Hallelujah! The Welcome Table_ A Lifetime of Memories With Recipes - Maya Angelou [38]
Dolly’s apartment was ready to be photographed for House Beautiful. In the living room a Federal nineteenth-century sofa sat on a lilac wall-to-wall carpet. An antique sewing table functioned as a side table while Queen Anne chairs surrounded a Duncan Phyfe table. Her walls were filled with fine art. Dolly was graced in a long housecoat. We had laughed together so quickly the night before that I had not noticed her very formal manners.
She served us good sherry in beautiful crystal glasses. I complimented her on their beauty and she said she had picked them up in France during her tour as a Fulbright Scholar.
Had the aromas from the kitchen not burgeoned with savory promises, I would have thought that maybe she was too highfalutin to cook for my taste.
I told her the food smelled inviting, then asked if she had some scotch. She said yes, and when Rosa said she’d like scotch as well Dolly said she would join us but with a sherry.
On her last trip from the kitchen, she announced that brunch was served. Her dining table could have groaned under the weight of her offerings. Parsleyed egg noodles shone under a lathering of butter, and in another dish string beans looked crisp and pert. There was a loaf of warm bread on a cutting board and a lovely platter of sautéed chicken livers and onions. A gravy boat filled with dark brown sauce sat nearby.
It looked good enough to eat. I hoped it was. The livers earned my lifelong respect. They were well done but still soft, and the gravy was delicious without the well-known bitterness so often found in liver gravy. The beans were tender but still had some crunchy character, and the crust of the bread was crisp while the soft inside was warm enough to make the room-temperature butter submit.
Rosa smiled at the table with approval.
When we finished brunch, Dolly said now she would have a scotch. She liked to have a full meal before she drank liquor. That sounded reasonable to me.
On the strength of the perfectly cooked brunch and on the chemistry that passed between us, I thought I’d like to have Dolly for my sister-friend.
That was nearly forty years ago and we now live in the same town and each of us has spent decades working at the same university. We still say hallelujah for our sisterhood and I am still praising Dolly’s chicken livers and gravy. And I have become used to having a sherry before dinner, with the meal, and a scotch after.
Chicken Livers
SERVES 4
1 pound chicken livers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons diced celery
2 tablespoons minced green onion (white and green parts)
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cups chicken broth
⅓ cup good-quality dry sherry
Wash and separate chicken livers, and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper, and dredge in ½ cup flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet, and sautê livers for 2 minutes on each side. Remove livers from skillet.
Add remaining oil to skillet, and sautê celery and all onions until translucent. Add remaining flour to skillet. When brown, add chicken broth. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Put livers back in skillet, and add sherry. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Serve at once.
Buttered Noodles
SERVES 4
½ teaspoon salt
2 quarts water
One 1-pound package egg noodles
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
In large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add noodles. Cook over medium to high heat for 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Drain. Mix butter and parsley with noodles, and serve at once.
THERE WERE BRICKS IN MY MATTRESS and rocks in my pillow and no rest at all in my bed. On the same lumpy surface my husband lay snoring gently, a look of sweet satisfaction on his face. I so envied his delicious peace that I was tempted to pinch