Mumbai to Maine!

A culinary adventure across the Atlantic

Max Flavor, Zero Labor – Mumbai to Maine’s Makhani for the win! Roasted Cauliflower Power!

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Mumbai to Maine Makhani Simmer Sauce | Whole Roasted SKORDO Tandoori Masala Cauliflower| Green Goddess Chutney Drizzle

Back in India, a Tandoor is an outdoor clay oven used heavily in Punjab. Masala refers to a spice blend. I’ve been hooked on the SKORDO Tandoori Masala blend available online and at their brick and mortar stores in Maine. It hits all the notes for me and saves me a ton of time not having to toast and grind spices from scratch. As a simmer sauce maker, I’m all about max flavor, zero labor when it comes to meals for the family.

Typically this cauliflower would be marinated in the masala ahead of time and then roasted in a tandoor at a high temp. With no access to my mobile HOMDOOR as it was still in storage from the winter, I decided to roast it in my oven and only marinated it for 2 hours while we enjoyed the most beautiful afternoon on the water in Boothbay, Maine.

I marinated this humble “cabbage flower” in the thickest Greek-style yogurt (fat-free believe it or not), SKORDO Tandoori Masala loaded with turmeric, cayenne, cumin, coriander and turmeric. No need to add in Kashmiri chili powder for added color and minimal heat as this blend already has it blended into it. I did however,  add in some ginger and garlic paste, a generous squeeze of lime, salt + pepper and whipped it all up like I meant business!

I brushed this tandoori masala marinade all over the cauliflower. A tip,  you need to really get in there with a grill brush, into all those cracks and crevices. I drizzled the entire thing with melted ghee. The more fat the better! If you are vegan be sure to use some refined coconut oil, avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil.

Meanwhile, I pre-heated my oven to [email protected] 350 degree F , set the entire cauliflower into my Staub and roasted it off with no cover on for 45 minutes. I chose to keep this beauty intact with stem and base attached. It makes for a conversation piece as soon as you set it table-side, ready to carve and share it with family and friends.

I could not resist drizzled it with my herbaceous, green cilantro-mint chutney. What a huge hit!

Now here’s a tip and idea:  if you rather serve it with some rich buttery tomato masala gravy to make it a meal you can carve them into steaks , heat up a jar of Mumbai to Maine’s rich Makhani simmer sauce and pour it right over the steak and serve ( this will no longer be vegan since it has ghee, but still vegetarian). My daughter is now pescatarian, so she loves these cauliflower steaks for dinner with her mom’s Makhani,  Basmati Rice, hot green chutney and a big chunk of garlic-buttered naan. Scroll to the bottom to check it out!

Makhani is the Indian word for ‘with Butter’. This small-batch, handcrafted, luscious, buttery-tomato cream sauce is infused with an aromatic and authentic North Indian Mughlai spice blend. Toasted and freshly ground cardamom, cumin, coriander, peppercorns and a touch of heavy cream add just the right touch of added richness.

Makhani pairs perfectly with chicken (especially for a spicy Butter Chicken) but it also makes for a slam-dunk spicy Chickpea Masala, Paneer Masala, or my husband’s favorite, melt-in-your-mouth boneless lamb over steaming hot Basmati Rice and ghee-slathered garlic naans.

But for now, try it on the cauliflower, for a meatless Monday.

 

 

 

CHAMPAGNE LOBSTER: Champagne. Lobster. Butter. Cream. Perfection

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Champagne Lobster, in homage to the one and only Phil Koskela, the culinary mastermind behind this recipe. Thank you Phil for sharing it with me and the world!

I’ve been known to go to great lengths to prepare a magnificent meal and source the rarest of ingredients for someone I love. My mother did the same for us growing up and apparently I’ve inherited her penchant for pleasing. My parents made sure our birthdays were an opportunity to bring our friends and family together to celebrate and feast over my mother’s legendary Lamb Biryani.

Back in Mumbai, where I grew up, everyone in our apartment building knew my talented mother, Regina, was cooking up an Indian feast when she started roasting cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin and Kashmiri chiles spices on her tava (cast iron skillet).  We lived on the first floor so by the time she was done, her aromatic garam masala would carry through the entire building. She cooked for at least 40 guests and then sent me to every neighbor with left overs the following day.

Cooking Indian food is no easy feat.  Sometimes it takes a day or two to prepare one dish. Roasting and grinding the spices; preparing the marinade to tenderize the lamb overnight; chopping pounds of onions for what seems like days; slowly caramelizing them in ghee, and then adding in all those freshly ground spices to the onions so they can bloom and release all that incredible flavor making for a rich, thick and memorable lamb korma. But that is the beauty of slow cooking and the results are outstanding and memorable.

But then, a simple but exquisite dish like Champagne Lobster came into my life and it was a game changer! And, the best part about this dish is since I now live in Maine, the lobster capital of the world, I can source lobster – steamed, shucked and ready to go with one phone call. But please don’t let this hinder you. You can now do the same thing by ordering your lobster here.

This decadent dish has only 4 ingredients: champagne, lobster, butter and heavy cream. Yes, I repeat, four ingredients. I could not get over how incredibly simple it was to throw together. Imagine the sweet and succulent lobster meat sautéed in rich melted unsalted butter picking up the floral and bubbly notes of champagne added in and the decadence of heavy cream bringing all the sweet, savory flavors together in under 5 minutes for a delicate and silky, smooth finish.

I can hear my husband’s voice saying, “For heaven’s sake, just share the recipe already!!!”

I’m all for sharing a story AND the back story. So stay with me, I promise, once you are done here, you’ll add Champagne Lobster to your repertoire forever!

BACKSTORY:

Years ago, I worked at the Boothbay Harbor Chamber of Commerce and kept hearing rave reviews about Champagne Lobster from the local community. So one year my husband, Guy, and I tried it for the first time on our anniversary. Get this, it was our anniversary and we barely said a word to each other while we ate this in dead silence . Then Guy looked up, his blue eyes piercing into my brown ones and said,  “You NEED to get this recipe from Phil!”

Phil Koskela, a local from Southport Island, Maine, put this legendary dish on the map here in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Phil was the General Manager at the famous and beloved Rocktide Inn (no longer in operation) for 39 years. In that time he probably served thousands of Champagne Lobster orders and built up an iconic following for this exquisite dish. Phil always served it along side Rocktide Inn’s legendary popovers. ( I’ll save them for another post. )

So years later, I reached out to Phil and begged him for the recipe, promising never to share it. I told him I just wanted to surprise Guy for our  anniversary. Phil being as kind and gracious as he is known to be, started rattling it off. I didn’t even have a pen ready, so I literally memorized it over the phone.

