it, it didn’t have the finesse or complexity of the ceviche Miyake-style roll. The flavors of the ceviche were as complicated and yet harmonious as the jazz playing softly in the background, they danced over my tastebuds, developing and changing as they touched the varied triggers: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.

Bottom line: I loved the space and the food, and my palette (which is, honestly, rather unsophisticated, especially when it comes to Japanese fare) got an education. Now I’m saving up so I can splurge on one of the tasting menus ($35 four-course vegetarian; $50 five-course, add$35 for sake pairing, $50 for wine pairing; seven-course $75 or seven-course chi-muuwa-ku $90, add $45 for sake pairing, $65 for wine pairing). I suggest you treat yourself, too.

10 ways to escape the heat in Maine

Hilary Nangle

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July 21, 2011

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We’re looking at a few days of scorching heat, at least by Maine standards. Keep that in mind: It IS worse elsewhere. And many of those other places aren’t rich with nature’s natural coolers: mountains, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and miles upon miles of oceanfront. Here’s where to escape the heat in Maine.

1. Hit the beach

Hint: If you’re going to spend the day at one of Maine’s beaches, go early to stake your claim on a patch of sand. It’s easy to find the beaches along Maine’s Southern Coast: From York through Old Orchard, sand beaches line the shore. Beyond that, they’re a bit more elusive but do exist.

Try the Maine State Parks: Crescent Beach, in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough Beach (a.k.a. Jordan’s), Popham Beach on the Phippsburg Peninsula, Reid on the Georgetown Peninsula, Birch Point in Owls Head (a.k.a. Lucia Beach), Lamoine, and Roque Bluffs, which also has a pond, near Machias.

Town ocean beaches include Pemaquid Beach Park, Laite Beach in Camden, Lincolnville Beach, Sandy Point in Stockton Springs, Mowry Beach in Lubec. There’s Sand Beach (see photo) in Acadia National Park. And then there are the local secrets, the little pocket beaches that niche the coastline, and the private ones that allow day trippers.

2. Whitewater rafting

What better way to stay cool than to spend the day on one of Maine’s dam-controlled whitewater rivers yiii-hah! The Kennebec is the classic trip, the Penobscot flows through some of Maine’s most spectacular scenery near Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin, and the Dead River is anything but Dead. Try Northern Outdoors for the Kennebec or Dead and New England Outdoor Center for the Penobscot. Another resource is Raft Maine.

3. Jump in a lake

There are so many possibilities I can’t even begin to list them. Begin with the Maine State Parks listings if you want a park with services. If you simply want water, get out your DeLorme (You have one, right? If not, get one). The entire state is mapped in book format, and all waterways and access points are marked.)

4. Go boating

Almost every coastal Maine town with a harbor has at least one sail, fishing, whale/puffin-watching, lighthouse-viewing, lobster-catching excursion boat. And most of its larger lakes have excursion boats (Rangeley Lake, Moosehead Lake, Long Lake). Catch an island-bound ferry. Or can ride along on the Casco Bay Lines Mail Boat out of Portland. Trips can vary from one hour to all day. Even easier, rent a canoe or kayak, motor or rowboat, and explore a pond or lake.

5. View cool art in an air-conditioned museum

Chill with the art at any of the museums along the Maine Art Museum Trail: Bates College Museum of Art (Lewiston), Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick), Colby College Museum of Art (Waterville), Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland), Ogunquit Museum of American Art (Ogunquit), Portland Museum of Art (Portland), and University of Maine Museum of Art (Bangor).

6. Go island hopping

Hop a ferry and head to Peaks from Portland; to Eagle Island from either Portland or South Freeport, to Monhegan from Boothbay Harbor, New Harbor, or Port Clyde; to Vinalhaven or North Haven from Rockland.

7. Zip down a mountain

Swing through the trees Tarzan style (well, not quite, it’s more of a controlled zoom) at either Sunday River and Sugarloaf. Both have zipline parks, and the Rivah also has a lift-accessed mountain bike park, with 30 trails covering more than 20 miles of downhill terrain.

8. Explore a garden

Cool breezes, lovely plants, shady groves, and for some, a seaside location. Top picks: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay; Thuya Garden, Northeast Harbor, and inland, the woodland garden at McLaughlin Garden.

9. Seek refuge by a waterfall

Nothing finer than soaking in a rock pool at the base of a waterfall, and Maine has plenty of them. Easily accessible ones include Small’s Falls, off Route 4 about 12 miles south of Rangeley, and Screw Auger Falls in Grafton Notch State Park. If you’re willing to hike in the heat, there are plenty more. A good bet is Poplar Falls, in Carrabassett Valley, which is off a side trail from the Maine Huts Trail and close to the Poplar Falls Hut.

