Mumbai to Maine!

A culinary adventure across the Atlantic

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.

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.

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.

Saag Murgh, an Indian Classic, Creamed Spinach & Chicken!

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Saag Murgh | Spinach Chicken 🐔

This luscious spiced infused creamed spinach dish originated in Northern 🇮🇳 Saag Paneer (Indian Whole Milk Cheese), Saag Gosht (Spinach Lamb) are other variations of the dish.

If you choose to eat chicken or lamb you should cut up boneless skinless chicken thighs or a boneless leg of lamb into 2”. (Vegetarians please substitute chunks of  paneer 😉)

Marinate these chunks in a bowl with turmeric, cardamom, cumin, coriander powder, garlic and ginger paste. Add thick Greek yogurt, salt and the juice of an entire lemon. This will tenderize the chicken or lamb. Let it sit and get happy in the fridge for at least two hours.

Meanwhile, blanch the baby spinach in hot water and then place it into an ice bath to chill out.

Using only premium Indian spices (you can order them online at SKORDO- an award-winning small Maine family business – roast them gently on a pan on medium heat, then grind in small batches and set aside.

Next sauté the roughly chopped the onions in ghee with the ground spices and then add the tomato paste for the perfect acid balance to the warm spices. Now add the spinach.

Simmer this spice-infused spinach mixture gently until you are almost giddy with happiness. The kitchen should smell divine. You may now use your blender and purée this spinach. Add in the cream (because it’s the right thing to do!!!)

Do not skip the cream!!!

If wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to stop here and bathe in this luscious creamed spinach.

Now with two knobs of ghee melted into a Dutch oven on medium heat, sauté the marinated chicken or lamb or paneer for 4 minutes.

Add in the purée spinach (saag) and stir well. Bring to a simmer and cover for twenty minutes.

Now chill a bottle of Gewurztraminer – it pairs perfectly with spicy Indian food.

Set the table, heat up some Stone-fired garlic naan and brush generously with melted ghee and sprinkle with cilantro.

This is when I’m reminded I’m an impatient human being with no self-control.

I tear off a chunk of Naan and dunk it right into the pot of luscious, rich and creamy saag Murgh!

 

Saag Murgh - An Indian Classic...Creamed Spinach & Chicken!
 
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Indian spiced-infused cream of spinach and marinated chicken
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Saag Chicken
  • Indian spiced-infused cream of spinach and marinated chicken
  • Yields 6-8 servings
  • PART 1: To marinate the chicken
  • 2.5 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1.5 cups thick Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons of coriander powder
  • 2 teaspoons of cardamom powder
  • 2 teaspoons of cumin powder
  • 2 tablespoons ginger paste
  • 2 tablespoons garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • PART 2: To makes the Spinach puree (SAAG)
  • 20 ounces of fresh baby spinach
  • 8 tablespoons ghee
  • 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 black cardamoms, use only seeds
  • 3 serrano chilis,
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Kashmiri (mild) chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala powder
  • 1 tube of tomato paste (no spices added, salt-free)
  • ¼ cup of heavy cream
  • Handful of dried crushed fenugreek leaves or fenugreek seeds
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Directions for Part 1:
  2. Marinate: Mix the yogurt, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, coriander powder, garlic and ginger pastes, salt and lemon juice together in a large glass bowl. Add the chicken pieces and coat with the marinade. Cover with plastic, refrigerate and let the chicken marinate overnight or at least 2 hours. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature for a full hour. This is an important step, do not skip it.
  3. Direction for Part 2:
  4. Toast & Grind Spices: In a frying pan, on medium heat, toast the bay leaves, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, black cardamom seeds (no husks). Set aside the whole spice mixture and allow it to cool down. Now grind these whole spices together in a spice grinder until fine.
  5. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, add the ghee on medium heat. Add the roughly chopped onions and sautee for 5 minutes until golden brown.
  6. Now add the green chilis, the spice powder mix, garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder and stir for a minute.
  7. Add the tomato paste stir well and allow it to cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes until the mixture separates from the oil in the pot.
  8. Now add the spinach mixture and stir well.
  9. Take your handheld blender and puree this mixture. Set it aside.
  10. In a fresh pot, add the ghee on medium heat. Add the marinated chicken and stir well. Cover the pot and cook until the chicken changes color, about 10 minutes. Now add the pureed spiced-infused spinach mixture. Stir well and cover to cook for another 10 minutes on low heat. Add salt to taste. Give it another good stir. Now gently add the heavy cream (the creamier the better) and let it all simmer for another 5 minutes on low.

