Quirky Grocers

April 11th, 2017 § 2 comments § permalink

The Santa Fe grocers are quirky. Products appear and disappear. Staples change location as the grocers are always remodeling. HG was delighted when Trader Joe’s began displaying excellent canned Indian food (paneer and spinach was a big winner as was dal). Suddenly disappeared. When HG inquired, the manager replied that they were so popular that customers stocked up with dozens of cans. Had no idea if those good things would ever reappear. TJ’s bone-in, Frenched pork chops appeared on HG /BSK’s dinner plates frequently. Gone from TJ’s meat section. Whole Foods could always be relied upon for preserved lemons, an essential in BSK’s Moroccan tagines. No more. Gone. Fresh herbs (except for cilantro) can no longer be found at Pojoaque Super Market. Fortunately, it seems as one product disappears, a new delicious treat will take its place (for a time!).

Diversity

April 8th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Der Trumperer’s draconian immigration policy may put a damper on American diversity. However, diversity of all kinds– human, animal, horticultural –reigns in New Mexico. Coming home last night, HG/BSK were delighted to meet a regal owl perched on an entry post. After surveying HG/BSK for some minutes, the bird spread large wings and flew away. In the morning, HG/BSK found signs of animal diversity in the droppings of bobcats, raccoons, coyotes and gophers. During the day, birds fill the sky and humming birds buzz around BSK’s hanging jars of sugar water. Trees on HG/BSK’s property are turning green and daffodils and tulips are flourishing. Soon there will be peonies, iris, roses and wisteria. Joyous colors and scents. And, of course there is the wonderful diversity of HG/BSK’s neighbors: Hispanic, Native American and Anglo. The Anglos come from many different countries–Russia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, etc.. Yes, our neighborhood is diverse; but, it takes second place to Vancouver, B.C., where HG/BSK had a part time home for many years. While walking in Stanley Park, HG/BSK would hear almost twenty Asian, African and European languages.

El Paragua

April 7th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

HG/BSK chose El Paragua, in nearby Espanola, as the farewell dinner site for visiting daughter Lesley R.. HG dines at least once a week at El Parasol Restaurant, the wondrous casual restaurant in Pojoaque. Down home cooking. Delicious. It is run by Jose and Alicia Atencio, warm and gracious hosts. Jose Atencio also owns and runs El Paragua. Another El Parasol is adjacent to the restaurant and there are other El Parasols throughout New Mexico and franchised to the Atencio family members. El Paragua is a bit upscale (but very affordable). Excellent steaks and seafood in addition to the staples of New Mexico cuisine: Enchiladas, tacos, tamales chimichangas, menudo, etc.. There are also wonderful cocktails and an extensive and modestly priced wine list. El Paragua is housed in a cluster of old buildings that once housed the Atencio family and their plumbing business. It is very evocative of New Mexico’s rich past. Gentle lighting and friendly and efficient service add to the dining experience. HG/BSK drank a pleasant Dubeouf Beaujolais-Villages (2014) priced at $21. Lesley R. opted for Tecate Beer served with a slice of lime in an icy glass. Big, robust, yummy meal. Carne adovado burrito smothered in green chile and cheese, menudo for HG, guacamole. Big sirloin steak for HG/BSK (smothered in cheese and green chile plus roasted green onions and chimichurri). Sides of charro beans, warm tortillas and sopapillas. Flan and natillas for dessert. A WOW of an experience!

The Irish

April 6th, 2017 § 2 comments § permalink

HG is very fond of (almost) everything Irish. That includes Guinness Stout, Bushmill’s Whiskey, corned beef and cabbage; Irish butter. HG does not fancy Irish lamb stew. HG prefers the French culinary approach to lamb. Sadly, HG has never made it to Ireland so hasn’t had the chance to dine on Irish oysters, salmon, cheeses and authentic Irish soda bread. HG’s mentor in journalism and style was Howard W., an ex-IRA gunman. HG’s favorite protege in the PR business is Irish-American Bruce M. (he has far surpassed his mentor). HG has fond memories of his sturdy comrades in the rough and tumble world of 1940’s Bronx sandlot football–Irish-Americans Binny K., Mike D., Jackie B. and Kevin M. There is music in an Irish brogue. HG often visited Croke Park Stadium in The Bronx to watch exciting Gaelic football and hurling matches with a background of a few thousand brogues cheering for their heroes. HG’s favorite writer is James Joyce. Yeats is HG’s favorite poet. Sean O’ Casey is a favorite playwright. Yes, there have been some very bad Irishmen. Father Coughlin ( “The Radio Priest” ) and Joe McCarthy lead the list. And, Der Trumperer has recruited a cluster of Irish-Americans–Bannon, Spicer, Pence, Mulvaney — to aid him in his neo-Nazi schemes. Meanwhile, across the sea in Ireland, The Land of Saints, Poets and Warriors, an extraordinary liberal renaissance is taking place.

