BSK never complains. BSK is best long distance automobile driver. BSK drives to and fro from New Mexico to Prince Edward Island. That’s six days of driving. Won’t let HG drive though the old guy has been driving for 40 years. Says HG’s driving makes BSK nervous. Oh, well. Four days of motoring from Providence to New Mexico was wearing on BSK’s eyes and nervous system. Driving rain (plus fog patches) lasted for days and the abundance of trucks interfering with visibility made driving very treacherous. Of course, as always, BSK met the challenge. But, BSK was quite relieved by roads drenched in sunshine on the last leg of the homeward journey from the Texas Panhandle to Santa Fe. Tyler’s Barbecue in Amarillo, Texas, has expanded but is still producing top-flight ribs, brisket and pulled pork. HG/BSK could barely finish the huge portions. Toby, The Wonder Dog, scored some brisket. Arrived home safely and supped on chicken soup and minestrone provided by HG/BSK’s thoughtful pal,Vicki B.
Wet, Nasty And Long
November 1st, 2019 § 1 comment § permalink
P’ok Chops
October 21st, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
L’l Abner, created by cartoonist Al Capp, was a widely syndicated American comic strip for many years. It featured the Yokum family–Mammy (and her wicked uppercut), lazy Pappy and their son, strapping, guileless L’il Abner. The ragged hillbillies lived in a benighted mountain area called Dogpatch. Another character was Daisy Mae Scraggs, a young woman whose torn clothing did little to conceal her shapely form. Her ambition was to marry L’il Abner. His ambition was to evade marriage. Daisy Mae’s abominable family, the Scraggs, lived in nearby Skunk Hollow. Many other memorable characters: Unsanitary but super sexy Moonbean McSwine. Evil Eye Fleagle. Marryin’ Sam. Earthquake Magoon. J. Roaringham Fatback (the perfectly named greedy plutocrat, a Trump precursor), etc., etc. L’il Abner’s favorite food was “p’ok chops.” HG/BSK share his affection for pork chops. Happily, BSK’s sister, Noel, and Husband, Yossi, keep HG/BSK supplied with pork chops from pigs that have been gently reared at their Ocean Mist Farm on Prince Edward Island. Secret to juicy pork chops is brining them with sugar, salt and crushed garlic. BSK then fries the chops and serves them with BSK’s signature saute of peppers, onions and zucchini. Side dish of white pinto beans with chopped onions and fiery Santa Fe Ole’ Salsa. Robust meal for chilly autumn nights.
Black Bean Soup A La BSK
October 16th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
Black bean soup is nourishing, filling and has a smoky, lusty flavor. HG’s first bowl was at the long-closed Coach House Restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village. Restaurateur Leon Lianides served it with squares of moist corn bread. HG was smitten. (Also had black bean soup at the Joe Allen restaurant in the theater district. Pleasant. Not as celestiĆ¢l as the Coach House masterpiece). BSK’s efforts at cooking beans in the high altitudes of Colorado and New Mexico were unsuccessful. Since Lesley and Massimo R., HG/BSK’s daughter and her husband (plus Pip, their beautiful and intelligent dog), were due to arrive last night after a long drive from Rhode Island (much rain and drizzle), BSK decided to welcome them with steaming bowls of black bean soup. Thought cooking beans at Prince Edward Island sea level would succeed. BSK was right. BSK’s soup turned out as good (or better) than the Coach House version. Much praise from warmed L. and M. Splendid fresh baguette from Charlottetown Farmers Market. Cheese platter. Green salad. Red wine (last glasses accompanied by dark chocolate). Memorable reunion dinner. Here’s how BSK made the wonder soup. Soaked black beans overnight. Fried pork belly (no ham hock or ham bone available). When done, removed pork but left half the fat in pot. Cooked garlic, onion, carrot and red pepper in the fat until softened. Beans went into the pot with cups of water and chicken stock. Added half cup of dry sherry and bay leaves. Cooked until half of the liquid reduced and then cooked for some hours. After beans achieved the right degree of softness, removed bay leaves and used an immersion blender to puree (but still leaving some texture). Joy.
New Mexico Flavors in PEI
September 15th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
There’s a chill in the Prince Edward Island air and some leaves are beginning to show autumn colors. There are pork chops in the freezer (from organic pigs raised at Ocean Mist Farm). Hey, time for a New Mexico meal, a staple at HG/BSK’s Santa Fe County home. The chops were brined, dried, dusted with Goya Adobo and sizzled in a cast iron pan until the exteriors were brown and the interiors a juicy light pink (overcooking destroys pork chops). BSK prepared sauteed peppers and onions (nobody makes this better than BSK). HG opened a can of Canadian black beans (Goya is not available on PEI but these beans were acceptable). Heated the beans with a squeeze of garlic. Topped them with chopped onions, sour cream and Cajun spices. Salad of local yellow beans, scallions, and feta cheese. Drank a good pinot noir. Happy meal from The Land of Enchantment on The Enchanted Island.
