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Jordan Wright
March 2010
 Ted Deasy, who currently stars in the Alfred Hitchcock-inspired THE 39 STEPS at the Warner Theatre, graciously granted me an interview to share his views on theatre, food and the arts. The two-time Tony and Drama Desk award-winning play will run till March 28th. The following are some earlier reviews. It is scheduled to open Off-Broadway later this month.
Ben Brantley of the New York Times, called the production, “Absurdly enjoyable! This gleefully theatrical riff on Hitchcock’s film is fast and frothy, performed by a cast of four that seems like a cast of thousands. The actors themselves seem to be having a helluva good time. As does the audience.”
 Claire Brownell and Ted Deasy in ALFRED HITCHCOCKS THE 39 STEPS Clive Barnes, of the New York Post, pronounced THE 39 STEPS “Inventively astonishing, riotous & marvelous.”
Joe Dziemianowicz, of the New York Daily News, exclaimed, “Hitchcock probably never imagined his thriller had the makings of a hilarious comedy, but this show is a dizzy delight and an ingenious spoof, inventively directed by Maria Aitken. A fast-paced fun ride!”
It continues to play to sold-out houses in London’s West End.
Jordan Wright – I apologize that I haven’t seen the show as of yet. I’ll be seeing it next week.
Ted Deasy – It’s fairly common to hear that unless you’ve seen it in New York. It’s a gem of a show that most people haven’t yet heard of. It just didn’t get that much attention. But it’s like the little engine that could.
Its success is mostly word-of-mouth. People say, “Ya hafta see it!” It’s an irreverent and fun send-up of Hitchcock. It’s music hall and vaudeville…pure theatricality.
For me it’s a joy to be in a show like this because it’s enjoyable for all generations. It’s an evening full of actors playing multiple roles with a script directly from the 1935 film. It has a great sense of decorum and tongue-in-cheek for the adults as well as kids and teens.
JW – I understand there is a great deal of slapstick and physical comedy?
TD – Our director pulled from everything you can imagine – from vaudeville, from comedia, from slapstick. Also any of the old theatrical styles, like Shakespearean asides. The physical part is done super-fast. In order to create that sense of excitement it moves incredibly quickly and with great style. It captures that sort of breathlessness.
JW – I understand that there are only four actors but dozens of roles. How does that work?
TD – The roles are divided up. I play one role and I’m on stage throughout, but Claire, the classic Hitchcock blonde, plays four different roles. The other two actors play between 130 – 150 different roles, some “roles” are actually inanimate objects. Some of the actors are instantaneously changing characters over and over, often playing three characters simultaneously.
JW – Had you done physical comedy before?
TD – Sure. One of the great treats doing this show was that the casting agents were looking for actors that had had careers doing classical work. I’ve done Moliere and outdoor Shakespeare, as have Eric and Claire, but this was nothing like I’ve done before.
It looked effortless when I first saw the show. But it took a lot of rehearsal to make it look that way. It was a great challenge to make this crazy, mayhem, funny, show look fast and effortless.
JW – I discovered you had a coffee shop and bakery in Jackson Heights, very near Astoria, where actors, Christopher and Glenn Walken grew up and where I met them when they were in their twenties. Their parents owned Walken’s Bakery, where Lydia Bastianich once worked. I wondered if you knew that Queens was an incubator for Hollywood actors and gourmands!
TD – That’s extraordinary! I didn’t know that. My partner, Gina and I started baking for casts and they loved it and we loved doing it. People kept asking us to do more. When we moved to NY we worked for a farm cooperative. We were just doing this on the side.
Three years ago we opened the bakery and coffee shop and we’re still trying to figure out how to make it work – to find the right balance. The store is on hiatus right now since we are both under contract in different parts of the country.
JW – Recently one of the country’s top chefs, Jose Andres, was given an award in the arts by The Vilcek Foundation who included the culinary arts in their definition of the arts. As an actor who is involved in the food arts how do you see the relationship between the two?
TD – That’s great to hear that! I listen to so many people and their issues with food and I think about why we eat and how we eat. And I hope for people to experience, especially if they’re in the arts, sitting down to a meal and thinking of it as if it were an art event. It incorporates all of your senses.
 Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS You need to look at what’s in front of you and see the preparation visually and then experience it orally. Then you feel afterwards, like with a play, or an art opening, a dance piece or the opera, that you might have the same satisfaction. You can ask, “How did this happen, why did this happen, where did this come from and where are we going with this?”