10. Berries! Lobster! Ice cream!

My solution to the it’s-too-hot-to-cook dog days of summer: Lots of Maine food.

Late July/early August means berry season, and depending upon where you are, possibilities include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Farmstands and farmers markets can be found throughout Maine, and there are also plentiful enterprising folks who set up roadside tables and honor bars.

Find a coastal Maine lobster shack, not a fancy one, but a bare-bones one where you can dress down in shorts and even go barefoot.

Top it all off with a Maine-made ice cream. You’ll find stands statewide. Sure, you can get outta-state products here, including those corporate Vermont flavors, but trust me, the local products are far superior, creamier, tastier, and come in even more creative flavors than national companies could even contemplate. If you can’t find a small shop, look for one of the bigger Maine-made ice creams, such as Giffords and Round Top.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please! If you’re traveling with your dog, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE HIM/HER IN YOUR VEHICLE ON A SUMMER DAY, and ESPECIALLY ON A HOT SUMMER DAY. Thank you. Consider this a PSA from my dogs, Bernie and Dooley.

Nibbles and bites in South Portland, Maine: Taco Trio and Scratch Baking Co.

Hilary Nangle

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July 20, 2011

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Psst: Seeking Maine’s best bagels? Hankering for a taste of the Southwest? Mosey over the Casco Bay Bridge to South Portland (SoPo, if you’re feeling trendy), and check out these two spots.

Scratch Baking Co: Bagels! Getting decent bagels in Maine is a challenge (whenever New York friends visit, they know the perfect hostess gift is bagels and whitefish), but this artisan bakery on Willard Square makes the state’s best. Now Scratch’s bagels aren’t typical New York style, they’re chewy and crusty and made from a sourdough starter but oh! my! are they delicious.

Try the sea salt flavor. And while the bagels are why I went, on the advice of a friend, I also purchased their English muffins, which put store-bought ones to shame. And I greedily eyed the croissants and breads and sweets in the case. Next time. My only complaint is that you can’t get the bagels or muffins toasted at the bakery, although the staff will cut them and you can purchase cream cheese. Minor quibble. Note: Go midweek if you can, this place is no secret and it draws crowds on the weekends.

Taco Trio: A friend introduced me to this recently opened Mexican outpost in South Portland’s Knightville section. Judging from reviews I’ve seen posted elsewhere, I don’t think I hit it on a good day. Since the name is Taco Trio and the tacos are priced at $3.50 each or any three for $9, I opted for the trio, ordering the carnitas (seared pork), pescado (battered fish with vegetables en escabeche–slaw, and lime sour cream-mayo), and the day’s special, chicken mole. All came in double soft corn tortillas with onions and cilantro. While the flavors were good, both the pork and the chicken ones were on the dry side. Just add salsa, right? Not so fast.

Taco Trio makes its own salsas and has a salsa bar. Now, every every taco order comes with chips and choice of one salsa, additional salsa are $1 each for a two-ounce portion. That might work for a single taco, but the policy holds for the taco trio. So, while you think you’re getting a bargain, you’re not. If you want to match each taco with an complementary salsa, you have to dish out an additional $2 for two more choices (which brings that $9 order to $11, whereas if you order single tacos, three with salsa are $10.50). My friend wanted a bit of sour cream to calm down the spiciness of her order, and she had to pay $1 for it. That’s just wrong.

A day aboard America’s oldest working schooner: Rockland Parade of Sail and the recipe for Italian Sausage Soup

Hilary Nangle

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July 19, 2011

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A day aboard America’s oldest working schooner: Rockland Parade of Sail and the recipe for Italian Sausage Soup

I had the good fortune to sail aboard American’s oldest active commercial schooner, the Lewis R. French, during the Maine Windjammer Association’s annual Parade of Sail by Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. At the helm as we sailed out of Camden was the youngest captain in the fleet, Garth Wells

Garth purchased the French in 2003 after having crewed on it for five years. “Its’a nice way to make a living, working for myself,” he says. “It’s very busy during the summer, but this is what I do, and whenever I start to complain, I look around,” he says, gesturing to the waters of Penobscot Bay. He owns the boat with his wife, Jenny Tobin, also a captain, although these days she tends to their young son.

