Month: September 2014

cod cheeks with green sauce; tomatoes; greens

cod_cheeks_mustard_greens

 

‘Cod cheeks’?  Well, yeah, I had heard of them, but even though I lived in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for 21 years, I had never tasted them, and I had certainly always thought it unlikely I’d have the chance to prepare them.   Then I spotted the rarity (at least commercial) displayed at our local super fishmonger, Lobster Place, while I was picking up some wild Alaska salmon on a non-Greenmarket day.  I asked the very smiling guy if he would kindly put back the fillet I had just ordered, and which he had already wrapped, and would he please give me some cheek?  I got the cheek, with good humor, but I also got the cod cheeks.

I thought I’d find some fantastic recipes when I searched my sources at home, but I was surprised to find nothing in my books or my own files (clippings, mostly).  Even the internet wasn’t really much help, since I wanted to keep the preparation pretty simple so I ended up improvising, almost as I went along.

I do think I’ll try flouring or breading them next time, as I imagine that a bit of crunch is one of the few pleasures missing from the recipe I assembled.  Or  maybe next time I should just think, ‘scallops’.

  • cod cheeks from  from Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, introduced into a pan with lots of olive oil in which minced garlic from Berried Treasures and a thinly-sliced Thai pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm had been heated, the flame turned down so that they were literally ‘poached’ in the oil for a couple of minutes until springy to the touch, the oil then poured into a cooled bowl, the heat now turned very low below the pan, and the oil slowly re-introduced, along with a generous amount of chopped parsley from Paffenroth Gardens
  • cherry tomatoes from Berried Treasures, punctured and heated in olive oil until almost bursting, seasoned
  • dark purple/green mustard from Lani’s Farm, braised with a little garlic from Berried Treasures, finished with olive oil
  • the wine was a white Portuguese, Aveleda Douro D.O.C. 2012

frittata: sweet & hot peppers, garlic, shallot, oregano

caramelized_sweet_pepper-_frittata

 

This entrée was an improvisation.  I had the ingredients on hand, I had a lot of confidence in their quality, and I wanted to use them while they were still fresh.

I should explain that the image should have represented a proper wedge (one quarter of the very juicy frittata), but it managed to attract some of the vegetables belonging to it neighbors.

  • small multi-colored bell peppers from Norwich Meadows Farm, sliced to form large (ish) pieces, sautéed  in a large cast-iron pan until partially caramelized, with one sliced shallot from Phillips Farm, some sliced garlic from Berried Treasures, and one small, finely-chopped Thai pepper (also from Norwich Meadows Farm) added near the end, then 10 small pullet eggs from Norwich Meadows Farm, seasoned and fork-whipped, poured to the pan, everything sprinkled with chopped fresh oregano from Central Valley Farm, the frittata finished under the broiler once the eggs had begun to set halfway to the center
  • the wine was a Spanish red, Flavium Crianza Bierzo 2006, a Leon, from from Phillipe Wine

tuna with fennel seeds; yellow Romano; greens

tuna_fennel_Romano_greens

The tuna preparation here is another of my absolute favorite recipes, definitely a classic, very, very easy, and, like so many others, it’s from one of the series of London River Cafe cookbooks. in this case, “Italian Easy“.

  • tuna steaks from PE & DD Seafood, seasoned, then covered with a mixture of fennel seeds and chiles crushed together in a mortar, pan-grilled over a fairly high flame for only a minute or two on each side, then finished with a generous squeeze of lemon and some olive oil
  • yellow Romano beans from Norwich Meadows Farm, briefly parboiled, then finished with lovage from Windfall Farms
  • radish greens from Bodhitree Farm, braised with garlic from Berried Treasures, seasoned, then finished with olive oil
  • the wine was a French rosé, Olga Raffault Chinon Rosé 2013

sea bass, tomato vinaigrette; roast Brussels sprouts

sea_bass_salsa_brussels_sprouts

This meal really came together only after Franca pressed a gorgeous, very ripe red tomato into my hand just as I was leaving the Greenmarket yesterday.  Already the night before I had planned to buy a firm white-fleshed fish fillet, or fillets, in Union Square and accompany them with some Brussels sprouts which were waiting in the crisper drawer for their opportunity to shine.   The next day I was delighted to find that Pura Vida still had sea bass when I finally arrived at their stall some time around one o’clock in the afternoon.  That and the sprouts were pretty much going to be it for my entrée (except for some lovage or wood sorrel topping the fillets), until I passed Franca’s Berried Treasures stand.

