Sunday was a glorious day-- fish sandwiches and bloody marys on the deck at the Porthole, then wandering the streets until it started thundering and I felt compelled to hit Hannaford for a week's groceries.

The, while wandering the meat area, "do you like chicken?"

Oh no, I said to myself. Another grocery store crazy person.

"...Yes," I said.

"There's bags of chicken breasts for 99 cents on sale."

Then I realized the woman was just a helpful person understandably excited by a good sale. Turns out they had all natural hormone free purdue chicken in 1.8 lb bags for 99 cents. Really.

I cleared the rest of the inventory. You know you're getting older and weirder when chicken sales become exciting.

So on Sunday night I made chicken for dinner.

I've long been a fan of charmoula, a classic Moroccan sauce which is kind of like an African pesto, made with lemon zest, parsley, and garlic. Sometimes, though, the raw garlic can be a little much. So I decided to cook the sauce lightly. It turned out delicious.

Chicken with Charmoula

4 large boneless chicken breasts
Flour
Salt & pepper

1 bunch parsley
6 cloves garlic
Zest and juice of 3-4 lemons
Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet.
3. Season flour and coat chicken breasts.
4. Brown outside of chicken, transfer to ovenproof dish, and move to oven.
5. In food processor, combine other ingredients and processes until finely chopped.
6. Remove chicken when just cooked through.
7. Add a small amount of flour to original pan (just enough to bind the sauce) and add parsley mixture.
8. Sautee for 1 minute.
9. Add chicken and sautee for 30 seconds.
10. Serve with lemon wedges.

I served this over tri-color couscous, and it was very darn tasty.

In other news, we finally received our first CSA share! The sad part is, we're leaving on Friday for a week in San Francisco. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course-- but we won't really have time to eat our veggies!

We'll be giving most of the veg for this week and all of the veg for next week to our friend Ravinder, who is cat-sitting for us while we're away, so I'll try to get a couple of recipes out of him. He's a fantastic cook.

Regardless, here's the list for this week:

1 head Chinese cabbage
1 head green lettuce
1 head red lettuce
1/4 lb mesclun
1/4 arugula (Wold Pine grows the best arugula. I am so sad not to be able to eat every last bit!)
1 bunch cilantro
1 fresh garlic plant (this looks like a leek, sort of. It's new to me, so I will definitely report back.)

Thanks to Wolf Pine for including this blog in the share newsletter. I promise to all the visitors from the farm that I'll be posting recipes from share contents as soon as we get back from vacation.

Along with reports from the fabulous restaurants we'll be eating in next week!

After a fabulous week in Montreal (why we didn't make it to San Francisco is a long story), full of good food and lots of walking, we returned for a crazy week of BBQ and work.

The CSA for the fourth included lots of yummy vegetables, many of which are our favorites.

1 head romaine
1/4 lb mixed greens
1/4 lb lettuce mix
1 bunch parsley
.3 lb sugarsnap peas
2 kohlrabi (yum! more on that later)
10 garlic scapes (also yum!)
1 head Chinese cabbage
1 bunch swiss chard

Last night I made some egg rolls with this week and last week's Chinese cabbage. They're a great way to use a lot of Chinese cabbage and make a few meals.

Egg Rolls

1.5 lb ground pork (I used boneless pork loin and ground it myself)
2 heads Chinese cabbage
1 bunch scallions
3 cloves garlic
1/3 lb sugarsnap peas
1 T cornstarch
Water
1 egg
Soy sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Sesame oil
1 package egg roll skins
Oil

1. Thinly chop the cabbage and sugarsnaps
2. Mince the scallions and garlic
3. In a wok, saute the scallion, garlic, and sugarsnaps until slightly soft
4. Add the ground pork and saute until white
5. Add the cabbage, about 1/4 cup soy sauce, a splash of rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to taste
6. Mix the cornstarch with a splash of water and add to the mixture
7. Cook on high until the cabbage is soft
8. Remove from heat and add 1 egg, beaten
9. Let cool
10. Follow the directions on the egg roll skins for rolling
11. Fry in oil until brown (I used about 1 inch of oil and flipped, but you could easily deep fry for extra yumminess.)

