HUNGRY GERALD

Like any complex man of the world, HG has a few contradictions. While I have posted previously about my preference for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, the reality is that HG has never been a fan of Thanksgiving dinner in general. HG’s unsentimental view: dry turkey and heaps of sloppy food only saved by a liberal dousing of gravy. The exception was the non-traditional Thanksgiving feast prepared by Brilliant Daughter Lesley R. a few days ago in Bologna. Turkey Involtini (slices of turkey breast pounded very thin and covered with a layer of prosciutto and fontina cheese). These lovely morsels were rolled up, secured with toothpicks, browned and then finished in the oven. They were gilded with a robust mushroom gravy. Accompaniments were brussel sprouts (sauteed with shallots and pancetta). Tender haricots vert. Lush mashed potatoes (whipped with butter and Greek yogurt). A perfectly balanced meal. Full of flavor but not an abdominal depth charge. The wine was an excellent Brunello di Montalcino. Cheese and salad followed. Gifted Granddaughter Arianna produced a made-from-scratch pumpkin pie. Pureed roasted pumpkin (not the vile canned stuff). Excellent crust. Toppings were whipped cream and marvelous gelato. Vin Santo followed for the family, while HG sipped a beautiful grappa. A Thanksgiving feast to be thankful for.

Eataly (the slow-food inspired emporium which began in Turin, spread throughout Italy, and has offspring in Japan and New York) is located at the very center of Bologna’s central historic district. It is the kind of food complex that every city should have. Bologna’s Eataly is a dining and information multiplex. Bookshelves and tables are laden with the timeliest works on cuisine, travel, art, design, and there is space for public readings and demonstrations. Shelves contain every shape of pasta, olive oils, vinegar, beans, grains and canned goods. An encyclopedic array of the flavors and staples needed to create superior Italian food. There’s a big, communal table on the first floor for casual dining. A trattoria on the next floor with tables for two or four. An osteria on the top floor.

HG, BSK and various members of the Riva family have frequented the trattoria. Here are some of the dishes sampled: a light, flavorful sardine tart. Linguine with a unique sauce of fresh mackerel. Steak tartare (hand chopped to a perfect consistency) served on a bed of cauliflower (someone in the kitchen has some real knife skills because the vegetable had the appearance and shape of couscous) and topped with a handful of baby arugula. A confection which consisted of shaved truffles, egg whites and potato puree (pungent and light as a feather). A new deconstruction of the hamburger — this consisted of a burger (crusty on the outside with a pink and juicy interior) seated on a thick slice of roast eggplant in a pool of light tomato sauce and topped with crumbles of goat cheese. Among the dolci were exquisite chocolate creations as well as a scoop of very fresh, sweet ricotta glazed with aged balsamic vinegar.

And, there’s another treat. Prices are very reasonable.

HG with a package of Serious Tortelloni

There is nothing better than dining en famille. And, dining with daughter Lesley R., husband Profesore/Dottore Massimo R. and the Daughters Beautiful, Arianna and Sofia, in the Riva/Brown University Bologna apartment surpasses all expectations. Exhausted from 11 hours of air travel and a mighty schlep in the Frankfurt airport, HG and BSK were revived by a superb group of Bolognese, Roman (and Tuscan) specialties. There was a puntarelle salad (the pungent green is now in season). This was followed by a charcuterie platter: juicy truffle salami, fragrant fennel salami, two kinds of prosciutto (smoked and traditional), mortadella. Next: steaming bowls of tortellini in brodo—sturdy broth and tender tortellini. Three cheeses (truffle, pecorino and gorgonzola—accompanied by artisan jams and honey) followed. Wines were Lambrusco and San Giovese. Coffee was the appropriate exclamation point.

Haven’t been in Italy for a few years so needed a refresher in how coffee should taste. Strolled to Zanarini, a posh bar in the histrionic center of Bologna. A macchiato for HG. A thunderbolt of taste in a tiny cup. Deep, rich black espresso topped with a froth of milk. Energized HG for a walk beneath medieval arcades containing the latest in chic Italian fashion.

Piazza Galvani

The Pojoaque Super Market on Highway 285/84 in New Mexico (15 minutes north of Santa Fe) is an HG favorite, a veritable treasure trove of ingredients needed for authentic Southwestern cuisine. There are at least 100 salsas on the shelves ranging from “super hot” to “mild.” “Mild” raises an instant sweat. “Super Hot” can induce cardiac arrest.

There are at least 40 varieties of canned beans and posole. An encyclopedic array of peppers — hot, sweet, fresh, canned, frozen, jarred and dried. Spices galore. A take out counter featuring truly funky menudo, green chili stew and enchiladas.

Customers are a colorful group. Latinos. Native Americans from the nearby San Ildefonso Pueblo and Santa Clara reservations. Sikhs from local ashrams. Artists, politicians, farmers, and of course, Bronx reared elder Jews like HG himself.

