HUNGRY GERALD

HG is very fond of hash, The ultimate roast beef hash is served at venerable Keen’s Chop House in Manhattan. Incomparable. Once HG/BSK shared one giant mutton chop flanked by the hash. Wow!! Had chicken hash at fashionable 21 Club. Just okay. HG had very good corned beef hash at a number of Chicago hotels. BSK made splendid corned beef hash at HG/BSK’s home. Sadly, BSK only made it once.. No repeats. Last night, HG opened a can of Libby’s Corned Beef Hash and seared the contents in a cast iron. When sufficiently crisped, HG topped the hash with two softly scrambled eggs. The accompaniments were ketchup, sriracha, coarse salt. HG drank red wine and was happy. Yes, Libby’s product satisfied. It’s the best of a sorry lot of canned hash.

Ups and down dining in Riverside, Rhode Island. A big up was dinner prepared by Lesley R. (with some modest sous chef aid from BSK). The feature was a steaming bowl of Fregola Sarda, a Sardinian pasta. Lesley R. added some white wine to the Fregola and cooked it with a variety of good things. Chunks of swordfish (nicely underdone). Upscale jarred Italian tuna. Onions. Garlic (plentiful). Hot pepper. Black olives. Tomatoes and lots of chopped mint and basil. Olive oil was added at the table. Not familiar with Fregola? Semolina flour is formed into tiny balls and toasted. When cooked, it has a flavor reminiscent of kasha (buckwheat groats). The shape is akin to Israeli couscous but is much more robust. Sardinians often use Fregola in a soup/stew of clams, tomatoes, garlic, etc. HG/BSK cooked this at their Prince Edward Island paradise using Island quahogs from By the Bay Fish Mart in St. Peters, PEI. Will repeat the lusty dish this summer. The down of the Rhody day was HG’s lunch at the Blount Seafood truck near the Riverside carrousel. Normally delicious, HG suffered this visit with a heavy-crusted, flavorless fried fish. Unpleasant New England clam chowder (glutinous stuff with no brine, mini amount of clams and lots of potatoes). BSK enjoyed her fried clams and French fries. Go figure. HG had a splendid lobster roll (melted butter and no mayonnaise) at Blount last year. Will try again.

Yes, it’s macaroni and cheese. Frowned upon by the health police as a bombshell of carbohydrates, fats and calories. But, when done properly, it is lush, rich and super savory. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, it is impossible to find superior mac and cheese in a restaurant. It’s either too starchy, sticky or downright insipid. Best mac and cheese was found at New York’s long closed Automat chain. Young HG would pop nickels into the wall of treats and out would come a small ceramic bowl of mac and cheese lightly browned on top. Heavenly dish. Also very good were the Automat’s baked bean casseroles and beef pot pie. Yes, a handful of nickels could purchase great food. When HG/BSK lived in Colorado, a close friend and sturdy ally in political and environmental battles was the late Betty Miller. Betty was a progressive Democrat and an elected and appointed government official. Very able in all of her posts. At lunch one day, HG mentioned how much HG missed great mac and cheese. Betty replied: “I was born and reared in North Carolina. I know how to do it. Come to dinner Saturday night.” HG/BSK arrived to dine with Betty and daughter, Beth. On the table was a pot of mac and cheese and a platter of southern stuffed peppers. Plus a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon whiskey. Oh my!! one of the very great dinners of HG’s lifetime. Memorable.

HG/BSK will be in Atlanta in June for what promises to be a festive wedding and family gathering. Gourmand HG is sad that the visit will be brief. Atlanta has become a great cosmopolitan restaurant town with cuisines ranging from Japanese to inventive French and down-home southern. HG made his first visit to Atlanta some 74 years ago. Far left young HG (political thinking hasn’t changed over the years) found the “White” and “Colored” segregation signs shocking. Even more disturbing was HG’s sight of a chain gang in striped uniforms laboring under the hot sun. HG was in the then provincial city visiting HG’s brother, Bernard, and wife, Shirley (both deceased). HG would assist Bernard in his optometry practice (arranging frames, etc.). At lunch, HG developed a fondness for native Georgia cuisine prepared by African-American cooks. A favorite was Brunswick Stew. The stew was tomato based and contained pork, corn, okra, butter beans, other vegetables and a melange of spices. Served with cornbread and doused with hot sauce. Icy lemonade was the drink. Sublime. Sadly, Brunswick Stew has never traveled north, not even on Harlem menus (possibly, this has changed during this new Harlem rebirth). HG also liked the Atlanta cafeterias that offered “meat and three sides.” Old time southerners believed Brunswick Stew wasn’t authentic unless it contained “something that run by.” Namely, squirrel, rabbit or possum. James Beard has a recipe for Squirrel Brunswick Stew in one of his cookbooks. HG will pass.