I think the best dietary experience that people can have is to not talk about restricting or denying [themselves], but to actually think about, “What this is, how is it made, what is the preparation and why do I want it?”
People just don’t take the time to examine these things. I do think that the theatre and the culinary arts are intrinsically tied together.
JW – Will you reopen your bakery again?
TD – We plan to be back in New York in July and, although we’re not sure what we will do with the bakery, Gina, who is now out West, was experimenting with a new cupcake recipe yesterday. It was a chocolate Guinness cupcake with a milk chocolate malted buttercream icing.
So although we don’t yet know if we’ll continue with baking it’s like Tom Stoppard said [in Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern], “You can’t unstir the jam!”
This interview was conducted, edited and condensed by Jordan Wright. For questions or comments on this interview contact [email protected] or visit www.WhiskandQuill.com.
www.warnertheatre.com
www.39stepsonbroadway.com
Jordan Wright
January 2010
 Chef Fargione in the kitchen at Teatro Goldoni - photo by Jordan Wright Chef Enzo Fargione employs a decidedly patrician ethos with his modern Italian cuisine at Teatro Goldoni’s exclusive ‘chef’s table’, conjuring up tantalizing innovations more suitable for Roman Gods than mere mortals.  Cavatelli with roasted garlic cream and smoked lobster served in a silver tin - photo by Jordan Wright This is a chef who twists, tweaks and molds his ingredients, cajoling them into his gastronomic fantasies. Will he caramelize, braise, gelatinize, puree, concentrate, desiccate, smoke, infuse or lacquer with gold leaf? Will he froth, fill, roast, bake or contort his culinary components demanding ever more textures, shapes and essences?
During a 17-course prix-fixe menu with optional wine pairings (perfect for diners disinclined to order half a dozen different complementary selections) Fargione will engineer an encyclopedia of techniques, inventions and tantalizing flavor complexities in presenting his latest gourmand fantasies.
Unlike other chef tables around town, this is a very elegant and intimate spot indeed, and oh so private. The glamorous table features a semi-circular banquette and is stunningly but simply arranged with white Garnier-Thiebaut damask, Limoges china and Fortissimo hand-blown wineglasses. A Napoleonic bee graces the handle of a tortoise-shell patterned steak knife. While under a black-shaded chandelier, twinkling with delicate crystals, the glasses sparkle, the lighting is flattering and, restaurants take note, you can see your food.  Tea light deconstructed apple flight - photo by Jordan Wright Fargione’s signature style is to present his creations like precious gifts…whether a glass tealight holder for a deconstructed apple flight; sweet crispy cones of smoked tuna, with green olives and a tart cream and nestled in a duet case; glass vases encasing veal cheeks bathed in a huckleberry froth; or an imaginative trompe l’oeil panna cotta ‘fried eggs’ served in a petit gratin dish.
 Chocolate coated olive oil mousse dusted with gold leaf - photo by Jordan Wright His enthusiasm palpable, the charismatic Fargione follows each preparation to the table describing the wines, the regions and his inspiration. Wine pairings are personally selected by the chef to balance each dish and carry certain flavors to the foreground. After a chilled glass of prosecco to launch the evening, I experienced no fewer than eight starters, called ‘appetite openers” on the menu, five subsequent entrees and seven or so wines. With small servings for each presentation you won’t be overfull.
The field informs his delicate white corn and Parmesan custard with a ruby-hued red wine caramel sparked with a translucent basil leaf. In another clever presentation, served in a sleek, round silver tin, the sea influences a luscious cavatelli with roasted garlic cream, smoked roasted lobster, porcini, peas and fresh thyme cradled in a single spoon (though cataloguing of the ingredients barely expresses the complexity of this offering).
 Manila clams with candied cherry tomato, spinach foam and pipette of briny clam broth at Teatro Goldonis Chefs Table - photo by Jordan Wright The journey progresses with a miniature Manila clam ragout, strewn with candied cherry tomatoes bursting with a deep sweet intensity, while a plump caper berry acts as counterpoint beneath aeronautical spinach foam. At the table an infusion of briny clam broth squeezed through a miniature pipette, activates the alchemy. The tiny sampling utterly delicious…but you will find your own treasures…there are so many to swoon over.
