Maine Event: Day 20
We had a quiet day today with a little shopping and mostly cooking and relaxing. We cooked half of the yellow eye beans we got at the farmer's market yesterday so they will be turned into soup tomorrow. I always cook my beans a day ahead if possible because their texture improves after hanging around in their cooking liquid. We also cooked the rhubarb from my friend Paula and, of course, dinner which turned out well and I highly recommend it. I'll put the recipes later on. We ate some of the Empire Apples, from Paula's tree, and they are delicious fresh if a little tart. I'm debating making applesauce out of the gift of apples and the odds and ends that we have left from tastings. Or maybe an apple crisp but I don't have any rolled oats, cinnamon, flour, nuts etc, sigh. There are two cakes I also want to make (it will have to be when we get back as it is not possible here) one is a cardamom olive oil orange cake and the other is blueberry ricotta almond cake. I think I have blueberries on my mind because it is the end of the season. My favorite blueberries in California are winter blueberries from Lompoc and when it gets too warm they are yucky (Do not eat March-October).
Labor day has always felt like a long weekend to rest and stay away from others. I've been thinking a lot about Peaks Island because we had such a wonderful time there when Rosemary took us for a walk along the coast then it started raining and we sat out under trees and had excellent pizza and gelato from Il Leone (here are some pictures). I also found this article about the community that springs up once the tourists leave and winter sets in on Peaks Island.
Also, here is a site showcasing all the beautiful nature of Maine if you need some more nice nature images to accompany your long weekend.
The season has changed. It is no longer muggy at all and the nights are getting cool. Still in the 50s here but inland are in the low 40s and high 30s. The sun is still warm but humidity is low and the feeling of fall is in the air...just a little bit. In the mornings and evenings, I need a sweater under my summer jacket. Just a week or so ago a long-sleeved shirt was uncomfortable. The temperature now is more like the Bay Area without the biting cold wind of the fog. There is wind and it is cool but it is not off the Pacific. High of low-70s with the low in the mid-50s. Light winds and sunshine with an evening of light rain.
It was this kind of day...
Rhubarb bubbling away...we just made a compote with a little sugar and lemon. We love it with yogurt as a treat.
This is a favorite from Zuni which is long-cooked Romano beans. You toss them in olive oil and add a pinch of salt and a pinch of chili flakes and cook them on super low heat. No water or anything. You stir them occasionally during the first half-hour or so to make sure they aren't sticking and cook them that way for a few hours. They are like candy to me.
We ate these romano beans accompanied by this chicken from the NYT which is easy and turned out better than I expected and the leftovers we will add to our yellow eye bean soup. We cooked it 15 mins longer to get the color right and added garlic, shallots, and cippolini onions. Enjoy.
Oh! We got some sauerkraut from a local producer (I'm missing my kitchen and my orchestra of fermenting things). I'm curious what is your favorite way to eat sauerkraut? I mean with what?
I haven't mentioned the kitchen set up here but it is kind of hilarious. There is one large pan and one small pan. Two stainless steel skillets about the same size. A cake or shallow round baking pan. 4 cups, 4 glasses, plates, small bowls. Utensils for 4. 3 wooden spoons. No drawers of tools. No spatula or vegetable peeler (turns out a spoon works pretty well), measuring spoons/cups. No serving utensils or cooking stirring or scraping devices other than a wooden spoon. Cooking is really an adventure with so little. We often have to cook our dinner in stages because there is only one pan. We are using a part of the broiler to bake/roast on. All this is to say that I really miss my kitchen.
It started to rain at about 6 pm and it is likely going to stop around 9 pm. (note raining harder at 9:40). Our after-dinner walk was in light rain. This is the same-ish view where the sunset shots are taken. That green field (shockingly without trees) on the other side of the Fore River is the airport near South Portland.
This is a picture of a huge house with a nice carriage house next to it that is still used as their garage! Sorry, the picture is so dark it was raining and about 7:00 pm
Sending you oodles of love, Tawnia