HUNGRY GERALD

At one time, HG subscribed to Calvin Trillin‘s jaundiced views concerning the Thanksgiving Day turkey. Trillin mused that American cuisine would have improved if Italians had landed at Plymouth rather than English Puritans. An Italian landing would have meant Spaghetti Carbonara on Thamskgiving Day rather than turkey, a bird Trillin does not admire. HG is very fond of both Carbonara and the prose of Trilllin, but HG has become ever fonder of The Big Bird and all the trimmings. This Thanksgiving, HG and BSK were blessed with having BSK’s family (folks with big appetites) at the table. The family group was composed of BSK’s sister, Noel;her husband, Yossi, and their two sons, Eric and Matthew. Also present was Eric’s beautiful girl friend, Lisa. The two young men are big guys — well over six feet and well over 200 pounds. Much muscle. Lisa (a Norwegian horse vaulting champion) is a powerful lass who bench presses over 200 pounds. Combined with Yossi, a rangy Israeli who is a renowned Clean Plate Ranger, this quartet can do a lot of damage to a large turkey. With some help from HG, BSK and Noel, the group totally demolished a 16-pound turkey, mounds of mashed potatoes, brussell sprouts roasted with pancetta, stir fried haricot verts, corn bread-sausage-pecan stuffing, two varieties of cranberry sauce. Plus the obligatory gallon of savory gravy (enhanced by BSK’s lovely roux and some judicious spicing). No second day turkey sandwiches. Only a skeleton went into the turkey broth pot. Dessert was BSK’s nut and cinnamon apple crisp (with vanilla ice cream) plus Noel’s honey cake. Adding to the jolly times were six bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau (very good this year) plus Samuel Adams ale, pre-dinner iced vodka and post dinner Israeli dessert wine (resembled a good French sweet Sauterne). Much to be thankful for.

Finally. A real dinner of celebration. Oh, it’s good to win and the Obama victory had an extra measure of sweetness as Mr. Cellophane (aka Mitt), the wasted $400 Million Man (Karl Rove) and The Hair Brained (Donald Trump) tasted the bitter dregs of defeat. Talking about tasting, deliciousness abounded as HG and BSK hosted a happy group of distinguished Democrats at a laughter infused dinner party. Present were Mayor Bob Murphy of Lakewood, CO. (a landslide election winner earlier in the year) plus his brother, Don. Bob’s wife, the lovely, Ina Gustafson was present (wearing some of the striking jewelry she designs). Joining us from Crested Butte, CO.. were Mike Rock, the distinguished urbanist and former city manager. Mike was accompanied by Trish Layton, economic development expert, equestrienne and former championship diver. A handsome and talented group bearing numerous bottle of excellent Pinot Noir. Dinner started with prosciutto and ripe figs; mozzarella and tomatoes; prosciutto wrapped around breadsticks. Sparkling Pinot Grigio. Then there were some brimming bowls of fettucine with Bolognese ragu (BSK follows Marcella Hazan’s recipe and it is robust and full of flavor). The Pinot Noir set it off nicely. This was followed by camambert and gorgonzola, artisan sourdough bread and a tossed salad of baby lettuces. Dessert: BSK’s apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. The crisp was made with apples selected by BSK from the HG/BSK orchard. Chiiled limoncello ended the meal. But, not the happy, laughing sounds.

