A package of a good frozen filled pasta is a lifesaver when there’s little time – and maybe even less energy – for putting together a dinner after returning home late in the evening [this time, after a lovely pop-up art fair on an island between the Harlem River and the a tidal strait of the East RIver]. The only other things necessary for an elegant small meal might be butter or olive oil and an herb, but there’s almost something else hanging around the kitchen that would make the dish unique.

This time, for me, the trigger was the small bundle of ramps which I had stashed at the bottom of the refrigerator, and the improvising went on from there.

• twelve ounces of Rana cheese tortoloni ‘delicata’ boiled briefly in a large pot of salted water, some of which was reserved before the pasta was drained, tossed with a sauce composed of a few tiny garlic cloves from Whole Foods allowed to sweat in a little olive oil, joined by part of one sliced Serrano pepper from Whole Foods and the bulb sections of half a dozen ramps from Berried Treasures, which were sautéed until soft, the ramp stems added and pushed around the pan, and then 5 halved Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods, stirred until beginning to break up, the ramp leaves introduced into the mix and quickly wilted, several tablespoons of the reserved pasta water added while the sauce was stirred, the pasta and sauce seasoned with a little salt and some freshly-ground pepper, divided into two shallow bowls, sprinkled with both chopped lovage from Windfall Farms and the last of my supply of micro beets from Two Guys from Woodbridge (they had survived undiminished for 10 days!), and drizzled with a little olive oil
• the wine was a California (Clarksburg) white, Karen Birmingham 2015 Pinot Grigio
• the music was Kalevi Aho’s Clarinet Quintet 

I’ve become very fond of Sfoglini pasta, for the quality, the variety of its forms and ingredients, its seasonal products, their local origin, and of course the beautiful coarse (and functional) texture of the dry product’s surfaces, as seen above in the picture of their ‘Rye Trumpets’ (a shape the Italians called ‘campanelle’ [or bells, suggesting these], which I prepared on Tuesday evening).

The night was cool, and a little damp. I hadn’t planned anything in particular for dinner, but something earthy seemed it order. Also, we had just come from a visit to Collective Design, so naturally even before getting home I was already thinking of the several different Sfoglini pasta designs and ‘flavors’ sitting in the larder.

Note: The great Italian car designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, is responsible for one of the most intriguing and aesthetically pleasing pasta designs of our time, his 1983 Voiello Marille.

While we didn’t have any marille on hand, we did have Sfoglini’s ‘organic rye blend trumpets’. I love anything rye, and while trying to come up with a sauce, the rye reference made me think of German-isch lands. I then remembered that I had a modest amount of something sympathetic to rye in our crisper, a kernel of a red cabbage, probably enough to make something to mix with the pasta. It was a remnant from the preparations for a meal almost 3 weeks back (I love that brassica for its toughness almost as much as for its taste).

Altogether it sounded like it was going to be a northern Italian treat, so we pulled out a familiar and very good Pinot Grigio from the wine rack and quickly chilled it.

• eight ounces of dry Sfoglini rye blend trumpet pasta, cooked al dente in a large pot of salted water, some of the water reserved near the end before it was drained, added to a large enameled cast iron pot in which earlier one thinly-sliced red onion from Norwich Meadows Farm had been softened in a couple tablespoons of ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘, to be followed by 3 small minced garlic cloves from Whole Foods, stirred until fragrant, 3 or 4 rosemary branches from Stokes Farm tossed in and heated for a minute or so, more butter added at that point, followed by about half a pound of cored and thinly-sliced red cabbage from Eataly, stirred well and cooked, covered, for about 15-20 minutes, or until tender, near the end of the cooking a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar poured in, followed by a handful of chopped green sections of fresh garlic from Bodhitree Farm, everything stirred again, the pasta now added to the cabbage, and some of the reserved water introduced to the mix in stages and stirred above a low flame to keep it moist, served with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese from Whole Foods sprinkled on top
• the wine was an excellent Italian (Alto Adige/Südtirol) white, St. Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio 2014 [the link is to a 2013 vintage on a 67wine.com page, the people from whom we had bought this wine in years before], purchased from Philippe Liquors, making this super Germanic Pinot Gris almost ‘locavore’
• the music was Symphony No 8, Op. 81 “Autumnal Fragments”, by Aulis Sallinen

It was wild. The meal was almost entirely wild, and if I had used the wild garlic or ramps I had in the crisper rather than the cultivated spring garlic, it would have been even more so.

The simple recipe for the salmon came from Sam Sifton, in the New York Times.

