HUNGRY GERALD

The town of Taormina is one the most beautiful places in the world. It is located on the east coast of Sicily. Perched on a lofty cliff, it has breathtaking views  of the Ionian Sea. Taormina has been a favorite vacation spot for years, particularly welcoming to gays  The town is filled with important architectural ruins, luxurious hotels, shops. restaurants, etc. When HG/BSK visited yeara ago after a Sicily tour with daughter, Lesley R., son-in-law Massimo R. and granddaughters  Arianna and Sofia, Taormina was a vision in technicolor–brilliant blue skies, aquamarine sea, weathered buildings. And, of course, an element of danger: The volcanic Mt. Etna is just a few miles away. (Massimo was the perfect guide to all of the wonders of Sicily. He is a tenured professor at Brown; head of its Italian studies department; author of books on Italian culture. Plus, he spent his youth with his family in Sicily). HG/BSK lodged in a sea view room in a

classy hotel. The room felt like a bubble floating over glittering water. Exhilarating. HG/BSK’s first dinner was at the hotel’s dining room (more spectacular views).  Main dish was a Sicilan specialty—Linguine in Sardine Sauce. Wow!! Fresh sardines, fish broth, white wine, currants, raisins, onions, garlic—these were some of the ingredients HG discerned. Stroll after dinner. HG swam in the hotel pool before bedtime. Magical night. More magic in HG/BSK’s Central Falls loft last night- BSK replicated the Taormina dish with substituted (very good) canned Portuguese sardines. Dining every night with BSK  is magic for HG.

BSK usually makes fusilli-shaped pasta drenched in a tongue tingling blue cheese or gorgonzola (or  roquefort) sauce. That was BSK’s meal plan tonight after double header dinners of meatloaf. But alas, no blue veined cheese in the fridge. So, innovative BSK created a mix of feta and goat cheese enhanced with loads of capers and a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper (for heat). This was added to BSK’s usual pasta sauce mix of olive oil, stock, garlic,onions, parsley and other herbs.  Dinner was a delight, a pleasant riff on a favorite dish. As HG relished each bite, HG was reminded of the New Yorker cartoon: A Penne speaking on the phone: How you doing, Fusilli, you crazy bastard?

In the early years of our 60-year marriage, BSK cooked many  American classics. One of them was meat loaf. BSK’s version was juicy and full of flavor. HG topped it with a lot of ketchup and drank a rough 1-buck bottle of Cote d’ Rhone red. Ah, youth! Big time taste treat, as good as ever. Last night BSK revisited the past and made a big (double header) meat loaf. No ketchup. It was topped with BSK’s silky, buttery mushroom sauce. More meat loaf tonight. This time it will get tomato sauce and ketchup. Meat loaf sandwiches in future. A golden oldie.

Yes, son Jeremy and wife, Maiko Sakamoto live and thrive in Tokyo. HG/BSK’s grandkids, Haru and Teru, are growing up and are hip urbanites. knowledgeable about Japanese food, design, fashion and the efficient subway system. Jeremy and Maiko own and run their busy Brooklyn Barbecue Izakaya, Freeman Shokudo. It serves the best pastrami in the world (According to sophisticated New Yorkers who live in Japan). Take that,Katz’s!!  Jeremy makes outstanding gumbo and sometimes has it on the Freeman Shokudo menu (Appreciated by gourmand customers).  Fresh okra and shrimp were spotted in the local market by BSK. File powder in the pantry. BSK made enough shrimp gumbo enabling  HG/BSK to have lusty dinners two nights in a row.  As good as Jeremy’s? Don’t know. But it was tasty and brought back the many wonderful dinners HG/BSK had with the Tokyo emigres when they lived in Tokyo and summered on PEI. HG/BSK honor Maiko as the best cook in the world. (Looking forward– fingers crossed–to seeing them on PEI this summer).     INFO: Those not familiar with Hungry Gerald blog, PEI is Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest and most serene province. It’s a true island–washed by the seas and criss-crossed by rivers, lakes and bays. HG/BSK have an oceanfront home there which they share with their family.            

 HG/BSK live in “The Ocean State” (Rhode Island) and on Canada’s Prince Edward Island –heavenly locales for  freshly caught seafood. Two nights ago, BSK cooked a delicious, briny Spanish cod stew. Ingrediênts were superior cod (Whole Foods), potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery, fennel, white wine, clam broth, parsley (and other herbs). The next night there was breaded and sauteed flounder. There was a tasty melange of vegetables plus Israeli couscous. HG gave the cod and flounder hearty shakes of hot sauce. Yes, indeed!! Tonight, BSK is emulating Son Jeremy’s shrimp gumbo. In the future are lobsters, squid, clams, oysters,scallops, crab meat.  Anchors Aweigh!!!

