Local radishes, three ways!

Rosemont just scored radishes in bunches fresh off Belanger Farm in Lewiston. Also had some local radish sprouts. I brought both home and made the night’s appetizer, Radish Three Ways, in 5 minutes. Snip the greens off the bunch, chop roughly and sauté 3 minutes in extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, with freshly ground pepper. Meanwhile, slice a few of the radishes thinly. Stir the greens as they cook, then remove from heat. Add a spritz of lemon or lime juice, adjust salt and pepper, and lay on a plate. Top with the sliced radishes, sprinkle on some Maine sea salt, top with a few of the radish sprouts. Oooooh, good. I coulda gussied it up with some melted anchovies, chopped black olives, and/or toasted baguette. But I didn’t, and they were still so good!

Red wine with vegetables? Try Monastrell

Another offshoot of my/Joe Appel’s Portland Press Herald wine column this week was my re-acquaintance with broccoli rabe. No, it’s not local this time of year (and damn hard to find around here even in season; why is that?). But I made a simple lentil dish (French lentils, and loads of chopped garlic, fresh fennel, fresh sage, rosemary, parsley and mint, plus multiple grindings of black pepper), then blasted the wok for the classic combo of broccoli rabe, garlic and hot red pepper flakes, finished with lemon juice.

The wine was the Atope Monastrell 2008, a bargain of a wine ($13) for what it offers: blueberry at first, then minty bitterness, moderate earthiness, and a shocking kind of freshness that leads naturally to hearty greens. The lentils had fun with the wine’s earth, but it was that green quality — kind of like a balanced Cabernet Franc from the Loire — that took center stage, picking up the herbs of the lentils and bowing in deference to the verdant, bracing tang of the broccoli rabe.

Also-known-as-es: Broccoli rabe is sometimes called “rapini”. And Monastrell is the same grape as what the French call Mourvèdre, that southern-Rhône powerhouse that endows Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe with its spine and can be thrilling as a single-varietal wine in Bandol.

All in it together

The following commentary appeared in a recent Rosemont Market email, which might not have been the best place for it to appear. It is now reprinted here, both because this is a better forum for it and because we hope readers will be encouraged to post their own comments in response.

Making enemies

It’s not usually in a business’s best interests to discuss politics publicly, but here it comes anyway. Paul LePage’s eager announcment shortly after becoming Maine’s governor that he will rescind Gov. Baldacci’s prohibition of state agencies to question the immigration status of…anyone they choose…is not just unkind, not just uncivil (and aren’t we trying to be more civil these days?), not just culturally obsolete, not just un-Republican (aren’t Republicans supposed to be the first to defend the privacy of non-criminal individuals?), it’s fiscally foolish and — here’s where Rosemont comes in — offensive to Maine’s agricultural community. 

Who does LePage think does an ever-increasing amount of the farm work in Maine? How are these people to appreciate the full benefits of a citizenship they aspire to if they’re too scared to show up at public events (everything from town council meetings to farmers’ markets) and participate in Maine’s culture? How is our home-grown, built-for-the-21st-century economy to develop and thrive? How are we going to “buy local” and support the state’s start-up businesses when some of the hardest-working, youngest and most creative members of the local economy start looking for a politically friendlier state?

Ask Arizona, to paraphrase Sarah Palin, how their hopeless-strangey thing (draconian interrogation strategies and all the rest) is “workin’ out for ya” — for their tourism industry, for their economy, for their international image and sense of pride.

Or ask Washington County who’s going to pick wild blueberries. Ask increasing numbers of Maine poultry processors, broccoli pickers and fisherfolk just where they’re going to throw their shoulders to the wheel. Ask other Rosemont shoppers how they plan on keeping it close to home.

If you think new Maine inhabitants of African, Asian and Central American origin going cold, hungry or sick this winter, for fear of asking Health and Human Services for some emergency aid, is a necessary trade-off that enables us to direct our scant public monies to U.S. citizens, that’s at least a legitimate argument and we can have a healthy debate (though just so you know, DHHS is already required to ask applicants’ immigration status).

