HUNGRY GERALD

Wonderful autumn days at HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront home. Lovely breezes. Temperatures that vary (warm when the sun leaves the cloud blanket and cool when it is obscured). Unfortunately, no picking up of beach glass. HG/BSK’s beach is a victim of the winds. No sand and much seaweed. However, the fields are filled with juicy raspberries. Toby, The Wonder Dog, accompanies HG on HG’s walks and gobbles up many juicy berries (HG manages an abundance). Today, HG went to the post office in nearby St. Peters and stopped for a lavish piece of crisp fried cod with lemony tartar sauce at Rick’s Fish ‘n Chips. Neighboring table was enjoying Rick’s fried Cajun mussels. Have to try the dish on next visit. Last night BSK roasted her signature spatchcocked chicken. Rice pilaf to absorb the lush juices. Plus local yellow beans. HG/BSK were overjoyed with the thighs, drumsticks and wings of the bird. Left the ample breast for tonight’s festive meal. HG sliced the breast into small pieces. Cooked rice chow fun (broad rice noodles). When done, rinsed them in very cold water. Meanwhile, BSK chopped numerous vegetables and herbs (cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from the BSK garden; radishes, fennel, scallions, green onions, basil and more). Dressing was composed of sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, Vietnamese fish sauce, lime juice and grated ginger. Yes, BSK’s original Asian vinaigrette. Noodles, chopped vegetables, herbs and dressing were tossed together. Magical result. The chicken will hit a triple since BSK intends to eat the leftovers (modest) for lunch tomorrow.

In the years following WW2, BSK lived in the town of Summerside in Prince Edward Island. Her detailed memories of eating sweet corn were some of many that prompted HG’s family to return to the island as tourists (and then as homeowners). Her memory was not wrong: some of the world’s best sweet corn is farmed on Prince Edward Island. The best source for this seasonal treat is the Town of Montague located southwest of HG/BSK’s oceanfront home. The purveyors are Isaac’s, Blum’s and Jean & Gary. All splendid. BSK cooks corn with skills perfected over time. HG/BSK eat two or three ears each every night. The corn is so good that HG often eats it without the customary butter and salt. Sometimes gives it a sprinkle of Spanish smoked pimenton. (Hot stuff). In the future there will be corn pancakes with Canadian maple syrup, corn pudding and corn fritters. Best ever corn fritters were served at Gage & Tollner’s, the venerable, long-shuttered restaurant located in downtown Brooklyn. The fritters were served with a juicy mutton chop cooked rare. (As good or better than the classic chop served at Keen’s in Manhattan). BSK is planning to add corn kernels to a big seafood stew BSK is planning for an upcoming family dinner. HG approves. Good corn makes everything taste better.

HG’s nephew, Paul Freeman, bears a powerful family resemblance to HG. When HG looks at Paul, HG recalls HG’s past. When Paul looks at HG, Paul has (for better or worse) a glimpse at his probable future. Paul, and his enchanting wife, Viki, were in PEI for fun, beach walks, biking, golf and food. They were accompanied by three other couples, all friends from Viki and Paul’s home city of Atlanta. They proved to be a warm, generous, food and wine loving group. Obviously affluent.. One man carried Paul and his male friends to PEI on his 75-foot yacht. One of the women in the group, an attractive blonde, has been an aviator for decades. She and her husband own an eight passenger jet plane and this was the transportation for the women of the party. The obvious answer to the question of how to get to sometimes inaccessible PEI: Private yachts and jet planes. The entire group came to HG/BSK’s oceanfront home for a brief tour of the home, beach, etc. Very admiring comments concerning the (admittedly) spectacular sea and sky views. Then to The Inn at St. Peters for lunch. Very pleasant food and happy table talk. HG consumed one of PEI’s best (and most generous) lobster rolls. Paul and Viki went off with their pals to explore the “Floating Boardwalk”, sand dunes and beach at Greenwich National Park. Paul and Viki returned for cocktails, dinner, after dinner boozing and family talk, reminiscing, etc. Sheer delight. Paul has had a very successful career as a real estate developer and investor. He has faced (and conquered) many business challenges. That’s because he has true entrepreneurial courage. The saying: “No guts. No glory.” applies to Paul. He has guts and (deservedly) has reaped lots of glory. Among the glories is Paul/Viki’s 7,300 foot apartment in Atlanta’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Paul built and later sold the sumptuous hotel). Viki is a handsome, trim woman who combines vivacity with sharp intelligence. A convert to Judaism, Viki has been a power in Atlanta Jewish affairs, a sparkplug in supporting Israel, local charities and national educational institutions. Dinner began with 30 HG-shucked Malpeque and Colville Bay oysters. Then on to BSK’s unique seafood stew of cod, clams, corn kernels, fennel, onions, garlic, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, smoky bacon, olive oil and clam juice. (No leftovers). Climax was local butter tarts with French Vanilla ice cream. Many sips of Canadian whiskey and local PEI marc. Fun. Sadly, distance, not lack of affection, keeps HG/BSK and Paul/Vicki apart.

