HUNGRY GERALD

Prince Edward Island mussels are, in HG’s opinion, the world’s best. Confirmed locavores, HG/BSK are happy that tons are harvested in St. Peters Bay, just minutes from HG/BSK’s oceanfront home. Few Americans know anything about glorious Prince Edward Island. However, if they eat in good restaurants, they are glad that mussels they order are identified as coming from PEI. HG/BSK buy their mussels from Mussel King in the nearby town of Morell. MK is probably the largest harvester and shipper of mussels. And, their mussels are super fresh, just minutes out of the Bay. BSK serves mussels in a variety of ways: with linguini and a lot of garlic, onions, red pepper flakes (HG’s favorite); in chowders; in savory fish and clam broth with plenty of ciabatta for dipping. Very cold last night so BSK improvised a hearty mussel stew. These were the ingredients: Two and a half pounds of mussels; onions, garlic. tomatoes, fennel, potatoes, parsley, clam broth, white wine, olive oil, slices of spicy sausage. The stew received a dusting of piquant Spanish Pimenton plus grinds of black pepper and sprinkles of Maldon sea salt flakes. The stew warmed the body and enlivened the taste buds. Another BSK improv was a dinner winner.

Straciatella in Brodo is a delicious, warming, easy to prepare Italian soup. It takes only minutes to get ready. And, that’s what HG had for a light lunch on a sunny, breezy, chilly Prince Edward Island day. Here’s how you do it. Beat one egg, chopped parsley (preferably Italian flat-leaf), grated parmesan in a small bowl. Bring chicken broth to a boil. When boiling, gently pour the egg mixture into the broth. With a fork, stir clockwise to form egg/cheese curds. Salt and ground pepper when serving. Perfect as is, but HG/BSK sometimes get more ambitious and add tofu, chopped basil, baby spinach, shavings of carrot. If you toss in some leftover shredded chicken breast, chopped scallions and a squirt of sriracha, you’ve got dinner. For a more filling dish, pour the mixture over some rice flour vermicelli.

HG is not fond of pumpkin. Dislikes pumpkin pie and all the other pumpkin-inspired foods prevalent during autumn and early winter. Once tasted potimarron (pumpkin) soup in a Paris bistro. Bland. However, HG is flexible. HG is willing to taste any of BSK’s dinner creations. Invariably, HG finds them rewarding. And, that’s what happened last night. BSK cut the top off a pumpkin (from Ocean Mist Farm) and hollowed out the interior. This is what BSK mixed with ground beef: Leftover orzo, cinnamon, nutmeg, onions, garlic, jalapenos, toasted pignoli nuts, parmesan, blue cheese, spinach, salt and pepper. It went into the oven for a long, slow bake. The result was a spectacular dish. The savory meat stuffing partnered beautifully with the pumpkin which had achieved the soft sweetness of a baked sweet potato. Spice loving HG added a spoonful of Chinese garlic chili sauce to HG’s robust portion. Drank many glasses of pinot noir. Once more, BSK improvised a lush warming dinner that chased away the chills of Prince Edward Island winter.

BSK has a loose leaf book of old recipes accumulated during 57 years of marriage to HG. (How many thousand nourishing meals has BSK cooked for her family? An astonishing number.). In that book is the recipe for Thanksgiving Day squash soup cooked by HG’s beloved late sister, Beulah Naomi. And. there’s also the wonderful woman’s recipe called “Chicken Stew With Noodles”. BSK thought the description appetizing. BSK cooked the dish (adding a few tweaks) and it proved to be a lush and warming double header (a dish eaten two nights in a row). Here’s how BSK did it. Browned (and then removed) chicken thighs. Heated onions, carrots, garlic, herbs in a pot of chicken broth and white wine. Added a can of crushed tomatoes and the chicken thighs. Simmered until done. Removed chicken thighs and discarded skin and bones. Shredded chicken and put the shreds back in the pot with spicy pepper and salt flakes. In another pot, BSK boiled pappardelle until al dente. Added the pasta to the chicken stew. Wonderful eating and even better the next day.

Yes, HG has often praised BSK’s ability to raise old fashioned “comfort” food to new heights. Few dishes are more old fashioned and comforting than meatloaf. And, that’s what BSK cooked last night. After BSK’s creative treatment of the meatloaf and sauce, the meal was elevated beyond comfort to become a hearty gourmand’s treat. The loaf ingredients involved ground pork and beef, garlic, herbs. tomatoes, ketchup and other ingredients. It was cloaked with slices of thick cut bacon. When it came out of the oven, it was juicy, moist, crusty, slightly smoky from the bacon and jam-packed with flavors (meaty and herbaceous). Wait. There was more. BSK simmered a sauce of shiitake mushrooms, dried and then soaked porcini, garlic (of course), olive oil, tomatoes, chopped onions, some water from the porcini soak. rosemary and parsley. Smothered the meatloaf with the lusty sauce. Buttered orzo mixed with parmesan cheese inhaled some of the sauce. Sublime. Dazzling. In the past, during HG’s Colorado residence, HG often ate meatloaf and onion gravy at Denver’s Trinity Grill. Very good. However, the restaurant’s version was far inferior to BSK’s savory meatloaf and sauce delight, an enhanced classic.

