A Three Part Feast - Part II: Dressing up

While Markus began to focus on the risotto – pouring about a quarter cup of white wine into the skillet that contained the rice, then, once that was totally absorbed, adding vegetable to the grains in quarter-to half-cup increments - I talked to Heike, who had come stopped working to enjoy a glass of wine and to chat while her husband worked the kitchen.

Still sitting and studying my notes, I asked Heike how she and the chef had met. “Well, sort of through friends of friends I guess,” she told me. “You know we walked home together twice after some parties – once he was very drunk and once I was very drunk. That was seven years ago! In the beginning there was a lot of cooking together – long cooking sessions and dinners and lots of drink. It was a great time.” She looked over to Markus to see if he had heard her story, but his back was to us as he rolled goat cheese into the long strips of cooked and just-tender zucchini and placed them in a baking dish, and it was unclear if he had been paying attention.


Heike said something short to him in German; possibly “Remember that” or “That was long ago” or “We were young then” – just a few words that I assumed, after such a retelling, carried the weight and time and joy of their relationship together. Markus responded with a short laugh – the kind that can show acknowledgment, agreement, and pleasure all at once, and a “ya.” He had been paying attention, after all. Heike, content, smiled and sipped her wine.

In that small moment, I felt like a voyeur. That giggle, that “ya,” – they were things conveyed between lovers that had such simple and profound meaning that my cheeks almost reddened. Or maybe it was because the love between the two of them was so palpable that I felt as if my very presence was invading in their private life. Or maybe it was because I felt like the act of cooking and eating together – an act that largely paved the road that took them to the United States and ultimately to a happy marriage, a road that took them across the ocean and required large sacrifices that I myself, once in a similar situation, was unable or selfless enough to make – was so ingrained into the essence of their relationship that it was not an activity to be shared by an outsider. Or maybe it was a combination of those things.

Markus broke the silence with “It’s important that the risotto is al dente at the end – don’t overcook the Arborio!” I was happy for the interruption (clearly no one was feeling as sentimental as I!), my sappy thoughts are no place for the blogging world. Noticing that I was ignoring my duties, Heike told me to be sure to get some pictures of the risotto process. I promptly did just that.


As he removed the grains from the pan, and spread them into another to cool, I asked Markus if there was any restaurant that he particularly like in New York. “It’s amazing how many restaurants are in New York! I mean, where I come from there are a restaurants, but here! On 5th Ave I hear there are 165 restaurants alone!” He was very excited by all of the eating prospects he had ahead of him.

Markus turned off the heat under the tomato confit and removed the squash-wrapped cheese from the oven. “We almost have the salad done now,” Markus said and began working away on a simple vinaigrette to dress it with. He tossed some greens with the dressing and then began to construct our first course on large white plates.


Since I had arrived in such a tardy fashion, my stomach had, by that point, started to sound like a rabid squirrel and I was ready to eat something. Heike and I sat down and Markus, like a proper host, served us our salads. “I think I will call this ‘Zucchini-Wrapped Baked Goat Cheese and Tomato Confit Salad.’” Very original. Heike and I both teased him. “Markus – this is your chance to go wild, we could call it whatever you want – ‘German Specialty,’ ‘My First American Mixed Greens,’ ‘Balls Salad!’” I said. Markus laughed sheepishly, “nah, that is OK.”

After Heike refilled our glasses, we gave a cheers before diving into our appetizer. I should say now that zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables, and I am a big big fan of simple flavors. Markus, utilizing the culinary trinity of olive oil, garlic, and onions as his base, put together a beautiful and unique salad using only a few common ingredients. Even before taking a bite I knew I would like it. And like it I did – the flavor of the thyme and rosemary, which had been thrown into the pan with the zucchini, was very palatable with the sharp bit of the goat cheese. The salad was perfectly dressed – a honey, Dijon mustard, balsamic, and rosemary concoction – and had a well-rounded flavor. Totally awesome. I was already ready for the next course.