Incidentally, while preparing the greens in this meal, I was able to again confirm that ‘stinging nettles‘ hold no terror for me, and because of that I left out the adjective which usually accompanies the word ‘nettles’ (I don’t know if there’s any relationship, but I’m also blessed with an immunity to poison ivy).

• one pound of wild Coho salmon from Whole Foods (offered at a very special price on Monday), rinsed, dried, sprinkled on both sides with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, brushed/slathered with a mixture of Dijon mustard and turbinado sugar, placed skin side down in a 400º oven for about 12 minutes, removed, divided into 2 pieces, and sprinkled with chopped winter savory from Stokes Farm
• three fourths of a cup of truly wild rice (acquired years ago from a friend, and still very much alive and tasty!), rinsed, soaked in one and a half cups of water for an hour, drained, aded to 2 cups of boiling chicken broth made with Better Than Bullion chicken base, allowed to return to a boil, the heat then lowered and the rice simmered until tender but firm, about 50 minutes in this case, the excess liquid drained off, the rice fluffed with at wooden fork, served on two plates, topped with small dollops of ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘
• four ounces of young, tender nettles (I believe they were foraged) from Tamarack Hollow Farm, blanched in salted water for about 2 minutes, drained and set aside while two sliced fresh garlic stems (the bulbs only) were softened in a pan with two tablespoons of butter, the nettles added and stirred until warmed up, their cooking liquid gradually added, then finished with salt, pepper, a sprinkling of organic lemon from Whole Foods (had I the time at this point, I would have included lemon zest), and a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a French (Beaujolais) red, Chapelle des Bois Chiroubles 2013
• the music was Aulis Sallinen’s Symphony No 7, and his ‘Chorali’ Op. 22, Ari Rasilainen conducting the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra in both pieces

This turned out to be a pretty sturdy meal for the first day of May, but the temperature never got much above 50º, so it wasn’t very far out of line with the real weather. In fact, I was able to use a 450º oven to cook 2 of the 3 items on the plates and still not really heat up the kitchen.

• two 8-ounce bone-in loin pork chops from Flying Pig Farm, thoroughly dried, seasoned with salt and pepper and seared quickly in a heavy enameled cast-iron pan before half of an organic lemon was squeezed over the top and left in the pan between the chops, when they were placed in a 425º oven for about 14 minutes (flipped halfway through, the lemon squeezed over them once again and replaced between them), removed from the oven, sprinkled with micro beets from Two Guys from Woodbridge, the luscious pan juices spooned over the top
• Ozette potatoes from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, halved lengthwise, tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary leaves from Stokes Farm, roasted at 425º for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through, browned, and a bit crispy on the edges, and, as they emerged from the oven, drizzled with a little chopped spring garlic, the green parts only, from Bodhitree Farms (softened earlier in a little olive oil over a low flame), then finished with chopped parsley from Eataly
• twelve ounces of fairly thick asparagus from Phillips Farm, trimmed, the stems peeled, tossed in a couple of tablespoons of butter, about a tablespoon of olive oil, and 5 branches of thyme, inside a large enameled cast-iron pan, then sautéed over medium high heat, frequently rolling or turning them in the mix of butter, oil, and herb until crisp-tender and beginning to brown (about 8 to 10 minutes), finished with a sprinkling of Maldon salt and freshly-ground Telicherry peppercorns
• the wine was a California (Lodi) white, S & A Verdelho Lodi 2015, by Sarah Wuethrich and Ana Diogo
• the music was Nicolas Bacri’s ‘Les Quatre Saisons‘, performed by the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche Comté

Looks a little disorganized in this picture, but, hey, it was early morning (at least for me).

To maintain some self esteem, I’ll call it ‘rustic’.

• the fat used to sautée the ramps and fry the eggs was a combination of rendered duck, butter, and olive oil; the eggs were from Millport Dairy; the ramps from Berried Treasures; the tomatoes were Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods; the sliced spring garlic sautéed with the tomatoes was from Bodhitree Farm; the oregano with both of those was from Eataly; the lovage on the eggs was from Windfall Farms; the micro beets, also on the eggs, from Two Guys from Woodbridge; and there were dashes of a superb aromatic seasoning blend called L’eKama;  there were two different breads slipped into the vintage toaster, Eric Kayser’s demi-Vendôme (de farine de froment, de levain, de germe de blé) and a 7-grain loaf from Eataly
• our traditional Sunday liturgical first listen this time was the another mass from the album ‘Les messes à teneur‘ [the tenor masses] of Guillaume Du Fay, performed by the ensemble, The Cut Circle

Each of these 3 elements needed attention in the moments before being served, and they each turned out very well, plus their tastes really complimented each other, and then finally there was that great color thing going on all over the plate.