Dr. Esther Freeman, husband Adam, Mother-in-law Susan Young, Sister-in-law Heidi Young (plus Esther and Adam’s enchanting children, Amos and Emilen) arrived for a brief visit. They were camping throughout the Bay of Fundy area in New Brunswick and at various sites on Prince Edward Island. A life enhancing and super helpful group. Among other things that demonstrated Adam’s mastery of household chores, he proved to be a champion oyster shucker (comparable to Maiko Sakamoto Freeman and HG). The Youngs brought a jug of pure maple syrup harvested from their Vermont farm. Very distinctive taste. Different from the Canadian maple syrup HG consumes daily. Dr. Esther is a noted dermatologist (practices in Boston). Graciously, she examined various sun spots and sores on HG and BSK. Recommended medical attention (HG and BSK made dermatology appointments in PEI and Santa Fe). Very helpful to have a Doc in the family. There was happy dining during the visit on sweet corn, fried fish, shucked oysters and other good things. Toby, The Wonder Dog, was sad at the group’s departure. Enjoyed all of the affectionate attention and belly rubs.

All good things, alas, have to end. SJ, Exquisite Maiko, Handsome Haru and Adorable Teru are leaving Prince Edward Island. A few days in Brooklyn and then off to their Tokyo home. Toby, The Wonder Dog, will be sad and missing all the belly rubs, pats and attention. The visit has been wonderful. Much love and laughter. A surprisingly tall and deep-voiced Haru was very helpful and very hungry — he shucked oysters and corn; built shelves, set the table and many other tasks. Teru? Enchanting. A neighbor met her and declared: “This is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen in my more than 80 years”. True. But, Teru is not only a beaut, she is smart, creative, caring and wonderfully affectionate and loving towards HG. And, of course, EM did her usual spectacular cooking. HG/BSK were dazzled by Japanese cuisine a la EM. Sashimi, tataki, pickled mackerel, congee. tempura, soba in broth, crisp fried fish, home-made gyoza. And, more. Much more. SJ is no slouch in the kitchen. Provided some hearty dishes that hit the spot after long beach days. Farewell dinner was an epic. BSK’s sister, Noel, and husband, Yossi, joined the party bringing with them Yossi’s freshly smoked, moist mackerel. Feasted on all the good things native to Prince Edward Island. Oysters (raw on half shell and grilled on the oven range); steamed mussels; sweet corn; panko crusted hake, wild asparagus, smashed potatoes, salad from BSK’s garden. Dessert was tea and an array of cakes from the Charlottetown Farmers Market. Lots of wine and cold beer. HG managed some pre-dinner vodka and post dinner brandy with Peychaud’s Bitters. Yes, it was jolly meal. But, bittersweet. Tokyo is a long distance from New Mexico and PEI. Oh, well, there’s always Face Time.

Noel and Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and brother-in-law) are dynamos of energy and creativity. They have made their Ocean Mist Farm near Panmure Island on the south shore of Prince Edward Island a model of self sufficiency. There are grape and kiwi vines; pear, cherry and apple trees; blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes; black and red currants as well as gooseberries. Vegetables galore, including the best mineral rich PEI potatoes. And, yes, there’s horseradish. There are pigs, goats, lambs and a sprightly horse (for riding, not eating, of course). Last night, HG/BSK, SJ, Exquisite Maiko and Adorable Teru supped on a wondrous Ocean Mist Farm leg of lamb. In a curious example of butchery, the leg had a piece of the hip as well the thigh — a strange configuration that made it impossible to broil whole. EM was not concerned. With the aid of a Youtube video (which partially helped) EM used her extraordinary knife skills to trim every bit of fat from the meat before deboning the entire thing. The result was some nice cutlets of varying widths. SJ coated them with a paste of garlic, olive oil, salt, white pepper, rosemary and other herbs. They went into the broiler and meat emerged medium rare, tender and flavorful — some of the best lamb HG has ever encountered. As a side-dish, SJ cooked a variety of vegetables with middle eastern spices and mixed them with Israeli couscous. A flavor bomb. Drank lots of red wine as the sun set over the sea. Good eating. Good living.

