Zowie.

• one 13-ounce tilefish fillet from Pura Vida, halved, dried, seasoned, then pan-seared and finished, after this Melissa Clark recipe, this time using three fresh spring garlic from Eataly, thyme from Keith’s Farm, mint and thyme from Eataly, tarragon from Whole Foods, parsley from Rogowski Farm, and local (Long Island) lemon juice from Dave Tifford’s Fantastic Gardens of Long Island
• collard greens from Rogowski Farm, cut as thin ‘noodles’ and, following the collards part of this delicious recipe), stirred into a pan in which uncured diced Colameco pancetta from Whole Foods had sautéed until starting to brown before the addition of minced Christopher Ranch garlic from Eataly and a little butter, finished with juice from the same local Fantastic Gardens of Long Island lemon
• Maine cherry ‘cocktail’ tomatoes from Whole Foods, placed in the pan with the tilefish near the end of its cooking, removed and seasoned, finished with sliced green ends from the Eataly spring garlic
• the wine was an Italian white, le Salse Verdicchio di Matelica 2013
• the music was Ferdinand Ries‘s Symphony No. 4

This is another meal which might have looked more at home last fall, rather than a mild day like this one, but because of the miracles of local suppliers, along with one beautiful thick section of hake, I happened to have some winter squash and Brussels sprouts which I had also picked up at the Greenmarket very recently, and I was anxious to use it before the evenings became really warm.

I think it’s amazing that, for the first time ever, we will probably be able to make it all the way through a New York City winter without ever having had an interruption in the supply of fresh local green vegetables of one kind or another.  As an example of what’s going on, today at the market, noting that the date was March 11, I picked up some collard greens, some more large leeks, and a bag of Long Island citrus fruit.  Yup, local citrus,to be specific, it was oranges and lemons, and there were two other possibilities available.

• one beautiful, thick 12-ounce hake fillet from American Seafood Company, dredged in seasoned flour and dipped in a beaten egg from Millport Dairy, sautéed in olive oil along with a handful of sage leaves from Eataly, sprinkled with local lemon juice from Dave Tifford’s Fantastic Gardens of Long Island along with the pan juices that remained, then divided and plated, and finally garnished with parsley from Rogowski Farm and served with lemon wedges on the side
• tiny Brussels sprouts from Phillips Farm and cubed ‘Sweet Dumpling’ winter squash from Samascott Orchards, tossed together with oil, salt, pepper, and two unpeeled garlic cloves, also from Samascott Orchards, then spread onto a ceramic oven pan and roasted for about half an  hour at 400º until tender and caramelized, removed from the oven and drizzled with  a bit of white balsamic vinegar, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and thyme from Keith’s farm (as well as a little bit of sage from Eataly), and served
• the wine was a Spanish white, Shaya old vines, verdejo Rueda 2013
• the music was works of Ignaz Pleyel and Joseph Joachim

It was warm, so we decided to have a picnic.

• Alto Adige/Südtirol Speck from Eataly, and chopped parsley, both drizzled with very good olive oil, three kinds of olives and two cheeses (Danby Vermont goat milk from Consider Bardwell Farm and Arpeggio Massachusetts cow milk from Robinson Farm, and slices of whole wheat (‘Integrale’) bread from Eataly
• before the salume and cheese there there was a smaller plate of fresh, ricotta cheese from Millport Dairy Farm, sprinkled with Maldon salt, crushed Tellicherry pepper. fresh thyme leaves, a drizzle of the same olive oil used later, and served with halved Maine cherry ‘cocktail’ tomatoes from Eataly, and slices of the same Eataly ‘Integrale’
• the wine was a Spanish sparkling, Pinord Natura Brut Nature Reserva Marrugat NV
• the music was Ferdinand Ries‘ Symphony No. 3

Note to self:  This recipe has been a winner every time.  

 

This image, or some version of it, is becoming pretty familiar on this blog.  It’s because the recipe is as easy as it is delicious, and because it can adapt itself to any number of subtle variations, most of them involving the choice of herb.  It doesn’t hurt that it would be happy to make an appearance with almost any green vegetable as a side.

• two eight-ounce Long Island flounder fillets from P.E.&D.D. Seafood, seasoned, cooked in a pan over high heat in a mixture of olive oil and butter for a few minutes, turning once, then placed on warm plates, and a couple of spoons of ‘tomato butter’ [see below] placed on top and around them.
• ‘tomato butter’ made by cooking in melted butter a tiny amount of shallot from S. & S.O. Produce Farms, then letting the flavored butter cool slightly before being poured over fresh large cherry tomatoes ‘Cocktail Tomatoes’ from Maine via Whole Foods, which had been cut into eighths and combined with chopped tarragon form Eataly, the ‘butter’ then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few drops of red wine vinegar
• tiny and delicious middle-March Brussels sprouts from Phillips Farms (what are they doing out there in Milford, digging out from under the snow some brand-new buds sprouting from last year’s plants?  dunno.), tossed with salt, pepper, and some olive oil, and roasted in a 400º oven for about fifteen minutes
• the wine was a California white, Sean Minor Four Bears Sauvignon Blanc 2013
• the music was Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8

We enjoyed this pretty wintry meal on Sunday, even if it had already seemed we had probably finally moved into spring.

There was a reason for it looking like serious cold weather fare, since I had brought home almost all of the vegetables from the Greenmarket in the middle of winter, although I had picked up the duck only in the past week.  I was probably thinking of the roots and cabbage when I grabbed the duck from the refrigerator case at Eataly.

I started defrosting the breast the day before.  I’ve had the turnips for a month, but yesterday at the last minute I realize that there were only two small-ish roots remaining from the larger stash with which I had started weeks before;  I added one russet potato to the mix.  The cabbage has also been around for longer than I want to admit (okay, I’ve been occasionally peeling leaves off of the head for more than a full month), but its flavor has also survived the winter undiminished, a virtue which must have endeared it to our northern ancestors long ago.

• a small duck breast from Pat LaFrieda at Eataly, the fatty side scored, covered with salt, pepper and a bit of turbinato sugar infused over time with a vanilla bean, then left standing for about half an hour before it was pan-fried, finished with lemon, chopped tarragon from Eataly, and a bit of olive oil
• two purple-top turnips from Norwich Meadows Farm, plus one Russet potato from Samascott Orchards, all cut into half-inch pieces, tossed with oil, a few cut baby leeks from Rogowski Farm, salt, and pepper, roasted in an unglazed ceramic pan for about half an hour at 425º  [Note:  I was in a hurry, and not thinking, but the leeks should really have been tossed with the roots only near the end of the cooking time]
• white cabbage from Foragers, using only some of the leaves (again, in order to preserve the remainder of the cabbage for another day), sliced very thinly, tossed with salt, pepper, and three juniper berries, sautéed in a little butter over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the leaves were tender and had begun to brown and (hopefully) crisp slightly at the edges, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar then added and heated briefly, the dish finished with chopped parsley from Rogowski Farm
• the wine was a California red, White Hart Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2011, from Chelsea Wine Vault
• the music was Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, Manfred Honeck conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra