It was so good, yet only an hour before I had begun to assemble this meal I wasn’t into cooking anything. It’s typical for me that once I had an idea, even if it was about a single ingredient, any reluctance vanished. This time it was remembering that I had some Mexican sour gherkins in the crisper drawer.

• short pieces cut from a part of one garlic scape from Phillips Farms sautéed until softened in a little olive oil inside a large antique copper pot, followed by 8 ounces of halved ‘Mexican gherkins’ (which are not actually cucumbers, but ‘pepquinos’, or ‘Melothria scabra‘), along with a tiny bit of Brazilian wax pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm, after which 8 ounces of a New York pasta, Sfoglini whole grain reginetti, were mixed in, together with about a cup of reserved pasta cooking water, the mix then stirred in the pot over high heat until the liquid had emulsified, after which some small tomatoes were added (less than a handful), halved, remaining from a basket of mixed colors and shapes from Tamarack Hollow Farm that had been incorporated into an earlier meal, plus both the zest and juice of a Whole Foods organic California lemon, the pasta drizzled with a little bit of tomato water (same tomatoes!) remaining from that same meal, seasoned with local sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, placed in 2 shallow bowls, topped with micro lemon balm from Two Guys from Woodbridge, drizzled with a little olive oil
• the wine throughout was a Portuguese (Douro) white, Quevedo Family Alvarinho 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music was an album of works by Charles Avison which included 6 concertos ‘in seven parts’ (transcriptions of Scarlatti sonatas), performed by Cafe Zimmermann; Charles Avison (1709-1770) was a rara avis, a good eighteenth-century English composer)

At the fish stand on Friday, Paul had the very tip of a shark fin in his hand, but I went with the steaks.

• two thick 9-ounce alopias vulpinus (thresher shark) steaks, from Pura Vida Seafood Company, rubbed on both sides with most of a mixture of fresh herbs (lovage and winter savory from Keith’s Farm, and parsley from Jersey Farm Produce Inc. in the Saturday 23rd Street farmers market), all chopped together, using a chef’s knife, along with local sea salt, some partially smashed whole black pepper, 2 small cloves of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm, a bit of zest from an organic Whole Foods Market California lemon, adding a bit of olive oil added to moisten the mix, reserving a little of the herb mixture for basting, the steaks then pan-grilled, basting throughout the cooking process with some of the reserved mixture, then and removed, ideally, while barely fully cooked in the center, arranged on the plates, finished with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, garnished with some wonderful micro lemon balm from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• 
• three ripe heirloom tomatoes, a red from Eckerton Hill Farm, a green and an orange from Norwich Meadows Farm each halved horizontally, the cut sides sprinkled sea salt, black pepper, chopped a bit of fresh marjoram from Stokes Farm, placed on a hot enameled grill pan, cut side up for 3 or 4 minutes, turned over and grilled for another minute, or minute and a half, arranged on the plates and sprinkled with a little more of the herb, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil
• eight small dark green Kirby cucumbers from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, sliced into bite-size cross sections, sautéed along with 2 sliced red tropea onions from Alewife Farm in a little olive oil inside a large antique copper pot until both were slightly browned, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, sprinkled with clipped buds and blossoms of  bronze fennel from Rise & Root Farm in the Union Square Greenmarket [I forgot to snap a picture while the cucumbers were still at the farm stand]
• the wine was a California (Napa/Santa Lucia Highlands) rosé, Derek Rohlffs Santa Lucia Highlands Rose 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music was an album of C.P.E. Bach Symphonies and a Cello Concerto, performed by Café Zimmermann, Pablo Valetti, violin and direction

A friend visiting from Los Angeles joined us for dinner on Wednesday. She had last been here in January, when we enjoyed a very middle-of-winter meal, (as in, duck, cabbage, sweet potatoes), so there was little chance of repeating anything this time.

That afternoon I brought home three beautiful striped bass fillets from the Union Square Greenmarket, displaying glistening silvery skin on one side, fresh pink flesh with 3 dotted bands of cherry red on the other. It had been line-caught in Long Island waters, probably the day before, becoming one of the mere 220 of the species that his license, and that of every other area fisherman, would allow him to reel in this year; it was a number that authorities had determined would protect a species that had been commercially over fished not may years ago. I felt it was an honor to share it, and I wanted to do it justice.

It was summery, and so were the herbs that blanketed it.

