HUNGRY GERALD

Big, flavorful festive family feast (nifty alliteration). Nephew and wife–Erik and Lisa M.–plus Nicole C., friend and fellow performer in their exciting equestrian show, “Gladius”, are visiting Prince Edward Island. Staying with Noel and Yossi M. (Parents of Erik and sister and brother-in-law of BSK) at their verdant Ocean Mist Farm. So, three generations of Freemans and Martinoviches got together for dinner at HG/BSK’s oceanfront home. Feast started with a salt cod brandade. BSK used Pierre Franey’s recipe from the New York Times food archive. Calls for numerous changes of water to remove excessive saltiness. Milk replaces cream as one of the ingredients (others are garlic,olive oil and potatoes). BSK dusted it with plentiful grated parmesan and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper. Served it with an array of pickles and toasted baguette. Spectacular. Perfectly balanced. (Next morning had some fried with a poached egg on top. Wow!!). The main dish was not an anti-climax. Invented by Brilliant Daughter Lesley R., this was a lush surf and turf stew served over smashed potatoes mixed with chicken broth and scallions. The stew was composed of browned Cajun sausages (made locally by Taylor Meats), many pounds of mussels and fresh clams. The sauce utilized clam broth, tomatoes, onions, wine, loads of garlic and parsley. It was attacked with vigor. When HG examined the pots and serving bowls, HG noted that not a drop was left. Erik, Lisa and Nicole can make some major inroads on groceries. They are world class athletes based in Las Vegas. They do daring acrobatics and ballet atop galloping horses. Erik opens the “Gladius” show by standing atop a team of charging, giant horses. You must be powerfully muscled and strong to control these beasts. Erik makes Arnold Schwarznegger (when he his was in his body building prime) look like a frail lyric poet. Lisa and Nicole are strong and shapely women (Lisa’s tummy of rippling muscle is a wonder). HG/BSK felt a bit flabby and effete around this powerhouse crowd.

One of the many blessings of summering on Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province, is the availability of pure, modestly priced maple syrup. It’s wonderful stuff. Perfect over pancakes and French toast. A nice addition to a breakfast bowl of oatmeal, muesli or granola. Add some freshly picked Island blueberries or strawberries and you’ve made a big deposit in the bank of good health. Canadians use maple syrup in cooking. It enhances many pork and baked bean dishes. One of HG’s favorite dishes is served in some Vancouver, B.C. restaurants: Black cod glazed with maple syrup. HG’s usual dessert after BSK’s savory seafood dinners is ADL French Vanilla ice cream with a splash of the maple goodness. A favorite HG cocktail is the Caipirinha, the Brazilian drink composed of Cachaca (similar to rum and equally powerful), lime juice and sugar. HG enjoyed the drink at cafes bordering Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. (Surprisingly, had very good Caipirinhas at a cafe in the Trastavere neighborhood of Rome). As a tribute to the exciting Olympians, HG has been drinking a riff on the drink. Bacardi White Rum, lime juice, crushed ice and maple syrup. Here’s to you, swift, strong, graceful, skilled men and women of the 2016 Olympics!!

HG grew up in New York. Studied in crowded classrooms. Rode in jammed subways. Career in journalism was based in noisy, typewriter clattering (pre computer days) city rooms. Ran a public relations company and interacted with some 30 demanding employees and scores of clients. HG’s later years have been spent in blessed quiet in Colorado, New Mexico and Prince Edward Island. Peace. HG has long had a taste for solitude. Has never known loneliness. HG has questioned why people are lonely when there are happy companions: Books, magazines, newspapers. Today, of course, most of the population seems glued to its phones. Too much electronic companionship, HG believes. Much as HG relishes the loving company of BSK, there are times when solitude is bliss. This was the case yesterday. BSK and Handsome Haru spent the day in Charlottetown for auto servicing, HH tennis lesson, and harness races plus dinner at Prince Edward Island’s Old Home Week celebration. HG (a sometime naturist in HG’s old age) spent the day alone on the beach, nude and sun kissed. Walked along the shore, swam in calm, warm waters; read back issues of New York Review of Books. Ended day with hot shower followed by rum and lime juice cocktails. Cellist Pierre Fournier on the CD player. Dinner was hamburgers on onion rolls plus black beans with rice, chopped onions, sour cream. Spoonfuls of pungent tomatillo salsa. Gahan’s Red Ale. Glad to see BSK and HH when they arrived home. Ended the perfect day by watching the incomparable Usain Bolt triumph in the 200 meter dash.

