HUNGRY GERALD

HG and BSK cook Turkish kefta, Armenian eggplant, French Boeuf Bourguinon, Spanish paella, Moroccan couscous and loads of Italian pasta. But, no hearty, spicy Korean fare. Now, we are ready to get some Seoul stuff going. The package from the excellent Korean online food source, HMart.com arrived today. Chili paste, dry pepper, malt syrup and other staples of the Korean kitchen. Armed with Cecilia Hae Jin Lee’s “Quick & Easy Korean Cooking” the greedy duo is about to begin. HG will keep you informed of progress (or lack of it). Very much want to try black sesame rice porridge, a type of Korean congee topped with honey and toasted pine nuts. HG fancies shozu, the vodka-like Korean spirit. Have not been able to source it. Will have to be content with 100% agave tequila and Sam Adams Oktoberfest Lager chasers. May wind up with face in the kimchi.

HG doesn’t want to sound like a press agent for Whole Foods a.k.a. Whole Paycheck but the pricey grocer does deliver with some quality items. Namely the chicken, feta and spinach sausages. They are healthy and good. HG/BSK will enjoy them tonight over a mixed green salad. Accompaniment will be fast fried Santa Fe Farmers Market shishito peppers. Preceding will be sliced turnips and radishes (also from SF Farmers Market), feta cheese, olives and eggplant caviar (check out the David Lebovitz recipe on the Internet).

Lucky, lucky HG. The Hungry One loves crepes, omelets, pancakes and all the other goodies that involve eggs, flour, a hot pan and deft hands. HG is fortunate in relishing these good things in his family’s kitchens. SJ makes potato latkes that top the product of any Jewish grandmother or Bavarian sauerbraten specialist. Daughter Lesley is Queen of Crepes. At the family Christmas Eve festivities these are topped with a choice of salmon caviar, smoked salmon, sturgeon or sable. Daughter in law Exquisite Maiko makes lush scallop pancakes and the very thinnest all-egg crepes she slices into salads and wraps into summer rolls. BSK makes the best, classic omelets filled with cheese, peppers and onions, ham, mushrooms or whatever good thing is available. With a baguette, red wine and a tossed green salad. A nice French oriented dinner.

As for HG: Nobody in the family tops his corn pancakes, buckwheat pancakes and a new discovery — The Egg Foo Young pancake. There’s information on these triumphs in previous posts.

When was the last time you saw or ate Egg Foo Young? It was an Americanized take on a classic Shanghai dish and a staple of the Chinese restaurants of HG’s youth. It was not, like the combo plate or the oft discussed Chow Mein sandwich, one of HG’s favorites.

Curiously, HG had a hankering for it yesterday. So, HG beat a bunch of eggs. Chopped onions and celery. Washed some bean sprouts. Shredded some Nori. Mixed it all together with a bit of salt and pepper. Heated peanut oil to the sizzling point. Made a big bunch of Egg Foo Young pancakes (mini omelets?) and served them with hot mustard, hoisin sauce and a tossed green salad. Don’t think it was the classic Egg Foo Young of yesteryear but it was mighty good. Give it a try.

In the early sixties HG was a regular attendant at a fitness club on E. 45th Street in New York. Racquetball, weight lifting, saunas and steam baths. Manly stuff. Every Saturday morning HG engaged in a vigorous weight routine with a large, jolly fellow club member. He was a big guy with a big laugh, big muscles and a big mustache. He had an enviable job with the Romanoff Caviar Company. So, after the steam bath, sauna and piercing hot and cold showers, clean and joyous HG and Big Guy, swathed in towels, sat down for their Saturday snack. This consisted of a pound (or more) of the best Beluga caviar (procured by Big Guy) and a bottle of frozen Polish vodka, Russian black bread and sweet butter (all provided by HG). At today’s prices, the two healthy gourmands consumed about a thousand bucks worth of caviar every Saturday.

Unfortunately, after one caviar feast Big Guy had a massive heart attack and died. He was much mourned.

Earlier in the month SJ slipped off the fair Island of Prince Edward, so a festive sea send off was in order. The family started with shucked South Lake oysters (best in the world, better than the best of France, Britain and Ireland). Noel and Yossi M., the illustrious Colorado equestrian experts, joined the HG group and tasted their first oyster. Bravely, they got them down and signaled polite approval.

Earlier in the day, SJ and Exquisite Maiko motored to nearby Naufrage and received a shopping bag full of screamingly fresh mackerel from a commercial fishing boat (typical of PEI, there was no charge).

The Victims!

EM air dried some mackerel fillets, After bathing the mackerel in a special marinade for a few days EM will grill the fish. HG can hardly wait.

