HUNGRY GERALD

Very happy HG/BSK. Daughter Lesley, son-in-law, Massimo; adorable dog, Pip, have arrived. For over a year, HG/BSK have been living on Prince Edward Island with only each other for company, conversation and comfort. It Was wonderful. But, hey, having this delightful group here is a big time treat. They brought some good things: Big can of Italian extra virgin olive oil and an array of Italian cheeses. There have been tasty dinners: BSK’s inimitable “green soup”, mussel stew, etc. HG is contemplating BSK and Lesley, talented home cooks, at the range and oven. Savory dishes will soon be on the dining table. And, Massimo will do his after dinner thing. World’s most talented dishwasher stacker.

The sun is shining and light breezes chase away insects. Prince Edward Island paradise at HG/BSK’s oceanfront home. Seated on the sofa, HG recalls last night’s excellent dinner of local mussels and linguine. (BSK enriched the broth with onions, garlic, cherry tomatoes, white wine, clam juice). So, what can go wrong in paradise? Well, HG is awaiting a telephone call from Dr. Daniel Costa, a PEI urologist. Some months ago, a Ct Scan revealed polyps on HG’s kidneys. Dr. Costa ordered another Ct Scan recently. This was to determine if the polyps had expanded. If so, there would be further examination to see whether they were cancerous. HG wasn’t too concerned, but still….
Dr. Costa called. No growth in polyps. Will take another look in a year. HG gave a modest sigh of relief. The old guy is lucky to have Dr. Costa in PEI and the skilled urologist, Dr. Eric Anderson, in New Mexico. Their attention, BSK’s devotion , and Canadian health services, keep HG alive and joyous.

Alternate Sunday dinner at Ocean Mist Farm, the colorful, fertile south shore Prince Edward Island home of Noel and Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and brother in law). Noel served a lush, soft polenta covered with a lusty ground pork sauce. So good!! It was reminiscent of the polenta and sausage dish HG enjoyed some years ago in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. Noel climaxed her meal with bowls of vanilla ice cream smothered with Ocean Mist strawberries. Splendor!! BSK simmers polenta with a chunk of cream cheese to give it a creamy texture (a trick learned from gifted daughter Lesley R.). BSK serves the polenta topped with poached eggs for the world’s best breakfast. Sometimes, BSK adds strips of crisp bacon. A nice touch.

The wonderful, rollicking Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, situated on a scenic field near the Town of Souris, Prince Edward Island, is back. Always held on the third Saturday of July, it was canceled last year because of Covid-19. PEI is healthy (mask wearing is not required) so the musical festival flourishes once more and HG/BSK were in attendance on a sunny, slightly breezy day for the 5PM to 8PM show. Perfect weather and a show that explored the musical heritage of PEI and the other Canadian Maritime Provinces. First was a group that played its own compositions, all based on Prince Edward Island, its dirt roads, rivers, lakes and shoreline. Then, there was a surprise. Abegweit First Nations from Lennox Island performed on a cluster of drums and accompanied the beats with rousing song. HG had never heard live First Nations music. Exciting. Then a group that focused on Irish, English, and French songs with a lagniappe of step dancing. The program concluded with very lively French Acadian music featuring a young woman who was a virtuoso fiddler. All of the seating, food, and beer was handled efficiently. And, the spectators were appreciative, responsive and courteous. Ah, it’s good to be in Canada.

The late, great French gourmand, Curnonsky, proclaimed: The greatest dishes are simple. Yes, BSK, the best home cook, follows that admonition. However, tasty simplicity can only be achieved by emulating BSK’s focus on cooking details. Last night, BSK made a “simple” fried haddock dinner. It was sublime. Here’s how BSK didi it. Fresh from the sea haddock filets (yes, you can’t have exemplary cooking without exemplary ingredients) were dipped in beaten eggs and rolled in a good supermarket fish fry mix. A trusty cast iron pan was heated and given a splash of safflower oil. The fish was fried to a crisp and blotted with a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Simultaneously, BSK boiled mineral rich little potatoes from Ocean Mist Farm, the verdant Prince Edward Island paradise of BSK’s sister, Noel M. and brother in law, Yossi M. (yes, basic ingredients are important). When almost done. BSK sauteed the spuds with Ocean Mist Farm garlic scapes and abundant ground pepper and sea salt. On the table were fresh cherry tomatoes, Hellman’s Tartar Sauce, Frank’s Hot Sauce, Lemon wedges, Himalayan Pink Salt and sour cream ( reflecting HG’s Belorussian heritage, HG likes a bit of smetana with spuds). Dessert was Clement Faugier chestnut puree with whipped cream (HG first tasted sweet chestnut paste with whipped cream at London’s lamentably closed Gay Hussar Restaurant). Wine with the meal was pinot noir. After dinner beverage (for HG): JB Wiser Canadian whiskey. Simple. Perfect.

