HUNGRY GERALD

HG’s holiday voyage (Providence and Paris) began with Gifted Daughter Lesley R.’s linguine con vongole (utilizing loads of luscious Rhode Island clams). It ended with a clam feast at the Legal Sea Food outpost at Logan International Airport in Boston. HG is a big fan of Legal. HG recalls grilled Dover sole on the Legal menu in years past that was as good as anything in London or Paris at a tiny fraction of the price. Though the heavenly sole has disappeared, there are plenty of unsurpassed Rhode Island clams. HG had a dozen on the half shell. A fresh, briny kiss from the salt waters. BSK ate her favorite fried calamari done Rhode Island style (with hot peppers). HG/BSK dove into a nice fry up of clam bellies and onion rings. Washed it down with pinot grigio (for BSK) and Sam Adams ale (for HG). Back in New Mexico, HG will have to put clam feasting on hold until summer at HG/BSK’s ocean home on Prince Edward Island. PEI quahogs are very good though they don’t reach the heights of the Rhody guys. The consolation is Colville Bay oysters. HG will do lots of shucking. If you read Hungry Gerald, you are, obviously, a fan of fine prose and fine food. With that in mind, HG recommends a reading of the “Chowder” chapter in Moby Dick. Melville describes (and gives a recipe for) the chowder served to Ishmael and Queequeg at The Pots. You can find it online and in the great novel. Sail on, sail on, Pequod.

HG is depressed. While HG has spent his Summer knee deep in the bounty of Prince Edward Island’s generous seas and farms — mountains of oysters, sweet mussels, screamingly fresh fish, gorgeous vegetables and tiny, new potatoes — he has been deprived of one of his favorite treats: classic New York City pizza. So imagine HG’s distress when SJ informed HG that he had discovered one of NYC’s best pizzas at Rizzo’s on Clinton Street in the Lower East Side. According to SJ, Rizzo’s started (and the original location remains) in Queens where it is a neighborhood favorite having served generations of pizza lovers since 1959. At the new location, SJ spoke of a homey, un-pretensious vibe completely welcome in a neighborhood whose restaurants often over-reach in an attempt to appear hip. And, the pizzas? SJ reports a classic Margherita with top-quality mozzarella bubbling on top of a beautiful charred crust; the “Mafioso” on a thicker, square crust with sausage, roasted pepper, black and green olive, caper, sauce and cheese. Great beer selections. Charming wait staff. Curses upon SJ for romping in such fine pizza environs without HG! Well, there’s a silver cloud. September is coming and HG will make an appointment to go to Rizzo’s and all resentment will melt away. So, HG may as well cheer up and revel in the joy of a dozen Colville Bay oysters.

By the Bay Fish Mart in St. Peter’s, Prince Edward Island, is a mainstay of HG/BSK’s cuisine during their long summer by the sea. Sheryll O’Hanley, a sunny faced, efficient woman, opened the store eight years ago and it has become a favorite among the Island’s lovers of fresh seafood. All of the fish (hake, cod, sole and haddock) is from the waters off PEI and Nova Scotia. They are wild caught. There is also farm raised Atlantic salmon. The salmon is free of hormones, chemicals and additives and it the best farm-raised fish HG has ever tasted. When the fishermen are fortunate, Sheryll sells some very superior local halibut. Sea scallops (even better than Nova Scotia’s Digby Bay scallops) come from PEI’s North Lake. Oysters are from South Lake and Savage Harbor. Quahogs and steamer clams are harvested locally. Lobsters (alive and kicking or cooked) are from PEI waters. The excellent little fresh water shrimp (similar to the schie HG devoured happily in Venice) are from Newfoundland. Sheryll departs from her locavore emphasis by importing some firm and tasty Tiger shrimp from Ontario. Mussels, PEI’s signature bivalve, are farmed in St. Peter’s Bay, just yards from the seafood store’s front window. Sheryll, married and mother of a 10 year-old daughter, is a special ed teacher in the off season. She comes to her seafood knowledge quite naturally. Born and bred in St. Peter’s, both of her parents were fishers and she absorbed sea lore daily. In her absence, By the Bay is tended by Gladys MacPhee, another native Islander and mother of four adult Islanders. She has kindly instructed HG in how to steam lobsters to maximize flavor. When HG moves back to Santa Fe (not exactly a seafood center) HG acutely misses Sheryll, Gladys and By the Bay. HG has to comfort himself with New Mexico menudo, burritos, chile peppers and the other delicacies of the region.

