Porcini Lamb Meatballs with Fennel Carrot Shallot Mushroom Sauce

Grass-grazed Lamb Meatballs with Fennel Sauce

Grass grazed ground lamb creates a flavor canvas for the palette of plentiful vegetal pleasures from nature. To make these luscious gluten free lamb meatballs tender and moist, I soak pulverized dried Porcini mushrooms in beaten egg to replace the usual breadcrumbs. Adding to the richness of flavor, texture and creamy experience of the dish, is the use of tons of fennel root, replacing celery in the Mirepiox trio, which begins the satiny sauce preparation.

To make this sensational savory dish for yourself, the ingredients and directions, including food styling tips, are as follows:

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground lamb - grass-grazed

• ½ cup of rendered duck, or other, fat for browning meatballs (or use coconut oil)

• ¼ cup dried Porcini mushrooms – pulverized

• 2 teaspoons of olive oil

• 1 large egg – free range, well beaten

• 1 medium shallot – minced

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• ¼ teaspoon of coriander – ground

• ¼ teaspoon of allspice – ground

• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg – ground

• ¼ teaspoon of turmeric – ground

• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper – ground

• ¼ teaspoon of white pepper – finely ground

Meatball Directions

1. Soak the pulverized Porcini in the beaten egg for at least 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, slowly caramelize the shallots with the salt and spices in the olive oil, stirring frequently. ~15 min

3. In a 2 Quart bowl, blend the porcini/egg and the cooled cooked shallot/spice mixtures.

4. With clean hands, thoroughly knead the ground lamb into the wet mix.

5. Portion the meatballs with a 1½ inch release style scooper, onto a wax paper lined sheet pan.

6. With wet hands, roll the portions into rounded balls. Refrigerate for 30 minute or more to firm before browning.

7. Make the sauce while they are chilling.

8. Brown the meatballs all over, in your favorite fat. Drain and add them to the sauce as they finish.

9. Cook the meatballs in the simmering sauce for about 15 minutes.

10. For best results, let the finished recipe cool and refrigerate covered overnight to meld the flavors.

Fennel Carrot Shallot Mushroom Sauce Ingredients

• 1 pint of broth, your choice of what you have on hand - be ware of salt!

• 1 cup of fresh fennel bulb - finely sliced

• 1 cup of Vidalia onion – medium chopped

• 1 cup of shallots - thinly sliced

• 1 cup of carrots - chopped

• 1 cup of Baby Bella mushrooms (Crimini) - sliced

• ¼ cup of olive oil

• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, marjoram or savory

• 1 teaspoon of dried or fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon of dried basil

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• ½ teaspoon of white pepper – finely ground

• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper – finely ground

• ½ teaspoon of black pepper – medium or fine grind

Fennel Carrot Shallot Mushroom Sauce Directions

1. In a large lidded skillet, sauté the fennel and onions in the olive oil on medium low heat until softened and nearly clear. Add the shallots and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

3. Make a well in the center of the pan to make a space for the tomato paste. Spoon the paste into place and let it cook for a few minute while stirring to prevent scorching. Stir the cooked paste into the rest of the pan mixture.

4. Add the broth and vinegar into the pan and stir everything together. Bring the pan to a boil then reduce the heat so the contents simmer.

5. Add the meatballs as they are browned and slightly drained.

6. Cook the meatballs in the sauce for about 15 minutes.

7. For best results, let the pan cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight to meld the flavors.

Serve reheated, garnished with chopped fresh parsley

Fresh Fennel Bulb Halves

A Jubilant July Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow

Part 3: Portobello Cheese Burgers and Grilled Vegetables

Photos by Michael Marquand

Recipes by Marilinda Hodgdon

Welcome to Part 3 of our Southern Maine picnic, inspired by the glorious fresh bounty of summer by the sea. In the last post I expounded the virtues of two delectable seafood appetizers to go with Part 1’s sparkling sangrias; Fresh oysters on the half shell with chive, cucumber and pink peppercorn mignonette, plus crostini of lobster and pea purèe with Amontillado Hollandaise sauce. In this post I present my vegetarian main course of Grilled Portobello Cheeseburgers with Baby Arugula, Avocado Herb Mash and Pickled Red Onions accompanied by Grilled Asparagus, Leeks and Fennel with Moroccan Spiced Corn on the Cob.

The star of our main event, Portobello Burgers, are all dressed up with everywhere to go! Their giddy grilled vege entourage is ready for a party night. Let’s go behind the scenes for an up-close and personal look at the making of the tantalizingly tasty oh-so-umami burgers. The magic is in the marinade!

First we must gather the Burger Build Components, some of which we can make ourselves. The recipes make 12 servings, but you can adjust the numbers for your own party needs.

