|
Cooking Trips with Annie
Chef Annie is not only the chef on the J&E
Riggin, but
she is also a food columnist and cooking instructor.
She writes a weekly food column for the largest
newspaper in Maine and has been seen on the Today
show cooking alongside Al Roker. Come and learn
from Annie's 25 years in the kitchen. You will make
creative, old world meals with fresh seasonal
ingredients. Help to prepare tasty breads in the early
morning sea air or prepare the days delicious hearty
meals all while enjoying the rugged scenery of the
Maine coast.
Come join us for a cooking adventure in 2007.
June 7-9, 3 days, $610
June 10-13, 4 days, $717
Cooking Cruise Information
|
|
| |
In the middle of the summer, on an evening stroll
through the garden, you can be almost overwhelmed
by the fresh, floral and herbal scents that drift around
you on a gentle breeze. In the late winter however,
(which is what we’ve still got here in Maine), while we
are still waiting for the first green shoots of crocus,
fresh scents are harder to come by and when they are
found, become such a delight. I found Meyer lemons
at our local grocery store this winter and decided to
see what all the fuss was about. I’d been hearing and
reading about them for years, but had never used
them in a recipe of my own. What a treat! Meyer
lemons are more fragrant and sweeter than their
counterpart. And did I say “fragrant?” Their scent is
really lovely and their skin is thin and bright yellow.
I experimented quite a bit with lemon sorbet,
lemonade, lemon tarts and interestingly enough,
preserved Meyer lemons. A common ingredient in
Mediterranean food, especially Moroccan, they pair
well with fish or chicken dishes. I especially like them
paired with olives. The process of preserving the
lemons takes about 10 days, and is relatively
painless. They are wonderful – salty, pungent and
milder than when they are fresh. They’ll change color
to a more orangey hue and become a little plump,
softening over time. I did experiment with regular
lemons as well and while they do work and their flavor
is interesting and unique, I much prefer the Meyer
lemons in this case. Preserving them in this way
captures a Meyer lemon’s amazing perfume. They are
salty so most of the recipes call for little or no added
salt.
|
| |
| |
| |
| Preserved Meyer Lemons |
| |
This would make a great hostess gift with the recipes
below on index cards, attached with a ribbon. The oil
from this recipe would also be lovely in salads or for
dipping bread.
Ingredients:
- 5-6 Meyer Lemons
- 1/2 cup coarse salt
- 4 sticks of cinnamon
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-3 glass jars with lids
- extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Make sure the jars you are using are very clean and
sterile – as you would for jams and jellies. The salt is
a preservative as well, but it’s better to be safe. Cut
four of the lemons into 8 wedges each or slice them
cross-wise, reserving the other two for juice. Toss the
lemons with the salt and place them in the jars. Juice
the other two lemons and cover the lemons in the jars
with the juice. Add divide the cinnamon sticks, cloves
and bay leaves among the jar(s) and cover with lid(s).
Shake once daily for 10 days to coat the lemons with
the salt. Cover the lemons with extra virgin olive oil
and refrigerate for up to one year.
|
| |
Print Recipe |
| |
| Radicchio, Bacon, Olive and Preserved Lemon Salad |
| |
I served this to a bunch of guys who proclaim to not
like radicchio and they all had seconds. No salt is
needed for this recipe because the bacon, olives and
lemons already make this a salty salad.
Ingredients:
- 2 strips bacon, diced and cooked
- 1/4 cup preserved lemon, diced
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1/2 head radicchio, sliced, approximately 4
cups
- 3-4 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped coarsely,
approximately 3 cups
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (more if you don’t
have preserved lemons)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat a medium skillet over
medium-high heat and sauté the bacon. When bacon
is done, add the olives and remove from heat. Toss
all ingredients together and serve.
Serves 4
|
| |
Print Recipe |
| |
| Clam Sauce with Basil and Fennel |
| |
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1/2 fennel bulb, diced; or 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced
fennel
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 2 cloves
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup clam or fish stock
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup preserved lemon, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, extra
for garnish
- 1/4 cup Pernod
- 1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
- linguini for 4-6 people
Directions:
Heat a medium stockpot over
medium-high heat and heat the oil. Add the onion,
fennel, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté until onions and
fennel are translucent. Add the wine, stock and
tomatoes and reduce to 3/4 of original. Add the rest of
the ingredients and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Serve on top of linguini.
Serves 4-6
|
| |
Print Recipe |
| |
| Chicken Breasts with Gorgonzola, Black Olives and Preserved Lemon |
| |
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup minced black olives
- 1/4 cup minced preserved lemons
- 6 oz. Gorgonzola
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup low-salt chicken stock or water
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over
medium high heat. Lightly salt and pepper the
chicken breasts. Melt the butter in the skillet and add
the breasts, top side down to the pan. Sauté until the
breasts are a little more than halfway cooked, about 5
minutes depending on how thick they are. Turn and
cook for another 5 minutes. Make a little space for the
garlic in the pan and have all the rest of your
ingredients prepped and ready to go into the pan.
When the garlic has cooked for about 30 seconds to 1
minute, add the olives and preserved lemons. Sauté
for 1 minute and add the wine and stock. Bring to a
simmer and reduce for a few minutes. If the breasts
become done before the sauce has thickened
enough, remove them from the pan and cover with tin
foil. If they still need a little time, you’ll want to add a
bit more stock to the pan.
Serves 4
|
| |
Print Recipe |
| |
| |
Photo Credits:
Chef Annie By: Frank M.
Chillemi
|
| |
|
| |
|