There is nothing happier (And tastier) than family Christmas presents and food extravaganza at the Riverside, RI, home (Ablaze with seasonal decorations including a glittering, much decorated tree) of gifted daughter, Lesley R., and her illustrious husband, Massimo R.  Happily, HG/BSK’s magnificent granddaughters, Arianna (Accompanied by her loving companion, Adam) and Sofia, were there. (Ms. A. and Ms. S. are outstanding( combinations of beauty and brains.) The wonder dogs, Pip and Toby, added to the merriment. The  family Christmas Eve Feast of Seven (Or more) Jewish Fishes is a long time  jolly tradition. HG ordered the Feast from New York’s Russ & Daughters (The fishes: Three  kinds of smoked salmon; sable; two kinds of caviar; whitefish salad; three varieties of herring; thin slices of smoked tuna. The accompaniments: Lemon quarters, capers; lettuce, tomatoes, onions; bialys; lots of cream cheese; Lower East Side sour pickles; bagels; celeriac salad; crepes and blini hand crafted by Lesley–and more.  Opened presents after the Feast. Generous. Thoughtful. Moderation was not observed. Christmas Day. Modest repeat of smoked fish feasting plus more present opening. As always, we collectively overdid. But. better to be lavish and not stingy. Tangy squash bisque (Recipe from HG’s late sister, Beulah Naomi Katz) was served in the late afternoon. This led into the ultimate wine and food dinner. Massimo, the “Edem” (son-in-law in Yiddish) served three great Italian wines in this order–Brunello, Barolo, Amarone.  And, the food lived up to the wines. Tender, richly flavorful Osso bucci (Veal shanks) in a spectacular meat and vegetable sauce. Massimo’s traditional (Saffron accents) risotto Milanese. Gremolata for sprinkling. Bonus: The bones contained a lush marrow. The risotto was topped with the marrow and was a treat as the rice grains drank up the Osso bucci sauce. Dessert was a superlative apple tart and a neighbor’s homemade flan. Some Amarone was saved to enliven the desserts. This was a meal “that dreams are made of.”

No snow. No white Christmas. The big presents and feasting extravaganza is a few days away and the weather is cold. HG, age 94, has a need for warming comfort food. BSK (Top flight home cook) meets the challenge. One night, BSK does a riff on Melissa Clark’s (NY Times) “Red Lentil Soup.”The ingredients are red lentils, mmonions, tomato paste, cumin, garlic, chicken broth, salt & pepper,a roughly chopped carrot; olive oil (for drizzling). The soup is a puree with some chunky bits in it for texture. When completed, it gets abundant squeezes of lemon (plus the olive oil). Farewell chills. This is a great comforting  (but exotic) soup somehow evocative of many cultures. Red wine, a baguette, and endive salad were the table mates. The next night was New England style, BSK made a chowder “chowda”. No milk or cream or flour or other dread ingredients that find their way into many regional “chowdas.” BSK  simmers BSK’s version in a tangy mix of clam broth and vegetable broth, Ingredients are simple–mainly cod, potatoes and onions. It’s a wonderful dish. Its splendor is derived from BSK’s adroit handling of the fish and potatoes–not too soft but just right. The secret of BSK’s triumph over winter chills is Aleppo pepper. BSK adds it to both soups to bring up the picante level.  (HG gilds the lily by making a bowl of mayonnaise mixed with an over the top amount of sriracha). Take that, Jack Frost !!!

There’s usually bad news from Bangladesh: Fire, Flood, Transportation accidents, Factory disasters, Riots, Major and minor accidents of all kinds. The saving grace is very good food. Gifted daughter Lesley R. and her illustrious husband, Massimo R., proved that last night. They braved a rainstorm and came to HG/BSK’s Central Falls loft bearing a Bangladeshi feast for dinner. Two very wet dogs–Pip and Toby–accompanêd them. The feast: Okra in a piquant sauce; spinach, samosas, eggplant, lamb curry, chicken curry; naan and other tasty breads, a variety of excellent chutneys; large container of rice. Dessert: Wonderful Bangladeshi rice pudding.

The time is mid-afternoon. HG is busy in his office–writing, reading, plotting financial strategy, etc. And then, a period of pleasure. BSK appears, bearing HG a cup of steaming tea. BSK knows how to brew a potent, life enhancing “cuppa.”  BSK learned how to brew tea from two English women (Of, course)–BSK’s mother and grandmother. HG’s afternoon- tea has another layer of pleasure—sips of tea and nibbles of chocolate “cigars”.  These delicate cookiês are feather light–a layer of thin pastry enclosing a puree of fragrant chocolate. These delicacies are a gift to HG from Maiko Sakamoto Freeman, SJ’s wife and partner in their Tokyo izakaya. The “cigars” are from the Yoku Moku shop in Tokyo–enclosed in a tin box and swathed in layers of pleated paper. They stay fresh for years.

BSK’s dinner cuisine is inspired by many regions, countries, and cities. On successive nights BSK cooked: Gumbo (New Orleans); Moussaka (Greece);Tagine (Morocco —This was a simmered dish of chicken, garlic, onions, caulîflower, broth, olive oil and loads of middle eastern spices  (Including pungent  cinnamon). On another night there was no cooking for BSK. Gifted daughter, Lesley R.; her extraordinary husband, Author/Professor/Intellectual Massimo R.; their remarkable daughter, Sofia (HG/BSK granddaughter who has inherited beauty and brains ) brought fiery Szechuan Chinese food from Chengdu Taste. Set Massimo’s mouth ablaze. Cured by glasses of icy milk.