It was time for Vicki F., Lesley and Massimo R. to enjoy one of the much lauded culinary events of Prince Edward Island: Fireworks Feast at the beautiful Inn at Bay Fortune. HG/BSK dined there last year but it was a first for the rest of the group. The event began with “Oyster Hour” at 6PM. This is a dazzler. Highlight is Colville Bay oysters (PEI’s best) with a unique Bloody Mary Ice. Oyster loving HG managed to down 28, Last year HG ate 32. Other good things served at “Oyster Hour”: Pastrami smoked salmon with black garlic aioli; Mini-BLT’s with thick cut bacon; honey garlic sausage with mustard and crushed herbs. HG/BSK and family ate the warm goodies outside while sipping the Inn’s “Summer Sangria.” The beauty of the flower filled grounds and the view of Bay Fortune enhanced the experience. Then inside for the the the six-course feast. Home baked bread with a variety of spreads; sea chowder containing bar clams, mussels, lobster, bacon and vegetables; smoked scallops with tuna tartare; just picked salad; flat iron steak and braised beef with a host of vegetables; berry shortcake with lemon verbena ice cream. Dinner food was uneven. HG’s favorites were the bread platter and the seafood chowder. Everything served at “Oyster Hour” is superb. Despite flaws, this is a great once-a-summer festive event. Everything at FireWorks is prepared by a crew of young chefs–The Fire Brigade– cooking in a giant wood fire oven and outdoor barbecues stoked by wood. All food is local and organic. The enterprise is headed by chef/cookbook author Michael Smith. Be warned: You have to book three to six months in advance.

HG/BSK love clams. Have many happy memories of clamming in the Great South Bay off Long Island when HG/BSK and family occupied a Fire Island dune house facing the Atlantic Ocean. Harvested hundreds of clams for big feats (friends, neighbors, guests) of Clams Casino and linguine with white clam sauce. In HG’s youth, the greedy lad’s favorite place for clams was the vast Lundy’s Restaurant on the Sheepshead Bay waterfront in Brooklyn The expert shucker served clams with light-as-a-feather buttered biscuits. HG and pals devoured dozens. Last night, Lesley R. brought back Fire Island memories with steaming bowls of spaghettini with clam sauce. Used four dozen juicy little neck clams from By the Bay Fish Mart. These clams are called “quahogs” on Prince Edward Island. Larger clams are known as “chowders.” The meal began with smoked bluefish and ended with green salad plus cheese. HG had brie with chef Marc Meyer’s incredible zaatar infused flatbread. HG’s visiting daughter, Vicki (Marc Meyer’s wife and partner in the operation of their four New York restaurants} brought this welcoming treat from their Cookshop Restaurant in the West Chelsea neighborhood. The sweet finale was Lesley’s warmed fruit cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Envious anyone?

Joy. HG’s daughter, Vicki, and HG/BSK’s granddaughter, Sofia, have arrived at HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island home, joining HG/BSK, Handsome Haru and Lesley and Massimo R. Vicki is the renowned New York restaurateur, owner (with chef/husband Marc Meyer) of four New York restaurants: Cookshop, Hundred Acres, Vic’s and Rosie’s. Sofia has had a happy and busy summer in New York and Brooklyn. The beautiful young woman (now sporting artfully blonde streaked hair) has been working as a hostess at Hundred Acres and aiding HG/BSK’s daughter-in-law, Exquisite Maiko, at her Oni Sauce stand at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg. Both Vicki and Sofia are happy to get a big helping of PEI sun, salt air, warm water and peace. Plus seafood, of course. The welcome to PEI dinner consisted of Handsome Haru’s olive oil, parmesan, anchovy, hot sauce dip. This was followed by Lesley’s Newfoundland shrimp salad and a main dish of codfish cakes. The crisp and juicy cakes were accompanied by PEI yellow beans (now in season) and room temperature cannelini beans in a vinaigrette enhanced by garlic, garlic scapes, chopped onions and a variety of herbs. Happily, there was left over fruit cobbler (plus vanilla ice cream) for dessert. Viva famiglia!!

Following the carnivorous excess at Noel and Yossi M.’s Ocean Mist Farm (near Panmure Island in southeast Prince Edward Island), HG/BSK and family decided it was time for a vegetarian feast. The basis for the healthy and supremely flavorful dinner was the cuisine of Vikram Vij, the proponent of Indian fusion cooking and proprietor of Vancouver, B.C.’s famed Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants. In a cooperative cooking effort, BSK prepared two curries: Eggplant and cauliflower (plus a big pot of rice). HG cooked red beans and rice (the beans were in a super spicy masala sauce). Lesley and Massimo R. and Handsome Haru were efficient sous chefs.) Once more, Vij’s recipes proved flawless. (Check them out online and enjoy). Gahan’s Red Ale (brewed on PEI) was the perfect accompaniment.