Guy was in shock when I surprised him with it at our anniversary dinner. It was definitely a nostalgic blast from the past. But this time around Guy convinced me to go back to Phil and ask him for permission to blog about the dish and even do a fun video in homage to the dish and the man behind it! As soon as I got Phil’s blessing I reached out to another Maine culinary icon, Rod Browne Mitchell, the national authority on caviar and owner of Browne Trading Co, located on Commercial Street in Portland, Maine. I shared the good news that I had scored the recipe to this prized dish and went on to describe it. I added that I would love to collaborate with him on producing this piece which I now consider a gift from Phil — one that had to be shared with scores of lobster lovers out there.

Rod was all in! He and his fabulous team at Browne Trading Market, set aside one of the finest bottles of champagne, an 1851 Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, a pound of the freshest shucked Maine lobster and 2 beautiful lobster tails for pickup.

So, here’s how I set the mood: I set the table first, chill the Champagne while I get my mise en place (prep for the dish) together. Then I turn off my kitchen lights, light a candle, pour myself a glass of bubbly, channel some Stacey Kent and get in the CL zone.

Check out the recipe below.  A couple of notes:

I added some Italian angel hair pasta to it because you need something light to soak up every last drop of that sauce.

Phil said you don’t need the most expensive champagne to make this dish. In fact Phil admitted that he used Cook’s Champagne for years because he was making hundreds of Champagne Lobsters a week. But it’s not everyday you splurge on lobster and champagne, so if you can afford to, just do it right and go all the way!

Special thanks to Rod Browne Mitchell, Browne Trading Company, for sponsoring the lobster and champagne for this post.

A huge thanks to Phil Koskela, for sharing the recipe. I’ve posted his iconic dish with his blessing and permission.

Phil Koskela, on his way to work one afternoon, I stopped him in his tracks and captured this pic of him outside the food store…!

Slowly poached lobster tails in a 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. You can skip this step if your lobster arrives already cooked and shucked. These came raw from Browne Trading Company so I cooked them gently.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, compliments of Browne Trading Company

Rod Browne Mitchell, aka, ‘The King of Caviar’, owner of Browne Trading Company “has been operating out of the working waterfront in Portland, Maine, for almost 30 years. In that time Browne has developed an international reputation for sourcing only the finest imported and American caviars. Browne Trading Company also is the premier supplier of fresh fish, shellfish, and smoked seafood to both elite restaurants and home kitchens across the U.S.”

This has nothing to do with Champagne Lobster, but I could not resist capturing this when I went to pickup the lobster and champagne. The world’s finest caviar and beluga available at Browne Trading Company online or at the Browne Trading Market, Portland, Maine.

Mise en place for Champagne Lobster – Champagne, Lobster, Butter and Heavy Cream.

Champagne Lobster for two!

Be sure to set the table before you make the dish and chill the rest of that Champagne. You won’t want to waste anytime digging in. Don’t you just love these Nancy Buzer heart plates?

CHAMPAGNE LOBSTER: Champagne. Lobster. Butter. Cream. Perfection
 
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This 4 ingredient dish is the stuff that dreams are made of!!! Champagne, lobster, butter and heavy cream. Recipe by Phil Koskela, posted with full permission.
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 2 generous servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lobsters - claws, knuckle and tails - shucked and pre-cooked
  • ½ cup of unsalted butter
  • ½ cup of Champagne
  • ¾ heavy cream
  • 8 oz De Cecco Angel Hair no.9 Pasta, cooked al dente
Instructions
  1. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, on medium heat add the butter .
  2. Once it melts, add the cooked lobster and sautee for about 1 minutes on low heat.
  3. Now, take out the lobster, set aside.
  4. Add in the Champagne and bring it to a boil, until it cooks off.
  5. After a minute, lower the heat and add the heavy cream.
  6. Give it a good stir.
  7. Now add the lobster back to the pan and let it cook for another minute on simmer.
  8. The sauce will start taking on a pinkish hue from the lobster.
  9. Now, toss in that al dente angel hair cooked pasta and stir well.
  10. Add a few scallions for color and serve warm immediately but with a chilled glass of Champagne.

Mumbai to Maine Indian Simmer Sauces

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Mumbai to Maine Signature Simmer Sauces Variety Pack - Caldine, Makhani and SaagWelcome to Mumbai to Maine – Maine’s first Indian-inspired culinary brand!!!

There’s something wonderful about being the first to introduce something unique and special to the world. But I feel like it also comes with tremendous responsibility. I consider myself a culinary ambassador for my homeland, Mumbai and my Goan heritage, here in this beautiful state of Maine.

MY STORY

Let me tell you a bit about how and why these simmer sauces came to be.

At 16 years old, I left Mumbai and moved to Canada with my family, our lives packed in 12 suitcases. Fast forward, I am fortunate to call Maine my home now for over a decade.

The Castelino family: L to R: My gorgeous mother, Regina, two-year-old me, Karen (my six-year-old sister) and handsome Dad (check out those sideburns.)

So this idea for simmer sauces, started a couple of years ago when I had just lost my mom and found myself having this intense and nostalgic craving for my all-time favorite dish, her signature Caldine: a creamy, spicy, luscious coconut gravy with juicy shrimp. I knew I wouldn’t find mom’s Caldine on a shelf at the food store, as a frozen entrée or even at a restaurant.

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CRAVING COMFORT FOOD

In fact, I couldn’t find any comforting home-style Indian food at the grocery story that matched my expectations here in Maine. Everything tasted overly processed to me and one thing was for sure: it definitely did NOT taste like my mother’s home-style cooking.

Homestyle Red Lentil Dahl – tadka of ghee, red onions, garlic, ginger, red chilis, cumin, red chili powder, curry leaves and black mustard seeds.

So, I went back into my kitchen, dug out my mom’s heritage recipes and mastered each one. I was thrilled with the results and thought to myself, there have to be others who probably have never experienced authentic home-style Indian flavors. I was determined to find a way to make these unique mouth-watering Indian recipes accessible to anyone.

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INTRODUCING

After spending countless hours in my kitchen crafting batch after batch,  I am excited to introduce you to Mumbai to Maine’s shelf-stable Indian Simmer Sauce collection: Saag, Makhani and Caldine.

These savory simmer sauces are authentic, true to the specific region of India that they originate from and absolutely DELICIOUS!

  • Based on my family’s heritage recipes
  • Crafted with authentic, freshly ground spice blends.
  • Handcrafted right here in Maine.
  • For an authentic meal within minutes simply pour, add your choice of protein, simmer and serve.
  • These 16 oz, ultra-premium simmer sauces will sit pretty in recyclable glass jars on your pantry shelf for up to a year. I can assure you they will not last that long, once you give them a try. 🙂

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SIMMER SAUCE LINE

Let me introduce you to the star line up!

