Lobster Egg Roll with a Sriracha Sesame Aioli Served over a Spicy Kale Asian Slaw

Recipe

Egg Roll

2- 1 1⁄4 lb lobsters, 1 bunch of chard, 2 to 3 parsnips, 2 to 3 stalks of celery, 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, two tsp of fresh ginger, two tbsp of low sodium soy sauce, two tbsp of mirin, 1 tbsp of sesame seed oil.

Spicy Kale Slaw

One large bunch of Kale, 2 to 3 medium carrots, 1⁄4 cup of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp of mirin, 1⁄2 tbsp of sugar, 1⁄2 tbsp of sesame seed oil, 2 tsp of red pepper flakes, 2 tsp of sesame seeds, 1 tsp of salt, 1⁄2 tsp pf pepper

Sriracha Sesame Aioli

5 oz. of plane yogurt, 2 tbsp of mayo, 1⁄2 tbsp of sriracha sauce, 1 tsp of sesame seed oil, juice from a half of a lemon, 1⁄2 tsp of Old Bay, salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Egg roll

In a large saucepan, steam the two lobsters in 3 to 4 cups of salted water for 12 minutes. Remove lobsters from the pan immediately and set aside to cool. Once cooled pick the meat from the tail, knuckles and claws of the lobsters. Rough chop or shred the lobster meat into small bite size pieces and refrigerate.

Next, roll the leaves of the chard, chiffonade them and then shred the parsnips and celery into long thin strips. Finely mince the garlic and ginger.

Heat a saucepan to medium high heat and add two tbsp of peanut oil. Add the garlic and ginger and sautee until translucent. Add the shredded carrots and celery along with the soy sauce, mirin and sesame seed oil and sautee until tender. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the chard. Refrigerate mixture.

Kale Slaw

Rough chop a large bunch kale into small pieces and shred the carrots into short thin strips. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, sesame seed oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir the mixture and refrigerate.

Aioli

Combine the yogurt, mayo, sriracha, sesame seed oil, lemon, Old Bay and salt and pepper. Mix well, pour mixture into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Final Preparation

Place an egg roll wrapper on a plate in the shape of a diamond. Place your filling along with 1⁄4 ounce of lobster meat about 3⁄4 of the way down on the wrapper. Fold the end of the wrapper up over the filling and fold each side of the wrapper over. Roll the filling up to the top of the wrapper and wet the top end of the wrapper with water then fold the top over to close up the roll. Continue until you have used all the mixture.

Over medium heat, pan fry the egg rolls until golden brown. Cut the rolls diagonally and place on a plate over a bed of spicy kale slaw. Drizzle with the aioli and serve hot.

The Maine Harvest Table Super Food Side Dish - Brussel Sprout Hash

Last week I entered this super food side dish into a cooking contest for amateur cooks called Create it Maine Recipe Challenge.  Many of you will remember seeing a similar dish to this that I posted a couple of years ago.  It was one of the most popular recipes that I have shared and it is an original recipe of mine.  Since the challenge for this contest is to create a side dish using as many Maine grown or Maine made products as possible, I changed a few of the ingredients from my original recipe.  In my opinion, it is even better than before. 

If you liked the original recipe for this dish, I know you will love this version of it!  Here are the ingredients and preparation for the new and improved Brussel Sprout Hash. Wish us luck in the contest!!

This recipe features 3 Maine grown or Maine made ingredients

New Red Potatoes from Mapleton, ME

Hot or sweet Pepper Jelly from Maine Homestead Farm in Lyman, ME

Chorizo Sausage from Smith’s Log Smokehouse in Monroe, ME

Ingredients

1 Lb. of Brussel Sprouts

3 medium new red potatoes

1 large or 3 small chorizo sausage links

2 Tbsp. of hot or sweet pepper Jelly

2 small cloves of garlic

3 Tbsp. of grape seed oil

¼ Cup of Chicken or vegetable stock

2 to 3 Tbsp. of white balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Preparation

In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil and add three new red potatoes that have each been cut into quarters.  Boil on high for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the potatoes are just starting to become tender.  Remove from heat, drain and immediately pour cold water over potatoes to stop the cooking process. Once potatoes have cooled, cut and dice each quarter into small uniform squares.

To prepare the Brussel Sprouts, slice off the hard ends of the sprouts, remove any tough or wilted leaves and cut each sprout lengthwise into thin slices.

Cut the chorizo links into small bite size pieces about the size of the potatoes and mince the two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add two tablespoons of grape seed oil as well as the two tablespoons of hot pepper jelly (substitute with sweet pepper jelly for those who don’t care for the heat of the hot peppers).  When the pepper jelly is completely melted down, add the minced garlic and sauté for about a minute before adding the potatoes to the skillet.  Lay the potatoes out evenly on the bottom of the skillet add salt and pepper and cook on one side until they have become golden brown.  Flip the potatoes and repeat until both sides are golden and somewhat crispy. 