Launched in 1871 in Christmas Cove, Maine, the French has always been home-ported on the Maine Coast. “It was built in South Bristol by French Brothers,” Garth explains, adding that he’s the 14th documented owner of the vessel. The 64-foot long coasting schooner is now a National Historic Landmark. It carried freight along the coast until 1971, then was converted to carry up to 21 passengers, and relaunched in 1973.

Sailing aboard the French is a dream. There is no noisy engine; 3,000 feet of sail do the job (assisted by an able crew and willing passengers, who help raise the sails). While this year there was only a whisper of wind, it was enough to keep the windjammers gently moving. If you’re unable to escape for three- to six-day sail aboard a windjammer, the best location for viewing the annual Parade of Sail is from the Rockland Breakwater. Other possibilities are day-trip sailboats and even the Vinalhaven or North Haven ferries, if you time it right.

One of the highlights of sailing aboard a Maine windjammer is the food. Hearty meals are prepared using the galley woodstove, and on the day I sailed, the captain’s favorite was served: A delicious Italian sausage soup (thick enough to earn the designation stew), accompanied by boat-made rosemary bread, tomato-basil-mozzarella salad, and peanut-butter bars. No one goes hungry on a windjammer.

Here’s the recipe (this is enough to feed a full windjammer, you might want to cut the ingredients proportionately or better yet, make it all and freeze some for later):

The Schooner Lewis R. French’s Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients

5 lbs sweet or hot (or mix) Italian sausage

12 cloves minced garlic (1/2 cup)

4 large onions

5 cans (28 ox) Italian-style tomatoes

5 cans beef stock (8-10 cups beef boullion)

9 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 cup dry red wine

3-6 teaspoons basil

2 bell peppers, chopped

3 small zucchini, chopped

1 package uncooked bow-tie pasta

grated Parmigian cheese

Directions

• Remove and discard sausage casings and break meat into pieces

• In large soup pot, saute sausage, garlic, and onion in small amount of stock until sausage is browned

• Drain in colander to remove grease, rinse, and return ingredients to stock pot

• Add tomatoes, stock, wine, parsley, and basil

• Simmer for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally

• Add zucchini and bell peppers

• Simmer for another 20 minutes or so

• About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta and cook until tender.

• Serve with grated Parmigian cheese

Nibbles and bites: Grazing through Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine

Hilary Nangle

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July 17, 2011

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Nibbles and bites: Grazing through Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine

Recently, I spent a few days in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Maine, and I made an effort to visit a few of the newer places in the area, those with updates, and a few favorites.

The Tides Beach Club: Located in the completely renovated and elegantly updated former Tides Inn by the Sea on Kennebunkport’s Goose Rocks Beach, the Tides Beach Club restaurant comprises a chic and sophisticated lounge with small dining room in the glassed-in porch, with big views. The chef is Bryan Dame, previously with the Inn at Ocean’s Edge in Lincolnville.

The menu is rooted in fresh and local (no surprise there, what self-respecting Maine restaurant isn’t these days). I began with the “crispy fish,” Chef Dame’s take on a classic fisherman’s platter, with tasting portions of fried calamari, Maine shrimp, clam fritters, horseradish, and potato. Definitely a keepah. I also loved the “cod chowder,” not a soup, but an entrée comprising fresh cod and cured cod, bacon, radish, and creme fraiche ($27). Truth is, I could have made a light meal off the appetizers alone, especially paired with the bread. Afterward, tea on the porch. Perfect! The restaurant serves lunch and dinner.

Earth: Located in The Tides Beach Club’s tony sister property, Hidden Pond, Earth is the creation of Boston’s James Beard award-winning chef Ken Oringer. The setting is haute rustic, with both indoor and outdoor seating and a menu that emphasizes farm-to-fork cuisine; much of the produce grown on the property. .

Pedros Mexican Restaurant: I’d heard mixed reviews on this new restaurant in Kennebunk’s Lower Village, and after dining there, I understand why. I snagged a table on the deck and ordered the small plate of tacos (2 for $8), which allowed a choice of two of six tacos (a large plate came with rice and refried beans for $12). I opted for the mahi-mahi with lime-scented cabbage, salsa fresca, and sliced avocado and the carnitas with chipotle-braised pork, cheddar, lettuce, onions, cilantro, and queso fresco. Both were all heat with little flavor. If you’re not that familiar with Mexican (Cal-Mex, in this case) or are going for drinks and apps, you’ll likely love it, but if you’re craving authentic flavor, this doesn’t do it. (FYI: The folks at tables around me who were raving had also asked questions such as “What’s a burrito?”)

