Long Island Larder: Quick And Easy

We trickled down the I-95 on our annual pilgrimage to Key West and got here just a few days ago - too late for Super Bowl tips and tactics. As for highway food, it's as changeless as the pyramids. The Hardees, Roy Rogers, Friendlys, KFCs, Burger Kings, et al. still blink and beckon drivers to their prefab food and little tungsten packets of condiments.

Never go into one of these places unless armed with a bowie knife. The plastic cutlery must be designed for the protection of small children, so about the only packet that I could gain entry to was the sugar for a giant, pale ice-stuffed waxpaper flagon of tea.

But, whatever their quality, eating in restaurants gets really old really soon to me. Too much food and, lately, just too much fussiness on every plate.

At Elizabeth's on 37th, perhaps the most famous restaurant in Savannah, there must have been at least 15 elements loaded onto every entree presentation. Rolled in crushed pecans or coconut, coated or stuffed with this or that, on a bed of some indefinable "greens," black-eyed peas and yams introduced indiscriminately into all sorts of unlikely crannies!

Desserts en route to other diners looked fascinating but we were too exhausted by all the overwrought flavors of the meal to try out any. Elizabeth's at 37th is heralded as the "best" in Savannah, but I rather doubt it, even though it is the most expensive. The owner-chef, Elizabeth Terry, is from Atlanta, and her nouvelle Southern cooking seems to be her own invention, but authentic low-country cooking it isn't.

One trip to any restaurant isn't really a fair sample, but the style of the kitchen can certainly be ascertained. And native-born South Carolinian though I am, hoop skirt and furbelow cookery just isn't my taste. However, Savannah, which is probably the most beautiful small city in America, offers many eating alternatives, both high and low, and I plan to explore more of them on my journey "north toward home" (in the immortal words of what used to be Bobby Van's own Willie Morris).

No-Frills Favorite

So upon arrival here in old Conchtown, we immediately fell into our old watering hole, decidedly unfrilly P.T.'s - home of iron skillets full of sizzling fajitas, mounds of roast chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, plain buttered carrots and steamed broccoli, Caesar salads that would fill a bushel basket, pitchers of beer and super margaritas.

Then off to the opposite extreme, the easygoing elegance of Antonia's, with its homemade feather-light pastas and the restrained culinary intelligence that knows just where to stop.

This restaurant burned to the ground year before last, but to everyone's great relief has been rebuilt exactly as it was - right down to the upholstered corner of banquettes with a simple striped awning that serves no purpose except for Tuscan atmosphere and a softening note in an otherwise all wood environment.

Inches That Count

But I do long for my very own kitchen (which will be returned to me tomorrow) and meanwhile have been enjoying exploring the possibilities of a kitchen equipped with a "Half-Pint" microwave, a capacious toaster oven (big enough to salt-roast a whole hog-snapper), and a two-ring electric counter unit. Sailors wouldn't find this arrangement difficult but it's been a while since I cooked on a boat.

It's good to be reminded how precious space can be and how many functions each pot

and square inch of counter can serve.

We had guests for Super Bowl festivities, which of course spread well across anyone's dinner hour - even ours, and we eat like Spaniards (9 or 10 p.m. usually).

Next time guests are expected and you want to be a guest yourself, you might try out this menu, expanded by as many numbers as you feel up to.

Tandoori-Style Game Hens

Feel free to change any of the spices because this is definitely a "use it up, make it do" pantry sort of meal. I thought two game hens I'd planned for four people looked a bit skimpy so added some sausages of smoked turkey and duck I found in my local market.

The "smoke" for my tandoori - which is in this instance a toaster-oven - is liquid mesquite that comes in a small bottle; the spices, leftover "shrimpboil" which contains cayenne, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, cumin, and a bunch of stuff that can vaguely pass for Indian seasonings.

Serves four.

2 large Cornish game hens (they vary in size several ounces)

1 tsp. mesquite-flavor liquid smoke

1 Tbsp. softened butter

2 tsp. minced fresh garlic

1 Tbsp. ground "shrimpboil" mix

Half a bunch of parsley or watercress

Remove and discard the giblets and neck. Rinse the birds well and dry them. Mix together the liquid smoke, butter, garlic, and shrimpboil. Rub this under the skin into the breast and thighs and all over the outside of the birds. Snap the wings behind the hens, tie the legs together with string and wrap each in heavy foil. Refrigerate for several hours or, better still, overnight. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the hens on a rack and roast them 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced. Let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. These are fine at room temperature. Cut them in half and arrange them on a platter with some parsley or watercress. I added some broiled smoked turkey and duck sausages to the chicken platter and they furnished a pleasant contrast of taste and texture.

Lentil Salad With Peppers

Few things are as handy to keep in the cupboard as a bag of dried lentils - salad, soup, or a vegetable are yours in a matter of minutes as lentils cook in 30 minutes, tops. Celery or bits of fresh tomato, pulped and chopped, or chopped red onion are other flavors you might want to add or substitute for some of the suggestions below.

Serves four to six.

1 lb. dried brown lentils

Water to cover by two inches

1 large chicken bouillon cube or homemade thin stock

Salt to taste

1 cup seeded, diced green bell pepper

4-5 scallions or 3 Tbsp. red onion, chopped

1 large jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

1/2 cup basic vinaigrette made with 4 parts olive oil to 1 part wine vinegar

Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

More oil if needed

1/2 cup parsley, minced

Wash the lentils and pour off the water carrying away any hulls or impurities three times. Put the lentils into a pot and cover them with cool water by two inches. Bring to a simmer, stir in chicken bouillon, and simmer until the lentils are just tender, 25 to 30 minutes. You do not want "crunchy" lentils but you do want them to hold their shapes so test often. Drain and spread out on a tray to cool quickly.

Prepare all the vegetables and stir into the lentils with chopsticks or the handle of a wooden spoon to avoid crushing them. Season to taste with vinaigrette and salt and black pepper. Set aside, covered loosely. Just before serving, taste, correct seasoning, add more oil if the salad looks dry, turn gently, then add most of the parsley and mix gently. Turn the lentil salad onto a deep platter, sprinkle with additional minced parsley, and serve.

Cucumbers and scallions in white wine vinegar make a simple "salad" and store-bought pineapple sherbet and some lovely thin Belgian butter cookies supplied by the guests rounded out the spicy and satisfactory easy meal.