Real Maine Food: 100 Plates from Fishermen, Farmers, Pie Champs, and Clam Shacks

Table of Contents 00 Introduction

00 Chapter 3: From the Soil

00 About Maine Lobster

00 Primo 00 David Levy

00 Chapter 1: From the Trap

00 Harraseeket Inn

00

Ocean Approved Kelp

00 North Star Lamb Farm

00

Scalloping

00 Wood Prairie Farm

00

Barley & Hops

00 Super Chilly Apple Farm

00

Yarmouth Clam Festival

00

North Haven Oysters

00 Chapter 4: From the Mill

00

Bangs Island Mussels

00 Maine Grains 00 Songbird Farm

00 Chapter 2: From the Line

00 Buckwheat

00

Stonington Seafood

00 Northern Maine Farm

00

American Eagle

00 Greene Maple Farms

00

Salmon Aquaculture

00 Black Dinah Chocolates

00

Hiramasa Farming

00

Smelt Fry

00 Addresses 00 Index

Table of Contents 00 Introduction

00 Chapter 3: From the Soil

00 About Maine Lobster

00 Primo 00 David Levy

00 Chapter 1: From the Trap

00 Harraseeket Inn

00

Ocean Approved Kelp

00 North Star Lamb Farm

00

Scalloping

00 Wood Prairie Farm

00

Barley & Hops

00 Super Chilly Apple Farm

00

Yarmouth Clam Festival

00

North Haven Oysters

00 Chapter 4: From the Mill

00

Bangs Island Mussels

00 Maine Grains 00 Songbird Farm

00 Chapter 2: From the Line

00 Buckwheat

00

Stonington Seafood

00 Northern Maine Farm

00

American Eagle

00 Greene Maple Farms

00

Salmon Aquaculture

00 Black Dinah Chocolates

00

Hiramasa Farming

00

Smelt Fry

00 Addresses 00 Index

From the Shell Steamed Lobster // Grilled Lobster with Garlic Lemon Butter New England Lobster Bake // Classic Maine Lobster Roll Lobster Gruyere Grilled Cheese Broiled Lobster Tails with Garlic Herb Marinade Lobster Risotto // Lobster Kelp Salad Lobster Gnocchi with Lemon, Brown Butter, and Summer Salad Maine Lobster Stew // Crab Mushroom Sherry Cream Crab Cakes with Red Bell Pepper // Crab and Roasted Corn Frittata Shrimp and Fiddlehead Pasta Grilled Shrimp and Zucchini Salad with Mint and Pine Nuts Scallop Tartare // Scallop Salad with Fennel and Prosciutto Beer-Steamed Clams // Fried Clams // New England Clam Chowder Three Oyster Mignonettes // Grilled Oysters with Herb Butter Oven Roasted Mussels // Papardelle with Steamed Mussels

From the Shell Steamed Lobster // Grilled Lobster with Garlic Lemon Butter New England Lobster Bake // Classic Maine Lobster Roll Lobster Gruyere Grilled Cheese Broiled Lobster Tails with Garlic Herb Marinade Lobster Risotto // Lobster Kelp Salad Lobster Gnocchi with Lemon, Brown Butter, and Summer Salad Maine Lobster Stew // Crab Mushroom Sherry Cream Crab Cakes with Red Bell Pepper // Crab and Roasted Corn Frittata Shrimp and Fiddlehead Pasta Grilled Shrimp and Zucchini Salad with Mint and Pine Nuts Scallop Tartare // Scallop Salad with Fennel and Prosciutto Beer-Steamed Clams // Fried Clams // New England Clam Chowder Three Oyster Mignonettes // Grilled Oysters with Herb Butter Oven Roasted Mussels // Papardelle with Steamed Mussels

Crab and Roasted Corn Frittata Serves four.

Frittata is an Italian dish (Marcella Hazan’s onion frittata was one of the first recipes Ben learned as a kid) that’s similar to an omelet but, in our opinion, better and easier. The cheese and fillings are evenly distributed throughout the fluffy egg base rather than sandwiched in the middle, and there’s no messy flipping involved. It’s another perfect vehicle for our love affair with crab and corn, along with a nice sharp cheddar.

5 eggs, beaten

2 ½ tbsp. butter

½ lb lump Maine Jonah crab meat (or other crab if Jonah is unavailable)

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup corn (fresh off the cob or frozen)

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped green bell pepper

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. paprika Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a 12 inch, ovensafe cast-iron pan over low heat. Melt ½ tbsp. of butter in the pan, then add peppers and onions.

Saute until onions are reduced and start to turn golden. Remove from heat and let cool.

Melt another teaspoon of butter in a saucepan or microwave. In a small mixing bowl, toss melted butter with corn until kernels are evenly coated.

Spread kernels on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast corn until kernels start to brown and smell sweet, about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the heavy cream and beat vigorously with a whisk for one

minute. Fold in cheese and crab, then add peppers, onions, corn, and seasonings.

Heat the frying pan over medium heat and preheat broiler. Melt the last tablespoon of butter. When melted, pour in the egg mixture and make sure ingredients are spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Let cook until the bottom of the frittata is set but the top is still moist and eggy (3-4 minutes).

Remove from the stovetop and place under the broiler. Broil until the top of the frittata is set and golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Slice and serve in the pan, or if you’re adventurous, loosen the bottom of the frittata from the pan with a spatula and flip the frittata upside down onto a cutting board to serve.

Crab and Roasted Corn Frittata Serves four.

Frittata is an Italian dish (Marcella Hazan’s onion frittata was one of the first recipes Ben learned as a kid) that’s similar to an omelet but, in our opinion, better and easier. The cheese and fillings are evenly distributed throughout the fluffy egg base rather than sandwiched in the middle, and there’s no messy flipping involved. It’s another perfect vehicle for our love affair with crab and corn, along with a nice sharp cheddar.

5 eggs, beaten

2 ½ tbsp. butter

½ lb lump Maine Jonah crab meat (or other crab if Jonah is unavailable)

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup corn (fresh off the cob or frozen)

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped green bell pepper

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. paprika Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a 12 inch, ovensafe cast-iron pan over low heat. Melt ½ tbsp. of butter in the pan, then add peppers and onions.

Saute until onions are reduced and start to turn golden. Remove from heat and let cool.

Melt another teaspoon of butter in a saucepan or microwave. In a small mixing bowl, toss melted butter with corn until kernels are evenly coated.

Spread kernels on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast corn until kernels start to brown and smell sweet, about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the heavy cream and beat vigorously with a whisk for one

minute. Fold in cheese and crab, then add peppers, onions, corn, and seasonings.

Heat the frying pan over medium heat and preheat broiler. Melt the last tablespoon of butter. When melted, pour in the egg mixture and make sure ingredients are spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Let cook until the bottom of the frittata is set but the top is still moist and eggy (3-4 minutes).

Remove from the stovetop and place under the broiler. Broil until the top of the frittata is set and golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Slice and serve in the pan, or if you’re adventurous, loosen the bottom of the frittata from the pan with a spatula and flip the frittata upside down onto a cutting board to serve.

Crispy Fish with Lime Chili Sauce

Portuguese Fish Stew

Serves four.

Serves eight.

Bich Nga Burril’s path to the Stonington Farmers Market has been slightly rockier than the average vendor. They are third and fourth generation local farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen; she escaped Vietnam a week before the fall of Saigon and found herself tending bar in Long Beach, CA, where she met a young merchant Marine from Maine. She’s now been in Maine over a quarter century, but she hasn’t forgotten the recipes she learned as a child in Saigon. Though a standout at this particular market, Bich Nga ispart of a huge community of southeast Asian immigrants in Maine, many of whom work in the seafood industry. Restaurants have sprung up all over the coast serving Asian dishes with local Maine ingredients, but Bich Nga prefers to hock her delicious wares at farmers markets—after all, she grows most of her ingredients in her own garden and buys the rest from her neighbors. On the day we visited, she had a long line of locals waiting at her stall—a woman whose sick husband wouldn’t let her return without Bich Nga’s chicken soup, and a lobsterman who hauls traps all day but “didn’t have enough hands” for everything he wanted to buy. This is our favorite of her dishes—a simple, spicy recipe that’s a perfect vehicle for sustainable local species like redfish, hake, and pollock.