But Maine’s population is aging fast; we need young people to stay here and work! The last thing we should be doing is to tell people who come here to go away. And for all of us who take rightful pride in a flourishing local food community, don’t we want more people in that community — as producers, distributors and consumers — a year, and three, and ten from now? Even if all we are is selfish, don’t we want to eat wild blueberries?

If this strikes a chord with you, please join the march against LePage’s executive order, planned for next Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, from Portland’s Preble Street Resource Center to City Hall. 1 p.m.

Kinda cheesy: Sat fats, Nourishing Traditions, real food

Provocative article in New York Times last week about how an industry-promoting arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is pushing more and more cheese consumption, even as the USDA itself (urged on by all sorts of health and anti-obesity groups nationwide) is trying to get Americans to eat less saturated fat. The industry arm, Dairy Management, paid $12 million (that’s taxpayer money, natch) to devise and implement an advertising campaign for Domino’s Pizza — among a lot of other unseemly things.

So, yeah, we’ve heard that story before: Government is hypocritical, and our farm and health policies are managed by big corporations and support their interests only. Yes. Agreed.

But it’s worth mentioning that the Times article takes at face value the assumption that consumption of saturated fat has been unequivocally linked to heart disease. Whereas the truth is that the science on that is pretty shaky: The studies that support such conclusions do not sufficiently account for other lifestyle/diet factors.

I’m not saying, “Eat as much cheese and saturated fat as you like.” I am urging people who eat a generally healthy diet to include saturated fat in their meals, as they are in part responsible for transmitting the full nutrient value of vegetables and other foods to your system. What’s paramount is the right balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. That balance is maintained in animal fats (cheese, full-fat milk, butter, and also animal flesh; extra-virgin olive oil places close second), while it’s out of whack (too much Omega-6) in so-called “healthy” fats such as canola oil.

In my own experiences with various diets (vegan, vegetarian, omnivorous, macrobiotic, Ayurvedic), my health, balance and well-being have been best maintained by inclusion of significant saturated fats that derive from clean, all-natural sources. This means that cheese on a Domino’s extra-cheese pizza (indeed, the Times article shows that Domino’s normal pizza now has a lot more cheese than it used to) is not the way to go. Instead, eat cheese made from cows you know were raised right, feeding on grass if possible. You may want to experiment with raw milk for straight consumption as well as for your cheese consumption. I know that my digestive system is taxed by pasteurized dairy much more than it is by raw.

For what it’s worth, Rosemont‘s kitchen does not use canola and other imbalanced oils. We sell a broad variety of healthy saturated fats: all-natural meats from calmly raised animals, raw dairy from several local producers, and more.

Also, this is not one-size-fits-all. I’m skinny, am generally in good health, and metabolize quickly. If you are overweight or have high cholesterol, or simply feel terrible after eating cheese or using butter, don’t use those ingredients!

As always, trust your own body, and do the real research (rather than sharing the assumptions of the New York Times). For starters, you might want to check out the work of Sally Fallon (her book is “Nourishing Traditions”) and the Weston Price Foundation. If you do, make sure you don’t start taking that at face value. Triangulate all information with your own experience and conversations with friends (whose body needs may differ from yours and therefore can provide more insight).

Rosemont gives thanks for Maine-ly Poultry Thanksgiving turkeys

Real nice article in Portland Phoenix on John Barnstein of Maine-ly Poultry in Warren. John has been a close friend of Rosemont’s since before we began, and remains one of our most important long-term partners. His turkeys are terrific — both in “end use” (they taste terrific) and before (John raises them right, lets them roam, feeds them well, slaughters humanely — or is that hu-maine-ly?).

We also sell turkeys from Serendipity Acres Farm in North Yarmouth. These cost 50 cents more per pound, because not only are they free-ranging, all-natural with no additives or antibiotics or other funny stuff (just like Maine-ly Poultry), but they also feed on pasture (rather than grain feed). So, you’ve got two terrific options (if you’re having a very large Thanksgiving party, you could order one of each and have a bird-off…).

