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[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 6/27/02 ]

IN THE KITCHEN WITH...
CHARLES BLACK, 61, Atlanta
Feast for friends is a special joy

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• More on food, including recipes and columnists

Nominated by Alice Henry:

"For my money, one of the best cooks in Georgia has to be Charles A. Black. He can make any dish he sets his mind to because, although he rarely uses a recipe, he reads about food and he experiments with spices and is not afraid to exercise his creativity. The really special thing about Charles is his generosity. He cooks to share and to see everyone enjoy his food. After my husband died in 1999, he and his wife invited me and other friends for a theme dinner every Friday night for several months. The themes extended from the food to the decor and sometimes to our dress. No country was too challenging. We ate Moroccan, African, French, and you name it! It was a real act of love, and I will never forget it. Charles never misses an opportunity to gather his friends together and feed them good food and wine."

Charles Black has led a rich and well-traveled life, which he lives with passion and intensity. His wealth of experience comes together with flair at his table and in the food he prepares for his friends.

  • Family/background: "I came here from Miami to go to Morehouse College and have been here ever since. I was active in the student civil rights movement, and for a few years after school, I edited the Atlanta Inquirer, a paper which grew out of the student movement. After that, I worked for the EOA [Equal Opportunity Atlanta] and later was a civil rights compliance officer for the feds. John Lewis, Julian Bond, Lonnie King and I formed Frontiers Unlimited, a national consulting firm which focused on community organizing. I have been a free-lance consultant, an art broker and -- for about the past 12 years -- an actor.


    "I got into my latest incarnation when my wife's daughter was going to acting class and we were asked to participate. I've appeared in several local stage venues. On film, I've been a city councilman in 'In the Heat of the Night,' filmed in Covington, and also appeared in 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,' 'The Patriot' and 'The Rosa Parks Story.' "

  • Hobbies, interests: "I love to cook, and I also enjoy plays and concerts and traveling. I like to consider myself a citizen-at-large, so I do a lot of volunteering. I serve on the Hammonds House board. I'm involved with the American Diabetes Association, Hands on Atlanta, the Southern Regional Council, the Morehouse Alumni Association, my church's benevolence committee, the NAACP and various political and civic campaigns."

  • Who taught you to cook? "Nobody. When I was 15, my two older siblings left for college and my mother joined the work force. One day she told me to have dinner ready. So for the next three years, I cooked dinner every night. We always ate at 6. What was funny was, when I was 42 years old, my mother told me she was only kidding. She told me to make dinner but really didn't expect that I would. She saw that I could do it so she just kept it up."

  • How did your love of cooking develop? "I find it extremely therapeutic and a great distraction from the rest of the world. When you are cooking, you really can't focus on much else. It's hard to be stressed about things when you are chopping onions."

  • Culinary roots: "My parents were from South Georgia before they moved to Miami, so I would say I was raised on soul food."

  • Cooking style: "Experimental. Sometimes Italian, sometimes Cajun, sometimes Continental. . . ."

  • Who do you cook for? "Now my wife allows me to cook every day. I also have a group of friends I call my posse. We get together as much as we can."

  • What is the most enjoyable aspect of cooking? "Without a doubt, cooking for my friends."

  • Specialties: "The thing I am most known for is my roasted turkey -- which is the best in the world -- my chili and my oysters Rockefeller, which are truly the best in all the world. I also make a whole fish with the head on (usually salmon) stuffed with jalape–o peppers, vegetables and garlic. I bake it in foil."

  • Favorite thing to eat: "I love all kinds of seafood. With one exception: eel."

  • A culinary high point: "A high point for me was when I was served fettuccine Alfredo in Rome by Alfredo himself. He asked where we were from and when I told him Georgia, he proceeded to sing Georgia songs."

  • Culinary pet peeve: "Anybody who seasons food before they taste it. I know that what I am serving is as near to perfect as I can get it, and when they sit down and start salting it, it drives me mad. They also don't get invited back."

  • Culinary achievements: "I have cooked a number of times for the 100 Black Women of Atlanta at a charity event called Gourmet Gents. My chili won the Hosea Williams 'best dish for feeding the masses.' "

  • What's the magic ingredient that makes some cooks turn out great food? "If you are not enjoying the process, you are not doing it right. If you savor the experience, the food will always turn out better."

  • Culinary ambitions: "I'd love to have my own cooking show."

  • Do you have a tip for today's cooks? "I like to refer to myself as a flavormeister. To me, the most important thing about food, in addition to looking good, is that it must taste good. And the flavor must be lasting. The taste must endure. You don't want something that hits you with a bang and then fizzles. This may take several tries, but it is something you have to achieve."

    -- Betty Parham



    MAIN DISH

    Charles' Seafood Linguine

    Makes 6 servings
    Preparation time: 30 minutes
    Cooking time: 25 minutes

    This recipe was first discovered at Charlie's Crab on Miami Beach a couple of decades ago and has, of course, undergone some revisions. The seafood ingredients vary from one preparation to another. Seasonings may vary by taste of the cook or guests. Time your pasta so that it will be ready when the sauce is, to keep vegetables and fish from becoming overcooked.

    1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

    1/2 cup diced white onion

    3 cloves garlic, chopped

    1 stalk celery, diced

    1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

    1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced

    2 tablespoons seeded and chopped jalapeno peppers

    1/4 cup baby sliced carrots

    1 cup broccoli florets

    1 (6 1/2-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, drained or with oil, depending on taste

    1 (2-ounce) jar pimentos

    1 (10 1/2-ounce) can white clam sauce

    Juice of 1 lemon

    Juice of 1/2 lime

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    1/4 cup white wine

    1 pound monkfish or other firm fish, cut into 1-inch pieces

    3/4 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

    2 (9-ounce) packages refrigerated linguine

    Salt and pepper to taste

    1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley



    Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

    In a large pan, melt the butter. Saute the onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms, green pepper and jalapeno until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, broccoli, artichokes and pimentos and stir to combine. Add clam sauce, lemon juice and lime juice and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. In a separate skillet, add olive oil and wine; saute fish for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and saute for 2 more minutes. Add to vegetable mixture and stir to combine.

    When cooking shrimp, place linguine in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain and place in serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in sauce and garnish with parsley.

    Per serving: 675 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 40 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 32 grams fat, 164 milligrams cholesterol, 470 milligrams sodium.

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