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
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on Saturday
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Photo by Stephen Datnoff
ON JAN. 24 Get a close look at
raptors such as this one.
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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.
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