At the restaurant tonight we are serving leg of mutton from Dandelion Spring Farm with our black turtle bean ragu, fresh lime vinaigrette slaw made to order and a wedge of wood oven roasted polenta. With top quality meat like this from Dandelion Spring Farm, a small vegetable and sheep farm located in Washington, Maine, one really does not have to do much to it. We dry rubbed the legs with a mix of chili, garlic, onion, coriander, black & red pepper and let that meld for four days in our walk in. Then firing up our smoker with a mix of local applewood & commercial hickory we hot smoked it for approximately four hours. Then we braised it covered in the wood oven in a piquant sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, mustard and malt vinegar with bits of chipotle till fork tender. We then cooled it, deboned and chopped it rather than pulling it. Good and smokey!
We are recommending it to customers with a Pacifico Beer.
Renowned Maine artist Eric Hopkins is a good friend, inspiration, and regular at Cafe Miranda. The salt of the earth, he continues to capture the essence of Maine with his paints and brushes. Flying over and sailing along Maine’s rugged coastline, his work is a testament to the special place we have carved out as our home. Eric works in oils, watercolors, blown glass, and photography. Make sure to check out his gallery and studio while in Rockland, just off Main Street (around the corner from Atlantic Baking Company) on Winter Street. We are also lucky enough to have a few of his paintings on display at the restaurant.
Flying over Blue Bay, 2009, watercolor, gouache, and crayon, 32 x 32 inches, by Eric Hopkins.
Eric usually starts off at Cafe Miranda with an appetizer called Thai Calamari, with pan sauteed calamari with thai chili butter, scallions, black sesame, cilantro and lime. For his entree he gets serious with Aggablagga– sauteed calamari and fresh pasta, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and marinara.
It is not really the holiday season until you have homemade Eggnog!
Teddie Levy’s classic Eggnog. (with some subtle additions from those pesky Miranda Chefs). Note, this is not for the cowardly!
12 egg yolks
1 lb powdered sugar
4 Tbsp vanilla
1 quart heavy cream (yeah!)
1 quart milk
14 ounces Meyers rum
14 ounces brandy, cognac if you MUST! Calvados apple brandy is a real nice touch
3 ounces of Sweetgrass Winery “ Cranberry Smash”
12 eggwhites
1 tsp white pepper
Nutmeg to grate on top
Method:
Beat yolks & sugar till pale
Add everything else except the egg whites.
Beat the egg whites & fold into the mixture.
Grate nutmeg on top
Get a cab home… Kerry & Kristina ( in-law of Teddie)
Following is an article by Georgeanne Davis, which ran in The Free Press on November 19
On a recent Monday night, 22 happy eaters bellied up to a cooking station in the kitchen at Midcoast School of Technology in Rockland to observe chef James Hatch of Home Kitchen Cafe in action. Hair tucked under a toque, apron wrapped around his middle, Hatch was putting together a sample meal of Spanish-style frittata for a tapas-style appetizer, and fish tacos with black beans, fresh salsa and homemade corn tortillas to follow.
Half of those watching had signed up back in February to take part in the first “Meet Your Chefs” series of cooking demonstrations but had to be placed on a waiting list after the initial program sold out almost immediately. The original five sessions featured chefs Kerry Altiero and Tony Gioia of Cafe Miranda, Lynette Mosher of Lily Bistro, John Stowe of Rustica and David Cooke and Nancy Wood of Amalfi on the Water, all Rockland restaurants, and Brian Hill of Francine Bistro in Camden. The foods ranged from Altiero’s homemade pasta to Mosher’s duck confit, Stowe’s risotto, poached haddock from the Amalfi team, and the jaw-dropping surprise of Hill’s mussels cooked with pine needles. Questions flew, the participants eagerly jumped in to help pass and clear plates, and some took notes on techniques and ingredients, while others volunteered to eat second and sometimes third helpings if they were offered.
For this season – another sellout with a waiting list once again – Meet Your Chefs features Hatch, Michael Greer of Union’s Badger Cafe, and an encore performance by Altiero. A second round of chefs will come on board again in early spring.
While the program is on its way to being a solid success, introducing foodies to a sampling of offerings from area eateries, its true purpose is not to be self-perpetuating, but to fund a new community outreach program called “Sharing the Table,” a collaboration between RSU #13 Adult Ed and the Rockland After School Alliance, and the brain child of Altiero. One Meet Your Chefs session can pay for two to three classes in the Sharing the Table program.