 Wild Sockeye salmon with acqua pazza arrucola pesto broth - Photo by Jordan Wright An unforgettable foie gras, studded with mostarda di Cremona (preserved fruits from the Lombardy region), harmoniously balanced the goose liver, mustard and candied cherries. The world melted gently away. Imagine it with a Merlot wine caramel, balsamic vinegar gelato and hazelnut tuile. This is a mere sliver of the evening’s culinary jewelry that takes inspiration from many different regions of Italy.
In all, Fargione challenges earth, wind and fire, revealing sparks of brilliance at every turn. At this extraordinarily sophisticated level of cooking, the desire of the chef to tempt the palate, prepare it for the next bite and dazzle with ever greater gastronomics speaks passionately to the connoisseur. And does that not define the language of love!  Vanilla pannacotta dessert sunnyside up with virtual bacon - photo by Jordan Wright Bravisssimo, Chef Fargione!
If you go, and I highly recommend it, make your reservations for the Chef’s Table and inquire as to the optional wine pairings.
Teatro Goldoni
1909 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
202 955-9494
www.TeatroGoldoni.com
For questions or inquiries about this article contact [email protected]
or visit www.WhiskandQuill.com
Jordan Wright
Whisk and Quill
February 2010
 From left Cynthia Tsai with 'Whisper', Neil Livingston with 'Flake' and Stephanie Woods at the Washington Humane Society's Sugar and Champagne - photo credit Jordan Wright It was cheek-to-muzzle last week as hosts Todd and Ellen Gray of DC’s Equinox Restaurant put on the dog for all those who love their four-legged friends. The 9th Annual Sugar and Champagne Affair benefiting the Washington Humane Society at the Ritz-Carlton showcased area chefs, mixologists, and their fans, who showed their sweetest support at the scrumptious event. There were treats for canine guests and their escorts as pastry chefs like Amanda Cook of City Zen and Sou-Wester whipped up dog biscuits and profiteroles. “This is the first batch of dog treats I’ve ever made,” she admitted. “It has peanut butter and other natural ingredients in it. Let me know how your dog likes it!”
 Alexandria's Barkley Square handed out home made dog biscuits with a little help - photo credit Jordan Wright Some chefs were cooking savory delights a la minute, partridge consommé from Brabo Chef Robert Wiedmaier and ravioli over Napa cabbage from Equinox Chef and the evening’s host, Todd Gray, while others had prepared lavish pastries, molecularly-crafted ice cream ‘dots’ and precious marzipan animals gallivanting across grass-lined displays.
Pastry chef extraordinaire David Guas was signing his new cookbook, DamGoodSweet, an homage to his youth in New  Pastry Chef of the Year David Guas signs his new cookbook Dam Good Sweet - photo credit Jordan Wright Orleans and replete with stories of Hubig’s Pies and Café du Monde. He brought dozens of melt-in-your-mouth pecan pralines (the recipe is thankfully in the book). Can you guess who he’ll be rooting for come this Sunday? Who dat!
Don’t fret if you and your pet missed this one. The Fashion for Paws Runway Show will be at the Embassy of Italy on April 10th and the 23rd Annual Bark Ball follows on June 5th where the four-on-the-floor crowd goes black tie. Book your grooming appointments now.
In a little horn-tooting, our little Shih-Tzu, Inspector Foo Foo, (he’ll have his report on your desk in the morning) was selected from over half a million dogs with the distinction of having one of the 10 Wackiest Pet Names and featured on the Today Show. Eat your hearts out Spot and Fido!
See the rest of the list including favorite pet names.
For questions or comments on this story contact [email protected].
Jordan Wright
March 2010
 Korean director/screenwriter Bong Joon-ho at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown - photo by Jordan Wright Korean-born Bong Joon-ho is one of the most seminal and controversial directors and screenwriters to emerge lately onto the international film scene. With two of the highest-grossing films in his country’s history, “The Host” and “Memories of a Murder”, he has enjoyed critical success at major worldwide film festivals, gaining US notoriety with the release of his latest venture, “Mother”, a grisly murder mystery reflecting deep oedipal themes, that was chosen as a Cannes Official Selection along with such notable directors as Ang Lee, Jane Campion, Pedro Almodovar, Werner Herzog and Terry Gilliam. A brilliant craftsman of the suspense genre his work recalls a number of classic filmmakers, yet he shows a remarkable social consciousness rarely addressed by the old masters.
Jordan Wright – I thought I sensed Hitchcock, Tarantino, Japanese director, Kurosawa, and Roman Polanski in your film, “Mother”. Who would you say are your greatest influences?
