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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2015)
A10 Hood River News, Wednesday, January 21, 2015 Nora’s Family Dinner Project ‘Cooking, like life, can be an adventure if we choose to be bold’ she usually cooked without a recipe, I admire that when she did make some- thing new, she followed the directions exactly and only made it her own later on. I remember a lobster bisque, a corn chowder, a Greek Avgolemono, a but- ternut squash soup and a simple cheese tortellini in chicken broth with parsley. WRITER SARAH Sullivan’s late mother, Jyl, smiles over a meal she has prepared. Last year, Nora’s Table Restaurant owner Kathy Watson asked people to send in their memories, with recipes, of a treasured fami- ly recipe. For the “Family Dinner Project,” Watson chose six and places them on the restaurant menu for a night, with the writer and family as guests. For Jan. 28, Watson chose a heartfelt memory by Sarah Sullivan about her mother, who died in 2014. Here is what Sulli- van wrote: ■ My mother Jyl (pictured above) was an innovative and audacious cook way back before it was cool. Every holiday meal began with an extravagant antipasto platter surround- ed by odd ceramic crea- tures, bronze fruit, candles and g reenery from the yard. Always some wild and seasonal still-life. Imagine those old paint- ings of the Italian gods and goddesses in togas lolling around the table full of figs and verdant, ridiculous abundance. I think that’s what Mom was going for. The platters always in- volved all sorts of cheese (Roquefort was her fa- vorite), prosciutto, whole- grain mustard, seasonal fruit, olives, fennel, arti- choke, endive leaves filled with something delicious, pickled her ring or bo- querones and always The Greenberg Smoked Turkey from Tyler, Texas where Mom was from. Maybe there was some chicken liver pate if she had time to make it, too. Mom inherited tiny, beautiful demitasse cups from her mother, and often there was a little soup served before a holiday meal. (She said it kept everyone out of the kitchen for a bit longer). I remem- ber the Christmas she an- nounced that the soup du jour was minestrone. I guf- fawed and protested. That did NOT seem like a special holiday soup, but it is a fa- vorite of mine to this day. She put so such thought into making it wonderful. She set aside the parmesan rinds for weeks to add to the broth. And although lent tennis player, and evi- dentially she and Lois actu- ally played tennis together just before I was born, the very same day. I love to pic- ture that, me in my Mama’s big belly bouncing around the tennis court. Desserts usually were not too sweet. Lemon or savory tarts reigned over chocolate or cake. Maybe there was some pistachio ice cream with fresh berries. My fa- vorite was a very-ripe per- simmon, frozen and then thawed just so. We ate it like sorbet right from the fruit with a spoon. We lost my mother sud- denly in May of 2014 unex- pectedly. Poetically, she had an enlarged heart. She died in her sleep of heart ar- rhythmia at 68. I’m so thankful she didn’t suffer. As I made my way back to New York for her wake I wondered what might be left in her refrigerator. Of course there was a big wide and 10 feet long. We celebrated her life and all of the meals she blessed us with in her home there with her friends, all of whom said that their rela- tionships with her also re- volved around food. Other important mo- ments: Often when my sib- lings to visit as adults our Mom had beef brisket wait- ■ ing. This was one of the Mom took some credit two recipes she passed for my adventurous eating down from her mother (the and often told the story of other was an awesome, cooking and serving me my proper, souther n fried first real food: Curried chicken). She usually had Cream of Zucchini Soup. beans (white or baked She said I was insatiable. I brown ones with bacon) or ate TONS. polenta to accompany the A family favorite was brisket. lamb shank made in her The very best thing I in- heavy old cast iron Dutch herited from my Mom was oven. She made a big deal her amazing collection of out of digging the marrow cookbooks. I love how she out of the bones. wrote all kinds of notes She loved simple recipes and declarations right in and focused on letting her the books i.e. MORE BASIL ingredients shine on their in the pesto recipe from own. She was constantly The Silver Palate. The blasting music, books are splattered singing and with years of use. d a n c i n g Some of the bind- while cook- ings are split. And ing. She es- best of all, they are pecially jammed full of loved old notes and trea- Southern sures. g o s p e l Just the other tunes and day when I opened many of the Southern Ju- the songs nior Lea gue in her Cookbook out repertoire flew a self-por- centered trait by me, prob- on far m- ably drawn ing and when I was 4 or food. 5. It’s splattered Photos courtesy of Sarah Sullivan Parn- with some sort sips were PEPPER JELLY recipe, and