April 13th. LA Touring. Langers to LACMA. Little Dishes at Bar Hayama

Dan has been in town visiting Sam and Drea.  We'd made a plan for some Los Angeles touring, and proceeded undeterred by warnings of rain, hail and thunder.  The rains hadn't begun as we headed downtown on Wilshire to Sunset through Beverly Hills and back to Wilshire through MacArthur Park onto downtown.  I've been gone for so long, I'd forgotten how much I can actually enjoy driving in Los Angeles, especially in this vaguely non-directive sight-seeing mode.   Dan had never been down most of these streets so it was all both new and familiar.  Disney Hall was sparkling, but just as we were about to look for parking to go inside the Bradbury Building, the rains began in earnest.  The downpour coincided with the onset of great waves of hunger, so we shifted gears and headed straight back to Langer's, in MacArthur Park, for two pastrami sandwiches (that would be one each, no sharing).

Two Pastrami Sandwiches with pickles (Daniel Raskin,2012)

I got my regular--the #1 with Russian dressing and cole slaw.  Dan got his with an order of cole slaw on the side.  The cream soda is never quite as good as the memory--but I can rarely resist ordering it.  The pastrami lived up to all expectations.

Fortified, we then drove to LACMA.  We spent most of our time at the Robert Adams photography exhibit, but also whirled through the Serra, the Chris Burden's roaring Metropolis II, Ellsworth Kelly and the permanent collection.  On a rainy Friday afternoon, the whole museum was humming, very different from the almost abandoned site I remember from years ago.

Dropped Dan off at Sam and Drea's.  We met again for yet another meal at Bar-Hayama on Sawtelle, perhaps the culinary opposite (if such a category exists) of Langer's.  The blustery post storm evening meant that no-one was gathered around the famous fire-pit, but sitting outside, we ordered a fine selection of little Japanese dishes, mostly vegetarian, though we did have that always delicious black cod.  A day of excellent eating far from my busy kitchen.

April 12. Hike to Bach on the Beach. Chicken soup with Matzoh balls. Sauteed Zucchini and Mushrooms. Salad. Silicon Beach.

I was planning to go to yoga, but got an e-mail at dawn from Natasha suggesting we walk to the Annenberg Beach House for a piano performance of Bach's well-tempered Clavir.  I've fallen behind in my surveillance of Los Angeles art and music events, but today is the first official day of Natasha's retirement.  I had a long to-do list, but how could I not jump at her 7am offer to walk with her from my house to the Annenberg Beach House where there would be a performance of Bach's Well-tempered Clavier in conjunction with 29 other pianos throughout Los Angeles.  We weren't quite sure what to expect (Natasha might have been surer than relatively clueless me).  We did know that it would be starting promptly at noon.  We weren't quite sure how far it was from my house (later learned it was about 3 and one half miles).  We ended up almost running to get there in just under an hour--about 55 seconds before starting time.   We had no idea that the pianist at the Beach House would be Lucinda Carver, the director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.  Despite the short-comings of ocean side acoustics, we were thrilled to have a half hour concert of Bach with a bit of Chopin on a sun-filled rain-cleansed day.  

Bach on the Beach

We walked home, through Santa Monica, an urban counterpoint to our beach walk.  After almost eight miles of walking, I wasn't about to start cooking, but no matter, the refrigerator was full.

While I re-heated the chicken soup and matzoh balls (oh I did make a lot), Natasha sampled the vegetables I'd cooked on Tuesday night.  Though delicious, it was so random, I hadn't recorded it, but given Natasha's enthusiasm (as well as Meghan and Ivan's enjoyment on Tuesday), here it is. As in all recipes of this ilk, quantities are infinitely flexible.
SAUTEED ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS WTH ROASTED TOMATOES
1 onion
2 or 3 small zucchini, sliced in rounds
Crimini or white mushrooms, sliced
a few cloves garlic
roasted tomatoes.

I had a motley assortment of tomatoes--four relatively tasteless Roma tomatoes nearing their due date, maybe half a cup of canned tomatoes in the fridge and some cherry tomatoes as well.  I decided to roast them (I actually staggered their roasting time, starting with the fresh Romas, with some olive oil, garlic cloves smoked paprika and coriander then adding the cherry tomatoes and finally the canned tomatoes).  I began the roasting before slicing the onions, so everything was essentially cooking at the same time.

