Sandra Oliver’s Maine Home Cooking reflects the beauty and simplicity of the great state of Maine. The sense of rich history and the Maine tradition of quality are felt through Oliver’s words on every page. Jennifer Smith-Mayo’s photography allows us into Sandy’s quintessential Maine kitchen. The tangible simplicity is palpable and I was quickly transported to my childhood in Brooksville, when I would spend time with my dear neighbor “Grandma Curtis” in the summer kitchen of her 200-year-old-farmhouse. A space stocked with all the basics for cooking a fine Maine meal. A place where “less is more” and traditional recipes have been followed for generations. Oliver reminds us that fine cooking doesn’t need to be complicated, and that the style of traditional Maine cooking is still alive and well. Who doesn’t want to master the perfect Maine fish chowder or the ultimate blueberry pie? All the classic Downeast favorites are well represented in Maine Home Cooking, while Sandra coins a refreshing phrase “Modern Maine Cooking” as one of her chapter titles. Her book is hip and functional. She includes “Fish Tacos” and my very favorite “Winter Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas” to round out her style of Maine cooking, keeping up to date with the newest Maine food evolution of taco trucks and street food.
I always prefer a real book in my hands when I am cooking rather than looking at a recipe online. It is the lovely and unique “feel” of Maine Home Cooking that reminds me of this. The tactile, practical nature of Sandy’s cookbook makes me want to put all other cookbooks aside and adopt hers as my winter muse, trying every recipe and mastering the art of Maine cooking. Sandra encourages us to “fiddle” with her recipes and gives us tidbits of advice throughout the pages. She is also direct about which ingredients are a “must” and cannot be messed with, just like a true Maine cook would.
I was lucky enough to meet Sandy a few years ago when she showed up at the Turner Farm on North Haven. Our shared love of food and farming made me set my shovel aside and we talked for what seemed like hours about island gardening, raising animals, processing food, island life and cooking. Her visit and new cookbook make me wish I lived next door to Sandy…I imagine the smell of her crab cakes would waft into my yard and call me to walk through her garden, pull up a chair at her table, and glean all I could from her vast wisdom of Maine cooking. Thankfully, she has produced my newest favorite cookbook, which just might be the next best thing to being her neighbor.
Jen Porter is a local farmer and mom who loves to cook up Maine-grown food on North Haven.