HUNGRY GERALD

BSK introduced a new dish last night and it was delicious.  BSK cooked ground pork and chunks of sweet potato with chopped onions, garlic, herbs and spices. At the proper moment, BSK added coconut milk to create a creamy, lush stew. It was served over a mound of basmati rice. Chutney and chipotle aioli were the condiments, Pinot noir was the drink. It all spelled yummy heaven in HG/BSK’s Central  Falls,  RI, loft.

Wonderful gifted, generous daughter, Lesley R, went to Chengdu Taste  restaurant in Providence and brought a lavish  Chinese family meal to HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft. Among the good things. Fiery hot and sour soup. MaPo Tofu; Eggplant in garlic sauce, Szechuan fish filets. Large containers. Overjoyed HG (Chinese cuisine. has been HG’s favorite since exploring it at age seven). Yummy meals for three days. Chengdu Taste is as good as New York Chinatown, Brooklyn and Queens Chinese eateries. HG is happy to be living in Rhody and enjoying splendid Chinese food (thanks, Lesley) and BSK’s daily culinary wonders.

Yes, it’s Spring and Rhody is green, colorful and gently warm. Asparagus are in season and HG/BSK are eating many buttery, tasty stalks. HG misses the shad and shad roe with bacon that were served in the Spring at Christ Cella, the long closed great New York  steak house, and Gage & Tollner, the legendary Brooklyn seafood restaurant. These wonderful aquatic treats were harvested by New Jersey fishermen along the Hudson River; a harvest going back to the 1600’s. HG once sponsored a shad bake as part of a PR effort for New Jersey. Ice Cold beer and all the shad and roe you could eat.  Heaven.

BSK made a yummy, simple supper for HG–two thick filets of flounder bought at Whole Foods. BSK was told they were caught in Rhode Island waters a few hours before BSK’s purchase. Yes, they were briny, fresh and extraordinary when gilded with garlic/sea broth/olive oil sauce.BSK served them on a mound of buttered seasonal asparagus.  Tasty perfection on a plate. Life is good (due to BSK)  at HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft.

HG’s favorite  New Yorker cartoon is based on two pasta shapes–penne and fusilli. Penne is on the phone and saying: “How are you, Fusilli, you crazy bastard?”. Makes HG laugh but, oddly, fusilli is HG’s least favorite pasta shape. That is, until last night. BSK cooked a pot of fusilli with a sauce composed of broccoli, garlic, onions, olive oil, chicken stock and parsley. BSK’s broccoli sauce is world class and it clung to all of fusilli’s spirals. Fusilli and broccoli sauce a la BSK is a perfect marriage and made HG change HG’s mind about fusilli. It was  a wondrous supper enjoyed at HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft.

HG doesn’t miss the glossy billionaire haven that New York has become. But, HG sorely misses the New York food HG revered in HG’s younger years. Here are some of them: Oyster Pan Roast at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Happily, they are still serving this glory. Sirloin Steak at Christ  Cella (long closed). Pastrami and chopped liver sandwich at Gitlitz  Delicatessen (long closed). Sausage and peppers at Patsy’s Italian restaurant in East Harlem (still thriving with pizza as a specialty). Warm gefilte fish, fish jelly, fiery horse radish, buttered pletzel at Famous Dairy on W. 72 (long closed). Kasha Varnishkes with mushroom gravy at dairy restaurants throughout the city (almost all are gone). Egg creams at “candy stores”.

HG/BSK had a delightful culinary trip to Morocco last night. BSK cooked a sparkling and lush tagine of chicken, couscous and cauliflower flavored with parsley, cumin, preserved lemon and other spices and herbs. The dish is a lusty stew and the word “tagine” refers to the clay bowl the dish is cooked in. BSK used a conventional pot and the dish still retained true middle eastern flavor. Store-bought preserved lemons have an odd taste so industrious BSK preserved the lemons herself; this homemade touch made the dish a joy (happily, BSK made enough of the dish so we can have it tonight. Hooray!!).

Gifted daughter Lesley R. (with assistance from her daughter  Sofia) treated HG/BSK to the ultimate Easter dinner at Lesley’s home. It started with deviled eggs spiked with sherry vinegar and spicy pimenton. This was followed by Italian style lamb chops. Succulent thin chops were showered with spices, dipped in beaten egg and then rolled in bread crumbs. They were sizzled in hot oil. The result was crisp, greaseless, herbaceous, medium rare chops—layers of fabulous flavors. They were accompanied by small boiled potatoes (thoughtful Sofia made mashed spuds for her handicapped Elderbuddy); roasted peppers and buttered asparagus. Dessert was an extraordinary flan gifted by Lesley’s house cleaning aide. HG and BSK agreed—this was the best Easter feast they ever experienced. Thank you Lesley and Sofia–so lucky to have you.

Swordfish is not a favored HG sea treat–fibroid with little oceanic flavor (HG did have a good swordfish meal in Sicily–the fish was dotted with cherry tomatoes and hot peppers). Last night, BSK outdid Sicilian chefs with an exemplary bowl of swordfish and pappardelle pasta. BSK sourced a thick slab of swordfish at Whole Foods. BSK sliced it in half horizontally and then cut it into one inch cubes. They were sauteed in a sofrito of olive oil, fish stock, onions , garlic, spices and herbs. When done (cooking was brief to keep the fish juicy) it was poured over pappardelle sprinkled with parsley and dotted with hot sauce. Another fabulous BSK supper in HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI. loft. Yes, BSK is a culinary blessing.

HG has some problems swallowing pasta after surgery narrowed HG’s throat some decades ago. “Al dente” pasta Italian style (preferred by HG’s brilliant son-in-law, Professor Massimo R.) is particularly difficult—it tastes like shredded cardboard. Easy to swallow, very soft pasta is messy and has a negative mouth feel. In the middle is the perfect pasta–reasonably firm but comfortable eating for HG. BSK, as usual, achieved pasta perfection in a supper of linguine in cauliflower/blue cheese sauce. HG  had two big bowls and could have made inroads on a third. BSK is a blessing.