Bong Joon-ho – I was always inspired by Hitchcock…ever since I was young. I grew up watching so many of his films. He is a big influence of course. As a matter of fact during pre-production of “Mother” I was thinking of “Psycho” and I couldn’t stop wondering if the mother from “Psycho” had still been alive in the film would a little of that twisted mother/son relationship be similar to that relationship in “Mother”.
JW – There were so many different plots, counter-plots and sub-plots presented in your film. Notwithstanding the complexity of action, in the dizzying array of characters, each one was well developed and presented. Would you talk about the broader themes you conveyed in this film?
BJH – The broader theme of my film was how far would a mother actually go to clear her accused son’s name and the second one was the sexual theme in this film. As you know there is a little girl that is missing and throughout the neighborhood there is a whole history surrounding the disappearance of this girl and the sexual scandals revealed. I really wanted to portray that alongside the sexual hysteria of the crime. I thought of how the characters tried to help each other and I wanted to express how they actually end up hurting one another.
Each simple character in this film is powerless. They do not have money or authority. I wanted to portray how these individuals met and mingled and became tangled up through the very tragic force of their meeting. Case in point, the high school girl who sells her body for money to an older man and also the main character, Crazy JP, who has Down’s Syndrome and who is being accused of this crime. The mother knows all the relationships between these individuals and she is in agony trying to make sense of it. I wanted to show how they wind up hurting each other in a very tragic manner.
JW – The opening scene in which the hit-and-run Mercedes driver was discovered at the local country club seemed to touch on the class system still in place in Korea. How did Korea’s “Old Guard” receive your film?
BJH – There wasn’t really any negative feedback [in regards to that]. I think because my previous movie, “The Host”, was more of a parody on the US and I remember that conservatives were not thrilled with that film. But with “Mother” the core story was not controversial.
JW – In American culture we share many of the same social issues you have in Korea. Why was it important to you to highlight societal themes of malaise, lack of education, disenfranchisement, poverty, and the increase of youth violence?
BJH – Even in the past my films would always try to portray these individuals as outside the scope of government assistance. I hoped that by my focusing in on them I could bring attention to the faults or shortcomings of the system and bring awareness to a greater audience. I address this in my previous film, “The Host”. But in “Mother” I feel it is purely about the mother and her relationship with her son.
JW – Talk about your style of directing. Is it hands-on? Do you vary from the script or use the actor’s emotions in a scene to drive the result?
BJH – In my case I always write my own script and then do a storyboard. My storyboard has many details and I already have fixed the set-up position of the cameras and frames. But I always try to do something new and different on set and when I shoot I always hope to give the actors some kind of freedom.
I love the improvisation of the actors and also in regards to lighting and production design. I try to allow as much freedom and vitality for the actors to bring their characters to life. In my opinion the relationship between the actor and director is much more intimate and personal than that between cinematographer and actor, and you can never predict what is going to happen. I like to get to know the actors personally to discover what they’re really like.
JW – In future how do you see bringing your films to the US?
BJH – I enjoy the stable relationship that I have with Magnolia Pictures even though my films are not yet in wide release. Actually they [Magnolia] have recently purchased the copyrights of my very first film.
In my opinion there is currently a limit of how far foreign films can be widely received and appreciated. Hopefully in due time there will be a greater audience for subtitled foreign films and I really want to be a part, even if it is small, of how viewers in the US receive foreign films.
This interview was conducted, edited and condensed by Jordan Wright. For comments or questions contact [email protected].
Jordan Wright
For Local Kicks and Whisk and Quill
January 2010
 Celery root soup with grated apple and Stilton mousse at AGAINN -photo by Jordan Wright Before the trendy nomenclature could sink its British tentacles across the pond and set down its twiny roots in American soil, owners at the two-month-old AGAINN (pronounced ah-gwen) declared it dead…at least as an artful descriptor for their first foray into the world of concept restaurants.
At AGAINN the food is too serious for Yankee sensibilities to be considered “pub food”. Pubs are imagined as the average Englishman’s other living room, serving up greasy newspaper-wrapped fried cod and chips or Branson pickles and ploughman’s cheese sandwiches with a pull of Guinness. This watering hole’s $500-a-year liquor lockers are too committal for the blue-collar worker and its ultra-modern interiors too retro chic for the typical English family’s neighborhood gathering spot, lest it conjure up Gramps and the kids after Sunday service.
