HUNGRY GERALD

HG has long believed that the only proper role of beets was to provide the basis for ice cold, pink (with the addition of sour cream) borscht, a summer staple of HG’s youth. Nobody ever made it better than HG’s Mom, the late Ida Kopkind Freeman. HG did not like any other preparation of beets. Roast (or braised) beets seemed incompatible with wine. HG did not share the enthusiasm for salads of beets with goat (or blue) cheese and walnuts. Thus, HG did not look forward with anticipation to the beets BSK prepared last night to accompany a meal of pan fried Icelandic cod, steamed haricots vert and tiny potatoes. Surprise. BSK’s beets were a mind changer: Sweet, Spicy, Smoky. How did creative BSK do it? Golden and red beets were cut into small cubes. They were then sautéed with chopped sweet onion in Sicilian olive oil. Lots of smoked black pepper plus some sea salt. Pan was covered and the mix was cooked until the beets softened. The final touch. BSK took off the cover and poured in some syrupy, old balsamic vinegar (the real stuff, not the insipid liquid found on most supermarket shelves). Pan was covered again and cooking went on for a few more minutes so the vinegar could infuse the beets and onions. The result: A revelation.

The changing fashions in food have long fascinated HG. For example, beets, once despised, have become not just chic, but ubiquitous — you can hardly find a menu that doesn’t include some form of a beet and goat cheese salad. HG has always found a beet (like vinegar) to be an enemy of wine. Nevertheless, in Paris the top bistros du vins have betteraves on their cartes. Raw fish was only found at Japanese sushi bars. Suddenly, raw tuna and chopped tartares of tuna and salmon became featured players. Even Italian restaurants (possibly influenced by the massive success of Esca and David Pasternack) have crudos among their appetizers. For a time, steak was dismissed as a boorish, unhealthy and unfashionable food. There was a reaction and carnivores rejoiced as more than a score of upscale steak houses opened in New York. “Small plates” have become fashionable. Is there sticker shock when hearty appetites do some big time grazing on these “small” plates with big time prices? Foam, sous vide, molecular are among the gastronomic buzz words of the past decade. HG, a conservative, is skeptical about these arcane techniques. Restaurants used to take pride in offering imported food from faraway places. Now, the very best chefs (like Marc Meyer of New York’s Cookshop, Hundred Acres and Five Points) are determinedly “locavore,” a trend HG endorses with enthusiasm.

BEET FOAM