Maine’s Modern Day Willy Wonka

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It’s not everyday that a talented chocolatier and chocolate-maker stops by bearing hand-crafted organic bean-to-bar candy, cacao soap, cacao-infused spices and nibs of dark chocolate to share. This past Holiday I was thrilled to host Kate McAleer, co-founder of Bixby & Co, located in Rockland, to share her entrepreneurial story on Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast.

Bixby & Co. is an organic chocolatier and chocolate-maker based in Rockland, Maine. Women owned, co-founders, Kate and her mother Donna, recently made Maine food history as the state’s first chocolate-maker of organic bean-to-bar vegan smoothie bars– innovation in chocolate making at its best!

It took hours of additional paperwork, federal and state regulations, grant-writing, demonstrations and testing in the kitchen with their talented team to innovate at this level. It didn’t come easily, but it paid off. There are only a few other organic bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the country.

The thing I love the most about Kate is her grit. Kate has won multiple entrepreneurial pitch competitions and written multiple grants to fund her business from the ground up in the last 8 years with no outside investment. She’s not afraid of the paperwork nor the regulations. She’s also not interested in an exit strategy.  She’s in this for the long run and truly wants to build a chocolate company with a moral conscience. A creative collaborator, Kate recently worked on incorporating her chocolate nibs with Gelato Fiasco, Maine’s beloved gelateria. Last year, two-time James Beard award-winning chef Melissa Kelly and owner of Primo restaurant in Rockland reached out to Bixby & Co. to launch her 20th Anniversary ’20 Karat Primo Bar’ featuring Primo’s popular and addictive signature bar snack, roasted almonds with a touch of Calabrian chili and rosemary. The bar was uniquely sweet, salty but also contained spicy notes infusing the 70% dark chocolate. Hundreds of bars were produced but only 5 bars contained a hidden golden ticket.

Its fun collaborative creative experiences like these that inspire Bixby & Co. to continue embracing Maine and its community of outstanding makers while growing its brand. Kate recently collaborated with Maine’s only organic bourbon maker, Split Rock Distilling, located in Newcastle, Maine, to create a chocolate bar (Split Rock Bourbon 70% Dark Chocolate Bar.)

Bixby & Co. retail store located in downtown Rockland also houses Maine’s first bean to bar chocolate factory. The production area is fun to watch through a glass window. I stopped by with my family and enjoyed sampling our way through Pumpkin Caramels, Needhams, Maine Blueberry Jam Bonbons and Dark Chocolate Almonds. We even got lucky and got to watch a chocolatier at work.  I’m sure you’ll find it hard to leave without a 2 lb dark or milk chocolate handcrafted Lobstah in your hand! For now, check out the pictures below and be sure to listen to Kate’s inspiring story on the podcast.  If you can’t squeeze in a visit to Maine soon Bixby & Co. also ships its delicious candy through its website.

Kate enjoying her Mumbai to Maine chai before we hit the studio.

Co-founders of Bixby & Co., Kate and her mother and inspiration, Donna McAleer.

“Kate the Great!”

Sampling Maine Sea Salt and nibs of organic chocolate.

Award-winning restaurant Primo’s 20 Karat Bar made with Bixby Chocolate

What a feast for the eyes or for any Vegan chocolate lover!

Chocolate making in action

A two-pound dark chocolate hand-crafted LOBSTAH!!!

MAINE FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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Sarah and Bryce Hach

Sarah and Bryce Hach, co-founders of the international award-winning educational based food tour, Maine Food For Thought, sharing their story in the studio.

Meet Sarah and Bryce Hach – Maine’s food ambassadors!!! They are one of the reasons I felt inspired to produce this Bicentennial Food Podcast series.

With stellar non-profit backgrounds and a passion for all things food, they moved to Maine back in 2012 and came up with the brilliant idea to start a food tour with an educational twist. The tour was called Maine Food For Thought. (Isn’t that the perfect name for an educational based tour?)

