capacola, arugula, whole wheat; einkorn pasta, sage, chilis

We were trying for seriousness here, even if both plates ended up looking a little frivolous.

A strong-flavored salumi, together with a dark bread, then an earthy pasta, with a sauce that could communicate with it.

Not a meal for a July evening, but just right for mid-October.

  • And one that was more about assembling than preparation.three ounces of an (almost local) Fairway Market-purchased salumi, a capocollo produced by Daniele Inc. in north central Rhode Island [I have a soft spot for anything Rhode Island, so this Providence TED conference video by a member of the family business’ third generation got to me] arranged on t plates on top of a few large leaves of arugula from Windfall Farms, seasoned with local P.E. & D.D. Seafood sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and both the green and the capocollo drizzled with some good olive oil (Renieris Estate ‘Divina’ (a Koroneiki varietal) from Hania, Crete, purchased at Whole Foods Market
  • slices of ‘Whole wheat Redeemer Bread’ (wheat, water, salt) from Lost Bread Co.

Except for the time it took to boil the pasta, the second course took only a few minutes to complete.

  • a few tablespoons of a rich butter, Vermont Creamery Butter (total fat 12g, 83% butter fat), from Whole Foods Market (unfortunately they don’t stock the producer’s unsalted version), melted slowly inside a large antique copper pot before a small handful of fresh whole sage leaves from Keith’s Farm, one finely sliced fresh habanada pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, and a pinch of hickory smoked Scotch Bonnet pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm were stirred in, the mix seasoned with local P.E. & D.D. Seafood sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and, as soon as it had finished cooking to al dente, 8 ounces from a one-pound box of Sfoglini Einkorn Macaroni, together with a cup of the cooking water, stirred in, the heat under the pan pushed to high and the mix cooked, stirring, until the liquid had emulsified, a little olive oil then drizzled around the edges and some Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 24 months) from Whole Foods Market shaved on top, garnished with micro red amaranth from Windfall Farms