But then I picked a fresh bit of charcuterie as well, which doesn’t particularly say summer. When I stopped by the stall of Hudson Valley Charcuterie in the Greenmarket I think I was so distracted by the ‘fresh’, ‘local’, and ‘pork’, thing that I totally lost my focus on a summer concept, but at least each of the two courses had their own individual character. Ruby Duke, the farmer, calls smoked pork rillettes “the gateway charcuterie”, and I totally understand.

Ruby is in the center of the photograph above, Wolf is on the left, and Louie, Ruby’s brother, is on the right.

Because rillettes are quite rich, they are usually served on a white baguette, with cornichon on the side, to offset that heaviness, but I rarely have either of those in my kitchen. I’m also not a strict traditionalist, and I have no fear of rich food, so on Wednesday I served this wonderful local charcuterie with sturdy whole wheat toasts and a terrific local sweet horseradish preserve.

• most of the contents of a small 3-ounce jar of Hudson Vally Charcuterie at Raven & Boar farm Smoked Rillettes/pork belly confit from pastured heritage whey fed pigs, spread on toasted slices of ‘Whole wheat Redeemer Bread’ (wheat, water, salt) from Lost Bread Co.
• dabs of a horseradish jelly from Berkshire Berries
• a handful of plain, unseasoned perky and peppery red watercress from Dave’s Max Creek Hatchery in the Greenmarket
• the wine with the first course was a Portuguese (Lisbon) white, Quinta do Montalto “Cepa Pura” White Fernão Pires 2016, from Astor Wines

We had to wait at least a few minutes for the main course, because not everything could (or should) be prepared in advance.

• three thick Striped Bass fillet pieces (8 or 9 ounces each) from American Seafood Company, washed, drained, brought to room temperature, arranged skin side down resting on a coating of about a tablespoon of olive oil on the bottom of a medium glazed terra cotta pan, scattered with a mixture of chopped fresh herbs, specifically, ‘za’atar’, or, technically, origanum syriacum, from TransGenerational Farm, peppermint from Alex’s Tomato Farm in the Saturday 23rd Street farmers market, lovage from Keith’s Farm, plus one partially-crumbled fresh bay leaf [fresh bay leaves from Uncle Vinny’s, possibly Columbian] from Westside Market [almost any fresh herb or combination of herbs could be used in this recipe], seasoned with Phil Karlin’s P.E. & D.D. Seafood Long Island Sound sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, sprinkled with some of my homemade dry bread crumbs (these very newly made) and drizzled with a little olive oil, placed inside a 425º oven for just under 25 minutes, removed when cooked through, sprinkled with a bit of chopped parsley from Jersey Farm Produce Inc. in the Saturday 23rd Street farmers market and arranged on the plates, squeezed with the juice of a small organic Mexican lemon from Whole Foods and drizzled with olive oil

• the florets of a small head of purple cauliflower from Tamarack Hollow Farm sautéed until beginning to color and soften in a pan in which 3 roughly-sliced cloves of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm and more than a teaspoon of dried Semi di Finocchietto Ibleo (wild Sicilian fennel seed harvested in the Iblei Mountains), from Eataly Flatiron had first been heated, the cauliflower braised for a few minutes until beginning to soften, one finely chopped quite tiny very hot Brazil wax pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm stirred in before being  joined by 5 ounces of small tomatoes of many colors and shapes from Tamarack Hollow Farm, and, to add some bright red to the scheme, half a dozen ‘Super sweet 100’ cherry tomatoes from Keith’s Farm, all halved and seeded, and the cooking continued, gently, until the tomatoes had been heated through and become a full partner in the mix, the vegetables finished by stirring in some chopped winter savory from Keith’s Farm
• the wine with the second course was a Spanish (Bierzo) white, Bierzo Godello, Abad Dom Bueno 2017, also from Astor Wines

There was a plain fruit course after the fish.

• bunches of Niagara Grapes from Locust Grove Fruit Farm in the Union Square Greenmarket, rinsed in very cold water and arranged in a bowl, with small plates at each setting

 

• the music throughout was our own conversation, accompanied by a number of albums on Spotify devoted to the music of the Czech composer,  Leopold Koželuch (1747-1818), who spent most of his creative life in Vienna

Both were definitely local, but If the ‘wild tomatoes’ were not, technically wild anymore, the seafood really was, even if it had been domesticated by the fisherman (by bringing it home) and the fisherman’s wife (by preparing the salad at home).