Add the slices of Brussel Sprouts to the pan as well as 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and then stir to incorporate with the potatoes and other ingredients.  Sauté the sprouts for 2 to 3 minutes then add ¼ cup of chicken or vegetable stock to deglaze the pan.  Cover and let steam for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

Remove the cover and add the chorizo and 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar.  Stir to combine and sauté for about 2 minutes. 

To serve, garnish with fresh flat leaf parsley and raw sweet red pepper thinly diced. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! 

Maine Maple Sunday March 26th, 2017

This Sunday Mainer's will be enjoying our favorite early springtime event, Maine Maple Sunday.  This long standing Maine tradition happens every year on the 4th Sunday in March.  Thousands of people will be visiting sugar houses around the state and getting the first taste of this season's sweet treats as well as joining in on many fun activities for the entire family to enjoy.

Be sure to get out this Sunday, March 26th, and support your local maple syrup producers! Send us a message and let us know what sugar houses, farms or shops that you visited on Maine Maple Sunday.  Click on the link below for directory of locations and events. 

http://mainemapleproducers.com/about-maine-maple-sunday/



Maine Restaurant Week - March 1st - 12th

Hello Friends!  I wanted to take a moment and remind everyone to get out and dine at one of our amazing Maine restaurants this weekend.  I am late in getting this post out and I have yet to visit any of our fine dining establishments but I will definitely be getting out to one or two before it ends this Sunday.  


Send us a message and let us know what restaurants you have visited and/or plan to visit this weekend.  There are 2 days left of Maine restaurant week so get out there and enjoy! 


Click on the link below for the 2017 Maine Restaurant Week guide of restaurants, events and treats.

www.mainerestaurantweek.com

Chickens, Ducks and Other Fun Stuff

I am sure those of you that follow my blog have noticed that I have been away from it for some time now.  The break has not been intentional but a necessary one for a number of reasons. When I originally started this blog, I did so with the idea in mind that I was going to build the brand,"The Maine Harvest Table," for several future endeavors that I am working on now. At the time, the only thing I had to offer were good recipes and cooking techniques that I have learned or created over a number of years. I have every intention to continue to post recipes and other posts related to food. I am so passionate  about cooking but my love of food and working with it runs deeper than that.  Because of that, I knew at some point there would be a shift in the focus of the blog and that the shift would happen naturally when the time was right. That time has come, as I have felt the focus in my own life has shifted.  It has taken me away from cooking all the time and posting recipes regularly since the start of last summer.  

Raising chickens and ducks

At the beginning of March I decided to take on the responsibility of raising 6 baby chicks.  Just a week after getting the chicks, I purchased 2 baby Ancona ducks from a local breeder/farmer.  I understood that raising these babies was not necessarily going to be easy but I had no idea exactly how time consuming it was going to be.  Around the same time last year, I adopted 4 adult hens and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to care for them.  This is not so with baby chicks and most definitely not the case with ducks of any age unless you are better prepared than I am. Make no mistake my friends, the work that you put into raising poultry and water fowl is a labor of love even if you are not inclined to consider these birds your family pets.  You have to care about their health, their warmth, the food and water that you are feeding them.  You have to care and worry about a lot of things so even if you don't "love them," it has to be a labor of love just the same. 

A Family affair

For a little over two months, we raised and cared for these babies inside my home.  Having chickens and ducks in your home is not for the faint of heart and while I was prepared to deal with whatever that might bring, I was not so sure that my family would feel the same.  When I say that "we" raised them, I do mean we all did this together every day. I was plesantly surprised to find that my family not only accepted it but started getting involved from day one.  Of course it's easy to want to watch over these adorable babies in the beginning but as their little bodies grow, so does everything else.  Their poop gets bigger and stinkier so what was once a quick change of a couple of news papers and and two small handfuls of shavings becomes a full on cleaning of a larger brooding box and poop covered food and water dishes.  Without fail, my husband and my daughter were constantly there to help.  The chickens required a full cleaning of the brooding box every other day and fresh food and water at least twice daily.  The ducks on the other hand, had to be cleaned every single day first thing in the morning and as soon as I got home from work at night with several refills of food and fresh water throughout the day and evening.  It is stinky, messy and as they continue to grow, borders on disgusting at times.  While I had every intension of taking these chores on all by myself, it was a great relief for me to have their help and support.  

So what now?