Serve! I made a nice dipping sauce with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, and rice wine vin. Otis likes hot mustard and duck sauce, but we didn't have any, so he lost out.

We've also been eating a lot of salad, of course. So, current veg status is as follows:

1 head romaine
1/4 lb mixed greens
1/4 lb lettuce mix
1 bunch parsley
.3 lb sugarsnap peas
2 kohlrabi (yum! more on that later)
10 garlic scapes (also yum!)
1 head Chinese cabbage
1 bunch swiss chard

More on garlic scapes in the next entry! I think we'll see the return of charmoula, and possibly some kohlrabi chicken salad.

The past week has been a whirlwind of work-busy, life-busy, and general overwhelmed-ness. That hasn't kept us from some delicious meals, of course.

Otis whipped up an incredible salad that we ate Tuesday and Wednesday, with raw shaved kohlrabi, grilled chicken, pan-seared garlic scapes, and a mustard dressing. I'm in the process of bugging him to get the recipe to post here.

It was a perfect example of CSA cooking-- maximizing the fortuitous combination of vegetables.

Another perfect example of my personal approach to CSA cooking was our Thursday night meal, when I worked late and then served 365 Organic frozen pizza from Whole Foods along with a glorious salad. Sometimes convenience foods are just required.

In that vein, I'm currently reading Plenty for a slow food book group, and it's fascinating so far. It's about a couple who commit to eating only foods that come from within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver BC.

It's truly frightening how a local diet has become so difficult in the age of agribusiness. We're awfully lucky here to have Wolf Pine, the farmer's market, and so many incredible local purveyors. Of course, during the wintertime it's really necessary to have store put by, which the people in the book didn't do (they started their experiment on the 1st day of spring). One thing Otis and I have done, which makes an enormous difference, is install an additional freestanding freezer, which can hold more pureed tomatoes and kale soup than any two people could need! Actually, we process a lot of the CSA veg, since it's usually a little much for the two of us. There's also nothing like eating tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes you pureed yourself during the depths of winter-- it's like a little taste of summer laid by.

Saturday afternoon we attended an event at Vignola, which featured Allagash Brewing's Hugh Malone beer and Silvery Moon Creamery cheese. The event was organized superlatively by Katey Szum of Allagash (hi Katey!) and was raising funds for MOFGA (it was $10 per person to attend). Allagash also donates $1 for each bottle of the Hugh Malone sold to MOFGA. It's a delicious beer, and pairs well with the Silvery Moon cheeses, all of which were incredible. The Camembert was particularly delicious, and was, to my palate, comparable to or better than any similar cheese imported from France. The cheese folks also were offering tastings of a cheese-on-development, which they called No. 9. It was dry, tangy, and really outstanding as well.

Then, Saturday night, our friends Jenn and Matt grilled some halibut to perfection, served with charmoula (everyone loves charmoula. all the cool kids are eating it) and Israeli couscous. We brought (guess what?) a salad. We also enjoyed a few mojitos made with mint grown by their neighbors, and met their newest pug, a cute chubby little thing named Helga.

Mint has been growing quite well all over southern Maine, as far as I can tell. Our friend Pearl also provided a couple of bunches, which I am going to cook into a simple syrup for future cocktails.

Anyway. I'll post Otis's recipe as soon as I can make him write it down. In the meantime, this past week's CSA contained:

2 heads lettuce -- used in salad
0.3 lb. mesclun
Kale
¾ lb. sugarsnap peas
1 bulb fennel
1 bunch baby turnips -- we've used about half of these in salads and will probably finish them tonight
1 bunch carrots -- same as the baby turnips. these are the sweetest little tasty carrots, they're just incredibly carroty.
10 garlic scapes
1 bunch scallions

And, here's the status of last week:

1 head romaine-- used in salad
1/4 lb mixed greens-- used in salad
1/4 lb lettuce mix-- used in salad
1 bunch parsley
.3 lb sugarsnap peas-- used in egg rolls
2 kohlrabi-- used in Otis's chicken salad
10 garlic scapes-- used in Otis's chicken salad
1 head Chinese cabbage-- used in eggrolls
1 bunch swiss chard

I can't believe I haven't posted anything for almost a month. Time has been just zipping by; I've been working like a dog at USM, freelancing, and getting ready to start school on Tuesday.

