A HOMEMADE LIFE
If Marcel Proust hadn’t let us know with his Petite
Madeleines that food memories are among our most enduring, some of us would
have figured it out anyway. Some see the world through rose-colored glasses;
others of us taste our way through the world and we prefer to take big bites.
Molly Wizenberg is one of those who remembers where she was and what she was
doing by remembering what she was eating. In short, she is a woman after my own
heart.
She chronicles her life and food adventures in her book, A
Homemade Life. While some of her recipes sound
scrumptious, this book is so much more than a food memoir and a collection of
recipes. This is a love story-- love shared, love lost and grieved and love
found. Since I’m a romantic in my heart of hearts, I, in turn, loved this book.
Her story begins for us with the death of her father--a
large, generous man with an immense appetite for life. Her portrait of him is
so alive that I wished I had known him. Even though he was a Republican, I am
sure that we would have gotten along famously.
“He was the kind of person who could teach you a lot of
important things, such as how to ride a bicycle or drive a stick shift, or that
dill and potatoes were made for each other. He always put dill in his potato
salad. We had a kitchen garden out back that he and my mother planted, thick
with tomatoes and herbs. He would rub rosemary under the skin of roasting
chickens and stir thyme into his corn chowder. He got such a kick out of that
garden. He taught me to make pesto from the basil we grew there, using a recipe
by James Beard, who I’m sure, would gotten a kick out of it, too.”
“My father woke up each morning wanting that day. You could
see it on his face. He was the one at the end of the table, laughing so hard
that his round face split open like an overripe watermelon and his fillings
shone darkly like seeds. He laughed so hard that he gagged a little and pulled
out his handkerchief to wipe his mouth. He knew what he had, and he loved it.
“He could have taught me a lot of things. We’d hardly begun.
But I have his recipe for potato salad, and when all else fails, it’s a place
to start.”
This is such a poignant story that I shed more than a few
tears while I was reading. Sometimes I shared her sadness and sometimes I was
moved by the sheer joy in living and the beauty that can be found in our world.
I’m happy to report that this love story ends happily with Molly Wizenberg
meeting a wonderful man, falling in love and getting married. Who can say about
happily ever after, but I know they will share many good meals and memories
along the way. And that’s better
than “pretty good.”
As a postscript, I’m including Molly’s recipe for Potato
Salad. Potato Salad is one of my many food loves and I’ll readily abandon my
current favorite to try this one. Call me a food slut if you wish, but life’s
too short not to try new and yummy things.
BURG’S POTATO SALAD
(about 6 servings)
For the Salad
- 1 3/4 pounds red waxy potatoes, scrubbed
- 4 large eggs
- 8 scallions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellman’s/Best foods or
homemade
- 4 tablespoons bottled Ranch dressing, preferably Hidden
Valley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 1to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
Put the potatoes in a Dutch oven or large saucepan and add
cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add a generous dash of salt, and bring to a boil
over medium –high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook,
uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small, thin knife,
about 15 minutes. Drain them into a colander, rinse with cold water, and set
them aside to cool. When the potatoes are completely cool, cut them into rough 1-inch chunks.
For the smaller potatoes, I halve them; for the bigger ones, I cut them into
quarters or eighths. Put them in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, cook the eggs. Place them in a small saucepan,
and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the
water begins to boil remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for
exactly 12 minutes. Immediately pour off the hot water and run plenty of cold
water over the eggs. When the eggs are cool, peel them, chop them coarsely, and
ad them to the bowl of potatoes. Add the scallions, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon
salt, and toss to mix.
In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Ranch
dressing, dill and caraway seeds. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and
stir to evenly coat. Taste, and adjust the salt as needed. Cover and
refrigerate over night before serving.