Please order your Thanksgiving turkey from Rosemont NOW. Order in stores or by phone, more information available on our website. As John explains in the Phoenix article, he works hard to raise different weights to meet all customer demands. Given the season we had, though, they’re going to be on the big side this year.

NEWS…in a letter!

FROM OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER (sign up at website if you don’t already get it)

Start thinking — softly, calmly — about that special Thursday 2.5 weeks hence. We’ve got our special-order system in place at all three stores, and encourage you to sign up now or soon for turkeys, pies and cakes, rolls and more. More information will be posted in the coming days. Meanwhile, please ask our staff for any guidance you need.  Of course, if you wanna go rogue (sorry, bad timing on that phrase) with your meal planning and have some special ideas in mind, we’re here for you. We can order obscure fowl, special meats and more.  Rosemont will also have the best produce, from Maine and away, for your Thanksgiving table: local cranberries, root veggies of all kinds, fancy mushrooms, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes (thanks, Louisiana) and more. If there’s something you want that you don’t see, ask! For all your meals before and after November 25, consider our new butcher and fish departments at the Brighton store. Jared, our custom butcher, keeps turning out outrageously skilled and beautiful cuts, from locally and naturally raised animals. The entrecôte of beef (with olives, garlic and herbs), house-made Merguez sausage, turbot and Coho salmon look especially fine right now — but that’s right now; tomorrow it’ll be something else!

WINE NEWS! Scroll down for a whole buncha great tastings coming up. Rosemont is going to keep expanding its online wine specials. We’re down to the last few bottles of Argiano 2004 Brunello di Montalcino, so call quick if you want ‘em. Now, though, we turn from Tuscany and Sangiovese to Piedmont and Nebbiolo…namely, the 2005 Cru stunners from Produttori del Barbaresco. More information forthcoming in a separate email (we’re hitting info-overload down at this end of the newsletter and Produttori del Barbaresco is not to be lost in the shuffle!); meanwhile, ask John at the Brighton store about these wines. Portland will be graced by Bobby Kacher himself this week, in fact, for one night only. Please join Bobby Kacher at a Wine Dinner Friday, November 12, at Havana South. Reservations only, $69 for five courses and six splendid wines. A bargain. Hit the Rosemont tasting first (see below) then get there!

Events!

Lots of ‘em, in fact. Hold on to your hats, here we go: · Friday, November 12, 4-7 p.m. Munjoy Hill store: Wine tasting with Chris Campbell of C & P Wines. The most exciting Spanish wines we know of. You’ll love Chris. · Saturday, November 13, 12-2 p.m. Brighton Avenue store: Olive oil tasting with Shafiq Malouf of The Olive Harvest. How often do you get to do this? Then stick around for… · the same day and place, Saturday, November 13, 3-6 p.m. Brighton Avenue store: Wine tasting with Ned Swain of Devenish Wines. His voicemail announces whom you’re leaving a message for: “wine geek and adventurer”. That’s Ned. He’s so cute. He will show all French wines that meet at the intersection of geek, cute, and adventure (and awesome). · Dry out, then come on back Friday, November 19, 4-7 p.m. Brighton Avenue store, for a Wine tasting with Michael Burke of Vias Wines. Michael will bring the most stylish Italian wines imaginable, unimaginably stylishly.

MEAT

Apologies to our vegetarian friends, but a lot of the more exciting news in Rosemontland these days comes from our butcher department. If you haven’t seen our full-time butcher at 580 Brighton Avenue, please stop by and introduce yourself to Jared. He’s the guy with classy facial hair and glasses who isn’t Seamus! He knows all about the sources and background on all the meat we offer, and he knows how to use big saws and things to gracefully take apart animals.