Sheryll O’Hanley

This Prince Edward Island summer it has been a pleasure to both watch the preparation (and finally to eat) some of the variety of dishes in the repertoire of Exquisite Maiko. The food is Japanese but not ultra traditional: western influences pop up here and there and EM’s inventiveness adds unique layers to all of her dishes. Suffice it to say, there are many surprises. One night, HG presented EM with a thick filet of salmon. Usually, HG prepares this in the French bistro style–unilateral. That is, sauteing it skin side down without turning. Not EM. First, she cut the salmon into a dozen bite size pieces. (EM is not beguiled by the American practice of serving great haunches of roasted or broiled meat or overly large pieces of fish). The salmon pieces got a quick sizzle in corn oil and were then gently poached (in sake and a tiny bit of soy sauce) on a bed of slivered red peppers, carrots and onions. Accompanying this was a salad of cherry tomatoes and cucumber. What made this salad extraordinary was the play of textures. The cucumber was cut two ways: Into the thinnest spears imaginable and into thicker batons. The cherry tomatoes got a quick plunge into boiling water and were then peeled. It all made a marvelous meal but not easy to duplicate unless you have EM’s knife skills (which resemble those of a surgeon). On another evening, a neighbor presented us with some mackerel pulled from the sea earlier that day. HG had hopes of EM’s incomparable mackerel sashimi and sushi. Didn’t happen. EM examined the fish closely and determined they had been kept in water for too long after the catch. Still very edible but not quite right texturally for raw eating. So, EM fileted the fish, rinsed the filets in cold water and then dried them very carefully in layers of paper towels. They were then grilled for a few moments and served under a cloud of freshly grated daikon radish. Soy sauce and Japanese pepper were added. This was served with a salad which, once more, highlighted EM’s knife skills. First, EM made some super thin crepes made entirely of eggs. These were cut into uniform, matchstick sized pieces. A cucumber and slices of black forest ham also received the matchstick treatment. Transparent noodles were cooked, quickly chilled and rinsed unitl room temperature. (A light dressing of rice vinegar and soy sauce was added). EM placed equal sized mounds of cucumber, ham and egg on the bed of noodles. It made a pretty sight. Among the elements of EM’s approach appreciated by HG is EM’s lack of fear of high cholesterol animal fat. EM recognizes that fat is flavor. And, since animal fat is not found very much in the Japanese diet, EM pulls out all the stops when preparing a dish dependent on a fair amount of fat. This was the case of the oxtail broth/stew EM prepared on a recent stormy, unseasonably cold evening. The broth, long simmered, was clear and punched through with the flavor of black pepper; the surface glimmered with slicks of unctuous fat — just enough to make the broth savory yet not greasy. Of course, the perfectly beefy oxtails were rimmed with a juicy layer of fat. As HG writes this, HG eyes EM across the room: What other wonders does EM have up her kimono sleeve?

The Rhode Islanders — Gifted Daughter Lesley, Profesore/Dottore Massimo, Beautiful Granddaughter Sofia (and visiting friend from Bologna, Valeria) are here. Our Prince Edward Island pals, Philosophy Professor Neb and architect/wife Silva (designer of HG/BSK’s PEI home) came to dinner before setting out for European conferences and trips. Lots of folks. Time to create a spread: BSK poached a chicken for HG’s Shredded Chicken Pan Pan (chicken in a spicy Szechuan peanut-scallion-garlic-Chinese pickle-soy-vinegar-oil sauce served room temperature on a bed of thin pasta.) Lesley made a Newfoundland fresh water shrimp salad with mayonnaise, lemon juice and tarragon (from BSK’s herb garden) plus a platter of sliced tomatoes with feta cheese and freshly picked basil. EM did her signature salad of room temperature cellophane noodles with shredded ham, cucumber and egg. Plenty of wine, locally brewed beer and excellent bread from the Cardigan Farmers Market. Neb and Silva brought olive oil gelato for dessert. Sounded strange but tasted great. A fine and joyous feast for family and friends.

HG/BSK are lucky. They do not just eat fresh fruit and vegetables. They eat fruit and vegetables so fresh that they have been plucked or dug from the earth only hours (or minutes) before they arrive on the HG/BSK dining table. In New Mexico, HG/BSK live adjacent to “Mister G’s,” one of the state’s most renowned organic farms. Almost daily, the duo pick up lettuces, escarole, kale, radishes and other things that have the scent, bite and succulence of truly fresh produce. On Prince Edward Island, HG/BSK eat tons of freshly picked vegetables including just-dug potatoes, the red PEI earth still clinging to them. The majority of potatoes that are eaten in the US are long stored and sometimes even months old. These freshly dug spuds are a revelation with real texture and a certain mineral tang that is unsurpassed. A simple PEI boiled potato with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of sea salt is a treat. Prince Edward Island is also covered with both wild and farmed strawberries, blueberries and raspberries which you can pick yourself of have them picked for you at a modest additional cost. HG contemplated the joys of freshness last night while enjoying BSK’s stir fry of snow pea pods and garlic scapes (both a few hours old) and bean sprouts (an import from Nova Scotia, alas). BSK enhanced the stir fry with chopped garlic and ginger, soy sauce and a dash of white wine. The dish accompanied HG’s lightly battered and sauteed hake (caught off PEI hours before) plus soba with sesame oil and sriracha. Memorable and very fresh meal.