Shortly after they kicked off the tour, in an almost prescient launch, Portland was voted the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year, Bon Appetit.

Sarah and Bryce are committed to sharing Maine’s food story – behind the plate.  They partnered up with restaurants and chefs who feel the same way. Each notable chef has created a dish that showcases a specific Maine food system while also bringing their own respective personalities and culinary flair to the featured dish. Check out the beautiful pictures below. 

UNION, The Press Hotel

New England Clam chowder with a Thai twist, a dish inspired by Union’s Executive Chef Josh Berry’s travels to Thailand. This East meets West, fusion-style chowder captures the essence of land and sea in Maine: clams, haddock, lobster oil, potatoes and celery but in a coconut-milk base, inspired by a Thai ‘Tom Ki Guy’- soup.

UNION’s gorgeous display of pumpkins sourced from farms all over the state of Maine.

EVO Kitchen + Bar  (Hyatt Place Portland- Old Port) 

Check out Matt Ginn’s Mediterranean-inspired Harra dish showcasing Maine’s humble but hearty potato.

A true reflection of “Maine’s urban sophistication and the rural yankee work ethic”- Bryce.

Per the tour: “Rural meets urban” potato dish flavored by an array of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients like leeks, garlic, fresh turmeric, and spices including coriander, cayenne, and cumin.

“Evo Kitchen + Bar’s Head Chef Matt Ginn marries Mediterranean techniques and traditions with the incredible bounty of Maine produce, fish and meat – connecting Maine’s urban and rural lifestyles into a single dish.” Matt was recently a ‘Chopped’ Champion! Go Matt!

Solo Italiano

It’s not everyday that a World Pesto Champion moves to Maine and opens a restaurant as beautiful as Solo Italiano.

Meet Chef Paolo Laboa who is a master at handcrafting handkerchief pasta (a work of art) tossed in an authentic Genovese basil pesto. The pasta is made with 00 grade flour and the pesto is made with Langorian Olive oil, both ingredients imported from Italy. The star of this vibrant dish is the Genevose basil grown right at Olivia’s Garden (a state-of-the-art pesticide-free greenhouse garden up in New Gloucester, about 45 minutes north of Portland.)

The pasta was as smooth as silk with a thin coating of the freshest pesto making this dish an explosion of delicate flavors.

No garlic overload in this award-winning pesto! I was in heaven and didn’t want this bite to end.

Solo Italiano’s owner and chef Paolo Laboa is from Genoa, Italy, where he was awarded the Best Young Chef in all of Italy and the winner of the Pesto World Championship.

Scales

So, I have to admit, I’ve been dreaming about this seafood dish since I left the tour. As we casually walked over to Scales where I devoured some of the best Mussels I’ve had in the longest time Maine’s sustainable initiatives with seafood farming, fisheries, aquaculture, kelp farming, lobster and climate change were all on the table for discussion as we dug into that cast iron skillet filled with Bang Island mussels. I tried to be as polite as I could waiting to see if anyone was interested in snagging  that last piece of crusty bread from Standard Baking co. 

Tender and sweet, these sea jewels were swimming in a broth that was so delicious, it was almost distracting. Bryce almost had my full attention. I wish I didn’t have to share that afternoon. 

Don’t you simply love the old fashioned scale and the sunlight pouring right into this glorious open kitchen?

Bangs Island mussels prepared with Maine cider, Raye’s Mustard, cream and dill served with bread with Maine grains from Standard Baking Company. Raye’s Mustard, located in Eastport, Maine, hasn’t changed since it opened in 1900. The mustard was originally used in the packing of sardines. Maine no longer produces sardines but Raye’s mustard is going strong.

East Ender

I was so stuffed by the time we left Scales, but somehow I managed to make room for yet another bite – an ooey-gooey lobster melt. This melt was so next level with 100% Maine lobster meat dressed in a lobster mayo that they make in-house with reduced lobster stock and fresh chives. The sandwich is topped with local Monterey jack cheese from Pineland Farms. The bread is from Southside Production bakery in South Portland.

