Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins (20 page)
Read Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins Online
Authors: Ellen Sweets
The notion of food as a form of communication wasn't lost on Darby either.
“I can't imagine Molly cooking just for herselfâonly for others,” she continued. “She almost always came to us for Thanksgiving and cooked with my mother, but she was up and gone the next morning because she had to write a column due that day. I don't think people ever really appreciated how that kind of pressure takes its toll after a while.”
In her relentless quest to reach her inner thin person, Molly made repeated visits to Rancho La Puerta in Southern California, whereâof courseâshe took cooking classes. On these sojourns she usually returned with a new recipe. Once she brought Darby a Rancho La Puerta cookbook, which Darby treasures. Darby, who once sported a near-Goth look with black nail polish, dyed-black hair, and an uncertain but not-quite-hostile persona, has blossomed into a gregarious, self-assured young woman.
Darby's brother, Drew, has his own remembrances. “Aunt Molly loved cooking meals that brought up good memories in her life. I remember eating many French meals for this very reason. I knew France was a shining star in her life's panorama simply from the way she would tell stories over each French dish she prepared. I loved hearing her joy in explaining where in the country it came from, its history, and any personal story attached to it.”
It seems that all of the cousins have a particular trip to remember, and niece Margot Hutchison is no exception. Margot, daughter of Molly's sister, Sara, is a wife and mother living in San Diego. She easily remembers visits Molly made
to New Mexico when Margot and her family lived there. In addition to Trivial Pursuit smackdowns, there was that subtle element of horizon expansion that Molly was so good at providing. For example, Molly got Darby interested in cooking when she gave her her first cookbook,
The Man Who Ate Everything
, by Jeffrey Steingarten (the longtime
Vogue
food critic who abandoned lawyering to write about food). Knowing Molly, the gift had a message. Steingarten's award-winning work is part travelogue, part cookbook, and part lesson in critical thinking. It was perfect on many levels for a smart young woman unfamiliar with the world's gastronomic wonders.
“Molly got me interested in cooking,” Margot said. “And every Easter I still make the potatoes au gratin from that book.”
One of her best memories sounds a lot like a variation on a theme of the experience Darby had. Only this time, instead of the nation's capital, the scene was the Big Apple. Both excursions were designed to open a door, to encourage a willingness to try the different, the newâwithout making the point by stating it outright. As an example, Margot cited a visit with Molly in Manhattan: “I went to New York to visit and Molly took me to this incredible seafood restaurant,” Margot said. “There were fish on the menu I'd never even heard of. I was from landlocked New Mexico. I'd never had fresh seafood. I was about ten or twelve and I'll always remember her smile when she asked me what I thought of the restaurant and the meal. I gave her this wide-eyed look and announced, âGosh, Aunt Molly, this is almost as good as Long John Silver's!' I mean, here I was in this fancy schmancy restaurant, comparing it to Long John Silver's. Hey, you gotta rememberâI was only ten.”
Molly took Margot and her family to many a restaurant, including the exclusive A. R. Valentien at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, a consistent favorite. But there were also visits to Molly's home.
“I remember sitting in her kitchen and having her show me how to cut a mango while telling me about a chef she had dated and how he had showed her how to do mangoes.
“Another time, after we moved to San Diego, she took us to Torrey Pines, where we ate fabulous food. I'd never heard of carrot sorbet, and there I was eating it between courses. We'd sit and talk politics. She had just done her cooking school in southern France so she'd be prepared for this assignment she had for some magazine to write about the Australian wine country. She was in heaven.”
But the Australian trip was as much to visit Margot's brother, the nephew who was most geographically removed from the family.
BEER-IN-THE-BUTT CHICKEN
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I first heard of this particular method for cooking a whole chicken in the '70s, when my counterculture neighbors all had grills. It became a standard cooking technique across the boardâwhether you were a non-cook, a lazy cook, or an accomplished cook, this was a godsend. Use whatever seasonings suit youâbarbecue, Old Bay, lemon pepper, whateverâand don't go all skittish about rubbing the chicken's interior. It won't feel a thing.
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup salted butter, softened
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3â4 tablespoons of dry spice rub
1 (4- or 5-pound) whole chicken
1 can beer
DIRECTIONS
Remove neck and giblets from chicken and set aside to freeze later for soup stock. Rinse chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Combine butter, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and spice rub to form a paste and rub chicken inside and out. Set aside.
Open beer and drink about half of it. Really. Okay: pour half of it into a glass and drink it. (I was just trying to save dirtying a glass.) Place beer can on a kitchen counter or other clean, flat surface and lower the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer bird-on-can to the grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing chicken on its legs, creating a tripod-like effect.
Cook the chicken over medium-high indirect heat by banking coals on one side of the grill and roasting chicken on the other, with the grill cover closed. Baste with beer intermittently for about an hour and a half or until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer or a sharp knife with a narrow blade. Using mitts, transfer bird and beer to a cookie sheet to rest for 10 or 15 minutes. Get medieval and tear into itâor remove it to a platter and cut it into parts. Serves 4 to 6.
PASTA PRIMAVERA
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This recipe comes from Rancho La Puerta, a favorite retreat of Molly's. In part she went to get skinny, but eventually she settled for going just because the setting was lovely and she could really relax. Reprinted with permission from
Vegetarian Spa Cuisine from Rancho La Puerta and Deborah Szekely
.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups water
8 ounces whole wheat, spinach, or tomato medium pasta shells or fusilli
1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise in 2-inch strips
1 large yellow squash, cut lengthwise in 2-inch strips
¾ cup Pesto Sauce with Lemon (see recipe next page), divided use
1 large red or green bell pepper, cut in thin strips
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)
DIRECTIONS
In a large pot bring water to boil. Add pasta; boil 6 minutes or until almost tender. Add squashes and boil 1 minute. Drain pasta and vegetables well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with ½ cup pesto. Add bell pepper strips, tomatoes, green onions, parsley, and Parmesan. Toss until well combined. Season with pepper. Serve at room temperature. Can be refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days. Makes six 1¼-cup servings of 200 calories each.
PESTO SAUCE WITH LEMON
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INGREDIENTS
4 garlic cloves
3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed tightly
2 cups spinach leaves, trimmed and packed
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons pine nuts
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
In a food processor mince garlic. Add basil, spinach, cheese, nuts, and pepper, and puree. With machine running, slowly pour in oil and juice. Process until smooth. (Refrigerate covered for up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 3 monthsâpour 1 teaspoon olive oil over pesto before freezing.) Makes about 1 cup or eight 2-tablespoon servings of 92 calories each.
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