It was the 25th of December. We don’t celebrate Christmas as such, but, as with other major Christian holidays from each of our youths, we observe the occasion with good food, good wine, and, whenever possible, good company.

Last night we were only two. On these family days it’s often extremely difficult to get friends to join us for dinner, many or most having been committed to dinners elsewhere since birth.

These meals are still very special for us, regardless of the size of the company, and last night’s definitely was.

I had hoped to secure a brace of wild duck for the occasion, but wonderful local purveyor told me he wouldn’t be able to get any this year. I ‘settled on’ 2 pigeons, which are always extraordinarily delicious birds, even when raised on a farm in California, as these were.

We also enjoyed 4 different terrific vegetables through the first 2 courses.

The starter, pictured at the top of this entry, was very. very simple, also both delicious and light; in other words, a perfect appetizer.

• one small Savoy cabbage (it may have been a San Michelle, formerly known as a Verza di Verona) from Norwich Meadows Farm, halved, the core removed, sliced very thinly, added to a little olive oil inside a large, heavy, tin-lined copper pot already above a medium high flame, joining one halved Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm that had already been heated, over a lower flame, until fragrant, the cabbage sautéed, stirring, along with 4 flattened juniper berries, until the leaves were tender and had begun to brown and become (ideally) slightly crisp at the edges, seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a few drops of balsamic vinegar added and stirred over the heat for a moment, arranged on the plates with a drizzle of olive oil  [I’ve used the basic recipe a number of times as an appetizer when we have guests, a favorite with cook and guests for its convenience and its deliciousness, respectively; it’s from ‘Healthy Italian Cooking‘, by Emanuella Stucchi, a small ‘stealth’ vegetarian tome I had been using it for years before I realized there was no meat or fish in any of the recipes]
• the wine was an Oregon (Illinois Valley) white, Foris Wine Shop Dry Gewürztraminer 2016

The squab, the centerpiece of the main course, were prepared using Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers’ recipe, ‘Spiced Pigeon’ (page 156), from their book, ‘Italian Easy’; Recipes from the London River Cafe‘, which is itself a treasure.

• two one-pound California farmed pigeons from D’Artagnan, via O. Ottomanelli & Sons Prime Meat Market on Bleecker Street, seasoned inside with a mixture of sea salt; freshly-ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds, ground in a mortar and pestle; and one dried Sicilian pepperoncino from Buon Italia, the legs and wings then trussed, tied to the bodies, browned on all sides inside a heavy oval enameled cast iron pan (little larger than the 2 birds), then 2 halved rocambole garlic cloves from Keith’s Farm, half of one cinnamon stick, 7 ounces of chopped Mutti San Marzano PDO tomatoes, 3/4 of a cup of red wine (Karen Birmingham Merlot Clarksburg 2015) added to the pan., 1/4 of a nutmeg ground in/over, seasoned with sea salt and more ground pepper, brought to a boil, placed inside a 400º oven and roasted uncovered until the legs turn in their sockets (about 40-45 minutes)
• very fresh, crispy wild cress from Lani’s Farm, arranged as a garnish at the [former] heads of the birds
• a quince and dried cherry chutney, made following this theKitchn.com recipe, using a shallot from Keith’s Farm, a garlic clove from Stokes Farm, quince from Red Jacket Orchards, dried sweet cherries from Whole Foods, fresh ginger from Lani’s Farm, and apple cider vinegar from Race Farm
• just under one pound of small sweet potatoes from Keith’s Farm, unpeeled, but washed thoroughly, cut into 3/4 to 1-inch sections, tossed inside a bowl with a little olive oil, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, 3 whole, unpeeled Rocambole garlic cloves from Keith’s Farm, a crushed piece of dried dark habanada pepper, and some whole fresh sage leaves from Keith’s Farm, arranged on a large, now very-well-seasoned Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic oven pan, roasted inside a 400º oven for about 30 minutes [this time I had to juggle the oven timing of the sweet potatoes and the birds, because the former needed a significantly higher oven temperature than the latter]
• one bunch of beautiful collard greens from Tamarack Hollow Farm, stripped of most of their stems, torn into small sections, washed several times and drained, transferred to a smaller bowl very quickly, in order to retain as much of the water clinging to them as possible, braised inside a heavy tin-lined copper pot in which one large quartered clove of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had first been allowed to sweat in some olive oil, adding a little of the reserved water near the end to keep the greens moist, finished with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper,  a bit of the same crushed Sicilian pepperoncino, and a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine, a gift from an artist acquaintance, Ryan Weston Shook, who had designed its label (and that of other wines from the same winemaker), was an exceptional California (Sonoma) red, 1849 Wine Company Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2013, and I can say the same thing I did about the previous bottle from this vintner, “..more than just a pretty label: It was a really wonderful wine and it a perfect pairing with the entrée.”

