What are we doing here?
Well, what ARE we doing here? The truth is, I don’t know. But you can watch us learn.
The Ghost of Connection
My dad died in June. He was beaten to the punch by my mother about a decade before. There is a certain manic retrospection that grips a person when they suddenly find themselves an orphan on a sunny, summer day. At least, in my experience. I have a brother, whom I love very much, but…
“Smothered” Chicken Thighs with Crispy Skin and Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits
#RecipeUpTop (details below): Ingredients: Method: Remove the skin and bones from the chicken thighs, keeping the skin intact. Liberally salt the thighs, and rest in refrigerator for one (1) hour. Trim the skins into rectangles, reserving the trimmings for the stock pot. Salt the skins, and rest (stretched out) on a baking sheet in the…
Golden Ginger Pork
#RecipeUpTop (details below): Method: Peel the garlic, ginger, and turmeric, and add to the carafe of a blender. Add the diluted soy sauce, brown sugar, and oil. Blend until smooth, then pour over pork in a leak proof container (like a zip-top bag) and allow to rest in refrigeration for two (2) to four (4)…
Garden-Fresh Tomato Pie
#RecipeUpTop (details below): Method: Blind bake the pie crust and cool (per directions if using frozen); in the interim, slice the tomatoes into medallions roughly 1/8th of an inch thick, place on paper towel, and salt liberally. Allow to sit for at least an hour. Brush the bottom of the pie crust with dijon and…
The “Summer Kitchen”
I’m a big fan of a certain television show wherein the host travels around the country interviewing people who cook on unusual, outdoor setups. It’s compelling for two reasons: first, it’s just nice to see folks standing around a fire and cooking a meal without a lot of fake time constraints or competitive judging. Second,…
Basic Popovers
#RecipeUpTop: 1 part egg (by weight) 1 part all-purpose flour (by weight) 2 parts whole milk (by weight) Method: Pre-heat a popover pan in a 450F oven. Mix ingredients in a blender until well-combined, spray pan with non-stick spray, and pour in mixture. Bake at 450F for twenty (20) minutes, then drop the temp to…
Golden Roasted Cauliflower Soup
#RecipeUpTop: 1 head cauliflower 1 quart chicken stock (homemade preferred; low sodium otherwise) 1 cup whole milk 1 yellow onion 3 ribs celery 2 nubs fresh turmeric 4 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil Salt (to taste) Green onion (optional) Oyster crackers (optional) Method: Preheat oven to 450F. Remove the leaves and stems…
Jerky Boys
No #RecipeUpTop on this one, folks, because this is more about the basic process than an instructional roadmap. Fact is, if you search “jerky recipes,” a light goes off in a back room at the Department of Agriculture, and they re-route you to poison control. Okay, not really, but there’s a LOT of hand-wringing and…
A Persistent Rhythmic Clucking
I’ve never raised chickens. In fact, the closest I’ve come to governing domestic fowl was an antagonistic relationship with a nasty parrot in a rented room in Miami. But I do know a lot of people who keep chickens, or lich fowl, or ornamental heritage whatevers. And when you ask them why, their eyes grow…
Ribs to Spare
No #RecipeUpTop today. Like our prior BBQ posts, this one is all about technique and intuition. But, we do have a grocery list: Pork Ribs – Spare or St. Louis Cut (I’ll explain this later); Brown sugar; Kosher salt; White or apple cider vinegar; Grenadine (trust me); Worcestershire; Cayenne pepper; Corn starch; Your favorite BBQ…
Fettuccini with The Whole Damn Garden
#RecipeUpTop (details below): For the base: 2 tomatoes; 2 bell peppers (either red, yellow, or a combination); 4 cloves garlic; 2oz tin of anchovies in oil; 1 TBS olive oil For the flair: Green garden veg of choice (e.g. sugar snap peas, green beans, broccoli florets, pea shoots, etc.) 1/4 cup pine nuts; High-quality parmesan…
Char-Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower with Bacon and Balsamic
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 1 head of cauliflower; 1lb of fresh brussels sprouts; 4 rashers of bacon; 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; Salt and black pepper (to taste); Method: Render the bacon in a large cast iron skillet, and remove. Split the sprouts in half, and break down the cauliflower into florets. Add to the bacon fat,…
Shrimp and Grits, the 10Chickens Way
#RecipeUpTop (details below): For the grits: 1 pint Maine lobster stock (or shellfish stock, or chicken stock, or water if you’re boring); 1 cup coarse yellow grits; 1 bay leaf; 1/4 cup whole milk; 1/4 cup shredded jack/colby cheese blend; Salt (to taste) For the shrimp: 1lb of U.S. wild-caught shrimp, preferably shell and head…
Introducing: “Yeah, but is it worth it?”
