Meat and potatoes…and kale.

I don’t often do long braises, mostly because I would have to plan ahead more than I am used to doing: I normally don’t know what – or how – I’m going to cook until shortly before I begin. There’s also the thing that most of our meals need serve only 2 people, so a roast would be somewhat out of scale.

But last night circumstances conspired to bring us this small braise. I had purchased 2 lamb shoulder chops a little while back, while post-operative Barry was still unable to cut his food. They were frozen when I got them, and I kept them frozen, waiting for the right moment.

The idea was that I would cut the meat into chunks and make a small stew and a rich sauce that could easily be handled with a fork, and maybe a bit of bread or other starch. He recovered so quickly however that I never had to implement my plan. Still, I kept thinking of the lamb, and this weekend it seemed the right time to make it into a rich Sunday meal, or ‘comfort food’, as Barry loves to say, and I didn’t even have to cut it up first.

I had been saving this David Tanis recipe for 5 years; I had nearly all of the ingredients it specified (I halved them yesterday), and it seemed the absolute right moment to try it out.

COOK’S NOTE: I missed my cue for stirring the chopped herb(s) into the sauce just before serving, so I sprinkled them on top, after the meat and the sauce had been arranged on the plates.

• the ingredients I used were: two seven-and-a-half-ounce lamb shoulder chops from Shannon Brook Farm (the recipe specified they be 2-inches thick, but these were only one inch); red onions from Norwich Meadows Farm; Spanish saffron (DO La Mancha from Antonio Sotos); a San Marzano ‘Double Concentrated’ Italian tomato paste; a California chenin blanc, Miriam Alexandra Chenin Blanc California 2016, from Naked Wines; and, instead of mint alone, a mix of some mint from Windfall Farms but mostly basil from Gotham Greens Rooftop Basil, purchased at Whole Foods

• eight medium-size German butterball potatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, scrubbed and boiled, with their skins, along with a generous amount of salt, until barely cooked through, drained, halved, dried while still inside the large still-warm vintage Corning Pyrex Flameware blue-glass pot in which they had cooked, tossed with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, tossed with some of the herb mix distributed on top of the lamb

• flat-leaf Winterbor kale from Norwich Meadows Farm, wilted inside a large vintage tin-lined copper pot in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in which 3 lightly-bruised Keith’s Farm Rocambole garlic cloves had first been allowed to sweat, seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and drizzled with olive oil
• the wine was a perfect pairing, a quite wonderful Italian (Apulia) red, ‘Metiusco’ Salento Rosso, Palamà 2015, from Astor Wines
• the music was the extraordinary composition, ‘Landscape with Three People’, by Elena Langer, a song cycle of poems by Lee Harwood, sung by soprano Anna Dennis, countertenor William Towers, and a small ensemble led by oboist Nicholas Daniels; the piece can be heard here

Tuesday was the official first day of spring, but until these greens appeared in the Union Square Greenmarket on Friday, I wasn’t quite feeling it.

We really celebrated the equinox yesterday, after an antepasto which only looked springy.

While the Speck, a dry-cured, lightly smoked ham, isn’t specific to any season, the pasta it introduced was, as it came garlanded with fava greens.

The first course almost came as a kit.

• four ounces of Citerio Fresco prosciutto from Whole Foods Market, drizzled some Frankies 457 Sicilian olive oil, the gift of a friend, arranged at the edge of a spray of baby arugula from Windfall Farms, dressed with the same oil, Maldon salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices of an organic multigrain baguette from Bread Alone

The pasta was assembled almost as easily.

• a few loose handfuls of fava greens from Campo Rosso Farm, washed, drained, and gradually added to a pot more than large enough to hold half a pound of cooked pasta (I used a large enameled cast iron pot in this instance) in which a 3 cloves of Keith’s Farm Rocambole garlic had already been heated and softened a bit, the greens stirred and allowed to wilt only slightly before stirring in some lemon zest and maybe a little lemon juice, then 8 ounces of cooked and drained Afeltra 100% grano italiano spaghetti, produced in Gragnano, from Eataly Flatiron, added and stirred over medium-high heat with some of the reserved pasta cooking water, arranged inside low bowls and finished with some olive oil, grated Parmigiano Reggiano Hombre from Whole Foods Market, and freshly-ground pepper to taste.
• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, Fiano di Avellino, Ciro Picariello 2015, from Astor Wines
• the music was Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’, Andris Nelsons conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

I love this recipe for scallops, even if I sometimes think I should leave these little fanned-shell mollusks to show on their own, skipping the garlic and herb.