In the last two centuries, New England’s coastal communities drew large numbers of Portuguese immigrants, most of whom were involved in the fishing and whaling trades. Luckily for Mainers, that means a strong Portuguese influence has added some spice to regional cooking. Andy pays homage to this immigrant history with a combination of fish and spicy sausage that’s as good here as it is on the other side of the Atlantic. If you’re using dried beans, remember to start soaking them the night before you cook.

2 medium cucumbers, sliced into ¼ inch rounds 3 tbsp. vegetable oil or other neutral high smoke point oil (grapeseed, sunflower)

2 lbs of linguiça sausage, or sweet Italian sausage if linguica is unavailable, cut into 1-inch chunks 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium onions, sliced

2 lbs. fillets of redfish, pollock, hake, or other sustainable white fish

1-2 hot chili peppers (such as Serrano or Bird’s Eye), thinly sliced

1 bulb fennel, sliced

3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tbsp. sugar

2 ½ tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro

2 cups cannellini beans (soak overnight if dried, or rinse if canned)

2 tbsp. thinly sliced shallots In a 12 inch cast-iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add sliced shallots and fry until they are brown and crispy. Remove from heat to a paper towel and pat gently to absorb excess oil.

to 3 minutes. Flip over and cook the flesh side for about the same amount of time, until fish begins to brown and the flesh is opaque all the way through.

Remove from heat.

Make the chili-lime sauce by whisking together lime juice, fish sauce, hot chilies, and sugar in a small bowl.

Arrange cucumber slices flat on the bottom of a deep serving platter. Arrange fish fillets on top of the cucumber. Mix the sauce one more time to ensure all parts are evenly mixed, then pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle cilantro on top of the dish and serve immediately.

Add the remaining oil to the pan, heat again over medium heat. Then add fish fillets, skin side down, and fry until bottom is golden brown and crispy, 2

2 cans tomato paste 2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 gallon fish or chicken stock 3 lbs of Pollock (or other flaky white fish like cod, hake, or whiting) 2 bunches spinach, kale, or callaloo greens (a leafy crop Andy introduced us to, brought to Maine by Jamaican immigrants and now becoming popular among Maine farmers)

Fry the sausage in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat until the outsides are seared.

Remove sausage and set aside, reserving the fat in the pot. Saute the onions, garlic and fennel in the reserved fat in the same pan, until soft and dark gold in color.

Add the tomato paste, beans and tomatoes, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the fish and the stock, cover again, and simmer for another 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and easily flaked with a fork. Then add greens and simmer for about 5 more minutes, just until greens are softened and bright green.

Serve immediately.

Crispy Fish with Lime Chili Sauce

Portuguese Fish Stew

Serves four.

Serves eight.

Bich Nga Burril’s path to the Stonington Farmers Market has been slightly rockier than the average vendor. They are third and fourth generation local farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen; she escaped Vietnam a week before the fall of Saigon and found herself tending bar in Long Beach, CA, where she met a young merchant Marine from Maine. She’s now been in Maine over a quarter century, but she hasn’t forgotten the recipes she learned as a child in Saigon. Though a standout at this particular market, Bich Nga ispart of a huge community of southeast Asian immigrants in Maine, many of whom work in the seafood industry. Restaurants have sprung up all over the coast serving Asian dishes with local Maine ingredients, but Bich Nga prefers to hock her delicious wares at farmers markets—after all, she grows most of her ingredients in her own garden and buys the rest from her neighbors. On the day we visited, she had a long line of locals waiting at her stall—a woman whose sick husband wouldn’t let her return without Bich Nga’s chicken soup, and a lobsterman who hauls traps all day but “didn’t have enough hands” for everything he wanted to buy. This is our favorite of her dishes—a simple, spicy recipe that’s a perfect vehicle for sustainable local species like redfish, hake, and pollock.