Caldine is a Goan inspired sauce from the West Coast of India, a creamy coconut gravy with an infusion of toasted coriander, cumin, Tellicherry peppercorns, Kashmiri chiles and the finest turmeric. You can read more about this hallmark Goan dish and why it holds the most special place in my heart here. You can see below, all I added was some fresh steamed Maine lobsters to my Caldine sauce and within minutes we had dinner on the table this past Mother’s Day!

Lobster Caldine: A true Mumbai to Maine original recipe! When you live in Maine, lobster is the only way to celebrate this iconic Goan dish.

Makhani is the Indian word for ‘with Butter’.  How could that get any better, you ask? Well, this ghee-tomato based cream sauce is infused with the finest Indian spice blends like toasted and freshly ground cardamom, cumin, coriander, peppercorns and a touch of heavy cream — because this dish is meant for royalty. Makhani pairs perfectly with chicken of course (are you a Butter Chicken fans, if so check this post out ???) but it also makes for a slam-dunk spicy Chickpea Masala, Paneer Masala, or my husband’s favorite, melt-in-your-mouth boneless lamb over steaming hot Basmati Rice and ghee-slathered garlic naans.

Makhani Murgh – (Butter Chicken with the Makhani simmer sauce.

Saag is the Indian word for leafy greens. Hailing from the North Indian state of Punjab, this hearty, vegetarian sauce is loaded with spinach, broccoli, aromatic and healing spices like Fenugreek and Garam Masala with a touch of cream . It’s often the go-to dish for the farmer because its packed with nutrients to sustain them for a long and hard day’s work in the fields. A home made aloo-fenugreek paratha would go so well with this dish. My mouth is watering already! You can put a vegetarian spin on this with cauliflower, chickpeas, sweet potatoes and paneer( Indian cheese) or add tender morsels of marinated lamb to elevate this thick gravy to another level of de-lish! We’ve been eating so much of this Saag in 2020 to stay healthy but also up our spice game in the kitchen on busy school and work days!

Murgh Saag ( Indian-style Creamed Spinach with Chicken)

There is no arguing, Indian food and its cultural influence are trending like never before. With restaurants not being as accessible as much during the pandemic,  people are cooking more at home now than ever! AND, they are looking for different ways to be creative in the kitchen and up their spice game by tinkering with ethnic cuisines that are bursting with bold and spicy flavors.

It is my hope you have fun with these sauces and leave my blog feeling inspired to add more flavor and spice into your everyday cooking! If you are ever craving a home-style Indian meal or feeling too exhausted after your marathon zoom work calls to cook up an authentic Indian meal, or like me you just miss your mother’s amazing home-cooking, simply reach for a jar in your pantry and within minutes you will be transported back to your childhood and to India with a single bite of my mouth-watering, rich and luscious Makhani, Caldine and Saag sauces.

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FOOD CONNECTS…..

At the end of the day, food has this power to bring people together and it also has the influence to transport you to your childhood or a special place you love.

Since 2015, I have shared my Mumbai to Maine story through my blog, podcast, social media channels and teaching Indian cuisine at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School. I’ve done this with intention and passion, because it has kept me connected and rooted to my childhood in Mumbai and my Goan (Portuguese-Indian) heritage.

I am so excited to share this labor of love, my debut simmer sauce collection, with you right in time for the 2020 Holidays. It’s an homage to my talented mother, who was and will always be the best cook I know and a heartfelt love letter to my Mumbai.

I would love for you to be a part of my story going forward.

So please go ahead and send me a message via my blog, ask me a question about Indian food, order a simmer sauce or two or three. I would love to see what you cook up with them in your kitchen.

I encourage you to get creative and share your creations with me on Facebook @mumbaitomaine, IG @mumbai2maine.

Thank you with all my heart for joining me in my Mumbai to Maine journey in a jar. It’s going to be quite a ride, and I am so glad I get to share it with you.

Love,

Cherie Scott

Coffee By Design – Community in a Cup

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Photo Credit: Michael David Wilson, courtesy, Coffee By Design

Back in 1994, Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear launched Coffee By Design in what was the sketchy neighborhood of Munjoy Hill, Portland, Maine.

During a recession, Munjoy Hill, was not the hippest place to launch a coffee business. But as you will hear in this podcast, Lindemann and Spear’s vision was never about just selling coffee it was focused on creating and building a diverse community around its coffee brand. They are also super passionate about the arts and have been credited as the leaders in the revitalization of downtown Portland’s vibrant and thriving creative arts scene.

So it should come as no surprise that after being in business for 25 years, Coffee By Design won the prestigious 2020 Macro Roaster of the Year award and proudly operates as one of 10 B Corp’s in the state of Maine. If you read up on the criteria for both, it’s no easy feat.

Coming off this prestigious win, I invited Mary Allen to the studio to share the remarkable Coffee By Design maker story and journey as part of Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast series.

Right after this picture was taken, Mary Allen Lindemann got on a plane to Africa and upon her return faced a daunting realization that COVID 19 was not going away anytime soon. Her next trip to Africa had to get canceled for fear she would not be able to return or deal with the unknown.

Here in Maine, businesses, especially small businesses, were grappling with laying off their valued employees while frantically applying for PPP loans and also trying to staying open within CDC guidelines, all while trying to stay alive, keeping their core teams safe and operational and NOT shut down shop!

The stress was surmounting all the way around. Mary Allen and Alan Spear and their teams…looked at everything with fresh eyes, reconfiguring how they would stay operational, make new signage, set up news ways of servicing their loyal customers.

But most important, they continued to serve their communities – hand delivering boxes of Maine Made treats and fresh coffee to nearby hospitals and to health care workers who were on the front lines working marathon shifts for days.  As she and her team took on the toll of having to lay off a large percentage of the CBD team, she took the time to get back on a call with me and talk about Coffee By Design  – through the Pandemic and beyond. What was the next chapter going to look like, with no playbook or anyone to turn to for answers.

Lindemann, Alan and their team decided to take an introspective look at CBD’s core values – the idea that you should as a business owner hold on to those values during your highest peaks and lowest valleys, resonated with me deeply and what provided them with a compass in a world that felt like it was spinning out of control.