Old Vines Wine Bar & Tapas Restaurant: I fell in love with this spot when I visited last winter. This time, I found it even better, with an outside patio for evening drinks and dining, along with the inside dining area and bar. It’s just a few doors away from Pedros, on Route 9 in Lower Village. Also new this year is a full bar. The summer white gazpacho (chilled almond and garlic soup) was divine (if you love garlic), especially accompanied by grilled bread. Owner Mike Farrell knows his wines, and allowed me to choose a bottle, then divided the price to reflect a per-glass rate. Nice! The bar also creates its own juices and mixers, including bitters and infused syrups, such as ginger habanero cane and lemon-flamed orange twist. There’s a house-made limoncello, too.

Cape Porpoise Kitchen Located at the Route 9 intersection in downtown Cape Porpoise, this combination gourmet market/catering company/take-out cafe is a gem and a good spot to pick up creative freshly made sandwiches for a picnic.

Pier 77: Truth is, we had planned on having a light meal at The Ramp, the small pub underneath this waterfront restaurant in Cape Porpoise. That was packed, but I knew we could order off the same menu, if we asked, in the fancier— yet still casual—restaurant upstairs. Although also busy, we were able to sit at the bar, where we cobbled together a meal from the bar menu, enjoyed the sea views out the windows, and listened to the pianist play in the background. FYI: The acoustics here aren’t conducive to a quiet meal.

Celebrate clams at the 46th annual Yarmouth, Maine, Clam Festival

Hilary Nangle

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July 12, 2011

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Celebrate clams at the 46th annual Yarmouth, Maine, Clam Festival

The annual Yarmouth Clam Festival is more than a seafood celebration, it’s a full-blown festival, with entertainment, crafts, a parade, and more. Events include bike races, foot races, and canoe and kayak races, as well as concerts, children’s activities, a diaper derby, and, of course, plenty of clams and other Maine seafood.

Highlights include:

• The Clam Festival Parade, Friday, July 15, 6 p.m., on Main Street. The theme of the 2011 parade is Great American Inventions.

• Maine State Clam Shucking Contest, Sat., July 16, 11 a.m. (registration begins at 10 a.m.) at the Merrill Memorial Library Lawn Tent.

• Firefighters’ Muster Competition, Sat., July 16, 1 p.m., on the Memorial Green on Main Street. Watch firefighting teams compete in events such as a bucket brigade, firefighter suit-up, and an old-fashioned hose-pull contest.

• Carbon Leaf, Friday, July 15, 8:15 p.m. in the NYA Tent: Celtic/bluegrass rock.

• Gypsy Tailwind, Sat., July 16, 7:30 p.m. in the NYA Tent: folk/rock/alternative

• Fireworks, Sat., July 16, 9: 15 p.m.

Feeling blue? Have a wild side? The Maine Wild Blueberry Book is just the ticket

Hilary Nangle

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July 4, 2011

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Feeling blue? Have a wild side? The Maine Wild Blueberry Book is just the ticket

What’s green, then blue, then red, then black all over? A Maine wild blueberry field through the seasons. Author Virginia M. Wright spills the berries about this delectable fruit in The Wild Blueberry Book. (Down East Books). Sure, the whoopie pie may have been selected Maine’s official treat, but it’s the wild blueberry pie that’s the state’s official dessert.

Here’s a little teaser, a bit of trivia that I bet you didn’t know: There’s is no one wild blueberry, and that’s why the flavors are so rich and varied. “One acre of wild blueberries typically contains well over one hundred varieties of the berry, each one as generically distinct from the other as a McIntosh apples is from a Delicious.” It’s that rich genetic diversity that provides the equally rich and distinctive flavor. “There are more than 6.5 million distinct wild blueberry clones in Maine alone.” Now compare that with the uniformly sized cultivated or highbush blueberry, which has only a bit over one hundred possible variations. No wonder the latter taste flat, downright boring, when compared with Maine’s little gems.

Speaking of gems, this book is one. It’s a treasure of Maine wild blueberry facts, legend, lore, stories, and, yes, recipes. Not just any recipes, mind you, but Blue Ribbon recipes from Maine’s top wild blueberry chefs, winners in the Union Fair’s Wild Blueberry Festival and Machias Wild Blueberry Festival annual cooking contests, along with others supplied by blueberry experts and cookbook authors.

