Lemony White Bean Soup and Portland Maine Treasures!

During a time filled with strife and uncertainty, we can all use a bit of diversion. I hope you enjoy this entry and it helps to lighten your days!

It all started out with a short weekend jaunt to Portland, Maine for a well deserved rest after a few hectic weeks of teaching and rehearsals. For the first time since Covid, we planned to have dinner at one of all time favorites; Fore Street. I had quickly made a reservation for a hotel in Portland, not paying close attention to the details.

It was my turn to drive as we entered the Maine turnpike; happy memories of past trips to Maine occupying my thoughts as we sped past marsh land and waterways. My husband put the location of the hotel into the GPS and said: “It looks like we may have a bit further to go, maybe 3,178 miles”. I had inadvertently made the reservation for a hotel in Portland, Oregon! I pulled off at a rest stop and sheepishly made a call to the hotel. The kind receptionist said that this happened more often than one might expect! Luckily we found a hotel in the desired location for a very reasonable price that was not in downtown Portland, but next to the airport. It turned out to be quite decent and also included a great breakfast complete with an omelette station. And, it was only a ten minute drive to downtown Portland- crisis averted. In our topsy turvy crazy world, small victories feel all the more satisfying! After we checked into our hotel, we headed out to Fore Street and joined the daily line that forms at 4:30 PM to get a reservation for that evening. We got a coveted seat and were ushered into a large room that once was a factory with the original old brick walls and high wooden beams.

Friendly servers wear blue jeans with white aprons and you are greeted with a basket of delicious sour dough bread with a dish of excellent soft butter. The bread is from a bakery just downstairs, The Standard Bakery. With a glass of red wine, this could be a complete meal!

Fore Street offers locally sourced food with the freshest fish I have ever tasted; often the daily catch just brought in from down the street!

This evening we shared a salad with wild Maine blueberries, corn, Manchego cheese and chicory. The dressing was a lightly fennel infused olive oil. Eaten with another piece of the crusty flavorful bread and butter, this again could have been a complete meal!

There was much more to savor: in addition to excellent fish, the restaurant is also known for chicken and meat that is prepared on an open wood fired grill. We ordered rotisserie chicken that had been brined in salt, bourbon, molasses and juniper berries. Served with rich and flavorful coarse ground polenta and sauteed collard greens; the chicken was tender and succulent!

I ordered roasted pollack served in a cast iron pan that was topped with tender chunks of lobster, toasted garlic breadcrumbs, fresh corn kernels, mild shishito peppers; surrounded by a peppery fish broth and red pepper ratatouille- a lovely explosion of flavor!

After this meal, we were too full to order dessert, but managed to walk slowly to the nearby Portland Art Museum that offers free admission on Friday evenings!

This little jewel of a museum has been a long time favorite of ours with innovative and creative exhibitions that often feature works of artists with a connection to Maine. This evening, I was drawn to a few pieces of artwork that included a vibrant mosaic like painting by the American Abstract Expressionist artist Lynne Drexler. Born in 1928, she and her husband moved to Maine’s Monhegan Island in the 1970’s where she spent the rest of her life in this beautiful and idyllic location.

We also enjoyed a few works by Louise Nevelson. She was born to Jewish Ukrainian parents who moved to Rockland, Maine when she was a young child. Best known for her striking and bold sculptures, I was particularly drawn to a small painting entitled “Still Life.”

This day was truly a feast of the senses- we returned to our cozy room looking out over the Portland Jetport sated and content! The next day was spent walking around Portland and we had thought we could fit in a visit to Bao Bao Dumpling House, another favorite. We were sad to learn that they only served dinner and we needed to head back home. But, we learned that they had opened a small cafe that served lunch and is connected to an Asian grocery store in nearby Brunswick, Maine: to be continued in the next installment!

As always, when there is insurmountable trouble in the world, cooking is the tried and true remedy for me. My husband Paul found a recipe for an interesting sounding white bean soup in the NY Times Cooking column and I decided to try it. Easy to prepare and full of flavor, it was a perfect for a chilly weeknight. The first time I made the soup, I used turkey sausage and included the the grated ginger called for in the recipe. I also tried it without the ginger and added left over cubed chicken breast. I preferred this version; the flavors blended together nicely. I hope you enjoy this!

Lemony White Bean Soup (from NY Times Cooking- recipe by Melissa Clark)

INGREDIENTS:

Yield:4 servings

• 3tablespoons olive oil
• 1large onion, diced
• 1large carrot, diced
• 1bunch sturdy greens, such as kale, broccoli rabe, mustard greens or collard greens
• 1tablespoon tomato paste
• ¾teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to taste
• ⅛teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• ½pound ground turkey
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 1tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1quart chicken stock
• 2(15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1cup chopped fresh, soft herbs, such as parsley, mint, dill, basil, tarragon, chives or a combination
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste

PREPARATION

1. Step 1 Heat a large pot over medium-high for a minute or so to warm it up. Add the oil and heat until it thins out, about 30 seconds. Add onion and carrot, and sauté until very soft and brown at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Step 2 Meanwhile, rinse the greens and pull the leaves off the stems. Tear or chop into bite-size pieces and set aside.
3. Step 3 When the onion is golden, add tomato paste, ¾ teaspoon cumin and ⅛ teaspoon red-pepper flakes to the pot, and sauté until paste darkens, about 1 minute. Add turkey, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté, breaking up the meat with your spoon, until turkey is browned in spots, 4 to 7 minutes.
4. Step 4 Add stock and beans, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until the soup is thick and flavorful, adding more salt if needed, 15 to 25 minutes. If you like a thicker broth, you can smash some of the beans with the back of the spoon to release their starch. Or leave the beans whole for a brothier soup.
5. Step 5 Add the greens to the pot and simmer until they are very soft. This will take 5 to 10 minutes for most greens, but tough collard greens might take 15 minutes. (Add a little water if the broth gets too reduced.)
6. Step 6 Stir herbs and lemon juice into the pot, taste and add more salt, cumin and lemon until the broth is lively and bright-tasting. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and more red-pepper flakes, if desired.

ENJOY!

AND: The “Tree of the Week” has made a comeback; I could not resist this tree!

STAY SAFE AND WARM!