HUNGRY GERALD

Yes, it’s the Jewish Passover season when Jews throughout the world celebrate the escape from Egyptian bondage and the journey to The Promised Land. So, observing the basis of many Jewish holidays: “They tried to kill us. They failed. So, let’s eat.”, feasting is obligatory at the Seder (ceremonial Passover meal) and throughout the holiday. Matzos (a recognition of the unleavened bread the Jews took with them in their haste to leave Egypt) are a Passover staple. HG believes the only good use of matzos is in matzo brei. Simple dish. Matzos are softened in cold water. Then drained and the excess water is gently squeezed out. HG’s Mom added some fried onions to the mix (HG leaves them out). The matzos are added to a bowl of beaten egg. Mixed well. Scoops go into a pan of sizzling butter or canola oil (Mom sometimes used chicken fat). When the bottom of the matzo pancake sets and browns, it is turned over. A dusting of kosher salt and grinds of black pepper. Sour cream or cottage cheese on the side. Jews of Polish extraction usually like things sweet so they have their matzo brei with jam or honey (“Feh!!” exclaims HG). Delightful breakfast whether served sweet or savory. Moroccan Jews make their own version of matzo brei: Solda. Chopped onions are sizzled in olive oil. When transparent, chopped tomatoes are added with salt, pepper, turmeric, smoked paprika and cayenne. Water is added to the sauce and when boiling, broken up matzos are added to the sauce. Simmered until the matzos absorb the sauce. HG serves this with Greek yogurt flavored with a bit of olive oil and pinches of cumin, sumac and zaatar. Plus lemon juice. Top the solda with some fried or poached eggs. Green salad on the side and you have a festive dinner.

Fridge was looking empty. Cupboard was bare. Just a few wines in the rack. Time for shopping. First stop was Trader Joe’s for pork chops, endive, kumatoes, milk, etc.. BSK, a knowing wine selector, gathered a case of reds, whites and roses. All tasty and good values. Then off to Whole Foods for bread, fruit, cheese, vegetables, chicken (WF has the best). HG was feeling peckish. Reading SJ’s brilliant blog, oishigevalt.com, made HG yearn for a steaming bowl of ramen. Alas, Santa Fe has many splendid restaurants, casual green chile joints and a good place, Paper Dosa, serving Indian food. But, there is no ramen to be had in this foodie town. Talin, an Asian food supermarket, served passable ramen. Closed. An eccentric chef had a pleasant ramen bar but moved it to Seattle. However, on this hungry day all was not lost for Asian noodle craving HG. While BSK roamed the WF aisles, HG garnered a table in the cafe and consumed a giant “Thai Flavor Shrimp Noodle Bowl.” Rice noodles, a dozen juicy shrimp, tofu and jalapeños were afloat in a super spicy red broth. With some icy green tea, this was an exuberant meal. No, SJ, Santa Fe isn’t Tokyo. However….

Villanova vs. Michigan in the championship NCAA basketball game, the climax of “March Madness.” HG is fond of the Villanova brand of basketball. Talented and unselfish players. Good defensive adjustments. Ability to recognize a teammate who is hot and in his rhythm. That’s what happened the other night. Villanova was sluggish in the beginning of the game and Michigan was leading. Enter DiVincenzo, Villanova’s sixth man. He was on fire and his teammates fed him the ball, set up screens, etc. The Villanova defense tightened. It was all over. Another championship for Villanova. HG watched the game on the living room big screen TV. Thoughtful BSK removed a container of chicken gumbo from the freezer. SJ cooked it last year. When HG dipped a spoon into a steaming bowl while absorbed in the game, HG had a rush of gustatory delight. SJ had constructed a champion gumbo, New Orleans at its best. Savory, spicy with levels of flavor. SJ shares cooking championship with his enchanting and talented wife, Exquisite Maiko.

