HUNGRY GERALD

Yes, that’s been the strident order of Moms for generations. Rebellious little HG bypassed vegetables (except for hidden treasures — little mounds of buttery mashed potatoes enclosing spinach). These days, because of BSK’s wizardry, HG is a vegetable lover. Here are some BSK specialties: Haricot verts cooked to the nice midpoint between Paris bistro soggy and health addict raw. Snow pea pods stir fried with ginger and garlic. Fried chopped zucchini and peppers plus corn kernels (best accompaniment for Adobo dusted pan fried pork chops). Thanksgiving-style roast brussels sprouts with chestnuts. This is just a sampling. BSK outdid herself last week with two surprising vegetable dishes. BSK followed Sam Sifton’s New York Times recipe for rotisserie-style Greek chicken (BSK showered the crispy chicken slices with feta cheese, kalamata olives and chopped parsley). The surprise was in the salad which augmented the chicken. Inspired by the Ottolenghi cookbook, “Jerusalem,” BSK roasted olive oil gilded cauliflower nuggets. Mixed them with chopped celery, pomegranate seeds and walnuts. Dressed them with a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, cinnamon and maple syrup (that’s right, maple syrup). A wow. This was followed by a dessert of nut brownies slicked with peanut butter icing prepared by dinner guest Karen K., neighbor, movie producer and New Mexico Dessert Queen. BSK’s next triumph was based on brussels sprouts. (BSK long ago banished HG’s antipathy toward “fairy cabbages”). BSK sautéed quartered sprouts in olive oil with garlic and thin shallot slices. Added chicken stock and cooked until the sprouts were barely tender. Tossed in some almost done penne. Continued cooking a few more minutes. When done, BSK added a goodly amount of parmesan, shredded sage leaves and a generous half pound of crisply fried thick cut preservative free bacon. A shower of Aleppo pepper. The result: A supreme pasta dish.

HG was in the mood for a traditional Paris bistro meal last night and, of course, BSK rose to the occasion. The only things missing were the scent of Gitanes cigarettes and a scratchy recording of Edith Piaf in the background. Look at the photo. There are two juicy grilled lamp chops (given a nice rubdown with garlic). Some snow pea pods stir-fried with garlic and ginger (a bow to the Asian influence on modern day bistros). Instead of the traditional pommes frites, BSK served herbaceous, lemony couscous. Decorated the plate with a grilled tomato and some Greek yogurt (always nice with lamb). Yes, a simple plate of big flavors. Typical BSK cuisine. A civilized French meal at home, in a bistro or at a fancy restaurant, is always multi-course. So, HG started with Whole Foods’ surpassingly tasty faux crabmeat salad. Followed the lamb with cheese and mache salad. Ended with a pale but pleasant substitute for creme caramel: Kozy Shack flan. Pinot Grigio with the fake crab. Cabernet with the lamb and the cheese. French brandy with the flan. If someone has to lead the good culinary life, it might as well be HG. (with thanks to BSK).

BSK is, to put it simply, a master of chicken cooking. Chicken paillards (skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin, sautéed gently and served with a lemon-butter-capers sauce). Chicken curry (from the Vij’s cookbook). Chicken cooked with 40 cloves (!!) of garlic. Vietnamese chicken salad with lime juice, fish sauce, scallions, carrot shavings, chiles, etc. All of these dishes, and more, are part of BSK’s cluck-cluck repertoire. But, HG’s favorite is BSK’s roast “spatchcocked” chicken (spatchcocked being a flattened, whole chicken with the backbone removed). BSK marinates the bird in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs. Cooks it at 400 degrees for forty minutes. A bird from heaven. Crisp, golden skin and juicy meat. That’s what BSK served last night accompanied by sautéed, diced golden beets with onions; braised endive; tiny potatoes. Drank a super Charles and Charles Merlot blend from Washington State’s Walla Walla region. Hearty meal but HG still had some room for a finale of a Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding (Sneer if you like — it leaves more of Kozy Shack’s Pudding and Flan for HG to enjoy!) and French VSOP Brandy laced with Peychaud’s Bitters.

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 recent post on HG’s long ago Bar Mitzvah posed a challenge to those unfamiliar with Yiddish pronunciation. The ultimate hazard is the proper way to say ch. No, it is not pronounced like “charm” or “change” or “chance.” Thus, the word bucher is not pronounced similar to Sidney “Bechet” or like “butcher” with the elimination of the “t”. In Yiddish “ch” is a guttural sound. Like clearing your throat. It is the “ch” of challah (the egg bread baked with a distinctive twist and consumed on the Sabbath) and other essential culinary words such as chrain (horseradish, the eternal companion of gefilte fish). The sound is hard to master. Even BSK, a trained actress and perfect elocutionist, took some time to make the sound. Of course, after decades of marriage to HG, BSK’s Yiddish “ch” is as good as that of Molly Picon, the late, great star of the Yiddish musical stage. Many Yiddish words have entered common English usage. The only “ch” word that has gained popularity is chutzpah (nervy, arrogant behavior). HG grew up in a Yiddish speaking home. The language was often combined with English in a colorful conglomerate that could be dubbed “Yinglish.” When HG’s parents discussed topics forbidden to little HG like sex they spoke in Russian. The little fellow thought the language sounded musical.