I grew up in a disposable household, in the heyday of impossibly-cheap products destined for limited use and quick replacement. It wasn’t my parents’ fault, of course, it was the nature of society at the time. Why pay more for something that will rack up wear-and-tear when you can pay less and get a new…
Yeah, but is it worth it: Weber Smoky Mountain
Short & Sweet: The Weber Smoky Mountain (WSM) is an enameled-steel, vertical drum style smoker that is fired by charcoal briquettes. It comes with two grill racks for food, an in-line water pan, and a little port for a probe thermometer. It’s available in two sizes: 18″ and 22″ diameter. New, it’ll run about $400.00.…
‘Wich-Craft
I’ve written too much here about the relationship the people of Maine have with the weather. Be it a gallows-glee at an incoming storm, or the quiet spite reserved for warm and muddy spring days. I won’t belabor those points here, beyond a simple reiteration that springtime in Maine amounts to two (2) weeks of…
Pan-Fried Spring Smelts with Lemon Dip
#RecipeUpTop (details below): Fresh smelts; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup coarse-ground cornmeal; 3 eggs; 1 cup whole milk; Salt (to taste); 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil (for frying); For the dip: 1 lemon (zest plus juice); 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 3/4 cup sour cream; Salt (to taste); Method: Rinse the smelt and pat dry.…
Fast and Dirty Pita Pockets
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 500g bread flour; 300g water; 50g lard or vegetable shortening; 25g sugar; 10g salt; 5g yeast; Method: Combine all ingredients and knead thoroughly. Form into a ball, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about two (2) hours. Divide dough into ping-pong sized balls, and roll flat. Griddle on an ungreased…
Gumbo.
This is a process. There cannot be a #RecipeUpTop. There can, however, be a shopping list: 1 whole chicken; 1 medium yellow onion; 1 red or green bell pepper; 3 stalks of celery; 3 bay leaves; 4 tablespoons butter or veg oil; 4 tablespoons flour; Okra (to taste); Andouille (or smoked sausage) (optional) (to taste);…
First-Born Dinner
No #RecipeUpTop for this one; it’s all about the timing of putting together a full meal. In this case: crispy-skin salmon with lemon garlic pasta and caramelized-onion corn. But you do probably need an ingredient list, so: For the salmon: Salmon fillet(s), SKIN ON (amount varies by number of desired servings); 1 tablespoon veg or…
Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Roulade (or The Joy of Stunt Cooking)
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless); 1 large package frozen spinach, drained; 1 tablespoon veg oil; Shredded mozzarella (varies); Salt and pepper (to taste); Method: Separate the tenders from the breasts, then butterfly the latter. Pound everything to about 1/4 inch thickness, and overlap on plastic wrap. Stuff with mozzarella and spinach, then…
A Fixed Point of Light
There have been times in my life where the power has gone out. Where the wind howls and buffets the windows; where the doors strain and groan against their frames. Where the darkness is impenetrable and unending, with the thickness of damp wool. In those times, I’ve focused on a fixed point of light. In…
Vegan Red Pepper Pesto with Zucchini “Noodles”
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 1 Red Bell Pepper; 1 Tomato; 2 cloves of garlic; 1/4 cup of olive oil; 2 tablespoons pine nuts; Salt (to taste); Balsamic vinegar (to taste); Sugar (optional; to taste); Crushed Red Pepper Flake (optional; to taste); 4 zucchini (for the noodles, optional) Method: Quarter the tomato, keeping the seeds and gelatin…
The Chicken and Dumplings Economy
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 1 whole chicken; 2 eggs; 2 tablespoons butter; Water (varies); Salt (varies); AP flour (varies); Method: Add whole chicken to a large pot and cover with water. Add salt and boil for an hour, then remove to cool. When safe to handle, pull chicken by hand. In a large skillet, melt the…
Love and Crime in a Plate of Nachos
I’ve been thinking about nachos a lot lately. Not in a “I kinda feel like nachos” way (though that, too), but more from a curiosity standpoint. You see, I’ve come to the realization that no other food can provide as much immediate, relevant information about a person or place. I’m confident that, with a little…
Stormy Beef Stew
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 1 large chuck roast; 4 waxy potatoes; 4 carrots; 2 ribs of celery; 1 medium yellow onion; 2 TBS veg oil; 1/4 cup dry vermouth; Salt (to taste); Black pepper (to taste); Cornstarch slurry (to taste – see note) Method: Cut the chuck roast into bite-sized cubes, and brown in the bottom…
Spinach Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 450g flour 300g eggs (6 large) 12 oz frozen spinach 32 oz ricotta 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt (to taste) Fresh nutmeg (to taste) A sauce of one’s own 1 more egg (to seal the ravioli) Method: Combine flour, eggs, and salt (to taste), together with two (2) tablespoons of…
Kitchen Essentials, Part III – Accessories
Well, we covered knives and boards in Part I, then took on pots and pans in Part II, so onward to the real heart of a good kitchen setup: the accessories. I am a kitchen minimalist. I don’t like drawers overflowing with nonsense, or countertops covered in gadgets. As a general rule, if I haven’t…
“Colby Cove” Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits
#RecipeUpTop (details below): 350g all-purpose flour; 1 cup shredded cheese; 1 cup buttermilk; 50g lard or vegetable shortening; 25g butter; 4 teaspoons baking powder; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; Cracked black pepper (to taste) Method: in a large mixing bowl combine…
“Ugly” Tortellini With Pink Sauce
#RecipeUpTop (details below): For the pasta Six eggs (300g); 450g AP flour; 10g salt; For the filling: 2 cups ricotta; Seasoning (per preference, to taste); Method: Combine the eggs, flour, and salt, and knead into a firm dough. Allow to rest for thirty (30) minutes, then process through pasta rollers to desired thickness. Cut rounds,…
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10 Chickens to Maine 