Asian Pasta

April 3rd, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

In HG’s last post, the greedy fellow was rhapsodic about pasta. However, with the exception of chow fun, HG did not give sufficient credit to Asia and its many varieties of noodles. Ramen, of course, is the greatest of all noodle soups. (Sorry, Mom in Heaven, it tops your chicken soup with lukshen). HG loves a bowl of Japanese udon noodles topped with pork or chicken. Vietnamese rice noodles are a staple in HG/BSK’s kitchen. Mixed with a bit of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a pinch of sambal oelek, they accompany a variety of stir fries. They are the base for great cold chicken salads with Vietnamese flavorings (fish sauce, etc.). Lovely in soups with watercress and slivers of smoked ham. Great cold semi-soup dish is daughter-in-law Exquisite Maiko’s buckwheat soba in a soy broth covered with slivers of nori. Fans of Thai food dote on the pad thai stir fry noodle dish. Unfortunately, HG has never had a good version. Chinese egg noodles (fresh or dried) are used in a number of BSK dishes. They accompany chicken bulgogi (see the David Leibovitz recipe). BSK uses them in stir fries with vegetables, chicken or ground pork. The egg noodles cook fast and have a nice, springy, al dente mouth feel. Are they the noodles Marco Polo brought back to Italy from Cathay?

Chow Fun and Pasta Treats

March 31st, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

HG is a pasta lover and has happy memories of a number of pasta dishes consumed, with gusto, in a variety of locales. In Venice: Linguine a la Vongole (clam sauce); Linguine con Seppie (juicy cuttlefish with their own ink). Bologna: Spaghetti Bolognese (meat and tomato ragu). Bergamo: Pasta with shavings of white truffle. Belleville,N.J.: Cavatelli in a sauce of ricotta and tomatoes. Served at Belmont Tavern as a prelude to Stretch’s Chicken. North Arlington, N.J.: Fettuccine Alfredo prepared table side by the maitre d’ in a spacious (name forgotten) restaurant. And, of course, BSK’s pasta with pesto. BSK’s splendid carbonara and matchless Spaghetti a la Norma (eggplant). Linguine with Prince Edward Island mussels and clams. BSK has delighted HG with these wondrous dishes during their 54 years of co-habitation in New York, Montclair,N.J.; Golden and Denver, Colorado; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Vancouver, B.C; Fire Island; Nantucket and Prince Edward Island. Recently, HG has discovered a new pasta favorite at Santa Fe’s Saigon Cafe, home of splendid Vietnamese pho. At the suggestion of waitperson, Hua, HG switched from pho to Chow Fun. Broad noodles, cooked al dente, are stir fried in soybean oil with sliced onions, scallions, bean sprouts and steamed tofu. It is served with a plate of garnishes: Mint, flat leaf parsley, cilantro and jalapeno peppers. This is health conscious eating at its best.

Pork Rinds

March 25th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Pork rinds are crisp, crunchy chips of pork skin that have been fried in lard. Sound unhealthy? HG (like George H.W. Bush) loves them, but eats them in moderation. There is a growing trend of dieters hoping to lose weight on high protein, low carb diets and they are eating pork rinds in abundance. That’s because pork rinds have no carbohydrates (but lots of cholesterol, sodium and fat!). Doctors are beginning to issue warnings as pork rind sales have soared over the past few years. The porky tidbits are called “chicharrones” or “cuchifritos” in Spanish. They are an omnipresent accompaniment to many Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian and Mexican dishes. HG’s favorite meal, when activist BSK is not cooking but busy saving the blessed New Mexico environment: HG gets a package of Bueno pork green chile stew out of the freezer. Adds an eight ounce take out container of green chile menudo from nearby El Parasol Restaurant. When piping hot, HG tops a big bowl with chopped onion, slices of avocado and squeezes of lemon juice. Eats this with chicharrones made by local women and sold at Pojoaque Super Market. Drinks shots of 100% Agave Tequila chased with icy Samuel Adams Ale. Jolly solitary feast.