· Portobello Mushrooms Caps-3-4 inch diameter by 1-2 inch high

· English Muffins

· Plu gras butter – softened at room temperature

· Baby Arugula Lettuce

· Havarti Cheese Slices

· Pickled Red Onions

· Avocado Herb Mash

You will want to make the Pickled Red Onions first, to give them time to rest and cool before they are called for their close-ups.

Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

· 2 Small red onions, sliced into thin crescents

· 1 Cup of pomegranate juice

· ½ Cup of red wine vinegar

· ¼ Cup of honey

· ½ Teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

· ½ Teaspoon coriander seeds

· ¼ Teaspoon sea salt

· 4 Juniper berries

Directions

1. Bring the liquids and spices to a boil

2. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the onions

3. Cook for 5 minutes or less until just tender

Let cool - The onions will continue to soften while the mix cools

Next, prepare the mushroom caps for their marinade soak and subsequent grilling. You can use a charcoal or wood grill, gas grill or frying pan. Whatever is best for you, or easiest, will work. A wood fire adds a nice earthy smoky flavor component, but these babies are bursting with so much flavor that you will be thrilled either way you do it.

Photo by Angela Olsen Mathews

Magic Marinade

Ingredients

· 1 Cup olive oil

· ¼ Cup Balsamic vinegar

· 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

· ½ Teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

· ½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together

Portobello Mushroom Caps

Ingredients

· 12 semi open Portobello Caps that slightly overhang the English muffins

Tip: If the mushrooms are completely opened they will be very flat with a less appealing finished look on the burger sandwich. Use the leftover mushroom stems in your morning omelet.

Directions

1. Clean the dirt from the mushroom caps being careful to avoid getting the gills wet.

2. Brush both sides of Portobello mushroom caps with marinade.

3. Let them rest for 15 minutes.

4. Prepare the rest of the components before you cook the mushroom caps.

5. Grill the rounded side on medium heat until tender, 3 minutes.

6. Flip the cap to the gill side and add a slice of Havarti cheese slice to the round side.

7. Cook for another minute or less. Do not let the cheese get too melted. It will continue melting after it is off the heat.

8. Place the cheese-covered caps onto a plate and place in your building station.

The next step is to prepare the Avocado Herb Mash.

Avocado Herb Mash

Ingredients

· 1 Ripe avocado

· ½ Lemon for juicing

· 2 Tablespoons of chopped chives

· 2 Tablespoons of minced fresh Italian parsley

· ½ Teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

· Pinch of sea salt to taste

Directions

1. Mash the avocado with the lemon juice, leaving at bit of chunky texture.

2. Add the herbs and spices into mashed avocado and mix well.

Wash and dry the baby arugula and prepare the English Muffins to get ready for your build.

English Muffins

· 12 English muffins

· 2 Sticks or ½ pound softened (room temperature) European Style Plu Gras Butter

Tip: I sometimes use 1:1 unsalted:salted, depending on how salty you make the rest of your ingredients.

Grill the mushroom caps.

Burger Build

1. Split the English muffins and toast both halves.

2. Spread the bottom muffin half with softened unsalted plugras butter.

3. Add a small handful of baby arugula onto the butter on the muffin bottom.

4. Spread the Avocado Herb Mash on the top muffin half

5. Place the cheese topped mushroom on the arugula

6. Top the cheese with about a tablespoon of pickled onions

7. Add the top muffin half to finish the burger build

To accompany our Portobello Burger star is the beautiful and delicious medley choir of Grilled Vegetables and Moroccan Spiced Corn on the Cob.

The first step in preparing the vegetables is to ready them for the grill. The is corn is cooked with the husk on to impart the flavor of the char-roasting husks into the fresh and delicate kernels of sweet just picked corn, without scorching or drying them out. This is done by carefully pulling back each leaf, leaving them attached to the cob. Once accomplished, remove the silk. Delicately smooth the husk leaves back to their original positions on the cob. Soaking the cobs in water, restored of their husks, will prevent too much burning, allowing the sweet kernels to steam to perfect tender juiciness.

The leeks are split in half or quarts lengthwise, depending on their girth, to allow washing of their sandy interiors. The fennel bulbs, stems and fronds are also sliced lengthwise into halves, quarters or eighths, depending on their bulb circumference, for even cooking. The asparagus are trimmed of the woody ends of their stalks for even cooking and tender eating. If they are very large asparagus, they will need an additional pairing, with a vegetable peeler, of the thickest part of the ends.

The preserved half lemons are grilled with their cut faces down. Most directions for preserved lemons call for them to be cut lengthwise in quarters and require a month to be ready. I preserve mine for 2-3 weeks cut into halves for this presentation and better grilling. You can find many recipes for preserved lemons online, or buy them in jars at gourmet specialty shops or Middle Eastern stores. Recipes often say to use just the rinds, but I often use the whole fruit in my recipes. They are very easy to make. If you can’t find Meyers lemons, just use what you can find. Myers lemons are sweeter and less acidic. In this recipe it does not matter.

Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients

· Large Asparagus

· Leeks split into halves lengthwise

· Fennel Stalks split into quarters or eighths lengthwise

· Corn on the Cob with husks attached

· Preserved Lemon Halves

· Olive Oil enough to lightly coat the asparagus, leeks and fennel

· Marash Pepper Flakes

· Sea salt to taste

Directions

1. Lightly brush asparagus, leeks and fennel with slightly seasoned olive oil to prevent sticking to the grill.

2. Add a sprinkle of Marash pepper flakes for extra color and flavor

3. Carefully pull back the husks of the corncobs, leaving them attached.

4. Remove the silks from the corn

5. Replace the cornhusks onto the corncobs, one by one to cover the kernels well

6. Soak the corncobs so that they resist burning on the grill

7. With a watchful eye, on medium high heat, grill the vegetables and corn, turning as needed until they reach the desired doneness, each vegetable will take a different timing. The fennel will take the longest. The corn takes less time than you think. Do not over cook the delicate asparagus!

8. Grill the preserved lemons with their cut sides down until grill marks are distinctive.

When the corn is finished roasting, remove the husks to ready them for their adornment of amazingly delectable Marash Pepper Herbed Goat Cheese & Greek Yogurt Sauce.

Marash Pepper Herbed Goat Cheese & Greek Yogurt Sauce for Grilled Corn

Ingredients

· 8 Ounces Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt

· 4 Ounces Soft Mild Spreadable Goat Cheese

· 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

· 2 Tablespoons minced Chives

· 2 Tablespoons minced Italian Parsley

· 1 Tablespoon minced Fresh Mint Leaves

· 1 Tablespoon minced Preserved Lemon Rind

· 1 Tablespoon preserved Lemon Juice/Pulp

· 1 - 1½ Teaspoons Marash Pepper or Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

· 1 Teaspoon ground Coriander

· Crumbled Feta for Garnish - Feta is used here to replace Jben, the commonly used Moroccan Cheese.

Directions

1. Mix everything except the Feta together thoroughly.

2. Pull the and discard the husks from the grilled corn cobs.

3. Roll the corncobs in the spiced sauce to coat each thoroughly.

4. Crumble Feta to garnish the sauced grilled corncobs.

My next post, Part 4 of the Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow is the finale to the feast. It will feature my homemade Maine blueberry cheesecake ice cream popsicles with a do-it-yourself dark chocolate magic shell coating. A perfect finish to a sumptuous summer supper al fresco!

Mead Meadow Main House and Patio

A special heartfelt thanks to Angela Olsen Matthews and her husband, Peter Matthews, at Mead Meadow for their thoughtful and gracious generosity and hard work in hosting our scrumptious and serene summer picnic. You can visit Angela’s Instagram page @MeadMeadow

About Mead Meadow

We were invited to historic Mead Meadow, in picturesque Kittery Maine, to shoot our delightful summer outdoor meal. This water front paradise is a restored 140 year old farmstead, originally a 20 acre estate, was called Mead Summer House. Included: the main house, a horse and buggy carriage house, which is now a guest cottage, a boat house and the original well. The lovingly restored buildings are now nestled on 4 acres of manicured grass surrounded by wild and cultivated flowers, raspberry bush stands, shrubbery and original trees. The garden shed was torn down and its beautifully weathered old New England stones have been transformed into a spacious patio surrounded by potted herbs and flourishing flowers, with a bucolic view of the rear grounds and cove.

A Jubilant July Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow

Part 2: Seafood Appetizers

Photos by Michael Marquand

Recipes by Marilinda Hodgdon

Welcome to Part 2 of our Southern Maine picnic, inspired by the glorious fresh bounty of July by the sea. In the last post I presented the Red, White and Blue Sparkling Prosecco and Lambrusco Sangrias to sip with our seafood appetizers. In this post I present the appetizers: my versions of oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce and lobster claw and pea puree crostini.

The fresh oysters on the half shell are adorned with a colorful mignonette sauce, made of freshly snipped chives from Mead Meadow’s herb garden, minced mini cucumbers, crushed pink peppercorns and Moscatel wine vinegar.

The sourdough crostini slices are loaded with a pureè of shallot and fresh English peas. The freshly caught local lobster claws nestle into the pea pureè . The claws are draped with lemony Amontillado Hollandaise sauce and are garnished with fresh pea tendrils. The local seafood vender graciously sold us just the claws we wanted by simply putting our order in a couple of days ahead. Some shops carry fresh containers of just claws, since they also sell just the tails. Because we ordered ahead of time, we were able to ask them to be careful to keep the claws as intact as possible for our aesthetic purposes. Some were a little ripped or separated, but I made due by covering those spots with the sauce. Angela of Mead Meadow grew the peas herself, on my request, to make sure we would have the pods and tendrils for our shoot. In spring and early summer they are plentiful in most markets these days.