There is an addition to HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island kitchen. It is a Russian poster advertising caviar. An appetizing — and rivetingly beautiful — piece of art. Featured in the poster is what appears to be a one pound tin of Beluga, a smaller tin (Sevruga, perhaps?) and a leaping sturgeon. All set against a background of intense blue. This is a gift from our recent houseguest Nir Bareket (and his lovely long time companion, Wendy W.). Nir, who lives in Toronto, found it in a Toronto gallery. It is another example of Nir’s remarkable eye. Nir is a distinguished photographer. His 50-year career as a photographer will be the subject of a retrospective sponsored by the City of Toronto. The show will open in April 2014. HG/BSK hope to be there.

HG is hunt-and-pecking on the HG MacBook with sticky fingers. That’s because HG is happily devouring his second plate of Schnecken with HG’s morning cafe au lait. You may not be familiar with Schnecken and
that is your misfortune. They are little pastries, an Eastern European version of the cinnamon roll (but not as sweet) and the Danish (but smaller and not as buttery). Much in common with the more familiar Rugelach (but lighter and better). The literal translation of Schnecken is “snails.” That’s because the sour cream dough is rolled into snail like spirals. These spirals contain chopped walnuts and sweet spicing. Schnecken are glazed and crisp. In H.L.Mencken’s phrase, “They add to the gaiety of nations.” And why is HG devouring Schnecken on Prince Edward Island, a most unlikely venue? The answer is SCH, Peter H.’s very original wife. Besides possessing a Ph. D. in economics, SCH possesses the scientific skills necessary to produce great baked goods. SCH determined that she would bake Schnecken during her visit with HG/BSK on PEI. Most people would not want to labor over an oven on a summer day. Not SCH. The skilled woman liked the idea of spending time in the HG/BSK kitchen with its endless views of sea, sky and greenery. Weather cooperated by being unseasonably cool. A Schnecken festival for everyone — HG/BSK; Peter H.; guests Nir B. and Wendy W. Thank you, SCH…and, yes, HG will have another!

Little chance for sunburn on Prince Edward Island. Grey skies. North wind. Rain in the future. Friends Peter H. (the distinguished author/journalist/wine authority) and his equally distinguished economist wife, SCH, have arrived . Seem undismayed by the weather as they have left a very steamy New York behind. The generous couple came heavily laden with culinary treats. To wit: Croissants (better than Paris). Bagels. Bialys. Authentic Jewish rye bread. Bonito flakes. Coffee. Nuts. Halvah. Great wine. And, more, much more. Such thoughtfulness should be rewarded so HG/BSK greeted the duo with freshly shucked South Lake oysters (better than Malpeques) and dry smoked salmon. Dinner was BSK’s version of Mapu Tofu with a sauce of ground pork, onions, garlic, mushrooms, etc. Plus some room temperature capellini with a dash of sesame oil and sriracha. Peter/SCH were introduced to Canadian butter tarts as dessert. They approved.

During HG/BSK’s long residence in Vancouver, British Columbia, much fresh salmon was consumed. Salmon from B.C.’s Fraser River, Washington’s Columbia River and the icy waters off Alaska were featured in Vancouver’s fish markets. Friends often brought HG/BSK slabs of great salmon they had caught in exclusive fishing lodges in northern B.C. All great, tasty stuff. HG/BSK were spoiled. The flavors and textures of the good stuff nullified the thought of ever buying insipid farm raised salmon again; however, events of last night may have created a mind change. HG peered at the great salmon filets at By the Bay Fish Mart in St. Peter’s Bay, Prince Edward Island. “Is it good?,” inquired HG of the plain spoken woman behind the counter. “It’s from across the water in Nova Scotia and everyone likes it.” No mention of farm raising. But, it had to be. Nevertheless, HG bought a big piece. HG likes to cook salmon the French bistro way — pan frying over high heat, skin side down, no turning. However, this chunk of salmon was just too thick. Had to be turned. Was fabulous. Crispy skin. Lightly browned top. Full of juice and flavor. Cooked medium rare. Cold left overs for lunch (with mustard mayonnaise) were equally good. This doesn’t mean HG is going to buy American farm raised salmon. But, By the Bay Fish Mart had made HG a convert to their product.