Piccolo

After almost three hours of exploring the restaurant scene and eating one tasty bite after the next, we buttoned up this thought-provoking tour with a scrumptious dessert at Piccolo where Bryce shed light on food insecurity in Maine and global food waste. Piccolo is a leader in the restaurant community addressing food insecurity. Their culinary teams at Piccolo and Chaval (their sister restaurant) host community events to raise funds for various non-profit organizations focussing efforts on diminishing food insecurity.

Bryce addressing food insecurity, food waste as he wrapped up the tour at the Piccolo.

I loved that this walking tour was only about a mile long with approximately 5-6 minutes between restaurants. I can’t think of a better way to restaurant hop, and take in the historic district of Old Port on a beautiful late fall afternoon. Each dish was expertly crafted and tied right into a discussion about Maine’s food systems. I had the best time chatting it up with fabulous foodies from all over the country.  On my ride home from Portland to Boothbay, I felt a deeper connection to Maine. Bryce’s closing resonated with me all the way home:

“If you really think about it, we really do have a wide array of the food choices at our disposal everyday and what we decide to put on our plate is a reflection of our values and our circumstance. Hopefully today’s tour will spark in you changes you might make with your palate, your health, and your community in mind.”

Maine Food For Thought was an intimate culinary exploration that went beyond the plate.

It’s no surprise that within three years, Bryce and Sarah have already won a prestigious international award: WINNER, BEST FOOD OR BEVERAGE TOUR EXPERIENCE, by the World Food Travel Association’s 2019 FoodTrekking Awards for “Excellence & Innovation in Food and Beverage Travel Experiences.”

It was an honor to have Sarah and Bryce in the studio sharing their journey.  If you are ever in Maine, please do carve out time to take this tour and also eat at these award-winning restaurants.

I hope you enjoy their podcast. I can almost wage you’ll be catching the next flight to Portland or tempted to get in your car and make a reservation to enjoy some of that award-winning pesto or those Bang Island mussels.

Happy Listening!

 

Mumbai to Maine signature Masala Chai featured in the TrendZone at Maine Expo 2019!

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I was honored to kick off the 2019 Maine Expo TrendZone global breakfast demonstrations with my signature masala chai – hot steamed milk infused with heady notes of freshly mortar-and-pestle-ground SKORDO cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, star anise, peppercorns, nutmeg, ginger and my unique blend of malty Assam and floral Darjeeling tea leaves from Vadham Teas. Although chai has been around Southeast Asia for centuries, in the last two decades it has become a trendy beverage of choice in the West.  I enjoyed handcrafting small batches of chai for scores of attendees. In Hindi, chai means “tea.” So if you ask for a cup of chai-tea, you are literally asking for a cup of tea-tea. You might get a confused look from your chai-wallah.

In the southern part of India, masala chai is ubiquitous. “Masala” in Hindi means spices. So if you ask fora masala chai expect a potent version of chai: black tea brewed and blended with a powdered version of the spices. Masala chai is primarily made with whole milk, no water, in an attempt to mellow and balance out the robust spicy flavors.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of brewing a strong cup of chai the entire process is as therapeutic as drinking the exotic beverage. Back in Mumbai, chai was an intrinsic part of our daily lives, no matter how hot it got!

My morning ritual begins with the hottest water in an oversized mug. (Bigger is always better.) I adore watching those black tea leaves get christened with the scalding water slowly staining my porcelain cup with its mahogany goodness. Embracing the mug in both hands, I take long deep breaths as the blend of crushed spices disperse among the black tea leaves and permeate one another. As the heat warms my hands and the steam hits my face I can almost picture a Mumbai chai-wallah (a street vendor who makes chai for a living) pouring the strong brew from one glass to another like a silting Himalayan waterfall. I get lost in the aromatic fog. The whiffs of chai give my sleepy face a cardamom facial while the chai cools down. On quiet mornings when I’m not hurrying out the door, making a cup of chai also brings back memories of my childhood in the city of Mumbai.One of my fondest memories as a young girl was surprising my dad with a perfect cup of tea as he got home from work. Barely old enough to stand by a stove, I would open the stainless steel can filled with Nilgiri tea leaves and dig right in to get an oversized heap. Gently, I’d add in the raw milk that was hand delivered promptly at 5a.m. Occasionally, a little bit of heavy cream would slide in…ah, creamy perfection! I knew dad loved that extra treat. I watched impatiently as it came to a boil. I would then throw in the tiniest stick of cinnamon, a couple of cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, and if I felt adventurous a big knob of ginger.