There was a very small cheese course; we skipped the sweet I had hoped to serve, a special German holiday ‘bread’ (‘Hutzelbrot‘), but we’ll enjoy it later this week.

• a small slice of Consider Bardwell ‘Rupert’ goat cheese
• a slice of a crescent-shaped whole wheat seeded bread from Runner & Stone Bakery

The dessert that we did have was a wonderful white port we had brought back from (where else?) Portugal, at the very knowledgable Airport shop, a Dalva 20 Years Old Dry White Port.  I took one sip, and I knew I needed to accompany it with walnuts. Fortunately we had some in the house.

Lovely.

 

• the music throughout the meal was from this Spotify playlist, ‘Boulezian Christmas’, assembled by Mark Berry (@Boulezian on Twitter)

 

It was Little Thanksgiving, as in Little Christmas?

Anyway it both looked and tasted like Thanksgiving, and it came with a lot less bother, and with almost no planning required.

• four partially-boned (a treat for both cook and diners) Plantation Quail, from Greensboro, Georgia, purchased at O. Ottomanelli & Sons Prime Meat Market on Bleecker Street, dried on paper towels and rubbed with sea salt and one crumbled dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, placed breast-side-down over medium-high heat on a two-burner cast iron ribbed pan, a number of sprigs of fresh thyme from S. & S.O. Farm scattered over each, grilled for about 5 minutes, turned and, ensuring that they were now resting on top of the thyme, grilled for another 5 minutes, served with a squeeze of Whole Food Market organic lemon and a drizzle of olive oil
• quince and dried cherry chutney, made following this theKitchn.com recipe, using a shallot from Keith’s Farm, a garlic clove from Stokes Farm, quince from Red Jacket Orchards, dried sweet cherries from Whole Foods, fresh ginger from Lani’s Farm, and apple cider from Locust Grove Fruit Farm

• one 5-inch black futsu squash from Norwich Meadows Farm, scrubbed, halved, the seeds removed, divided into one-inch wedges, brushed lightly with olive oil and rubbed with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and one section of a golden dried habanada pepper, arranged on a large, unglazed, well-seasoned ceramic pan and roasted on one side at 450ª for 15 minutes, turned onto the other side and allowed to roast for 15 more minutes, removed from the oven and the pan and stirred inside a sauté pan in which 2 cloves of Keith’s Farm garlic had been gently heated in a bit of olive oil along with some roughly-chopped sage from Phillips Farm
• a small amount of red kale from Campo Rosso Farm, washed, drained, and wilted inside a large enameled cast iron pot in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in which one bruised and halved clove of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had first been allowed to sweat and begin to color, the greens seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and arranged on the plates and a little more olive oil drizzled on top
• the wine throughout was a California (Lodi) red, David Akiyoshi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, from Naked Wines

There was a simple fruit course.

• Niagara grapes from Locust Grove Fruit Farm

 

• the music, at least through the main course, was Mahler’s 1908-1909, ‘Das Lied Von Der Erde’, with Placido Domingo and Bo Skovhus, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra

I don’t have a picture of our Thanksgiving dinner.

I guess we were too distracted by our guests: I forgot to snap the first course, and then, although I remembered to photograph the second, I forgot there isn’t quite enough light in the dining area we use for special occasions: Even with the light raised, the pictures came out blurry,

I do however have this image above, of one of the best parts of this dinner, a very simple sweet potato gratin, and I’ll use the lack of others as an excuse to upload more before pix than I usually do.

The potatoes were probably as close to anything that is conventionally served on this holiday, although they were very spicy. Otherwise, there were no marshmallows, there was no turkey, no stuffing, no gravy, no cranberry sauce, no celery sticks, no mashed potatoes, no butter rolls, no creamed onions, no Brussels sprouts, no pumpkin pie, and no Republicans.

What was shared on this Thanksgiving were smoked Atlantic mackerel with a Columbia County crème frâiche and Suffolk County fresh horseradish root mayonnaise, seared Hudson Valley duck breasts, spicy chutney of Ulster County quince fruit, helpings of Dutchess County sweet potatoes in a chipotle au gratin, Delaware Valley collards, and, for dessert, a 23rd Street pecan pie

The mid-afternoon meal began with smoked fish.