Feeling good about this meal.

• two filets (together just under a pound) of that excellent local fish, oddly called ‘fluke’, or sometimes ‘Summer Flounder’, from Seatuck Fish Company in the Union Square Greenmarket, seasoned on both sides, coated with coarse stone-ground flour, then totally submerged in a mixture of one large egg beaten with a third of a cup of whole milk and a pinch of salt until it was time to cook the fish, when it was lifted from the egg mixture, drained, carefully laid in olive oil which had been warmed up over medium-high heat inside a tin-lined copper au gratin pan, let fry gently until golden, about 2 minutes each side, removed and transferred to 2 plates while 3 tablespoons of butter and thinly-sliced green garlic from Bodhitree Farm were added to the pan, along with a little salt and freshly-ground pepper, cooked for about a minute, stirring, the juice of nearly half of an organic lemon added to the pan and stirred, the garlic butter sauce spooned over the fish, which was then sprinkled with chopped lovage from Windfall Farms and chopped parsley from Eataly
• fiddlehead ferns (the first of a very short season) from what is essentially a 2-week pop-up stand in the Union Square Greenmarket belonging to Ben and Jeannette Shaw’s Garden of Spices, washed, cleaned, sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, finished with a dollop of ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘ (I learned to love them in New England decades ago, and these were the best fiddleheads I’ve ever had)
• six sweet Norland red potatoes from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, scrubbed, boiled unpeeled, then halved, tossed with sweet butter, salt, freshly-ground pepper, and beet micro greens from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• the wine was a French (Burgundy) white, Domaine Leroy Aligote Bourgogne 2011
• the music was Aulis Sallinen’s Symphony No. 6 and his cello concerto

it took almost an hour

 

We were hoping it would be less.

Well, a large amount of water has to come to a boil and then a sturdy artisanal pasta will take its own good time, and after that there’s a little swirling or stirring, and pretty soon it’s a pretty late supper.

Okay, it was late, even for us; it was nearly midnight.

But it was delicious, and probably both better and more comfy than any alternative we had after returning home close to 11 o’clock.  We came directly from Louise Fishman’s opening at the Philadelphia ICA, which had culminated a wonderful day trip to Philadelphia.

The recipe is from Mark Bitttman, ‘Minting A Pasta Dish For Summer‘. I’ve been saving it since 2003. He writes that the amount of the herb indicated, “..allows the mint to announce its presence’.  If you like mint as much as I do, I don’t think using more of it in this recipe would be a bad idea at all.

I halved all of the ingredients.

• eight ounces of artisanal pasta (here Setaro Nodi Marini from Buon Italia), after it had been cooked al dente in a large pot of water and drained, immediately turned into a warmed bowl and thoroughly mixed with 2 or 3 tablespoons of its cooking liquid, 2 tablespoons of ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘, about a fourth of a cup of chopped peppermint from Lani’s Farm, and about a fourth of a cup of Parmesan cheese from Whole Foods, grated, seasoned with salt an pepper to taste, divided into 2 shallow bowls, sprinkled with micro beets from Two Guys from Woodbridge (because I had a small amount already washed and dried), and also for the color), and served with additional cheese on the side
• the wine was an Italian (Sardinia) white, La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna 2014
• the music was from Q2, streaming (it was late, and we were too tired to remember the pieces)

lots of herbs

 

and unltimately lots of alliums as well

 

The meal tasted far more luxurious than the amount of money which exchanged hands at the fishmonger today would have suggested. Also, the availability of ramps and asparagus made for an entrée fit for a king, or at least a somewhat unpresuming monarch.

• four 3-ounce Porgy fillets from Blue Moon Fish, pan-seared over medium heat in a bit of butter with thinly-sliced spring garlic from Bodhitree Farm and salt, the fish basted at least several times with the the garlic butter for about 2 minutes, then turned over, the heat reduced to low, a cover placed on the pan and the filets cooked for about another minute or two, the cover removed, 2 or 3 tablespoons of mixed fresh herbs thrown in (I used parsley, mint, lovage, savory, thyme, and oregano this time) and the basting continued for about another minute, or until the fish was cooked through (the recipe was slightly modified from one written by Melissa Clark)
• an equal mix of ramps from Berried Treasures and asparagus from Phillips Farm, rolled in olive oil with salt and pepper, the ramp greens separated from the bulbs, and the asparagus and bulbs pan-grilled until cooked through and grill marks appeared, removed, replaced briefly by the ramp greens, then all of the vegetables combined on a warm platter and distributed to plates
• the wine was a California (Clarksburg) white, Richard Bruno Clarksburg Chenin Blanc 2015
• the music was from the album, ‘Barbary Coast’ (Red Light New Music), and mostly just Liam Robinson, Chris Cerrone, and Ted Hearne

hot.

