Maine - Memories, Comfort, Food

Every year I go to Maine on vacation and every year I get a bittersweet feeling as we depart. I lived in South Portland for just a year and half and before that we vacationed there every summer (and often a few other times of year) to visit my Aunt Marcia, my mom's sister who is the eternal "fun aunt". When I was about six I can remember her wearing red high top sneakers (so cool!) and she kept bubbles in her car so we could blow them out the window when stopped at a traffic light, we had dance parties (still a thing) and we listened to Steven Wright and laughed even when we didn't know why we were laughing. These little things glued my sister and I to her and to Maine. She lives in Maine still but inland on a lake, but I always associate the state with all of the fun we had with her growing up on the coast and all the fun we continue to have whenever we go back to visit.

I just returned from a five day stint in Pine Point (just down the beach from Old Orchard and 15 minutes south of Portland.) Nine of us rented a beach house and we did a combination of casual meals in and a couple indulgent meals out. We went to Duck Fat and had a lunch that made it impossible to imagine dinner until after 10pm. We got spoiled at Cinque Terre/Vignola with some of our Portland friends. I ate memories at the Dry Dock where I used to work and eat daily when I lived there. And on the way out of town we hit up Central Provisions for an incredible brunch. Eating is always a theme with me.

Our other "have to stop there" places included groceries to bring home. Micucci's Italian Market for the best mortadella ever and Browne Trading Market for the freshest seafood. With a cooler packed with goodies we trekked home.

This week I have cooked with gusto! Our super fresh, cut to order seafood made a couple appearances of course. As did a Pasta Bolognese inspired by a dish we had at Cinque Terre. We also had a twist on classic Stuffed Peppers, a dish my Nannie (mom and Aunt Marcia's mom) used to make. After spending days in Maine with my family, I craved a comfort dish. Something I used to dislike and now find as soothing as a warm blanket. I hope you enjoy the recipes below and find them as delicious and comforting as I do!

Skate Meunière with Browned Butter

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 skate fillets

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

flour

1 tablespoons olive oil

3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 generous tablespoon chopped flat parsley

Directions:

1. Season skate with salt and pepper on one side. Dredge in flour on both sides, shaking off excess.

2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter, swirling to mix as butter melts. Place skate fillets in pan, seasoned side down. Sauté for about 3 minutes, then carefully turn with a wide spatula. Cook on second side until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer fillets to plate and tent with foil while you make sauce.

3. Melt remaining butter in skillet. Cook, occasionally stirring, until butter browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, and parsley to skillet, stirring. The lemon juice will make the pan spatter like crazy. That’s okay. Just be careful. Turn off the heat and spoon sauce over fillets. Serve immediately.

Stuffed Peppers with Venison – Serves 4

*Ground venison is not exactly lining the grocery store coolers, but you can easily substitute any ground meet you like, beef, buffalo, lamb etc. Though we do live in Vermont so make friendly with your neighborhood hunter!

Ingredients:

4 large bell peppers (any color)

1 lb ground venison

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 cup cooked rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 can tomato sauce

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 oz)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut thin slice from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes; rinse peppers. If necessary, cut thin slice from bottom of each pepper so they stand up straight.

2. In 4-quart Dutch oven, add enough water to cover peppers. Heat to boiling; add peppers. Cook about 2 minutes; drain. (You can skip this step and just bake the peppers as is but this yields a much more tender pepper).

3. In 10-inch skillet, cook ground venison and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in rice, salt, garlic and 1 cup of the tomato sauce; cook until hot.

4. Stuff peppers with venison mixture. Stand peppers upright in ungreased 8-inch square glass baking dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers.

5. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 10 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake about 15 minutes longer or until peppers are tender and cheese is melty.

Pasta Bolognese – Serves 8-10

*Adapted from Food & Wine’s Grace Parisi

Ingredients:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 medium celery rib, finely diced

2 oz thickly sliced pancetta or bacon, finely diced

½ lb ground beef

½ lb ground veal

¼ lb ground pork

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

¾ cup dry white wine

One 28-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes—seeded and finely chopped, juices reserved

1 cup chicken stock

½  teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup heavy cream

2 lbs penne rigate or rigatoni

Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Scrape the vegetable mixture into a large bowl.

2. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the saucepan and heat until just shimmering. Add the beef, veal and pork and cook over moderately high heat until just barely pink, about 5 minutes. Return the vegetable mixture to the saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the chicken stock, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat for 1 hour. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the heavy cream and cook the sauce just until heated through.

3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well, return to the pot and toss with the sauce. Serve the pasta in deep bowls and pass the Parmesan at the table.