And I’m crazy about any radicchio, in fact, any kind of the chicories. There are so many ways to enjoy radicchio in its various guises, but oven roasting is way up there, and it’s a routine which can be pursued pretty much without any stress. Also, if the vegetable happens to be finished sooner than the rest of the entrée, it’s just as good served room temperature.

• 12 sea scallops (12 ounces) from Pura Vida Seafood, rinsed, dried, slit horizontally with a very sharp knife almost all of the way through, stuffed with a mixture of basil from Gotham Greens via Whole Foods, one medium-size clove of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, sea salt, and black pepper, all 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, drained, then pan grilled in an enameled cast iron pan for about 2 minutes on each side, removed to 2 plates, finished with a squeeze of organic lemon from Whole Foods Market and a drizzle of olive oil
• slices of a scrumptiously-earthy organic multigrain baguette from Bread Alone

Fortunately the often brilliant color of a radicchio isn’t it’s only appeal, since much of it disappears after it has been cooked; this is an image of the pan just before it was slipped into the oven:

• one somewhat-larger-than-medium head of Treviso radicchio from Tamarack Hollow Farm, rinsed, drained and wiped off, cut lengthwise into 6 sections, arranged one cut side up on a Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic oven pan (after securing the leaves with toothpicks and/or string), covered with thyme branches from Whole Foods Market, seasoned generously with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, drizzled with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, baked in a pre-heated 400º oven for 10 minutes or so, turned to the other cut side and returned to the oven for around 8 minutes, arranged on the plates and drizzled with a very small amount of balsamic vinegar
• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, Falanghina ‘Campi Flegrei’, Cantine Farro 2016, from Astor Wines
• the music was Handel’s [1713?] opera seria, ‘Lucio Cornelio Silla’, Fabio Biondi conducting Europa Galante

These crab cakes never fail to please, and last night they also looked pretty spectacular.

When I think about preparing crab cakes, specifically the ones made by Dolores, the wife of local fisherman Phil Karlin, of P.E. & D.D. Seafood, I often forget just how delicious they are. That changes each time, with the first bite.

On Wednesday evening, there was an additional treat, some New Jersey leeks, which I served grilled.

• two crab cakes from PE & DD Seafood (crab, egg, flour, red & green peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, milk, celery, and parsley), defrosted earlier in the day, heated with a drizzle of olive oil inside a heavy vintage seasoned cast iron pan, 3 to 4 minutes to each side, served on a salsa composed of 8 or so chopped Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, a bit of a bit of a homemade Basque  piment d’Espellate we had purchased in a small town north of Baie-Comeau, Quebec from the French producer’s daughter, the chopped white section of a scallion from Phillips Farms, much of one small dried pepperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, and some chopped mint from Windfall Farms
• a wreath of baby mizuna from Norwich Meadows Farm, arranged around the salsa, dressed with Portuguese olive oil from Whole Foods Market, sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• four medium leeks from Phillips Farm, trimmed of their darkest green ends sections, cut in half lengthwise, washed vigorously in cold water to remove any earth while carefully holding the white ends together to keep them from falling apart (this could have been done more easily by cutting only part of the way down through their length), dried, rolled in a little olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a tiny bit of dried darker golden habanada pepper, pan-grilled over a medium-hot flame for a few minutes, turning until all sides had been scored with grill marks and the leeks softened all the way through, returned to the platter in which they had rolled before grilling and sprinkled with more of the habanada, arranged on the plates, arranged on the plates and sprinkled with a mix of chopped herbs (parsley from Eataly and rosemary, thyme, and sage from Citarella)
• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, Greco ‘Giano’, Ocone 2016, from Astor Wines
• the music was Jordi Savall’s album, ‘The Borgia Dynasty: Church and Power in the Renaissance’,
  with Jordi Savall, Montserrat Figueras, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, and Hespèrion XXI, produced by Alia Vox [a sample here]

Last night we celebrated Barry’s newly-restored ability – after two successive carpal tunnel operations – to cut his food using both hands.

It was a great steak! The fact that everything else on the plates as well had at least some red in it was purely coincidence.

The fact that the beef was more rare-to-medium-rare than merely medium-rare was also not by design, but fortunately for us this delicious Black Angus cut took very well to that option.