In the last two centuries, New England’s coastal communities drew large numbers of Portuguese immigrants, most of whom were involved in the fishing and whaling trades. Luckily for Mainers, that means a strong Portuguese influence has added some spice to regional cooking. Andy pays homage to this immigrant history with a combination of fish and spicy sausage that’s as good here as it is on the other side of the Atlantic. If you’re using dried beans, remember to start soaking them the night before you cook.

2 medium cucumbers, sliced into ¼ inch rounds 3 tbsp. vegetable oil or other neutral high smoke point oil (grapeseed, sunflower)

2 lbs of linguiça sausage, or sweet Italian sausage if linguica is unavailable, cut into 1-inch chunks 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium onions, sliced

2 lbs. fillets of redfish, pollock, hake, or other sustainable white fish

1-2 hot chili peppers (such as Serrano or Bird’s Eye), thinly sliced

1 bulb fennel, sliced

3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tbsp. sugar

2 ½ tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro

2 cups cannellini beans (soak overnight if dried, or rinse if canned)

2 tbsp. thinly sliced shallots In a 12 inch cast-iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add sliced shallots and fry until they are brown and crispy. Remove from heat to a paper towel and pat gently to absorb excess oil.

to 3 minutes. Flip over and cook the flesh side for about the same amount of time, until fish begins to brown and the flesh is opaque all the way through.

Remove from heat.

Make the chili-lime sauce by whisking together lime juice, fish sauce, hot chilies, and sugar in a small bowl.

Arrange cucumber slices flat on the bottom of a deep serving platter. Arrange fish fillets on top of the cucumber. Mix the sauce one more time to ensure all parts are evenly mixed, then pour the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle cilantro on top of the dish and serve immediately.

Add the remaining oil to the pan, heat again over medium heat. Then add fish fillets, skin side down, and fry until bottom is golden brown and crispy, 2

2 cans tomato paste 2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 gallon fish or chicken stock 3 lbs of Pollock (or other flaky white fish like cod, hake, or whiting) 2 bunches spinach, kale, or callaloo greens (a leafy crop Andy introduced us to, brought to Maine by Jamaican immigrants and now becoming popular among Maine farmers)

Fry the sausage in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat until the outsides are seared.

Remove sausage and set aside, reserving the fat in the pot. Saute the onions, garlic and fennel in the reserved fat in the same pan, until soft and dark gold in color.

Add the tomato paste, beans and tomatoes, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the fish and the stock, cover again, and simmer for another 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and easily flaked with a fork. Then add greens and simmer for about 5 more minutes, just until greens are softened and bright green.

Serve immediately.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Roasted Maine Fingerlings and Fiddleheads Serves four

We firmly believe that breasts get too much love. White meat chicken may be a bit lower in fat, but it’s also generally drier and less flavorful than the thigh. This meat takes the most flavorful part of the chicken and combines it with crispy fingerlings and fiddleheads, a treat you’ll only find in stores (or on river banks) in the early spring.

1 ¼ lb. Maine fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, cut in halves lengthwise

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 21/4 to 21/2 lbs. total)

12 whole peeled garlic cloves

1 lb. fiddlehead ferns, washed

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss potatoes and garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a parchmentlined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Use paper towels to pat chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a 12 inch cast iron pan over high heat. When very hot, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the chicken to the pan and cook, turning chicken, a couple times, until all sides are golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Add chicken to baking sheet, reserving juices in the frying pan.

Roast until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F, about 30 to 35 minutes and potatoes are golden brown in spots.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Blanch the fiddleheads in the boiling water until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Immediately transfer them to the bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain fiddleheads.

Heat reserved pan over medium heat. When hot, add the fiddleheads to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until coated in the chicken fat.

Add the chicken broth and lemon zest, scraping bottom of pan to deglaze, and bring to a simmer.

Cook until most of the chicken broth evaporates.

Drizzle in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve fiddleheads with chicken and potatoes.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Roasted Maine Fingerlings and Fiddleheads Serves four

We firmly believe that breasts get too much love. White meat chicken may be a bit lower in fat, but it’s also generally drier and less flavorful than the thigh. This meat takes the most flavorful part of the chicken and combines it with crispy fingerlings and fiddleheads, a treat you’ll only find in stores (or on river banks) in the early spring.