Besides being an inventive HG-delighting cook, BSK is a canny shopper. BSK is a fan of Whole Foods chicken (Pine Manor brand is a favorite). A few days ago, BSK found a PM chicken for sale. Eight bucks. Took the bird home and “spatchcocked” it. That is, BSK cut out the backbone and flattened the bird so that it would lay flat in the roasting pan. Showered the bird with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper, Goya Adobo seasoning. Served the chicken with spring asparagus and couscous. There was lots of crisped chicken skin and savory gravy to enrich the couscous. Sumptuous meal. HG/BSK like dark meat so thighs, drumsticks and wings were happily devoured. This left an ample amount of white chicken breast. The next day it was cut into strips and mixed with spring onions, fennel, sliced radishes, tiny Kumatos, scallions and Belgian endive. HG made a dressing for the chicken salad. Sesame oil, Vietnamese fish sauce, soy sauce, wine vinegar, a dash of Chile oil. This was served with chilled Vietnamese rice noodles. Two great meals. Each meal used four bucks of chicken. That’s what shopping and cooking skills can achieve. Thanks, BSK!

Chobani fat free, fruit-on-the-bottom, Greek yogurt is HG’s favorite breakfast food. (HG/BSK choose Fage plain Greek yogurt for middle east and Indian cooking). HG enhances a Chobani breakfast container with honey, jam or maple syrup (HG likes a sweet beginning of the day) plus walnuts or pecans. Consumed with a few cups of coffee, this deliciousness offsets the grim news that usually comes forth from HG’s computer. There’s a political aspect to HG’s affection for Chobani. That’s because the product exemplifies the stupidity of Der Trumperer’s immigration policy. Chobani, with more than $2 billion in sales in 2016, was founded by a Turkish immigrant, Hamedi Ulukaya. With a loan from the Small Business Administration in 2005, Ulukaya and a small team of enthusiasts set about creating a yogurt that tasted like the stuff they grew up with in Turkey. The product went on supermarket shelves in 2007 (it was “Greek” yogurt because that thicker yogurt name was already installed in the minds of consumers). An instant hit. Along with its spectacular growth, Chobani has instituted progressive labor policies. Employees get fully paid six week parental leave and can participate in company ownership through a Chobani Shares program. Yes, Der Trumperer, that is what a Turkish immigrant from a 90% Muslim country has accomplished in slightly more than a dozen years. And, he’s created some 3,000 jobs.

HG likes to end dinner on a sweet note. BSK passes on dessert (one of the reasons BSK is perpetually svelte.) If accompanying dessert with the last of the evening’s red wine, HG likes crackers with a dab of Bonne Maman preserves (mirabelle or cherry). Another choice would be dunking Trader Joe’s chocolate covered almond biscotti in the wine. Sometimes HG nibbles a TJ chocolate truffle. If no wine, HG likes a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a discreet pour of maple syrup and a scattering of pecans. BSK stocks Trader Joe’s Belgian butter cookies, waffle biscuits and shortbread for afternoon tea. The best desserts of all are served in Paris bistros and brasseries. Here’s the honor roll: Ile Flottante, Creme Caramel, Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce, Tarte Tatin with Creme Fraiche, Baba au Rhum with Whipped Cream. Vive la France!! Vive la Paris!! However, HG is not moved by the very elegant chocolates produced in chic shops throughout Paris. Best candy in the world is the butter almond toffee produced by Enstrom’s in Grand Junction, Colorado. (The late, great writer James Salter was an Enstrom’s fan. Liked to climax dinner parties with cognac and the lush toffee Nice flourish.).