• a Black Angus rib eye/Delmonico steak (.91 lbs) from Greg and Mike of Sun Fed Beef (Maple Avenue Farms) in the Union Square Greenmarket, brought to room temperature, dried very well, seasoned with a generous amount of freshly roughly-ground black pepper, placed on a very hot cast iron pan grill for just about 10 or 12 minutes, turning twice, salting each side after it had been seared, removed and arranged on the plates, a little juice from an organic Whole Food Market lemon squeezed on top, sprinkled with some chopped fresh thyme from Citarella and dried Sicilian organic wild fennel pollen from Buon Italia, drizzled with a little olive oil and garnished with purple micro radish from Two Guys from Woodbridge

• eight ounces of celeriac from Norwich Meadows Farm and about the same weight in medium size German butterball potatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, scrubbed, peeled, and cut into crescent wedges, tossed inside a large bowl with a little olive oil, a half teaspoon of Spanish paprika picante, a small crushed section of medium-dark dried habanada pepper, sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper, spread onto a medium-size Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic pan [the image above was taken at that moment], roasted at 400º until brown, crispy on the edges, and cooked through
• a small amount of red chard from Citarella (some of the leaves had unaccountably frozen in the crisper, so I had first removed those sections, which accounts for the small portion), wilted in a little olive oil in which one halved Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm had first been heated and slightly softened, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and finished with a drizzle of Portuguese olive oil from Whole Foods Market and a bit of lemon juice
• the wine was a California (Los Carneros) red, Sin Fronteras Los Primos Red Wine California 2016, from Naked Wines
• the music was a modern reconstruction/pastiche of a 1739 opera by Handel, ‘Giove in Argo’, once thought to have been totally lost, Alan Curtis conducting Il Complesso Barocco

I usually throw all kinds of stuff into what for most folks would be a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs, but this one escaped from the kitchen [relatively] bare-bones.

• the ingredients on the plate photographed above included thick bacon from Millport Dairy Farm, Ameraucana chicken eggs from Millport Dairy Farm, Cultured Pastured Butter from Organic Valley, a little bit of sliced scallion from Phillips Farms, freshly-ground black pepper, sea salt, plus Maldon sea salt for finishing, part of a crushed dried golden/orange habanada pepper bought fresh from Norwich Meadows Farm last fall, Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ (from Maine, near Skowhegan) via Whole Foods Market, chopped fresh thyme from Citarella, organic dried wild fennel pollen from Buon Italia, pea shoots from Windfall Farms, and toasts of 3 different breads: a ‘Mediterraneo’ (whole rye flour, stone-milled wheat flour, 5 seeds, plus millet and faro) and a ‘rustic classic’, both from Eataly, and a corn rye boule from Hot Bread Kitchen
• the music was Bach’s St. John Passion, John Eliot Gardiner conducting the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir

The shock absorbers in the cook’s left knee seem to have torn, reducing his mobility. For a while the ingredients in these meals will be sourced less from local producers, and more from local retailers. This means that instead of buying from local farmers in the Union Square Greenmarket, he will be visiting the shops that are nearest to his kitchen. He’ll also be able to lean on the most over-qualified kitchen helper, ever.

So this meal was transitional.

• three cloves of roughly-sliced Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm heated with a tablespoon or more of olive oil inside a large tin-lined high-sided pot until softened, then 2 shallots and a bit of crushed dried golden/orange habanada pepper added, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, 8 or 10 pitted oil-cured olives from Buon Italia stirred in, and 16 ounces of gently-cooked eggplant-filled ravioli from Citarella (no cheese inside) added, followed by some reserved pasta cooking water, in small amounts, stirred with the mix until the liquid had emulsified, the sauced ravioli served in shallow bowls, sprinkled with a Parmigiano Reggiano Hombre from Whole Foods Market, garnished with pea sprouts from Windfall Farms, finished with a final drizzle of olive oil around the edges
• the wine was an Italian (Tuscany) red, Farnetella, Chianti Colli Senesi 2015, from Flatiron Wines
• the music was Bruckner’s Symphony No. 0 (Linz Version, 1865-66), Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Is it still ‘Kassler‘ even when it’s not entirely German? I’ve made a working-executive decision: It is.

The only thing I worry about when I prepare a meal with smoke pork chops without heating them inside some Sauerkraut is whether they will be juicy. I’ve come up with the solution: keep them covered, and even the tiniest bit of liquid will do the trick.

They were definitely juicy last night.

And so were the vegetables.