I want to thank Mary Allen for sharing these thoughts with me in a follow up podcast. It was heartfelt, eloquent, and so deeply meaningful, I simply had to include it here, unedited, in her very own words:

I am a small business owner. The journey began 25 years ago when the doors to Coffee By Design first opened when the vacancy rate in downtown Portland was at 40%. I’ve gone from sleeping on the shelving in the basement of our first store to owning my own home and running five retail locations and a wholesale business, what began with 2 of us and a part timer became 65 strong. We’ve been through at least three recessions, the tail end of the AIDS epidemic and ‪9/11. After years of business growth for Coffee By Design and Portland (Maine) which is listed on almost every top 10 list as the City to be in, nothing prepared us for COVID-19 and the impact it is having on our community – locally and globally – our business and we ourselves.

We know we are strong. We have a community which supports all of us. We are Maine. Working together we will keep our team intact and bring them back home. We got this.

These are the words I say every morning I get up and go to work.

Yes, we are fortunate in that we are able to remain open and continue with a small portion of our business but having to furlough 50, 75% of our team who are like family soon after celebrating our 25th anniversary and becoming 2020 Roaster of the Year has brought us from the top of the mountain to the deepest valley.

The truth of the matter is I’m scared. I don’t know a single small business owner who doesn’t feel the same. Every tool in the emotional toolbox is being used in ways that we never even imagined they would need to be.

How do I bring my staff back and ensure that they can be safe. How do I instill in them that I’ve provided masks but they would prefer not to wear and believe the physical distancing is enough along with hand-washing and sanitizer everywhere.

We are afraid that we may get the virus and not be able to continue to care for our families and lead our team. An Asylum seeking friend of mine shared a phrase I had never heard before about sleeping trapped within one’s home to keep outside the danger. Ville Morte Dead City. But what if the danger is inside?

Do the numbers work? Do we have enough to hold on and if so for how long should the doors not fully open again longer than we hope.

Yes, we received the PPP loan money but will I be able to grow the business fast enough as a deemed essential business open in the midst of a state stay at home order at this point for half of that time I need to bring the equivalent of 48 full-time people back. How can I compete against unemployment when people are being given what in effect is a bonus check which means that weekly they are paid more than if they were working with me.

How do I ask people who are scared to go out side to come back out and work with others whom they can’t be sure are isolating appropriately when at home themselves.

On a daily basis, I feel I am being asked to bring people back to work, pay them less and be unsafe. How do I tell people if you don’t come back to work now I can’t guarantee that there will be a job later not as a way to get back but because if I don’t grow the business now, if I don’t come up with creative ways to re-think about what you do I can’t help for every body. I can’t bring everybody back as I had thought initially I could.

What if I should fail?

I think about A.A. Milne and Winnie the Pooh.  “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”

This moment will define who we are as small business owners but more importantly, who we are as citizens of the world.

Mary Allen Lindemann

April 28, 2020

*Published with permission from Mary Allen Lindemann, co-owner of Coffee By Design .

 

 

 

MADRAS CURRIED CREAM LOBSTER PASTA

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Sunday dinners don’t need to be feast…but they do need to be a feast for the eyes!

Today was a PERFECT fall day!

I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. We woke up later than usual so I made the family a big brunch and had no plans on cooking up a big Sunday dinner. I typically make a a large Sunday supper from scratch. So I pulled out a pound of frozen Luke’s Lobster and a box of fresh Terra Cotta Pasta Co.’s hand crafted Egg Fettucine on my soapstone counter and headed out for a bike ride with Justus to our community dock.

As we headed down I felt inspired to throw a simple but flavorful Indian spin on our pasta dinner when we got back. I knew we would be starving. I was not in the mood to pull out my entire pantry…just a few ingredients.

Living in Maine, we are spoiled to be able to get a hold of the world’s freshest lobster caught by our local fisherman.

I pulled out some Maine-made ingredients to enjoy our Sunday lobster dinner! (And, chilled some Reisling, of course!)

SKORDO’s Hot Madras Curry powder
Casco Bay Creamery Co. unsalted butter
Stonewall Kitchen’s Organic Olive Oil
Oakhurst Dairy heavy cream
Farm-Fresh Asparagus & Shallots

This Curried Cream Lobster Pasta dish was too easy to throw together.  If you feel inspired be sure to check out www.lukeslobster.com and order the Lobster Pasta kit and put your own spin it.

The kit showed up within 48 hours, frozen, and with a fun recipe to make Luke’s Lobster’s amazing lobster rolls too!

Luke’s Lobster – all claw and knuckle and some of the best I’ve ever had in Maine. Sustainably sourced, traceable and the most important – delicious. Terra Cotta Pasta Co. – handcrafted fresh pasta, super flavorful and cooked to a perfect al dente.

I challenged myself to keep the core ingredients local Casco Bay Creamery – slow churned Oakhurst – gives back a percentage of every sale Skordo – an award-winning spice company on a mission to empower the homecook.

Egg Fettuccine cooked to perfection. Nice bite to it, lightly salted, loved the eggy taste.

Something about the combination of asparagus, Madras curry powder, a dash of olive oil at 400 for 20 minutes. I could eat this for lunch and dinner.

Mise en place for my Madras Curried Cream Lobster Pasta.

Browning up the shallots in unsalted butter.

Sautee up the lobster for a minute in the curried browned shallots.

A bit of heavy cream – because its the right thing to do!

Toss in the al dente pasta.

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The great folks Luke’s Lobster did send me their Lobster Pasta Kit and asked me to have fun with it. So yes folks – this Luke’s Lobster Pasta kit totally saved me tonight. I so wanted take in every possible minute of this beautiful fall day with the family – day light savings is coming soon – too soon.

The Holy Donut – Fry Them and They Will Come!

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Meet Leigh Kellis, the founder and co-owner of The Holy Donut and author of Women Who Need Donuts.

“I approached the business and my cravings with love, and the business has blossomed from making twelve donuts a day in a pot on my stove for $5/day to an eighty-employee, $6 million/year operation.” – Women Who Need Donuts

Back in 2011, Leigh started The Holy Donut, with nothing but a few simple ingredients in her pantry and a whole bunch of love and permission to indulge in her cravings. She was also going through a pretty tough time in her personal life. But soon donuts became more than a distraction. They became an obsession. She made batch after batch on her kitchen stove tinkering with recipes and finally landed on ‘The Holy Donut’!

Leigh will be the first one to say that her donuts are nothing out of the ordinary but loyal fans would argue that they are unforgettable. You are probably wondering what makes them so special. Let’s start with the not-so-secret ingredient…Maine mashed potatoes. Everyone knows mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, but add them (without butter and milk) to some sugar, butter, flour and a few more baking basics like baking powder, baking soda and salt and you get a super moist donut that almost melts in your mouth. But here is why Leigh’s donuts came out on top. She came up with the most unique flavors like Maine’s favorite and inexpensive Allen’s Coffee Brandy; freshly squeezed and zested infused Lemon Glaze; roasted sweet potato donuts; vegan and gluten-free donuts (that actually tasted delicious); the addictive, Holy Cannoli Donut (with a ginger glaze and a ricotta filling) and the ultimate Bacon Cheddar Filled donut. The Dark Chocolate Sea Salt is my favorite!