I could always time my father and knew exactly what time he would walk in the door with his newspaper in hand. He was punctual to a fault and routine was his middle name. I didn’t need to ask him how his day went because with a cup of chai in his hand I knew life was good! His shoulders would relax as he took in his first whiff of his evening chai after a long day at work. I could sense the tension of his day melt away as he took his first slurp. It was always too hot to sip. Dad chose to slurp it instead.

I can’t even talk about chai without reminiscing about our evening family-tea time back in Mumbai. Marie and Parle-G biscuits were a staple to go along with our tea. If we were out of our stash, I was charged with 5 rupees in hand to walk to the convenience store at the end of our street and pick up biscuits to go along with our chai. Now, I can’t walk past the ethnic aisle at our local grocery store without picking up at least a couple of packs of those golden-wrapped Marie biscuits. I’ve gotten my daughter hooked on them, too. She won’t ask for them every day, but on days when she needs some special mommy time she knows to come up to me and ask for chai and biscuits. She even dunks the biscuits into her chai the way I did. We sit quietly at the kitchen table and share a pack. Sometimes she over dunks and a few chunks fall in and she scoops them out. She might not know how to make chai from scratch or realize how trendy it has become these days, but she does know that with mommy by her side, chai and her favorite biscuits in hand, life is good!

Mumbai to Maine’s pilot episode screening coming soon…

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What a journey its been getting to Maine…celebrating with my family and friends at dinner!

Check out the Pilot Episode of Mumbai to Maine! Mumbai to Maine – (my third child), was born right here in this kitchen, at this very kitchen table.

My hubby, Guy, pictured above, is my BIGGEST cheerleader, my BEST friend and the LOVE of my life! It took Guy almost three years to build this beautiful kitchen for me. No detail was overlooked, every appliance I could wish for was thoughtfully purchased and carefully built in to ensure efficient workflow without compromising any aesthetics. Guy called this labor of love – his Taj Mahal for his wife, Cherie (his Mumtaz)! Only in this case there were only a few hands that did all the work, not 20,000 laborers.

He knew I loved to cook and to be candid I’m sure he was tired of hearing me talk about food. One day he surprised me with a book on food photography and  said, “For heaven’s sake please stop talking about food and now go blog about it!” The kitchen would have been enough to keep me busy for a long time experimenting with Indian inspired dishes. But Guy just knew that would not be enough for his wife.  When I left Mumbai 23 years ago, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that Boothbay, Maine would one day be my home, my happy place, my creative muse. I knew I had to find a portal to share my passion for Mumbai and Indian cuisine and tie it into my deep love for my new hometown -– Boothbay and Maine’s dynamic food scene.

I created my culinary blog: Mumbai to Maine

Flash forward a couple of years, in the midst of what felt like the longest winter ever, between loads of laundry on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I felt this wave of inspiration come over me. I took out my laptop and sat down at my kitchen table and outlined what would become Mumbai to Maine’s six-part tv series.

I listened to my intuition and knew that I would only produce this series if I could collaborate with two incredibly talented filmmakers – Ryan Leighton, of Walking Home fame and Cody Mitchell, renowned cinematographer and BRTV Media Center’s station manager. Before I could talk myself out of it, I composed an email to them both and hit send. I went back to folding laundry relieved that I reached out and didn’t chicken out. Within minutes I heard from them both – they were on board.

My happy place, my Mumbai to Maine incubator, my kitchen.

Mumbai To Maine series will feature what life IS like in Maine and not just how it SHOULD be. ( Maine’s state slogan: Maine, the way life should be.)

Both Ryan and Cody were born and raised in the coastal Boothbay Harbor Region.

Ryan Leighton, directing Cody Mitchell for a scene. The incredibly talented Kim Martin, co-owner of Eventide Epicurean Specialties store in Boothbay Harbor, Maine showing me how to make Naan!