As the tomatoes stewed away in the 400 degree oven, I sauteed the onion for about five minutes in olive oil , until they were soft, then added the zucchini.  After a few minutes, as they were beginning to brown, I added the mushrooms (you might want to add some more oil, or butter if the pan is looking dry).  When the mushrooms are browned and soft, add the tomatoes which should be well cooked by now (unless you're much quicker than I am--in which case you could probably figure out your own timing).  Add garlic and parsley.  Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

So--a lunch of many courses--soup, veggies, salad with fennel and those caramelized chocolate matzoh for dessert.    I even sent a container of soup home for Joe.

That late lunch meant I didn't have to think about dinner before going to the Venice Town Council's discussion of Silicon Beach.
While I was away, or looking elsewhere, tech companies, including Google have arrived in the neighborhood. Is this cause for woe or   celebration?  

April 11.chicken salad for lunch. chicken soup with matzoh balls. Lisa's tri-tip with roasted tomatoes. mashed potatoes

chicken salad for lunch--with apples and raisins and celery--is that a waldorf chicken salad?  I do not know.

A threatening gray day.  I decided I had enough soup for another round of matzoh balls and mixed together the ingredients for another batch.

Lisa called a bit later.  Gar had a terrible cold.  I told her I had a full pot of chicken soup.  She soon came over, kindly bringing her own container, to help me cope with my perpetual shortage of tops for my most random tupperware assortment.
In exchange, she brought four slices of the tri-tip she's made the night before along with cherry tomatoes roasted with garlic and parsley.  While we visited I heated the soup and boiled up the second round of matzoh balls.

Later that evening, Lisa and Gar and I  had more or less parallel dinners in our respective homes.  Mine consisted of a bowl of soup with matzoh ball, followed by two slices of that excellent steak with the cherry tomatoes and a small portion of my left-over mashed potatoes.

April 10th Chicken Soup, Matzoh Balls, Roast Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables,zucchini mushrooms and roasted tomatoes, sauteed bananas with whipped cream.

After many days of left-overs with a few additions, tonight I'm making a proper meal.  Ivan, has been in graduate school here for two years.  He'll be getting his degree in May.  I expected to see more of him, but I've been away for huge chunks of time and he had never been here for a proper meal.  We finally set a date.  He came tonight with Meghan, his girlfriend, who recently had gum surgery.  This gave me the opportunity to prepare one more component part of the seder-I-did-not-have.

The chicken soup has been nicely chilling for two days.  I removed the fat on the top (schmaltz) for the matzoh balls, which I proceeded to prepare.  I made some additions based on a Joan Nathan New York Times recipe complete with video.
MATZOH BALLS
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons schmaltz
4 tablespoons chicken stock (from the soup)
1 cup matzoh meal
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (could use more or less, depending)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped dill (herbs can be mixed and matched)
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper.

Combine eggs, schmaltz, broth, matzoh meal, nutmeg,ginger, herbs, salt and pepper.  (that would be all the listed ingredients).
Cover and chill in refrigerator for several hours or over-night).
When you're ready to make matzoh balls, start boiling large pot of lightly salted salted water. You should also gently re-heat your pot of cooked chicken soup.   Remove mix from fridge, it should be nicely thickened.  With wet hands, shape into balls about the size of ping pong balls.  When the water boils, gently drop balls in, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes.  When they're done (they'll have grown substantially and look exactly like proper matzoh balls), remove them with a slotted spoon and put them into the soup.  Serve.

We started with the soup, but also had Roast Chicken with Lemons and Vegetables, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (a bonus potato dish--there were potatoes roasting with the chicken, but due to gum surgery I added this variation on my standard mashed potatoes.  AS always, all quantities, as well as type of potatoes  can be juggled as you see fit.

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
Five Yukon Gold Potatoes
Four cloves Garlic
Milk
Butter
Salt and Pepper.
Boil Potatoes until they are pierced easily with a fork (you can peel them or not--I don't--but I suppose they are more elegant if peeled).
Drain, then put potatoes back in pan with heat on low and jiggle them a bit (so they don't burn).  The goal is to dry them out a bit--makes them fluffier, I think.  Heat 1/2-1 cup milk (I use 2%, but depending on your longings  for or aversion to fat, you can use any thing from skim to heavy cream).  If you'd like you can melt 2-4 tablespoons butter in the milk as it warms.  

Masher in repose

Using an old fashioned potato masher, add the milk and butter slowly, getting rid of lumps in the potatoes while the liquid is absorbed.  You can squeeze a couple of garlic cloves in at this point.  For a milder garlic taste, you could roast the cloves first--but I think the potatoes can handle the raw ones.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.
I also sauteed onions, mushrooms and zucchini in olive oil and added roasted tomatoes.  Oh--there was a lot of food.

Bananas with sour cream.  Imagine whipped cream here.

