HUNGRY GERALD

BSK believes in this old saying. There is no waste in BSK’s fridge, pantry or the room temperature fruit and vegetable basket on the kitchen island. Everything gets used in original and tasty ways. A few nights ago, BSK found semi cooked, unsauced pasta in the fridge plus many pieces of cheese (small pieces left over from cheese boards). Voila!! A flavor packed pot of mac and cheese (crusty topping). In a corner of the fridge, BSK spied a maturing eggplant. Borrowing a recipe from Vij’s, the Indian fusion restaurant in Vancouver, B.C., there was a fragrant eggplant curry served with rice.  HG is joyous when HG sees leftover rice. That’s because BSK converts it into congee (enriched with abundant ginger, garlic and mushrooms). This is a favorite HG comfort food. HG had it for dinner last night and a bowl for breakfast today. BSK topped the breakfast bowl with a poached egg. Great way to start the day. Waste not, want not was obeyed.

BSK looked in the fridge. BSK found a fresh cauliflower and three different varieties of blue cheese (all good). So–Garafalo pasta (the best dry pasta, even better than Dececco) in cheesy cauliflower sauce. BSK rices some of the cauliflower and leaves some in small florets.  The result is one of HG’s favorite pasta dishes. A touch of sea salt, grinds of black pepper bring it to perfection.  (Picante loving HG adds a few drops of Frank’s Hot Sauce). A mellow meal enhanced by numerous glasses of French Pinot Noir . HG’s dessert was HG’s traditional chestnut puree with whipped cream (A memory of London’s Gay Hussar restaurant). BSk made a double header amount of  pasta. HG will have another generous portion tonight. Life (as long as it lasts) is flavorful in HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI., loft. (The spacious loft–3,200 square feet–has been thoughtfully and elegantly interior designed by multi talented BSK).

Warm weather in Central  Falls, RI, a gritty town contiguous to Providence and Pawtucket, the site of HG/BSK’s spacious and comfy–in warm and cool weather–loft.. Gifted daughter, Lesley R., and husband, Profesore Massimo, were here for a Saturday night dinner. In a bow to seasonal weather, BSK made a family favorite dish–Vitello Tonnato. Marvelous Massimo brought a bunch of Rhode Island oysters and shucked them perfectly. A happy starter. Instead of veal, BSK marinated and gently poached pork tenderloins.. The tuna sauce (Tonnato) was exemplary–constructed of high quality jarred tuna,capers, anchovies,olive oil, egg yolks and parsley. BSK cut the pork into thin slices and covered them in the divine tuna sauce. They also received a topping of stemmed large capers. Oh, my!! Once more, BSK brought culinary delight (a double header–there were leftovers  for dinner tonight). Chilled Rose’ was the appropriate accompaniment. (White wine tonight),

Seasonal springtime asparagus. Three eggs. Butter. Frank’s Hot Sauce. Sea salt. Ground black pepper. These were the ingredients for a large tasty omelet that HG devoured with pleasure last night accompanied by a robust Portuguese red wine. BSK cooked it perfectly (SJ is also a deft omelet cook). HG has been pleading (Without results) for an omelet dinner. Tired of HG’s whimpering, BSK finally gave in. The result: A very happy old fellow. HG reminded BSK that when Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft lived in New York, they often dined at the Romaine de Lyon omelet bistro. And, that’s where Brooks wrote the first draft of “The Producers”.

Easter Sunday was a culinary extravaganza. HG/BSK left their Central Falls, RI, for a blockbuster dinner hosted by their gifted daughter, Lesley R., and husband, Profesore Massimo R. (generous wine selector). The venue was the outdoor deck (warm, comfy, spectacular water views) and indoor dining area of their Riverside, RI, home. With  Aperol  Spritzes in hand, the outdoor treats included deviled eggs topped with red salmon caviar; a tapenade like dip of tuna,olives, capers, butter, olive oil. In a bow to the late Julia Child, Lesley served radishes and butter. Massimo provided a remarkable Chablis. The indoor main dish was a tender boneless leg of lamb–butterflied and marinated. BSK brought a sumptuous Greek Avgolemono sauce for the lamb. The sides were oven fried potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes (for HG), plus seasonal asparagus. The Massimo wine selection was  Amarone  (Its lush, mouth filling qualities remain in HG’s memory bank). Cheese course was an aged Parmesan and a rich blue (French? Italian? Danish?). More Amarone. An Italian Panettone like cake for dessert. Chilled Limoncello for HG. Wonderful dinner and HG/BSK expressed their happiness in living close to Lesley and Massimo after being thousands of miles apart for so many years. Took leftovers home and HG  enjoyed Avgolemono soup in a bowl filled with rice and chopped spinach. (BSK had some lamb slices and helped HG finish the blue cheese). Next night was linguine with BSK’s sublime sardine sauce (BSK buys quality tinned sardines at Portugalia, the Zabar’s-like Portuguese food market în Fall River, MA.) As the late Gerald Murphy said: “Living well is the best revenge.”