When HG was a very, very little boy lamb chops were his favorite dish. The little guy called them “ompalomps.” HG hated spinach. So, his cunning Mom buried the spinach in buttery mashed potatoes and HG consumed every drop. Okay, enough sickeningly cute kiddy memories. Lamb chops remain an HG favorite. Best lamp chops ever were the chops at Leon Lianides’ great Greenwich Village restaurant, the Coach House. The rack of lamb was also wonderful there, only matched by the rack at Le Stella, the Paris brasserie. But the marvel, the ultimate not-to-be-equalled rack is found at an unlikely place: The Grand Hotel Restaurant in Big Timber, Montana. HG discovered it because Big Timber is midway, between Denver and Vancouver, so it was a logical place to stop when motoring between the two cities. At the Grand Hotel you accompanied the lamb with a robust red wine from Walla Walla, Washington (HG thinks Wall Walla has the best red in the universe). Another favorite of lamb lovers is the mutton chop at New York’s venerable Keen’s Chop House. You can get it with Yorkshire Pudding and it is a treat. (The old Gage & Tollner’s in Brooklyn served their mutton chop with corn fitters, a nice idea). BSK likes to butterfly a leg of lamb, marinate it in red wine, garlic and herbs and then barbecue it to crusty perfection. Serves it with Greek Avoglemono sauce (eggs and lemon juice are the principal ingredients). Big time gourmandizing.

Chilly Sunday morning here in The Land of Enchantment. The big, fat Sunday New York Times is on the table. Mozart is on the Bose. Time for a true comfort breakfast. For HG, that means grits. Must be the memory of grits and gravy served to little HG by a motherly African-American woman when the five-year-old spent a year in Athens, Georgia. Today, HG used Quaker Instant Grits (grit purists, don’t sneer, they are pretty good). Made them like polenta. Added a thin stream of grits to boiling water and stirred, stirred, stirred for about five minutes. When the grits were just about done, HG added plenty of butter, grated cheddar, sea salt and ground pepper. This was topped by two of BSK’s perfect poached eggs. Did I die? Is it all over? Am I in Heaven?

Now that autumn is rolling around, HG expects to see Cassoulet, the French casserole based around a mix of duck confit, sausage and beans on many restaurant menus. HG has dined on Cassoulet in many estimable Paris and New York restaurants. The dish sounds so good but, inevitably, HG is disappointed. In fact, the only really good Cassoulet HG ever enjoyed was prepared by his talented cousin, Wini Freund, in her Port Washington. L.I. kitchen. Deeply flavored, robust and rich, with every ingredient retaining integrity. The memory lingers on.

HG likes beans. They know how to handle them in Tuscany. In Florence, Steak Fiorentina cooked blood rare and gilded with great olive oil is usually accompanied by abundant, firm white beans with lots of that good olive oil, rosemary and plentiful garlic. HG replicates this dish in New Mexico with New York strip steak and Goya beans. HG has never liked Boston baked beans. Too sweet. Serving it with Boston brown bread just adds to the saccharine quality. The only cook who can do anything good with conventional Heinz or Campbell’s baked beans is BSK. The excellent woman adds lots of sauteed onions and ketchup to the mix (and a dash of Tabasco). Serves the beans with grilled Hebrew National all-beef frankfurters. Mustard pickles on the side. A -once-in-a-while, funky, teen age, down home treat.

Weather has turned rainy, cloudy, windy and cooler on Prince Edward Island. Time to get carnivorous. Exquisite Maiko met the challenge with a big pot of Japanese chicken and vegetable curry. This is robust food with deep, earthy flavors. Comfort eating from the Far East — a real staple of hard working Japanese families. Not blazing hot like an Indian Vindaloo but more like a stew with French influences. BSK countered with a kale and white bean soup. Diced pancetta and Italian sausage gave it meaty body. Also in the future are Vietnamese pork chops. These are chops marinated win brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and lemon rgass and then grilled. HG is the beneficiay of all this savory culinary creativity. HG’s contribution is to clear a few dishes, drink a lot of wine and compliment the cooks.