• a small amount of frozen rendered goose fat, the gift of a friend, that I had mixed with some juices from a dinner of which included squab bruschetta in which I had used it, heated inside a heavy, medium-size tin-lined copper skillet, where it had softened the chopped white sections of a scallion from Phillips Farms, the green section reserved for later, after which 2 smoked loin pork chops from Schaller & Weber were added, the pot covered with a universal copper lid, 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 8 minutes this time), the green parts of the onion, which had been set aside earlier, now also sliced, added for a minute or so, the pork removed, arranged on the plates, brushed with a little garlic oregano jam from Berkshire Berries, and sprinkled with both the white and green onion pieces
• red mustard from Norwich Meadows Farm, wilted in olive oil in which 3 cloves of Keith’s Farm Rocambole garlic had been gently sautéed until they had begun to brown, finished with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil
• six ‘Pinto’ potatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, scrubbed, boiled, unpeeled, in generously-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, tossed there with 3 tablespoons of Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’ [12 grams of fat per 14 grams, or each tablespoon, of butter], seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, arranged on the plates, sprinkled with chopped parsley from Eataly, some toasted homemade breadcrumbs scattered on the top
• the wine was an excellent German (Pfalz) white, Becker Family Pinot Blanc, 2013, which our local purveyor at the time, Appellation Wines, was kind enough to special order for us when we asked them
• the music was Handel’s 1737 opera, ‘Berenice’, with Alan Curtis conducting Il Complesso Barocco

Together we opted for the simplest of the recipes I’ve used in preparing sea bass, because the cook was tired, but also because this time the muse wanted something more like comfort food than delicate display. Ironically, the finished meal described in the picture above looks pretty basic, if not minimal (even to the absence of any of my usual micro green garnishes this time).

• two 7-ounce black sea bass fillets from American Seafood, rinsed, dried, and placed skin side down inside a tin-lined copper au gratin pan in which a teaspoon or so of olive oil had been poured and brushed around the surface, the fish seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with a mix of parsley from Eataly; lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge; sage and thyme, both partially-dried, from Phillips Farm; mint from Windfall Farms; and a bit of a home-dried heatless, orange/ gold Habanada pepper (from fruit grown by fresh Norwich Meadows Farm last fall), the fish topped with a coating of homemade bread crumbs, and drizzled with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, placed inside a 425º oven for 9 or 10 minutes, arranged on 2 plates, finished with a squeeze of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market and a light drizzle of olive oil
• three Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods Market, halved, arranged around the bass inside the pan in the last 3 or 4 minutes of their cooking, placed on the plates next to the fish, finished with chopped parsley

• one small bunch of cavalo nero from Norwich Meadows Farm, wilted briefly inside a large vintage tin-lined copper pot in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in which 2 cloves of Keith’s Farm Rocambole garlic had first been heated, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, drizzled with a little more oil
• the wine was an Italian (Umbria) white, Trebbiano Spoletino ‘Farandola’ Di Filippo 2016, from Astor Wines
• the music was Francesco Cavalli’s, opera, ‘Gli Amori D’Apollo E Di Dafne’ (The Loves of Apollo and Daphne), which premiered in Venice during the Carnival season of 1640, performed by the Ensemble Elyma

The meal was Italian, with some tweaks.

The antipasto was domestic, and much of it local.

• three ounces of La Quercia Ridgetop Prosciutto, from Whole Foods Market, served with baby mizuna from Norwich Meadows Farm, the prosciutto and greens drizzled with a very good Sicilian olive oil, Agricento, Azienda Agricola Mandranova (exclusively Nocellara olives), the greens also dressed with organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, Maldon salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices from a loaf of ‘rustic classic’ from Eataly

The pasta course was almost entirely local, the obvious exceptions being the olives and the olive oil, the salt and the pepper, but it was pretty Italian, at least before I tossed in the micro greens.

• one 10-ounce package of frozen Rana portobello-mushroom-and-ricotta-filled ravioli rounds from Eataly, boiled inside a large pot of well-salted water for 2 minutes and drained, slipped into a large vintage tin-lined copper pan in which sliced baby Rocambole garlic from Keith’s farm, a sliced section of scallion from Phillips Farms, one small sliced red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, some crushed dried orange/gold habanada, and a mix of both Gaeta and dry-cured olives, all pitted, from Buon Italia, had been briefly sautéed in olive oil, then a bit of reserved pasta water added and the liquids emulsified, the mix placed in shallow bowls, with roughly-grated Parmesan cheese dusted on top, garnished with micro scallions
• the wine throughout the meal was an Italian (Piedmont) red, Alessandro Rivetto Barbera d’Alba 2014, from Astor Wines
• the music was an album of music by Lorenzo Palomo, his ‘Sinfonía Córdoba’ and ‘Fulgores’