COUNTRY BREAKFASTS

Country Breakfasts

            Summer seemed a long time coming this year in Maine.  Having finally arrived with its warmth, it seems we do at least some things more leisurely to savor each day with its blue sky and verdant countryside. It is also the season when friends and relatives from ‘away’ find themselves drawn to a visit ‘up North’.

            Summertime is when I appreciate the effort anyone running a Bed and Breakfast establishment faces every day. The leisurely pace of a vacation is definitely enhanced when sitting down to a nicely presented breakfast. And for each visit, it may be desirable to set the stage for a relaxing day with a special breakfast treat.

            At times like this the bowl of cold cereal just won’t do, even if it is sprinkled with blueberries or strawberries, unless it is followed with something less usual. Fruit and scrambled eggs are good for a crowd and muffins or scones are sure to please.

Grits are one of the most versatile and quick cooked breakfast staples.  It can be augmented in a variety of ways and has the added bonus of being gluten free. Grits come in two varieties, the old fashioned or Charleston grits, which require rinsing and cooking with stirring for thirty minutes and the more quick variety that only requires 5-7 minutes of cooking with stirring only toward the end. Needless to say, unless you are a real morning person and willing to start preparations very early, quick cooking grits can be your kitchen friend. The following recipes are for 4 servings.

             Sunny-side egg and ham grits

Sauté 1 cup of ham or Canadian bacon cut in thin strips in a non-stick pan briefly and set aside to keep warm. Bring to boil 4 cups of water with 2 Tblsp. butter and salt to taste. Stir in 1 cup quick cooking grits and continue cooking for 5-6 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent settling. Stir in ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, cook for an additional minute and set aside to keep warm. In a non-stick pan coated lightly with oil fry 4-8 eggs over medium heat, sunny-side up until whites are set. OR, use bacon instead of ham.

Divide the cooked grits among 4 shallow bowls, place 1 or 2 fried eggs on top of each bowl and scatter ¼ of the ham around the edges. Sprinkle the egg yolks with a bit of pepper and serve.

            Breakfast sausage with spinach

Another quick breakfast utilizing grits prepared as above is a sausage-spinach combination. Seed and dice coarsely 1 red pepper. Cook 1 lb crumbled breakfast sausage over high heat with the pepper until meat is no longer pink. Drain off any fat. Return the mix to the pan and heat, stirring  in a couple of cups of baby spinach to wilt. Serve immediately with grits on the side.

            Lemon-ricotta pacakes

            Most everyone loves Maine blueberry pancakes.  Another quick and tempting version        of less usual pancakes uses the flavors of lemon and ricotta to good effect and you can always add blueberry jam on top.

In a large bowl stir together 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt, 2 Tblsp. sugar. Separate 2 eggs, reserving the whites in a small bowl for additional beating.  In another bowl whisk together 1 ½ cups buttermilk with 1 Tblsp. grated lemon peel and the 2 egg yolks. Stir buttermilk mixture in flour until well moistened and then stir in 1/3 cup ricotta cheese. Now beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in the batter.

            Pour ½ cup portions of the batter on a non-stick pan lightly coated with vegetable oil and fry over medium heat until lightly browned. Serve with maple syrup or jam.

            To create that festive vacation feeling does not necessarily mean getting up with the chickens to prepare a festive breakfast table. A bouquet of wild flowers, some fruit and just a little more than the everyday ‘grab breakfast’ can certainly provide that relaxing country feel. AND, it is not even necessary to have houseguests for that treat!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

THAT 'AL FRESCO' LUNCH

That ‘al Fresco’ Lunch

            The appearance of outdoor and sidewalk tables and chairs at restaurants and cafés finally signals the definite arrival of summer. Never mind that on most days in the past week in Maine one needed a warm jacket to be comfortable sitting outdoors, but the appeal of outdoor dining is undeniable. Legendary city cafés in Europe and elsewhere have hosted patrons viewing the passing scene and absorbing the sun, as part of the “dolce vita” for centuries.

            Here in the Northeast we tend to think the time after Memorial Day as time for picnics and visits to lobster pounds. But, on a leisurely weekend at home with friends, an interesting variation may be setting an ‘al fresco’ lunch on the patio, the deck or even a picnic table. Start with a cheerful table cloth, a handful of wild or garden flowers, some colorful tableware and napkins, a pitcher of lemonade or white wine and you are set. This portion of the plan is even moveable to a park. Some lunches can be prepared ahead of time and packed in a basket, but for some the access to a stove is necessary.