I’ve always been a big fan of Ryan’s award-winning work as a news reporter for the local newspaper, the Boothbay Register, and his award-winning documentary, Walking Home. (We once found ourselves in an html coding class together  – how random is that?) Ryan is an exceptional storyteller. He just knows how to curate a richly layered narrative and I knew he would know how to bring out the best in me on paper and on the screen. I was lucky enough to catch him at the right time as he was in between projects. Ryan was intrigued by Mumbai to Maine because it gave him an opportunity to delve into a creative blend of culinary and documentary narrative on screen.

Cody is a formidable cinematographer, a sensitive and deeply thoughtful human being.  A true artist. I am convinced Cody screens the world around him like no one else does.  I knew this series needed someone with Cody’s creative eye and who would approach it with a unique perspective – one of a native, a local artist with a cinematic lens for a brush. So many of us are guilty of not being able to appreciate the simple beauty in the chaos of our daily lives.  Cody has a way of capturing all the intangibles. His captures are cinematic gold and take my breath away. Just take a look at the Boothbay Region promo shot by Cody and directed by Ryan. Guy, my hubby, produced an original score for the promo!

Cody capturing a dock sunrise -March, 2018. I had a cup of chai in my hand; he had a 40 pound camera. And yet a smile on his face.

My dock. My sunrise. My Maine.

I can’t wait for this pilot to air on December 11, 2018, in the very town it was created in. Here we are in the winter of 2018 working hard in post-production to produce a meaningful cinematic story that we hope will be embraced by a local and international audience. Driven by a love for culinary arts and “foodie culture,” the first season of Mumbai to Maine consists of 6 episodes; each taking a different narrative approach that highlights the characters and culture inherent to life here in Maine. What surfaces is a beautiful cinematic journey that seeks to connect us by our relationships through the people and places we call home.

We all have a story to share.

This is my story!

I hope you are captivated by it and feel inspired to perhaps one day share your story!

Kim Martin sharing her story on how she and her partner Denise Demeter decided to launch their dream store in Boothbay Harbor, Maine: Eventide Epicurean Specialties.

If you would like to attend the screening, check out this link to purchase tickets. We would love to see you there!

If you can’t join us, Mumbai to Maine will be available on demand via Roku, Apple TV, and the BRTV website boothbaytv.com.

 

 

 

 

Madras Curried Pumpkin Soup – Inspired by SKORDO- Maine’s Spice Monger

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Madras Curried Pumpkin Soup

Ask my husband and he’ll tell you that I’m a sucker for great branding. Place an artfully crafted logo and a great jar together… and I’m SOLD! He always pokes fun at me saying it doesn’t matter what’s in the jar as long as it looks cool.  Well a few months ago, he gifted me a couple of spice collections from SKORDO for my birthday. This time it did matter what was in the jar.

SKORDO’s Hot Curries Spice Collection

The instant I opened my first jar of SKORDO’s spice blends I was overcome with nostalgia and felt transported to the streets of Mumbai where I grew up. It was clear to me that only someone who really understood Indian food or lived in India could possibly craft an Indian curry collection with such accuracy. I just had to know the story behind the brand.

The Karonis family — John, Cari and his daughters – Erin & Annie, collectively launched the online SKORDO store back in 2016 and decided to open their brick and mortar store in Freeport, Maine the following spring and yet another in the food-centric downtown area of Portland, Maine later that summer. From the beginning their instincts were spot on. Portland recently won the Best Restaurant City of 2018 by Bon Appetit.

One morning I called to speak with Anne but her dad, John, the founder and co-owner of SKORDO, picked up the phone instead. After a brief introduction, John regaled me with stories of his extensive travels around the world while in the Navy and then as a retail consultant in Asia and India, specifically Mumbai and Delhi. I could hear the joy in his voice as he shared with me how much he fell in love with Indian food and its exotic spice blends.

John’s dream to launch a spice store (SKORDO) stayed with him for years. When John had the full support of his business savvy family SKORDO was finally born.

“My dad, Cari, my sister Erin and I always talked about a way to combine our interest in business and entrepreneurship with our love of food to create a shop that we wish existed… that’s how SKORDO came about.”