Thankfully, there was no turkey at the Thanksgiving Day dinner at Ocean Mist Farm, the verdant paradise on the south shore of Prince Edward Island. HG is not a fan of the bird. Noel and Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and brother in law) have made Ocean Mist a model of self-sufficiency. There’s vegetables, fruit and flowers galore. Plus livestock. The Thanksgiving feast featured a leg of lamb (lamb bred at Ocean Mist) and mashed potatoes (Yossi’s spuds are the best). BSK contributed brussels sprouts mixed with Greek yogurt and pickled shallots. And, following a family tradition introduced by HG’s beloved late sister, Beulah Naomi, the meal began with BSK’s creatively spiced and warming squash soup. Dessert was Noel’s squash/pumpkin pie topped with lots of vanilla ice cream. Turkey wasn’t missed.

Snow, sleet, hail, icy winds, dark skies. B-r-r-r !!! Yes, it’s winter on Prince Edward Island (but, no Covid-19 cases). Wood stove and propane fireplace are keeping HG/BSK comfy in HG/BSK’s oceanfront home. Wildlife seems to be surviving. BSK saw a large coyote loping on a bluff this morning. Resourceful BSK continues to cook meals that are delicious and comforting in bleak weather. Last night, BSK made a stew of cod, tomatoes, onions, garlic, olives, white wine, etc. Served it over creamy polenta. Cod is one of HG’s favorite fishes. The cod in BSK’s stew was flaky, moist and not overcooked. Obviously, very fresh and tasty. Another BSK culinary triumph. The Wonder Woman knows how to chase away winter cold.

Covid 19 infections and deaths continue to mount while the chief Nazi/Fascist and the pile of shit known as the GOP focus on discrediting Biden’s victory and destabilizing democracy in the United States. In what seems like an alternate universe, HG/BSK are residing in HG/BSK’s oceanfront home in Covid 19-free Prince Edward Island. The difference between how Canada’s Maritime Provinces–Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Labrador-Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island–and the USA have dealt with Covid 19 is profound. This was pointed out in a New York Times article from Halifax, Nova Scotia: “Living In Nova Scotia’s Covid Free World” by Stephanie Nolen. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s public health chief spelled out the province’s (and the rest of the Maritimes) Covid 19 response (totally different from the USA’s). Said Strang: “Public health and epidemiological officials, not politicians, should set Covid 19 policy and rule what should be open or closed. People (mostly) follow rules on closure, masks and gatherings. We need to do it to keep each other safe. I think there’s something about our culture, our collective ethic, if you will, that means people obey that.” Hopefully, the US will regain a collective ethic that celebrates life and rationality rather than the pro-death, Nazi/Fascist hysteria that four years of Trump ushered in.

Last month, as a hurricane approached HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront home, BSK made a big pot of chili. It was enough for two days of dinners and lunches, helpful if electricity ceased (gas range and oven could warm the chili). BSK used a Rich Bayless mix (not as good as the Wick Fowler “Five Alarm Chili” mix). A few nights ago, with snow flurries in the future, BSK made another abundant pot of chili, a sure cure for the chills. This time, BSK had no packaged mix but used BSK’s imaginative combination of tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cumin, masa flour, canola oil and big spoonfuls of spicy chili powder to flavor the simmering chopped beef. The chili was a blast from the past. BSK had produced an authentic “bowl o’ red”, the lusty dish (always served with chopped onions and salty oyster crackers) that was a fixture of diners and “coffee shops” in yesteryear New York. HG topped his PEI bowl with onions plus grated cheddar and sliced avocado. Bliss. Many, many decades ago when HG was a financially limited New York journalist, HG would often patronize a small chili restaurant beneath the Third Avenue Elevated train (This was before the El’s demolition and the resultant construction that made Third Avenue fashionable. When the El thundered above, the avenue was lined with tenements and the street fronts housed Irish saloons, pawn shops, antique stores and cheap restaurants). The chili eatery served its fiery chili Texas-style (without beans), or with beans. The chili could be poured over rice or spaghetti if desired. HG would opt for Texas style chili over spaghetti. A very big bowl cost 25 cents, a filling, warming, affordable culinary treasure.

Yes, Trump is doing his best to sow chaos and division in the United States. A desperate, vindictive con man willing to sacrifice Democratic ideals for his tarnished ego. Despite all of that, the Biden/Harris victory was cause for celebration. This was accented by the acknowledgment speeches by Biden and Harris. Eloquent. Healing. Civilized. Big change from the unspeakable Nazi. So, time for a happy meal. At HG’s request, BSK made omelets stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. Brown on the outside and soft and runny on the inside (the French call this texture “baveuse”). Juicy cherry tomatoes, a ciabatta, Sicilian red wine accompanied. Sighs of pleasure. Pete’s Kitchen, a rough and ready Denver/Colfax Avenue diner, would make this omelet at HG’s request. Smothered it with green chile and served it with hashbrowns and Greek yogurt. Very good. But, not as good as BSK’s savory wonder. Both versions were better than the very subtle cheese omelets served at Romaine de Lyon, long closed New York restaurant. This was a favorite of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. Brooks wrote the screenplay for “The Producers” ( Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) there.