| From lamb to crisp, it’s a fancy feats-or picnic |
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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.
Join us for one of these six day cooking adventures.
June 8-10, 3 days, $595
June 19-24, 6 days, $950
September 18-23, 6 days, $950
Book one of these cooking trips and receive $100
or
more to the best gourmet and cooking shops in the
area!
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Lamb is growing more common in the States as the
flavor tones down and becomes much less “muttony”
or gamey than it used to be. The age of the lamb
and the cut of the meat also play a part in how
strong the flavor is. The older the lamb, the more
strongly the meat will taste and stew meat or shank
meat tends to be a bit more full flavored just like the
dark meat on turkey compared to the white, breast
meat. The meat from a lamb chop is very tender and
perfect for grilling. It can be very elegant and a bit
expensive, so perhaps not for everyday. On the
other hand, when I was testing this recipe, we ate it
very informally, picnic-style, sitting outside in our
Adirondack chairs as a family and the kids at it right
up. The point being, you don’t need to break out the
crystal to have wonderful food.
It’s important to develop a relationship with a good
butcher in your area, as they will be able to answer
most questions you have about preparation of your
meat. They’ll also be able to tell you where the meat
came from and how old it is. Too often in a chain
grocery store, the person handling the meat is the
last in a long line of folks and they may or may not
have useful information about what their chain sells.
We buy 3 or 4 whole lambs per season and use them
over the course of the summer for curried lamb and
lentil stew, rosemary lamb riblets as an appetizer and
in the winter I use the shanks for family or
entertaining. I’ll share these recipes with you
another time, perhaps this winter.
The dessert for this menu includes one of my favorite
fruits – maybe it’s really a vegetable – foodies are
still haggling over which. Whatever it is, I love it and
I have great family memories of rhubarb growing
behind the garage at my childhood home. My mom
wasn’t much of a green thumb, but she couldn’t kill
the rhubarb. I’d love to eat the stalks raw and was
a little bit titillated by the fact that the leaves were
poisonous to eat. We’d make small houses, boats,
hats, wings and clothes with the leaves and they
were fascinating because they were so big to us.
Rhubarb is great on it’s own or combined with other
fruits like strawberries, apples and blueberries.
Warm hearts and full bellies, Chef Annie
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| Grilled Lamb Chops w/Mint Dijon Sauce |
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- 8-12 1 1/2 inch thick loin lamb chops
- 1/4-cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons paprika
On a platter with a turned up edge, combine the
olive oil, Dijon mustard and paprika. Rub the lamb
chops with the mixture and let marinate for at least
1/2 hour. If you want to work ahead, they can
marinate for up to 24 hours.
Heat the grill to medium high heat. Grill the lamb
chops 4-5 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes covered
while you call everyone to the table and do any last
minute details.
Serves 4-6
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Print recipe |
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| Mint Dijon Sauce |
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This is a tangy sauce that is great for the summer
time – fast and no heat required. It’s also good with
grilled shrimp.
- 1 clove garlic
- 1-cup fresh mint leaves, packed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2-teaspoon salt
- 1/4-teaspoon fresh black pepper
Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a food
processor. Blend well and then drizzle the olive oil
into the mixture.
Makes 3/4 cup
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Print Recipe |
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| Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes |
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- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-6 potatoes or 6 cups, cut into 1/2-inch
pieces
- 1 red pepper or 1 1/2 cups, cut into 1/2-inch
pieces
- 1/2 eggplant or 2 cups, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, or 1 tablespoon, minced
- 1-tablespoon salt
- 1/2-tablespoon fresh black pepper
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When the
skillet is hot, add the oil and then the potatoes and
cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring infrequently. Add
the peppers, eggplant, garlic and salt and pepper and
continue cooking until the potatoes are tender,
about15-20 minutes more.
Serves 4-6
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| Steamed Broccoli Raab |
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- 1 bunch broccoli raab
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4-teaspoon fresh black pepper
Rinse and trim 1/4-inch from bottom of stems.
Bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in the bottom of a
sauté pan. Add the broccoli raab and sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until
slightly tender but still bright green. Serve
immediately.
Serves 4-6
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| Rhubarb-Raspberry Crisp with Pecan Streusel |
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- Filling:
- 6 cups or 6 stalks rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 –
3/4 inch pieces
- 2 cups raspberries
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2-teaspoon cloves
- 1-teaspoon cinnamon
- Streusel:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2-cup pecans, chopped
- 1 stick butter
- 3/4-cup sugar
- 1/4-teaspoon salt
- Vanilla ice cream
Preheat oven to 350º. Combine all of the filling
ingredients and spread evenly in an ungreased, non-
reactive (enamel or stainless steel) 9x13 pan.
In a separate bowl, combine the streusel ingredients
and coarsely blend. Mixture should be crumbly.
Spoon streusel mixture evenly over filling mixture and
bake for 1 hour. The edges should be bubbly and the
top golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or vanilla flavored
whipped cream. As a garnish you could chop a few
more pecans or grate some fresh nutmeg over the
ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 8-12
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| Two-for-one:Red Pepper, Eggplant and Potato Frittata |
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If you’ve got leftovers of this dish, you already have
yourself another quick meal. If you are serving lots
of folks in your family, plan ahead and double the Red
Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes recipe. Serve with a
green salad and fresh French bread
- 1/2-tablespoon butter per person
- 3 eggs per person, scrambled
- 1/2 - 3/4-cup Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes
per person
- 1/4-teaspoon salt per person
- 2 tablespoons goat cheese per person
Pre-heat oven to 350º. Heat a medium or large cast
iron skillet over medium high heat. Melt the butter
and add the Red Pepper and Eggplant Potatoes.
When heated through, add the eggs, salt and pepper
and stir gently. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top and
put in the oven for 5-15 minutes depending on how
many folks you are serving. Slice into wedges and
serve immediately.
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Photo Credits: Chef Annie-Frank M. Chillemi
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