Another Great BSK Soup
September 4th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
BSK makes many great soups. There’s zucchini soup (topped with Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cayenne). Sorrel soup (unadorned if hot and mixed with a dollop of sour cream if cold). Garbanzo and rosemary soup (a pour of olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan). “Green Heaven Soup” (numerous fresh veggies in the fridge pureed and unadorned except for salt and ground black pepper). Italian escarole, bean and bacon soup (big splash of olive oil and lots of parmesan). Today, BSK added another soup to her repertoire. Green tomato soup. During HG’s year living in Georgia (when very young), HG often ate slices of green tomato slices that were first dipped in a peppery batter and fried in lard. (a very tasty memory). BSK’s green tomato soup matched it in terms of culinary pleasure. BSK cooked the green tomatoes with onions, garlic, chicken broth and a fiery jalapeno pepper. Pureed it with an immersion blender. Many levels of flavor. All delicious.
New Mexico Breakfast
August 15th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
As followers of hungrygerald.com may have surmised, Prince Edward Island, the site of HG/BSK’s oceanfront home, has the best, freshest (and inexpensive) oysters, clams, lobsters, haddock, cod, halibut, sole, sea scallops, hake and salmon. Plus, mineral rich potatoes, yellow beans, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and other wonderful things from the rich soil. A happy change from landlocked, high desert Santa Fe, HG/BSK’s home for many months of the year. However, HG does miss the lavish, spicy breakfasts that are featured at many Santa Fe area restaurants serving New Mexican/Tex/Mex food. Near HG/BSK’s home is Sopaipilla Factory. This is where HG eats a cheese enchilada Christmas style (fiery red chile and more moderate green). This is topped by two softly poached eggs. Fresh from the oven sopaipillas (Mexican kin to popovers) and many cups of coffee. At Tune Up Cafe on Hickox Street, a giant breakfast burrito smothered in green chile is featured. The burrito is stuffed with potatoes, peppers, onions, eggs and bacon. Guaranteed to chase away gloom and hunger. At Tecolote Cafe on St. Michael’s Drive, portions are super huge. The green chile is fiery and robust. The cooks are expert in egg cookery. HG likes scrambled eggs soft and runny (the French call it “baveuse”, translated as “oozing). And, this is how the cooks prepare a platter of three silky soft scrambles. This is covered with a generous mantle of green chile and a pile of steamed, warm tortillas. When very hungry, HG orders a side of splendid hash browned potatoes. Oh, my!! El Parasol (a few hundred yards north of Sopaipilla Factory) is HG’s place for lunch. Green chile menudo (tripe stew) showered with chopped onions and accompanied by salty crackers, is an HG addiction. HG discovered breakfast burritos at Pete’s Kitchen on Colfax Avenue in Denver (HG/BSK lived in Colorado for a number of decades). Pleasant but pallid compared to the New Mexico wonders. However, at the time they seemed like culinary wonders.
Unagi and Uni: Love or Hate
July 28th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
HG/BSK are, for the most part, very united in their food tastes. However, HG likes steak and lamb blood rare and pork chops pink. HG likes fish cooked very briefly. BSK takes a more conservative approach to these edibles. The big taste divergence in HG/BSK’s 56-year marriage is about Unagi and Uni. These are wonderful staples at Japanese restaurants and sushi bars. Both are loathed by BSK. Broiled Unagi (freshwater eel) on a bowl of rice (Unagi Udon) is an HG favorite. The dish is enhanced by the sweet and pungent Unagi sauce made by simmering a mix of mirin, sake, sugar and soy sauce. Uni (the interior of a sea urchin) has a very distinctive iodine-rich taste, something like custard that has been infused by seawater. Love it or hate it. It usually tops sushi. In Paris, Le Stella brasserie serves a fresh sea urchin which is always ordered by HG. The top is cut off and one digs into the lush interior with a spoon while avoiding the porcupine-like surface. HG first tasted Uni at Sloppy Louie’s Restaurant at the old Fulton Street Fish Market in New York. Louis Morino, the owner, liked to serve unusual fish market finds at his (not Sloppy at all) eatery. HG ate four (10 cents each) and a love affair was born. One of the best pasta dishes HG ever consumed was on the Palermo waterfront: Linguine with sea urchin sauce. (Palermo rewards the adventurous eater. A favorite street food is spleen on a bun). As for Unagi, it must have mighty health benefits. Exquisite Maiko’s late grandfather ate Unagi every day until his death at 102. Whole Foods used to sell grilled Unagi at its fish counters. Discontinued. Sad.