• four 3-ounce servings of Ducktrap River of Maine‘s ‘smoked peppered’ wild mackerel fillets from Chelsea’s Whole Foods Market, served drizzled with with a little excellent Frankies 457 Sicilian olive oil, and accompanied by dollops of local Ronnybrook Farms crème fraîche that had been mixed with a generous amount of grated Holy Schmitt’s local homemade fresh horseradish, both some zest and juice from an organic Whole Foods Market lemon, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, a bit of a finely-chopped grenada verde pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm, and some chopped fresh dill from Stokes Farm
• a number of leaves from 2 small heads of lettuce, one from Tamarack Hollow Farm, the other a miniature romaine from Stokes Farm, dressed lightly with Frankies 458 olive oil, a sprinkle of juice from a Whole Foods Market organic lemon, Maldon salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices of a She Wolf Bakery toasted sesame loaf of whole wheat bread
• the wine was a very good California sparkling, W. Donaldson 6th Anniversary NV, from Naked Wines

The main course at least referenced many of the traditional dishes that are served on this holiday.

• two 15-ounce duck breasts from Hudson River Duck Farm, the fatty side scored in tight cross hatching with a very sharp knife, the entire breast rubbed, top and bottom, with a mixture of sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a little turbinado sugar, then aside for about 45 minutes before being pan-fried, fatty side down first, inside a small oval enameled cast iron pan over medium heat for a total of about 9 minutes, turning once, draining the oil after the first few minutes (the fat strained and used in cooking at another time, if desired), the breast removed when medium rare, cut crosswise into 2 portions and checked for the right doneness in the center, which means definitely no more than medium rare, and maybe even a bit less, left sitting for several minutes before it was finished with a drizzle of lemon juice, sprinkled with roughly chopped rosemary from Alewife Farm, and drizzled with a little Portuguese house olive oil from Whole Foods Market

• quince chutney, made the day before, to more fully develop its flavors, using this theKitchn.com recipe, using a red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, a Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm, quince from Troncillito Farms, dried sweet cherries from Manhattan Fruit Exchange in the Chelsea Market, fresh ginger from Lani’s Farm, and a local apple cider vinegar from Race Farm

• in order to simplify my job when guests were around, on the day before the feast I took 2 pounds of fairly small Japanese sweet potatoes from Alewife Farm, washed and scrubbed well, left unpeeled and sliced thinly, seasoned with salt and pepper, arranged in 4 layers, each separated in succession by a quarter portion of 2 cups of Ronnybrook Dairy heavy cream that had been mixed in a blender with one canned chipotle pepper (plus a bit more this time around, which made the gratin fairly spicy) and a small amount of adobo sauce, inside a 8″x12″ glazed ceramic casserole dish, baked inside a 350º oven for about one hour, or until the cream had been absorbed and the potatoes browned, then placed it inside the refrigerator [this gratin recipe, one I’ve used many times, is from ‘Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food]; on Thursday I removed the pan from the refrigerator and allowed it to come nearly to room temperature before placing it again inside a 350º oven and heating it for about 20 minutes

• one large bunch of collard greens from Keith’s Farm, stemmed, washed and drained 3 times, (some of the water retained and held aside to be added, as necessary, while the greens cooked), cut roughly and braised gently until softened/wilted inside a large, heavy enameled cast iron pot in which 4 cloves of Keith’s Farm rocambole garlic had been heated until softened, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, finished with a small drizzle of olive oil

• the wine was a California (Napa) red, Matt Parish Napa Valley Cabernet Magnum 2014, from Naked Wines

Dessert was simple, and southern, as were other parts of the meal, in a nod to our guests who had grown up in Kentucky, and to Barry as well, who had sort of fled Arkansas, now long ago (also. this time the image is almost in focus).

• I had expected to serve another course or 2 first (various potential combinations of cheeses, maybe toasts, fresh and dried fruit, all accompanied by appropriate liquids), but the vote was to go directly to the pecan pie we had all been anticipating; I can’t say much about it, other than that it was incredibly delicious, that it was gently heated, that each slice was served with a scoop of Ciao Bella ‘Madagascar Vanilla’ gelato from Whole Foods Market, and that it was baked only a few doors down from our own, at Big Booty Bakery

 

• the music throughout the meal was from a Spotify playlist that Barry had assembled, of American composers, most of it composed within one or both of our lifetimes

(the quince chutney hadn’t yet made it to the plate when I took this picture)

 

When was the last time anyone out there had mutton? Like most everyone in the English-speaking world, at least of my age or younger, I’ve only heard about mutton when it was being reviled as unfit for a proper meal.