I’m going to stop here before I go into a donut coma just writing about all this wholesome sugary goodness.

Leigh’s mission was simple: she aimed to make a sinfully delicious donut from scratch that she felt good eating. Take a listen to her podcast and hear the incredible story of how Maine’s reigning Donut Queen made it all happen with love, passion and family.

Women Who Need Donuts (Copyright 2018, Leigh Kellis)
Donuts

Donuts changed my life.

I decided to make donuts after years of telling myself I couldn’t have them, and instead listening to another voice that said,

“Yes you can.”

This book is the story of making a business — and all decisions — out of love.

Donuts were love for my appetite. Love for my cravings. Love for my community. Love for my life — needing to pay my bills. Love for my  family. Love for my daughter. My dad’s love for me.

This podcast would not feel complete without an homage to Leigh’s father, Allan Kellis, who was a co-owner and a huge part of The Holy Donut’s success. He was also a big time Barbershop quartet fan and composed this awesome Holy Donut jingle that we simply had to include in this episode in his memory.

Mom’s Goa Caldine – A Celebration of Life, Love and Lobster!

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Lobster Caldine: Lobster simmered in a coconut milk gravy infused with turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilis and vinegar

Mother’s Day has traditionally been an action-packed weekend for my family with fun dance recitals, graduations and parties to attend all over town. But not this year. For the first time I can remember, our weekend was unusually wide open. With this quiet time on my hands, I found myself thinking of my mother and missing her cooking more than ever. Vivid memories of her Goan Caldine (Kahl-deen), a mildly spicy coconut-based seafood stew, kept coming back to me.

Back home in Mumbai, my mother’s kitchen was her happy place. It was the only place she was truly in her element.  The entire apartment building knew my mother was cooking up a storm when she hand-crafted her exotic Indian spices on her well-seasoned tava (skillet). I remember coming home from Sunday school starving for a snack. The fridge was tucked in the corner of the kitchen and getting to it was like an obstacle course. I had to squeeze through mom and her gas stove to get to it. I’d find her hunched over sitting on the most uncomfortable wooden seat fitted with a crescent-shaped iron blade grating coconuts like her life depended on it.  I have no idea how she ever had the patience to do this by hand. Huffing and puffing she would sway back and forth angling those coconut shells just so, to get every bit of that white flesh out. Then she’d gather up the coconut into cheesecloth and give it a firm squeeze, wrangling out every drop of coconut milk. After adding a bit of warm water to the cheesecloth she would squeeze it again with everything she had left in those tired arms to get the second and third press of milk.

The entire process of making this creamy, coconut seafood stew seemed daunting to me. And yet just thinking about it made me feel closer to my mom now that she has passed on. I decided it was time to try to make mom’s Goan Caldine in my kitchen with my kids, Sophia and Justus.

Before I go on, I need to set the record straight here: I went rogue and did not hand-grate coconuts. I had to keep things as simple and safe with my three-year-old son Justus involved. So I made peace with opening a couple of cans of coconut milk instead. Sorry mom!

I texted Corey Pottle a friend of ours who is a local lobsterman to see if we could buy some fresh lobsters off his boat. We agreed to meet up on the east side of Boothbay Harbor where he docks Brandy’s Girl. I splurged and bought a half dozen, pound-and-a-half lobsters from him and his brother, Brian.

On the way home, my husband Guy suggested we boil the lobsters in briny water right off our community dock. So, we swung by the garage, grabbed a bucket, some yellow rope and headed down to the dock in his red-pick up. Without any hesitation Sophia got out of the truck, grabbed the rope, got down on her knees and tied a firm bowline knot onto the red bucket. Her time at sailing camp sure came in handy! We all watched intently as Guy sent the bucket over the railing.

Now, it’s time to fess up. We’ve lived in Maine for over a decade and never cooked a lobster at home. It’s just always seemed way too easy to order them steamed and ready to go from our local lobster pound. I knew this was going to be quite an interesting evening for us.

Back in my kitchen, I transferred the pristine, Damariscotta river water into a large pot and got a roaring boil going on the stove. Sophia threw in a lobster and based on the horrified look on her face, that may have been her first AND last time ever cooking a lobster. Thankfully Guy came to her rescue and got the job done. While the crustaceans cooked and cooled down, the kids and I toasted some shredded, unsweetened coconut, coriander and cumin seeds along with a handful of Tellicherry black peppercorns and Kashmiri red chilis in a dry cast iron skillet. In that moment, I felt like I was standing next to mom again watching her pan roast her intoxicating Caldine spice blend on a Sunday afternoon.

As soon as the spices cooled down, we ground them up in my spice grinder. I added the aromatic mixture into some coconut milk and blended it into a thick, savory coconut smoothie. Caldine gets its signature bright yellow hue from a heaping spoonful of yellow turmeric powder. I knew Justus would get a kick out of adding it in, so I handed him the miniature silver spoon in my masala dhabba (an Indian spice container), and watched his eyes light up as he did the honors. Meanwhile, like a seasoned sous chef, Sophia turned on the stove and added the coconut milk to the thick coconut paste in her favorite blue Creuset. With her trusty wooden spoon, she gave it a gentle stir while I shucked the lobsters over the kitchen sink.

In Mumbai, we never had access to lobsters. Mom always made her Caldine with either fish or shrimp. She would always buy an extra handful of shrimp from our fishmonger Kamli because she knew it would not be enough with me around. I would eat all the shrimp on my plate and then scour the pot and everyone else’s plates for another helping. I can still hear her say to me, “Cherie, you better marry a fisherman when you grow up!”

I gently added in the tender lobster claws, tails and legs. As the Caldine simmered away, the creamy, coriander-scented coconut gravy made me weak in the knees. I know mom would agree that these Maine lobsters really took her savory Caldine to the next level. The anticipation for our Caldine lobster dinner was building up. I made up a batch of steamed Basmati rice while the kids ran into the garden to pick a bunch of daffodils for the dinner table. That evening as we all savored the lobster Caldine together, I decided that this should be the beginning of a new tradition for the Scott family. We had so much fun from start to finish and the best part was it gave me a chance to reconnect with my Portuguese-Indian (Goan) heritage, cook with my kids and share stories about their grandma, the best home cook.  If you decide to give it a go, here’s our family recipe. (Feel free to skip the coconut grating!) But please do toast those whole spices as this secret step releases the essential oils. And if you are in Maine, do indulge in lobsters if you can. The succulent, sweet tender meat definitely elevated this iconic savory Goan dish to dreamy status.