• eight ounces of a squid and conch salad (including olive oil, parsley, red pepper, lemon juice) from P.E. & D.D. Seafood in the Union Square Greenmarket, made by Dolores Karlin, the wife of Phil Karlin, the fisherman himself, arranged on a thin bed of arugula from Norwich Meadows Farm, the seasoning of the salad adjusted only slightly, including a drizzle of juice from an organic California lemon from Chelsea Whole Foods Market, arranged on leaves of  a head of Roxy purple leaf lettuce from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, dressed with a good olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle lemon juice too, arranged as a bed for the salad
• slices of an organic multigrain baguette from Bread Alone

 

The main, or pasta course, included a scion of the ur-tomato, called the ‘wild Mexican tomato’, here grown on Eckerton Hill Farm, boasting the sophisticated flavors expected of a member of an ancient lineage.

• a very simple pasta sauce begun by heating and softening in a little olive oil inside a large antique copper pot over a medium flame, one and a half garlic scapes, cut into very short lengths, from Phillips Farms, adding some crushed dried espelette pepper from Alewife Farm, the mix tossed with 9 ounces of an Afeltra pasta artigianale di Gragnano I.G.P. 100% grano Italiano biologico that had been cooked al dente and drained, almost an entire cup of its cooking water also added, everything stirred over a high flame until the liquid had emulsified, then 4 ounces of fantastic, sweet tiny ‘wild’ Mexican tomatoes from Eckerton Hill Farm were stirred in, followed by a mix of chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm, chopped parsley from Jersey Farm Produce Inc. in the Saturday 23rd Street farmers market, and torn peppermint leaves from Alex’s Tomato Farm, also in the Saturday market, and finished with more herbs and a little olive oil drizzled around the edges

 

• the wine throughout was a Portuguese (Douro) white, Quevedo Family Alvarinho 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music throughout was Pier Francesoc Cavalli’s 1640 opera, ‘Gli Amori D’apollo E Di Dafne’, Gabriel Garrido conducting the Elyma Ensemble

A tough one.

Somehow I must have persuaded myself that the tougher parts of the agretti branches I had picked up at the Greenmarket would miraculously soften once they had been parboiled.

I was wrong, and now it was getting pretty late for any major change in the menu.

I had suspected I might have a problem on my hands, so I had started to think of something to replace them with as a side dish for the scallops even as I tossed the agretti into the pot of boiling water, but with a quick recovery – stripping the ‘leaves’ from the branches after they had drained and combining them with some tomatoes that I had earlier thought of as a second vegetable – I rescued at least some of my original dinner plan, and saved some little cucumbers for another meal.

• ten sea scallops (13.5 ounces total) from P.E. & D.D. Seafood Company, rinsed, dried, slit horizontally with a very sharp knife almost all of the way through to accommodate tiny spoonfuls of a mixture of some fresh chopped epazote from TransGenerational Farm, one medium-size clove of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm, less than half of a tiny Brazilian wax pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm, a little local P.E. & D.D. sea salt, and a bit of whole black pepper, all having been chopped together very finely, and removed to a small bowl where just enough olive oil was added to form a paste, the ‘stuffed’ scallops then rolled around on a plate with a little more olive oil [although I’m not certain this is step is necessary, especially to retain ‘grill’ marks], drained, pan grilled in an enameled cast iron pan for about 2 minutes on each side, removed to the 2 dinner plates, finished with a squeeze of a small California organic lemon from Chelsea Whole Foods Market and a drizzle of olive oil

• a handful of golden heirloom cherry tomatoes from Eckerton Hill Farm, each punctured once or twice with a small metal skewer, then rolled around in a little olive oil above a low flame inside a medium copper skillet, eventually joined by the tender parts of a bunch of agretti (or saltwort) branches, from Norwich Meadows Farm, separated from the woody parts after the branches, still intact, had been parboiled for exactly 7 minutes, the tomatoes and the agretti stirred together, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, and warmed a bit, a little juice from an organic California lemon from Chelsea Whole Foods Market squeezed on top before tomatoes and agretti were arranged on the plates
• slices of an organic multigrain baguette from Bread Alone
• the wine was a New Zealand (South Island/Marborough/Wairau Valley) white, Lay of the Land Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music was an album of works by Sheila Silver, ‘Piano Concerto’ and ‘Six préludes pour piano, d’après poèmes de Baudelaire‘

It may be looking a bit less like summer around here, but nothing in the image above is really not a summer thing.

Sunday night we were able to enjoy, for the first time, a fresh sausage created by some venders new to the Union Square this year.

I also managed to have come up with a second, very different puntarelle dish, using a single large ‘head’ of puntarelle, also from the Greenmarket, and I learned a good deal about this extraordinary vegetable in the process.