Now that the chickens and ducks are all fully feathered, we have moved them from the breezeway to their new homes outside.  We purchased a used coop for the chickens that was built by a family friend and hauled it home in a large trailer.  This took the time and effort of many people.  It was not just a family affair but we had few friends, and as I recall, a neighbor of a family friend to help us accomplish this task.  A couple weeks later we purchased a new duck house; which my husband and I moved ourselves.  We moved the ducks into it as soon as we had it placed on the ground and I do believe they were just as happy to make the move as we were to move them.

So what now?  Now we wait.  We continue the work of caring for them and while it is easier in a lot of ways having them out of the house, it is still work. The chickens are about 12 weeks old and the ducks are 10 weeks.  None of them will start laying until they are about 20 to 25 weeks of age.  When you decide to travel down the road of raising chicks and ducks for eggs, please understand that there is no immediate reward or instant gratification for the work that you have done to this point.  If you are lucky and you have been careful to do everything right in raising them, they have all survived and have been able to make the transition to the coop. That is your reward at this point and it will have to be enough for now.  Please don't take me the wrong way, I love every second of the time that I spend taking care of these birds.  I just want to be clear that the decision to do this should not be made without serious consideration to the time and commitment it will take. If you do make the decision to do so, I promise that it will be an extremely rewarding venture for you and your entire family...eventually!

Much more to come

Now that I have filled you in on what has been going on here at The Maine Harvest Table over the last few months, please be assured that this will not be the main focus of the blog.  It does seem to be of interest to many that I have talked to who have seen my Face Book posts about my trials and triumphs throughout this experience.  I have also amused people with stories of my many blunders and the funny antics of my little birds that often have people shaking their heads at me in disbelief.  Let me reassure anyone who thinks I suddenly lost my mind and I am now the crazy chicken lady next door trying to fill a void (which I have heard from a couple of people believe it or not). This is just a part of the focus here at The Maine Harvest Table that was not done without careful consideration and a lot of research.  It has been and will continue to be carried out with the best of intentions and with a driven purpose.  

It is my hope to use this platform to continue to share great recipes, but to also talk more about the idea of living sustainably as we continue to move toward that here ourselves.  I want to talk more about the amazing food and other products being produced as well as the people who produce them here in the State of Maine.  We have so many resources right here at our finger tips that so few people even think about much less take advantage of.  Soon I hope to be introducing and selling our very own specialty foods and other products. 

There are so many things that I want to do  and talk about here at The Maine Harvest Table and while I can't promise a post every day or even every week, I can promise that it will always be interesting.  We hope that you will stay tuned and continue to follow us on this journey wherever it takes us.  

Many thanks to all for your support!

Maine Off Shore Dinner

Today marks the one year anniversary of my very first post on The Maine Harvest Table and to celebrate this occasion, I felt it was important to share a dish that is authentically Maine.  The shore dinner is about as authentic of a dish one might experience in Maine and without a doubt the most delicious. The name of the dish not only describes where it is prepared and enjoyed but also where the main ingredients are harvested.  If you are ever lucky enough to enjoy an authentic Maine Shore Dinner, you will literally find yourself on one of the shores along Maine's beautiful coast eating seafood that has just been pulled from the ocean and dug out of the very sandy beach you are sitting on.  

My paternal grandmother and her siblings grew up in Prospect Harbor; which is a small town in Down East Maine.  Of the many stories my grandmother told me about her life growing up Down East, the one that I love the most is of her and her friends trapping lobsters, digging for clams and preparing their very own feast to enjoy right outside of their little shack along the shore of Prospect Harbor.  The idea of being able to catch, cook and eat the food you have just harvested right outside of your own home was simply amazing to me.  As I grew older, I understood that my grandmother's story was not unlike that of most people growing up Down East or on any other shoreline in Maine.  While this lifestyle is not uncommon amongst Mainers, it is uniquely Maine,  past, present and future.  It is the history of our people that we will continue to repeat and  be forever proud of!

Mainers are well known for the ability to overcome, improvise and adapt to whatever life throws our way.  That said, while it has been my intention to do a blog post about an authentic Maine Shore dinner, unfortunately I do not live Down East or on any other shoreline.  And while I do live fairly close to a number of southern Maine beaches, it is the middle of winter and I must admit that I am not willing to brave the bitter cold of the ocean air for this post.  I have managed to do the next best thing in creating what I have decided to call the Maine off shore dinner.  It is a really simple and quick preparation for a meal that is certain to please both Mainers and visitors of Maine alike. 

