KITCHENS

OVER THE YEARS, I'VE HAD MANY KITCHENS. There have been 30-foot kitchens with as many cabinets and islands, tiny kitchens with no counter space whatsoever; I've even had kitchens which served as a wall in a living room. The fact is, one can do almost anything in any kind of kitchen if dictated by necessity. 

When I was growing up, we had electric appliances and it was on those stoves and ovens that I learned how to cook. I barreled my way through Julia Child and a lot of La Technique by Jacques Pepin on a GE electric stove in my parents' home. It was a challenge, trust me. In Italy, I had a makeshift kitchen (I was a student after all) but there was a gas stove (finally!). one Christmas in Bologna, I made a duck, pommes dauphinoise and stuffed artichokes on that tiny stove; it was a labor of love. In Holland, I had three different kitchens ranging from those old-style cavernous rooms with a vaulted ceiling and a huge work table in the middle - all of it facing a cow field - to a state of the art modern (this was 1979) kitchen with all the bells and whistles and a terrace overlooking the Maas River on which to sit and have breakfast while gazing at the boats streaming by. Here in New York, still a student, one had to make do with what one is given and so, my first kitchen was a Pepto Bismo pink kitchen (probably the 102nd coat of paint)  with appliances that dated back to the Great Depression (definitely not frost free!). Since then, I've had a French country kitchen with a window over the sink overlooking the back of a church and courtyard (in midtown Manhattan mind you!) and 31 kitchen cabinets; a two-room kitchen with huge windows; and a wall for a kitchen with 3 cabinets and no counters whatsoever. How we suffer at times for culinart! I've never had a kitchen with granite counter tops. With all the rage for all this stone, I consider myself lucky to have a ceramic tile floor. However, were I to consider granite, I'd have marble first but even better than that, I'd have Corian. It takes a beating, lasts forever and cleans up so incredibly well.

My latest kitchen is probably my smallest kitchen but it has everything one could desire: lots of cabinets, enough counter space to make the kitchen serviceable and great appliances. Space in Manhattan - in New York City in general; it matters not which boro - is a rare and very highly priced commodity so my huge walk-in closet serves as a great storage space for pots and pans, appliances like blenders and stand mixers as well as roasting pans, platters, cake pans, etc. All things considered, I would have to say that this kitchen is the best kitchen I've ever had (along with the French kitchen in midtown). It's perfect for one person but definitely not a two-person kitchen (unless, of course, the two cooks are in perfect sympathy and harmony with each other - a rarity indeed!). Of course, none of this would be the case were it not for my indefatigable dishwasher. Dishwashers are a great thing. They wash dishes to the point of sterilization but they also have the dual talent for hiding dirty dishes as well as making clean up a very speedy task indeed.

Last night, I had a few small pieces of bread (which I had baked the other day) fried in olive oil and smeared with some blue cheese along with two scrambled eggs. It was delicious; especially with a dollop of strawberry jam (also homemade) on  the eggs. I used a small cast iron skillet to fry the bread and afterwards scrambled the eggs in the same pan re-greased with a pat of unsalted butter. The pan was so hot that the eggs heated perfectly. In fact, they cooked so quickly that they were done in literally seconds and didn't stick to the pan at all. I always find it difficult to keep scrambled eggs from sticking to the bottom of any pan so this was a positive delight for me. The combination of blue cheese with eggs and strawberry jam may sound odd, but I assure you, it's delicious. It is definitely not one of those "I was so hungry moments" that one will eat anything. The sweet of the jam definitely complimented the savory of the blue cheese. Try it, you may find it as delicious as I do.

The other day, I boiled some baby octopus and made a salad with white cannelini beans, red onions, some celery and avocados in some really good vinegar and oil. It was amazing. You can use a can of beans or boil your own, which I do and keep refrigerated for just such an occasion. You don't have to serve these to friends but can keep it around for when you want something fabulous instead of sugar. Trust me, it works!

Boil about a pound of octopus in salted water with a few peppercorns, 2 or 3 bay leaves and a lemon halved. I boil the buggers for about 2 hours. Drain and rinse under cold water while rubbing off most of the dark skin. I remove the heads and cut the octopi in half (see photo). 

If you're using canned beans, pour into a sieve and drain and rinse with cold water. Put into a bowl with one medium red onion thinly sliced, an avocado cut into medium dice, salt pepper and one smashed clove of garlic. I dice the celery but not to finely because the crunch makes a nice contrast to the softness of the beans and the resilient bounce of the octopus. Dress with vineger and oil, salt pepper and some fresh thyme or oregano.  Decorate with the octopus and some chopped parsley and toss before serving. 

Buon appetito!