I’ve been curious about the meat of mature sheep for decades, but i had never come across mutton until this past Friday when I saw a small sign on the Greenmarket table of a farmer with whose products I had only recently become acquainted (and with much satisfaction).

Over the years I had already learned something about what to expect. After a conversation at the stand, about the type of sheep the farm raises (‘hairy breeds‘), the differences between lamb and mutton generally (in this case it would not really be a very old sheep), and the description of good mutton as somewhat like game, I was really excited to try it for the first time. I bought 4 rib chops, which were roughly the size of most lamb chops, because the breed was smaller than sheep. It would be up to me to see that the experience was good.

It was very good, and I was able to bring it to the plate medium rare. Together with quince chutney, and some really good vegetables (all of which were also pretty much out of the ordinary), these mutton chops made a really excellent [*] meal. They were everything i expected, and more.

I’ll definitely be going back.

 

• * four 5-ounce mutton chops from Lowland Farm, in  Warwick, New York, dried thoroughly, grilled on a very hot enameled cast iron ribbed pan for a total of 10 or 12 minutes, turning twice, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper after the first time, finished with a squeeze of juice from an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, scattered with micro scallion from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and drizzled with a little olive oil
• * quince chutney remaining from an earlier meal, using this theKitchn.com recipe, incorporating a red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, a Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm, quince from Troncillito Farms, dried sweet cherries (don’t know whether they were local) from Whole Foods, fresh ginger from Lani’s Farm, and apple cider vinegar from Race Farm
• * two small heads of tardivo radicchio from Campo Rosso Farm, prepared pretty much according to this simple recipe, which is to say, washed under cold running water, the moisture shaken off, each head cut in half lengthwise, and a V-cut made inside the root end to allow it to cook more rapidly, the halves arranged inside a ceramic oven pan cut side up, covered with thyme sprigs from S. & S.O. Farm, seasoned generously with salt and pepper, drizzled with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, baked for about 12 minutes, turned over, baked for about 8 minutes more, turned so the cut side is up and once again returned to the oven, this time for only a couple minutes or so, or until the stems were tender [the tardivo can be served hot or warm]
• * less than a pound of small root parsley from Paffenroth Gardens, their beautiful greens cut off when they were first brought home (they can be enjoyed as a strong-flavored parsley, but I didn’t have occasion to do so this time), and 2 sunchokes from Max Creek Hatchery, all of the roots trimmed, scrubbed, and sliced into sections equivalent to small French fries (although their small size and their shapes made something of a mockery of my attempt this time), tossed inside a bowl with a little olive oil, a few pinches of sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, one small fresh habanada pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm, chopped, and fresh whole rosemary leaves from S. & S.O. Farm, spread onto a large Pampered chef unglazed ceramic oven pan, roasted inside a 400º oven for 20 minutes, tossed, then returned to the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes until, ideally, golden on the edges, with crispy ends, but a tender center.
• * the wine was a California (Sonoma) red, ROX Scott Peterson Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma 2015, from Naked Wines
• * the music was a wonderful performance of Haydn’s 1783 opera, ‘Armida’, with  Jessye Norman, Claes H. Ahnsjö, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Robin Leggate, and others,
  Antal Doráti conducting the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra

It was a very long and leisurely Thanksgiving meal, shared with good friends. The star on the table was not a roast turkey, but a braised three-and-a-half-pound Scottish hare, which was, as the fish in the first course, quite wild (one of our guests found a buckshot in his serving). There were no cranberries, although there was chutney, sweet potatoes, and greens, the ingredients in these all totally local. There were also many hours of American music, although none of it could be described as remotely hummable.

The vegetables, herbs, fruit, and creme, like everything other than the hare, came from local farmers and fishers in the area, and were purchased in the Union Square Greenmarket.

We toasted the day and our friendship with an American sparkling.

• we nibbled on some rustic Italian breadsticks, Mario Fongo grissini integrali, from Buon Italia
• the wine was a California sparkling white, Eponina Brut California NV, from Naked Wines

The first course was basically assembled, with a little help from the Greenmarket.

