TRAVERSE CITY -- West Nelson's cooking prowess can be traced to two sources: genes and necessity.
Genes because both his mother and grandmother were excellent cooks. Necessity because when he was in the third grade growing up in Queens, N.Y., his mom went back to school. After that, if he wanted dinner at what most people would consider a normal time, he had to take charge.
"If I wanted to eat when I wanted to eat as opposed to having to wait, I had to fend for myself -- fish sticks, bacon and eggs," said Nelson, who now lives in Traverse City. "Then I started reading recipes."
And he never stopped. Nelson began with his mother's fried chicken, handed down from his grandmother. He also got really good at French toast.
Flash forward to college, when he became the most popular guy in the dorm at Kalamazoo College after he figured out that by leaving the top off, an old Hamilton Beach Scovill popcorn popper could function as a wok. An electric teapot doubled nicely as a rice cooker, though he had to "try really hard not to let it burn because there was no simmer option."
"I did a lot of stir fry in my dorm room," he added. "Every once in a while someone would be having his sweetheart for the weekend and ask me to make something, or every once in a while there was a party.
"Or I'd be scrambling eggs in the wok (popcorn popper) on Sunday mornings with leftover champagne. People would come, 'West is cooking again ...'"
These days that old popcorn popper is but a sweet memory as Nelson cooks on a stove in a real kitchen. But he makes just as effective use of his stove as he did the popcorn popper.
A computer consultant and instructional designer by day -- or night, depending on where in the world his clients are located at any given time -- he cooks when he can. That often means weekends, when gathering with friends.
"All of my friends are into food," he said.
For example, one recent Saturday found him slicing and dicing in preparation for whipping up a huge batch of chili to take to a gathering that evening. Friends were also bringing their own versions of chili for an informal cookoff.
He was excited about his because it was heavy on spices, and vegetables. In fact, he's especially enjoyed experimenting with seasonings and creating his own spice mixes.
"What I like to do when I make chili is layer the spices," he said. "The veggies get one set of spices, the meat gets another. Then when I throw in the tomatoes and beans, I season again."
Nelson has tried to become more health-conscious in the kitchen over the years. Grandma's fried chicken gets done in the oven instead of the frying pan. He loves farm market season, when fresh produce is readily available for his favorite recipes.
With family roots in the Chesapeake Bay area, Nelson has always been a seafood fan. He re-creates his grandmother's treasured crab cake recipe for friends, knowing enough to make a double batch. His signature dish is Spicy Sesame Noodles with Shrimp and Scallops, which he based on a recipe acquired from a friend in New York City's Chinatown.
"People have proposed to me over this dish," he said.
He also likes to experiment, as in when he saw a TV show about Britain's Prince Charles catching trout in Scotland and was inspired to grill fresh trout of his own with a Scotch-laced marinade.
"It was a month before my eyebrows grew back," he said. "But the trout, it melted in your mouth."
While he has a favorite meatloaf recipe that is a combination of ground beef and lamb, he's cut back substantially on red meat.
Beyond that, he's crossed over from cooking by the book to cooking by instinct.
"Nobody in my family measured anything," he said. "You look, you smell. Too much of this, not enough of that."
Chernobyl Chili
Olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 sweet red peppers
1 sweet yellow pepper
1 large onion
6 large jalapeno peppers
4 good-sized cherry bomb peppers
1 small habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
10 big cloves of garlic
3 big carrots
2 packages of sliced mushrooms
2 t. liquid smoke
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. ground pork
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
11/2 t. of salt
1 heaping T. each of: smoked paprika, chili powder, rosemary, sage, cayenne pepper, thyme
Combine the salt and all of the other spices into a cup and mix them together. Use the back of a spoon to grind them coarsely against the side of the cup. Set aside.
Thinly slice or quarter the garlic cloves. Dice all the other vegetables except the mushrooms. Removing the pith and the seeds of the habanero pepper is recommended if you want to taste the rest of the ingredients. Removing the pith and the seeds of the other peppers is optional.