Corey Pottle, a friend, neighbor and Boothbay Harbor lobsterman on his boat, Brandy’s Girl.

Sophia tying the Bowlin knot on our bucket.

Pristine, briny Damariscotta river water to cook up our lobsters.

Sophia and Justus checking out the crustaceans.

Sophia hard at work shuckin’ some Maine lobstah!

Mise en place for Lobster Caldine, Part 1.

Dried Coconut infused with turmeric, toasted and ground coriander, cumin, Tellicherry peppercorns, Kashmiri Red chillis and coconut milk.

Gorgeous Daffodils from our garden.

My sweet boy, Justus, with a single daffodil for his mommy.

My kids, Sophia, Justus and our labor of love: Mom’s Lobster Caldine.

My gorgeous mother (check out her dimples), me ( I think I’m 2-years-old), Karen (my sister) and my handsome Dad (check out his sideburns) back in our little apartment in Bandra, Mumbai, India.

Mom's Goa Caldine - A Celebration of Life, Love and Lobster!
 
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Lobster simmered in a coconut milk gravy infused with turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilis and vinegar
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Goan
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 6 lobsters – claws, tails and legs
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 cup of dry shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • 8 Kashmiri chilis
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 teaspoons garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste
  • 1 can (400 ml) of unsweetened (full-fat) coconut milk
  • 4 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut cream
  • 1⁄4 cup warm water
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • For garnish: 1 jalapeno and fresh cilantro
Instructions
  1. In a skillet or cast iron pan, on low heat lightly toast the shredded coconut, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns and Kashmiri chilis for 30 seconds.
  2. Once cooled, grind this spice blend into a fine powder. In a blender, add this powdered spice blend with a can of coconut milk on high speed for 30 seconds. Set aside this wet spiced coconut mixture.
  3. Note: Traditionally, at this step, this mixture is put into a cheesecloth and given a firm squeeze, extracting just the spice-infused coconut milk. ( I skipped this step because I prefer the actual pureed coconut texture in my gravy.)
  4. Meanwhile, on the stove, heat the coconut oil in a heavy based sauce pan and add the finely chopped onions and fry for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until light brown. Add the garlic and ginger paste and sauté on low heat for another minute.
  5. Now add the wet coconut mixture (or spiced coconut milk extract) with the coconut cream and water into the onion mixture and stir together, gently on low heat.
  6. Add the vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir and taste the gravy before adding the lobsters. Gently add in the lobsters and let it simmer for 7 minutes in the gravy with the lid on.
  7. Ladle the Caldine stew over steamed white Basmati rice. Garnish with diced jalapenos and chopped cilantro. This seafood stew only tastes better the following day. So feel free to make an extra batch. It’s well worth the extra effort.

From Flying Chicken Fat to Anthony Bourdain…
A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly!

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On December 11, 2018, Melissa Kelly, walked into the local theater in my hometown of Boothbay Harbor to attend the screening of the pilot episode for my video series Mumbai to Maine. Why this two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner chose to make the drive from Rockland… on a snowy night… on her night off, will forever remain a mystery to me.

But I’m so thankful she did.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to interview Melissa at length not once, but twice in the last 6 months.

This past October, I was honored to host Melissa as my inaugural guest for the Talking Food In Maine, Intimate Conversations series at the historic Lincoln theater in Damariscotta created by the brilliant Executive Director, Andrew Fenniman. As you can imagine, it was a packed house. I was so taken with her and her career I knew I just had to have her on my podcast to share her story with everyone.

  

As soon as I launched my podcast, I asked Melissa to come sit down with me again, but this time, at my home studio in Boothbay. During the Gospel According to Melissa Kelly episode, we had so much fun chatting about her life’s work we totally lost track of time. This episode was so widely shared and so well received, I knew there were some die-hard Melissa Kelly fans out there who would love the additional stories that got edited out of the original podcast. I sat down with my audio engineer, Guy Scott, who came up with a neat idea to add a BONUS episode, entitled, A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly…a sequel! Thanks Guy!

This is a brief but fun 10-minute interview with some engaging moments that I’m sure will captivate you. If you’ve ever wondered what Melissa’s signature dish is at Primo, her award-winning ‘full-circle kitchen’ restaurant in Rockland, Maine? Or what it was like to cook for Anthony Bourdain on his show, No Reservations, take a listen, here is – A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly.

 

Goa Xacuti…an homage to Chef Floyd Cardoz

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When I heard Chef Floyd Cardoz lost his battle to Covid-19 on March 25 I was shocked and felt a wave of deep sadness for his two sons, Peter and Justin; his wife, Barkha in New Jersey; his mother, Beryl, along with extended family in Bandra, Mumbai and his restaurant teams based in Mumbai and in New York City. I immediately texted my friend, Chef Melissa Kelly, owner of Primo, an award-winning ‘full-circle’ kitchen in Rockland Maine, who was at a loss for words. A few minutes later she sent me a text,  “I’m cooking Indian food to honor Floyd, can you be involved somehow?” I was so touched.

Chef Kelly had eaten at Tabla and the Bombay Bread bar and was a big fan of Chef Cardoz.  She was taken with his kindness, hospitality and the amazing food. She went onto share how he had brought Barkha and the kids to dine at The Old Chatham Sheepherding Company when she was executive chef there and won her first James Beard award for Best Chef, Northeast in 1993. “I admired him and his cooking for a long time,” Kelly said. “My first time meeting him. He was a kind, gentle soul with whom I connected instantly.” Sadly, they never cooked together.

I never knew Floyd. I never had the opportunity to dine at any of his restaurants but somehow he touched my life. I realized that we had quite a bit in common. We were both raised in Mumbai, in a bustling burb called Bandra, about 15 minutes from each other. I greatly admired his brother Kim Cardoz who was a fantastic local musician. I had never even heard of Floyd back in Mumbai, nor did I realize that he and Kim were brothers, until I heard of Floyd’s passing and read the numerous articles about his incredible career. I learned he originally went to college for Biochemistry and soon realized that the coat he truly wanted was the chef’s coat, not a lab coat. He had his sights on getting out of Mumbai and moving to New York and working with the best chefs in the world. He set his eyes on and attended one of the finest hospitality schools in the world, Les Roches, located in Switzerland, and soon found his way across the Atlantic to the big apple working for famed chef Gray Kunz at Lespinasse.