HG loves to browse, taking in the regional goods. A big, recent discovery: Candy Krisp Jalapenos from Texas Pepper Works (a Houston outfit). There’s a rattlesnake on the jar label and the words: ” Nice Bite. Not Too Hot. Not Too Sweet.” That’s truth in advertising. Perfect accompaniment to any pork dish.
Great on a cracker with some goat cheese or cream cheese. If you have trouble sourcing a jar visit: www.ribafoods.com.

Last night, HG and BSK watched their DVD of the HBO post-Katrina New Orleans series. “Treme.” Relished the joy, sadness, madness, piquancy and pathos of that glorious city. HG honored the music pouring out of the TV by pouring some copious amounts of a modest brandy which HG enhanced with Peychaud Bitters. Never heard of Peychaud? It is a bitters native to New Orleans — created by a Creole apothecary — and that’s where HG was introduced to it by a New Orleans native very aptly named Peter Bordeaux. Adding Peychaud to brandy makes it sing. Also good sprinkled over vodka on the rocks. Let the good times roll.

Here in New Mexico every supermarket sells packets of dried Mexican oregano. You can probably get it in Latino groceries everywhere or order online here. Buy it. It is great stuff, much more powerful than the usual dried oregano you’ve been using in Italian sauces. HG uses it combined with chopped raw onion on sides of white beans and on all chili (red or green) stews. Also very good on ratatouille. Along with middle eastern za’atar, it’s HG’s go to dried herb.

Yes, it’s true. HG, the devoted carnivore, has become a veggie junkie. Dinner last night was HG’s garlicky eggplant caviar, a big platter of sliced radishes and baby white turnips. Ripe, sliced tomatoes with buffala mozzarella (okay, cheese isn’t a vegetable) and lots of basil and very good Sicilian olive oil. Tonight, HG and BSK will have a modest reprise of the turnip, eggplant and tomato appetizers. Then they’ll settle in with penne rigate mixed with a load of cauliflower sauteed in garlic infused olive oil. Tomorrow night plans call for kasha (buckwheat groats) mixed with farfalle (butterfly) pasta. The dish (known as kasha varnishkes) will be topped with fried onions and mushrooms. Greek yogurt on the side. Next night, BSK is contemplating haricots vert and fingerling potatoes in an Indian inspired cumin and mustard seed curry.

Blame the vegetable madness on the superb produce available at the Santa Fe Farmers Market. Star of the market is HG’s organic farmer neighbor Gary (known in the market as Mister G.). You’ve got to get to his stand early to stock up on his incomparable lettuces, escarole, fingerling potatoes, shisito peppers, radishes, turnips, arugula, parsley and many other good things. The knowing gourmets of the Land of Enchantment snap up Gary’s produce quickly.

What’s a Cataplan? It’s a hinged, oval-shaped copper pot. Cataplans are used throughout Spain and Portugal to make seafood stews. It’s a bit tricky to handle (watch out for hot steam when you snap open the hinged cover) but it’s the perfect culinary device to get all the flavor out of steamed seafood. BSK used it last night to very good effect. As usual she started with a flavorful saute of sweet onions, garlic, chopped pancetta and, best of all, sprigs of tarragon from BSK’s kitchen garden. Sliced fingerling potatoes from neighbor organic farmer Gary G. were put into the mix to soften. Then came St. Ours Clam Broth. This is a really flavorful clam broth powder (reconstitute with boiling water) that’s much better than the bottled stuff you get in supermarkets. Next into the cataplan were Atlantic cherrystone clams. Then Prince Edward Island mussels. When all of the bivalves were just about open, BSK tossed in some chunks of cod fillet. Served ourselves from the cataplan (which was immediately locked again to keep second helpings hot). Dipped crusty bread and had a joyous time. Take a tip from HG and the folks on the Iberian peninsula and buy a cataplan.

HG’s organic farmer neighbor, Gary G., provides HG and BSK with giant heads of escarole (hard to fit in the frig) at three bucks a bunch. This calls for one of the great comfort dishes — white bean and escarole soup. It all starts with a sofrito of olive oil, chopped onion, browned pancetta, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary and abundant red pepper flakes. Coarsely chopped escarole is softened in the pungent melange. Chicken broth, chopped canned Italian tomatoes are added. A couple of cans of rinsed cannelloni beans go into the pot at the end (Goya is the best brand but Whole Foods 365 is good). Google a recipe to find more exact proportions if you can’t figure it out.

Serve with a dash of good, virgin olive oil or more pepper flakes for fans of the incendiary. The two Frankies of the wonderful Frankies Spuntino restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan say the dish is good hot or cold. They often start off their busy cooking days with a cold dish of the soup splashed with plenty of olive oil. HG thinks this tops Cheerios.