            Shellfish dishes are particularly popular this time of the year and one of the easiest is mussels. My first encounter with making mussels occurred many years ago on a tent camping trip with the family to Nova Scotia. We camped near Peggy’s cove in days when it was still ‘undiscovered’ and hence un-crowded. My youngest son decided to gather mussels in a cove and came back looking blue from the cold water, but with a dishpan of mussels. So, improvisation on a camp stove yielded a recipe that survives to this day with minor modifications.

                                    Savory mussels in white wine

            Wash and pick over 4 lb. mussels and set aside. In a large pot sauté 1 very thinly sliced large onion with 3 chopped cloves of garlic and ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes in 2Tblsp. olive oil and 1 Tblsp. butter for 3 minutes. Stir in 1 large chopped tomato and 1 ½ cups of dry white wine and bring to boil. Add ¼ cup chopped parsley and the cleaned mussels, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mussels are open. Remove from heat, adjust the broth seasonings with salt and pepper, discard any mussels that remain unopened and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread.

                                    Crab salad in avocado

            In a bowl thoroughly combine: 6 oz. fresh crab meat: 1 large stalk celery, ½ seeded red pepper and 2 Tblsp. parsley, finely chopped; 3 scallions, finely sliced; 4 Tblsp. mayonnaise; 2 Tblsp. lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Halve 2 ripe avocados and carefully remove the pits and scoop each half of the avocado from the shell. Sprinkle the avocados all over with lemon juice and set each half on a plate over baby salad greens if desired. Set ¼ of the crab salad on each avocado half and garnish with chopped chives or a thin sliver of lime.

                                    Arugula salad with gorgonzola

            In a small bowl thoroughly combine: ¾ cup low fat yoghurt with 1 ½ Tblsp. lemon juice, ¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola, ¼ tsp. garlic salt, ¼ tsp. dry mustard and pepper to taste. In a salad bowl toss 4 cups young arugula leaves, 1/3 seeded and chopped red pepper, 2 thinly sliced scallions with greens and sufficient amount of the dressing.

            Some watermelon and cookies would easily complement any ‘al fresco’ lunch at home and leave you relaxed in the sun or shade depending on your preference.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

ANTICIPATING STRAWBERRIES

Anticipating Strawberries

Sometimes a mild winter does not seem to make a difference in the timing of spring in Maine.  It is still late! When May arrives we savor our local treasured fiddlehead crop, but the ultimate goal for arrival of real warmth is the appearance of local strawberries.

The apple may represent human search for wisdom in addition to luscious fruit, but strawberries have a definitely romantic appeal. Not only are they are the first local fruit in Northern climates after a bleak winter, but they bring back thoughts of old Ingmar Bergman films with magical midsummer’s night scenes as well as wild strawberries. As I found out once, the cultivated Swedish strawberries can actually be a disappointment. The long daylight makes them grow huge with wonderful color, but not much flavor, similar to strawberries grown in our Southern states. So, when our local strawberry crop is in season, I deeply inhale the aroma from each box of berries before deciding on their best to use for the day.

While strawberries are relatively easy to grow, I unfortunately had to give it up, having lost my fight for several years with a resident raccoon at harvest time. However, the local farm stands have a plentiful supply and the Maine Strawberry Growers website even lists farms by region, where you can pick your own berries. The list includes regions from Portland through Midcoast  up to Aroostook. Picking your own will cut the cost for this wonderful fruit, which incidentally is a dieters dream. Strawberries have only 55 calories per cup serving!

If you are a true strawberry aficionado, there is nothing better than fresh sliced strawberries with a light sprinkling of sugar and milk for breakfast. Cold cereal could be almost optional with this presentation. Other versions of strawberries in desert form are unfortunately not as dietetic.

                                    Strawberry Shortcake

The classical strawberry shortcake has truly dimensions of a Rockwell painting and yet is easy to prepare. The cake portion can be baked from any biscuit mix or dough. If you want to make it from scratch: mix together in a bowl 1 ½ cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 2 Tblsp. sugar. Cut in 3 Tbls. butter with a pastry cutter and stir in 2/3 cup milk in the flour mixture. Turn dough out on a floured board, kneed to make a sticky ball. Flatten to a thickness of ½ inch and cut out rounds with a floured glass. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a 450 degree oven. To assemble, cut the cooled shortcakes in half and spoon over the bottom half sliced sugared strawberries. Cover with the top half of the shortcake, spoon additional sugared strawberries over the top and finish with a swirl of whipped cream. A whole strawberry with or without a couple of mint leaves on top would finish the picture.

