Richard Olney, who died last week at his home in the Provencal town of Soulis-Toucas, had an unparalleled view of French food and wine.
An Iowa-born painter who did his most memorable work with words, he was drawn to Paris in the early 1950s as the French palate regained its pre-war edge, and he stayed through the glory days of de Gaulle, the nouvelle cuisine revolution and, most recently, a wave of nostalgia for the rustic foods he never gave up.
No other American was on such intimate terms with the nobility of French gastronomy. He gained attention in the 1960s with columns and recipes in the prestigious magazines Cuisine et Vins de France and La Revue de Vins de France. Neither had easy access for a foreigner, but as the late James Beard noted, “He is acutely critical of what he eats and drinks and sometimes intolerant, but he can defend his point of view knowledgeably and articulately.”
Later Olney wrote biographies of two of the world’s most renown wineries, Chateau d’Yquem in Bordeaux and Romanee Conti in Burgundy. A table was available to him at any time in the celebrated three- and two-star Guide Michelin restaurants–unless he was feuding with the chef.
Yet Olney’s reputation in this country is based on a book published in 1974 with the beguiling if somewhat misleading title “Simple French Food.”
“Simple is the password in cooking today,” he wrote. “If food is not simple, it is not good.”
It appeared only four years after “The French Menu Cookbook,” a hymn to classic, formal dining in the French manner, but the new book’s reflections of sunny, sensual Provence caught a nascent culinary wave that is with us still.
Improvisational cooking also was part of his style.
He wrote: “The approach to improvisation must vary with the individual. I have to see everything before me: The refrigerator is emptied out, down to the last drop of a jellied roasting juice or dribble of rice and the cupboards and vegetable bins are examined; all possible in ingredients are lined up on a table. From a given lineup a number of possibilities will always present themselves and, when one’s path has been chosen, the rejects may of course be removed and examined anew for some other course for the meal.”
Much is made, rightly, of Olney’s influence on Alice Waters and the culinary philosophy at the then newly opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, a restaurant often credited with being the North Church steeple whose lanterns sent culinary Paul Reveres riding in all directions to propagate a “new” American cuisine.
As consultant to the vastly popular Time-Life Books series “The Good Cook,” he produced step-by-step photographic sequences and recipes that offered classic techniques and ingredient combinations.
Olney disliked, even detested, much of what was done in his name or in the name of “Simple French Food.” He angrily attacked the affectations and excesses of nouvelle cuisine. He was scathing in his assessment of wines made to mature younger and taste smoother.
As a fixed star in the culinary firmament with an audience of acolytes on both sides of the Atlantic, Olney was happy in his misery about the decline of culinary standards in our time.
EGGPLANT GRATIN
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from the late Richard Olney’s “Simple French Food,” this recipe is well suited to the season.
1 1/2 pounds eggplant (preferably small, elongated variety) sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices (or, if large, sliced crosswise)
Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Pinch ground red pepper
4 ounces ricotta or other fresh white cheese
1 egg
Pepper
About 1 cup freshly grated
Parmesan
About 1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh basil leaves and flowers
1. Cook eggplant slices in hot olive oil in large skillet until golden brown on both sides and tender at all points. Drain on absorbent paper toweling. (For this quantity, the slices will probably have to be fried in 3 batches, additional oil being added to the pan for each.)
2. Cook onion in olive oil for 15 minutes until soft and yellowed. Add garlic and tomatoes; season, turn the flame high, tossing several times, until well heated. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or so until the tomatoes’ liquid is almost completely reduced. Taste for salt.
3. Mash the white cheese with a fork; beat in egg. Season and stir in enough Parmesan to bring the mixture to a thick paste (about 1/2 cup). Stir in cream until a heavy but easily poured creamy consistency is achieved. Taste for salt.
4. Line the bottom of a gratin dish or shallow baking dish with half of the eggplant slices. Grind over a bit of pepper. Tear basil leaves into tiny pieces; sprinkle the surface evenly with leaves and flowers. Sprinkle lightly with cheese; spoon tomato mixture evenly over surface.
5. Gently press remaining eggplant slices into place; spoon the cheese-custard mixture regularly over entire surface. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan. Put into a fairly hot oven (425-450 degrees), turning it down after some 10 minutes to about 375 degrees. Cook 25 minutes or until the surface has swelled, no depression remaining in the center, and it is uniformly colored a rich golden brown.
Nutrition information per serving (calculated by the Tribune):
Calories ………… 545 Fat ………… 44 g Saturated fat .. 16 g
% calories from fat .. 71 Cholesterol .. 120 mg Sodium ……. 545 mg
Carbohydrates …… 22 g Protein …….. 18 g Fiber ……….. 6 g
SAUTE OF GREEN BEANS
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from Richard Olney’s “Simple French Food.”
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1 large sweet onion, halved, finely sliced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 pounds green beans, parboiled (cooked until still slightly firm, about 5 minutes, drained)
Chopped parsley
1. Melt half of the butter in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, 15-20 minutes. At the same time gently stew the tomatoes, apart, in the remaining butter with a pinch of salt and the oregano, tossing or stirring to prevent their sticking, until nearly dry, all the excess liquid having been evaporated.
2. Add parboiled beans to onion; salt. Turn flame up; toss regularly over a period, about 15 minutes. The beans and onions should both be lightly browned, but one must take care not to let the onions color too darkly. Add the tomatoes, pepper, and half the parsley; toss everything together for 5 minutes or so, sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 185 Fat ………… 12 g Saturated fat .. 7 g
% calories from fat .. 53 Cholesterol … 30 mg Sodium …… 135 mg
Carbohydrates …… 19 g Protein ……. 4.3 g Fiber ………. 7 g