In the few weeks that HG’s grandson, Handsome Haru was visiting Prince Edward Island, HG was surprised to find the 12-year-old remarkably helpful. He assembled metal shelving in BSK’s studio (a task which his father, SJ, proclaimed eminently frustrating) all by himself without any aid from BSK. Checked on kayaks perched on beach. (Fortunately, heavy winds didn’t dislodge them). And, Handsome Haru raced into the ocean to help HG when waves and slippery rocks caused HG to lose his footing. Special dinner treats for the young oyster lover: One dozen large Malpeque oysters (oysters seem to get bigger as weather cools). Exquisite Maiko, champion shucker, gave HH a lesson in scrubbing and shucking the juicy bivalves. HH shucked four. EM shucked eight. All seemed identical. A kudo for HH. The dozen oysters looked so good that HG had two (best ever) and BSK had one. Generous HH did not object and followed up by tossing the shells into the sea (shells in the bushes surrounding HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront home might attract skunks). The oyster feast was followed by BSK’s lush spaghetti with freshly made pesto (basil was from BSK’s garden). The platter of pasta was surrounded by small PEI potatoes, cherry tomatoes and local yellow beans. Much red wine. Beautiful sunset. Another happy time.

HG’s daughter, Victoria, has bad Prince Edward Island travel luck — both coming and going. After her joyous PEI family reunion visit (too brief), Victoria arrived at Charlottetown Airport to find all flights to New York canceled (thunderstorms?). Back to HG/BSK’s oceanfront home to watch dramatic rain and rolling whitecaps on the sea. Finally, Victoria (after a few hours sleep) managed to leave on a 6:30 AM flight. But, there was a delicious consolation. Exquisite Maiko created a tempura feast. Fried food that was light as a feather dancing in a gentle breeze and crackling crisp. Squares of haddock, mushrooms, onion slices and rectangles of sweet corn got the inimitable EM treatment. All was splendid but the corn was a surprising revelation. This was served with soba noodles in mentsuyu (soy based soup). Delectable. Dashes of wasabi made it all tingle. Okay, back to Victoria travel. EM awoke at 4:30AM and drove Victoria to the airport. EM looks delicate but has vast reserves of physical strength and endurance (plus wondrous knife skills). Meanwhile, SJ, in New York on a brief business trip, dined with friends at Shuka, one of Victoria’s (and husband/chef Marc Meyer’s) four Manhattan restaurants (others are Cookshop, Vic’s and Rosie’s), Shuka serves inventive Middle Eastern food and am sure that SJ dined well. However, nothing can top an EM tempura extravaganza.

Dinner began with freshly picked and shucked sweet corn. Cooked to peak of perfection by BSK. So good that HG ate it without benefit of butter or salt. Then, the family proceeded to a an epic seafood meal prepared by Exquisite Maiko. EM picked up just caught mackerel — given away gratis by the fishermen — at the nearby Prince Edward Island port of Naufrage and hake filets at By the Bay Fish Mart in the village of St. Peters. After filleting the fish, EM deep fried the mackerel skeletons into a salty crisp that was dipped in Kewpie Mayonnaise (Japanese brand) sprinkled with cayenne. EM called this “a snack” and it went beautifully with HG’s Bloody Mary. This was followed by two raw mackerel dishes: A tataki of mackerel mixed with ginger, scallions, soy sauce and nori. Marinated mackerel served with a salty, preserved plum sauce. This is better than any variant of pickled herring. Main dish was pan fried hake and mackerel served room temperature over a colorful julienne of vegetables including onions, cabbage, carrots, zucchini and more. Masterful. This was accompanied by a bowl of pickled watercress topped with bonito flakes. The meal featured local ingredients that shone when encountering EM’s skills. (The watercress came from the base of a fresh water stream that empties into the ocean near HG’s home). Superlatives don’t do EM’s cuisine justice. Sublime might be the best descriptive. Beautiful to look at. A delight to eat.

Joy. HG’s daughter Victoria arrived in Prince Edward Island following flight cancellations, mishaps, frustration, etc.. Looks svelte and lovely. Getting to Prince Edward Island is never fun by air. That’s why HG/BSK do the lengthy auto trip from New Mexico (the auto route means Toby, The Wonder Dog, can accompany HG/BSK). Indomitable Victoria refused to be discouraged. New Yorkers are famed for overcoming obstacles. Victoria and husband/chef Marc Meyer own and run four New York restaurants (Cookshop, Vic’s, Rosie’s, Shuka). They know how to deal wth challenges. Victoria arrived with a bag of good things from an Italian shop in Toronto (there was a layover). Weather has been warm and sunny. Lots of beach fun. Much feasting. Some highlights: Exquisite Maiko’s dumplings; Lesley R.’s lush pappardelle in mushroom sauce (plenty of chanterelles, etc.); BSK’s halibut poached in Greek avoglemono sauce. BSK’s sister, Noel, and husband Yossi M., invited everyone to Ocean Mist Farm for a spectacular lunch featuring Blum’s sweet corn and lamb and pork kefta harvested from their own animals. This was served outdoors on tables sheltered by apple trees and kiwi vines. After lunch, BSK, Handsome Haru , EM, Adorable Teru went off to St. Mary’s Bay for paddle boarding and swimming. Harvested six dozen clams (quahogs). Is there a Linguine con vongole or clams posillipo in HG’s future?