Maine wild blueberries have long been prized by cooks because they hold their shape when baking. Recipes include: Faye Harvey’s Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie; Rose Skidgell’s Blueberry Mountain Muffins; Andy Knoch’s Blueberry Spice Whoopie Pies; Charles Urquhart’s Blueberry Golden Been Salad; Wild Blueberries with Roquefort, Celery, and Cucumber; Wild Blueberry Daiquiri; and that’s just a sampling.

There’s even a recipe for an ultra-healthful Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie. This is a good place to note that Maine wild blueberries are rich in antioxidents. Studies have shown wild blueberries can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels; protect against urinary tract infections; protect against eye diseases; and reduce some of the effects of aging. They may also ward off diabetes by improving blood sugar levels. So go ahead, and indulge in these ultra-sweeties.

I’ll end with Catherine Ryan Quint’s recipe, a prize winner at the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival that combines two of Maine’s favorite foods, lobster and wild blueberries:

Baked Stuffed Lobster (serves 2)

Ingredients:

Two 1.5-pound lobsters, ready for stuffing

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 cup blueberries

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cub crabmeat (optional)

Directions

Melt butter; add garlic and onion and sauté until soft. Stir in parsley and wine; cook 2 minutes more. Ad bread crumbs, crabmeat, and blueberries. Remove from heat. Season to taste. Stuff body cavity of ech lobster and place in shallow baking an. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

Maine’s Belgrade Lakes: the real On Golden Pond

Hilary Nangle

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July 3, 2011

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Maine’s Belgrade Lakes: the real On Golden Pond

Long before the movie, Maine’s Belgrade Lakes were drawing fishermen, summer rusticators, writers, and even beauty queens. On Golden Pond, that dreamy sunset-of-life film starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Jane Fonda, may have been filmed in New Hampshire, but playwright Ernest Thompson took his inspiration from Great Pond, the largest of Maine’s Belgrade Lakes. (Note: Updated Aug. 3, 2019)

“[The mailboat was] one of the few inland mailboats left in the country,” says Esther Perne, owner and editor of Summertime in the Belgrades, a biweekly summer newspaper. Her family roots here date from 1908.

“People still come here for the fishing. They know they can give their children and grandchildren an On Golden Pond experience.” —Esther Perne

“Historically, what put Belgrade Lakes on the map was the fishing. Fishermen can’t keep their mouths shut, and they started talking,” Perne says. They began arriving at the turn of the last century to cast their lines for large- and small-mouth bass, northern pike, salmon, brown trout, brook trout, and other species. They returned with their city friends, some built summer cottages, others stayed at sporting camps.

“People still come here for the fishing,” Perne says. “They know they can give their children and grandchildren an On Golden Pond experience.”

Once more to the lake…

Belgrade Lakes fishing — Fishermen have been coming to Maine’s Belgrade Lakes Region for more than 100 years, and Castle Island Camps has been welcoming them since 1929. ©Tom Nangle

The mailboat and the endless stream of anglers capture the timeless allure of this region, a timelessness bred from familiarity. Beginning in 1904, writer E. B. White spent many an August of his youth here. When he returned with his own son many years later, he wrote of “there having been no passage of time, only the illusion of it as in a dropped curtain” in his 1941 essay “Once More to the Lake.”

White mused: “It seemed to me, as I kept remembering all this, that those times and those summers had been infinitely precious and worth saving. There had been jollity and peace and goodness. … The only thing that was wrong now, really, was the sound of the place, an unfamiliar nervous sound of the outboard motors.”

Time warp

Sunbeam roller rink Belgrade Lakes — Walls of windows open up to make the Sunbeam Roller Rink, in Smithfield, seem as if one’s almost roller-skating outdoors. ©Tom Nangle

The Belgrade Lakes, Perne says, “is a bit of a time warp; there’s still enough of the old that remains. People from away come and think it’s heaven.” Kids play with abandon, hopping in boats with no preconceived destination, no agenda but the pureness of play, no oversight other than the community of neighbors and families whose grandparents grew up together and parents played together.

There are no supermarkets, box stores, or fast food chains. In these parts, general stores sell everything from hardware to trinkets, fresh meat to hot pizza. People leave their cars open and running when they dash in to pick up a few necessities.

One of my favorite throwbacks is the Sunbeam Roller Rink, a lakeside treasure in nearby Smithfield.

“The area is remote, but not removed,” Perne says, but change, although subtle, is coming. “Augusta is galloping up the road,” she cautions, pointing to the creep of progress northward.

Sum-sum-summertime

Boatin in the Belgrade Lakes — Boats for every taste are available at Castle Island Camps, or bring your own and launch it the nearby public landing. ©Tom Nangle .

