HUNGRY GERALD

BSK makes sure HG eats plenty of vegetables. HG’s favorite way to eat them is in BSK’s wondrous pasta dishes. Here’s a partial list: Cauliflower in blue cheese (preferably Gorgonzola) sauce; sauteed asparagus with plentiful butter and lemon juice; zucchini strips with bacon and ricotta; eggplant (a la Norma); chopped raw beefsteak tomatoes (when in season and best in New Jersey). (partial list). BSK always chooses the appropriate pasta shape. BSK’s ultimate creation is penne in broccoli sauce (ate this last night with gusto). Ingredients are broccoli (of course), garlic, shallots, parsley (Italian), anchovies, olive oil, starchy pasta water, al dente penne. BSK blanches the broccoli in the water boiling for pasta. Cuts small broccoli florets and uses an immersion blender to convert the flavorful stems into very small pieces (not a puree). This is cooked with the aforementioned ingredients. A dusting of salt and pepper. HG likes to pour some olive  oil  over HG’s portion. A fabulous dish. HG first tasted this at the long closed Delsomma restaurant in New York’s theater district. Very good but BSK’s is better. Profesore Massimo R., HG/BSK’s distinguished son-in-law, had his first meal with HG/BSK many years ago at Delsomma. He looked like an Italian movie star (he’s aged well). Happily, the Profesore and wife, Lesley, HG/BSK’s gifted daughter, have arrived for a Prince Edward Island visit with their delightful dog, Pip. Be assured that the broccoli pasta dish will be on the menu. Certainly, the family will devour PEI specialties: oysters, mussels, soft shell clams, etc.

HG/BSK’s gifted daughter, Lesley R. and her husband, Massimo R., are with HG/BSK at HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront nome. Joy is super abundant. L. and M. have been here for the past week. Feasting fun galore. Weather has been favorable. Sunny days for kayaking and beach frolics. (Needed rain today essential for flowers, lawn and BSK”s herb and vegetable garden. Weather report says sun to follow). Toby, The Wonder Dog, is a happy pup. His favorite companion and playmate, Pip (L. and M.’s intelligent dog) is here. Bow-Wow, Indeed. HG will detail tasty meals enjoyed in following posts. For now, HG will deal with the two sublime starters prepared by Lesley R.: Scallop ceviche and shrimp (small Newfoundland variety) salad. The thin slices of raw sea scallops are dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, scallions and a host of herbs. The shrimp salad has a mayonnaise, chopped parsley and lemon juice base. The ceviche and shrimp salad bring appetizers to a delightful pinnacle. The learned and brilliant Profesore Massimo R.has a distinctive role at dinner. He clears the table with alacrity and stacks the dishwasher with speedy precision. HG awards him A+ marks in dishwasher administration.

Cod is an important fish. Dried and then cooked in liquid, cod provided healthy sustenance for crews in sailing vessel days. It is the essential ingredient in the fabulous fish cakes fried by BSK and gifted daughter, Lesley R. Salt cod (soaked to remove salt) is combined with mashed potatoes, cream, garlic and olive oil to make Brandade, a dish favored by HG. Cod is one of the ingredients in BSK’s chowders (heartening in cool and breezy Prince Edward Island days). Last night, creative BSK brought cod to a high taste level at dinner. Filets were poached gently in a broth flavored by Japanese and Chinese spices and powders. Best cod HG ever tasted. It flaked with a touch of a fork and was juicy and sea flavored. BSK served it with fresh PEI yellow beans and small, boiled PEI potatoes. Adorned the cod with spoonfuls of Legal SeaFood Chipotle tartar sauce. Sumptuous eating.

Yes, HG relishes scallops–the hearty sea scallops and the very hard to find Nantucket bay scallops (HG last tasted them many decades ago). BSK cooks many sea scallop dishes with BSK’s usual flair and creativity. BSK gently sautes them in olive oil so they are lightly browned and juicy. They are served over greens flavored with a lemon vinaigrette; in linguine with garlic, oil and parsley; in chowder mixed with cod and other ingredients. HG’s favorite is BSK’s version of shrimp and grits. (BSK substitutes scallops for shrimp). Marc Meyer, is a super chef and the husband (plus business partner) of HG’s Daughter, Vicki. (Their company owns and  runs five touted New York restaurants (Shukette, Shuka,Vic’s, Rosie’s and Cookshop). He is a very superior sea scallop cook and has served HG many memorable scallops at Cookshop. At present, Cookshop has sliced raw scallops on its summer menu.They are served in a mix of oranges, limes and pungent chili peppers. Sounds like a summer treat. HG/BSK recall a fabulous feast of Nantucket bay scallops when HG/BSK owned a house on that island. Their caretaker, a native Nantucketer whose family had lived there for many generations, had gone to Nantucket Bay in a fishing boat and returned with a bushel of bay scallops. Still in his fishing clothes, he shucked them outside his home. Lucky HG/BSK were invited. HG/BSK ate scores of fresh from the sea succulent, small morsels of heaven. Incomparable.

HG has rarely had a superior poached egg in an American restaurant. They are good in French bistros (Exceptional appetizers when poached in red wine). BSK can poach an egg to perfection. When pricked with a fork, A BSK poached yolk floods food with richness and flavor. As a bonus, the egg whites are silky. For a breakfast treat, BSK tops buttery grits with the eggs. A periodic treat is Shakshuka, the spicy pepper and onion stew topped with poached eggs. (Very popular in Israel and throughout the Middle East and very good at Shuka restaurant in New York). HG makes a Greek yogurt sauce to accompany BSK’s Shakshuka (Yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, zaatar, sumac, salt and pepper). Pita to soak up the lush eggs and red wine to drink. A happy time assured. Last night, HG cooked rice noodles in pho (From an Asian powder mix). Added lots of soft tofu. Flavored the pho with sesame oil and hot sauce. The final touch: BSK topped the steaming bowl with a perfect poached egg. Flavors galore. Ah, BSK, you enrich my life and palate every night and day as you have for 59 years.