And I just happened to have a few potatoes that could balance the very different strong flavors of each.

• “simmer then sear”, read an admonition I spotted somewhere that day (I usually stress over how and for how long to cook sausages), and it became my guide with 4 ‘Summer Broccoli Raab’ pork sausages (1.05 lbs) from Hudson Vally Charcuterie at Raven & Boar farm, made in collaboration with Jacuterie, an artisanal charcuterie company (located just south of them, in Ancramdale, Columbia County): after being placed inside a large pot and filling it with cold water, just enough to cover, they were heated over a medium-high flame until the water had reached a gentle simmer, by which time they were fully cooked, then removed, drained, and dried on a paper towel before being place inside a seasoned cast iron pan over high heat (after its surface had been brushed with a very small amount of olive oil), seared, turning frequently, until colored on all sides, then arranged on the plates with dabs of a rich shallot, garlic, paprika and turmeric mustard, also from Hudson Valley Charcuterie
• four medium ‘Lilly’ German Butterball new potatoes from Savoie Organic Farm, boiled with a generous amount of salt until barely cooked through, drained, halved, dried while still in the still-warm vintage large Corning Pyrex Flameware glass pot in which they had cooked, rolled around inside in a little more than a teaspoon of Whole Foods Market house Portuguese olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, sprinkled with flowering pericón (‘Mexican tarragon’) from Norwich Meadows Farm
• the outer leaves, reserved from the large head of puntarelle purchased from Tamarack Hollow Farm, whose central section had been prepared in a classic Roman fashion that day, trimmed, thoroughly washed and drained several times, and prepared more simply by being wilted, stirring continuously, inside a large antique copper pot in a little olive oil in which 2 medium cloves of ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm had first been allowed to soften and begin to color over a low to medium flame, followed by the addition of a few rinsed and drained Sicilian capers from Buon Italia and 6 or 8 Kalamata olives from Flatiron Eataly, seasoned with salt, pepper, and finished on the plates with a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was an Australian (Victoria) red, Jen Pfeiffer The Hero Shiraz 2018, from Naked Wines
• the music was an album of works by the 18th century Bohemian composer, a student of Vivaldi, František Jiránek: ‘Concertos and Sinfonias’, performed with period instruments by Collegium Marianum (period instruments) under the direction of Jana Semerádová

(I turned the plate 90° clockwise after the photo)

I know it looks maximal, especially after the last few Sunday lunches, when I’d been reducing the number of things I’ve been tossing into our breakfast/lunch plates, but I guess I got carried away with the current bounty of the kitchen’s larder. Once we had sat down, I decided I’d just think of it as a 3 peppers/3 herbs omelet.

• the plates included 6 fresh eggs from pastured chickens and 5 slices of bacon from pastured pigs, all from John Stoltzfoos’ Pennsylvania Millport Dairy Farm in the Union Square Greenmarket, one very ripe medium red/green heirloom tomato from Eckerton Hill Farm, sliced, seasoned with local sea salt from P.E. & D.D. Seafood and freshly ground black pepper, then heated in olive oil, sprinkled with ‘Gram Masala’ from Bombay Emerald Chutney Company (purchased at the Saturday Chelsea Farmers Market), and garnished with micro purple radish from WIndfall Farms, the eggs fried inside the same very large well-seasoned cast iron pan in which the bacon had been slowly cooked (but only after a little rich Vermont Creamery butter had first been added), seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, one sliced fresh habanada pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, a small amount of crushed dried, ripe red shishito pepper (some of which could actually have been hot) from Lani’s Farm, and 2 finely chopped tiny Brazil wax peppers from Eckerton Hill Farm, and sprinkled with an herb mix of lovage from Keith’s Farm, epazote from TransGenerational Farm, and flowering pericón (‘Mexican tarragon’) from Norwich Meadows Farm; the bread was untoasted slices of ‘Seedy Grains’ (wheat, spelt, rye, and barley organic bread flours; buckwheat; oats; flax sesame, sunflower,  and pumpkin seeds; water, and salt) from Lost Bread Co.
• the music was a collection of sacred works, and secular works inspired by the sacred, from three composers with the name Praetorius, Jacob, Hieronymus, and Michael, from the album, ‘Praetorious’, Pablo Heras-Casado conducting the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble

Only a few hours before I began to prepare it, I hadn’t thought I’d be making dinner at all Saturday night, but by the middle of the evening it seemed like it would be the most comfortable way to satisfy our hunger, better than a restaurant, and also better than ordering even a very good pizza. There would be great company, a good table, agreeable climate control, good decor, great music, unexpected flavors, and not too many dishes to wash afterward.

