HUNGRY GERALD

HG tripped and banged into a bathroom fixture. Pain. X-rays revealed no broken ribs but Doc said there might be minor rib cracks. Nothing serious. However, it will take some time to heal. HG is battling discomfort with Canadian Tylenol (more potent than American) and, of course, BSK’s loving care. As for food, BSK has focused on comfort. One night, BSK made mussels with linguine. A few original touches. Cooked in olive oil chopped onions and fennel, plentiful garlic, tarragon from the garden. Added clam broth (from a previous softshell clam feast) and white wine. Mussels and cherry tomatoes steamed happily in this mix. All was poured over al dente pasta with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Multi flavors, all delicious. Next evening BSK prepared congee (AKA “jook”), the silken rice porridge. BSK made it protein-rich with sea scallops. Soaked, dry Chinese shitake mushrooms (and the soaking broth), gave the porridge an earthy tang. Hey, call BSK “Dr. BSK”. The Wonder Woman’s food heals.

Yes, time for BSK to make way in the kitchen for HG and HG’s super-spicy Chinese and Korean dinner dishes. (BSK made a pot of fluffy sushi rice to accompany with some leftover for future congee). The Chinese dish was a lush melange of eggplant, onions, garlic, ginger enriched with soy sauce, oyster sauce, a bit of water, a discreet splash of maple syrup, an indiscreet amount of fiery Sambal Oelek (Yes, HG loves the blaze). The Korean dish was sliced pork bellies marinated in Korean hot pepper paste, Korean pepper flakes, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Fried until crisp and lightly charred. Appreciative BSK suggested HG should expand HG’s repertoire of Asian treats. But, before that happens HG is thinking about a Choucroute with pale, veal based, “October” sausages, sauerkraut and PEI’s inimitable, mineral-rich potatoes. Much mustard and pickles on the side. Gahan’s wonderful local ale. Just waiting for a chilly Prince Edward Island night.

For a decade or so, fresh seafood was available at By The Bay Fish Mart in St.Peters, just minutes from HG/BSK’s oceanfront home on Prince Edward Island. Sadly, By The Bay closed last year. No longer could HG pick up sole, cod, haddock, hake, oysters, quahogs, mussels and more on a daily basis. But, not all is lost. A fish truck pulls up in St.Peters every Wednesday morning and is in Souris (25 minute drive from home) on Fridays. 6 days a week, MR Seafood sells fish from its well-stocked shop in Charlottetown (a long 45 minutes away). Happily, very fresh oysters and mussels are available five days a week in Morell (15 minute drive). Gracious Cindy Dockendorff at Atlantic Shellfish selects the biggest, briniest, tastiest oysters for oyster gourmand HG. So, HG/BSK are relishing super seafood, a welcome change from dinners in landlocked New Mexico. This week, BSK picked up soft shell clams, Digby Bay sea scallops and thick haddock filets. One dinner featured the steamed clams followed by, lightly sauteed scallops on greens. Following night HG fried the haddock and BSK cooked tiny PEI potatoes (the world’s best) and broiled tomatoes with herbs and feta cheese. Life’s good.

BSK last night improvised a delicious dinner of penne with a cheesy, creamy vegetable sauce. Had zucchini, garlic scapes, mint, cherry tomatoes, bacon, feta cheese and shallots on hand. Used all of the ingredients. BSK fried bacon until crisp and reserved the melted bacon fat. Added olive oil to the fat and made a flavorful sofrito of garlic scapes and shallots. When the sofrito ingredients had softened and mellowed, BSK added a bit more oil, sliced zucchini, salt and aleppo pepper (for heat and pungency) plus a handful of mint. Later, put in a generous amount of feta cheese which melted to give the dish creamy goodness. Mixed the crispy bacon bits with the al dente penne. Finally, the plates were topped with sliced cherry tomatoes (HG gave the HG portion a good shake of red pepper flakes). A lovely summer pasta with many levels of flavor. Viva, BSK!!!