Sharing the Table is designed to introduce families to the preparation of easy-to-make, nutritious meals using affordable, simple and whole ingredients. The time spent shopping, cooking and eating together is intended to provide additional ideas for families to spend time together in other ways. All the chefs in Meet Your Chefs have donated their services, so enough money was made from the cooking series to fund the first three sessions of Sharing the Table, which will be held Mondays, November 30, December 7 and 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the MCST kitchen.
Vanessa J. Richards, adult and community education coordinator for RSU #13, says that Sharing the Table has 14 participants signed up, and there is room for 20 students per class, with an ultimate goal of 60 per year. Richards’ long-term goal is to expand the program to adult education organizations throughout Maine and New England. “The Maine adult ed community is very close,” Richards says, and she doesn’t think it will be too difficult to pass on information about the pilot program’s success, and Altiero will write the curriculum for the classes.
Hatch, Greer and Altiero (their motto: “We don’t do clarified butter; we don’t fold stuff in”) plan to have local growers, such as Beth Schiller of Dandelion Spring Farm in Washington, talk about their products and perhaps even donate some for use in the classes. They also will supply recipes to the Sharing the Table families, listing the healthy ingredients and where they can be purchased. Eventually, they’d like to see the program expand and be promoted via sponsorship of local grocers, on restaurant menus and through adult education web sites and brochures across the state.
To sign up visit the RSU 13 Adult and Community Education website.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, 2 pounds
2 large onions, medium dice
3 ribs celery, cut large dice
2 large green peppers, seeded and cut large
canned italian style tomatoes, 28 oz can
6 cloves garlic, minced
pinch dried oregano
2 pinches red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves
6 ounces olive oil
2 ounces parmesan or romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Side of greens:
Chicory or other hearty greens, one head washed and dried
2 ounces olive oil
Pasta:
One pound of hearty egg noodles
In a heavy skillet, on medium heat, saute olive oil and garlic until light brown smelling great. Add onion, saute until translucent. Add celery and green pepper, saute till color starts to change. Add bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Add chicken, make sure touches bottom of pan. Saute with vegetables, turning when lightly browned on each side. Add tomato and four ounces of water. Simmer until chicken is done.
For greens: Heavy skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil and greens, saute till color intensifies. Remove from heat and reserve.
To finish place cooked pasta in with chicken/vegetable mix and toss well. On a serving platter or individual plates place sauteed greens. Spoon chicken/vegetable mix onto and finish with cheese.
Have with a nice crusty bread or garlic bread. For those of legal drinking age Chianti, for those not juice in a wine glass.
You say turkey and I say hamburger. Well, okay turkey this week hamburger this weekend! At Cafe Miranda we think hamburgers are in season year-round, not just May to October when one can grill outdoors in Maine without wearing layers of fleece and a down-filled jacket.
You will find American-style hamburgers, as well as veggie options all on our fresh brick oven focaccia with a side of hand cut russet potato french fries. In the mood for black beans and sour creme, we’ve got that along with some spicy sauce in our “Mex” burger. Thanksgiving have you in the mood for gravy, good thing our “Open Face” comes with brown roasted onion gravy. Want to go “Uptown” with some roasted shallots and garlic? Sometimes “Breakfast” tastes even better in the evening with fried egg, bacon, and cheese. For $2.00 extra get grilled smoked bacon on that!
All combinations are $15.00 each whether you order with 8 ounces of fresh beef charcoal grilled, a 6 ounce chicken breast, or locally made Hiewa Tofu.
1 small squash about 8 inches in diameter
2 tsp medium chili powder
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
4 ounces fresh soft cheese (goat, ricotta…)
olive oil
Turn oven to 350.
On a solid cutting surface use a sharp knife to bisect the squash from stem to bottom. Scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff. Place the two sides cavity side up in a baking dish. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place garlic in cavity and cook. This can take a while depending on the particular density of the squash. Check them after 30 minutes. They are done when you can pierce them with a fork like a baked potato. NOTE: This step can be done a day or two in advance, just refrigerate cooked squash.
Pull from fridge or follow next steps right out of oven – sprinkle with chili and paprika, fill the cavity with cheese, and put back in oven. If warm cook about 20 minutes, if cool from having been in fridge will likely require 30 minutes. They are done when heated through and the cheese has browned nicely. Serve as an appetizer to your holiday guests.
