patrickamory

Ann_T seconded on the shepherd's pie! Looks delicious.

Pizza looks delicious Ashen. Namaa's fatoush from Jerusalem, and cavatappi with pork sausage and red onion courtesy Ruth Rogers.

Dunlopiana. Fish-fragrant eggplant and dry-fried chicken.

Gazpacho

And now someone needs to uncover RuthSietsema...

Brown and orange lentils (masoor dal, whole and split), recipe from onelifetoeat.

Jumping back in - cheeses! Very happy at 55 degrees (happier than in the fridge). Probably true of many other European foods... salamis, prosciutto etc. And I've done well with real Virginian hams in Maine summers (and actually it doesn't need to be cooked if you don't want to do so).

Sounds like an incredible place! I'd normally recommend collecting mussels at low tide, which should be possible on just about any Maine island. But a Google seems to indicate that a red tide alert currently exists from NH to the Canadian border, in which case you should definitely not. Second the lobster recommendation - they're trading at historically low prices these days, and you can buy them at your last port and transport them in floating perforated crates (the lobsterman will generally supply these to you so long as you return them on your way home). I'd get enough for two meals (28-56 lobsters depending on appetites) and prepare them two ways. You can keep the crates floating off your dock or beach, secured with a good rope in the latter case and taking account of the tide of course. A good lobsterman should be able to supply you with peekytoe crabs as well, which will also keep live in crates... I'd recommend a separate crate from the lobster ones though. Be ready to do a lot of picking work. There will be periwinkles everywhere if you have mussels anywhere near. Delicious, though for 14 people you're gonna need a ton. Can be eaten raw or steamed with some white wine and garlic. You will need small picks to get them out. (You don't have to worry about red tide with lobster, crab or periwinkles.) With luck your island will be rich with blueberries, raspberries or blackberries depending on which weeks of the summer you are there, as well as beach tomatoes (rugosa hips). One of the best things about a Maine summer is what you can forage. There may even be wild asparagus, though probably too late in the season for it to be tender. Finally, of perishable proteins, beef keeps the best - bring a ton of dry-aged steaks and grill them up on the first or second evening! For the rest of your meals, I see a lot of legumes, salads and fruit in your future, unless you can make the dry ice work... have an amazing time.

I use the Monari Federzoni brand for salad dressing, and I think it came from the supermarket. I have the same problem with very little leftover red wine. But nevertheless I did try to make vinegar a few years ago. It developed the acetone off-taste described by Edward Behr in his big article on making vinegar in The Art Of Eating, as well as a rather unpleasant disc of mold on the top.

Syzygies, I thought your ribs looked fantastic. Thanks for the summary of their preparation.

I use various mustards frequently - and don't like to disguise the taste either.

Since we switched to bell jars (the glass jars with the metal clamps) and ziplok bags, we have had no more problems. I have heard the eggs stories, and my mother swears by freezing all her rice and flours, but we seem to be doing fine with tightly sealed containers. That includes the big blue Tilde basmati rice bag with the built-in ziplok. Without the seal, we develop the insects within a week or so - guaranteed. Funny that they go for grains without fail, whereas sugar & sweet stuff, where you'd expect insects, seem to be immune. This is all in an 11th floor Manhattan apartment, so YMMV.

Dry-fried chicken

Beet stew with lamb shoulder and lemons; tahdig.

Try booking a business meal in a restaurant to cater to a crowd containing dairy-free, seafood-allergic, raw-vegan, carniverous, pescetarian, gluten-free and vegetarian eaters! I've done it - it's a nightmare... being friends with a couple of veggies is nothing compared to this. Something I encounter on a fairly regular basis in my occupation unfortunately. (And I agree sanctimoniousness is the issue, not diet - but even simple vegetarianism can complicate matters when eating out. I do know many vegetarians who don't care - or don't really want to know - whether stocks and sauces might be meat- or fish-based.)

Incredible meals everyone. It's almost too hot to cook here. Spaghetti with white clam sauce:

White beans with shallots, garlic, sage, hyssop, aleppo pepper, olive oil and reggiano

Grace Young in the Breath of a Wok has these invaluable tips for stir-frying in a non-ideal domestic wok cookery situation - I don't know whether this will help in your case, because it sounds like getting the proper seasoning will be very difficult, but the main points are, roughly: - flat-bottomed wok for maximum heat transfer from typical Western ranges of any type - uniformly prepped ingredients, chopped to same size so they cook at the same rate - dry your vegetables! - no more than 12 ounces (340 grams) of meat in at once! - allow meat to sit without stirring for 20 seconds, stir-fry for 10-15 seconds, spread it out and sear for 30 seconds more, then continue to stir-fy - heat the wok before adding oil - a drop of water must vanish in a second or so before you add the oil - swirl the oil in down the sides - both stir the ingredients and move the wok around while stir-frying - don't lift the wok off the heat surface while doing so however - swirl down any liquids as you add them so they don't lower the temperature too much I suspect your wok is still too heavy and hard to season, and I don't see the point of the bumps... spend (probably the equivalent of about) $15-20 at your local Asian supply store on a cheap flat-bottomed carbon steel wok, season it in the traditional way (tons of links on eGullet and online), follow the instructions above, and you will have delicious results.

How perfect that lobster pasta looks.

Ranz - that pork belly. Magnificent looking skin. Ann T - gorgeous tacos.

Thanks guys. Malloreddus comes from Sardinia and takes significantly longer to cook than cavatelli - it really has a chewy, dense texture. The only restaurant I've ever encountered it was a Sardinian place on Holland Park Ave. in London a few years ago. Hyssop is a resiny herb and survives every winter on my terrace. I could best compare it to summer savory, but it's much more intense - really closer to sage (and actually smells a bit like marijuana when rubbed).

Bruce your ribs look amazing. I'd eat those any day. Malloreddus with pork, sage and hyssop:

Really good turbot is incredible. But - not to beat a dead horse - freshly caught anything is the best tasting fish.

Bruce, Tina, Franci: incredible looking ribs, in all varieties! It is the season. I think I may choose to try Tina's rendition first, but I'm tempted by all three. (And unfortunately do not own a Big Green Egg nor a legal place to put one, though I'm sorely tempted.) Ann: Gorgeous ravioli. weinoo: Asparagus is tasting so good right now. I can use it in almost anything. That pasta dish looks just perfect. I too am following Soba's superb blog with fascination.

Gauntlet thrown!