No, no, no, they cried before it could catch on. They would hereafter be referred to as a “European bistro”. A concept much tossed around but surely indicating a more sophisticated approach to dining and drinking.
On a recent visit to AGAINN I had the chance to commend their change of heart. For here was a restaurant with a serious chef guarding a strong philosophy and respect for the land, an extensive, worldwide wine list and a penchant for success.
But don’t come here expecting spring mix salad with a tumble of heirloom tomatoes…at least not in the off-season. Chef Wesley Morton is bucking the naysayers and keeping true to seasonal. This writer was mightily impressed by such gastronomic bravery. Swim against the tide, Morton and you will find you can create your own waves.
I found a dreamy celery root soup topped with grated apple and smooth counterpoint Stilton mousse, freshly opened Blue Point oysters, brine intact with shallot mignonette (the dreaded red sauce thankfully nowhere to be found), corned tongue with puntarelle, a lovely winter green similar to chicory and only in season from November to February. Prawns are served with Marie Rose sauce…a delicious throwback accompaniment recently revived by British Chef Andy Waters at his restaurant Edmunds in Henley.
 Maryland Rockfish with winter vegetables, spinach and preserved lemon in a spicy lobster broth - photo by Jordan Wright Morton, assisted by sous-chef and five-year accomplice, Michael Sindoni, has taken an extraordinary route by channeling top Michelin-starred chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Mark Aikens and award-winning chef, Tom Hix of London’s Oyster and Chophouse fame. Though he counts his Cajun grandmother as his muse, he has embraced and conquered the new British-inflected cuisine and trumpeted the local, organic, sustainably- and humanely-raised cuisine that is the culinary wave of the future.
Morton breaks down whole cows and pigs from neighboring farms to make his soul-stirring charcuterie – blood sausage, potted pork, “brawn” and black pudding, creating homey relishes like pickled mustard seed, piccalilli and onion marmalade to balance the rich meats. This is “nose-to-tail” eating, as described by British chef Fergus Henderson, and it is sublime.
 Charcuterie board with brawn, potted pork, pork terrine, Allan Bentons country ham, piccalilli, pickled mustard seeds and onion marmalade - Photo by Jordan Wright
Within the confines of Morton’s kitchen the beef is corned, the sausage hand-stuffed and the grass-fed Shenandoah lamb from Blue Rooster Farm, a Tuesday special, fabricated in-house. Even such comfort food as a ham and cider pie incorporates house-made ham with heirloom apples and cabbage.
There are nods to pub food with dishes like shepherd’s pie, locally raised Scottish Highland beef rib-eye and Yorkshire pudding, and bangers and mash. But here is a whole new paradigm.
The wine list at AGAINN gave me pause. The wines by the glass were dispiriting and without the usual wine by the glass pairing menu, I couldn’t find anything remotely palatable. With over a hundred wines by the bottle, I sought advice from trusted friend and professional oenophile, Larry Austin. Austin is a Harvard-educated lawyer, banker and conductor of international wine seminars with an unparalleled passion and knowledge of wines, and who, as a serious collector, vowed to provide me with some insight.
He noted stellar wines including the 2003 Antinori ‘Pian Delle Vigne’ Brunello di Montalcino, a slew of top quality premier cru French Chardonnays, a 2005 Nickel and Nickel ‘Harris’ Merlot, a 2006 Miner Family ‘Stage Coach’ from Oakville and a 2006 Sequoia Grove, Rutherford, from what he referred to as the two best parts of Napa Valley. A 2007 Luca Malbec, Mendoza caught his eye along with a 40 Year Tawny Port by Dow’s. To his tally of favorites he added a 2007 Zinfandel, Biale ‘Black Chicken’ from Napa and a 2008 Cloudy Bay from New Zealand, “whose vineyards revolutionized the world’s thinking on Sauvignon Blanc and put New Zealand on the wine map!” he exclaimed. I lost him after that plumbing the depths of a serious collection of Spain’s exemplary riojas. Wine for thought indeed!
 A sumptuous Banofee Pie with bananas, caramelized milk, graham biscuit, cream and ganache - photo by Jordan Wright Two desserts swept me off my feet. Eton Mess, harkening from the English boarding school of the same name, was made with huckleberries, baked meringue and lemon curd, and sticky toffee pudding, a familiar face in the Anglo-crowd, but this version was complete with a surprisingly delicious stout ice cream.