We also had a fabulous long weekend in Wellfleet earlier this month, visiting Otis's parents and brother, complete with a fish fry, bbq, a day at the flea market, delicious crab dip, and lobster. And, of course, drinks at the Bomb Shelter.

Whenever we go to Wellfleet we make sure to pick up a tub or two of the crab dip they sell at Hatch's, along with our fish or lobsters or whatever. Ironically, the dip is produced downeast somewhere, and so it theoretically available in Maine; but it is so decadent and delicious, it's probably better for our waistlines and cholesterol levels that it stay a special-occasion food. I don't have a tub here (thank goodness; otherwise I'd be eating it for breakfast), but I think the ingredients include mayo, crab, ketchup, french onion soup mix, and other seemingly random ingredients that, when combined, end up as delicious, addictive, ambrosia.

Our other Wellfleet summer visit tradition is to pick up boiled lobsters from Hatch's and eat them at Jane and Walter's house, along with fresh corn, bread, and the onions in vinegar that Jane's dad used to make.

A word about Hatch's. Otis and Nick (his brother) both worked there, starting at about age 13, for many summers-- about 8 in Otis's case, I believe. The place is fabulous, and Rob, the owner, is a very funny guy who simultaneously takes his job very seriously and not at all. Otis has a host of wonderful stories about providing fish to various demanding New Yorkers-- many of whom were and are eminences of some note. My favorite story is of the day when Diana Trilling first came in, and requested lobsters, "split entirely in half," live o
of course. (There's more to the story, and I am probably mangling it, but the gist is there. Otis is still sleeping so I can't verify.)

Anyway, back to the lobsters. Normally, we get small lobsters, about 1-1 1/2 lbs, one for each person. This trip, however, for some reason smaller lobsters were not available, so we each had half of a 4-ish pounder. During dinner, I realized that this was the largest lobster I had ever eaten! I think that's what comes of growing up in Maine, where they tend to be on the small side.

The flavor and texture was actually a little bit different. Normally, the claw meat is my favorite, but in the larger bugs it evidently tends to get slightly overcooked, so it's not as tender. This time, the tail was outstanding, and better than in the smaller ones, I thought. (I also appreciated the lobster being pre-split, so I didn't have to wrestle with it, or ask Otis or Nick to do so. Yes, I am lame.)

Regardless, it was really a delicious meal, and a wonderful visit, as usual. Otis brought a jar of his dilly beans, which were a big hit. The recipe is from Putting Food By, the classic food-preservation tome. I'm going to include the ingredients but not the recipe because I really recommend you buy the book if you're planning on doing food preservation. (He modified the recipe somewhat-- I don't think the original includes Thai chiles.)

Dilly Beans

Brine:
5 cups vinegar
5 cups water
1/2 cupl + 1 T pickling salt

For each jar:
2 dried thai chiles
A goodly amount of dill
1 clove garlic
1 T mustard seed
1/2 T peppercorns
1/4 T dill seed

Before I go start my homework (yay!) I shoudl give a shout-out to Margaret Hathaway Schatz, author of Year of the Goat...you may remember her from such entries as Passover Eating. Her book just came out, and we had the pleasure of attending the release party: Goatstravaganza! It was great to see such a huge crowd come to celebrate Margaret, and of course, all things goaty. (You can see the back of Otis's head in the top photo on the left.)

The party was held at Rabelais Books, a really wonderful bookstore on Middle Street, and featured a tasty spread from Aurora Provisions, and photos by the talented Karl Schatz (Margaret's husband). And, yours truly won the door prize, an adorable t-shirt.

