HUNGRY GERALD

This was the best Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa holiday celebration ever. The family–HG/BSK; Lesley and Massimo (HG/BSK’s gifted daughter and her brilliant husband); wondrous granddaughters Sofia (from Italy) and Arianna (from Colorado) made it to L. and M.’s Riverside, RI. home safely despite the dangerous frigid weather, And, Ari bro.ught her special friend, Adam. Exceptional, talented, helpful man. And, thankfully, a fan of good food and drink. Honoring the family tradition, Christmas Eve was the Jewish version of “The Feast of Seven Fishes”. New York’s venerable Russ & Daughters delivered in timely fashiôn a box of caviar (red salmon and tobiko);smoked salmon, sable, whitefish salad, scallion cream cheese; two varieties of herring; bialys and pumpernickel bread. Sl/iced onion, lemon edges and celeriac salad (thanks, Lesley for the salad and the crepes you made). White wine. Beer. Guinness stout. Opened some presents. The gift deluge began Christmas morning—and, believe HG, it was a deluge. Sadly missed was the Tokyo contingent–SJ, Maiko, Haru and Teru. And, HG’s daughter, Vicki and  HG son-n-law, Marc Meyer. They were in New York tending to their restaurants. HG/BSK had happy dreams in their beautiful Central Falls, RI. loft and were back to Riverside at a civilized hour to open gifts. Won’t enumerate them but they were thoughtful, original and generous. Lunch/brunch for HG was perfect scrambled eggs (thanks BSK) topped with red salmon caviar and a scoop of sour cream. Heavenly. Afternoon activities preceded the sumptuous Christmas dinner: Lesley’s lush osso buco  (veal shanks) swimming in a voluptuous sauce. This dish calls for risotto to soak up the sauce. Massimo is not only an ornament of Italian culture, he can cook (when necessary). His risotto was the best HG ever tasted. In addition, the wines he poured to accompany the osso buco and the subsequent cheese course were grand. (Sofia managed to smuggle  cheese and other treats from Padua including the wonder cheese, Robiolla). Chocolates and other sweet things for dessert plus snifters of superlative Madeira, a gift to the family from Adam. There was an abundant amount of Russ & Daughters treats leftover from Christmas Eve so dinner the next night focused on caviar, smoked fish, etc. Culinary wonders didn’t cease. Lesley made a big platter of potato latkes (hey, Hanukkah wasn’t forgotten). Peerless. Lesley’s secret: Putting the chopped potatoes in a cheesecloth and squeezing out every bit of moisture. Makes a difference. She also made fine blini plus crepes. Sour cream and creme fraiche accompanied. Much chilled Prosecco. If HG’s good fortune persists, HG hopes to repeat the holiday with family next year.

It’s so great living in Rhode Island and enjoying the closeness of my wonderful family. Yes, SJ and family are thousands of miles away in Tokyo but they seem to have created a good life. The USA is semi-Nazi with absurd medical and education costs. However, HG/BSK continue to live in that flawed country with gifted daughter Lesley R. and her husband, Massimo, in the nearby town of Riverside (spectacular views of the Providence River and Narragansett Bay). Beautiful, brilliant granddaughter, Sofia, has arrived from Italy and equally extraordinary granddaughter Arianna (with special friend, Adam, are on their way from Colorado (stormy weather permitting). So, this looks like a jolly Christmas celebration–fun, feasting, abundant presents. Meanwhile, Lesley, Massimo and Sofia, joined HG/BSK for a magnificent family dinner at the candle lit dining table in HG/BSK’s wondrous loft. BSK scored. Pot of pork and green chili stew (best HG ever tasted–tops anything in Santa Fe eateries). Local guacamole, pico de gallo, tortillas. All superlatively tasty. Cold beer. Fruity red wine. Life doesn’t get much better than this.

BSK often makes a large amount of one of her savory dishes. This means the same dish for dinner two nights in a row. Easy. No cooking, just reheating. Last night, dinner was the second half of a double header—BSK’s fabulous Fire Chicken. This is a dish of juicy chicken thighs cooked in a melange of fiery Korean spices. When cooked, the skillet is topped with mozzarella and popped under the broiler for a moment until the cheese melts. This addition mellows the dish. The meal continued with two soft cheeses–goat creme and traditional bovine camembert. A dollop of fig jam. Yo Yo on the boombox. Life is good.

Zucchini is a summer season joke. The vegetable grows so abundantly in home gardens that the gardeners try to give it away to neighbors (who themselves are battling overload). Very large zucchini are watery and lack pungency. Best use of them is zucchini soup. BSK makes the soup with chunks of zucchini, olive oil, aging lettuce, onions, garlic, chicken broth and spices galore. When cooked, BSK applies the immersion blender and the result is smooth and comforting . HG likes to apply a dollop of Greek yogurt to a steaming bowl plus a dash of cayenne. Blissful. When living in New Mexico, BSK often bought baby zucchini at the local Trader Joe”s. Sauteed gently with chopped garlic, these morsels were a worthy side dish for meat or fish. Unquestionably, the ultimate treat is zucchini blossoms. In Colorado, HG would buy sweet corn at a roadside stand and farm. The generous owner (a very devout Christian who had hopes of converting HG to her faith), would invite HG to forage in her zucchini patch and pick armfuls of the blossoms. BSK would dip them in a light batter, stuff them with mozzarella and anchovies, fry them to a crisp succulence. HG/BSK would sip chilled white wine with these. Ecstasy. Last night, BSK mixed pappardelle in a zucchini, ricotta and bacon sauce. Oh, my!! Another BSK savory dinner.