1 ¼ lb. Maine fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, cut in halves lengthwise

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 21/4 to 21/2 lbs. total)

12 whole peeled garlic cloves

1 lb. fiddlehead ferns, washed

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss potatoes and garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a parchmentlined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Use paper towels to pat chicken dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a 12 inch cast iron pan over high heat. When very hot, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the chicken to the pan and cook, turning chicken, a couple times, until all sides are golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Add chicken to baking sheet, reserving juices in the frying pan.

Roast until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F, about 30 to 35 minutes and potatoes are golden brown in spots.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Blanch the fiddleheads in the boiling water until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Immediately transfer them to the bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain fiddleheads.

Heat reserved pan over medium heat. When hot, add the fiddleheads to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until coated in the chicken fat.

Add the chicken broth and lemon zest, scraping bottom of pan to deglaze, and bring to a simmer.

Cook until most of the chicken broth evaporates.

Drizzle in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve fiddleheads with chicken and potatoes.

Red Flannel Hash Serves four.

This stylish name indicates the addition of beets to the standard corned beef and potato hash. If you’re using leftovers from the previous recipe, you’re in luck—the beets will already have tinted everything red. Serve this hash for breakfast with a couple of fried eggs sunny side up, and let the yolks soak into the hash. Try not to think about the fact that your day can only get worse from here. ¼ cup reserved brisket fat, or 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 cup chopped cooked corned beef 1 tsp. paprika

2 cups chopped cooked root vegetables (potatoes, beets, parsnips, and/or carrots) ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Chop reserved brisket fat into small chunks and add to a 12 inch cast iron pan over medium low heat. If you don’t have reserved brisket fat, use bacon fat or vegetable oil. When the fat begins to brown and a pool of oil forms in the pan (or oil begins to shimmer), add corned beef, root vegetables, paprika, and pepper and increase to medium heat.

Spread the meat and vegetables evenly through pan and press down with a spatula. Cook until browned and crisp on the bottom, then turn over with spatula to brown the other side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Red Flannel Hash Serves four.

This stylish name indicates the addition of beets to the standard corned beef and potato hash. If you’re using leftovers from the previous recipe, you’re in luck—the beets will already have tinted everything red. Serve this hash for breakfast with a couple of fried eggs sunny side up, and let the yolks soak into the hash. Try not to think about the fact that your day can only get worse from here. ¼ cup reserved brisket fat, or 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 cup chopped cooked corned beef 1 tsp. paprika

2 cups chopped cooked root vegetables (potatoes, beets, parsnips, and/or carrots) ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Chop reserved brisket fat into small chunks and add to a 12 inch cast iron pan over medium low heat. If you don’t have reserved brisket fat, use bacon fat or vegetable oil. When the fat begins to brown and a pool of oil forms in the pan (or oil begins to shimmer), add corned beef, root vegetables, paprika, and pepper and increase to medium heat.

Spread the meat and vegetables evenly through pan and press down with a spatula. Cook until browned and crisp on the bottom, then turn over with spatula to brown the other side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Lobster Gnocchi with Lemon, Brown Butter, and Summer Salad Serves four.

We met Jeff Landry back when he was the chef at The Farmer’s Table, a restaurant on Commercial Street in Portland serving locally-sourced food. Since then, Jeff has taken his expertise from the kitchen direct to the farmers and fishermen themselves, working to distribute their goods to other like-minded restaurants, and to convert those restaurants who still import food unnecessarily. Gnocchi is Jeff’s favorite lobster dish, and he recommends starting a day ahead of time, as the gnocchi actually turns out best if you make it, freeze it, then cook it from the frozen state.

For the gnocchi:

For the lobster:

For the salad:

1 lb large, high starch potatoes like russets (see more on potatoes pg. tk)

4 - 1 ¼ lb Maine lobsters, cooked, cleaned and meat chopped into medium pieces

2 cups salad greens (such as arugula, spinach, mesclun)

Zest of two lemons

8 oz unsalted butter cut into small cubes

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

3 cups assorted summer vegetables cut into julienne or small bite size pieces ¼ cup of your favorite vinaigrette, red wine vinaigrette preferred

Start by making gnocchi, because it’s best if you freeze it and cook it from the frozen state.

