My life in food

Noted economist Suman Bery is both passionate and learned about this art form.

Some people have a foolish way of not
minding, or pretending not to mind,
what they eat. For my part, I mind my belly very studiously, and very carefully;
for I look upon it, that he who does not mind
his belly, will hardly mind anything else. — Dr Samuel Johnson

Food is, or should be, a daily pleasure. But modern life is full of pulls and pressures that try to take away or atleast diminish this source of daily enjoyment. Even so, there are those, like Suman Bery, noted economist and director-general of the National Council for Applied Economic Research, who take their food as it should be taken: seriously. Says Bery, while getting ready to cook an impressive meal in his kitchen, “The experience of food is a way of experiencing the world, different cultures.” Bery’s own food journey started while he was still very young.

He recalls, “I was clipping recipes from age nine. Even at age 12, I was associated with making brownies.” That interest was further piqued as a young student, and finally by his move to the US, first to study and then to work for the World Bank. There, as a bachelor, he would host dinner parties for which he would cook himself. Bery admits that “much of my experience with food has been Western”. But, he says, “My fascination for Indian food is more recent and I feel that the exquisite daintiness of Indian food is captured in Indian homes and not in restaurants.”

Being in the US in the early 1970s, at a time when that country witnessed an unprecedented number of great cookbooks written by food geniuses, shaped Bery as a gourmand. “There are”, he says, “some great authors who have been the anchors for me and my wife.” These authors are, of course, in the world pantheon of food gods.

For this column, Bery has referred to Marcella Hazan’s The Classic Italian Cook Book for the recipes (reproduced here) he is using. The book is dog-earned, with the cover missing — testimony to how often it has been used in the Bery household over the years. Of the meal he is in the process of cooking, Bery says, “What I am making is the food that we make at home, the food that our children have grown up on. This is a staple in this household.”

Apart from Hazan, Bery mentions the influential New York Times food editor of the 1970s, Craig Claiborne, whose writing in that paper and the publication of his book, The New York Times Cookbook, “started the food revolution in the US”. Pointing at his own copy of that book, Bery says, “This book made international cooking easy and fun. This is an all-purpose cookbook.”

Another major influence has been the well-known Julia Child, now the subject of a major Hollywood film. Her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is a Bery household favourite.

But the earliest food writer to who m Bery turned was Katherine Whitehorn, author of Cooking in a Bedsitter. Says Bery, “It’s full of simple recipes like pork chops.”

If food is both a gastronomic experience and an intellectual pursuit for Bery, can wine be far behind? He says, “Hugh Jackson’s Pocket Wine Book is my wine bible.”

As Bery talks about authors, food and wine, and walks us through his recipe and wine books collection, he is also active in the kitchen. Consulting Hazan’s recipes, Bery chops amd turns the meat around in its Le Creuset cookware, from time to time. He keeps the fires going, literally, and the food cooking. And though Bery says that he hasn’t cooked much in recent times, there are no accidents or minor disasters. At one point he says, almost to himself, “This is so nice and relaxing. I should cook more often.” Later in the evening he admits, “Like some people follow art, I follow food.”

So is food high art or just a daily necessity? Bery answers, “I see food as a summary of a society’s genius as much as language. All the arts start from something primitive and evolve, and evolve and evolve.” In Bery’s kitchen, that evolution seems complete.

FAVOURITE RECIPES
Spinach soup

1 kg fresh spinach
4 tbsp butter
1 cup canned chicken broth mixed with one cup water
2 cups milk
¼ tsp nutmeg
5 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese Salt

Discard any wilted or discoloured leaves and all stems. Wash in a basin in several changes of cold water until the water shows no traces of soil. Cook with just the water that clings to the leaves in a covered pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 15 minutes or until tender.

Drain the spinach, squeeze lightly to remove most of its moisture and chop roughly. Put the chopped, cooked spinach and butter in a stockpot. Saute the spinach over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth, milk, and nutmeg. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Add the Parmesan cheese and cook for 1 more minute, stirring two to three time. taste for salt. Serve immediately, with crostini, on the side.

CASSEROLE-ROASTED LAMB WITH JUNIPER BERRIES

2½ pounds leg of lamb, preferably butt end, bone in
1 tbsp chopped carrot
2 tbsp chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp chopped celery
1 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with a knife handle and peeled
½ tsp rosemary leaves
1½ tsp juniper berries
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, 4 to 6 twists of the mill

Put all the ingredients into a heavy casserole. Cover and cook on top of the stove at low heat for 2 hours, turning the meat every 45 minutes.

At this point the lamb should have thrown off a considerable amount of liquid. Set the cover askew, and cook for another 11/2 hours at slightly lighter heat. The meat should now be very tender at the pricking of a fork. If there is still too much liquid, uncover completely, raise the heat to high, and boil it until it is a little more concentrated. At the end of the meat must be a rich brown in colour.

Off the heat, tilt the casserole and draw off as much of the fat as you can with a spoon. If you are not serving immediately, do not degrease until after you have reheated it.