On August 5th and 6th, Salt Water Farm welcomed Susan Loomis (from “On Rue Tatin” in Normany, France) for a three part cooking class, where she taught 10 students from across the country how to prepare elegant, seasonally inspired meals.  We began Friday morning with a golden beet cannelloni followed by a trio of tomatoes and a fresh pork loin with ginger, yogurt and cilantro sauce.  The students carefully prepared each dish and while they sat around the Salt Water Farm table to eat, they shared with one another observations about the recipes and the unique combination of flavors in the meal.  On Friday night, students regrouped for an evening feast of aromatically stuffed (pine nuts, parsley, currants and anchovies) leg of lamb, a crisp green beans salad and a delectable chocolate mousse.  Susan provided a wonderful selection of locally produced cheese, after writing an article for Culture Magazine about the tradition of cheese making in Maine.  On Saturday morning, the class gathered at the Camden Farmer’s Market, where Susan guided us through stands of squash blossoms, summer berries, cured meats and freshly baked breads and then we headed back to the farm to prepare lunch.  For our final meal, we shared poached eggs on summer Maine-grown corn and a Normany Seafood Stew made of haddock, mussels and a fennel and cream base.  It was such a pleasure to have Susan back at Salt Water Farm for two wonderful days of inspired food, incredible stories, and good friends.

In late March, Ladleah taught a home brewing class at Salt Water Farm to ten beer enthusiasts.  Some of our students even brought their own home brews for us to taste.  We bottled an amber ale and started brewing a brown ale for a future Salt Water Farm event.  All the students went home with a sample bottle and were given strict instructions not to open them until the allotted two week carbonation process was finished.  I have a feeling that not everyone followed instructions, that is, it they are anything like me.

On a windy day in March, Irene, Ladleah and I headed down to the Lincolnville Middle School for the Lincolnville Food Fair, bringing together the farmers, food purveyors and food interested folks of Lincolnville.  As we set up our table with flowers, tee shirts, flats of baby greens and press cards, we watched as dozens of people streamed through the door, many of whom I didn’t recognize.  There were the folks from the new Ararat Farms, a young couple from Elderflower Farm, Andrew from Andrew’s Brewing Company, Stacy Glassman with her delicious Dolcelinos, the baker from Tuva bread and a number of others committed to participating in the local food movement.  There were organizations devoted to sustainable living through barter systems and shared community tools.  There were children of all ages running around sampling food and asking questions.  We made up some minted garbanzo bean hummus spread on baguettes that Josh had made that morning and a Spanish tortilla made by slow cooking onions and Maine grown Yukon Golds in a bath of olive oil and setting it in about a dozen scrambled eggs from the coup.  Ladleah put out samples of her new exceptional country loaf that is made from her own starter and sublime in texture and taste.  It felt good to be part of a community that actively participates in its own sustainability.  Later in the afternoon, everyone watched the “Meet Your Farmer Video’s” put together by the Maine Farmland Trust.  If you haven’t seen them, I suggest you take the time to.  They are a beautiful depiction of a day’s work on various farms all over the state.

http://www.meetyourfarmer.org/

On March 18th, Salt Water Farm hosted a Full Moon Dinner for 21 guests inspired by my recent trip to Spain.  I safely smuggled a few items into the country including partially salted cod, a few links of well cured chorizo, about 20 slices of Iberico ham, arbequina olives, honey and a some Spanish cheeses.  The cheeses only lasted a few days before I had consumed them all. (I inherited this strange addiction from my father where I must have a hunk of cheese and a cocktail at about five o’clock . . . every day.)  I was able to use some of the remaining ingredients throughout the meal, which I’m hoping gave it a certain authenticity.

It was particularly special occasion because the moon (the perigee moon, to be exact) was the closest it has been to the earth in twenty years and was 15% bigger and 30% brighter than an average full moon.  After the first course, all of the guests got up from the table and went outside to watch an enormous red sphere rise from over the Atlantic.  As is followed its arch, higher and higher into the sky, a bright beam of moonlight lit up the sea, the waves twinkling.  It was pretty special.