So, HG has been ranging far and wide in food appreciation (Palestine, Pittsburgh, Prince Edward Island, New Mexico, etc.). Time to talk about another distinctive, regional taste: Cincinnati Chili. This “chili” has nothing to do with the dense, fiery chilies of Texas and the Southwest; rather Cincy chili, like the chili that covers “Coney Island” hot dogs from Detroit to Rhode Island, is descended from Meditteranian spiced meat recipes (such as Moussaka) brought to the Midwest and beyond by Greek culinary entrepreneurs. Cincy chili contains cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cayenne, and other middle eastern spices. Very tasty but not particularly fiery. Cincy chili parlors (there are many) serve it in “ways” — the most iconic is “3 Way”, chili over spaghetti covered in a mound of shredded cheese. Beans are sometimes added as are chopped onions, splashes of vinegar, hot sauce (Frank’s or Tabasco) and you always get a side of oyster crackers. HG/BSK first had Cincy chili when (many years ago) they visited BSK’s sister, Noel M., and husband, Yossi M., when N. and Y. divided their time between Cincy (where they went to graduate school) and a farm in the Kentucky woods just over the Ohio border. (There are many good Cincy chili recipes on the internet if you want to make it at home). HG/BSK dined last night with N. and Y. at their beautiful Prince Edward Island Ocean Mist Farm. The main dish was Cincy chili over spaghetti. (Noel used ground lamb–raised by N. and Y.–instead of pork or beef. Very tasty). No oyster crackers but the first of Yossi’s potatoes. Gilded with good olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt these were super spuds. And, took home some of Y.’s strawberries after having some with ice cream for dessert. Best berries in the world. They taste like old-time berries in the days before mega-agriculture took over with the mission of making natural food tasteless.

Pittsburgh has many folks of Polish and Slovak ancestry. Their hardworking immigrant mothers, fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, were the workers in the iron and steel foundries that made Pittsburgh famous. They brought to America many hearty East European dishes. Among them was Haluski. You can still find Haluski at mealtimes in many Pittsburgh homes and restaurants. HG made Haluski for dinner last night and enjoyed it at lunch today. Here’s how you do it. First, caramelize a large sliced onion in butter and olive oil. Don’t hurry. The onions have to turn a dark brown. Then add a thinly sliced cabbage (plus butter, olive oil and lots of garlic). Fry a lot of bacon until crisp (reserve the melted bacon fat). Keep cooking until the cabbage is soft and lightly browned. Meanwhile, have a pot of water boiling. Cook pasta (HG likes a small shape like fiorelli or penne.) When cooked, add it to the onion/cabbage mix. Finally, add the crumbled bacon. Pour some bacon fat into the Haluski (this is not a weight watcher dish) and give it a vigorous mix with pepper and salt to taste. HG likes Haluski with a side of sour cream BSK gives it an Italian touch with a dusting of parmesan. Either way Haluski is a lush (and filling) meal.

Yes, that’s how Palestinians spell Palestine (no “P” in Arabic). And, “Falastin” is the name of a wonderful cookbook that celebrates the food and traditions of Palestine food. Recipes sharpen the appetite. The author is Sami Tamimi (with Tara Wigley). Sami is an Arab Palestinian who grew up in Jerusalem and became head chef at a top restaurant in Tel Aviv. Later, he moved to London where with Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli, he collaborated in opening the celebrated Ottolenghi restaurants (there are now four and two food shops) plus authoring two cookbooks with Ottolenghi. Sami is head executive chef of all the Ottolenghi locations. BSK was fascinated by the “Falestin” recipe for pan sheet lemon chicken. BSK made it last night. Marinated skin on-bone in chicken thighs in chicken broth, olive oil, and plentiful amounts of lemon juice, garlic, onions. Spiced it up with zaatar, sumac, turmeric, paprika and jalapeno salt (for heat). Topped it with many lemon slices. When the pan came out of the oven the chicken was beautifully browned and happily afloat on vegetables and flavorful sauce. BSK served it with fluffy couscous and harissa. One of the great chicken dishes. Thankfully, there were leftovers so there will be an easy repeat. Many thanks, Mr. Tamimi.

HG is a very old guy (91 in November, hopefully). Despite all of the infirmities of advanced years, HG is a very happy man, Why not? HG lives in beautiful places (New Mexico and Prince Edward Island); HG is in the 58th year of marriage to the best woman in the world, the beautiful, caring, talented BSK. And, HG has the endearing companionship of Toby The Wonder Dog (miss the little fellow who is happy with glorious granddaughter Sofia in New Mexico while HG/BSK frolic by the sea in PEI). Culinary highlights: Oysters and seafood in PEI and green chile menudo and enchiladas in The Land of Enchantment (New Mexico state description). Despite so many delights, HG’s spirits lag at times (Trump-induced). HG chases the blues away with music. Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald bring joy. Jackie Cain and Roy Kral riffing on “Mountain Greenery” always lift the spirits (and bring back good memories of these HG/BSK pals). Yo Yo Ma, the cello genius, is a pleasure and when in need of laughter, nothing beats watching W.C. Fields on Youtube. Godfrey Daniel!!