Many of you have come to love our 100%-grass-fed beef from Woodbourne Farm in Bath, New Hampshire. We’re now adding a second source of custom-cut beef, from our longtime friend DeeDee Caldwell of Caldwell Family Farm in Turner. Check out Caldwell’s Facebook page and you’ll see a way to receive a special gift when you buy Caldwell beef from Rosemont! Available Friday, October 21.

MORE MEAT NEWS!

We’ll have two new lambs coming in October 26, available Wednesday, October 27. From Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick. Here’s the background info: They are Katahdin Hair Sheep, rotationally pastured on pesticide/herbicide-free soil. The sheep and lambs are raised with the help of Tom Settlemire who has 40 years of experience raising these animals. Their feed is supplemented with 100% Aroostook barley.

Also look for our own products made from a new pig we’re getting in from Cornerstone Farm in Palmyra. Probably available Wednesday, October 27, but check first. Cornerstone’s pigs are pasture-raised and used for vegetable-bed preparation, feeding additionally on forage crops such as field peas, turnips and barley and supplemental feed from Maine-grown corn, barley and soy. Jared will begin preparing traditional prosciutto cotto which will be available in two weeks! Also, more of his indescribably satisfying breakfast sausage.

Wal-Mart goes local

There are probably hidden reasons why there are problems with this, but right now it’s nothing but exciting. New York Times is reporting that Wal-Mart plans to emphasize local produce in many of its stores. Remember, Wal-Mart is the world’s largest grocer. I know they treat their workers terribly, I know there are all sorts of problems with them. Refrain from commenting if you’re just going to slam Wal-Mart generally. But please weigh in if you’ve got something new to say about Wal-Mart, trends in localism, etc..

Winter squash: dessert for dinner

Surely you’ve oohed and aahhed over the winter squashes we have in our stores. All local, of course. After the “don’t-those-look-amazing?” comments, though, have you bought them? More importantly, have you cooked with them?

I just roasted a buttercup the other day (the spherical dark green ones; my kids asked, “What’s up with a green pumpkin?”), and it’s just risen in the standings on my desert-island-veggies list.

The best thing is how little work it takes. I’ve had the oven on a lot lately — cornbread, apple pie, chicken, late-season local San Marzano tomatoes — and it’s just so easy to halve the squash, scoop the seeds, rub with olive oil and salt/pepper, place on a sheet pan and roast for 30-40 minutes depending on what temperature you’re at. It cooks unattended and then you have it for later in the week.

What you end up with is a nutty, mature-sweet, complicated flavor that’s perfect eaten as is (maybe add some melted butter, or more oil), added to caramelized onions with fresh herbs, mashed with blue cheese, side dish with some fatty meat, and/or a dozen other variations.

That nutty density, sweetness and comfort-food factor is perfect with any number of wines. For whites, try something with some heft and richness: an off-dry Riesling, or Rhône (with Marsanne/Rousanne), or Lo Brujo Macabeo. Lighter reds work too: Joven (young, unaged) Toro or Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Gamay (we’re getting in some great Cru Beaujolais soon — Hill’s already got the stunning Diochon — which would be perfect).

Eat clean fish

For the second week in a row, the Portland Press Herald’s Avery Yale Kamila takes on the growing genetically-modified-salmon industry with an-almost-no-holds-barred critical take-down. Read it (and the previous week’s column), do more research if you like, and you’ll come to the conclusion most people have: Eating newfangled genetically modified salmon, and much farmed salmon that escapes conscientious oversight is not worth the risk: to personal and family health, to natural fish stocks, to the well-being and sustainability of the entire more-than-70%-of-Earth’s-surface oceans.

We at Rosemont Market sell fish at our Yarmouth and Brighton Avenue stores. We get it all through Harbor Fish, both wild Pacific and conscientiously farmed Atlantic. We are in favor of full transparency in the distribution chain (from sea to boat to landing to distributor to importer to market), and Harbor does a terrific job of ensuring this. We oppose funny stuff and marketing strategies disguised as foodways, and hope you will too. (This could mean you eat less salmon, by the way. Consider that.)