Recipes

 Maine Oysters on the Half Shell with Mignonette of Chives, Minced Cucumbers and Crushed Pink Peppercorns

 Ingredients

·      24 small Maine Oysters

·      1 Lb. Coarse Sea Salt for presentation

Mignonette Sauce

·      1 cup of Moscatel or Sherry Wine Vinegar

·      Small Bunch of Chives

·      1 Tablespoon of Pink Peppercorns

·      One small Persian Cucumber

·      3 Medium Lemons to Make 24 Lemon Wedges

Directions

1.     Sort oysters to discard any dead.

2.     Wash oysters of any sand.

3.     Finely chop Chives.

4.     Finely mince Persian cucumbers, keeping the skin

5.     Crush the Pink Peppercorns

6.     Mix the Chives, Cucumbers and Crushed Pink Peppercorns with the Vinegar

7.     Open Oysters, reserving all liquid.

8.     Lay oysters on a bed of course salt and add the oyster liquid to the oysters.

9.     Spoon a small amount of the Mignonette sauce onto each oyster shell

 Serve immediately while cold with sparkling sangrias.

Lobster Claw Crostini with Fresh Pea Pureè and Lemony Hollandaise Sauce

 Freshly Purchased

 ·      20 Small Fresh Maine Lobster Claws

·      1-2 Sourdough Baguettes Sliced into ½ inch Diagonals

Pea Puree

Ingredients

• 1 Pound of Fresh English Peas

• 1 Quart of Water, Vegetable or Seafood Broth, or a mix of your choice

• 2 Medium Shallots

• ¼ cup of Amontillado Sherry

• 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt

• ½ Teaspoon Ground White Pepper

Directions

1. Thinly slice the shallots.

2. Sort the peas for any withered items.

3. Wash the peas.

4. In a medium large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil.

5. Add the shallots and peas.

6. When the peas are tender and still bright green, remove them & shallots to cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the color. Reserve a cup of the cooking liquid in a measuring cup.

7. With a slotted spoon or spider add the cooled peas back into the cooled empty pot with the sherry and pepper.

8. With an immersion blender pureè the peas, shallots and sherry, adding in cooking liquid as needed, until smooth.

9. Season with additional sea salt & white pepper to taste, being very careful to allow for salt in the lobster and hollandaise.

Marilinda’s Hollandaise Sauce

 Ingredients

• 4 free range organic egg yolks

• ½ cup or more of plu gras (European Style) unsalted butter

• ½ freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

• 1 Tbs. Amontillado Sherry

• 1/8 tsp of ground cayenne pepper

• Pinch of sea salt to taste

Directions

1. Beat egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt together.

2. Melt butter in a small pan over very low heat.

3. Slowly whisk the butter into the egg yolk mixture until it is all incorporated.

4. Keep whisking constantly until the egg yolks thicken the sauce to the desired consistency.

5. Briskly whisk in warm sherry to flavor the sauce.

6. Use the warm sauce immediately.

Tip: To thin and reheat congealed sauce, whisk in a tiny bit of warm water. Garnish             with fresh pea shoots and tendrils.

 To Assemble Crostini

1. Slice the baguettes.

2. Spread each slice with about 1-2 tablespoons of pea puree, depending on their size.

3. Add one claw to each pureè topped slice.

4. Spoon hollandaise over each of the claws

5. Garnish with peas shoots and/or tendrils.

Stay tuned for my next post, Part 3 of our Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow. It will feature the main course of cheesy portobello burgers crowned by pickled red onions, avocado mash and baby arugula. The grilled vegetable sides are asparagus, fennel and leeks, accompanied by Moroccan spiced, grilled in their husks, corn on the cob.

Part 4, the finale to the feast, is homemade Maine blueberry cheesecake ice cream popsicles with a do-it-yourself dark chocolate magic shell coating.

Mead Meadow Boat House

A special heartfelt thanks to Angela Olsen Matthews and her husband, Peter Matthews, at Mead Meadow for their thoughtful and gracious generosity and hard work in hosting our scrumptious and serene summer picnic. You can visit Angela’s Instagram page @MeadMeadow

About Mead Meadow

We were invited to historic Mead Meadow, in picturesque Kittery Maine, to shoot our delightful summer outdoor meal. This water front paradise is a restored 140 year old farmstead, originally a 20 acre estate, was called Mead Summer House. Included: the main house, a horse and buggy carriage house, which is now a guest cottage, a boat house and the original well. The lovingly restored buildings are now nestled on 4 acres of manicured grass surrounded by wild and cultivated flowers, raspberry bush stands