Back in 1997, he was the first Indian chef to elevate Indian cuisine with his smash hit restaurant, Tabla, in partnership with Danny Meyer from Union Square Hospitality Group.  One of my biggest regrets was not getting to eat at Tabla when I lived in the city. I was a college student back then at the American Musical Dramatic Academy, living on $3/day, and eating at Tabla was not in the cards.  But just knowing it existed gave me a sense of quiet pride. Thanks to Floyd’s hard work and passion, Tabla was more than an Indian restaurant, it was a statement to the world that world-class Indian cuisine had arrived in NYC!

In the following weeks after Floyd’s passing, I felt compelled to learn more about his life and career. I read hundreds of tributes and articles about Floyd. But it was one article on plateonline.com, written by a close friend of the Cardoz family, food writer Jacqueline Raposo, that deeply resonated with me.

“My heart breaks remembering him (Floyd) saying that his ideal “last supper” would have been his mom’s xacuti and Barkha’s saag gosht…,” Raposo writes.

I shared this quote with Chef Kelly who totally got it! Her mom’s eggplant Parmesan is legendary in her book!

We both knew Chef Kelly had to make the Xacuti in Floyd’s honor.

I felt inspired and took a stab at making my first chicken xacuti in my Maine kitchen while Chef Kelly decided to make her version showcasing Primo restaurant’s prized pork instead.

So, here’s to you Floyd Cardoz, in your honor, a dish close to your heart. Thank you for shining your light on your Goan culinary roots and Indian heritage. We are celebrating your life and legacy this week in Maine.

Goa Xacuti (pronounced SHA-koo-ti))

An iconic celebrated Goan dish bursting with complex flavor profiles of toasted ground coconut 🥥 infused with spicy red 🌶, coconut vinegar, star anise, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel, Tellicherry peppercorns, turmeric, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, curry leaves, tamarind paste, onions, potatoes, 🥥 oil and fresh cilantro.

🌴Back in Bandra, my mom would labor for at least two hours over the xacuti prep after mass on Sundays or on special occasions. She hand-grated the coconut 🥥 using her old-fashioned grinder, no short cuts. Then she would toast the fresh coconut flesh on her tava (skillet) with whole spices and then grind it all up mortar-pestle-style. Lunch was always a late one. I’d hover around mom in our tiny shoe-box of a kitchen asking over and over again in anticipation: “I’m hungry, is it ready yet?”

Years later, in my kitchen, it seems like nothing’s changed…xacuti still takes patience and time (minus hand-grating the coconut) and I do believe it tastes better the following day! There’s something magical about the warm melange of spices resting together overnight that must take it to the next level. I still find myself hovering around the pot as the aromas get more intense. Only now it’s my two kids, Sophia and Justus, who impatiently ask, “Is the Xacuti ready yet, mommy????????”

   

I am so thankful to my Aunt Claire for sending along our family Xacuti recipe all the way from Dona Paula, Goa.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Mom's Goa Xacuti...an homage to Chef Floyd Cardoz
 
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An iconic celebrated Goan dish bursting with complex flavor profiles of toasted ground coconut infused with spicy red chilis, coconut vinegar, star anise, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel, Tellicherry peppercorns, turmeric, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, curry leaves, tamarind paste, onions, potatoes, oil and fresh cilantro.
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Goan
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • Xacuti
  • 2 pounds of boneless or boned in chicken
  • 2 white potatoes, each cut into ⅛ths
  • 2 large onions, finely diced
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut or freshly grated
  • 11/2 cups chicken broth
  • 4 tablespoons refined coconut oil
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro - garnish
  • Masala Powder
  • 2 curry leaves, fresh preferred, or dry as substitute
  • 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • 2 black cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 2" piece, cinnamon stick
  • 8 cloves
  • ½ teaspoon peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
  • Masala Paste
  • 10 dried red Kashmiri chilis
  • 4 teaspoons garlic paste
  • 2 teaspoons ginger paste
  • ½ tablespoon tamarind paste
  • ¼ cup Goa Toddy Vinegar (Coconut or Heinz vinegar may be substituted)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
  1. Xacuti Masala Powder
  2. In a cast iron skillet, dry roast the coconut on low heat until slightly brown, but not burnt. Set aside and allow the toasted coconut to cool down.
  3. In a separate cask iron skillet, dry roast the whole spices and the turmeric and Kashmiri chili powder on low heat releasing their essential oils. Add the dry spices to the coconut and allow to cool.
  4. Grind the coconut and the spices in a spice grinder to a fine powder.
  5. Set aside this mixture to cool down for 15 minutes.
  6. Xacuti Masala Paste
  7. Meanwhile in a glass bowl soak the dried red chilis in the vinegar for 30 minutes.
  8. Once the xacuti masala powder cools down, add the soaked red chilis with the vinegar to it and grind it all together making a wet xacuti masala paste in the blender.
  9. Now, in a dutch oven, on medium heat, add the coconut oil and saute the finely chopped onions and the curry leaves until translucent.
  10. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
  11. Now, add the chicken and saute until the meat is browned, for about 5 minutes.
  12. Add the wet xacuti masala paste, tamarind, chicken broth, salt and sugar and stir well.
  13. Gently add the quartered potatoes, give it a good stir and bring to a boil.
  14. Turn down to a simmer, cover the dutch oven and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
  15. Add the chopped cilantro and serve with steaming hot rice.

The Gospel according to Melissa Kelly

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Melissa Kelly is the first two-time recipient of the prestigious James Beard award for Best Chef Northeast. It’s a notable fact, because it’s an unprecedented accomplishment. No other chef has ever won twice in the same category.

Recently, as I was scrolling through my news feed, I came across a Forbes.com article that claimed less than 7% of restaurant owners in the country are female. Almost immediately it occurred to me that Chef Kelly falls into that stark statistic . She is the Executive Chef and owner of her nationally renowned and award-winning restaurant Primo, located in Rockland, Maine.

Based on the full-circle kitchen philosophy, Melissa Kelly has proved that the ultimate farm-to-table experience is not only sustainable but can also be a profitable one. In fact Primo was so successful she was approached by J. W. Marriott to open two more locations, one in Arizona and the other in Florida and more importantly, given full creative ownership.

Melissa Kelly, owner and chef, Primo restaurant, Rockland, Maine.

In 2019, Primo celebrated its 20th anniversary – a huge milestone for this New York native and Maine’s culinary superstar, given that approximately 60% of restaurants close their doors in their first year. And, if that’s not impressive enough, Melissa was recently nominated for yet another James Beard Foundation award, but this time for Outstanding Chef!

