Lobster Stew Recipe

We first had this version of lobster stew on a blustery November Saturday night four years ago. Served with a fresh green salad and good friends, it warmed us physically and mentally.

This comes from a real Mainah.
She says:

My family went to the Pemaquid--New Harbor area every summer for years and this is one of the recipes that I have continued to make as a result of those memorable summers on the coast of Maine. We were always able to get lobsters right off the boats. All amounts are estimates and as long as there is a lot of lobster, then it will be a success. I am sure that my mother never really measured any of the ingredients, but just made sure that there was ample lobster meat in every bowl.

We know that we love it, and more complicated recipes don't taste any better . In honor of Trap Day, we present

Joan's Easy Lobster Stew

5 or 6 cooked lobsters (anywhere from 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. each)

6 cups of milk

2=1/2 cups of light cream (can use heavy if not on a diet--or sometimes my mother even used evaporated milk)

2 sticks of butter

salt and pepper to taste

Steam the lobsters and pick out the lobster meat. Cut the lobster meat into large chunks and saute in butter over low to medium heat until it turns a bright red.

While the lobster is sauteing, put the milk into a large pot and heat on low heat making sure it does not boil. When the milk is hot, add the lobster and slowly add the cream. Continue to heat over low to medium heat until hot...being careful not to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with oyster crackers.

This lobster stew is even better when left to cool and then reheated.

maine
Cooking

Clam Chowder Recipe

In Maine, lobster and clams go together like beer and buffalo wings or Oreos and milk.
It's hard for us to have one without the other. In the summer, we love a mess of steamers (steamed clams) followed by a nice boiled lobster (we can have the steamed vs. boiled debate later).

We've had lobster on the brain all this week (tomorrow being Trap Day ), but we don't have a hankering for an actual lobster tonight. Then there's the fact that we're stuck in a soup rut and the only logical conclusion is that it's a great night for Clam Chowder.

We'll serve it with a Sour Dough Bread (Flying Pig being a wonderful local bakery), a salad and the lovely Red Truck wine.

The recipe I'm making tonight is from one of my new favorite cookbooks Recipes From a Very Small Island, written by Linda and Martha Greenlaw.

Being from away, I initially shied away from making clam chowder at home--the thought of shucking a clam intimidated me. It's very easy and if you follow the method in the first paragraph of the recipe, it's extremely easy.

Lastly the question of whether a thick chowder is better than a milky chowder is another debate that happens between Mainahs, but we like both kinds.

Tonight, we're opting for thinner, and this recipe is divine.

Barter Creek Clam Chowder

1.5 lbs soft-shelled clams, well cleaned (scrubbed and rinsed off)
3 strips bacon, coursely chopped
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia if available)
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups milk
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the clams in half a cup of water until they begin to open (5-8 minutes). Shuck the clams, discard the neck skin (the icky black stuff on the neck--it will just peel off) and if necessary, cut the clams into smaller pieces.

In a large stock pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp (about 10 minutes). Remove bacon with slotted spoon, leaving fat in the bottom of the pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until the onion begins to soften (about 5 minutes). Add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).

Add the milk, evaporated milk, butter and clams with any juices that you've reserved. Simmer over low heat until the butter melts and the clams are fully cooked (about 5 minutes). Add the bacon and parsley and season with the salt and pepper.

You can serve it immediately or cool and refrigerate overnight. If you are going to reheat, slow warming on the stove top works much better than the microwave.

recipes
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Flu Weather (and a cure for it--the flu not the weather)

It's gray and 38 here today, with a light mist and general dampness in the air. The sky is gray, the water is gray, our mood is trying to turn to gray, but we're gamely avoiding that.
Tomorrow it will be back in the 60's, Thursday in the 40's, Friday in the 50's and Saturday in the low 40's. Flu weather. "An ounce of prevention" being what it is, it seems the time to make a batch of chicken soup. This is rich in vitamins and whatever other magic is found in chicken soup, but on top of that, it tastes wonderful even when you're not sick.

Chicken Soup

1 whole fryer chicken-organic or even better kosher if you can find it (those are a bit hard to come by in Maine)
2 large parsnips
2 small onions
4 large carrots
2 large turnips (when you can't find turnips, rutabegas work well)
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
half pound wide egg noodles
2 Tbs fresh dill
2 Tbs fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken in a pot, cover with cold water
Chop 1 onion, 1 parsnip, 1 turnip, 2 carrots and add to the pot
Do not peel the root vegetables (just make sure they're well washed)
Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cooking for at least two hours
Skim fat as necessary
Remove the vegetables and discard
Remove the chicken and debone, then strain the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste
Chop parsnip, turnip, onion and carrots into small chunks and add to the simmering stock
Add the chicken and egg noodles
Cook until noodles and veggies are tender, then add the parsley and dill just before serving.

My husband doesn't love the dill, so I usually use half what's called for.

Cooking

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Today, I'm using the left over beef from the roast to make a quick and easy beef vegetable soup. I've yet to meet a kid that doesn't love this soup and that includes my husband (who still doesn't like to eat his veggies).
I generally don't work from a recipe and I always use whatever fresh or frozen veggies that I have on hand at the time so it never tastes exactly the same. I did carefully measure before posting this but you should feel free to add or take away to suit your tastes. It will still be scrumptious.

If you don't have a lot of time, this can be made in about 35 minutes (just allow enough time for the potatoes to cook thoroughly) but if you can let it simmer for 2-3 hours, the flavor gets better and better. I put the extra soup in individual sized containers and freeze it. It's just as good (maybe better) warmed up.

Beef Veggie Soup

Left over beef roast, shredded into bite sized pieces
1.5 large cans of tomato or V-8 juice (my mom uses V-8 for the extra vitamins, I prefer tomato juice)
3 potatoes cut into bite size pieces
8 oz frozen corn
8 oz frozen lima beans or frozen peas
8 oz frozen cut green beans
6 oz frozen cut carrots
salt to taste (the potatoes will absorb a bit of salt, so you'll most likely need more than you think)
pepper to taste
16 oz Beef stock or to taste ( you can omit the beef stock, but I like it because it thins the tomato just a bit)

Pour tomato juice and beef stock into stock pot or large sauce pan and add the potatoes. Simmer until potatoes just start to become soft. Add the beef, the veggies and salt and pepper and continue to simmer....

Tonight I'm pairing the soup with a blt tossed salad. I also serve it with hot bavarian ham and cheese sandwiches or tuna melts.