HUNGRY GERALD

Best food writer ever was AJ. Liebling. His “Between Meals” is a book that’s small in size but epic in its pleasures. He called himself a “feeder” and his overeating led him to early death. (So, food lovers. That’s a warning. Be moderate). Next in line is Waverly Root, no slouch at the table, and a pal and dining companion of Liebling. M.F.K. Fisher was the mistress of crystalline prose. Her recipes? Beware! Best restaurant reviewer is Alec Lobrano. A joyous provider of good advice. The New York Times has been fortunate in having stylish restaurant reviewers: The present Pete Wells (funny and original) and Mimi Sheraton and Ruth Reichl in the past. (Sheraton has a good, down home cookbook: “From My Mother’s Kitchen”). Craig Claiborne of the Times was the pioneer of restaurant reviewers. HG was not a fan. This is not nepotism, but one of the very best food writer is SJ (HG’s multi-talented son, Jeremy). SJ lives in Tokyo with his family and he and his wife, Maiko, own and run Freeman Shokudo, a busy barbecue and beer izakaya. Reviews have been spectacular (check out Japan Times). He has been too busy to continue his fascinating blog, “Oishi Gevalt”. Get a taste by going to OG’s archive (oishigevalt.com ).

BSK, a supreme master of home cooking, consults recipes and uses them as a base before adding original (and tasty) BSK tweaks. However, recipes vary. Marcella Hazan’s Italian recipes are foolproof but provide skimpy amounts of sauces. Patricia Wells’s “Bistro Cooking” is good. Mark Bittman’s recipes are up and down. Karen Lee is excellent on Chinese food. (HG/BSK went to her New York Classes many decades ago). Yotam Ottolenghi is very good. The Silver Palate cookbook is excellent on soups. Alice Waters is a great, pioneering restaurant leader but an incomprehensible recipe writer. The late Michael Field’s books contain flawless, precise recipes. One of the great food writers, M.F.K. Fisher, had some terrible recipes in her books. Witness clam chowder. She recommended adding a can of cream of corn soup to the mix. A-a-a-rgh!!

HG has probably mentioned BSK’s adroit mixing of culinary cultures. “Fire Chicken” is an example. BSK cooks chicken thighs on the gas range in traditional Korean style. The chicken nestles in Korean chili sauce, Korean chili flakes, chopped onions, garlic, parsley. Then, when almost done, the chicken is covered with slices of Italian mozzarella which swiftly melts. Classic Italian but the “red sauce” is Korean. “Fire Chicken” ? Yes, it’s spicy but not killer hot like some Szechuan, Indian, Thai and Mexican dishes. Since HG has plenty of leftover matzos from Passover (and some robust salsa), HG plans a version of Mexican Chilaquiles, using matzos rather than tortilla chips. An experiment. An international note: The best recipe for Pasta alla Norma (the sublime Sicilian spaghetti in eggplant sauce) can be found in Yotam Ottolenghi’s Israeli cookbook, Ottolenghi Simple.” BSK made it last night and HG had three helpings.

Snow, ice, rain, muddy slippery roads. Yes, weather on Prince Edward Island has been challenging. That’s why the traditional Passover Seder at the home of Noel and Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and brother in law) was delayed for a week. Worth waiting for. Russian and Israeli/Russian friends were at the table. They brought a wonderful array of salads and the objects that adorned the table and were part of the Haggadah (Passover blessings, ceremonies, songs). Yossi M. conducted the Seder rituals. A trained and talented musician, Yossi accompanied himself on guitar as he sang and chanted the joys of Passover: Jews freed from slavery. (The Seder group also recalled the USA’s shameful history of slavery and the despicable efforts of present day Republicans to deprive Black people of the right to vote). The theme of many Jewish holidays is: “They tried to kill us. They failed. So, let’s eat.” And, eat we did this Seder. The starter was BSK’s chicken soup with dill and matzo balls. Here’s the puzzle: BSK is English/Irish/Welsh/Canadian. Pure goyish. However, the gifted woman makes the best matzo balls ever: light, fluffy, full of flavor. BSK’s chicken soup is super (or souper). HG admits. Better than his late Mom’s, better than that served in renowned Jewish restaurants and delicatessens. The main dish was Noel’s roast leg of lamb. Dessert was BSK’s sweet noodle “kugel”. Other folks brought cookies. Noel provided fresh fruit. Following tradition, much red wine was drunk. (HG augmented this with a robust amount of Jack Daniels whiskey on the rocks).

HG grew up in The Great Depression of the 1930’s. In little HG’s home, HG’s Mom made sure no drop of food was wasted. (In those days a penny bought one cigarette or a small handful of pignoli nuts in the shell). When she peeled a banana there was a bit of banana in the tip of the fruit. Mom called it the “crychik” (Yiddish) and squeezed it out and added it to HG’s breakfast of cereal and sliced bananas. HG does the same today, adding the “crychik” to HG’s daily breakfast of yogurt, banana and maple syrup. BSK tosses the “crychik” with the rest of the banana skin. And, that’s the difference between growing up in the 30’s and the more prosperous 40’s and 50’s. HG does not accuse BSK of lack of thrift. Little goes to waste in BSK’s household management and BSK finds bargains galore in everything from snow boots to cosmetics. But, BSK wastes the “crychik.”