Melissa Kelly sharing her entree course at the 20th Anniversary Diva Dinner, October 27, 2019

Primo Gardens

Like most chef-owners, Melissa is known to work long hours and often hard to pin down. During the day she can be found walking the nearly five-acre sustainable farm with a clipboard in one hand, pencil nestled behind one ear, and a cup of either Rock City iced espresso with coconut milk or PG Tips black tea with a splash of milk, in the other hand, checking in on 15 heritage pigs, 200 laying chickens, 150 broiler chickens, 5 ducks, 3 acres of vegetables, honey bees, two thriving greenhouses, an herb garden, house-aged charcuterie and garlic, vinegars, setting up in the barn for a wedding or prepping and teaching a sold-out charcuterie cooking class on a Sunday afternoon. This does not include pre-meal where she connects with her front and back-of-the-house sixty-person team, followed by an intense dinner service. Melissa curates the Primo menu at midnight, after dinner service is done, for the following night’s service. Dylan, her master gardener, leaves a clipboard hanging in the kitchen with a list of what is harvested or in prime at the end of his day. The relationship between the master gardener and the chef is vital and cyclical, especially when the menu is seasonal and to the moment, at Primo. To most folk, this life may seem exhausting and beyond comprehension, but to Melissa this IS the way life should be! She lives, breathes and believes in the Primo life-style.

Dylan Jacob, Master Gardener, Primo restaurant, Maine.

Melissa may have grown up in an Italian household in Long Island, N.Y., but at Primo, she focuses on showcasing the terroir of her adopted home, Maine. The restaurant incorporates only the freshest scallops, oysters, razor clams, Maine lobster, Haddock, heritage Primo house-raised pork, grass-fed local beef, free-range chickens and of course their eggs. Honey from the Italian bees will accentuate a dessert or be transformed into a honey-wine vinaigrette to delicately lace a farm fresh salad. Every plate is purposefully plated. Garnishes are often harvested minutes before service or late that afternoon right before dinner service kicks off.

What is the signature dish at Primo you ask?  You might think that when in Maine its lobster, but actually the star of the menu and the most frequently ordered dish is Pork “Saltimbocca”.  On average, Melissa said they can sell up to 35 orders of this comforting classic per night in season. This Italian classic is traditionally made with veal and was Primo Magnani’s (Melissa’s grandfather) favorite dish. A butcher by trade Primo Magnani can be credited for curating Melissa’s palate and sensibilities for charcuterie at an early age. It was her grandmother who taught her the Italian classics and how to make pasta from scratch. Melissa adds her unique touch and replaces the veal scallopini with Primo’s prized pork instead. The pork scallopini are lightly dredged in flour, pan-seared in olive oil, layered with house-prosciutto, topped with garden spinach, foraged mushrooms and a sage-infused Madeira jus. At Primo, the heritage pigs are raised on the farm and when harvested, not one inch of the animal is wasted. The animal is honored and celebrated with the utmost respect.

For those hardcore Primo fans out there who are going through bouts of quarantine home-cooking, I thought you would enjoy giving this savory dish a try in your kitchen. Be sure to tag @primorestaurant and @chefmelissak on instagram.

Melissa Kelly’s Famous Pork “Saltimbocca” 

Serves 4
2 pounds boneless pork loin, cleaned and cut into 3-ounce medallions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 sprigs sage, chopped
½ cup Madeira wine
1 cup chicken or pork stock

Gently pound medallions into scallopini. Heat olive oil over high heat. Dredge pork in flour you have seasoned with the salt and pepper. Place pork in pan, being careful not to crowd. Brown well on first side, turn, cook for 10 seconds on the other side. Remove pork from pan and repeat with remaining pork. Once all of the meat is browned, add 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Once the butter foams. add mushrooms and cook until they are softened. Add sage and then deglaze with the Madeira. Cook the wine down in pan until it has evaporated. Add stock and reduce by one-third. Add last tablespoon of butter and swirl in to thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add pork back to pan. Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes, wilted spinach and a thin slice of prosciutto.

Inserted with permission from Chef Melissa Kelly, owner and executive chef, Primo restaurant, Rockland, Maine.

Primo Pork “Saltimbocca” Image, credit to JW Marriott Starr Pass Tucson, AZ.

“We have an endless pursuit to accomplish a more sustainable ecosystem filled with love, creativity and respect for the food. Nothing is wasted — everything has its place. Any waste from the restaurant feeds the pigs, the chickens or is burned to fuel our wood burning oven. We consistently rotate gardens to keep the soil as healthy as possible. We give back as much as we take, for if we don’t, you get less nutritious food and it doesn’t taste as good. It is a continuous cycle that occurs throughout the restaurant with the kitchen, the animals and the gardens to savor every little piece…We’re not just a farm to table restaurant.We’re a farm that has a restaurant at the edge of it.” — Melissa Kelly, owner and executive chef, Primo, Rockland, Maine


Heritage pigs in their pens

When you are chef, especially in the Primo kitchen, your palette is paramount. Melissa does not permit her chefs cigarette breaks during work hours as she believes it compromises a chef’s ability to truly taste the food created. Pre-meal is not a just a time to nourish the team, but also to educate every front-of-the-house staff member on the daily specials so they too can be true ambassadors of Primo’s waste-nothing, full-circle, kitchen. There is only one switch at PRIMO and in season, it’s ON!

Primo is not just about the ultimate farm-to-table experience. It’s about how you are made to feel during the ultimate farm-to-table experience. The attention to detail from the front of the house is genuinely warm and inviting. Each room in the victorian style house has its own name, aesthetic, lighting, ambience and original art work commissioned by local artists.

Counter Room

Fireplace Room

The Bar

The Barn – seats 60 and can hold up to 100 guests. Primo hosts cooking classes, intimate weddings and events in this beautiful space.

This past fall I was granted exclusive access to the Primo kitchen for the 20th Anniversary Celebratory Diva Dinner.  I covered every diva and each course as the Primo team seamlessly executed 6 courses to a sold-out event. I couldn’t help but watch Melissa in action; she was completely poised and in control; a maestro leading her orchestra. There is no denying she lives and leads with what I think are the 10 commandments to survive and succeed in what can be a cutthroat culinary world: vision, hard work, grit, compassion, excellence, authenticity, kindness, respect, humility and unwavering leadership. But don’t take my word for it, take a listen to Melissa’s incredible story, in the podcast above – The Gospel According to Melissa Kelly.

Primo’s 20th Anniversary Diva Dinner, October 27, 2019 From L to R: Chef Emily Luchetti, Chef Ilma Lopez, Chef Melissa Kelly, Chef Kathleen Osterhaus Blake, Chef Nancy Silverton and Chef Jody Adams.

 

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