Immigrant Kitchens

Russian Ravioli

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:47:28 PST

After learning how to cook pelmeni (Russian ravioli), I had this thought: handmade raviolis are to industrially produced ravioli what manikins are to real people and back massagers are to masseuses. Click at right for more photos, the story and the recipe.photo: Tim Greenway

The Recipe

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:56:39 PST

Russian RavioliPelemeniAs Yulia Converse, from Tver, Russia, taught Lindsay Sterling in Yarmouth, Maine, December 2011Serves 8 as first course, appetizer or snackPrep time 2-3 hoursCooking time: 15 minutesMeat mixture:1/2 onion, minced1 pound ground meat (pork and beef mixture is most popular)1 clove garlic1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp pepper1 egg yolk (for glue)For dough:2 1/2 cups flour plus extra for

See How To Do It

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:55:12 PST

Russian Raviolipelmeniabove photos: Lindsay SterlingPhotos: Tim Greenway

The Story

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:01:15 PST

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Nicaraguan Stuffed Pork

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:06:20 PST

Lomo relleno is a classic Christmas and New Year's dish in Nicaragua. I'll admit, I was scared when I saw Jenny putting what looked like a lot of weird stuff in the pan together -- and you will be too when you see the ingredients list - but I'm telling you, it works. Lomo relleno gets the award for being the most unpredictably delicious party feast ever encountered. Click at right for the

The Story

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:53:07 PST

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The Recipe

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:08:54 PST

A Nicaraguan Christmas DishLomo Relleno, Stuffed pork loinAs Jenny Sanchez, from Leon, Nicaragua, taught Lindsay Sterling in Freeport, Maine, December 2011Serves 12Active time: 1-2 hoursTotal Time: 3-4 hours1 cup rice1 boneless pork sirloin (log shaped, about 5 pounds)1/4 + 1/2 cup honey1/4 cup + 2 tsp honey mustard1 whole fresh pineapple1 cup wine (optional)2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp capers1 cup pitted

See How To Do It

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:22:36 PST

Here's the most interesting combination of ingredients for a meal I've ever seen.(Pineapple, capers, cocktail onions, green olives, raisins, potatoes, honey, garbanzos...?)First you cook a cup of rice in 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil, stirring every so often, until some of the grains start turning opaque, but not brown. Add just a cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and simmer covered without lifting

Live Cooking Classes

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:14:06 PST

Learn a new dish from around the world every month!January 13, 2011: Vietnamese Beef Stew, fresh spring rollsFebruary 10: Greek Chicken PieWHEN: Friday Evening 6-9 pmWHERE: Freeport Community Center 53 Depot St, Freeport, ME(3 blocks from L.L.Bean)COST: This is a project to raise money for the Freeport Food Pantry.Pay what you can; $20-$35 recommended.DETAILS: cooking starts

Vietnamese Beef Stew

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:21:17 PST

How many people with the last name Nguyen do you know? My new friends are the 5th, so I think it's about time I learn to say their last name properly! It is one syllable. And you say it like a question: Nywhen? The soup these two brothers taught me in their apartment in Portland, Maine, is such a welcome recipe as we head into winter... Click at right for the story, how-to-photos and the recipe.

See How to Do It

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:47:03 PST

Here we are in the brothers' apartment kitchen in Portland, Maine. The lady is me. In the middle is Quang, and on the right is his younger brother Minh. Below them is a picture of their mother who made this soup throughout their childhood.Thanks mom! She's holding sea bass from their family farm. They sell 2000 pounds of it a year! Quang hopes one day to be a broker that gets a fair price for

The Recipe

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:36:33 PST

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The Story

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:46:16 PST

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Where to Get Ingredients

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:53:27 PST

You can probably order all this stuff online... I'll get back to you with what I find. In Portland, ME, you can get everything you need for this recipe at Haknuman Meanchey803 Forest Ave.Portland, ME 04032You can probably get everything as well at Mittapheap World Market61 Washington Ave.Portland, ME207-77305523

