When Sarah, the family cook, receives a rare bouquet of praise from the irascible Sheridan Whiteside in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s revival of “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” it’s a scene that could be replayed in real life.
Actress Lee Roy Rogers, who plays Sarah in the George S. Kaufman/Moss Hart classic, is an accomplished vegetarian cook with a knack for producing meals that are tasty and uncomplicated. Her character’s cooking skills mirror her own, pleasing even someone as finicky as New York critic Whiteside, (played by John Mahoney), the “Man” of the play’s title whose extended stay in the home of a Midwestern family makes life miserable for everyone.
In the best theatrical tradition, Rogers plays the lead when she cooks at home. The kitchen is the focal point of her Uptown apartment. One of the first alterations made to the apartment when she and her husband purchased it six years ago was the removal of a wall to allow the kitchen to become part of the living room/dining area for entertaining.
“If possible, I will have a combination appetizer-first course prepared before people arrive,” she says. “Then they can sip wine and nibble while I am cooking and we can talk back and forth.”
Among her favorite appetizers is an antipasto platter of tomatoes, artichoke hearts, beets, olives, cheese and whatever else has caught her eye at the market. The vegetables are drizzled with vinaigrette, and Rogers provides plenty of bread for mopping up the juices.
The second act of her culinary productions may feature pasta, a main course soup or vegetable stew, or fish. Depending on her schedule, she will prepare a cobbler or pie for dessert, or buy something at a bakery.
“Cooking comes easily,” says Rogers, who has cooked for as many as 30 in the apartment. “I come from a family of female cooks.”
Her mother, as a 47-year-old widow with a desire to travel, cooked her way around the world on oil tankers for 15 years. Her sister manages the kitchen of a small restaurant. And Rogers (she added “Roy” because there already was a Lee Rogers in the actor’s union when she joined and duplicate names are not allowed) has been a volunteer cook at the Inspiration Cafe, an Uptown cafe for the homeless.
She does no onstage cooking in “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” though. Instead she presents Whiteside a treat she has prepared offstage, which pleases him, and a second that is swiped by another character.
Rogers takes no pride of creativity because the “treat” is a square of white bread topped with whipped cream from a can.
“We started with a macaroon,” she reports, “but it was too chewy to finish before the next line.”
At home, she is enthusiastic in describing a cold pasta salad she makes with feta, fresh herbs, olives and roasted plum tomatoes.
Sheridan Whiteside would be eager to come to dinner at her house.
SUMMER PEPPERONCINI PASTA
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
This spicy pasta dish from Lee Roy Rogers can be served warm or cold.
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 bunches green onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped pepperoncini, brine reserved, see note
3 tomatoes, seeded, chopped, juice reserved
1 package ( 1/2 ounce) fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 box (1 pound) whole wheat or plain linguine, cooked according to package directions, drained, kept warm
Grated Asiago cheese to taste
1. Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic; cook until softened but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add pepperoncini; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and about 1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine.
2. Turn heat to high; cook, stirring constantly, until tomatoes are heated, but not cooked, about 1 minute.
3. Spoon pepperoncini sauce over pasta; pass cheese at table.
Note: Pepperoncini are peppers that have been pickled and are found with the pickles and olives at the supermarket. Cut off stems before chopping pepperoncini.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 590 Fat ……….. 29 g Saturated fat .. 4 g
% calories from fat .. 45 Cholesterol … 0 mg Sodium …. 1,300 mg
Carbohydrates …… 75 g Protein ……. 15 g Fiber ……… 10 g
LEE ROY’S BEET SALAD
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 servings
6 each, washed: red and golden beets, stems, leaves removed, washed
1/4 cup each: sesame oil, wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari, or more to taste, see note
1. Place red and gold beets in separate saucepans of salted water to cover. Heat to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender when pierced with knife, about 40 to 50 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Peel beets; cut into quarters or rounds, keeping red and gold beets separate. Transfer each to a bowl. Stir together sesame oil and vinegar; pour evenly over beets in each bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in wok or large skillet. Add stems; cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in tamari; cook, stirring constantly, until dark green, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.
4. Combine cooked leaves and stems; arrange in center of platter. Make ring of red and golden beets around leaves. Serve at room temperature.
Note: Tamari is similar to soy sauce but thicker. It usually is sold in markets near the soy sauces. Soy sauce can be substituted.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 250 Fat ……….. 21 g Saturated fat .. 2.9 g
% calories from fat .. 75 Cholesterol … 0 mg Sodium …….. 370 mg
Carbohydrates …… 15 g Protein …….. 3 g Fiber ………… 3 g
