HUNGRY GERALD

HG/BSK had HG/BSK’s principal residence in the southwestern United States for 37 years. (Summers in  Prince Edward Island and, before that, interludes in Vancouver, BC.). New Mexico and Colorado were delightful places in which to live–and eat. Scenic beauty and much sunshine. Food: Glorious lamb, elk, beefsteaks and peaches in Colorado.  Best Mexican and Tex-Mex food in New Mexico. (HG misses Menudo, the lusty tripe stew). The Santa Fe farmers market was a wonderland of fresh produce, roasting chiles, local cheeses and hand crafted bread. But, the landlocked southwest lacks one essential food: Fresh Seafood. Yes, Whole Foods did its best with seafood but transportation from the Pacific Ocean takes the zesty edge away from sea critters. As the years move along, HG/BSK focus more and more dinners on seafood (BSK creates taste wonders night after night). The seafood source on Prince Edward Island is the nearby Juilo’s Fish Market (Town of St. Peters). From the seas nearby there’s cod, halibut, haddock, hake, hard and soft shell clams; oysters. Sometimes there’s fresh caught  tuna (most tuna is flown to the Tokyo fish market). Two imports: Tasty farm raised salmon from Nova Scotia and delectable frozen tiny shrimp from Newfoundland (Perfect for salad). When HG/BSK are at the Central Falls, RI, loft, HG/BSK rely upon Tony’s Fish Store in nearby Providence. Rhody’s official name is “The Ocean State.” And, from Rhody’s oceanic waters, shoreline, rivers and lakes, Tony’s counters are filled with the best and freshest flounder, sole, oysters, squid and everything else seafood lovers like HG/BSK could desire. Oh. glorious geography!!!!

In a sheet pan glistening with olive oil, BSK placed an abundance of fresh haddock filets plus strips of roasted peppers and sliced sweet onions. Went into the oven for an appropriate time. Another BSK culinary triumph. In a separate pan, BSK sauteed thinly sliced potatoes.. Mustard mayonnaise, PEI hot sauce, Maldon sea salt on the table plus a bottle of BASK cabernet sauvignon. Negroni before dinner, French vanilla ice cream with a dash of maple syrup for dessert, snifter of Jack Daniels for a nightcap. Simple, traditional dining delights.

Grey skies at HG/BSK’s glorious oceanfront home on serene Prince Edward Island. No sunbeams. However, HG/BSK and Toby, The Wonder Dog, are joyous. (Toby can run in and out, something he can’t do in the Rhody loft). BSK is organizing the PEI home after a one year absence. (Making order out of chaos is a BSK virtue. And, it makes BSK happy). HG writes the HG blog and recounts HG’s many years on Storyworth, a unique Chrstmas gift. House is warm and cozy and the endless sea views are always stimulating. Of course, there’s food and wine. Liberte’ is a Canadian brand of Greek yogurt and is the best Greek yogurt in the Western Hemisphere–it’s thick, very flavorful. HG starts the day with a big bowl and adds fruit. Lunch is often congee (or scrambled eggs). Dinner tonight will feature shucked oysters and leftover hake/avgolemono soup. To complete the homage to the salty seas and shores, BSK steamed a few dozen fresh soft shell clams. Plump. Briny. Yums.!! And finally, there’s a good amount of carrot cake remaining for dessert. HG muses: Sun is not needed when BSK is in the room. Sunbeams of love.

HG/BSK and Toby, The Wonder Dog, are back in the wondrous Prince Edward Island oceanfront summer home. Weather is eccentric. A day of sunny warmth and—b-r-r-r-!!!–cold and rainy. However, a heat pump and wood stove make life cozy. It was a shock to see the damage the recent hurricane did to the Island trees. Trees were leveled or bent into distressing shapes, Forests were decimated. Many homes were damaged. HG/BSK were lucky. Miniscule damage to their property. Everything looks good and it is a pleasure to look at the sea after being landlocked (Except when looking at the Narragansett Bay from the Riverside, RI, home of gifted daughter Lesley R. and her distinguished husband, Massimo R.) . Hakes are caught locally and are the best in the world. Had filets fried when arriving at PEI yesterday and the fish starred at dinner tonight. BSK preceded the hake with a lobster salad.  BSK poached the hake in a Greek avgolemono and rice soup. Stupendous. Ultimate in briny, lemony comfort. BSK’s birthday is today (The love of HG’s life is growing up). BSK’s sister, Noel, and her husband, Yossi, are PEI homeowners  (On the South Shore) and they braved the rain today by bringing firewood to HG/BSK’s home. Plus–Hooray!!–a yummy carrot birthday cake for BSK. Dinner climax for HG was a wedge of the cake with vanilla ice cream. HG made a wish: “Have many, many, many, many more birthdays, darling BSK”.