Mock Turtle sang to Alice: “Soo-oop of the e-e-evening, Beautiful, Beautiful Soup.” True in Wonderland. True on Prince Edward Island. This was HG’s thought as he spooned some of Exquisite Maiko’s Hot and Sour Soup into his bowl. Hot and Sour Soup is a staple on the menus of many Chinese restaurants and it is usually an oily mess thickened with corn starch into an almost paste-like consistancy. Not Maiko’s. Her soup, dotted with Napa cabbage, mushrooms and bean sprouts, was light and invigorating; the veggies kept their integrity and the broth was fiery without being numbing. BSK is another master (or should it be mistress?) of soup. When HG has had some minor illness HG has been sustained by BSK’s bowls of chicken broth into which she has beaten an egg and enriched with parmigiano cheese. BSK makes great zucchini, spinach, broccoli and sorrel soups. She never uses cream and enhances her soups with a wise variety of herbs and spices. Great hot or cold and always delicious with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cayenne. Thrifty BSK makes a green soup which utilizes all the leftover vegetables (cooked and raw) in the refrigerator. All are chopped up and go into a kettle of steaming chicken broth (BSK favors Trader Joe’s Organic Free Range Chicken Broth). After a puree in the food processor it becomes magical stuff with heady overtones of adobo, cayenne and cumin. For a flavorful late night meal all that is required is the addition of a cheese board, good bread and lots of red wine.

HG loves scallops and eats them often since BSK is allergic to crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, crabs). Luckily, bivalves (oysters, clams, scallops) create no problem for the beautiful lady. BSK lustily indulges in all other sea creatures (with the exception of eels and Chinese jelly fish salad). The waters between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia contain superb sea scallops. BSK honors them in the kitchen by giving them a quick saute resulting in a crisp exterior and a lush, juicy interior. Last night BSK prepared two pounds of scallops flanked by steamed bok choy. Exquisite Maiko added to the festivities by preparing cold soba in mentsuyu broth. There were a host of toppings — slivers of egg crepes, scallions, cucumbers, nori, tomatoes, garlic scapes. Perfect summer dining.

The best scallops in the world are Nantucket Bay scallops. Unfortunately, the season is very short and when frozen these morsels quickly lose their flavor and texture. HG and BSK owned a Nantucket home many years ago. They had a friend, a Nantucket native (family had lived on that magic isle for countless generations). who often went scalloping. He once invited HG and BSK to enjoy his catch in the traditional Nantucket way — raw, straight from the shell, no seasoning. Unforgettable, tasty experience.

Blustery winds and bright sun on Prince Edward Island today after a night of heavy rain. Invigorating walks by the sea and through the blueberry fields. Exquisite Maiko made a lush Japanese version of Pad Thai for lunch. DInner was a platter of EM’s marinated mackerel with cherry tomatoes and slivers of cucumber. BSK blackened and peeled some peppers. Added anchovies from a crock SJ brought from Brooklyn. Meaty anchovies, not too salty. Much better than the tinned variety. Then, a steaming pot of BSK’s kale, onion, garlic and bean soup enhanced by local back bacon. BSK added chunks of Cajun sausage and Hungarian garlic sausage. Hearty eating. Green salad. Canadian cheeses (a remarkable blue from Quebec) and some PEI plum jam. Watched a very dramatic sunset and so to bed to sleep the sleep of the righteous and the full tummied.

Nice day on the sunny and breezy Prince Edward Island beach. Appetites were well honed. In fact, La Famille HG/BSK was famished. Fortunately, SJ was in charge of cuisine. Wow. The guy really delivered. Earlier in the day SJ picked up some PEI Tamworth (a heritage breed pig) pork ribs from local butcher Lloyd’s Specialty Meats. SJ dry rubbed these racks of high quality pork ribs in brown sugar, cumin, adobo, garlic powder, all spice, thyme, chile powder and crushed chipotle peppers. He then slowly smoked them over white oak. It was the type of BBQ that reached the kind of flavor crescendo that HG had only encountered some years ago at Corky’s in Memphis. No sauce. Just fragrant, super spicy meat. Tennessee/Mississippi cooking at its best. SJ (on the previous day) had made some super chicken broth. Last night, BSK enhanced the broth with chopped kale,white beans and chunks of grilled Cajun sausage. The meal started with mozzarella bocconcini, kumatoes and basil doused in splendid olive oil. Lots of red wine and and a baguette from the talented baker at Cardigan Farmers Market. Yes. Life (if you measure it in culinary delight) can be very good.