To create a really elegant shortcake, bake 3x3 inch puff pastry squares according to directions and when cool, assemble as above.

                                    Strawberries Chantilly

Strawberries Chantilly is even quicker to prepare. Whip 1 cup whipping cream with 3 tablespoons sifted confectioners sugar until stiff. Have ready sliced strawberries tossed with some slivered almonds and ½ tsp grated lemon or orange peel. Fold strawberries into the whipped cream and serve immediately.

                                    Strawberry Cream Pie

My easy variation on a strawberry cream pie, starts with a graham cracker crust. For a 9-10 inch pie mix together 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 4 Tblsp. sugar and 6 Tblsp. melted butter. Pat mixture into a pie plate, so that the sides are evenly covered to the top. Bake in a 325 degree oven 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool before filling. In the meantime prepare a package of quick cook or no cook vanilla pudding and pour when ready in the cooled crust. Layer with a box of cleaned, sliced strawberries. Melt ¾ cup of currant jelly and pour evenly over the strawberry layer. Refrigerate pie for at least 2 hours and serve with a ring of whipped cream on top. If you keep this recipe until the 4^th of July, dot the whipped cream with some frozen blueberries and you will have an appropriate “Red-White-and Blue” desert for the occasion.

If reading this column you have surmised that strawberries are my favorite fruit, go to the head of the class. You are absolutely, 100% correct!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

When Less is More

When Less is More.

            Sometimes less is really more! No, this is not a contemplation about the coming summer swim suit season. Rather, by paring down extraneous distractions, we sometimes can concentrate on the basic substance of what we see, hear and even taste of the natural wonders in front of us.

            While a bouquet of flowers is likely to cheer us, a single blossom is more likely to draw our attention to the color, the shape of the petal and the simple grace of a flower. Years ago, I recall one of my more successful flower arrangements for a friend’s engagement party consisted of no more than some drooping willow branches standing in a long shallow dish, hovering over a couple of large light blue irises with a simple rock at the other end of the dish. Japanese flower arrangements draw attention by personifying simplicity.

            In a similar vein, large orchestras and choral works can overwhelm us with their power and majesty of sound. Yet, a single instrument or voice can focus and evoke emotion on a very directed way.  Even the song of a single lark on a sunny summer morning can make you smile, because all is well with the world.

            Food trends, in at least the last ten years, have moved toward discoveries of delightful global cuisines with unusual  ingredients, spices and intriguing flavors. Often, the wider availability of such spices and ingredients has also translated in various fusion cuisines, each more and more complicated with an ever expanding list of ingredients. Before anyone tells me that “the pot is calling the kettle black”, I will confess to a long shelf and a full kitchen drawer full of spices and innate curiosity about most of those intriguing ingredients.

                                                Steel cut oatmeal

            Even in spring, steel cut oatmeal makes a simple and satisfying breakfast. The nutty flavor is worth the extra time for preparation. Bring 3 cups of salted water to boil and stir in 1 cup steel cut oats. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for 30 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally for the last 10 minutes, to avoid a cement like mixture on the bottom of the pan. Serve plain, with a dab of butter in the center or a light sprinkling of brown sugar.

However, the season of fresh local ingredients is upon us.  The fact that those local ingredients have inimitable and sometimes delicate flavors should at least occasionally be emphasized and sometimes rediscovered with only minimal enhancements.

                                    Sorrel, barley soup

            Sorrel is a leafy green that grows well in the cool New England climate and is one of the first to appear in spring. It is similar to spinach, but has a distinct acidic flavor. It is best to cook the barley separately to preserve the texture of the soup.

            Rinse ½ cup barley in several changes of cold water to remove the powdery fines. Cook it for 30 minutes in 2-3 cups of salted water and drain. Wash one or two bunches of sorrel in cold water, trim the stems, very coarsely slice and set aside. Simmer 1 Tblsp. onion flakes for 5 minutes in 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in the sorrel and simmer for 2 minutes. Then stir in the barley to heat before serving. Serve hot with a chopped hard-boiled egg on top. Alternatively, serve cold with a Tblsp, sour cream stirred in at the table. This soup can be also made with diced potatoes, but cook those in the broth before adding the sorrel.

                                    Fresh crab cakes

            Fresh crab has one of those delicate natural flavors that is easily overwhelmed with too many ingredients in the recipe. This recipe keeps the flavor with minimal amount of filling.

