Published: September 25, 2007 11:47 pm            

Kitchen compositions: Man’s cooking takes a note from his musical career

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — For composer Arthur Sharp, cooking is a little like creating music.

When he composes a score, Sharp starts with an idea. A dish in his Salem, Mass., kitchen begins much the same way.

It could be something as simple as “I want fish.” From there, the idea grows — sometimes quite elaborately.

“It will be Wednesday, and I will be planning what I am going to eat on Friday,” said Sharp, 53, an elementary school music teacher in Middleton. “My friends and family think I am crazy — but they don’t complain after they’ve eaten.”

Sharp dives wholeheartedly into whatever he’s creating — be it something to listen to or something to eat.

With music, once he’s done with the basic idea crafted by experimenting with virtual instruments on the computer, he mixes in additional instruments to give a piece depth.

The process is similar for building a meal, with enhancements usually added right in the pan. After his initial taste, he decides whether to add a little salt here or thyme there.

“You want to add flavor, so it’s a little like, ‘What sort of instrument do I want to use?’” said Sharp, who rarely uses a recipe or makes a dish the same way twice.

Sharp began bringing his musical composition skills to the kitchen when he left his parents’ house at age 18. Over the last 30 years, he has become a master in the kitchen, according to his wife, Anne Sterling, who nominated him for Cook of the Month.

“He makes symphonies in the kitchen,” Sterling said. “He’s not Italian, but he should have been because of the way he cares about food.”

Sharp’s wife is not only impressed with what her husband cooks, but how he makes it — sometimes going just by taste and often drawing on the memory of an earlier dish he’s made or eaten.

“He can taste slight differences,” Sterling said. “He’s got an incredible set of taste buds.”

Many of Sharp’s dishes begin in his garden, which is slowing down its production for the season. While it contains a few traditional vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, some of his favorite ingredients from his garden are mustard greens and rockcress — a cousin of watercress.

“I am an organic gardener, and I try to eat organically,” he said.

Sharp tends to be adventurous when it comes to eating, he said. His friends and family don’t always follow suit.

“My wife doesn’t like any of the herbs I like,” he said.

Sterling confirmed this.

“He was going to put garlic on the Thanksgiving turkey,” she said, adding that she put her foot down.

“No way are you tarting up the turkey. Leave it alone, it’s fine,” she recalls telling her husband.

Sharp is happy to tailor his dishes to satisfy his guests’ tastes — as long as they don’t distract him in the kitchen. Just as with his compositions, complete concentration is needed in the kitchen to prepare his meals, he said.

“Don’t bring up politics or something when I am cooking,” he said. “I’ll mess up the food.”



Rosemary Ford writes for The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass.



X X X



Arthur Sharp’s essential kitchen tools

r Garlic press r Food processor r Butcher knife r Tongs r Dishwasher

And ingredients

r Chicken broth r Artichoke hearts r Mushrooms r Red wine r Chives and other herbs from his garden



Chicken With Garlic Mustard Greens

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness

1 1/2 cups garlic mustard leaves (stems removed), finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Amontillado (medium dry sherry)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 cups artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 cup capers, drained

2 large or 4 small cloves pressed garlic

1 1/2 cups onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken stock

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (just enough to cover the chicken)

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Combine chicken, garlic mustard leaves, sherry, red wine vinegar, artichoke hearts, capers, garlic, onions, mushrooms and the water (or chicken stock) in a large stainless steel bowl.

Let marinate for one to two hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade and bread it with the whole-wheat flour.

Heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. When it reaches the point of fragrance, brown the breaded chicken in the pan, turning it over once after 30 seconds or so.

After another half minute of browning, add the rest of the ingredients to the pot (putting aside the sea salt and any remaining flour) and cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer.

Simmer for another 15 minutes (don’t remove the cover). Slide the pot back and forth once or twice while the chicken is cooking to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add sea salt, stir, and serve over rice. If you like, you can cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces while it’s sitting in the pot before you serve it.



Chicken Soup

Whole chicken, cut up with skin removed

1 yellow onion

1 bunch fresh dill (chopped)

3 to 4 carrots, peeled

3 to 4 stalks celery

1/2 turnip, peeled

1 bay leaf

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Put the chicken in a pot. Add enough water to cover the chicken, including the giblets. Turn heat to high.

Carefully clean the dill (Sharp usually gives it a bath and then rinses it in a colander), remove the stems and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the onion into 1/8-inch pieces. Add the onion, dill and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for one hour.

Prepare remaining vegetables while chicken is cooking. Cut the turnip into 1/2-inch cubes (discard the center, which is usually very tough) and the carrots, celery, turnips and mushrooms into slices 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.

After an hour, take the chicken out of the pot and remove the meat from the bones. If you don’t like chicken livers, you can also fish out the giblets at this time. Dump the carrots, celery, turnip and mushrooms into the pot, cover and cook while you are deboning the chicken.

Test the turnips for doneness (they should be soft after 15 to 20 minutes). When they are done, add the chicken and salt and serve. Be careful not to oversalt (you can always add more to your own bowl later). Refrigerate and/or freeze some in plastic containers. If you do freeze it, let it cool off in the refrigerator or on a cold window sill first.

May be served by itself or over rice, noodles or barley.





Kate’s Old-Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust with Crumb Crust Topping



Crumb Crust Topping

1/2 stick butter

Sugar, to taste

1 cup flour

Combine ingredients together so that the crumbs are approximately 1/2-inch in diameter. Refrigerate. Topping may be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator.



Flaky Pie Crust

2 1/4 cups enriched unbleached flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

5 to 6 tablespoons ice water



Mix half the flour and salt in a bowl.

Cut half butter into the flour with a fork until the size of large (pea-sized) lumps. If you have trouble using a small fork, try a large serving fork used to toss salad; this may work better than a small one.

Mix in half the ice water just until it comes together. Try to work quickly so the ingredients stay cold. Do not over-mix. That will make your crust tough.

Combine the rest of the flour and salt in a separate bowl for a second mixing. Cut the remaining half of butter into this mixture the same way as earlier, but work toward smaller (corn meal-sized) lumps. Mix in the remaining ice water. Remember to work quickly if you can.

Combine half the dough from the first mixing of pea-sized lumps, with half the dough from the second mixing of corn meal-sized lumps. Dust flour onto wax paper. Spread dough onto wax paper and cover with another piece of wax paper. Roll crust between the paper with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Repeat by combining remaining dough and forming second crust.

Place each crust in glass pie plate. You’ll probably have to piece it together since it may have fallen apart when you put it in the plate. (Don’t despair; this is a good sign. If your crust falls apart now it will be tender later on.)

Try and keep the crust to a uniform thickness in the pie plates. If it is too thin in one section, it may tend to burn there.

Add desired filling, then top with crumb topping. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated, 350-degree oven.

Makes two pies.

        

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