skate with shallots, garlic, lemon; yellow pole beans

skate_yellow_Romano_minutia

What a great idea! Dredging this extremely tender fish with polenta, rather than flour, gives it real presence while protecting its delicacy. It wasn’t my invention, but rather Mila‘s.

  • skate from PE & DD, dredged in a somewhat coarse polenta from Citarella, seasoned with salt and pepper, pan-fried until golden brown, removed from the pan, the heat turned down below the pan, some butter, chopped shallots and finely-minced garlic added, both aliums stirred and cooked (‘sweated’) briefly, the flame then turned off entirely, and lemon juice, chopped parsley from Paffenroth Gardens and lovage from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm added to the pan along with a little more butter and stirred once again until the butter melts, the sauce then poured over the fish
  • yellow Romano pole beans from Norwich Meadows Farm, blanched, drained and dried, then reheated along with oil, finished with salt an pepper and chopped copper (or bronze) fennel fronds from Norwich Meadows Farm
  • minutina from Bodhitree Farm, wilted and seasoned, as a contorno
  • the wine was a Long Island white, Wölffer Estate Classic White Table Wine 2012