 

In all of Italy, couscous is a tradition only in Sicily and in Sardinia (apparently with the exception of somewhere in Rome): In Sicily it’s cooked with fish, in Sardinia with lamb; we were right on target this evening.

• a small serving of a rich couscous (prepared with Sicilian olives, garlic, dried peperoncino, cherry tomatoes, and juices from the monkfish with which it had been prepared a few days ago), a mix which, having survived the earlier feast, was now  gently reheated while small amounts of a good stock were added to the mix, and served in shallow bowls

 

• four absolutely superb small lamb loin chops from Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, cooked on a very hot grill pan for about 5 or 6 minutes on each side, seasoned with salt and pepper after they were first turned over, finished with juice of a local lemon from Fantastic Gardens of New Jersey, chopped lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge, chopped winter savory form Stokes Farm, and a drizzle of olive oil
• a large handful of micro beets from Two Guys from Woodbridge, washed, drained, allowed to dry, then gathered on two plates where they were drizzled with a good Umbrian olive oil (Luciana Cerbini Casa Gola from Buon Italia), a squeeze of the same local lemon used on the lamb, salt and pepper
• kale rabe from Alewife Farm, washed, drained, and braised in a heavy pot in which two halved garlic cloves from Whole Foods had first been allowed to sweat in some olive oil, the dish finished with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a very special California (Sonoma) red, Scott Peterson Rumpus Cabernet Sauvignon California 2014 from NakedWines.com
• the music was Aulis Sallinen’s Symphony No 5, Ari Rasilainen conducting the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra

 

untitled (rose scallops) 2005

I forgot to return my memory card to the camera before I shot, or thought I had shot, pictures of this meal, so there is no pictorial record of it; the image above describes several forms of shellfish, and last night we had only scallops, but I like the photograph. I captured it in a fish stall, Pura Vida Fisheries, over 10 years ago at the Union Square Greenmarket.

 

The scallops were not big, and so would have been less successful on a pan grill than when the are larger, and I was aching to use my new 10-inch tin-lined copper skillet, so that’s where they found themselves last night, sautéed, however briefly, inside a luxury French vessel. I decided to top them with some ramp butter when they were done, mostly because it was there. It was a remainder from preparations for a steak dinner a few days before. It contained both lemon zest and lemon juice, so nothing more would be needed to finish the scallops, except that I also had a lot of micro beet greens left from a container bought last Friday (it was the smallest they had at the time), so they ended up dressing up the flavors – and altering the color scheme.

The tomatoes were sautéed whole, and spring garlic finished the dish; it was an allium from Nevia No’s just-retired Bodhitree Farms, bought on her last day in Union Square, and it and the remainder of the bunch will be my final physical connection with her genius.

The rainbow chard was also from Nevia’s farms, and it was as sweet and beautiful as the first half of the same bouquet had been.

• twelve medium scallops from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, rinsed, dried very thoroughly, sautéed in a heavy tin-lined copper pan, 2 minutes on one side, 1 on the other, removed to 2 warm plates, spread with a ramp butter (ramps from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, quickly par-boiled, dried and chopped, mixed with softened butter, organic lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper, then placed in the refrigerator until ready to be used, but removed one hour before the meal, to soften), micro beets from Two Guys from Woodbridge scattered over the top
• eight Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods, each punctured with a small skewer, sautéed in a little olive oil until they began to soften, seasoned with salt and pepper, removed to a warm bowl, then 1 stem of spring garlic from Bodhitree Farms, thinly-sliced bulb and wider-sliced greens, immediately tossed into the still-warm pan in which the tomatoes had cooked, stirred a few seconds, then the garlic and tomato juices poured on top of the tomatoes themselves, followed by a sprinkling of chopped oregano from Eataly and lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• rainbow chard from Bodhitree Farms, sautéed with olive oil, finished with a squeeze of juice from an organic lemon, some crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili
• the wine was an Oregon (Willamette) white, Scott Kelley Pinot Gris Willamette 2015
• the music was Aulis Sallinen’s Piano Trio, Op. 96, and his Symphony No. 4, Op. 49