It’s asparagus season in PEI! Asparagus is HG ‘s favorite vegetable (Broccoli and zucchini are contenders). BSK does wonderful things with asparagus. Tucks them into a “baveuse” omelet. Adds them to risotto. Stirs them into spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice (A tasty sofrito). Cuts asparagus into sections for an Asian stir fry. HG’s favorite: Steamed to crunchy tenderness and doused with melted butter and lemon juice. That’s how BSK made them last night much to HG’s delight. They were accompanied by crisp fried haddock and sheet pan French fries. Remoulade sauce enhanced the fish. Life’s good in Canada’s smallest province–Prince Edward Island.

Grapefruit Bitters is a recent discovery. And, HG is in love with it. HG always has a Negroni before dinner (One part bourbon, one part sweet vermouth, one part Campari). These days, HG substitutes a generous sprinkle of Grapefrït Bitters for the Campari. Cuts the sweetness of the cocktail and gives it a bit of an acidic bite (Appetite enhancing). HG  also uses the bitters with dry vermouth on the rocks (A gentle cocktail). This doesn’t mean HG neglects other bitters. Peychaud Bitters with brandy. Orange Bitters with dry white wine. Angostura Bitters with club soda. Yes, Bitters are a key element in creating a pleasant drinking life.

The Celtics collapsed and the Miami Heat will face the Denver Nuggets for the NBA championship. But, before the Celtics’ dismal end, HG was comforted by lush dinners crafted by BSK. Last night (before the game) there was delicious Farfalle pasta (Garofalo) in a ricotta and bacon sauce. Creamy goodness. And, in the evening before, there was BSK’s version of shrimp and grits (Rivals N’Awlins). And, before that shrimp dinner, there was another–Middle Eastern Shakshuka (poached eggs topping stewed peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil). BSK enhanced the egg dish by adding shrimp (They were given a speedy saute). HG made the traditional sauce of Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, zaatar, cumin,salt and pepper.Harissa on the table for spicy heat. Well nourished HG awaits Nuggets-Heat.

Dinner was the prelude to game six of the Celtics-Heat battle. It was a very comfortable meal crafted by BSK. There was some leftover cauliflower pasta from a previous meal and a wondrous stew (“Fire Chicken”) of cut up chicken thighs in Korean Gochujang sauce enhanced with olive oil and garlic and topped with mozzarella and feta cheese (The cheeses tempered the “Fire” of the sauce). Brandy/Peychaud Bitters in hand, HG watched one of the most exciting (And improbable) basketball games ever. After leading by double figures for most of the game, the Celtics deflated toward the end of the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler (Heat) finally caught fire and the Heats led by one point with four seconds left. Okay. Nice try, Celtics, but it’s over. But, wait.  The Celtics sent the ball in. Quick unsuccessful 3-point shot. But, miracle of miracles, the Celtics rebounded and scored to win by a point. Did time run out? No. Refs conferred and looked at a replay. There was a fraction of a second left and the shot–and win–counted. Derrick White made the sensational putback. Game seven in Boston Monday night. HG will watch with heart pounding.

Mischa is a restaurant that recently opened on Manhattan’s E. 53rd Street. It is not a kosher or Eastern European restaurant. (Pork bellies, shrimp, etc. are featured). But, there are some Jewish dishes on the menu  (These often appeared on HG’s late Mom’s Bronx dinner table).  Hot dog. Kasha Varnishkes. Iceberg lettuce with Thousand Islands dressing. The prices are astronomical and would not be comprehended by HG’s late Mother and Father, immigrants from Belarus. Hot Dog–$29. Yes, it’s eight inches long and composed of beef and (“Shandeh”!!)  pork. However, 29 bucks for a hot dog is crazy. But, no crazier than $19. for iceberg lettuce. And, craziest of all: Kasha Varniskes-$29. So, a meal of all three items with tax,tip and beverage would cost more than $100. HG would skip dessert. Don’t want to revel in excess.

BSK has been dog/house sitting  in Riverside, RI, while gifted daughter Lesley R. and husband, Professor Massimo, are in Padua, Italy. (They have made an offer on an apartment there. Glorious river views. Hope their purchase succeeds). So, BSK, Toby, The Wonder Dog and Pip, the gentle, brilliant female døg, came to HG/BSK’s Central Falls, RI, loft in time for dinner last night. BSK brought a pot of asparagus risotto, a leftover from BSK’s previous night’s dinner in Riverside. HG was concerned that the second day risotto would not be good. Not to worry. Warmed in the microwave with a bit of broth added, it was delicious–not mushy and just firm enough. BSK added to the dining pleasure by topping the risotto with some lightly browned, plump and juicy sea scallops.  Utilizing the “”waste not, want not” philosophy, BSK created a dinner that was lush. Much appreciâted by HG. (Latest news: Lesley and Massimo’s offer was accepted and now they are owners of a beautiful Padua residence).