• pieces of smoked monkfish from Blue Moon Fish, served with some Ronnybrook Farm Dairy crème fraîche mixed with Whole Foods Market lemon zest and juice, fresh lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge, grated horseradish root from from Gorzynski Ornery Farm, chopped small red scallion from Hawthorne Valley Farm, ground white pepper, and sea salt, arranged with some purple frizzy mustard greens from Lani’s Farm and salanova lettuce from Neversink Organic Farm, dressed with a very good Puglian olive oil, Alce Nero DOP ‘Terra di Bari Bitonto’ from Eataly, Maldon salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices of a whole wheat sourdough Miche, or Pain de campagne, from Bread Alone
• the wine was a German (Rheingau) white, Robert Weil Riesling Estate Trocken 2016, the gift of a friend when we were in Berlin recently

The main course was Scottish wild mountain hare (the FDA does not allow us to buy any form of game bagged inside the US, but apparently trusts the Scots) purchased from brother Frank at Ottomanelli’s on Bleecker Street in the West Village, and supplied by Simpson Game, in the Scottish highlands.

(the chutney didn’t make it to the plate in time for the picture)

• one three and a quarter pound Scottish mountain hare (“may contain shot”) from Ottomanelli’s Market, prepared, with some alterations, along the lines of an ancient recipe. ‘Lepre alla Cacciatora‘, that I had found in Anna Teresa Callen‘s ‘Food and Memories of Abruzzo, Italy’s Pastoral Land‘: the hare, once separated into pieces whose size would depend on the cook’s preference, placed inside a large bowl under running water for half an hour, drained and the hare returned to the bowl along with 1/4 cup of a good Italian white wine vinegar (Aceto Cesare Bianco) and enough cold cover to cover, left standing 20 minutes or so, the hare removed and half of the pieces placed inside a heavy enameled cast iron pan, half a cup more of the vinegar poured in, plus 4 sliced cloves of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, 2 sprigs of rosemary (each broken into 2 sections), several myrtle berries and leaves, one good-size piece of a crushed dark dry habanada pepper, 2 whole dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, followed by the remaining pieces of hare, fresh water added more than half way up the level of the meat, followed by a fourth of a cup of olive oil, the pot brought to a boil, the heat reduced to low and the hare allowed to cook at a simmer, without stirring, but shaken a few times, for about an hour, maybe more, but in any event only until it was tender, at which time a sauce ahould have been produced at the bottom of the pan [NOTE: I found that it had not been reduced enough, so I removed the hare pieces, boiled the liquid down until it was the proper consistency, and then, when it had slightly cooled, I added a few tablespoons of cold butter, stirring it in], finishing the now-sauced hare on the plates with some chopped parsley.
• quince chutney, made 2 days earlier, in order to fully develop its flavors, using this theKitchn.com recipe, using a red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, a Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm, quince from Troncillito Farms, dried sweet cherries (don’t know whether they were local) from Whole Foods, and fresh ginger from Lani’s Farm, apple cider vinegar from Race Farm
• two pounds of Japanese sweet potatoes from Lani’s Farm, sliced thinly, seasoned with salt and pepper, arranged in 4 layers, each separated in succession by a portion of 2 cups of heavy cream that had been mixed in a blender with one chipotle pepper and a small amount of adobo sauce, inside a 8″x12″ glazed ceramic casserole dish, baked inside a 350º oven for about one hour, or until the cream had been absorbed and the potatoes browned (this gratin recipe, one I’ve used many times, is from ‘Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food‘, it appears as ‘Sweet Potato Gratin with Smoked Chiles’)
• collard greens from Keith’s Farm, the stems torn off and the leaves sliced thickly, washed several times and drained, transferred to a smaller bowl very quickly, in order to retain as much of the water clinging to them as possible, wilted inside a heavy oval enameled cast iron pot in which 3 halved Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had first been allowed to sweat in a bit of olive oil, the greens finished with a little sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a California (Napa) red, Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, the very generous gift, earlier in the year, of 2 New York friends

There was a cheese course, which included local cheeses, also from the Union Square Greenmarket, a choice of local apples, and more of the local bread, this time in the form of very thinly sliced toasts.

• the cheeses were all from Consider Bardwell Farm: ‘Manchester’ goat milk cheese, and 2 cow cheeses, ‘Pawlet Reconsided’, and ‘Bardem Blue’
• the apples were all from Samscott Orchards: ‘Newtown Pippin’, ‘Ashmead’s Kernel’,and ‘Stayman Winesap’
• the toasts were from the loaf of whole wheat sourdough we had enjoyed with the first course
• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, Falanghina “Sannio” Terra di Briganti 2015, from Astor Wines

Our guests had brought with them from Brooklyn a really fantastic pear cheesecake, from Choice Market, on Lafayette Avenue, which we enjoyed later in the evening.

 

• the music throughout the meal was a playlist of modern works by American composers that Barry had assembled early in the day, from Spotify