Giddyyvap!! Horseman’s Haven has a simple motto: “Famous For Green Chile.” Believe the words. HH is heaven for those who like hellishly hot food. HG tried the chile today. Ordered a three egg omelet (“Very soft, please.”) accompanied by home fries and a tortilla. As requested, the omelet was cooked to HG’s demanding taste and smothered with the cafe’s “standard” green chile. “Standard” turned out to be very, very hot and spicy. Sublimely flavorful once the initial sting wore off. (HH also serves a “Number Two Chile.” When asked, the friendly waitperson said: “Señor, numero dos is much, much hotter. Mucho!!.). Obviously, “standard” is for gringos and wimps. Number Two is for hombres who have been eating hot coals since childhood. Macho,indeed!! Horseman’s Haven is a warm, rustic room. Located on busy, unbeautiful Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe. BTW, HG’s big green chile plate cost $6.75.

Yes, that’s a funny name for a city. But, Walla Walla, Washington, and its surrounding valley make HG/BSK’s favorite wines. Charles Smith, a California-born, innovative winemaker, is an HG hero. After world travel (nine years in Denmark), he opened a wine shop in Washington’s Puget Sound and then moved to Walla Walla to begin winemaking. His first effort was House Wine, an inexpensive, very tasty red blend. Both House and Steak House, a Cabernet, were later sold to a Seattle company (the wines remain splendid). Now, Smith produces the pricier (but still affordable) Velvet Devil, a Merlot; Boom Boom!!, a Syrah, and Chateau Smith, a Cabernet. All outstanding. HG/BSK learned about the grandeur of Walla Walla wines in an unlikely place: Big Timber, Montana. On their motor trips from Denver to Vancouver, a city where they owned some long sold residences, HG/BSK would always stop for dinner at the restaurant in Big Timber’s Grand Hotel. Served the best rack of lamb the duo ever tasted.(Robert Redford ate it almost every night when he was filming “The Horse Whisperer” at a nearby location). The restaurateur was a wine aficionado and the wine list was capacious. He touted Walla Walla wines and HG/BSK drank some wonders (this was before the prices of these important wines deservedly soared upwards). HG/BSK still consume gallons of the previously mentioned Walla Walla moderately priced wines but augment them with Beaujolais, Italian varietals, Argentine and Chilean Malbecs, whites from New Zealand and Roses from Provence.

Cauliflower is having its moment. You can find it on many chic New York restaurant menus. Whole heads. Slices. Florets. Kale has gone mainstream, too predictable for many trendy eateries. When the spring season gets underway, asparagus will take over. BSK does a lot of good things with cauliflower. Roasts florets in the oven with olive oil and garlic. Uses Vikram Vij’s recipe to maker savory Indian-spiced cauliflower “steaks”. HG’s favorite BSK vegetable dish is pappardelle with a gorgonzola (or roquefort) and cauliflower sauce. BSK blanches cauliflower florets and then chops them into smaller pieces. They go into a saucepan with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, cherry tomatoes, the cheese, lots of fresh sage and a dash of white wine. This sauce is mixed with the pasta and a bit of pasta water. Grated parmesan and a black pepper grinder on the table. Sublime eating and a perfect companion for  Steak House Wine from Walla Walla, Washington.

Yes that’s what you get in any proper English (or Canadian) home, restaurant or cafe. In the land that loves assault weapons (otherwise known as the Land of the Brave and the Free) you get a cup of hot water and a tea bag. Insipid. BSK, granddaughter of English immigrants, knows how to make “a nice cup of tea.” Scalds the teapot with boiling water. Empties the now very warm pot. Puts in tea bags (or loose tea in a metal perforated container). Refills the pot with boiling water. Covers the pot with a tea cozy (knit by her late beloved grandmother). Lets the tea steep for an appropriate amount of time. Pours the tea into cups warmed in the microwave. Adds a dash of milk. Nothing can be more comforting after a walk in the wintry air. A bit of shortbread is a pleasant accompaniment. HG’s late father, Hershele Tsvi Freimann (anglicized to “Freeman” at Ellis Island), was a Belorussian immigrant and liked his tea Russian style. Very hot. Very strong. With a heaping spoonful of cherry preserves at the bottom of the cup. Sometimes he added a squeeze of lemon to the tea, omitted the preserves but clutched a sugar cube between his teeth as he sipped.