NOV-DEC_flipbookupdated

the Holiday issue

B eing part of a big family made being alone on a holiday miserable. One season long ago when I was single, it wasn’t possible to get home. I felt downright pitiful. The next year I invited just about everyone I knew forThanksgiving. We were all young and pretty naïve about this entertaining thing. There wasn’t much planning. Everyone would bring something, and I’d do the turkey. Easy. After all, for years I’d watched my mother cook the bird. Thanksgiving morning I went to the grocery to get a fresh turkey. Of course all they had was frozen. A hotel chef, a friend, bailed me out. His boss, a savvy guy, had warned him that not only I, but also some of his colleagues, would fail to get it together. Grinning, the chef handed over turkeys and fixings. He joined us later for his share. Thus began a lifelong appreciation of cooks and chefs. The guests brought a few edible things. The ones who couldn’t cook (almost everyone) brought wine and other adult beverages. One friend found some gorgeous, colorful gourds and attempted to bake them.They made a lovely centerpiece.We created a makeshift buffet and bar and perched wherever we could, balancing plates and glasses on the floor.There was plenty to eat and drink, friends, music, laughter, and best of all, we weren’t alone. Over the years holiday gatherings at my house became a tradition. Gathered Together by Kit Wohl

As the size of my house grew, so did the guest list. Usually, there were anywhere from 40 to 50 or so. Our record stands at 80. Food writers, media pals, friends and friends of friends passed through. Apprentice cooks and chefs, fledgling or famous, joined the crowd. Jeremiah Tower, Donald Link, Zack Engel (now chef de cuisine at Shaya) and Kevin Davis (Arnaud’s former chef, now with his own restaurants in Seattle) all took their turns here. Food writer Tom Fitzmorris cleaned vegetables when he was a bachelor, while restaurant reviewer Gene Bourg simply charmed everyone and asked for our biscuit recipe. Greg Reggio from Zea and Semolina offered feathered ducks after a hunting trip, first asking if I knew what to do with them. I did. They went straight to Kevin. Duck soup became another tradition. We always enjoyed discovering friends’ food memories and make an effort to satisfy that longing when we write the menu.There was the guest one year who thanked me for remembering he was vegetarian and providing a lavish vegetarian spread for his enjoyment. It was a misplaced compliment, however welcome — we simply had a variety of dishes. Memories included fresh corn scraped from the cob and sautéed in butter. Corn pudding, another favorite, took a couple of years to get just right. It was never wrong, just didn’t meet that particular taste memory. Another memory was buttered peas topped with chopped fresh mint.Brussels sprouts were halved and oven roasted with bacon.

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2016