In a large stock pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Put the vegetables and the bay leaves into the pot. Add 1/3 (a heaping teaspoon) of the spice mixture and cook until the peppers are soft. Stir frequently.
When the vegetables are soft, add the meat, the liquid smoke and 1/3 of the spice mixture. Break up the meat as it cooks and mix it thoroughly with the vegetables.
When the meat is cooked through, add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and the rest of the spice mixture. Stir the pot until everything is completely mixed together. Bring to a boil for five minutes then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for three hours. Stir frequently.
Add more seasoning as needed. Serve over rice or with a hearty bread. Serves many.
"This is my beer bread recipe that's a bit of a compilation of other recipes I've used over the years," Nelson said.
Whole Wheat Honey Beer Bread
3 c. whole wheat flour (sifting this before measuring is very important if you don't want to take a brick out of the oven)
3 t. baking powder (omit if using self-rising flour)
1 t. salt (omit if using self-rising flour)
1/4 c. honey
1 (12-oz.) can beer
1/2 c. melted butter or olive oil (1/4 c. will do just fine)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and beer. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Pour melted butter over mixture.
Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.
The final result should be a hearty, thick (but not dense) and very enjoyable bread. Makes 6-8 servings.
Nannie Mae's Crab Cakes
2 slices dried bread (crusts are optional)
Milk
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. fresh parsley or flakes
1 T. baking powder
1 t. Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 t. salt (optional as there's plenty of salt in the Worcestershire and Old Bay)
1/4 t. dry mustard or curry powder
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. lump crabmeat
In a large bowl, break bread into small pieces. Moisten with milk.
Add mayo, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, baking powder, Old Bay, dry mustard, salt, egg and crabmeat. Mix lightly and shape into patties. If time permits, refrigerate patties 30 minutes to help keep them together when cooking.
Broil or fry until golden-brown on both sides. Makes 6 servings.
"This recipe will require some juggling, but it's worth it. I have known it to give my friends the incentive to move friendships to the next level or to propose. That's all I can say in a family-oriented publication," Nelson said.
Spicy Sesame Noodles with Shrimp and Scallops
2 lbs Soba noodles (spaghetti, linguini or angel hair pasta can be substituted)
1 lb. medium shrimp*
1 lb. bay scallops
2 T. hot sesame oil, divided
3/4 c. scallions (1/4 of which is reserved)
1 head of broccoli florets
4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 T. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 t. Chinese Five Spice powder
1&1/2 c. peanut butter
2 T. tamari or soy sauce
1 T. hot sauce
In a small sauce pan, add the peanut butter, tamari or soy sauce and the hot sauce. Melt everything together over a low flame. Stir occasionally.
Rinse and drain scallops. Clean, devein and rinse the shrimp. Put shellfish aside. *You can slice the shrimp in half length-wise if you want to appear to increase the number of shrimp.
Prepare a pot of water for the noodles. Add 1 tablespoon of the hot sesame oil to the water and bring it to a boil.
As the water gets hot, heat a wok or a frying pan over medium high heat. When the wok or pan is hot, add the other tablespoon of hot sesame oil to it.
To the hot oil, add the sliced garlic and ginger and stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
Add the broccoli florets and cook until they turn dark green.
Next, add 1/2 cup of the scallions, the shrimp, scallops and Chinese Five Spice powder. Toss it all together in the wok until all of the shrimp turn pink. Remove the wok from the heat and finish the noodles.
When the water in the pot has started to boil, add the noodles. Note: soba noodles or angel hair pasta will not take as long to cook as spaghetti or linguini.
After the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander and place them in a large serving bowl (or return them to the wok). Add the contents of the wok. Pour the contents of the sauce pan over the noodles and mix everything together really well. Serve immediately or as a cold side-dish. Makes 8 servings.
Kathy Gibbons can be reached at gibbonskath@yahoo.com. For more Everyday Cook columns, log on to record-eagle.com/everydaycook.
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