Anne Karonis

Anne shared a bit of her dad (John’s) story with me via email: “My Grandfather retired when my dad was in high school and that’s when they moved to Cushing, Maine. My dad (John Karonis) graduated from high school there and went to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, was in the Navy for 9 years . He left the Navy, got his MBA, and was in a career as a retail consultant for many years before retiring from that career several years ago and moving back to Maine. My dad, Cari, my sister Erin and I always talked about a way to combine our interest in business and entrepreneurship with our love of food to create a shop that we wish existed… that’s how SKORDO came about.”

I was so inspired by the Karonis’ family narrative as it was similar to mine in that they shared a deep love and passion for food, family and creating meaningful narratives through their authentic spice collections. I launched Mumbai to Maine back in 2015 in an effort to reconnect with my Portuguese-Indian roots and  to share culinary anecdotes of my childhood in Mumbai and my new home in Boothbay, Maine.

SKORDO’s mission is to empower the home cook with the freshest spices and handcrafted spice blends.

One thing’s for sure, my life has become much easier since I have an array of their jarred spices in my pantry. I don’t have to pull out a slew of Indian spices: cardamom, coriander, cumin, cloves, cayenne and cinnamon, then dry roast them and grind them all together to make up a fragrant Rogan Josh Lamb Curry. I enjoy the process of grinding and blending spices but the truth of the matter is I know its tough to get it done during a work week. When I walk in the door after a long day, I prefer to use that time to bond and catch up with my kids and husband knowing that SKORDO’s got my back in the kitchen.

Last weekend was the first day of fall.  I ADORE fall! The crisp fall air and making the first fire of the season inspired me to get in my kitchen and make a batch of wholesome spicy Madras Curry Pumpkin soup for my family. I visited our local farm stand in Boothbay and bought a couple of sugar pumpkins.

Brown’s Farm Stand, Boothbay, Maine

Locally sourced sugar pumpkins

I love the idea of using real pumpkins to make pumpkin soup. Canned pumpkin just doesn’t seem to lend the same flavor and chunky texture that a real pumpkin brings to a soup. I carefully cut them in half and pulled out the guts and seeds. I sprinkled a generous amount of the Skordo Madras Curry Powder and heavy-handedly drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over the pumpkins. The oil blended right in with the curry powder.

I could almost picture these pumpkins curry-melizing with the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, fenugreek and cumin. After a solid 50 minutes, I pulled them out of the oven and let them rest for 20 minutes.  I couldn’t help but snap some beautiful images of these roasted pumpkins now infused with the heady aromas of Indian spices.

These sugar pumpkins from a local Maine farm were now transformed into spiced-up curried pumpkins.

Perfectly curry-melized pumpkins

I pulled out my favorite cast iron pot, sautéed up some chopped shallots, leeks and garlic with extra virgin olive oil and a generous knob of Kate’s butter.

The foundation of the soup – leeks, shallots, garlic, SKORDO’s Madras Curry powder

What’s better than a combination of butter, olive oil, leeks, shallot and garlic? Well, SKORDO’s curry powder of course! I added in a generous tablespoon of curry powder and allowed it to infuse the shallot-garlic-leek mixture for a minute.  I quickly deglazed the pot with some of my favorite white wine – Gewurtztraminer – that pairs perfectly with Indian food.  I then added in some heated organic chicken stock and threw in a couple of fresh bay leaves. The plan was to use sage of course, but it was not available at the store that evening and nothing was going to stop me from making this soup. So I went with fresh bay leaves instead. Fresh bay leaves are so fragrant and lend a subtle earthiness to Indian cooking, so I knew they would work in this soup. In went a stick of cinnamon. I like how the spicy but sweet notes of cinnamon pair with anything pumpkin. I stayed away from adding in more cloves and cumin as I knew they were already in the SKORDO spice blend .

After the pumpkins cooled down, I gently scooped out the almost burnt-orange colored chunks and added them to the pot. I gave it all a good stir, covered the pot and allowed it to simmer for 25 minutes.

Roasted Pumpkin ready to be transformed into soup

Now for the final touches: my roasted curried chick peas.  Instead of a crouton I thought the crispy and curried chickpeas would bring yet another level of texture and nuance to the soup . I opened a can of chick peas, rinsed them well, patted them dry and laid them on some parchment paper resting on a cookie sheet. I sprinkled a loaded tablespoon of the Curry powder, some olive oil, mixed it all around and roasted them off for 20 minutes at 400 degrees making sure they did not burn.