BSK is a seasonal and inventive cook. For example, a few weeks back: Green tomatoes. BSK found some nice green tomatoes at the Pojoaque Farmers Market close to HG/BSK’s New Mexico home. Traditionally, green tomatoes are sliced, dipped in egg and spicy corn meal and fried (preferably in bacon fat). A staple of down home Southern tables. That’s not what BSK did.. BSK cooked a batch of the green guys with chicken broth, onions, coriander, cumin, cardamon, pepper and salt. When done, the mix went into the blender and was pureed. The smooth stuff was gently reheated. Voila!! Green tomato soup. Tangy. Spicy. Perfect way to start a meal.

Given HG’s affection for such things as chicken fat, crispy chicken skin, well marbled steak, non-lean pork chops, brie, butter and a vast panoply of stuff frowned upon by the health police, it may come as a surprise that HG has a considerable affection for greens. Belgian endive is a favorite. HG likes it as a scoop for guacamole, chicken salad and egg salad. HG likes it braised in white wine, garlic and olive oil. (goes nicely with grilled salmon). HG likes to dip endive spears in a mix of hot olive oil, garlic and anchovies. HG likes frisee in a Paris bistro salad. Fry bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon and mix with the frisee (use a small bit of the fat to lightly wilt the greens). Dress with a mustard vinaigrette. Top with a softly poached egg. Enhance it with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan. HG likes escarole in BSK’s joyous soup of the braised green leaves, chicken broth, garlic, bacon, cannelloni beans and lots of fruity olive oil. HG likes a simple dinner of lightly sautéed sole or a grilled chicken paillard with a salad of butter lettuce lightly dressed with olive oil, smoked sea salt and black pepper. Romaine spears are good when dressed with HG’s Caesar-like dressing: Grated garlic, raw egg yolk, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. Complements a rare steak. (If wary of a raw egg, do the romaine with a roquefort or blue cheese dressing). HG is fond of collard greens done Southern style with a ham hock and hot pepper vinegar. HG ate this dish often with fried catfish in the Harlem of yesteryear. HG emulates Popeye by liking spinach in a great variety of dishes including broth with tofu and ginger. HG looks askance at the current fashion for kale. Have never liked the stuff.

“Comfort” has now entered the lexicon of gastronomic writing — whole restaurant describe their menus as “updated comfort food” or “comfort food with a twist” or (most depressingly) “luxury comfort food”. Well, in the HG/BSK home, comfort food sticks to its root — beloved dishes that are easy to prepare, often repeated and have the ability to be both familiar and thrilling. One such dish that BSK cooks is a take on Chinese Ma Po Tofu: BSK stir fries (in peanut or canola oil) ground pork with chopped onion, garlic (much); fresh ginger (heaps); frozen peas; sliced mushrooms. Flavors it with chicken broth, Chinese oyster sauce, soy sauce, a bit of Vietnamese fish sauce and dashes of Sriracha. Adds cubes of tofu. Showers the finished dish with chopped scallions. The dish is accompanied by plentiful room temperature angel hair (or other very thin) pasta flavored with sesame oil and chile oil. Belgian endive is nice with this. HG scoops up the pork mixture with these crisp leaves. Happily,BSK makes enough of this “comfort food” to have it for two dinners. Nice in hot weather when HG/BSK don’t want to linger near an oven.

No, HG is not referring to HG’s 51 years with BSK (although that too is a monument to happiness). HG is referring to the joyous affinity zucchini has with mint. BSK tends verdant herb gardens in New Mexico and Prince Edward Island so there’s an abundance of mint. BSK does something original. BSK makes a pesto of mint with garlic and good olive oil. Roasts, peels and seeds red peppers. Sautes chunks of zucchini. Fries some bacon or pancetta. Mixes it all with the pesto and al dente tagliatelle. A lovely,unique taste of summer. BSK grates parmesan on her plate. HG chooses only salt, pepper and an additional splash of olive oil. Doesn’t want to adulterate the mint pesto vibrancy.

Eileen Ford, the grande dame of model agencies, died this week and received a rather reverential front page obituary in the New York Times. The obit did mention, however, that the lady could be nasty and imperious with would-be models. She sure was with young BSK in l963. BSK met with Ford in hopes of doing some part time modeling (the HG/BSK bank balance needed some augmentation). Ford, clad in a proper skirt and sweater twin set, disapproved of BSK’s clothes: A stylish Tuffin and Foale maroon melton pants suit. Pants were not appropriate for wear in a city, said Ford. Ford suggested BSK lose 16 pounds and get a nose job if she wanted a modeling career. BSK did not take Ford’s counsel. BSK continued to eat sensibly, wear pants and breathe through an unaltered nose, a distinguished mark of BSK’s Norman ancestry. Two years later, BSK (and baby daughter Lesley) were featured in a photo layout in the New York Herald Tribune (the newspaper that harbored Jimmy Breslin, Tom Wolfe and other outstanding journalists while giving birth to what became today’s New York Magazine). The article was about BSK’s way with fashion (the writer/editor Eugenia Sheppard called BSK “a pants addict”). Ms. Sheppard found BSK to be elegantly svelte and dubbed her “a hipless hippie.” An interesting piece of observation since BSK was neither “hipless” nor a “hippie.” Oh, well. The years have rolled by. Fashion and much else has changed radically. BSK remains a constant. Still a beautiful pants addict.