Cooking adds to retiree's busy life
Age isn't what defines you," says 66-year-old Dick Navarre. "You define yourself."
Since he escaped the ultra-stressful world of hospital administration 15 years ago, Dick has redefined himself as bookstore proprietor, photographer and cook.
Though he euphemistically calls himself retired, Dick's 60-hour workweeks are jammed into This Old Book, his new and used bookstore in Grayslake, and photography. He sells his work at the shop and online.
When hunger calls, he finds plenty of time for yet another "obsession."
"One of the greatest surprises of my life was that I actually enjoyed cooking," says Dick, who never touched a pot or pan until after he left his job in a Pittsburg hospital.
He started out of necessity. His wife, Pam, was working late.
"I realized I was going to starve to death," he says, "and it wasn't fair to her to come home and fix my dinner when I'm here."
Within a month he realized that their kitchen equipment was a pile of junk, so he purchased high-end knives and pots and pans.
Now Dick prepares 80 percent of the meals "because I want to."
He threw himself into learning as much as possible about cooking, a repeating pattern in his life.
"When I get a new cookbook, I take it to bed with me to read. I want to understand where the writer is coming from."
His personal collection numbers about 200, plus he can plunder "an enormous cooking section" at his 3,000-square-foot shop.
Chinese food was a "fixation" for a while, especially uber-hot Szechuan.
"I'm not happy unless I'm blowing the top of my head off."
Mexican cuisine captivates him, too. Dick plans to cook every recipe in Rick Bayless's "Mexican Everyday."
In the meantime, he is perfecting thin-crust pizza.
"I'm still not happy with the results, but I won't quit until I am," he says. "I'm bone-headed."
Cooking is a bit like photography for Dick, "a very personal thing."
When someone likes a picture he has taken or a dish he prepared, "it makes me happy."
Obsessively well organized, Dick sets up a "mise en place" for every dish, collecting equipment and measuring ingredients before he starts cooking.
Though the Navarres work long hours, they take time every Sunday afternoon - "we're really, really religious about this" - to plan the week's menu and write a grocery list.
"It only takes about 10 minutes and then you always have ingredients you need and you never come home and say 'I don't know what to cook for dinner.'"
What's on the menu this week? Three easy recipes.
Chinese Garlic Chicken is the most involved with a marinade plus a sauce, but technically it's a breeze. Zesty Grilled Shrimp has eight ingredients; Herbed Pepper Steak only five.
Far from the stress of corporate life and open-heart surgeries, Dick savors each day as "the old man" of "This Old Book."
"Retirement is wonderful, I'm working like a dog and having a ball," he says. "It's like Christmas every day."
Herbed Pepper Steak
2 tablespoons pepper, coarsely ground
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1-2 pounds flank steak
Combine pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and dry mustard. Rub on both sides of steak.
Fold a paper towel into a square and soak with peanut oil; rub grill rack to prevent sticking. Set grill to medium high heat. Cook 6 minutes on first side then flip and cook 5 minutes on second side for medium rare. Remove steak, cover with foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal and serve with grilled veggies.
Serves three to six.
@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 300 calories, 13 g fat (5 g saturated), 2 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 42 g protein, 70 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium.
Zesty Grille Shrimp
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoons dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
Combine oil, tomato sauce, vinegar, basil, salt, pepper and garlic in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and marinate in the refrigerator about 4 to 5 hours.
Skewer and cook on the grill for 3 minutes per side or until they become pink.
Serves four to five.
@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 300 calories, 18 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 3 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 28 g protein, 205 mg cholesterol, 490 mg sodium.
Chinese Garlic Chicken