Mealtime Magic: First We Surf Then We Eat

Jim Kempton has spent his life traveling and surfing the world, along the way learning to cook the world’s best beach-loving dishes. Now he’s sharing his vividly colorful, richly flavorful, and vibrantly healthful collection of recipes, along with stories of the best waves, markets, restaurants, adventures, and misadventures that he’s experienced—from Tahiti to Hawaii, the Basque Country to Indonesia, California to Mexico, Peru, Morocco and beyond.

Jim put it all together in his new book, First We Surf Then We Eat. I had a chance to review this book, which was really intriguing. It was fun to see all the sites for the inspiration, and also pretty neat to see the variety of recipes.

I had a chance to interview him to learn more, as well as share one of the delicious recipes in the book.

Why did you decide to write this book?

I've been traveling since I was a kid. And collecting recipes of food I loved along the way. I wanted to write a  book that went beyond my surfing life and the audience I had written to for so many years. I began to realize that this collection of stories and the assemblage of recipes were not only a sort of memoir compilation but they went together - both as my passions and my experience. And that it might be enjoyed by a lot of people who love the beach, love cooking and love travel - or all three.

How did you choose the recipes that are in this book?

They had to be really tasty, and they had to be reasonably simple to cook. Throughout my travels, I've tasted a lot of different dishes from many parts of the world. But some were just so good or so unique that they were worth getting the recipes. Some I learned while living with a friend or family in a country, some from watching really good cooks do their magic, some given to me on napkins, backs of envelopes, stuck in journals, or just sent by letter or email. If I didn't really love them, and if a regular person couldn't cook them, they didn't go in.

Obviously you like all the recipes or they wouldn't be in this book, but do you have any favorites?

If he has any favorites, those would be the ones I'd want to reprint; if he doesn't, then the Trinidad coleslaw and the Opakapaka Laulau (just because I love to say that in my head)

That comment alone is worth using and worth choosing the Mac crust fish dish! The Poulet Basque is easy and a real crowd pleaser, and the Pancit Noodles are cheap, quick and easy. - kinda like me! 

Poulet Basquaise

Recipe from First We Surf Then We Eat by Jim Kempton/Prospect Park Books/September 2018.

One late autumn day, I ate this dish for the first time at Pierre Gascogne’s home. I met Pierre on my second trip to the Basque country, when we were twenty-two. He became the founding publisher of Surf Session in France, and I became the publisher of Surfer. (Must have been something in the wine.) We have remained great friends all these years, and I still cook Poulet Basquaise every chance I get. Like a lot of things the French do with food, it is a simple masterpiece in a one-pot dish. Genius.

Note: Piment d’Espelette is a Basque paprika that’s available at most specialty supermarkets or online.

SERVES 6

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

3 onions, sliced (as one would for fajitas) 

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 sweet bell peppers, sliced (same as onions—I use 2 green and 2 yellow for color)

2 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped

6 small, skinless, bone-in chicken breasts 

4 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs 

1 cup white wine

½ to 1 cup chicken stock

Piment d’Espelette, to taste

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a deep saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and let them become golden, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and tomatoes, and cook for 10 minutes over low heat. 

In another saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Fry chicken pieces until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to saucepan with vegetables. 

Pour in white wine. Add . cup or more chicken stock if needed to cover chicken. Cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes, occasionally stirring and tasting regularly. When the sauce is cooked down, add piment d’Espelette, salt, and pepper to taste. 

Poulet Basquaise is traditionally served over white rice, but you can substitute brown rice. Zucchini and eggplant are sometimes added to the dish by the Basques, depending on what else is being served.