Now I realized I had an opportunity to really open up the meal, and add some additional glorious color as well.   Uncharacteristically for me, it was only when I removed the bass from the refrigerator that I started to plan how it might introduce it to the tomato.  I don’t know whether my improvisation was a “salsa” or a “vinaigrette” (“salsa” fit in the headline here), but the marriage was a success.

One of the reasons I began this blog was to record such small triumphs, in order to be able to look back and possibly repeat them;  this was one of them, so here it is.

  • sea bass fillets from Pura Vida, dipped in egg from Norwich Meadows Farm whipped with parsley from Lani’s Farm, dredged in seasoned flour, sautéed briefly, removed from the pan and sprinkled with a bit of lemon, then dressed with pan juices mixed with more parsley; the fish was accompanied by a salsa of:
  • heirloom tomato from Berried Treasures, chopped, mixed with a chopped scallion from Migliorelli Farm, most of a small, finely-chopped red Thai pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm, basil from Gotham Greens, parsley, and lovage from Windfall Farms, all chopped as well, some lemon juice and olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Brussels sprouts from Race Farm, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasted in a hot oven until browned and crisp on the outside (when they will taste surprisingly sweet and a bit nutty)
  • the wine was a French white, Domaine du Salvard Sauvignon Blanc ‘Unique’ 2013

pork chops, seared, roasted with lemon; collards

pork_chop_with_lemon_collards

This simple approach to cooking pork chops is one of my favorites; in fact it’s one of my favorite recipes period.  It’s foolproof, and the pork ends up incredibly juicy each time, and it takes a total of only about 20-25 minutes, most of it unattended.  It’s from the “Italian Two Easy” London River Cafe cookbook, and I like to share it at every opportunity I get. This is my own, slightly-altered version of the recipe for the chops:

Pork Chops with Lemon

2 pork chops, cut 1 inch thick (if 1 1/2 inches, increase each of the suggested 8 minute cooking times to about 10 minutes)

1/2 lemon

Heat an enameled cast-iron pan* until very hot.  Heat the oven to 400ºF.
Thoroughly dry and season each chop, put them in the pan and sear quickly on each side. Remove the pan from the heat.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the chops, and place the squeezed lemon half in the pan along with the chops. Roast in the oven for about 8 minutes. Press the lemon half onto the chops and baste with the juice. Roast for another 8 minutes or until firm to the touch (think, checking for the doneness of a steak).

OPTIONAL: Finish with a sprinkling of a chopped herb or herbs, or perhaps some topped with warmed cherry tomato halves and/or the herb(s).

* If no enameled cast-iron pan is available, the chops can be seared in one that is not, then transferred to an oven-proof ceramic or glass pan before being out into the oven, perhaps adjusting for the cooking time because the oven pan will not have been heated before being put into the oven.

 

This simple approach to cooking pork chops is one of my favorites; in fact it’s one of my favorite recipes, period!  It’s foolproof, and the pork ends up incredibly juicy each time, and it takes a total of only about 20-25 minutes, most of it unattended.  It’s from the “Italian Two Easy” London River Cafe cookbook, and I like to share it at every opportunity I get. This is my own, slightly-altered version of the recipe for the chops:

Pork Chops with Lemon

2 pork chops, cut 1 inch thick (if 1 1/2 inches, increase each of the suggested 8 minute cooking times to about 10 minutes)

1/2 lemon

Heat an enameled cast-iron pan* until very hot.  Heat the oven to 400ºF.
Thoroughly dry and season each chop, put them in the pan and sear quickly on each side. Remove the pan from the heat.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the chops, and place the squeezed lemon half in the pan along with the chops. Roast in the oven for about 7-8 minutes. Press the lemon half onto the chops and baste with the juice. Roast for another 7-8 minutes or until firm to the touch (think of using your finger to check for the doneness of a steak).

OPTIONAL: Finish with a sprinkling of a chopped herb or herbs, or perhaps some topped with warmed cherry tomato halves and/or the herb(s).

* If no enameled cast-iron pan is available, the chops can be seared in one that is not, then transferred to an oven-proof ceramic or glass pan before being put into the oven, adjusting for the cooking time because the second pan will not have been heated before being put into the oven.