Many years ago, HG/BSK toured Sicily with daughter Lesley R. and her husband, Profesore Massimo R. The distinguished Profesore (who grew up in the Sicilian city of Siracusa), was an invaluable and learned guide. The family (which included very young granddaughters, Arianna and Sofia) had a wonderful time absorbing Sicilian history, scenery, architecture (including the ruins of Greek temples), food, wine and sweets. (Best Pasta a la Norma ever and dreamy pastries). When the R. family returned to Italy, HG/BSK booked into a luxurious hotel in the hilltop town of Taormina with incomparable views of the Ionian Sea. Taormina was a favorite vacation spot for Winston Churchill and for many years a haven for gay writers and artists. The hotel dining room (as well as HG/BSK’s bedroom) was perched over the sea. At a table set with beautiful silverware, dinner plates and crystal, a courtly waiter served HG/BSK a Sicilian specialty—Pasta con el sarde. This was perfect linguine covered in a mind blowing sardine sauce that reflected the Arabic influence in Sicilian cooking, the omnipresence of the sea and the shimmering sunlight. BSK vowed to make an effort to duplicate the dish when HG/BSK returned to the USA. BSK has been successful. BSK’s version is sumptuous. HG/BSK enjoyed it last night on Prince Edward Island. This is how The Wonder Woman made it. First, a sofrito of olive oil, white wine, anchovies, pignolia nuts, garlic, shallots, saffron and dried cranberries (the Taormina version used currants but these were not available and the cranberries were a tasty substitute). Finally, this was mixed with a tin of very good plump Porftuguese sardines. Poured over linguine, the dish brought back many happy memories of sun and fun.

A classic Ashkenazi Jewish dish is kasha varnishkes. It is an HG favorite. It was served in every Jewish “dairy” restaurant in HG’s youth. Because of kosher dietary code, it was cooked without animal fat and smothered with onions and mushrooms simmered in olive or corn oil. Topped with sour cream and loads of black pepper and kosher salt. When HG’s late Mom cooked it, dietary laws were not followed and the dish got a big load of tasty homemade chicken fat. (That’s the way it was served at Sammy’s, New York’s now closed temple of schmaltz.) So, what is kasha varnishkes ? The dish consists of kasha (buckwheat groats) gently toasted with a beaten egg and then simmered in chicken broth and olive oil (chicken fat if you can source it). When the kasha is cooked into softness (but not mush) it is mixed with cooked farfalle (butterfly or bow tie pasta). Always accompanied by a bowl of sour cream. HG made it last night for BSK’s sister, Noel) and brother in law, Yossi, during an alternate Sunday dinner at HG/BSK’s home. HG used Russian kasha from an international grocer in Moncton, New Brunswick. N. & M.had never had kasha varnishkes before. They approved to the tune of second and third helpings.

HG/BSK first tasted Cincinnati chili when visiting Noel and Yossi M. (BSK’s sister and brother-in-law). The couple were then living in Kentucky but doing graduate work at Cincinnati U. Chili was served in numerous low cost eateries. Budget conscious N. and M. consumed much during harsh Cincy winters. On first tasting, HG/ BSK found it distinctive. No hint of Texas. Very middle east in spicing. Cinnamon, cumin, etc. Served over spaghetti and showered with chopped onions, grated cheddar cheese and Frank’s Hot Sauce, it was addictive. With no plans to visit Cincy in the future, HG thought about Cincy chili as a delicious memory. Surprise. Dinner (a cold night) a few weeks ago at N. & M.’s Ocean Mist Farm near Prince Edward Island’s south shore, was Noel’s version of the chili. Flavorful. Hearty. Warming. Thanks, Noel.

Many decades ago during the infancy of television, journalist HG was employed by International News Service/International News Photos (long absorbed by United Press–thus UPI). For INP, HG wrote a TV news program illustrated by still photos (known as “telops”). Very primitive. TV news improved. “Telops” were gone and HG went on to other news chores. HG got to know many illustrious news photographers. They all had a distaste for “lens louses”, individuals who managed to squeeze into every photo opportunity. Fortunately, when the film went into the darkroom they were cropped out (That is, when they were on the periphery of the photo. Alas, they often managed to weasel their way into the center.) The nutbag fascist who occupied the White House was the ultimate “lens louse.” An egomaniac, he wallowed in publicity. The media thought that he was laughable but his outrageous statements and preening persona made lively copy and TV spots. The media made the loudmouth lying fascist an omnipresent image. It projected him into his “reality” TV show. Okay, he’s gone. Our democracy has survived (barely). My message to the media: Ignore the fascist. He will continue to do and say destructive things in order to get print, internet and TV exposure. Ignore him. Let him wither away in his gloomy narcissistic loneliness.

Yes, BSK is a culinary phenomenon. It’s cold and windy (some snow flurries) at HG/BSK’s up-north, oceanfront home on Prince Edward Island.(Borders with USA are closed and HG/BSK await their vaccinations as they stay safe from the pandemic). BSK meets the weather challenges by preparing nightly dinners that warm the body and bring joy to the spirits. Tonight it was savory, lush short ribs accompanied by grits (to soak up the abundant wine scented gravy) and a side dish of sweet peas and mushrooms. In BSK’s trusty Creuset, BSK simmered the short ribs (for hours) in a mix of onions, garlic (much), carrots, celery, red wine (four cups) and a container of pho broth (for a fleeting hint of lemongrass). Drank much Canadian red wine, a lusty beverage that enhanced the robust dish. HG has a question. Why are short ribs so expensive ? Never mind. They’re worth it.