Good luck on your book tour, Margaret!

(Note, I haven't started the book yet, but it's on the top of my pile. I just finished Heat by Bill Buford, for the Slow Food book group meeting this month.)

I suppose that's all for now. If I can pull it together I'll post my recipe for Law School Ramen Noodles. They'll blow you away!

Oh yeah, vegetables. Well, suffice to say they are delicious. I'm making quiche for dinner tonight, but you already have that recipe, so that's that. Seriously, I haven't been doing that much cooking, since I've been working on The Website that Must Not be Named, and it's always so hard to extract recipes from Otis.

I did make some Artichoke basil pesto, actually, with some of the CSA basil and some from Jane's overflowing planters. So here you go.

Artichoke Basil Pesto

Enough basil to fill a 14-cup cuisinart
A large jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/2- 3/4 cup grated parmesan
4 cloves garlic, minced, sauteed very quickly, and splashed with wine (I don't like the really strong raw garlic flavor)
EVOO as needed
S&P to taste

Put all ingredients in Cuisinart and whir until chopped and very slightly chunky.

No nuts! The artichokes provide that nutty unctuous mouth-feel.

Yes, it's been a long time. No, I am not going to make excuses, except that the past two weekends have been not-so-fun, and the weeks are pretty full with work and school. Otis has been doing most of the weeknight cooking, including another fabulous soup-- this one with tomatoes, kale, and chicken-pork-sage meatballs. I've gotta say, there's something about a meatball in soup that just feels so homey.

He tells me that since we're often out of eggs, he's been using mayo as one of the ingredients of the meatballs. Odd, but it seems to work-- they're fabulously light and fluffy.

Last night, however, it was my turn to finally make an effort in the kitchen. Our friends Rebeccah and Pete came over, and we had a great time hearing about their (soon to be) new house-- they're closing in November. It sounds like an amazing place-- horribly decorated, but enormous, structurally sound, and in a great spot-- South Portland's Ferry Village.

In honor of fall, I decided to make a roast chicken and roast veg. Of course, it was 70 yesterday, but in comparison to the 90-degree weather we enjoyed earlier in the week, it felt positively crisp. We've been accumulating root veggies from Wolf Pine for a while, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to throw them all in the bottom of the roaster and have fun.

Under the chicken, we had carrots, turnips, and celeriac, and in a separate pan in deference to Pete's beet-phobia were some beets. I tossed the veg with s&p and olive oil, and added a couple of heads' worth of whole garlic cloves.

For the chicken, I chopped about a quarter cup of our homegrown summer savory with half a stick of butter, and rubbed that under the skin. Then I cut up a couple of lemons and threw them inside the chicken.

Roast at 425 for about an hour and voila-- yummy dinner. (I also made some chicken gravy with the drippings, flour, some vermouth, some red wine, s&p, a squeeze of lemon, and some chicken broth. Yummmmmmer. Nothing like gravy.)

There's a reason why comfort food is so comforting, at least for me-- it makes me think of family holidays, and helping out in the kitchen when I was a little girl, and lying on the couch reading while dinner makes itself in the oven.

I'm hoping that the sudden drop in temps heralds the real start of fall. It's been odd to be back-to-school in the heat!

(We sadly missed the Common Ground Fair last weekend, because of my darned cold, but heard it was wonderful. Next year, hopefully.)

Wolf Pine Farm started its CSA deliveries this week. As usual, the first week of delivery is fairly light-- we got 2 heads of lettuce, 1 bunch of tat soi, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch spicy mustard greens, and 2 whole green garlic plants.

Whole green garlic is one of my favorites. It tastes like a milder form of garlic with the texture of scallions. We'll have to ponder what to do with it... or maybe Otis will. I'm at school, then work, then school from 7:45 to 7:15 almost every day, which is cutting into my cooking time. Luckily Otis has been producing an endless stream of fabulous meals, most recently crispy tofu with chinese mushrooms, baby bok choy, and buckwheat soba. Mmmm.