Dinner last night was a lively contrast of textures and mouth feel. Quite tasty. The crunch came from thin pork cutlets. No flour in the pantry so BSK rolled them in cornmeal after dipping in beaten egg. Developed the kind of crust usually found on fried catfish in soul food restaurants. Yummy!! One semi smooth accompaniment was an unusual white sweet potato. After baking, the interior was scooped out, mashed with lots of butter (HG’s choice). BSK used only salt and pepper. Very smooth was BSK’s improvised Baba Ganoush, a Middle Eastern dish of mashed eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil and spices. No tahini. Used chickpeas instead. All went into the blender and the result was spectacular. Just as in BSK’s theater days, BSK’s improvs are impressive.

First dinner party at HG/BSK’s at HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI., loft,—and it was joyous. A family extravaganza. Lesley R.and Massimo R. (HG/BSKs daughter and son-in-law) plus Noel M and Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and son-in-law) were present. N. and Y. were visiting Rhody on their way to friends in Virginia. BSK made a big pot of chicken curry. Silky, spicy. Best ever. Plenty of hot sauces and chutneys on the table to add piquant notes. Radish and cucumber Raita for coolness (Thoughtful Lesley made a special Raita for HG: Yogurt, crushed garlic, squeeze of lemon and no pesky vegetables that HG finds hard to swallow). Nice surprise from inventive BSK: Saag Paneer. This is one of HG’s favorite Indian dishes–a puree of creamy spinach mixed with spices, herbs and chunks of Paneer, an Indian cheese. BSK consulted “Indianish” (A gift cookbook from L.) and substituted Feta for the Paneer. Fabulous creation that HG could eat every day. Plentiful white wine, beer and red wine was drunk, of course, and there were happy toasts to past and present family events. Dessert was a warmed store bought blueberry crumble with rich vanilla ice cream. HG/BSK want to host many more magical family gatherings like this one.

BSK has been busy every day. Unpacking (yes. the loft has been crowded with 239 boxes from New Mexico). Schlepping. Organizing clothes until bedroom closets are built in January’ Doing minor carpentry. Guiding (and answering questions) electricians, carpenters, Verizon technicians, etc. Shelving books in HG’s office. Washing machine and dishwasher chores. Paying bills. And, more. Much more. And, BSK has to arise early. Climbs (bleary eyed) out of bed at 6AM (workers arrive). So, at the end of day BSK is fatigued. That’s why a heat and eat. dinner is required. Microwaved lobster bisque for HG (Whole Foods version is lush with many bits of lobster enhancing the creamy texture). BSK heated frozen New England Clam Chowder on the range (don’t know where the product was bought). BSK prefers the briny (no cream or milk) Rhode Island version). However, the famished Wonder Woman managed to get it down with gusto. Accompaniment was an avocado, tomato and sweet onion salad. Ghirardelli chocolate squares and pistachio halvah for dessert. Much white and red wine. A happy night, as always.

A restaurant authority (more famous than HG) has declared that the most important element in running a successful restaurant is consistency. Not easy to achieve but diners judge an eatery by the last meal they had there. The huge success of chain restaurants like Mcdonalds is the fact that they are super consistent. Diners get what they expect (HG fnds chain food inedible–Chipotle is the only exception). HG is very lucky to be living with BSK, the love of HG’s life (finger crossed, we’ll have our 60th wedding anniversary this summer). BSK’s virtues and talents are multitudinous. A “Wonder Woman” for real !!! BSK’a cuisine is consistent. Every dinner is delicious and comforting. Last night, there was linguine with sardine sauce. Excellent canned Portuguese sardines from Portugalia, (located in Fall River MA., this is a Portuguese version of Zabar’s, the New York emporium.) BSK enhanced the sauce with clam broth, olive oil, capers, garlic, fennel, onions, white wine, etc. Stupendous. As HG writes this post, HG awaits a bowl of grilled chicken feta sausages mixed with orzo and accompanied by sauteed tomatoes. Fortunate–and lucky–HG.

Italy didn’t make it to the World Cup and the USA men’s team was scuttled by the Netherlands. But, BSK did some exemplary culinary scoring. There was comfort galore for dinner (and leftover lunch). BSK is deft at cooking HG’s favorite Chinese dish: Mapo Tofu. This is always served with an abundance of Asian rice noodles (HG likes vermicelli). Eeks!! Horror!! No rice noodles in the pantry or thin Italian pasta. Nothing but orzo. So, BSK mixed orzo with the Mapo Tofu. Italy met China and the result was delicious. In addition, BSK made a family favorite: “Green Soup”. BSK cooks all of the aging refrigerated veggies in chicken (or vegetable broth) and adds a secret spice and herb mix. Purees the mix when cooked. The result is green in color and celestial in taste. SJ and wife, Maiko Sakamoto, serve it at Freeman Shokudo, their izakaya in Tokyo, It’s a big seller to Japanese customers during cold weather.

Years ago when HG/BSK lived in a Montclair, N.J. mansion, HG/BSK had a Colombian housekeeper named Lucy. When HG/BSK and family left for an evening out, Lucy would emit some heart wrenching sighs while murmuring “All alone…”. Well, HG was all alone last night. But, it was a
very happy time. A few “Spritzes” (cold white wine with a dash of Aperol). They sharpened HG’s appetite. First course was an Elena Ruz sandwich (on the menu in many Cuban restaurants). How to make it: Two slices of thin Pepperidge white bread. One slice covered in softened cream cheese topped with sliced turkey. Strawberry jam covering the turkey. Other bread slice on top to make a sandwich which is cut on the diagonal. Sounds strange. Try it. Delicious. Another course was reheated Marc Meyer Brandade. Sublime. HG drank more than a half bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau (good vintage this November). So—“All Alone” can be mighty pleasant.