Wonder Dolma

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:22:29 PST

Oh my God. You do not need grape leaves for dolmas! Ever since an Iraqi woman told me she uses in-season greens like kale, chard, and cabbage, I have been on cooking cloud nine. Honestly, I like kale. Those kale chips are pretty good. But this.. This. Is. Awesome. My friends adore this dish. Even my kids adore this dish. Even my kids' friends! It's a bird, it's a plane, its Wonder Dolma and she

The Story

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:15:21 PDT

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See How to Do It

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:16:18 PDT

Wonder DolmasThe cabbage, kale and chard leaves will crack and break if you try to roll them raw. So get ready for the most unexpected trick ever. Stick the whole cabbage in the freezer the night before. Then thaw the cabbage leaves next to something warm (I stuck the whole cabbage in a steamer basket over hot water) and they're perfectly malleable.As for the kale and chard leaves - you simply

The Recipe

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:40:24 PDT

Vegetarian Tangy Mint and Dill DolmasAs suggested to Lindsay Sterling in Portland, Maine, by a Lebanese friend she bumped into in a Persian market.Cooking Time: Honestly, it's 2-3 hours hours, but every second of it sheer bliss! Like edible crafting mania.Serves 8 with leftovers for lunches4 bunches kale and/or chard 1 cabbage (optional)*2 potatoes or 3 large carrots, cut into flat planks1 bell

Iraqi Chicken and Rice

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:22:55 PST

Omar, my ten year old translator, was very proud of his mother's cooking. Dolmas were his favorite part of the meal. They're cooking under the red liquid there. If I had to choose, even though I loved the dolmas, I think I'd have to say the chicken and rice was my favorite. It's cooking in the gidduh, the silver pot with the funny lid in front. Omar also loves her pizza, hotdogs hamburgers, and

The Recipe

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:45:30 PST

Iraqi Chicken and RiceAs Mona Galee, from Iraq taught Lindsay Sterling, in Westbrook, Maine, July 2011 Serves 6-8 Cooking time: 2 hours For the chicken: 1 whole chicken, washed and split down the breast bone 3 cloves garlic, rough chopped 1/4 onion, medium dice 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp madras curry powder generous sprinkle turmeric 1 dried lemon 1 4-inch cinnamon stick 1 Tbsp

See How To Do It

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:14:15 PDT

Photos: Lindsay Sterling

The Story

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:11:04 PDT

When A Guest Comes OverWhat do you cook?By Lindsay Sterling At Mona’s house in Westbrook, Maine, when a guest comes to visit, this is what she makes: a platter of yellow rice topped with golden chicken pieces, tomato-and chili-flake soup, a platter of beef dolmas, flatbread, pickled vegetables, fresh salad, watermelon and a lemon-yogurt drink. It doesn’t matter if her husband’s working so she’ll

Cambodian Curry Soup

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:23:27 PST

There are as many curries in the world as there are individual cooks. If I were the curator of a curry museum, I would place Makara Meng's Cambodian curry soup in the heart of the gallery. Click at right for the recipe and her incredible story.Photo: Tim Greenway

The Story

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:10:30 PDT

Makara’s Cambodian Curry By Lindsay Sterling Before you make Makara Meng’s Cambodian curry soup, I think you should know how it got here. The story starts when she was four years old and communist Khmer Rouge soldiers invaded her rural village. They divided her family by age and sex and placed them in separate labor camps, never to see each other again. In her camp, soldiers forced Makara and

The Recipe

lindsay@lindsaysterling.com — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:20:23 PDT

Cambodian Curry SoupSome LAWAs Makara Meng, her mother, An I, and two friends, Saran Svay and Mom Hoeung, all from Cambodia, taught Lindsay Sterling in South Portland, Maine, July 2011Serves 10Cooking time: about 2 hoursStep 1: Make Curry Paste10 4-6 inch long dried chili peppers (mildly spicey if at all; these are for the red color mostly)10 shallots, peeled2 heads garlic5-10 fresh red birds-eye