Friends Who Feed Me

Friends who feed me are in a special category. For years after we had the Cafe, it seemed that no one invited us over to eat and if they did, each dish was accompanied by a disclaimer about the food. I recognize that it is intimidating to cook for a chef, even one who specializes in home-style "cuisine de femme," but I think that because I do cook, I appreciate their efforts even more.

Melissa and Hafnaoui

In late June we were the happy guests at an Algerian mechoui at the home of friends Melissa and Hafnaoui. A mechoui features lamb slow-cooked on a spit over an open fire. The lamb went on at 11 a.m. that morning and was still turning and being basted with an olive oil and rosemary marinade when we arrived around 4 p.m. Now if this were France the men tending the beast would have started drinking promptly at 11. Even though the cooks did not imbibe in alcohol, things did get a little boisterous later on as some of the key players in the production jostled each other for the most desirable pieces of meat.

As a veritable mechoui veteran by now, I should be used to and flattered when a stranger rips off a good morsel with his bare hands and then hands it to me to be eaten. That's what I get for hanging around admiring the beast! And it was so good.

Dinner consisted of the lamb (of course), grilled chicken, halal turkey hot dogs, Hafnaoui's amazing hummus and tabouli, various other salads and an assortment of incredible, home-made sweet nut and honey phyllo pastries plus everything provided by the many guests. We partook to capacity and enjoyed every bit of it - what a treat!

Alyson

More recently I spent a wonderful, relaxed evening with Melissa and Alyson down the road. The occasion was the proper celebration of Melissa's birthday that had passed unnoticed amid the chaos following the removal of Caroline's tonsils (her youngest). We sat on the deck as night fell and the fire flies came out. It was a really thick and dark New Jersey summer night but with little of the traditional humidity.

Alyson cooked up one of her amazing rich desserts, this time a berry shortcake with obscene mounds of whipped cream. Melissa brought chocolate-dipped strawberries. I got off easily with a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge that has been waiting in the fridge for many months for just such an opportunity! We talked and laughed and told stories by candlelight - I feel so lucky to have found these ladies.

Liz and John
The same weekend we had dinner with Liz and John in their great new place in Brookside - a beautiful old home on Main Street next to the post office and across from the Community Club. It is always a pleasure to hang out with these two and this was a rare evening in that we were without children. We sat on the back patio in the garden and enjoyed chilled prosecco. Through the backyard I could see the old house where I grew up down the road. I forget how close everything is in Brookside. It felt good to be back.

Dinner was simple and so good - my favorite kind of meal. Big pieces of chicken marinated in yoghurt, lemon and herbs, skewered with chunks of red peppers and red onions and grilled over charcoal. This was served with a really garlicky cucumber sauce, white rice and a salad of mixed greens tossed with Liz's vinaigrette. I love that vinaigrette. Dessert was coconut and raspberry sorbets.

In this crazy world, cooking and sharing food with family and friends has become a lost art along with letter writing and telling time. When I break bread with friends it is almost like stepping out of time and into an altogether different and welcome zone. Thank you!