As you may have noted, HG/BSK eat very little meat when residing on Prince Edward Island. The emphasis is on fresh fish, oysters, clams, scallops plus a wide variety of farmer’s market fruits and vegetables (plus blueberries harvested from a field adjoining HG/BSK’s home). Thus, HG/BSK, Handsome Haru plus daughter and son-in-law, Lesley and Massimo R., were filled with carnivorous anticipation when invited for dinner at Noel and Yossi M.’s Ocean Mist Farm. Yossi promised a feast of barbecued lamb (the lamb raised by N & Y on an organic diet) plus a barbecued free range chicken from neighbor Amram’s farm (Like Yossi, an Israeli raised on a kibbutz). Feasting began with cold glasses of PEI white wine with Noel’s signature hummus spiked with some fiery Yemenite hot sauce. This was scooped up with Noel’s pita (gilded with olive oil and sprinkled with Zaatar, the Lebanese thyme-based spice mixture.) Noel’s pita is probably the best in North America. The lamb and chicken was marinated in olive oil and spices before going on the gas barbecue. Carefully tended by Yossi, they emerged deeply browned and juicy. Happy HG noted that the lamb had slices appealing to everyone’s palate: Well done, medium rare, rare (HG’s choice). Couscous; Noel’s spin on Tzatsiki (Greek yogurt salad); lettuce and tomato salad were served. Scotch Bonnet hot sauce on the table. Later, Amram (an attractive, engaging and erudite man) arrived to participate in the feast. Told us of his dedication to organic farming which demands much effort but contributes to both good taste and good health. Much red wine was drunk and the meal ended with Noel’s tart and tasty cherry cobbler. A night to remember with fondness.

Joyous birthday dinner for Lesley R. featuring some of Brilliant Daughter’s favorites. A nice beach day on Prince Edward Island. Breezy and sunny. Appetites were sharp. Meal began with two dozen Colville Bay oysters (distinctive green shells). This was followed by BSK’s sorrel soup, the sorrel snipped from BSK’s herb garden. Each bowl was decorated with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper. Lush. Sorrel, unfortunately, is almost never found in supermarkets or farmer’s markets (and very expensive when it is). Sorrel is a sour, leafy plant that often grows wild — it is very easy to cultivate. Best to grow your own. In HG’s Bronx youth, sorrel was found in every fruit and vegetable store. It was the basis for Schav, the heat beating summer soup that was always served ice cold and accompanied by a boiled potato and a bowl of sour cream mixed with chopped radishes and scallions. HG’s Mom didn’t puree the sorrel leaves but left them whole. Very refreshing. Main dish at the celebratory feast for Lesley was lobster salad packed into toasted, buttered frankfurter rolls. Lesley made the lobster salad and it hit the right notes of lemon juice, mayonnaise and herbs. Meal ended with a green salad and a dessert of Meyer Lemon Cheesecake. Perfect summer meal.

Brilliant Daughter Lesley R. is a lovely bundle of talents. A talented writer (she was a prize winning reporter and editor). A devoted wife and mother. And, of course, an extraordinary daughter. She was a super-cute precious tot with a head of Shirley Temple curls. Now, as an adult with a head of blonde curls (plus a bit of grey), Lesley’s talents have extended to the kitchen. One night, Lesley and BSK collaborated on a garlic scapes (from Ocean Mist Farm) pesto. A creative collaboration, indeed. A match for the best basil pesto. Profesore Massimo R., Lesley’s husband, called upon his Italian heritage to cook linguine to a hard to achieve al dente texture. Perfect starter. This was followed by a Portuguese influenced pan roast of clams and spicy sausages (the Cajun sausages from Prince Edward Island’s Taylor Meats stand at the Charlottetown Farmers Market). Onions, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and white wine enlivened the roast. It was served over lush smashed PEI potatoes (Smashed with a bit of butter, garlic, parsley and garlic scapes). Hearty eating after a day in the sun and sea.

When HG/BSK lived in Montclair, N.J., their favorite eating place was the eccentric, lively, down to earth Belmont Tavern in Belleville, a town adjacent to Newark’s heavily Italian North End. The bar (whose bartender would belt out an operatic aria at impromptu intervals) was under one ownership. The kitchen was owned by a guy named Stretch. On the menu was a dish called Stretch’s Chicken. It was a wow. Tender, crisp skinned chicken in a rich sauce of vinegar, anchovies and garlic. Huge portions. (HG/BSK always shared one portion of the chicken and one portion of another Belmont specialty, cavatelli in a sauce of ricotta and tomatoes. HG/BSK were amused when two young newcomers to the Belmont ordered two portions of each dish and were astonished when a mountain of food covered their table). All attempts to duplicate Stretch’s Chicken in the HG/BSK family kitchen have failed. The dish has been approximated in a number of North Jersey restaurants where it is called “Chicken Savoy”. Bruce Maguire, HG’s very successful public relations protege, claims he makes a very tasty Stretch’s Chicken at home but HG has not had the opportunity to taste it. However, last night Brilliant Daughter Lesley R. (with assistance from BSK) cooked a Belmont-style dinner for the family and guests Noel (BSK’s sister) and husband, Yossi M. of Ocean Mist Farm. Starter was, once more, linguine with garlic scape pesto. This was followed by a sumptuous platter of well burnished chicken in a dark, vinegary sauce that was a worthy emulation of Stretch’s dish. Grilled (and peeled) red peppers brought color to the dish. Lesley continues to produce kitchen triumphs.