There were still more chocolate matzohs, but I thought we could use something a bit softer, so  while Meghan and Ivan did a splendid clean-up, I sauteed sliced bananas in butter--adding a bit of brown sugar.  Several weeks ago, I'd served the bananas with sour cream.  Tonight Ivan whipped up some heavy cream.  We added a little vanilla.  No complaints at all.

April 9th. Left-over tuna and salad lunch. Dinner of Brussels sprouts with dates and bacon, chicken, roast peppers and more--attempting to empty the fridge once again.

Monday--a few left-over nibbles for lunch--tuna, salad.

I'd invited Linda G. for a left-over dinner (roasted cauliflower farfalle, chicken, eggplant stew, roast peppers--and not a left-over brussels sprouts with bacon and dates --lucky us--I was going to prepare them with the not quite so perfect substitute of raisins--but Linda arrived in the nick of time with a surprise gift of pistachios and dates--so into the brussels sprouts went the dates!!)  Of course, chocolate matzoh for dessert.

Well fed, we watched A Separation, the Iranian movie, which was truly extraordinary.

April 8 Easter Sunday. Starting Chicken Soup. Another round of What's in the Refrigerator.

Biked to Angela's where Linda had invited me to view eleven visiting grand children hunting for Easter Eggs.  Most of the moms had been in baby play groups together 30-40 years ago.  It was indeed a testament to long and lasting friendships, a triumph over time and geography.

Took a detour on my way home to complete my chicken soup purchases.  Bought chicken feet, necks and backs at Whole Foods, as well as proper dill,"  dill in a great big bunch as opposed to one of those little plastic packages.

Can I go to Whole Foods without popping into the
99¢ store?  Fat Chance.  Both stores were buzzing, mid-day Easter Sunday.  On my bike, I had some constraints--couldn't buy massive amounts, but couldn't resist two boxes of organic spring mix greens, a cauliflower, brussels sprouts--the usual--I am a creature of culinary habit with variations.

Having amassed all chicken soup ingredients, feeling quite pleased with myself, I tossed the  assorted parts--backs, necks, giblets, and a whole chicken in the pot and the cooking began.

Carol Brenner, called around 5pm.  We'd met 35 years ago.  When we first moved to Los Angeles, her father Ray lived across the street from us on Paloma.  As a college student, she would visit him.  In recent years, we've bumped into each other a few times at museums and concerts, and she has called me once or twice when she has a ticket or two that she is trying to sell.  In short, we have had only the most minimal of contact over the past thirty years.
But, nothing is ever that surprising.  Carol was calling at 5pm on Easter Sunday because she had been thinking of coming to Venice with friends earlier in the day.  In the twenty plus years since her father's death, she has often come to Venice to celebrate her birthday (which had been the day before).  Somehow the day had slipped by, the friends had opted out, and she'd decided she probably had enough time to come for the sunset, and thought she'd give me a call.
She, of course, knew nothing of my penchant for cooking for unexpected guests, but we made plans for her to come by for a walk and perhaps a snack.
It was close to 7pm when she arrived (she lives deep in the San Fernando Valley).  By then, the soup with all vegetables added, had cooked for hours, and I'd strained it into another pot.  Plenty of time for us to zip out for a sunset walk.

When we got home, it was easy enough for me to organize a quick meal.  I'm slowly getting to prepare and eat most of the components of a seder meal.  Weeks ago, when I wasn't exactly sure when Passover began, I bought a jar of gefilte fish (I have to admit, with plenty of horseradish, that bottled gefilte fish works just fine for me).  Turns out it's a favorite of Carol's--so there was our appetizer.  I'd roasted another pan of cauliflower which Id added to the left-over farfalle--not exactly Passover food, but we are flexible people.  The delicious eggplant zucchini stew got to make an appearance, along with roasted peppers, salad, and chocolate matzoh for dessert.

It was close to 10pm when we finished cleaning up the kitchen--just in time for the third episode of Mad Men--by far the best of the year.  A most successful, unpremeditated round of What's in Naomi's Refrigerator.

April 7th. Nibbling on Chocolate Matzoh.

No proper meals at home. Busy day on the town. A few bits of that incredible chocolate matzoh before proceeding to brunch in Brentwood (long story for another time perhaps).

Dinner with Gar and Lisa (I brought my eggplant dish and caramelized chocolate matzoh--to add to the many Chinese treats they'd bought on their way home from the desert--bar-b-qued duck, sticky rice, dumplings, etc.

In between those meals, a quick trip to LACMA, the photography of Daido Moriyama and the art of the woman surrealists. A day of lots of art and no cooking whatsoever.