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The Dime

March 21st, 2017 § 1 comment § permalink

Found a thin dime in a coat pocket. Insignificant coin. That wasn’t the case when HG was a Bronx nine-year-old. Two dimes bought art, adventure, nourishment and appreciation of the female form and female artistic talent. HG would earn the two dimes by carrying the heavy shopping bags of women shopping at the Kingsbridge Road markets. (“Carry your bag, Lady?). Few buildings had elevators and sturdy little HG would have to trudge up many steps to earn a nickel or (rare) dime tip. When HG had the necessary two dimes it was off to Manhattan. Destination: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Preparing for the trip, HG spent a dime on nourishment. A chunk of garlic salami (“A Nickel a Shtickel”) and two sour dill pickles (the tasty treats were wrapped in waxed paper and placed in a brown paper bag.) They were obtained at Tower Delicatessen. HG spent a nickel on the subway fare at the Kingsbridge Road/Jerome Avenue station. HG read abandoned copies of newspapers on the ride to 81st Street and Lexington Avenue. (yes, nine-year-olds traveled alone on subways in 1938). Quick walk to the Met. Admission was free for children (SJ notes that the Met is still donation-only meaning you have to pay something, even a penny, but the “suggested admission” is for tourists and suckers!) . First stop was The Armor Room. A stirring sight was fully armored knights on horses. Plenty of lances, axes, bludgeons, swords, daggers, spears to spark a young fellow’s imagination. There were two favorite paintings at the Met. One was “The Lady and the Parrot” by Gustave Courbet. Then and now, HG finds this the most beautiful (and sexiest) nude of a woman ever painted, The other was “The Horse Fair” by a female painter, Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899), the most famous female painter of the 19th Century. “The Horse Fair” is monumental, eight feet by 16 feet, Little HG would stand transfixed before this painting, which throbbed with the energy and beauty of rearing and tossing horses. Bonheur was an “animalier”, a painter of animals. (later in life, HG was happy to discover her “Plowing at Nivernais,” a serene but forceful depiction of oxen at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris). HG consumed the pickle and salami lunch with many glasses of free water, in the beautiful dining room of the Met. HG’s final nickel was spent on the subway ride home. Bedtime sleep was filled with beautiful and stirring images.

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Our Christian Nation?

March 18th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

“VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, IN AS MUCH AS YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN, YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME.” Well, the “least” of our brethren– the old, the poor, school children–are being bludgeoned by Der Trumperer’s militarist budget and a health care plan that gives big tax breaks to the rich and deprives 24,000,000 Americans of health insurance. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said “after school programs don’t show results.” So, no more funding. He proposed cuts in the programs that provide nutrition to the aged. And that includes the “Meals on Wheels” program which, incidentally, keeps my aged, infirm mother in law and her husband alive. All of this seems to contradict Christian values as espoused by the dizzying variety of Christian institutions (plus the numerous sects). Isn’t it time for all Christians to protest? Or, has Jesus Christ been re-characterized as a left wing Jewish agitator? Mulvaney demands that programs “show results.” Well, American Christianity can’t prove beneficial results: Sin continues to flourish with no end in sight. Like Der Trumperer’s wire tapping claims, no tangible evidence has been provided that heaven and hell exist. Given Mulvaney’s reasoning, shouldn’t government support of religion (in the form of massive tax breaks) be removed?

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Smetana

March 17th, 2017 § 0 comments § permalink

Sour cream was omnipresent on the family table when HG was growing up in The Bronx. HG’s late Mom called it “smetana” (the Russian name). Though not observant of Jewish dietary restrictions, Mom confined sour cream to “dairy” (non-meat) dishes. Sour cream accompanied blintzes. Mom sneered at jam. Considered it an aberration of “galitzianers” (Galicans), Jews fixated on sweets. Kasha varnishkes (buckwheat groats and Italian “farfalle”) was topped with smetana as was cold beet borscht and “schav” (sorrel soup). Typical summer lunch was a bowl of sliced bananas (or seasonal strawberries, blueberries, blackberries) with ample smetana. There was a vegetable variant: chopped onions or scallions, cucumbers and radishes. Smetana covered bowls of cottage cheese or pot cheese (lots of kosher salt and black pepper). Mom always bought sour cream, cheese and butter at Daitch Dairy. Considered their products superior. HG/BSK continued that tradition when they lived on W. 79th in Manhattan and there was a Daitch Dairy on the southwest corner of Broadway (the cream cheese was epic and a ‘shmear” on a warm bialy turned morning coffee into a happy ritual). Sour cream plays a big role in fiery New Mexico cuisine. A scoop brings cool to a palate singed by chiles. HG/BSK like to top Goya black beans with chopped onion and sour cream. Mixed with Greek yogurt, sour cream accompanies a variety of BSK’s lamb, middle eastern and Indian dishes. HG is looking forward to Final Four and NBA playoffs. HG’s TV dinner will be small boiled potatoes covered with sour cream. Much salt and pepper, of course. Dill pickles. Icy vodka. Beer chasers. Smetana heaven.

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