Here are the ingredients

Here we have seaweed fresh out of Casco Bay, mahogany clams (aka quahogs) also from Casco Bay, minced garlic, fresh lemons, Kate's Creamery real butter, chorizo sausage, new red potatoes, fresh corn, Old Bay seasoning, Allagash White Beer, Bar Harbor Lobster Stock, salt, pepper and last but not least, two soft shell Maine lobsters.  We have also decided to add fresh shrimp that are unfortunately not from Maine and also not necessarily an ingredient that you would find in a Maine shore dinner, but we were craving shrimp so we added them to the dish.  Feel free to add any other fresh seafood to the dish that you desire.  

The Preparation

The preparation of this dish is quite simple.  In a large pot, add the Allagash White Beer, Bar Harbor Lobster stock, about a cup of water, minced garlic, Old Bay Seasoning, two whole fresh lemons, a whole stick of Kate's Creamery (or any other) real butter, new red potatoes, fresh corn and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring all of these ingredients to a boil for about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, cover the ingredients with the seaweed and then place the lobster and chorizo sausage on top.  Reduce to medium heat and steam the lobsters for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, add the mahogany clams and the shrimp. Cover and steam for another 6 minutes or until the lobsters are completely cooked and all of the clams have opened up.  If not all of the clams have opened in 6 or 7 minutes, remove the lobsters and shrimp from the pot and cover to continue to steam the clams until they are done.  Then you are ready to plate.

To serve, remove the lobsters, clams, shrimp and chorizo from the pot.  Then remove the seaweed and spread it out onto a large serving platter.  Arrange the lobsters, clams, shrimp and sausage on top of the seaweed and then the potatoes, corn and lemons around the shell fish.  Serve with two small bowls of both the liquid from the pot and some melted butter on the side.

Whenever possible, you should experience this meal sitting on one of the many beaches along Maine's beautiful coast! If you do not live in Maine, or even if you do, and it is not possible to get to the shore, you can enjoy this meal the way I have prepared here in any setting that you are in at any time! 

Enjoy!

Simple Starters

Pancetta Bruschetta

The holidays are fast approaching and with that comes entertaining and/or attending a number of gatherings where you will need to plan and prepare a dish or a number of dishes.  When you are entertaining and preparing the entire meal, it can be overwhelming so it's really helpful to have a number of easy recipes that do not take a lot of time to throw together.  Bruschetta is one of my favorite simple starters to serve.  It's easy and quick to put together and trust me when I say, it's a huge crowd pleaser.

Bruschetta is an Italian starter or antipasto that consists of grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil.  The various different toppings you could serve on this bread are endless but the bruschetta that I am accustomed to eating and making typically involves diced tomatoes, garlic and basil.  I served this as a starter for a dinner that I was having recently and decided to add some pancetta to the mix.  It was absolutely delicious!  It was so good that I decided to make "simple starters" a regular addition to my blog and I knew that this would have to be the first.  Here is my super simple starter recipe for Pancetta Bruschetta.

Shopping list of ingredients

1 French baguette

6 ounce package of  pancetta

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes

1 bunch of basil

grated Parmesan cheese

1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic

olive oil

I first start by cooking my pancetta.  I buy this in the deli section at Hannaford.  It comes in a small 6 ounce package in the specialty meat section.  It is just enough pancetta for this recipe

Pan fry the pancetta bits for around 5 minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown.

Place the cooked pancetta on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease and set aside to cool.

While your pancetta cools, you will prepare the topping.  I am using 1 pint of grape tomatoes.

I slice the grape tomatoes in half and add them to a small food processor along with a good bunch of basil, two garlic cloves, the juice of one lemon, about a tablespoon of olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Chop the topping ingredients in the food processor until you have a nice chunky mixture similar to the consistency of salsa. At this point you will add the cooked and cooled pancetta to the mixture

Next you will cut the entire baguette into small slices that are about an inch and a half thick. I only used a half of a baguette for the sake of saving time while preparing this blog post but the recipe is for a whole baguette.

Place the slices of the baguette onto a lined sheet pan and drizzle the slices generously with olive oil.

Place the pan into the oven under the broiler set at high for 5 minutes or until the slices are golden brown and crusty on the outside.

Remove the pan from the oven and add the prepared topping mixture to the slices then sprinkle each slice with as much grated Parmesan as you prefer and drizzle some additional olive oil over each slice.

Place the pan back into the oven under the broiler for about another 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle additional sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.

To serve, place the bruschetta slices onto a platter with a small ramekin of olive oil in the center of the platter for dipping.  I always like to add some fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt to the olive oil for added flavor.  You can also add some fresh herbs to infuse some flavor into the oil.   

As I mentioned before this is a huge crowd pleaser.  It is almost always the first thing to go at my gatherings and is loved by both kids and adults alike.  If you are one that can't cook or do not like to cook, this is a great starter for you if you find yourself having to come up with something to make for a gathering.  This is truly a super simple starter that anyone can make but will make a big impression on your guest!

Enjoy!