The meal was much, much more exciting than this image might suggest.

The first time I prepared this little feast the image benefited from a little more color, but this time I arranged the vegetable in separate shallow bowls (in the picture immediately above this paragraph, and at the very top left of the picture above it). I was afraid the purple juices from the braised purple kale would flood the couscous, but in the end, since there was almost no liquid remaining by the time I served the vegetable, I needn’t have worried.

• two small rosemary branches from Alewife Farm that had first been bruised with the flat side of a heavy knife added to 2 tablespoons of Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’ that had been melted inside a vintage medium-size heavy tin-lined copper pot, followed by 2 finely-chopped Rocambole garlic cloves from Keith’s Farm, a pinch or more of dried pepperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia and half of a fresh habanada pepper from Oak Grove Plantation, then cooked for one minute, stirring, after which one third of a cup of white wine (an inexpensive 2017 Chilean white, Choroy, a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from the Maule Valley) was added and the heat increased to medium-high, the liquid simmered until it had reduced by half (2 minutes or so), then three quarters of a cup of hand-rolled Canaan, Palestine, Maftoul “Organic and Fair”, similar to Moroccan couscous, made in women-owned cooperatives in the West Bank, organic and Fair Trade, boiled earlier for 3 minutes in a few quarts of salted water and drained, stirred into the pot with 2 or 3 teaspoons of rinsed and drained salted Sicilian capers and a third of a teaspoon of sea salt, cooked for a minute or so, the rosemary branches removed (I forgot to remove them), a teaspoon of organic lemon juice from Whole Foods Market added, the couscous spread onto 2 plates, each topped with a dozen bay scallops, prepared separately as described below [I found the basic recipe here; it was created by Melissa Clark, but I’ve altered it slightly]

• two dozen bay scallops from Pura Vida Seafood Company, washed and patted dry, rolled in a local whole wheat flour from the Blew family of Oak Grove Mills I regularly obtain in the Union Square Greenmarket, that had been seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, added to a large tin-lined heavy copper skillet in which a tablespoon or so of chopped garlic scapes from Berried Treasures Farm had been briefly sautéed in a tablespoon or more of butter until pungent and slightly softened, the scallops left in the pan for about a minute and a half while being tossed about once or twice, or until they had browned lightly, then placed on top of the 2 plates of cooked maftoul and garnished with chopped lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge [I should have added more than I did]

• redbor kale (or winterbor kale), finely-curled and a striking dark purple-red in color, from Alewife Farm, wilted with olive oil in which thinly-sliced rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had been allowed to heat until pungent, seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a drizzle of fresh olive oil [the kale barely appears at the top left of the picture at the top, inside a low black non-vintage, and non-radioactive Fiestaware bowl
• the wine was a California (Sonoma) white, Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc) 2017, from Philippe Wines
• the music was Mozart’s 1791 opera seria, ‘La Clemenza di Tito’, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the RIAS Kammerchor

The main course was a vegetarian, even vegan feast, but there was some excellent prosciutto with some excellent lettuce in the antipasto.

• La Quercia ‘Ridgetop Prosciutto’ (2 ounces) from Whole Foods Market, drizzled with a bit of Frankies 457 Sicilian olive oil
• some delicious leaves from a small head of lettuce (I’ve now forgotten its name, but it came from Tamarack Hollow Farm in the Union Square Greenmarket), dressed lightly with the same oil, plus a bit of juice from a Whole Foods Market organic lemon, Maldon salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices of a Balthazar sourdough rye purchased from Schaller & Weber

The main course was assembled around one of the really remarkable local pastas made by Sfoglini., and was finished with a delicious fresh green treat.

• 8 ounces of Sfoglini Pasta Shop‘s Bronx brewery BxB radiators (“organic semolina flour, organic rye flour, water, Bronx Belgium Pale Ale barley malts (Muntons Maris Otter/Tipple, Wyermann , Castle Chateau Biscuit, Weyermann Caramunich I, Bries Malted Re, Bries Flaked Rye’, according to the package, and I’m like the fact that the mix differs a little from the one indicated on last package I used) cooked inside a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente (usually a challenge with Sfoglini products, probably because they all include ingredients beyond what are usually a part of artisanal pasta), drained, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid, and added to a sauce prepared by heating until softened a bit 3 or 4 chopped late-season garlic scapes from Berried Treasures Farm in a little olive oil inside a large antique copper pot, before adding 3 finely chopped small seasoning peppers (yellow grenada and green aji dulce from Eckerton Hill Farm, and a habanada pepper from Oak Grove Plantation), the mix of sauce and pasta stirred while roughly three fourths of a cup of the reserved pasta water was added, more or less, as necessary, until the liquid had emulsified, the sauced ‘radiators’ tossed with a few ounces of sunflower greens from Windfall Farms, arranged in 2 shallow bowls, drizzled around the edges with olive oil, and served

