It's been a hard time. Jonathan Gold's death has been so shocking and terrible, I haven't been able to think about much else. It's a huge loss, not only to those of us who knew and loved him, but to the entire world of food.
I was in Italy when he went into the hospital. When I told Massimo Bottura, he burst into tears. And then he fed me the dish at the top. Could anything be more appropriate?
It's fish two ways: the black biscuit is a smush of raw sardine. The liquid is the most intense, most delicious broth. Jonathan would have loved it.
Other dishes I wished Jonathan had been there to share with me:
Eel swimming up the Po River: we shared this dish last year, when we were in Modena together. The eel is flanked on one side by polenta, on the other by a wonderfully acetic apple reduction.
The yin to the yang of Burnt: Sole.
Five ages of Parmesan in different textures and temperatures.
A new dish: tortelloni of snails, hare and herbs. I cried eating this because Jonathan will never get to taste it.
Zuppa Inglese