It was mostly a matter of assembling things for which others had done the hard work earlier (local others).

There was an appetizer because I had already opened a package of a great hard salami the week before, and I had a stash of some terrific semi-wild red cress that would not stay at its peak forever. Also, the frozen package of filled pasta did not represent a lot of food for two by itself.

• two ounces, thinly sliced, of a luscious local finocchiona-style sausage, ‘Finochiona’ (pork, salt, red wine, spices, garlic, evaporated cane juice, celer extract, lactic acid starter culture) from Rico and Jill of Walnut Hill Farm in Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont, which now sells at the Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays (the sausage is made in collaboration with Jacuterie, an artisanal charcuterie company south of them, in Ancramdale, Columbia County, New York
• handfuls of red watercress from Dave’s Max Creek Hatchery (I still had a lot left), dressed with a good olive oil, Renieris Estate ‘Divina’ (a Koroneiki varietal), Hania, from Crete, purchased at the Chelsea Whole Foods Market, a bit of juice from a small organic California lemon (Sespe Creek Organics), also from Whole Foods, some local salt (Phil Karlin’s P.E. & D.D. Seafood Long Island Sound sea salt), and freshly ground black pepper
• slices of ‘Seedy Grains’ (wheat, spelt, rye, and barley organic bread flours; buckwheat; oats; flax sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds; water, and salt) from Lost Bread Co. in the Union Square Greenmarket

The main course pasta was as delicious as it was pretty.

• most of one garlic scape from Phillips Farms, chopped, followed by one small chopped shallot from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, slowly heated in a tablespoon or two of olive oil inside a large antique high-sided tin-lined heavy copper pan until they had begun to color and smell fragrant, followed by one sliced fresh habanada pepper from from Campo Rosso Farm, briefly stirred with the alliums before being joined by more than half a dozen or so halved Kalamata olives olives from Whole Foods Market, followed by the introduction of a still-frozen 10 ounce package of Rana portobello-mushroom-and-ricotta-filled ravioli from Eataly that had been cooked, al dente, immediately before, everything stirred together over a low flame, along with some of the reserved pasta water, until the liquid had emulsified, the pasta arranged inside 2 shallow bowls topped with a bit of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano from Whole Foods, olive oil drizzled on top and around the edges, the dish finished with a little micro purple radish from Windfall Farms
• the wine was a French (Beaujolais) red, Barbet Beaujolais Beau 2016, from Copake Wine
• the music was music of Laurence Crane, on the album, ‘Crane: Drones, Scales and Objects’, performed by the Cikada Ensemble, on the Norwegian record label LAWO Classics

I think it all looks very light, in both senses, and it was. Also surprisingly luscious.

• four 3 1/2-ounce trimmed skate wings from P.E. & D.D. Seafood in the Union Square Greenmarket that day, coated all over with a local coarse polenta (‘Stone-Ground Polenta’ from Wild Hive Farm Community Grain Project), seasoned with local P.E. & D.D. sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, sautéed in a bit of Whole Foods Market Portuguese house olive oil and a bit of local butter, Vermont Creamery, for just under 3 minutes on each side inside a heavy enameled cast iron oven pan (they just barely fit), removed to the plates and kept warm while 1 to 2 tablespoons of more butter and one sliced red spring onion from Norwich Meadows Farm, 2 finely chopped tiny Brazil wax peppers from Eckerton Hill Farm, and a bit of chopped epazote from TransGenerational Farm  were introduced into the pan and stirred over a now-lowered flame, just enough to allow the onion to sweat a bit, the heat turned off altogether and another tablespoon of butter added to the pan along with the juice from a little more than half of small organic California lemon from Chelsea Whole Foods (Sespe Creek Organics), the pan stirred for a bit to blend everything and make a proper sauce, which was poured over the skate wings and more epazote sprinkled on top

• one sliced orange/yellow heirloom tomato from Campo Rosso Farm, seasoned with salt and pepper, sautéed briefly in a little olive oil inside a small copper skillet, arranged on the plates with a little chopped fresh za’atar [origanum syriacum] from TransGenerational Farm