 

• the wine throughout the meal was a California (Central Coast/Santa Ynez Valley) white, Rick Boyer Santa Ynez Valley Dry White Blend 2017, from Naked Wines 
• the music was an album of 2 of Strauss’ tone poems, ‘Till Eulenspiegel’ and ‘Ein Heldenleben’,  performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim

(one scallop looks as large as the tuna, but the plates are of different sizes)

 

The meal was a great success, especially since it had to be cobbled from two different kinds of seafood: When I learned that the fish monger had only one piece of tuna left, one that was a bit small for 2 people, I bought 4 scallops as well.

I decided the scallops and the tuna would work best as separate courses, but because my treatment for each was very simple, it didn’t mean there would be much more work involved.

The tuna was delicious, but for some reason these scallops were beyond my expectations, and I always expect a lot of scallops.

I was able to do most of the modest prep necessary for the second course before I began the first.

• six one-ounce scallops from American Seafood Company in the Union Square Greenmarket, washed, drained and very thoroughly dried on paper towels (at least twice!), generously seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, pan grilled for about 90 seconds on each side, arranged on the plates, finished with a squeeze of organic lemon from Whole Foods Market and a good Campania olive oil (Lamparelli O.R.O.), then sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves from Keith’s Farm
• Betsey Ryder’s terrific Ryder Farm arugula, dressed with more of the Campania oil a bit of lemon juice, Maldon salt, and black pepper
• slices of a Balthazar sourdough rye (quarter) purchased from Schaller & Weber

The greens had already been braised when I began to grill the tuna, which would take less than 3 minutes altogether.

• one thick small (a little over 10 ounces)dark tuna steak from American Seafood Company, rinsed, dried, halved, tops and bottoms seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper and rubbed with a mixture of a little more than a tablespoon of a combination of wonderful dry Sicilian fennel seed from Buon Italia and a little dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, that had first been crushed together in a porcelain mortar and pestle, the steaks pan-grilled above a medium-high flame on a new purchase, a very small (6″ square) Lava ECO enameled cast Iron square grill pan (for little more than a minute or so on each side), finished on the plates with a good squeeze of the juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market and a drizzle of Calabrian olive oil, garnished with micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge

• a truly beautiful, fresh, and superb tasting ‘braising mix’ (in mid-November!) of many kinds of greens, of the family Brassicaceae, from Keith’s Farm, barely wilted in a little olive oil in which several small rocambole garlic cloves, also from his Farm, had been heated until fragrant and beginning to soften, seasoned with sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper

 

• the wine throughout the meal was a Spanish (Galicia) white, Valdesil, Godello ‘Montenovo’ 2017, from Flatiron Wines [more about the area, ‘the golden valley’, including a picture of the vintner, Borja Prada, who is interviewed here (we love Galicia)]
• the music was Mozart’s ‘Die Entführung aus dem Serail’, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe

We had gotten back only the night before, Monday, after being away for almost a week, so the cupboards were almost bare, and Tuesday was not a Greenmarket day.  Nevertheless, I knew I could still assemble a decent meal around virtually the only vegetables in the house, a beautiful red cabbage waiting in the crisper, and a few potatoes.

I removed some smoked pork chops from the freezer the night before, and the character of the next day’s dinner was decided.

I didn’t have any fresh herbs in the apartment, but I wouldn’t need them. I would have liked some kind of fresh allium for the Kassler, but I decided I could try a bit of celery as a substitute.