            Mix ¼ cup sour cream or mayonnaise with: 1Tblsp. lemon juice, ¼ cup dry fine bread crumbs, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 Tblsp. chopped parsley, 2 finely chopped scallions and ¾ lb. fresh crabmeat. Chill 20 minutes, then form patties using ¼ -1/3 cup of the mixture. Dip lightly in more breadcrumbs and fry in batches, 2 minutes on the side in 3 Tblsp, canola oil.  Serve with potatoes and vegetable or arrange on leaf lettuce.                 

                              Steamed fiddleheads

            Strange to say, but I first encountered fiddleheads on my plate at a Sierra Club fundraiser dinner out west, where they were considered an exotic vegetable. Fortunately in Maine we can look forward to this delicacy each spring. Their delicate flavor is best appreciated with a simple and quick preparation.

            Trim and rinse 1 lb. fresh fiddleheads. Steam over boiling water sprinkled with some sea salt for 5 minutes. Place in a bowl and toss with 2 tsp. rice vinegar. Optional: 1 Tblsp. melted butter. Enjoy!

            And finally, when it comes to strawberries one needs to concentrate on their natural flavor, but strawberries are a whole other topic.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

SPRING DREAMING

Spring Dreaming

            Spring actually arrived by official count on March 20^th in Maine like elsewhere with the vernal equinox.  Unfortunately Mother Nature forgot us up here this year, despite the teasingly warm winter months. The grass still has not greened, the snowdrops, crocuses and winter aconite have faded to be replaced only by a some grape hyacinths and scillas. The only two daffodils are shivering and feeling lonely closely butted up against the house in sub-freezing nights.

            But the sun cheers the still bleak landscape and I’m reminded that in Maine the saying: ”April showers will bring May flowers” is actually literally true. Years ago, when we first moved to Maine, it was an eye opening discovery that trees actually did not leaf out until relatively late in May and those tulips, that had survived the connoisseur deer also did not appear until then. So there is still hope.

            Spring dreaming in the kitchen thus is likely to lead to active considerations of things like radishes and definitely the embodiment of spring everywhere – asparagus. It may not really qualify as ‘thrifty’, but prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears make a tasty appetizer or even a light lunch accompanied by some crusty bread. After all, one can rationalize that the prosciutto slices are very thin and you don’t need much.

                             Prosciutto wrapped asparagus

            Snap the tough ends from asparagus spears, wash them and cook in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Immediately immerse in ice water to cool and allow to drain. Spread a 2-3 inch line of cream cheese or softened goat cheese on one side of the lower stalk and wrap tightly with about ½ slice of prosciutto. Layer asparagus in a star shaped pattern on a large plate, or for a large amount pile on an elongated plate as ‘logs’. Decorate between or around the spears with thinly sliced large red radishes, each topped with a dab or goat cheese.

                                    Creamy asparagus soup  

            Trim tough ends from 1  ½   lb. asparagus and save 1 ½ inch tips from 10 spears. Cut the rest in 1 inch pieces. Lightly sauté 1 medium onion in 2 Tblsp. butter, add the asparagus spears, 4 cups chicken broth and 1 medium potato cubed.  Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile blanch the reserved asparagus spears for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water and chill in ice water. When soup is slightly cooled purée in a blender and return to the pot. Heat to boiling and add 1 cup light cream heating again to just boiling. Stir in 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with croutons and the asparagus tips.

            Quiche is something that can taste equally well at breakfast, lunch or dinner. A  starburst of asparagus on the top is likely to give it not just eye appeal, but tempt many a jaded palate. In certain company it may be prudent to name it simply “Primavera Pie” to avoid the old prejudices that “…. don’t eat quiche”.

‘Primavera pie’

            Bake a prepared pie crust in a 9 inch pie plate according to instructions. Cook 4 slices thick bacon to crisp and drain on paper towels. Trim and blanch for 3 minutes 8 asparagus spears in salted water and chill. Slice thinly 2 shallots in the baked pie crust and crumble the bacon over them. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese and layer the asparagus spears like the spokes of a wheel across the top. In a bowl beat 4 large eggs with 1 cup ½ and ½ cream, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ½ tsp. salt and dash of pepper. Pour over the asparagus, pressing the mixture down. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 min. or until the center looks cooked. Cool for 5 minutes and slice in wedges.

            Having my green eye receptors refreshed in the kitchen, I find myself looking at the still bleak landscape with definite hope.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)