HUNGRY GERALD

Pork bellies!! These two words spell disgust, antipathy, revulsion for millions of Muslims and observant Jews (as well, of course, for vegetarians and cardiologists). Defiant HG loves them. (However, being reasonably prudent, HG eats them only occasionally). Last night was one of those occasions. BSK made a rustic curry of spinach and tomatoes substituting firm tofu for traditional paneer, the Indian cheese. This is one of Vikram Vij’s home cooking recipes. HG was in charge of the pork bellies. Cut the slices into two inch squares (Pork belies are economical. Available at all Prince Edward Island grocers, a package enough for two diners is $1.60 US). Fried them at medium high heat until they browned and crisped and released most of their fat. Put them aside to drain in a bowl lined with paper towels. When pan cooled, wiped out all fat with some more paper towels. Put the pork bellies back in the pan and glazed them over gentle heat in a mix of grated garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce and honey. HG/BSK each filled a bowl with rice. Topped the rice with spinach. Placed the crisp pork on the rice. A dusting of Japanese pepper mix. Sublime. Made a great meal with the curry and plenty of crispy papadums. Exquisite Maiko, brilliant chef and HG/BSK’s adorable daughter-in-law, makes a lush Japanese dish called Buta no Kakuni with thick pork bellies, soft boiled eggs and stewed daikon. This is a two day dish. The pork bellies are first seared, then cooked at a low boil with ginger, scallions, sake and water. Finally they are left in the pot and refrigerated overnight. In the morning, all the fat is removed and the pork is simmered together with mirin, sugar, soy sauce and dashi broth — the daikon and the eggs are also added. Ah!!!

Dinner was surf and turf (HG family style). “Turf” consisted of thin slices of pork belly –another savory performance by Exquisite Maiko. The pork bellies were sliced into bite size portions and tossed into a very hot black cast iron pan. A loud sizzle as the pork crisped and released much fat. Dried on paper towels, the pork went on a platter and was covered with chopped scallions mixed with sesame oil, lemon juice and salt. Perfect combination with the rich, crisp piggy. Pork bellies are versatile and inexpensive (HG likes to cook them Chinese style, glazed with honey, oyster sauce and hot mustard). Pork bellies are rarely found in New Mexico (where HG/BSK live) but are found in the meat section of every Prince Edward Island grocery. The “surf” was linguine with white clam sauce. The linguine was the Garofalo brand. In HG’s opinion, this is the best packaged pasta. (Even better than beloved De Cecco). Rarely found in the United States, HG/BSK stock up with numerous Garofalo shapes from Sobey’s Supermarket. The clam sauce dish was a collaboration between BSK, Lesley and Massimo R. BSK created the flavorful sofrito, using good clam juice, white wine, garlic, parsley and the broth resulting from the steaming of two dozen small quahogs. Lesley R. did much sous chef chopping of all the ingredients (Massimo R. assisted in the clam chopping). Massimo R. trained his vigilant and discerning Italian gaze on the pasta. Italians consider soft, overdone pasta a criminal assault on the taste buds. Massimo always aims to produce pasta that is “al dente”, that has a slight snap as it is chewed. This evening, Massimo R. hit the bullseye. Pasta perfection, a happy partner of the sea kissed sauce. The four cooks who prepared this great meal did so with grace and ease. HG paid tribute. HG ate a lot.

SJ, Exquisite Maiko, grand-son Haru, grand-daughter Teru are on Prince Edward Island with HG/BSK. EM, much to the delight of HG, has been busy in the kitchen. EM is a masterly chef and turns out some dishes that have Japanese soul but are rarely found on the menus of Japanese restaurants. Some nights ago, EM accompanied braised chicken with a tureen of sauteed bean sprouts, snow pea pods and oyster mushrooms. Bean sprouts are usually innocuous but EM does something magical and they became succulent while retaining crispness. Last night, EM soared. The meal started with a chawanmushi, a savory Japanese custard made with eggs beaten with dashi broth, soy sauce and salt. Slivers of mushrooms, yellow beans and corn kernels were added (no chicken or shrimp which she usually adds). The mixture was poured into individual bowls and steamed. The result was food poetry: a silken custard, accented with the smokey notes of dashi, that yielded exquisite bites of the fresh vegetables that were suspended within — a delicate, yet robust dish where EM’s masterly technique celebrated the integrity of the ingredients. The main dish was equally unusual. Buta no Kakuni, pork belly with daikon radish and hard boiled eggs. Served over rice and enriched with the fragrant braising liquid created by cooking the pork belly and daikon. This is a two day dish. The pork bellies are first seared, then cooked at a low boil with ginger, scallions, sake and water. Finally they are left in the pot and refrigerated overnight. In the morning, all the fat is removed and the pork is simmered together with mirin, sugar, soy sauce and dashi broth — the daikon and the eggs are also added. EM’s attention to detail is revealed in the shape of the daikon, each piece cut into a uniform size reminiscent of a child’s building block. The dish is powerful and rich in flavor but oddly light on the palate. A piece of Japanese culture illuminated by EM’s creative wizardry.

Quietly, deftly and utilizing the knife skills of a surgeon, Exquisite Maiko turns out family meals that would win her three star Michelin status in France. Her dishes vary from ethereally light and crisp fried foods (like tempura) to juicy and savory (her homemade gyoza) to screamingly fresh and raw (varieties of sashimi, sushi and pickles) to powerfully robust (stews and hotpots). All of these dishes provide visual as well as gustatory pleasure. An EM dish is always a memorable still life. Her recent Caprese salad looked like a Mondrian with its linear precision. Last night showed EM at the height of her powers. Dinner was to be centered around pork belly obtained from one of Prince Edward Island’s Heritage butchers. EM’s rich, savory pork belly in a sweet bonito flake broth takes some effort. It is marinated, then seared (caramelizing the sweet proteins) and finally subjected to a long, slow braise to bring the belly to the height of succulence. It is then refrigerated for 24 hours allowing most of the fat to be skimmed off prior to re-heating. The pork belly was served with hot mustard, soft boiled farm fresh eggs and slightly bitter, sauteed daikon radish greens that were the perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the broth — A dish for the ages. This amazing pork belly was preceded by an EM improvisation, two varieties of mackerel sashimi, one flavored with ginger and the other with oil and garlic. Both were accompanied by thin slivers of scallion. The mackerel improvisation came about this way. HG mentioned in casual conversation with the woman clerk at the local liquor store that HG and EM are fond of fresh mackerel. Please note: Mackerel, in order to be good, has to be very fresh. Like bluefish, it is at its best a few hours after capture. The liquor store woman said she and a friend would be fishing on the weekend, would haul up a load of mackerel (regarded as a junk fish on PEI) and would be glad to give us some. Got a call last night that they were pulling into harbor with plenty of mackerel. SJ dashed down and came back with three dozen. With knife flashing, EM fileted the fish just plucked from the sea. The resulting sashimi was a revelation. Better than any tuna tartare (or any other fish tartare) HG has sampled in big ticket Paris, London and New York restaurants. As HG writes, salted mackerel filets are air drying in the sunny breeze. EM intends to grill them tomorrow night. Oh, joy!!