HUNGRY GERALD

BSK cooked a creative version of Greek Moussaka last night—-a wow of a doubleheader. Traditionally, Moussaka is a Greek version of England’s “Shepherd Pie”. Lamb substitutes for beef and a yogurt based topping replaces mashed potatoes. HG prefers  BSK’s Moussaka, a riff on Yotam Ottolenghi’s  Lamb, eggplant  and yogurt casserole. The addition of eggplant is inspired. BSK cooked ground lamb and cubed eggplant in olive oil, chicken broth, canned plum tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, chopped parsley and a host of spices plus red pepper. It went into the oven –heated to a high temperature–and cooked until all was soft, rich and spicy. When done, it was topped with a mix of Greek yogurt, egg yolks, flour, chopped garlic and pine nuts. It all went back in the oven until the topping was bubbling. Spectacular eating. BSK hits another home run and HG/BSK will have the nightcap tomorrow. Hooray!!!

Yes, it started with BSK’s crisp and juicy spatchcocked chicken. HG was super pleased with the brown skin and juicy thigh. Generous BSK carved for HG a special taste treat: The wings. There was some breast leftover so BSK used her Asian cooking skills to make a steaming and comforting pot  of Pho, the admirable Vietnamese pot of broth, rice noodles, chicken and a melange of vegetables. Maybe not up to Saigon standards, but loved by HG. The one chicken BSK started with (a chunk of breast was leftover from the Pho) was used for dinner three: Chicken curry. In HG /BSK’s early years of marriage, BSK made it from a recipe published by the late Michael Field. It was creamy but lacked a robust flavor. This was solved by adding toppings of salted peanuts and crisp bacon. Last night’s curry was inspired by recipes from Vij, the famous Vancouver, B.C.restaurateur and chef. BSK added much fresh okra to BSK’s curry. This gave the curry needed crunch and flavor. Stupendous dinner. And, that was the end of the bird–just a few bones left.

Cold Sunday in Rhode Island. However, HG was warm and snug in HG/BSK’s sumptuous Central Falls loft. And, a special treat–some six or morehours of  TV football (49’ers vs. Lions; Ravens vs. Chiefs). Winners go to the Superbowl on Feb. 11. 49er’s were behind 17 points at half time but won in a comeback. The Chiefs won with a great Mahomes performance and a crucial goal line Ravens fumble. During the Chiefs game, HG nibbled cashews and drank a pleasant chilled white wine from Italy’s Friuli Region. HG switched to a Pinot Noir for the next game and ate BSK’s tasty ratatouille with slices of a top flight baguette. During the last stages of the San Francisco comeback, HG had a dessert of vanilla ice cream topped with a splash of maple syrup. A snifter of elderberry liqueur followed. A very happy day.