The garbanzo bean soup was a dish that I had tried in Seville.  A local food aficionado gave me convoluted directions to a nameless, sign-less hole in the wall with good trucker food.  It was excellent trucker food, from the simple soups, to the ham croquettes to the creamed spinach and stewed lentils.  I kept imagining American truckers pulling into the truck stops to fuel up on a Big Mac and a Frosty.  Romesco sauce is probably my favorite sauce in the world.  I’ll reveal the recipe for those you you who would like to try your hand at it.  It goes with just about anything grilled, fish, meat, vegetables . . . .

March Moon Supper at Salt Water Farm

A Taste of

Salt Cod Fritters, Lemon Aioli

To Start

Garbanzo Bean Soup, Chorizo, Escarole

First Course

Greenhouse Baby Swiss Chard, Fennel, Golden Raisins, Sherry

Second Course

Garlic Roasted Chicken, Patatas Bravas, Roasted Artichokes, Romesco

To Finish

Dates, Oranges, Orange Blossom Honey

Romesco

Recipe adapted from Susan Goin’s “Sunday Suppers at Luques

5 dried ancho chilies, seeded and stemmed

1 thick slice day old county style bread

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup raw almonds

3 cloves garlic

1 can San Marzano tomatoes

1/3 cup roughly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

The juice from 1/2 of a lemon

A dash of sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorns

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.

Fill the teakettle and bring to a boil.  Pour water over the stemmed, seeded peppers and let hydrate for 15 minutes.

Place the nuts on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown.

In a frying pan, add two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Fry the bread on both sides until it absorbs most of the oil and turns golden brown.  Remove bread from pan and set aside.  Drain the chilies and add them to the frying pan.  Cook in remaining oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add the whole tomatoes and cook until the liquid is almost absorbed.

In a food processor, grind nuts, garlic and bread to a coarse meal.  Add the tomato and chili mixture.  With the processor running, slowly add the remaining olive oil in full.  Toss in parsley, lemon juice and vinegar and generously salt and pepper to taste.  Give the mixture a couple more pulses and it’s finished.

While passing through French & Brawn, Camden, Maine’s “mom and pop” grocery store, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a tight little bundle of thin asparagus stalks.  Were they the first of the year?  Too soon, too soon.  But they certainly looked like they hadn’t traveled far.  Maybe a little bit south. In the basket they went.  I threw them on the grill in the Salt Water Farm kitchen and bit into one just to make sure.  Oh yea.  They were sweet and tender and surprisingly fresh.  God I can’t wait for spring.

On a seperate note, my boyfriend, has begun waking up at five in the morning and baking off all the dough he makes the night before. He’s using the much acclaimed “no knead method.”   After several tries at Baguettes, I can say with confidence, that he has succeeded in producing a model that has completely won me over.  Rich and creamy within, nice crust on the outside, the subtle taste of honey and salt.  He has also taken on making his own starter, which should make for some real nice country loaves.  And on a less thrilling note, I think I’ve gained at least five pounds since this bread routine started.  As long as I wake up to the smell of bread baking and freshly brewed coffee, I can handle the side effects.

When word got around that we were going to be offering a cooking class taught by two of the four women who make up Tutti A Tavola, a destination cooking program in Tuscany, the response was overwhelming.  The roster of registrants quickly filled up, as did the waiting list.

It was easy to see why.

Mimma and Franca are endearing, lively, and funny in only the way that sisters who are best friends can be. Their passion comes through in the way they relate to their guests and in the care with which they treat each ingredient. In the course of several hours with the ladies, guests got a taste not just of Tuscan cooking but of Tuscan warmth: nicknames were penned, hugs were given often and spoons were passed around to offer a taste of the various works in progress. Students chopped fennel, roasted melanzane, squeezed lemons and oranges, and listened to Mimma and Franca as they discussed the importance of using quality ingredients as a foundation for good food.

After class, the ladies joined the group for a feast that showcased all of their hard work:  Insalata di farro (spelt salad with roasted vegetables), riso verde (rice with spinach and gorgonzola cheese), maiale all’uso di caccia (pork loin hunter’s style), finocchi e cipollotti brasati (braised fennel and spring onions) and gelato alla crema e vaniglia (Italian vanilla ice cream) topped with a delectable citrus sauce that, it’s safe to say, was licked clean from every plate.

Gracing our dinner was a slow-rising moon outside.