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Croissant on the Deck

I’d like a cookie please

Coming right up little one

It’s been quite month.  In a very short time, we have rolled out breakfast, lunch and dinner and having sampled a little bit of everything, I can say with certainly that the food at Salt Water Farm is exquisite.  The breakfast sandwich, made with a homemade English muffin, spring greens, a farm egg, Smith’s Smokehouse bacon and ricotta salata always hits the spot.  The croissant, made by our pastry chef Caitlin Macrae, is a thing of absolute bliss and brings me back to my time in Paris every time I eat it.  The view in the morning from our deck takes my breath away, each time I step onto the porch and stepping back inside, it feels as if entering a lovely home, with a sea breeze and natural light coming in from all angles.  At lunch, a spread of colorful, open faced sandwiches rest on thick cutting boards, with mounds of beautiful greens and homemade pickles as an accompaniment.  On colder days, such as today, a soup simmers away on the stove.  After lunch, out of the oven comes sea salted chocolate chip cookies for big and little hands alike.  In the evening service, the sun moves West to the mountains and our incredible staff prepares food from area farms, showing off the bounty of produce and catch from that morning’s harvest.  We have made huge strides in a very short amount of time and will continue to do so.  We are looking forward to welcoming all those who have not yet stepped through our doors and welcoming back those who have found a warm seat at our table.  Thanks for all of your support . . . without it we could not have taken such brave steps.

Written by Annemarie Ahearn

In late March, Ladleah taught a home brewing class at Salt Water Farm to ten beer enthusiasts.  Some of our students even brought their own home brews for us to taste.  We bottled an amber ale and started brewing a brown ale for a future Salt Water Farm event.  All the students went home with a sample bottle and were given strict instructions not to open them until the allotted two week carbonation process was finished.  I have a feeling that not everyone followed instructions, that is, it they are anything like me.

On a windy day in March, Irene, Ladleah and I headed down to the Lincolnville Middle School for the Lincolnville Food Fair, bringing together the farmers, food purveyors and food interested folks of Lincolnville.  As we set up our table with flowers, tee shirts, flats of baby greens and press cards, we watched as dozens of people streamed through the door, many of whom I didn’t recognize.  There were the folks from the new Ararat Farms, a young couple from Elderflower Farm, Andrew from Andrew’s Brewing Company, Stacy Glassman with her delicious Dolcelinos, the baker from Tuva bread and a number of others committed to participating in the local food movement.  There were organizations devoted to sustainable living through barter systems and shared community tools.  There were children of all ages running around sampling food and asking questions.  We made up some minted garbanzo bean hummus spread on baguettes that Josh had made that morning and a Spanish tortilla made by slow cooking onions and Maine grown Yukon Golds in a bath of olive oil and setting it in about a dozen scrambled eggs from the coup.  Ladleah put out samples of her new exceptional country loaf that is made from her own starter and sublime in texture and taste.  It felt good to be part of a community that actively participates in its own sustainability.  Later in the afternoon, everyone watched the “Meet Your Farmer Video’s” put together by the Maine Farmland Trust.  If you haven’t seen them, I suggest you take the time to.  They are a beautiful depiction of a day’s work on various farms all over the state.

http://www.meetyourfarmer.org/

On March 18th, Salt Water Farm hosted a Full Moon Dinner for 21 guests inspired by my recent trip to Spain.  I safely smuggled a few items into the country including partially salted cod, a few links of well cured chorizo, about 20 slices of Iberico ham, arbequina olives, honey and a some Spanish cheeses.  The cheeses only lasted a few days before I had consumed them all. (I inherited this strange addiction from my father where I must have a hunk of cheese and a cocktail at about five o’clock . . . every day.)  I was able to use some of the remaining ingredients throughout the meal, which I’m hoping gave it a certain authenticity.

It was particularly special occasion because the moon (the perigee moon, to be exact) was the closest it has been to the earth in twenty years and was 15% bigger and 30% brighter than an average full moon.  After the first course, all of the guests got up from the table and went outside to watch an enormous red sphere rise from over the Atlantic.  As is followed its arch, higher and higher into the sky, a bright beam of moonlight lit up the sea, the waves twinkling.  It was pretty special.

The garbanzo bean soup was a dish that I had tried in Seville.  A local food aficionado gave me convoluted directions to a nameless, sign-less hole in the wall with good trucker food.  It was excellent trucker food, from the simple soups, to the ham croquettes to the creamed spinach and stewed lentils.  I kept imagining American truckers pulling into the truck stops to fuel up on a Big Mac and a Frosty.  Romesco sauce is probably my favorite sauce in the world.  I’ll reveal the recipe for those you you who would like to try your hand at it.  It goes with just about anything grilled, fish, meat, vegetables . . . .

March Moon Supper at Salt Water Farm

A Taste of

Salt Cod Fritters, Lemon Aioli

To Start

Garbanzo Bean Soup, Chorizo, Escarole

First Course

Greenhouse Baby Swiss Chard, Fennel, Golden Raisins, Sherry

Second Course

Garlic Roasted Chicken, Patatas Bravas, Roasted Artichokes, Romesco

To Finish

Dates, Oranges, Orange Blossom Honey

Romesco

Recipe adapted from Susan Goin’s “Sunday Suppers at Luques

5 dried ancho chilies, seeded and stemmed

1 thick slice day old county style bread

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup raw almonds

3 cloves garlic

1 can San Marzano tomatoes

1/3 cup roughly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

The juice from 1/2 of a lemon

A dash of sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorns

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.

Fill the teakettle and bring to a boil.  Pour water over the stemmed, seeded peppers and let hydrate for 15 minutes.

Place the nuts on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown.

In a frying pan, add two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Fry the bread on both sides until it absorbs most of the oil and turns golden brown.  Remove bread from pan and set aside.  Drain the chilies and add them to the frying pan.  Cook in remaining oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add the whole tomatoes and cook until the liquid is almost absorbed.

In a food processor, grind nuts, garlic and bread to a coarse meal.  Add the tomato and chili mixture.  With the processor running, slowly add the remaining olive oil in full.  Toss in parsley, lemon juice and vinegar and generously salt and pepper to taste.  Give the mixture a couple more pulses and it’s finished.