Yes, HG was demolished by alcohol tonight. Noel & Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and brother-in-law) were at HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront home for an alternate week dinner.BSK served a spectacular dish of salmon with soba noodles and scallion broth (HG wrote about it some days ago on July 12). Generous N. and Y. brought tasty small potatoes and big bunches of fragrant lavender from their verdant Ocean Mist Farm on the south shore of PEI. Unfortunately, HG was not good company. After finishing the lovely food, HG retreated to a lounge chair and then, prone, to a sofa. A silent, eyes closed HG. Victim of alcohol. A large Negroni (whiskey, sweet vermouth, campari) before dinner. Then, white wine. and a large Gahan’s Red Ale with dinner. Farblunget. A lesson learned. From now on, a modest glass of white wine before dinner. One glass of wine with dinner. Okay, after dinner some sips of whiskey flavored with Angostura Bitters. Let’s see if this regimen makes HG a reasonable dining companion.

HG/BSK dine well at their oceanfront home (spectacular sea views and sunsets) on green and serene Prince Edward Island. BSK is a kitchen star, specializing in healthy, tasty seafood. HG has often praised PEI’s mineral rich potatoes and lush sweet corn (can hardly wait for mid-August and Blum’s farm raised treats). Strawberries (and blueberries) are prolific on PEI. The strawberries explode with flavor. They are a revelation for folks who have been dependent on tasteless, cottony supermarket specimens. HG likes the PEI strawberries with sweet cream or sour cream (a dash of Canadian maple syrup is always welcome.) BSK cooks strawberries and rhubarb into a sparkling semi-smoothie. HG has a big bowl of happy health each morning. These are the ingredients: Liberte vanilla yogurt, BSK’s smoothie, sliced strawberries, granola or walnuts, a glug of maple syrup. Accompanied by cafe latte, it’s a great way to breakfast.

That’s how the late, distinguished literary critic Edmund Wilson headlined an essay on Canada. Yes, Canada is a wondrous nation much loved by HG/BSK and HG/BSK’s children and grandchildren. BSK is Canadian, of course, born there and spent childhood years in Sarnia, Ontario (BSK was eight when BSK’s family moved to Mansfield, Ohio.) The Wonder Woman has dual citizenship. HG/BSK spend many months each year at an oceanfront home on Prince Edward Island, a serene, green, peaceful democratic province. On a sunny day yesterday, HG/BSK enjoyed hours at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, an annual event featuring musicians (and step dancers) from PEI and other Maritime Provinces. The Festival runs for three days and focuses on (you guessed it) fiddle music that exemplifies the Irish, Scotch, French (yes,there are still Acadians on PEI) antecedents of PEI’s population. The event is very well organized with special attention given to the aged and infirm (like HG). The audience is appreciative and courteous (very Canadian). Lots of good food is available and folks make sure they clean up their area and dump plates,glasses, and eating utensils in trash cans. Unlike the United States, there is no apprehension a madman with an assault rifle will attack and kill. Since HG has a compelling interest in food, HG is delighted by the wonders of PEI food. Fish, of course. A wide variety of top flight oysters (large Malpeques are HG’s choice.) The best mussels (identified on restaurant menus in the USA and Canada). And, from the red soil earth: world famous mineral rich potatoes, sweet corn, yellow beans, strawberries, blueberries and much else. A gourmand like HG eats well in Canada. Best food city in the world is Vancouver, B.C. Fabulous Asian food. Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, Cambodian, Malaysian, etc. There’s the best sushi and tasty ramen. This only scratches the surface. The French are not neglected. A shop in Vancouver’s Public Market is Oyama. A French-Canadian operation, it features an encyclopedic variety of home made pates, terrines, sausages. There are also hams and cold cuts (their head cheese and jambon persille are standouts.) Plus French, Italian and other cheeses (in peak condition), condiments and seasonal specials (cassoulet in winter). O, Canada, indeed.

Hake is one of HG’s favorite fishes. Member of the cod family but firmer and tastier than conventional cod. HG first tasted it at an upscale Madrid seafood restaurant and became a convert.(The emperor of all fish is Dover Sole, of course, as served at Le Dome and other exemplary Paris seafood places). When hake is available at Julio’s Seafood (close to HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront home) BSK buys some large filets. The Wonder Woman fried some last night and accompanied the crisp deliciousness with Jacues Pepin’s herbaceous warm potato salad. Joyous eating. HG is very fond of French warm potato salad. HG has many happy memories of eating the salad with grilled sausages and nose stinging mustard and cornichons at the long running Veau D’ Or restaurant in New York.

Some 79 years ago (Wow, that’s a lot of years. HG remembers that time perfectly. Short term memory gives HG problems now), sturdy 13-year-old HG spent a steamy Rockaway Beach summer lifting, stacking, shoving heavy boxes in the stock room of F.W. Woolworth on busy Beach 116th Street. HG interrupted labor with a meal at the Woolworth lunch counter. Each day, HG ate fish cakes accompanied by spaghetti in tomato sauce. Cost: 15 cents. (Might be overstating the price. Likely cost a dime). Probably an awful meal by today’s standard but the famished youngster loved it. These days, HG sups on BSK’s very superior fish cakes (Supermarket or frozen fish cakes are inferior and often inedible). BSK follows the recipe of gifted daughter, Lesley R.(The right ratio of cod, potatoes, herbs and Panko). Happy HG joyfully ate them last night while watching a glorious sunset at HG/BSK’s oceanfront home on green, peaceful, democratic Prince Edward Island, Canada.