While HG was busy watching “March Madness” (LSU–Women and Connecticut–Men were the national champs) , BSK cooked a series of delicious international meals  It started when gifted daughter Lesley R. and husband, Massimo R., dined with HG/BSK (At HG/BSK’s Central Falls, Ri. loft). The four hungry folks devoured a Spanish dish–shrimp and scallops in garlic abundant green sauce. HG/BSK first tasted this at El Faro, the long closed Greenwich Village restaurant (located on the corner of Horatio and Greenwich). In her book, “Eat, Memory”, Amanda Hesser includes an eloquent appreciation of El Faro by Gary Shteyngart, the American/Russian writer. Next night was pasta in broccoli sauce (An Italian dish inspired by the version served at Delsomma, a long closed restaurant in the New York theater district). In a bow to HG’s Jewish heritage, BSK followed this with kasha varnishkes (Groats topped with mushrooms and caramelized onions and,of course, sour cream on the side. A featured dish–yesteryear– at New York’s once numerous “dairy” restaurants”). More international cuisine. There was a memorable Cairo inspired sheet pan meal of chicken, potatoes, leeks and arugula topped with spoonfuls of Greek yogurt. HG’s favorite Chinese dish–congee–was true comfort. Happily,this is a BSK specialty. The steaming porridge had a unique flavor since BSK cooked it with abundant ginger, garlic and mushrooms. HG favors picante cuisine so HG’s portion got a generous hit of sriracha (plus nutty toasted sesame oil).  An odd culinary note: The recipe for green sauce includes the liquid from a can of asparagus. Strange, indeed.

It was a Happy Day in Riverside, RI., with BSK; Toby, The Wonder Dog, and Pip, the sensitive, intelligent female. BSK had been dog sitting while daughter, Lesley R., and her husband, Massimo, were in Colorado visiting with daughter Arianna. HG had been living alone in HG/BSK’s Central Falls, R.I. loft. Watched much NCAA basketball and arrived (drowsy and bleary eyed) in Riverside. Twelve hours of sleep and HG was energized and ready for a big breakfast bowl of yogurt, raspberries and maple syrup (accompanied by cafe latte and 14 vitamins and medications). Summer arrived early. Sunny and very warm on the deck facing the Narragansett River. Scores of birds landing on the bird food platform. (Bird songs and joyous chirps galore).Many ducks and swans gliding on the waters plus sailboats, tugs, barges, etc. Few things are better than sitting on a sturdy deck sipping a second cup of coffee while watching water views dotted with swans, boats, etc.. (Summer didn’t last–got cold and grey in afternoon as BSK took the dogs on a beach walk). Apple Jack Negroni before dinner. Dined on another BSK culinary gem: Spaghetti in a sauce of zucchini, mint and ricotta. The zucchini, chopped shallots, chopped garlic were sauteed gently in olive  olive (Lemon juice was added gradually). Room temperature ricotta went into the mix. A handful of finely chopped mint plus lemon zest was swirled into the pasta dish. Salt, ground black pepper and Italian red pepper flakes provided the final touch..Another BSK triumph. And, BSK’s thoughtfulness is infinite. BSK  bought one of HG’s favorite desserts: Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. A Happy Day, indeed.

HG has been glued to HG’s office TV. LSU (women) and Connecticut (men) were the national champs and gave HG hours of-pleasure. Caitln Clark of Iowa is extraordinary. Sure, her three-point shooting is thrilling, but it is her mastery of all elements of the game that gives HG many thrills. Her passing is a wonder (full court passes remind HG of Tom Brady) She sets up her team with dazzling assists (unfortunately, her mates have not been good enough to take advantage). She drives to the basket with ease. And, she snares rebounds.  Caitlin is the best. Stars give joy but teamwork wins games. And, that’s what LSU displayed: Tough rebounding. Deadly in the paint and mid range. Surprising three pointers. Excellent defense. A complete team–they deserved to  to be champs. As for Connecticut, this is a polished team, a worthy national champ. They outclassed all of their opponents—winning all games by double figures. Their finals opponent, San Diego State, made things exciting (momentarily). They had won by two buzzer beaters on their way to the champiônship game. After trailing the Huskies by double figures for most ot the game, they got hot (and Connecticut got sloppy) and the Aztecs were four points behind in the second half. The Huskies recovered and demolished the Aztecs, winning by 17 points. Teamwork triumphs.

Yea, HG was very sleepy yesterday when HG joined BSK at the Riverside, RI, home of HG/BSK daughter, Lesley, and her husband, Massimo. BSK has been dog sitting there. Lesley and  Massimo left Toby, The Wonder Dog, and Pip, the sensitive and brilliant female, behind as they were off to visit their daughter, Arianna, in Colorado. Meanwhile–until today–HG has been living alone in HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI.,loft. In a previous post, HG noted that loneliness has some virtues. (And sometimes it means getting to bed much too late and awakening too early). Drowsy HG’s spirits were enlivened by spending time with BSK and eating an afternoon bowl of ramen enriched with silken tofu. HG had the pleasure of watching Miami and San Diego State get to the NCAA Final Four by winning close games (Plucky Miami made its usual second half comeback). Dinner was BSK’s delicious improvisation. BSK found some Italian sausage in the fridge and cooked it with tomatoes, garlic,onions, tomato paste, olive oil–made a lovely sauce sauce when served over linguine. HG dusted the pasta with parmesan. Enjoyed it with many glasses of Italian red wine. Slept in a king size bed with BSK (Woman of endless virtues.) Dogs slept at the foot of the bed. Happily, HG slept until noon. Bliss.