• the roots of one bunch of ‘French Breakfast’ radishes from Willow Wisp Farm, the greens having been removed and stored with them when they were first brought home, washed/scrubbed but not trimmed otherwise, split lengthwise into halves or quarters, sautéed rinsed in several changes of water and set aside, the radishes themselves washed, scrubbed, and cut into wedges, sautéed in a little olive oil inside a large, antique, high sided copper pot for a few minutes, one sliced Italian red tropea onion from Alewife Farm added near the end of the cooking, along with a pinch of peperoncino Calabresi secchia from Buon Italia, after which the reserved radish leaves, having been washed thoroughly in several changes of water, were introduced into the pan, stirred, and allowed to barely wilt, the mix sprinkled with salt and pepper, a tablespoon of white wine poured in and stirred with the radish until the liquid had evaporated
• the wine was an Oregon (Willamette Valley/Dundee Hills) white, Oregon Pinot Blanc 2016, ordered directly from Erath
• the music was a fantastic album of works by the remarkable Dutch composer Ivo Emmerik (b.1961) that includes his, ‘Documents Pour Servir De Canevas’ and ‘Birdstone’, both performed by the Ives Ensemble on the label, Composers Voice; this is his own site

I bought more swordfish than I really should have, because, while the individual steaks at the fishers’ stall yesterday were really too large for one, they would have been even less satisfactory for two, especially for two of us who really love swordfish.

Warren, who works the stall and is also one of the fishermen, steered me to the swordfish bucket when I asked what would be my best choice if it turned out I’d have to wait until the next day to cook a fish. Then, while complimenting the quality of the particular catch (I’ve learned to always pay close attention to his words and his body language when I’m contemplating – out loud – what to bring home; sometimes he volunteers a suggestion, and it’s always on target) he pointed to the rim of pale flesh just under the long line of skin; I think he said something about rich belly meat.

The main vegetable was puntarelle, which I’ve been delighted to have experienced at home a number of times before, but apparently never as it really should be. At the Greenmarket on Wednesday I came across a form that must be pretty close to what would be found in Rome, and for the first time ever we enjoyed really crunchy curled strands of this wonderful mild chicory. The farm that produced our puntarelle is more than halfway up the state of Vermont, where the climate isn’t anything like that of the farms where cicoria asparago is grown in Lazio.

• two really beautiful swordfish steaks (20 ounces) from American Seafood Company in the Union Square Greenmarket, marinated for more than half an hour in a mixture of a couple tablespoons of olive oil, a bit of  super-pungent dried Sicilian oregano, which is sold still attached to bunches of stems inside a cellophane bag at Buon Italia, one tiny yellow Brazil wax pepper from Eckerton Hill Farm, and a thinly sliced section of a red spring onion from Norwich Meadows Farm, after which the steaks were drained and covered on both sides with a coating of homemade dried breadcrumbs (to help retain the moisture, and keep it from drying out), pan-grilled over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side, or until barely cooked all of the way through, removed, arranged on the plates, seasoned with a little local salt, Phil Karlin’s P.E. & D.D. Seafood Long Island Sound sea salt, drizzled with some ‘tomato water’ that remained from a salsa prepared for a meal a few days earlier, a bit of juice from a small California organic Whole Foods Market lemon (Sespe Creek Organics) squeezed on top, and drizzled with a little olive oil
• one ripe red heirloom tomato from Norwich Meadows Farm, halved, sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper, arranged face down on the same grill as the swordfish, near the end of the latter’s cooking time, turned once, then arranged on the plates, tossed with chopped epazote from TransGenerational Farm, and drizzled with a little olive oil

• one ‘head’ of Puntarelle [cicoria di catalogna], an Italian chicory (28 ounces), from Tamarack Hill Farm, the outer straight leaves removed for another time, the remainder cooked pretty much as described on this site (for which I’m very, very grateful); I used ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic from Alewife Farm, local sea salt, 3 rinsed and filleted salted Sicilian anchovies from Buon Italia, one and a half tablespoons of Columela Rioja 30 Year Reserva sherry vinegar, 3 tablespoons of Whole Foods Market house Portuguese olive oil, and Whole Foods Market house whole pepper

Noting: It means nothing of course, but it is literally although only slightly remarkable, and I don’t make a big thing about coincidences anyway, but except for the wine (Galician then) and the music (more ancient in 2018), this meal was almost a duplicate of one I had prepared 13 months before, right down to the serendipitous tomato water.

• the wine was a Portuguese (Dão) white, Prunus White, Dão 2017, from Astor Wines
• the music was Gioseffo Zamponi’s 1650 opera, ‘Ulisse all’Isola di Circe’, Leonardo García Alarcón conducting the Capella Mediterranea, the Choeur de Chambre de Namur, and the Clematis Ensemble