Later in the week I engaged Morton by phone hoping to explore his approach deeper and mine the chef so driven to expose diners to this new cuisine that he traveled throughout the British Isles for inspiration. I expect exciting things to come from this Texas transplant, whether gastro or Euro, it’s an epicurean direction that will break tradition by reclaiming it.
Jordan Wright – What do you hope sets your food apart from other chefs?
Chef Wesley Morton – I try to keep it simple, precise and refined. I get ideas from the best the new British chefs and adapted them to our local ingredients. I try not to do too much…just the let the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves.
JW – What ingredients are inspiring you lately?
WM – It’s all about the season for me. That’s what drives me. Farmers tell me beet greens are in. But pork and pigs are my favorite vegetable.
JW – You speak of your father’s mother as your muse. How did she influence your cooking?
WM – Every Sunday she cooked for the whole family, she’s a Cajun cook through and through, and there would be up to 25 of us at her house for lunch. We always had cattle, chicken and eggs and fresh vegetables from her garden. I always helped out as a kid.
JW – How did your commitment to organic, non-GMO foods and sustainably- and humanely-raised meats arise?
WM – My uncle back home is an environmental consultant and he has taught me how important it is to support the family farm. It means a great deal to me. I have friends in these communities and have seen how important it is to keep these famers in business, even if the costs are higher, because it affects the local economy and at the end of the day you can taste it in the dish.
JW – What are your plans for the future of AGAINN?
WM – Well, we’re still young. We’ve only been open for two months and we’re just beginning to hit our stride. We will push the envelope slowly, always following the seasons. I’m looking forward to having morels, ramps, asparagus and halibut in the spring.
JW – What local farms are you currently sourcing from?
WM – We are really fortunate to have the farmers we have. Garden Path Farms brings us their pigs, purebred all-natural Red Devon beef, chickens and eggs. We use Blue Rooster Farms for lamb and Fresh Link Co-op, a collection of small family farms, for produce. Our fruits come from Fresh Link and Tuscarora.
This interview is conducted, condensed and edited by Jordan Wright of Whisk and Quill. For questions or queries contact [email protected] or visit www.WhiskandQuill.com
www.againndc.com
Jordan Wright
The Georgetowner/Downtowner
December 2009
 Cabbages and carrots with dill and Granny Smith apple - photo by Jordan Wright Consider the humble cabbage. After a soul-stirring dish of sarmale lovingly prepared by my Romanian acquaintance, Madame Pourchot, I thought long and hard on its cross-cultural worth. Sarmale are simple fare, cabbage rolls, stuffed with ground pork, beef or veal and rice then slow-cooked with tomatoes and herbs. A vegetarian version replaces the meat with carrots, mushrooms and Parmesan and loses nothing in tender sublimity. The pilgrimage-worthy menu began with Hungarian mushroom and potato soup cradling a dollop of sour cream, then latkes, crisp potato pancakes with applesauce on the side, then both the meat and vegetarian versions of sarmale and plenty of hearty oat bread and sweet butter. The meal was crowned with a fluffy rum-infused ginger marmalade bread pudding with sultanas.
Madame Pourchot served this simple yet elegant dinner last week to over thirty guests whose eyes grew wide with amazement, with several pleading in earnest to be adopted by her, before the last fork was set down. Oh, yes, I was one of the potential adoptees!
 Spices frequently used in preparing cabbage - Juniper berries, Hungarian paprika, fennel seed, white pepper and bay leaves - photo by Jordan Wright There is a place for cabbage in nearly every culture. Syria calls cabbage rolls mihshi malfuf and uses lamb, seasoned with allspice, mint and pomegranate molasses. Ukranians call it holubtsi and top it with a cheesy béchamel sauce. In the late 14th C the legendary chef Taillevent convinced King Charles V to eat his first cabbage – a matter of historical significance and recordation. One of France’s most traditional dishes showcases the earthy flavors of choucroute, the hearty Alsatian dish made with pork, duck, sausages and sauerkraut. Scented with bay leaves, caraway seeds and juniper berries and served with grainy pommery or tarragon mustard it is a peasant’s dish fit for a king.
Contemporary cooks can claim a working knowledge of Asian cabbages like bok choy and Napa. But sauerkraut can be traced back to Chinese “sour cabbage”, cabbage soaked in rice wine in order to preserve it for the winter. Think Korean kimchi, with its infinite pickled varieties. Health magazine named it as one of its top five, “World’s Healthiest Foods”.
