The skate pictured here was uneffably sweet and delicate (note: there were no capers in sight), and the entrée was accompanied by Bruckner’s wonderful second symphony, itself performed with astounding sweetness and delicacy by Marek Janowski and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande .  We were listening to it on Spotify

• skate wing from Blue Moon Fish, dredged with seasoned rustic polenta, briefly pan-fried in olive oil, removed to a warm plate while chopped garlic and shallots were added to the pan along with some butter, and sweated, the heat then turned off and lemon juice, parsley and a bit more butter added and swirled about until the butter melted, before the sauce was spooned over the fish
• tiny new potatoes from Berried Treasures, boiled, drained, and dried, rolled with a very little butter, salt, pepper, and a bit of chopped lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• curly kale and cavalo nero from Kings County Farm, wilted in oil in whihc halved garlic cloves had been allowed to swea
• the wine was a white French Burgundy, Macon-Villages La Crochette Jacques Charlet 201

**

This was one of the most beautiful pieces of salmon I had ever seen in my kitchen, and tonight I believe we were able to honor this noble fish as one of the most perfect salmon entrées I have ever enjoyed.  The simple, excellent recipe is from Mark Bittman, and it was published in the Times over three years ago.  The roasted sweet potato recipe (which includes only the tubers, olive oil, salt, paprika) is of the most extreme simplicity, and totally inspired.  The greens (peppery radish leaves) are something normally discarded as soon as they arrive in the kitchen, but they are among my favorites.

 

• a fillet of wild Sockeye salmon (previously frozen) from Whole Foods (and very attractively priced today), which I first skinned, then seasoned with salt and pepper, rubbed with a mixture of ground coriander seeds, ground cloves, ground cumin, and grated nutmeg, fried over medium-high heat in an enameled, cast iron pan for about 3 minutes on each side, removed from the pan, and, while allowed to rest for a couple minutes, covered with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of olive oil (it was as delicious as it looks here – maybe even more so)
• Japanese sweet potatoes from from Norwich Meadows Farm, scrubbed and cut into large chunks, tossed in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread onto a trusty, well-seasoned Pampered Chef ceramic oven pan and roasted for about 45 minutes (ending up slightly crispy on the outside, almost creamy on the inside)
• radish greens from Norwich Meadows Farm, wilted with olive oil in which a halved garlic clove from Norwich Meadows Farm had been allowed to sweat for a bit, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit more olive oil
• the wine was a fine California red, Chalone Vineyard Monterey County 2012 Pinot Noir

***

 

This entrée really was veal, and it  tasted nothing like monkfish.

• a veal shoulder chop from Consider Bardwell Farm, rubbed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, left to rest for more than half an hour before searing for about a minute and a half on each side, removed from the pan, coated on top with crushed garlic from Berried Treasures, returned to the pan and roasted at 375º for about 8 minutes, turned once, removed and left standing, for five minutes or so this time, deboned, then placed on a bed of very-slightly-wilted arugula from Migliorelli Farm, drizzled with the pan juices (if any), lemon juice, and olive oil, and sprinkled with chopped lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge

• tiny varicolored bell peppers from Norwich Meadows Farm, each halved or quartered and sautéed over high heat until slightly caramelized, finished with torn basil leaves from Full BloomMarket Garden (South Deerfield, Massachusetts) from Whole Foods, and a splash of balsamic vinegar

• the wine was a medium Sicilian red, Branciforti Nerello Mascalese 2011

These chops have become a classic in our kitchen, and the cannellini beans are now on their way toward the same status.

• lamb chops from 3_Corner Field Farm, pan-grilled and finished with lemon juice, olive oil, and chopped thyme from Stokes Farm
• fresh cannellini beans from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, rinsed and podded, placed in a saucepan under two inches of water along with sage from Phillips Farm and a fresh bay leaf from West Side Market, slowly heated for about 25 minutes, then left standing for a while, the beans later removed from the liquid and added to a mixture of sautéed shallots from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm and some roughly-chopped heirloom tomatoes from Central Valley Farm, finished with lemon juice, and parsley from Paffenroth Gardens
• the wine was a California red, Joel Gott Zinfandel 2012

This meal included a number of elements, at least four food groups, and two major courses, but it still managed to retain a reasonable simplicity, while more than satisfying our appetites, and providing an excellent excuse for enjoying a delightful wine.

The first course:

• ‘Pancetta Americana’ made by La Quercia, from Eataly, drizzled with some very good olive oil, with Lamparelli, from Buon Italia
• arugula from Migliorelli Farm, tossed with a bit of radicchio (which we brought home from Beacon Pantry, a wonderful shop in Beacon, NY) and drizzled with the same good oil, and sprinkled with white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper
• slices of ‘Rustico Classico” from Eataly

 

The second course:

• squid from PE & DD, toasted in a large enameled cast iron oiled pan with dried wild Italian oregano, chiles and salt, drizzled with lemon and olive oil, then roasted for only a few minutes
• white beet greens from Norwich Meadows Farm, wilted with juicy garlic halves, from Berried Treasures, which had been been able to sweat in olive oil, then seasoned with salt, and pepper
• the wine for both courses was an Italian white, Centassi Grillo Terre Siciliane I.G.T. Rocce di Pietra Longa 2012