Clams Posillipo used to be on the menu of every Italian restaurant in New York. Disappeared in recent years (along with a number of other tasty classics). BSK revived it last night due to the availability of juicy (and inexpensive) Prince Edward Island little neck clams. The dish is simple. Clams in the shell are cooked in chopped canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, parsley and a bit of clam broth (add some tomato paste for a thicker sauce/soup). Hot pepper flakes sprinkled on top to taste. Accompanied by plenty of crusty bread for dunking.

Earlier in the day, BSK made a big batch of pesto with freshly picked basil and walnuts. Mixed it with spaghetti, yellow beans, halved cherry tomatoes and tiny (scrumptious) PEI potatoes. Drank lots of Chilean red wine.

HG relished these Italian classics. A tasty voyage into the past.

HG’s brilliant, cherubic, handsome grandson, HS, presented HG with a gift: An 80 gram package of Hawkins Cheezies, the Canadian answer to Cheetos. HS, with wisdom beyond his five years, knows HG’s weakness. As mentioned in an earlier post, HG loves Cheetos. Could these northern Cheezies with their proclamation of “Vrai Fromage Cheddar” challenge the Cheeto as HG’s favorite guilty pleasure? Well. That’s what taste tests are made for. HG sampled ten of the little orange devils. Wow! Crispy, salty with the bite of real aged cheddar — similar to a fancy cheese straw, but better. Hands down triumph for our friendly neighbors to the North. Thanks Grandson HS!

And with that salty, crispness lingering on his palate HG recalls another guilty love — the Frito. And not just a Frito, but that ultimate triumph of New Mexican proletarian cooking: The Frito Pie. Oh, yes. The Frito Pie is constructed of chopped meat on a bed of Fritos flavored with red chile sauce (no, not that stuff in a bottle but a fiery, long simmered sauce made from Hatch chiles.). It is topped with grated American cheese, chopped onions and salsa. As the saying goes: Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.

Cheezies and the Frito are not exactly health foods. Much salt. Enormous amounts of calories. More cholesterol than you can imagine. But what would a guilty pleasure be if it did not actually make one guilty? So, do HG a favor and don’t tell his Doc.

HG loves Canada. The cities. The farmlands. The mountains. The waters — the Atlantic and the Pacific and everything in between. Most of all, the people. Sane. Rational. Accepting. Of course, HG is most influenced by the fact that that BSK, the love of HG’s life, is a Canadian.

SJ informed HG today that Canadian food is having “a trendy moment in New York.” (see Robert Sietsema’s fine Article on the Subject HERE)HG is puzzled. Of course, there is wonderful food in Canada and chefs who take advantage of great seafood, beef, lamb, organic vegetables. Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are world class foodie cities. But, the predominant influence in Vancouver is Asiatic. Toronto is international and eclectic. Montreal is very French, of course, but there are Jewish influences and some restaurants that feature hefty Quebec dishes (a lot of fat and maple syrup as befitting a climate that can get super chilly). The only uniquely Canadian food HG knows is poutine, a mixture of cheese curds and gravy usually served over French fries. It is ubiquitous in Montreal and the entire Francophone region. It is even on the menu at McDonald’s. How does it taste? Vile. Montreal gourmets are proud of Montreal bagels (totally inferior to New York’s H & H product). They also tout Montreal smoked beef, mentioning it as a competitor of New York pastrami.They must be kidding.

HG’s favorite taste of Canada is the huge array of oysters at Rodney’s Oyster Bar (Vancouver and Toronto). Perfectly shucked. Served with freshly grated horseradish. Nicely priced wine list. Canada at its natural, unpretentious best.

HG’s daughter-in-law, Exquisite Maiko, made summertime magic last night. Here were the dishes: Cucumber Salad (Maiko thinly sliced some seedless cucumbers. Salted them for 1/2 hour and then squeezed out all water. Marinated them briefly in vinegar and sugar and served them with a dressing of sesame oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Decorated with halved cherry tomatoes).

Chirashi Sushi (Vinegared Sushi Rice with nori, Japanese preserved vegetables and strips of egg crepe).

A Japanese Take on Gambas al Ajillo (Maiko did quick stir fry of tiger shrimp and garlic and finished it with a light dusting of Spanish smoked paprika and soy sauce. It’s all in the timing Maiko shrimp are juicy and bursting with flavor.).

Sauteed Sole with Kombu and Garlic Chips (Maiko slow cooks thin slices of garlic in vegetable oil. The key is slow cooking. Drains the brown chips on a paper towel. Maiko dusts sole fillets in salt and black pepper. Adds some soy sauce. Sautees gently. Tops with garlic chips and crisp pieces of kombu).

Don’t you wish you were dining Chez HG, BSK, SJ and Exquisite Maiko last night? Grandson Haru liked it as well.