Salt cod is an HG/BSK favorite. It is a historically important food as it provided non-perishable nourishment and protein for crews in the early days of global exploration. Salt cod (“Baccala” or “Bacalhao”) is used by home cooks throughout Italy, Spain, and other Mediterranean and Carribean countries. HG believes salt cod becomes most glorious in France in the form of Brandade. Born in the Provencal region, it is a garlic laden, creamy, fishy delight best consumed outdoors on a sunny day with a crusty baguette and an ice cold bottle of Provence rose’ wine. Simple dish. A blend of salt cod (salinity banished by long soaking and frequent changes of cold water) cooked gently in milk and water with bay leaves and thyme; boiled potatoes; lots of garlic cooked in abundant olive oil until lightly browned. With the herbs removed, everything goes into a food processor (might have to do it in two batches). Taste after the first whisking to see if more olive oil or hot milk is needed. Process to your taste: Creamy mashed potatoes texture or chunky. Eat as is or get a little fancy and spread it in a baking dish. Top with grated gruyere, a dusting of bread crumbs and a few swirls of creme fraiche. Run it under the broiler to melt the cheese and brown the bread crumbs (be careful, don’t let it burn). Give it a sprinkle of cayenne and lemon zest. You can also make Brandade with poached fresh cod. HG/BSK often do it this way when resident at their summer paradise on Prince Edward Island. Source for very fresh Atlantic cod is the By the Bay fish Mart in the town of St. Peters. During visits to Barcelona, HG/BSK enjoyed savory stews made with fresh cod. Last night, BSK recalled the great Catalan city and made a stew of cod, fish stock, onions, garlic, capers, Kumatoes, olive oil and fiery Spanish paprika (pimenton). Solace on a wintry night.

Tasty food evening. Started with Armenian and other Middle Eastern treats in the beautiful new kitchen of HG’s daughter’s close friends/neighbors. HG was introduced to a special caraway seed Aakavit. Pungent stuff. Then off to Cheng Du Taste, a hole-in-the-wall Szechuan restaurant in Pawtucket, R.I.. To get there, five hungry eaters had to follow a winding complex of streets from the Riva Rhode Island home. Well worth it (even with a 15-minute wait). Very flavorful food served swiftly and piping hot. Mo Po Tofu. Chicken with eggplant in garlic sauce. Sliced fish in chile oil. Pork dumplings. Soup dumplings. Pepper and salt prawns. There was divided opinion. HG raved but the others said that since the menu was so similar to the much more convenient Chonquing House in Providence, Cheng Du Taste was’t worth the longer trip. Who to trust? Choose HG since the senior gent has been consuming Chinese food in various locales for some 80 years. Experience counts.

Potato latkes (pronounced “latkehs’ by HG and “latkeeze” by non-Yiddishists) have been a staple at Christmas family dining in Rhode Island. Traditionally, these have been made by son Jeremy. They are a treat when topped with tobiko, red salmon caviar (or smoked fish) and sour cream. HG’s usual accompaniment is chilled vodka. Alas, SJ is in Tokyo (where he made plentiful latkes to celebrate Hanukah). So, daughter Lesley R. fried the latkes this year and they were crisp and greaseless, perfect with the remaining Russ & Daughters splendor. HG did not drink vodka but had many glasses of a Provencal Rosé and a splendid Tavel. The latkes were followed by another Lesley culinary delight: red lentil soup enhanced by much fiery pimenton and cooled with a dollop of yogurt. Very comforting on a cold winter night. Then watched an inventive, bittersweet Mexican movie, “Roma.” Nice evening meal and entertainment.