 Hearty crusted breads - photo by Jordan Wright From Lorenza de’ Medici’s cookbook, “The Renaissance of Italian Cooking” I found cabbage rolls from the Lombardy region called involtini di verza, from Marcella Hazan, salsicce col cavolo nero, sausages with black cabbage, though she translates that to red cabbage for the American cook. In the Tuscan region of Italy cavolo nero, the rare black cabbage or kale, is much preferred. It is a prehistoric wild plant. When the central stalk is harvested mini-black cabbages are produced on it resembling a corsage.
“Please to the Table – A Russian Cookbook” by Anya Von Bremzen and John Welchman describe Moldavian verza cu brinza, green cabbage baked with feta, and kislosladkaya krasnaya kapusta, a dish of sweet and sour red cabbage stewed in cherry vinegar with onions, cloves, apples and nutmeg…the perfect accompaniment to roast goose or pork.
To some the bouquet of cabbage cooking is anything but beckoning. Corned beef and cabbage comes to mind. But to others it harkens the origins of gastronomic civilization when meats were flung onto the fire and vegetables added in communal ritual to fill out the stewpot. Now ethno-botanical research has shed light on Bronze Age lake dwellers around Lake Zurich who ate cabbage.
 German-style sauerkraut with wine - photo by Jordan Wright Cabbage was thought to have originated in the Mediterranean regions where Egyptians raised altars to it, and Greeks and Romans believed it cured every disease from paralysis to pleurisy, including hangovers, a suggestion not to be ignored! In fact there are more myths and mysteries surrounding cabbages dating as far back as the third century B.C. Babies are said to have been found under the spreading leaves and we all know the fairy tale depictions of the stork in mailman’s cap, beak clamped down on a cloth sling wrapped around a newborn, and flying over the proverbial cabbage patch. Do Cabbage Patch Kids ring a bell?
Thomas Jefferson raised twenty-two varieties of cabbage in his magnificent gardens at Monticello. But his pride and joy was the Savoy cabbage. I’ll raise a toast to that! A more noble vegetable can hardly be found and I recommend it to the cook, as that is the preferred variety in Europe.
So enjoy your brassica oleracea capitata any way you prefer. One of my recipes, and the meat version of Madame Pourchot’s, follows.
CABBAGE AND GREEN APPLE SLAW
Chef Jordan Wright
1 ½ pounds of Savoy or green cabbage trimmed and shredded by knife into ¼ inch strips
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced or chopped
1 or more tablespoons of caraway seeds
1 cup of golden raisins or dried cranberries
¼ cup of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Sea salt and fresh cracked white pepper to taste
Make a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, honey and light olive oil or canola and a bit of lemon juice. Pour over slaw and refrigerate for an hour. Toss with parsley and serve cold with pork, duck, sausages or turkey.
MADAME POURCHOT’S SARMALE
1 large jar of pickled cabbage leaves * or one large head of cabbage plus one package of sauerkraut (half to place on the bottom of the pot and half over the top of the rolls)
1 pound each of ground pork, beef and veal from the farmers market
1 large onion, chopped
4 or more garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons each of thyme, oregano and parsley (less if using dried)
1 cup of rice, rinsed
2 tablespoons of Celtic salt
2 tablespoons of fresh cracked black pepper
1 large 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes or, in summer, three cups of fresh chopped tomatoes, peel and all
* Pickled cabbage leaves are sold at the Cosmopolitan Grill on Route 1 south of Old Town Alexandria or the Russian Gourmet in Reston, Rockville, McLean and Alexandria.
Mix these ingredients together for the first stage.
Stuff into pickled cabbage leaves (or you can make your own). Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and place it into the cabbage leaf. Wrap the leaf around the filling, turning in the sides as you roll up, and place tightly together into a deep pot that has been prepared with oil and a layer of shredded cabbage and chopped bacon or ham. Line them up around the pot in layers. When you are done cover with additional shredded cabbage or sauerkraut (the sourer the better) and ½ cup of oil and bacon or ham and peppercorns, oregano and thyme. Cover and boil for two hours over low to medium heat.
Taste one and, if the rice is done, add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat, or in the oven without a lid, until the top caramelizes. Serve with sour cream or plain, thick yogurt.
Sarmale are the traditional dish for all holidays, especially Christmas. According to Madame Pourchot, the smaller the sarma the more skilled you are as a cook! “Poftat buna!” she says, Romanian for bon appetit!
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