Chickpeas prepped for the roasting

Roasted Curried Chickpeas also make a protein rich snack!

I knew the soup was ready for my immersion blender when my kitchen was filled with aromas similar to my mother’s tiny spice laden kitchen back in Mumbai.

I added a drizzle of cayenne oil and a few roasted curried chickpeas and snipped chives for color. For the final touch, I gently poured some light cream to tame the spiciness of the cayenne oil.

This pumpkin soup, inspired by SKORDO’s Madras Curry spice blend, had just the right balance of spice, sweet and savory – a perfect way to to mark the first day of fall in my kitchen. I can’t wait to make it again for Thanksgiving.

Mumbai was in Maine. At least in my kitchen.

Rich, velvety, luscious curried pumpkin soup

If you are as intrigued with SKORDO’s spices as I am and interested in being updated on any upcoming collaborations with Mumbai to Maine, click here to subscribe.

Madras Curry Pumpkin Soup
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsps of butter - I used a Maine-made Kate's Butter
  • 1 large leek
  • 4 shallots
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 4 fresh bay leaves
  • 2 medium size sugar pumpkins (this yields approximately 30-oz of pumpkin puree or use two 15.5oz cans of organic pumpkin puree)
  • 1 - 32-oz Low Sodium Organic Chicken Stock
  • ¼ white wine – preferably Gewürztraminer ( this lends a subtle balance of sweet lychee notes to a spiced up soup)
  • ¼ cup of light cream
  • Salt to taste - I use Maldon salt as a finishing salt
  • 2 tbsp SKORDO Madras Curried Powder
  • Garnish: Fried Sage leaves or Bay leaves, Garlic Naan toast points
  • Cayenne Oil drizzle - this can be bought from Eventide Specialties or Fiore Oils and Vinegars
Instructions
  1. In a cast iron pot, sautee the leeks and shallots on medium heat until lightly brown.
  2. Add the garlic and1 tbsp of Madras Curry Powder, stir for a minute, do not burn. This allows the powder to bloom and infuse into the garlic and onions.
  3. Add the white wine and heated organic chicken stock to de-glaze the pot.
  4. Gently add the pumpkin puree to the pot and stir well.
  5. Now throw in the whole cinnamon stick , bay leaves and give it a good stir.
  6. Allow it to come to a gentle boil, cover with a lid, turn the heat down and allow it to simmer for 25 minutes on low heat.
  7. Take out the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and add in the light cream, stir gently.
  8. Turn off the heat and take off the stove to rest for 5 minutes.
  9. Use your Immersion blender on medium speed for 2 minutes to mix throughly.
  10. Add salt to taste. I use Maldon salt crystals.
  11. Garnish with fried sage leaves, cayenne drizzle, light cream, curried chick peas, garlic naan toast points.
  12. To reheat, gently simmer on stove, do not boil again or it will break down.
  13. Roasting the Pumpkins:
  14. Pre-heat the oven to 400.
  15. Slice the top stem off the pumpkins. Cut in half, scoop up the seeds and discard.
  16. Wash out the pumpkin, dry and set on parchment paper, cut side up.
  17. Drizzle generously with olive oil and 1 tbsp of Madras curried powder
  18. Turn them over and roast for 50 minutes.
  19. Cool for 20 minutes. Peel off the skins and scoop out the pumpkin flesh in a bowl.
  20. Garnish:
  21. Curried Chick Peas:
  22. One can of chick peas. Rinse them well, pat them dry and lay them on some parchment paper resting on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a hefty tablespoon of the Madras Curry powder, some olive oil, mixed it all around and roasted them off for 20 minutes at 400 degrees making sure they did not burn.
  23. Fried Sage or Fresh Bay Leaves:
  24. Heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add the sage or bay leaves and allow to brown lightly for 1 minute until crisp. Lay on a paper towel.
  25. Garlic naan:
  26. I use store bought garlic naan, its too easy. Heat it gently in a warm oven after the pumpkins have been roasted. Brush generously with butter. I cut them in triangles to make toast points to go with the soup.

 

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