HG is not fond of the roast turkey and the vast array of fixings and vegetables that appear on holiday tables from sea to sea in the one time Land of The Brave and Free. Thankfully, there is no cliche food at the Riva home in Rhode Island. For Christmas dinner (served by candle light in the festive dining room) gifted daughter Lesley paid homage to the Italian culinary heritage of the Riva family. (Husband Massimo heads the Italian studies department at Brown University. Granddaughters Arianna and Sofia received much of their primary education in Italy. They and Lesley are fluent in Italian). Veal shanks (osso buco) are, when properly prepared, a hearty and succulent dish (alas, expensive). Lesley treated the ossibuchi with her own blend of attention, diligence and creativity. She browned each, lightly dusted with flour, and cooked the shanks in a number of steps involving a soffritto of varied vegetables (onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, etc.) , broth and white wine. The result, in a word, was stupendous. The juicy, falling of the bone meat, was moistened with a savory sauce and dusted with gremolata (chopped garlic, lemon peel and parsley). Massimo made an outstanding saffron risotto (a traditional accompaniment). There were side dishes of braised fennel and gently sauteed spinach. Freshly ground parmesan for the risotto. All elements were perfectly balanced and HG ate a very large dish with lip smacking gusto. Certainly, this was one of the best dishes HG ever ate in HG’s 89- year career as a champion (in Calvin Trillin’s phrase) Clean Plate Ranger. Generous Massimo provided the perfect wines, exemplary aged Barolo and Barbaresco. Dessert was home made flan provided by an aide. Also, some Enstrom’s peanut brittle and butter crunch. As usual, HG topped it off with a generous tumbler of Irish whiskey. Unforgettable dining.

Italians celebrate Christmas Eve with a seafood dinner, the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. HG/BSK, daughter Lesley R., son-in-law Massimo and granddaughters Arianna and Sofia, do a Jewish/Japanese version courtesy of New York’s Russ & Daughters. The R & D carton arrived in timely fashion at the R. home in Rhode Island. These were the fishes: Sable, Whitefish salad; varieties of smoked salmon; herring; Alaskan red salmon caviar. Missing was Tobiko, the Japanese fish roe. This was remedied by a quick trip to Miko, the Japanese restaurant in nearby Barrington, R.I. The feast was lavish. The hungry folk gathered around Lesley’s skillets as she made perfect blini and crepes. Topped with the salmon caviar (or a mix with Tobiko) and topped with creme fraiche or sour cream they were the perfect first course. (HG made inroads on a large glass of icy vodka followed by a Sam Adams Lager chaser). French rye bread and good local bagels were on the table plus big containers of R & G’s scallion cream cheese and horseradish cream cheese. BSK made a lovely dill/mustard sauce for the gravlax. The smoked salmon and sable slices were consumed with the cream cheeses. There were capers, lemon, onion slices on the table. Arianna and Sofia demolished the whitefish salad. HG paid special attention to HG’s Russian combination of vodka and herring. Semi-sober and joyous was HG during the traditional festivities. In Tokyo, son Jeremy and family did the Japanese version of the feast and consumed Snow Crab (from Hokaido), salmon roe, tobiko, lumpfish caviar, a particularly delicious plate of tuna sashimi, clam possilipo and locally smoked salmon. Ah, the delights of the holiday.

Icy rain smothered Rhode Island yesterday. Brrr!! But, chills disappeared in the evening when Lesley R,, HG/BSK’s gifted daughter, hit the culinary bullseye with one of the best cold weather dinners HG ever enjoyed. Meal started with steaming bowls of chickpea soup. Inspired by the late Marcella Hazan’s recipe, Lesley R. gave it originality by adding herbs, spices, tomato paste, etc. HG topped the HG bowl with a splash of fruity olive oil and a dusting of parmesan. Main dish was a phyllo leaf pie stuffed with chard, cheese, garlic, onions, herbs and spices. Resembled a Greek spinach pie. However, the Lesley R. chard/cheese pie was much better. Robust, savory, lush. Dinner ended with ripe Comice pears, an array of cheeses, fig jam. No pause in drinking copious glasses of red wine. HG went on to HG’s usual after dinner pleasure: Rye whiskey. Overindulgence in alcohol (HG preceded dinner with a vodka and Aperol cocktail) ?? Possibly.