The sounds of summer drown out the hoof beats of development at Castle Island Camps, one of four traditional, American Plan sporting camps woven into the time warp that is the Belgrade Lakes.

White stayed at Bear Spring Camps, but I’ve checked into the past at Castle Island, a blip on the causeway bisecting Long Pond. The camps, opened in 1929, after owner Leighten Castle trumped his formidable neighbor, cosmetics maven Elizabeth Arden. Their David-versus-Goliath lawsuit over property ownership pitted the Belgrade native and fishing guide against Arden and her Maine Chance, a farm-to-table spa-like experience patronized by wealthy and famous women.

Fourth-generation owners John and Rhonda Rice now operate the camps, which comprise a main lodge, where all meals are served, and guest cabins fronting on—or in some cases actually built over—the lake, and a recreation hall. It’s not only fishing that attracts families to sporting camps these days, John says.

Those seeking the ease of not having to prepare meals or desiring their children to discover life beyond social media, smart phones, and video games also fill the dozen simple one- and two-bedroom cabins. There is Wi-fi, but no TV on the premises. The recreation hall features Ping Pong, pool, board and table games, but no one comes to Castle Island or the Belgrade Lakes to play indoors.

Meandering the byways

Vienna Maine sign — Just in case you’re confused about directions, Vienna wants to make sure you know you’re in Maine. ©Hilary Nangle

While I could ease the day away by simply gazing down Long Pond, attempting to hook a mega trout, paddling along the shoreline’s nooks and crannies, or motoring a boat up to Day’s Store for an ice cream cone, I’ve come here to noodle the rural byways around the lakes and foothills, to explore the shops, galleries, and farm stands splashed amidst the children’s camps and summer cottages, and to hike the trails etched into the hills.

I came expecting deer and perhaps moose, but I find lions and tigers and bears, as well as hyenas, monkeys, zebras, and other exotic-for-Maine animals at DEW Haven (the D. E. W. stands for domestic, exotic, wild), a non-profit zoo and rescue in Mount Vernon. Julie and Bob Minor raise and rehabilitate exotic and animals and educate visitors about them on guided tours.

From protecting wildlife, I segue to protected wildlands with a hike up French Mountain, off the Watson Pond Road, a byway connecting Castle Island Road with Route 27, in Rome. This property is protected by the 7 Lakes Alliance, which aims to conserve areas that provide high value habitat and protect water quality and also to expand recreational activities that promote healthy living.

It’s a relatively easy jaunt to the summit ledges on the roughly 1-mile loop trail. The rewards far outweigh the effort, with views taking in Whittier Pond, Long Pond, Great Pond, Mt. Phillip and The Mountain.

Lakeside sonata

Fishing boat — Fishing is what first drew visitors to Maine’s Belgrade Lakes region, and they still come today, along with families who cherish the easy summer ways. T©om Nangle

When I return to the camps, a guest is checking in. “Where’s the moose?” he asks. “I’ve been coming here for 30 years, and there’s always a moose.”

Rhonda replies that the moose is out for a bit of taxidermy assessment, as he was looking a little worse for wear. She fills me in on the back story: Over those 30 years, it hasn’t been the same moose. One was stolen during the winter (ponder that for a minute). Another, placed in a restaurant for safekeeping during the off season, burned with the restaurant. Rhonda is hoping the curse has been removed with the moose.

Sunset over Long Pond in the Belgrade Lakes, Maine. Hilary Nangle photo. — After dinner, settle in to watch the sunset over Maine’s Belgrade Lakes. ©Hilary Nangle

I retreat to my cabin, exhausted from my day’s explorations and well satiated from filet mignon paired with potatoes and corn and chased by a brownie sundae. Out my window, a brilliant rose-colored sunset surrenders to the smoky hues of dusk as the joyful noise of day cedes to the silent symphony of nightfall. Water sings a lullaby and one loon, then another, add their choral voices to the song. I drift off dreaming about chasing fireflies, laughing and playing unencumbered by responsibility or worry, listening only for a bell to call me home.

If you go

Besides Castle Island Camps, other traditional American Plan, Maine sporting camps in the Belgrade Lakes Region include Alden Camps on East Pond, Bear Spring Camps on Great Pond,and Whisperwood Lodge on Salmon Lake. The per-person rate at each includes lodging as well as three hearty, homestyle meals daily; box lunches are usually available for those who don’t want to return for lunch. Use of canoes and kayaks is often included for guests. Rental motorboats are available as are fishing guides for additional fees. Service fees/gratuities and taxes are not included.