Sarah Sullivan’s self-portrait of sauce. The little popular, and por trait marks she always cut them into ol’ batch of Lois’ dressing. page 298, Pepper Jelly, thin shoestring strips and All sorts of cheese. An- something my Ma loved. roasted or sautéed them chovy and tomato paste. She always served it with simply with olive oil, salt, Pasta with pesto. Lots of fried chicken livers. ■ pepper and maybe some leftovers from new and old I’ve dedicated my profes- rosemary or thyme. And recipes and a life of daily sional and personal life to there was always a big cooking. salad. The go-to dressing My Mom loved this War- the preservation and pro- was from her friend Lois, ren Zevon quote: “Enjoy motion of local agriculture called “Bibb Lettuce Salad every sandwich.” We could- and food. I’ve often won- Dressing (Lois)”. (I don’t n’t bring ourselves to cook dered if this was prompted know whether it was Lois for her wake, but we did by so many meals thought- or my mother who typed order and share the most fully crafted by my mother. the recipe up on an actual enormous sub sandwich The times when I have felt typewriter! But you can see you can imagine from her most connected to my fami- it was well used.) favorite local Italian deli. It ly and friends all include a My mom was an excel- must have been half a foot meal around a table. I hope to continue upholding what I learned at home from my mother Jyl: food is medici- nal. It brings us around the table to make peace and joy. The ingredients and inten- tion matter. Cooking, like life, can be an adventure if we choose to be bold. ■ Sarah Sullivan is execu- ti v e director of Gorge Grown Food Network, based in Hood River. The Menu Minestrone soup Raddiccio salad with Lois’ dressing Braised lamb shanks with parsnips Pine nut tart Chef Watson noted that the cost for this dinner is $30, rather than the usual $25, because of the cost of lamb shanks. Family Dinner Project: three remaining meals Family Dinner Project runs for three more meals at Nora’s Table Restaurant. ■ Jan 28: “My Mom, her Wake, and the Giant Sub Sandwich” by Sarah Sulli- van. Since Sarah’s mom died unexpectedly last May, Sarah has spent hours por- ing over her cookbooks, re- membering delicious family meals, and a cook who lived by the maxim, “enjoy every sandwich.” ■ Feb. 18: “Scraping To- gether Thursday Dinner in Natchez, Mississippi” by Linda Floyd. There was al- ways just enough on the table in Linda’s Mississippi childhood, but her richest memory is of the poorest night of the week. ■ March 4: “Yours, Mine and Ours: A Blended Family Dinner in Trout Lake” by Kira Fogarty. Make reservations at 541-387-4000or by e-mail: kathy@norastable.com Price per person: $25 ($30 on Jan. 28) Watch eagles on Saturday /% .* 0' WFS 3J )PPE SF. FE 'J LFU QPD PG U V P P O Z B Q Z M J N B G ZPVS U BOE QPS ZPV BOT S Q U IJ Z T S B T T F D F O NFNCFS Z I M M U B D 8J J NFE HFOU FNFS PS G FT FYQFOT Photo by Stephen Datnoff ON JAN. 24 Get a close look at raptors such as this one. $YL DW L RQ VHU YL FHV SU RYL GHG E\ 7U L 6W DW H &DU H)O L JKW /L I H )O L JKW 1HW ZRU N &RQ\DQ $YL DW L RQ , QF DQG $Y&HQW HU , QF Catch a glimpse of the American bald eagle during the Corps’ fifth annual Dam Eagle Watch on Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Dalles Dam Visitor Center in The Dalles. As bald eagles migrate south each winter in search of food, the Columbia River pro- vides an excellent food source for our winter guests. Westrick Park, near the dam and across from the visitor center, seems to be a favorite winter vacation spot. It is quiet and secluded December through early March. That’s why the Corps part- ners with the U.S Forest Ser- vice and the Rowena Wildlife Clinic to provide educational programming about birds of prey and live raptor viewing at the visitor center. A variety of fun activities will be avail- able for all ages. Visit this link to check out the schedule of events for the theater: nwp.usace.army.mil/. In addition to interpretive lectures, presentations and films in the theater, spotting scopes and a free and the site is accessible to visitors with disabilities, visitors are en- couraged to bring their own scopes, binoculars and cam- eras. If the event is canceled due to inclement weather, it will be rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please check our Facebook page and website for updates. )PPE 3J WFS (SPVOE 1-64 &NFSHFODZ "J S "NCVM BOD F 4FSWJ D F )PPE 3J WFS 'J SF.FE (SPVOE "NCVM BODF 4FSWJ DF t & NFS HFOD Z QS FIPT QJ U B M NFEJ D B M U S FB U NFOU B OE HS PVOE U S B OT QPS U B U J PO ) L U H0HG 0DQDJHG E\ t /PO FNFS HFOU NFEJ D B M M Z OFD FT T B S Z B NCVM B OD F T FS W J D F QS FB VU IPS J [ FE CZ B QIZ T J D J B O t & NFS HFOD Z QB S B NFEJ D S FT D VF t & NFS HFOD Z B NCVM B OD F U S B OT QPS U B U J PO CFU XFFO M PD B M NFEJ D B M G B D J M J U J FT t "VU PNB U J D J OT VS B OD F CJ M M J OH T FS W J D F $PNQM FU F EFU BJ M T BOE T J HO VQ J OG PS NBU J PO D BO CF G PVOE BU M J G FøJ HIU PS H t
