HUNGRY GERALD

Bell. & Evans Drumsticks are juicy and full of flavor. BSK often cooks them with a semi-sweet honey glaze. Last night, BSK cooked them on the stove top in a lush Spanish sauce–broth, garlic, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs—and much spicy Spanish paprika—Pimenton. It was a fabulous supper in HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft.

The area around Providence, Rhode Island and various cities in nearby Massachusetts have large Portuguese/American populations. Catering to them (and knowledgeable foodies) is Portugalia in Fall River, MA. This is  a vast Portuguese version of New York’s Zabar’s. It stocks everything Portuguese—dried cod, cooking utensils, prepared dishes, cheese, oils, wine, charcuterie, tinned fish (exceptional sardines and anchovies)—-and more, much more. Truly encyclopedic. HG/BSK visited the market today and picked up the ingredients for a lush Portugalia supper. Main dish was linguine with fennel (from the fridge) and Portugalia sardines, anchovies and capers. The sauce was cooked in Portugalia olive oil and HG/BSK drank a lovely Potugalia Portuguese red wine. Had excellent coffee at a counter and brought back pungent cheese and spicy sausage to HG’s  Central Falls,RI ,loft. Happy eating.

A favorite Korean dish is Buldak. It’s an omnipresent street food in  Seoul. BSK makes it with a flourish and HG/BSK enjoyed it for supper last night. Sliced chicken thighs were marinated in a cast iron pan for an hour in a molto picante marinade of gochujang, gochugaru (for good reason, the dish is also known as Fire Chicken); vegetable oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger,soy sauce, honey, salt and pepper. The pan is covered and the contents are cooked at medium heat until the chicken is done. Cover is removed and the pan is covered in slices of mozzarella cheese before going under the broiler until the cheese melts. BSK serves the Buldak on a bed of udon noodles. Stupendous!!

Icy, snowy winter in Rhode Island. However, HG/BSK are warm and cozy in HG/BSK’s Central Falls loft. And, BSK adds to winter pleasure with tasty suppers. Recent delights were Shakshuka (middle eastern vegetable stew with poached eggs and spiced yogurt) and Mapo Tofu (favorite Chinese dish of ground pork, tofu, noodles, chicken broth and much hot sauce).

When HG was young it was very difficult for Jews to become doctors. American medical schools had quotas and admitted very few Jewish students.  Jews sometimes traveled to Scotland for their medical education and returned to the USA as MDs. That’s what the friend of  HG’s elder brother, Bernard, had in mind. However, Sidney R. did not get a degree in Scotland. Instead he had an all consuming love affair with a Scottish woman. Much to the disappointment of his immigrant Jewish parents (They had worked many long hours to make the money that sent Sidney to Scotland and his medical  education) Sidney came back to the USA without a degree and –horror–with a non-Jewish wife. Years later Bernard visited Sidney in his Washington Heights apartment. Sidney had no regrets.  It was obvious that Sidney and his wife had a joyous life and were still passionately in love. Yes, love conquers all.

Ratatouille is one of the best and healthiest vegetable dishes. It’s a stew that is tasty hot, cold or room temperature. HG has had the pleasure of eating it in New York, Boston, Paris and London. BSK’s version is the best. BSK roasts slices of eggplant and zucchini and adds them to tomatoes and peppers. All go into a pot with olive oil, stock, garlic, onions, herbs and spices—and cooked into an unctuous mixture, Last night, BSK topped bowls with grilled chicken/feta sausages,As usual, HG gave HG’s serving a pour of olive oil and a dash of hot sauce.  It was a perfect winter supper at HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft.

This is a chunky pasta shape—like a fat penne. Last night, BSK cooked it with a tasty broccoli sauce—broccoli, chicken broth, garlic, onions, peppers, olive oil. The dish. was showered with grated. Parmesan and ground black pepper, HG gave HG’s portion a splash of olive oil plus hot sauce. Great eating on a winter night at HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft.

Ground chicken is the basis of many of BSK’s creative and comforting suppers. A few nights ago, BSK pleased HG with a lush stew of ground chicken,  sweet potatoes, beets and lentils; coconut milk ,onions, garlic, a splash of olive oil and a dash of hot sauce. Happy eating at HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft.

BSK found an eggplant in the fridge and this inspired BSK to make a creative and savory Eggplant Lasagna. BSK peeled and sliced the eggplant (horizontally) and dipped the slices in an egg and flour batter and fried them to crispness in an olive oil slicked cast iron pan. They were removed from the pan and replaced by.ground pork, finely chopped garlic and onion (more olive oil) which was stirred until fully browned. Then the “lasagna” was assembled. in a baking pan —- A slice of eggplant dotted with ground pork, onions, garlic and a slice of mozzarella (five such layers). The pan was filled with chopped San Marzano tomatoes and placed in the oven until the cheese melted and sauce bubbled. A generous dusting of parmesan, lots of ground black pepper and a splash of hot sauce at the table (HG added more olive oil to  HG’s plate). Another wondrous supper at HG/BSK’s  Central Falls, RI, loft.

HG/BSK have survived a record Rhode Island blizzard—more than three feet of snow fell. Wet snow covered the windows of HG/BSK’s Central Falls loft.  Today (Tues, Feb 24) is sunny and the window snow has melted and sunshine is pouring into the interior. However, almost everything has closed down as the Providence area thies to dig its way to road safety, Given the hills of snow, this should take two or three day. Mother Nature can be a bummer.