Lentils A La BSK
July 23rd, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
Last night BSK cooked a BIG pot of green lentils. Unsure of precise portion measurements, BSK cooked enough to feed a military platoon. No matter, they will be eaten to the last morsel since they are so good. BSK cooked them in part water, part chicken broth plus leeks, garlic, green onions, thyme and dashes of tomato paste and hot sauce. They were good company for a pound of fresh haddock filets. HG dipped the fish in beaten egg, rolled them in Canadian fish fry mix and fried them for less than a minute in very hot oil. Frank’s Hot Sauce and PEI mustard pickle were the condiments plus some chopped cherry tomatoes and scallions. Argentine Malbec was the drink. Lovely dinner. Finished with the surprisingly good peanut brittle from the Atlantic Superstore in Charlottetown. HG was introduced to green lentils (as a salad served cold with olive oil and lemon juice) when he was a youngster in New York. They were part of the all you can eat starters (shredded carrots, pickled beets, etc.) that were served at Larre’s, the pleasant and very inexpensive French restaurant that was a hangout for French art world expatriates during World War Two. HG enjoys lentils in many forms. BSK’s red lentils soup is a warming pleasure as is Indian dal (made with yellow lentils it is not favored by BSK). In yesteryear New York, many restaurants (and some diners) served super hearty brown lentil soup enriched by many slices of boiled or grilled frankfurters. Very filling. A large bowl quelled hunger in satisfying fashion.
Squid
July 18th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
Squid (aka Calamari) is a fixture on American restaurant menus. And, for the most part, it’s terrible. Heavily breaded and deep-fried, it’s tasteless. And, when overcooked the squid is rubbery. For some reason, squid is prepared masterfully in Rhode Island. The squid is fried with hot pickled green peppers. It’s great and it’s Rhode Island’s official state dish, a well-deserved honor. HG likes to fry squid, rings and tentacles, in a very hot oiled pan. A very quick crisping. The squid goes on top of a bowl of spaghettini enriched with a sofrito of olive oil, garlic, parsley, anchovies and a splash of clam juice or white wine. Dusted with red pepper flakes, this is good eating. Surprisingly for an island surrounded by salt water, Prince Edward Island fish counters and stores rarely carry squid. Whole Foods in landlocked Santa Fe always stocks fresh squid. Go figure.
Sandwiches
July 12th, 2019 § 0 comments § permalink
HG believes that the problem with sandwiches is there’s too much bread involved. Two slices are too much. And that holds true for rolls and hamburger buns. HG prefers open-faced sandwiches. In HG’s college days at CCNY, the Campus Diner near Convent Avenue served a roast beef (or turkey) platter. The meat rested on a slice of white Wonder Bread and was flanked by mashed potatoes and pallid string beans. All was covered with a maximum amount of dark brown gravy. Appetite honed by football practice on the grassless field of Lewisohn Stadium, HG devoured these dishes with gusto. These days HG is partial to fried haddock sandwiches on the bottom half of a burger bun. HG eats this with knife and fork since the fish is doused with tartar sauce and Tabasco. Franks are removed from their bun and eaten au naturel with mustard and sauerkraut (or pickle relish if kraut isn’t available). Hamburgers get similar treatment. HG rarely eats them anywhere but in the kitchen of BSK, The Burger Baroness. BSK grills them in a seasoned black cast iron pan; tops them with melted cheese and sweet onions. No buns. Just glory. HG concedes there are sandwiches where two slices of bread are essential: The Reuben sandwich (best ever was served at Reuben’s Restaurant on Manhattan’s upper east side. Alas, long closed).; the classic diner grilled cheese (doused with plenty of Worcestershire Sauce); bacon, lettuce and tomato on whole-wheat toast (heavy on the mayo). And, of course, New York’s Katz’s Delicatessen pastrami sandwich. The best, and messiest, two slices of bread sandwich was at HG’s favorite Jewish delicatessen, Gitlitz on the upper west side (HG/BSK lived two blocks away). This was composed of (HG’s orders) chopped liver, pastrami, sliced onion, coleslaw, and Russian dressing. Very untraditional but super delicious. Waiters frowned. One day (if health luck holds out) HG/BSK will visit the Scandinavian countries and eat the famed smorrebrod: open faced sandwiches often featuring herring and smoked fish. Pass the icy Aakavit and beer.