Boil potatoes with skins on until a knife pierces them easily. Remove from pot and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove skins; the potatoes will still be hot.

If you own a food mill or potato ricer, pass the potatoes through into a large mixing bowl. If not, use a potato masher and mash as well as possible.

Do not use an electric mixer as this will cause the potatoes to get starchy and gluey.

Add the flour and zest to the bowl and begin to incorporate by hand. Using as little mixing as possible, combine the ingredients and lightly knead. Cut off medium pieces and roll into ½ inch ropes on a well floured surface. Use a sharp knife or dough cutter and cut each rope into ½ inch pieces. Place pieces on a pan that will fit in your freezer lined with wax paper or parchment paper.

If the gnocchi tends to be sticky, use a little more flour. Freeze the gnocchi thoroughly. This step can be done three days in advance.

Prepare the lobsters using the instruction for steaming lobster (pg. tk). Remove them from the hot water and let cool for 10 minutes on the counter and 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Then remove the meat from the shell (see “How to eat a lobster,” pg. tk) and cut into bite size pieces.

To assemble the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter.

Drop the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook

until they float for a minute. Strain and gently pour the gnocchi into the pan to brown lightly. Add the lobster to heat through and season with salt and pepper. The butter should have taken on a brown, not black or light golden color, and smell nutty.

Divide the gnocchi and lobster among plates or shallow bowls. Mix the greens and vegetables thoroughly with the vinaigrette and top each dish with the salad. Serve immediately.

Lobster Gnocchi with Lemon, Brown Butter, and Summer Salad Serves four.

We met Jeff Landry back when he was the chef at The Farmer’s Table, a restaurant on Commercial Street in Portland serving locally-sourced food. Since then, Jeff has taken his expertise from the kitchen direct to the farmers and fishermen themselves, working to distribute their goods to other like-minded restaurants, and to convert those restaurants who still import food unnecessarily. Gnocchi is Jeff’s favorite lobster dish, and he recommends starting a day ahead of time, as the gnocchi actually turns out best if you make it, freeze it, then cook it from the frozen state.

For the gnocchi:

For the lobster:

For the salad:

1 lb large, high starch potatoes like russets (see more on potatoes pg. tk)

4 - 1 ¼ lb Maine lobsters, cooked, cleaned and meat chopped into medium pieces

2 cups salad greens (such as arugula, spinach, mesclun)

Zest of two lemons

8 oz unsalted butter cut into small cubes

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

3 cups assorted summer vegetables cut into julienne or small bite size pieces ¼ cup of your favorite vinaigrette, red wine vinaigrette preferred

Start by making gnocchi, because it’s best if you freeze it and cook it from the frozen state.

Boil potatoes with skins on until a knife pierces them easily. Remove from pot and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove skins; the potatoes will still be hot.

If you own a food mill or potato ricer, pass the potatoes through into a large mixing bowl. If not, use a potato masher and mash as well as possible.

Do not use an electric mixer as this will cause the potatoes to get starchy and gluey.

Add the flour and zest to the bowl and begin to incorporate by hand. Using as little mixing as possible, combine the ingredients and lightly knead. Cut off medium pieces and roll into ½ inch ropes on a well floured surface. Use a sharp knife or dough cutter and cut each rope into ½ inch pieces. Place pieces on a pan that will fit in your freezer lined with wax paper or parchment paper.

If the gnocchi tends to be sticky, use a little more flour. Freeze the gnocchi thoroughly. This step can be done three days in advance.

Prepare the lobsters using the instruction for steaming lobster (pg. tk). Remove them from the hot water and let cool for 10 minutes on the counter and 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Then remove the meat from the shell (see “How to eat a lobster,” pg. tk) and cut into bite size pieces.

To assemble the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter.

Drop the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook

until they float for a minute. Strain and gently pour the gnocchi into the pan to brown lightly. Add the lobster to heat through and season with salt and pepper. The butter should have taken on a brown, not black or light golden color, and smell nutty.