BSK was a fashionable delight yesterday in a Liebman’s Kosher Delicatessen T-shirt (a gift for BSK from–sadly–the late, brilliant, much beloved Adam Schlesinger). Adam grew up with HG/BSK’s son, Jeremy ( Adam called him “Jerums” and they were as close as brothers during Adam’s all too short life). HG/BSK always considered Adam to be their second son. And, thinking about Liebman’s made HG/BSK realize how much Adam (and his musical genius) is missed. Liebman’s (founded in 1953) was much enjoyed by Adam, Jeremy and HG. Located on Johnson Avenue in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, HG ate there frequently when living in Riverdale in the 50’s. Adam and Jeremy continued the tradition when Adam lived in Riverdale in order to be close to his daughters. Liebman’s may be the best traditional Jewish deli in New York. Encyclopedic menu of greatest Jewish culinary gems. Pastrami and corned beef, of course, but also: Knockwurst, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, chopped liver, chicken in the pot, farvel and mushrooms, kasha varnishkes, etc., etc. Adam was a big pastrami fan so it is sad that he is unable to taste the great pastrami served at Freeman Shokudo, Jeremy (and wife Maiko’s) barbecue izakaya in Tokyo. So good that if Adam tasted it, he would have wanted to establish a residence in Tokyo.

A few weeks ago, HG received a sad and eloquent e-mail from HG’s long time good friend, the late Bob Cox. “To the amazing, exciting individuals who have brought value in more ways than one to my eighty-two years of living. One of my favorite lines from literature: ‘We are all travelers in this world. From the sweet grass to the packing house. Birth till death. We travel between the eternities.’ Robert Duvall as Prentice Ritter in ‘Broken Trails.’ I travel on, and I leave with the knowledge that I will remember each and everyone of you as I make my exit. Goodbye to all. Live happy and respectful lives. Robert Emmett Cox (7/31/38-6/25/21).” Bob’s suffering from radical cancer surgery came to an end. Bob had a long and successful career. UPI reporter. Colorado Senator Tim Wirth’s press secretary. Publisher and editor-in-chief of Colorado’s Jefferson County Sentinel newspapers. He was a sharp and witty writer. After selling his Abiquiu ranch, Bob leased HG/BSK’s casita on HG/BSK’s Jacona compound and remained there for some 18 months. Bob sold his newspapers but continued to write. His blog, “From the Old Gringo’s Gazette”, was a delight (check if the blog archive is still on the internet). Bob was a progressive force for good. He hated bigotry, racism, sexism and every form of authoritarianism. A frequent dinner guest of HG/BSK, he was fun to be with. Irreplaceable.

Bob Cox and friends in retirement near Abiquiu, New Mexico.

July 2 marked the 58th wedding anniversary of HG/BSK. Greedy HG wants 58 more years with BSK, the love of HG’s life and possibly the best woman in the world. BSK’s talents are as voluminous as BSK’s virtues. Not the least of them is BSK’s unceasing efforts to keep HG alive. So far, BSK has succeeded. Time to celebrate at Clam Diggers, the very good seafood restaurant on the scenic waters of the town of Cardigan. Portions are super generous and the cooking is superior. HG/BSK had steamer clams in a delightful broth of clam juice, cream, onions, peppers and spices. A creative dish. This was followed by giant platters of fried seafood with crisp French fries, cole slaw and much tartar sauce. BSK’s platter contained scallops, clams and haddock (enough to feed two or three people). HG had a platter of scallops and shrimp. Abondanza!! HG was very hungry but could barely finish the food. Not exaggerating. This was the best dish of fried seafood HG has ever eaten. Crisp and greaseless. The quality of the scallops and shrimp was impeccable.(BS vouched for her fryup as best ever). Drank Gahan’s Red Ale (a local PEI brew) and toasted the good fortune that has kept HG/BSK together. Clam Diggers has a very good bread pudding dessert but were too sated to indulge. Thoughtful daughter Lesley R. had sent HG/BSK a gift certificate for the dinner but HG/BSK forgot to bring a necessary paper. Good. Will use the gift for a Clam Diggers feast when the family gets together (hopefully) on Prince Edward Island next month.