I threw almost everything allium-ish I had at the time into this bowl.  It felt like an improvisation, but it was more of an expansion of the simple Mario Batali basic recipe, through the addition of several ingredients.  I knew that even without my further attentions the ingredients would make it a success.  It was also pretty quickly put together.

• I used spaghetti from Rustichella d’Abruzzo; the various allium forms I included were ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, baby leeks from Rogowski Farm, spring garlic from Norwich Meadows Farm, Shimonita Onion from Lani’s Farm; the breadcrumbs were made from various artisanal loaves I had watched dry out
• the wine was an Italian white (Sardinia), La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna 2013 
• the music was Italian (Roman), the ‘Motets for 5 voices’, by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Cod has been one of the great treasures of the Atlantic for 1200 years or so, and, if we husband the stocks intelligently, it may continue to be so.  It’s always been regarded as a treasure in our kitchen.

• a single one-pound cod fillet from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, halved, slowly sautéed for a few minutes (along with a minced clove of garlic which had been begun to color in the oil), then flipped, with chopped parsley from Rogowski Farm added to the pan along with slices of the bulb portions of ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, sautéed for a couple more minutes, the fish then removed and the leaves of the ramps, cut lengthwise, introduced to the pan and allowed to wilt in the juices before being spread on top of the fillets
• small, young Cavolo Nero (Black, or Tuscan kale) from Migliorelli Farm, briefly wilted with olive oil and two garlic halves which had first been heated in the oil
• the wine was a Spanish (Galicia) white, Abadía de San Campio Albariño Rías Baixas 
• the music was chamber works by Robert de Visée and his contemporaries

It’s spring, and that means it’s asparagustime (Spargelzeit).  The image above would suggest that it’s also tomato and watercress time, but that would not be entirely honest: These particular tomatoes are available all year round, and the cress is hydroponic (they came home with their clean wet roots intact), meaning that the farmer didn’t really have to wait for spring.

• two thick, bone-in loin pork chops (barely 7 ounces each) from Flying Pig Farms, thoroughly dried, seasoned with salt and pepper, seared in a heavy enameled cast-iron pan, half a lemon squeezed over them then left in the pan with them while they roasted in a 400º oven for about 14 minutes (flipped halfway through and the lemon squeezed over them once again), removed from the oven, sprinkled with cress from Stokes Farm, and the pan juices spooned over the to
• Maine Backyard Farms ‘cocktail tomatoes‘ from Eataly, added to the pan with the pork chops during the last moments they were in the oven, seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with savory from Bodhitree Farm
• large spears of asparagus from from Stokes Farm, trimmed, the thicker parts peeled, placed in an oven pan, dotted with butter and seasoned with salt and pepper, roasted for 15-20 minutes, turning once or twice, then served
• the wine was a German white, Stefan Meyer Silvaner Trocken 2013 from Chelsea wine vault from Rhodt
• the music was Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, played by Les Muciens de Louvre

I don’t cook with mushrooms nearly enough.  I’ve promised myself I’d do better this year.

• monkfish from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, prepared ‘Dijon Style’ using my spring allium variation of this vintage Pierre Franey recipe; my ingredients included Shiitake mushrooms from Bulich Mushroom Farm, one stem of spring garlic from Norwich Meadows Farm, ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, and parsley from Rogowski Farm
• the young rapini from Lani’s Farm, remaining from the previous day’s salmon dinner, wilted with two garlic halves from Whole Foods which had previously sweated a bit in olive oil, all then seasoned with salt and pepper
• the wine was a French rosé, Devois de Perret Languedoc 2014
• the music was Antonio Bertali, chamber works (gorgeous)

While this meal did a good job of combining a neat variety of colors and textures, it actually came together more by accident than design.  I had a good fresh vegetable in the crisper, and I wanted to serve fish.  I was unable to get to the Greenmarket that day, so in the evening I picked up a fillet of wild Coho salmon (Pacific Northwest, previously frozen) from the market down the block – and at a sale price!.  Potatoes felt right for this plate, so I added a handful.  (I’ve found small boiling potatoes handy to keep around, so I try to remember to use them before they sit too long, and then replace the supply.)

• wild Coho salmon fillet from Whole Foods Market, roasted in butter in a shallow enameled cast-iron pan (using two tablespoons of butter for about 12 ounces of salmon), seasoned, roasted for about eight minutes, turned once, after five minutes, removed to warm plates and sprinkled with salt, pepper, chopped savory from Bodhitree Farm
• small waxy potatoes, ’18K Gold Nugget’ from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, boiled, dried, tossed with olive oil, sprinkled with a mix of several chopped fresh herbs and a bit of sliced Shimonita Onion (a combination of baby leek and spring onion) from Lani’s Farm
• young broccoli rabe (aka rapi, broccoli raab, cime di rapa, rapini; friarielli, broccoli di rapa, or broccoletti) from Lani’s Farm, wilted along with two garlic halves from Whole Foods which had previously sweated a bit in olive oil, the greens then seasoned with salt and pepper
• the wine was a German red, Becker Family Pinot Noir 2010
• there was lots of music