• chopped sections of one celery stalk from Lucky Dog Organic Farms, some of the tender leaves reserved for the end of the process, softened over a low to moderate flame in a tablespoon or so of Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’ that had been heated inside a heavy tin-lined copper skillet, two smoked 9-ounce loin pork chops from Schaller & Weber added, the pot covered with a universal copper lid and kept above a very low flame (just enough to warm the chops through, as they were already fully-cooked), turning the meat once, then, near the end of the cooking time (I went for about 7 minutes this time), a few more thin slices of celery added for a minute or so, the chops then arranged on the plates and the celery leaves that had been set aside earlier, now chopped, sprinkled on top, finished with a topping of a bit of horseradish jelly from Berkshire Berries
• roughly a tablespoon and a half of rendered duck fat heated/melted inside a large, heavy, enameled cast iron pot, one finely sliced 13 or 14-ounce red ‘beef heart’ cabbage from Tamarack Hollow Farm and 2 medium roughly-chopped shallots from Lucky Dog Organic Farm added and cooked, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage had softened slightly (about 10 minutes), then adding some salt, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and more than one teaspoon of a local apple cider vinegar from Race Farm, along with a sprinkling of freshly-ground black pepper, the heat reduced and the mixture cooked 10 minutes or so longer, or until the cabbage was wilted and the shallots softened, after which a little turbinado sugar was stirred in, followed by a few tablespoons of a mix of different types of raisins, and a tablespoon or more of red current jelly, the mix stirred well
• four medium Red Norland potatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, scrubbed, boiled whole and unpeeled in heavily-salted water until barely cooked through, drained, halved, dried in the still-warm vintage Corning Pyrex Flameware blue-glass pot in which they had cooked, barely a tablespoon of butter added, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, arranged on the plates and sprinkled with homemade breadcrumbs that had first been browned in a little butter with a pinch of salt
• the wine was an Austrian (Weinviertel) white, Riesling “Falkenstein” Dürnberg 2015, from Astor Wines
• the music was an album of piano music composed and performed by Philip Glass, ‘Solo Piano’, released in 1989

I thought this was going to be almost a throwaway meal, one which would be quick, easy, and include ingredients I didn’t want to hang around the apartment while we were gone for 5 days. I didn’t even expect to post about it, since there was nothing original or totally new in any of its elements.

But it all turned out to be pretty awesome, so here’s the story.

The only thing that was really new was this Napa cabbage (sometimes called ‘Chinese cabbage’), meaning the fact that it was a red Napa cabbage, something I had not cooked before. I had however at least once before used the recipe that I worked with last night on a green cabbage.

It was the last red Napa cabbage on the farmer’s table; it was beautiful to me, and it looked a little lonely, so I swept it up and brought it home.

It had to be roughly chopped and washed (although it’s actually a pretty neat ‘green’), and then drained.

• one 15-ounce duck breast 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 left standing, first inside the refrigerator and later on the counter, for about 45 minutes altogether, 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 some juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, sprinkled with a bit of beautiful dark purplish (a phenomenon produced after the first light frost) summer savory from Quatron Farm and a little Portuguese house olive oil from Whole Foods Market
• the thinly sliced white and lighter green parts of 3 thin scallions from Berried Treasures Farm, heated along with a tablespoon of fennel seed in one tablespoon of olive oil inside a small, heavy tin-lined copper pot until the scallion had softened and the fennel had become pungent, then set aside, while another tablespoon of oil, or a little more, was heated inside a much larger heavy tin-lined copper pot, and one roughly chopped 10-ounce Napa cabbage from Lucky Dog Organic Farm was gradually added and stirred until all of it was slightly wilted, then removed from the burner while the reserved scallion-fennel mixture, some sea salt, and a little freshly-ground black pepper were added, and the cabbage stirred some more, finished by tossing in some scissored garlic chives from from Echo Creek Farm in the 23rd St market and garnishing with more of them
• a handful of garlic scapes from Berried Treasures Farm, trimmed, washed, drained, cut into one inch sections, and sautéed in a little olive oil inside a medium size antique heavy tin-lined copper pot until softened, a little bit of a mix of 3 kinds of finely chopped spicy/sweet seasoning peppers (red and green aji dulce and yellow Grenada, all from Eckerton Hill Farm) added near the end
• the wine was a California (North Coast) red, Alex and Ryan Present: Rudy’s Petite Sirah 2016, from Naked Wines
• the music was Mozart’s 1790 opera buffa, ‘Così fan tutte’, performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin

 

And when it was time to clean up, I saw that the pots, skillet, and spoons also looked darn pretty satisfied with themselves.