Divide the gnocchi and lobster among plates or shallow bowls. Mix the greens and vegetables thoroughly with the vinaigrette and top each dish with the salad. Serve immediately.

Kristine’s Prizewinning Blueberry Pie Serves eight

When we bit into Kristine Bondeson’s pie, we knew it was a winner. From the flakiness of the crust to the hints of spice from the nutmeg and cinnamon, it was truly special. For added flair, Kristine likes to use a single crust for top and bottom, letting the edges overlap the pie plate and folding them toward the center.

She says this ensures that the berries infuse every bite of pastry with flavor. If that’s too revolutionary for you, or you are using pre-made dough, feel free to use the filling with a standard two-crust approach. We give instructions for both. Keep in mind, if you have the misfortune to not be using wild Maine blueberries, typical supermarket blueberries are much sweeter and less tart, so you’ll want to cut the sugars by as much as half and add another tablespoon of lemon juice.

4 cups wild Maine blueberries ½ cup sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 2 tbsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. white flour ¼ tsp. nutmeg 1 simple pie crust 2 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium mixing bowl, toss blueberries, sugar, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, flour, and nutmeg.

If you have a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, dust them with flour and use them for the next step; it will help the oil-based crust from sticking. If not, use floured parchment paper and thoroughly dust your rolling pin with flour.

If you’d like to follow Kristine’s method of the fold-over crust, roll your entire pie dough out into an extra large circle at least 16 inches wide. Center the crust over an eight-inch pie plate and press the center of the crust evenly into the pan. Pour the blueberry filling into the crust. Now gently fold the

rest of the crust toward the center, overlapping as necessary to completely cover the fruit.

If you want to go the traditional route with your crusts, simply cut off a third of the dough and roll it out to use as a top crust, then roll the remaining two thirds out to use as the bottom. Press the bottom into the pan evenly, pour the blueberry filling into the crust, lay the top crust over the filling, and use a fork to crimp the edges of the two crusts together all the way around the perimeter.

With either crust preparation, slice three vertical cuts about two inches long across the center of the top of the pie. Dot the top with the butter, cut into small bits. Bake pie at 350° degrees for one hour.

Kristine’s Prizewinning Blueberry Pie Serves eight

When we bit into Kristine Bondeson’s pie, we knew it was a winner. From the flakiness of the crust to the hints of spice from the nutmeg and cinnamon, it was truly special. For added flair, Kristine likes to use a single crust for top and bottom, letting the edges overlap the pie plate and folding them toward the center.

She says this ensures that the berries infuse every bite of pastry with flavor. If that’s too revolutionary for you, or you are using pre-made dough, feel free to use the filling with a standard two-crust approach. We give instructions for both. Keep in mind, if you have the misfortune to not be using wild Maine blueberries, typical supermarket blueberries are much sweeter and less tart, so you’ll want to cut the sugars by as much as half and add another tablespoon of lemon juice.

4 cups wild Maine blueberries ½ cup sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 2 tbsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. white flour ¼ tsp. nutmeg 1 simple pie crust 2 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium mixing bowl, toss blueberries, sugar, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, flour, and nutmeg.

If you have a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, dust them with flour and use them for the next step; it will help the oil-based crust from sticking. If not, use floured parchment paper and thoroughly dust your rolling pin with flour.

If you’d like to follow Kristine’s method of the fold-over crust, roll your entire pie dough out into an extra large circle at least 16 inches wide. Center the crust over an eight-inch pie plate and press the center of the crust evenly into the pan. Pour the blueberry filling into the crust. Now gently fold the

rest of the crust toward the center, overlapping as necessary to completely cover the fruit.

If you want to go the traditional route with your crusts, simply cut off a third of the dough and roll it out to use as a top crust, then roll the remaining two thirds out to use as the bottom. Press the bottom into the pan evenly, pour the blueberry filling into the crust, lay the top crust over the filling, and use a fork to crimp the edges of the two crusts together all the way around the perimeter.

With either crust preparation, slice three vertical cuts about two inches long across the center of the top of the pie. Dot the top with the butter, cut into small bits. Bake pie at 350° degrees for one hour.