It was delicious, and it was whipped together in a few minutes, thanks to good store-bought ravioli and a few small treasures I was fortunate to find lying around the kitchen. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and something of a palate cleanser (as well as a cook cleanser).

It was also entirely local, with the normal exceptions of olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon (when used), and (sometimes) hot pepper.

I wasn’t going to bother posting this little meal, since it seemed pretty insignificant, and then I realized its convenience could be useful to people other than just myself.

• two sliced Rocambole garlic cloves from Keith’s Farm, heated in a little olive oil over medium heat, along with one dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, inside a large tin-lined high-sided copper pot until the garlic was pungent, joined then by one large fresh chopped Habanada pepper and 3 thin red scallions, chopped , which were stirred for a minute inside the pot, before a dozen or so ripe golden cherry tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm were added and briefly warmed, some chopped fresh lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge, the mix stirred a little before 10 or 12 ounces of house-made Rana carciofi-filled ravioli (purchased at Eataly Flatiron), boiled for barely 3 minutes before being drained, were tossed into the pot with some reserved pasta cooking water, the pasta carefully stirred with the sauce over medium heat for a while to emulsify it, served inside 2 shallow bowls, a bit of olive oil drizzled around the edges, and sprinkled with toasted home-made breadcrumbs and a little more lovage [the pasta filling was composed of artichokes; olive oil; cacio de roma, a semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese made in the Roman countryside; parmigiano; anchovy; tomato; parsley; and basil]

There was a cheese course, mimicking the one we had the day before, but without apples, and with a smaller amount of pressed curd.

• three Consider Bardwell Farm cheeses: ‘Manchester’ goat milk cheese, and 2 cow cheeses, ‘Pawlet Reconsidered’, and ‘Bardem Blue’
• toasts from a whole wheat sourdough Miche, or Pain de campagne, from Bread Alone

 

• the wine throughout the meal was an Italian (Lazio) white, ‘Elephas’ Bianco, Castello di Torre 2016, from Astor Wines
• the music was Carl Nielsen’s 1921-1922 Symphony No. 5, Myung-Whun Chung conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

It was a very long and leisurely Thanksgiving meal, shared with good friends. The star on the table was not a roast turkey, but a braised three-and-a-half-pound Scottish hare, which was, as the fish in the first course, quite wild (one of our guests found a buckshot in his serving). There were no cranberries, although there was chutney, sweet potatoes, and greens, the ingredients in these all totally local. There were also many hours of American music, although none of it could be described as remotely hummable.

The vegetables, herbs, fruit, and creme, like everything other than the hare, came from local farmers and fishers in the area, and were purchased in the Union Square Greenmarket.

We toasted the day and our friendship with an American sparkling.

• we nibbled on some rustic Italian breadsticks, Mario Fongo grissini integrali, from Buon Italia
• the wine was a California sparkling white, Eponina Brut California NV, from Naked Wines

The first course was basically assembled, with a little help from the Greenmarket.

• pieces of smoked monkfish from Blue Moon Fish, served with some Ronnybrook Farm Dairy crème fraîche mixed with Whole Foods Market lemon zest and juice, fresh lovage from Two Guys from Woodbridge, grated horseradish root from from Gorzynski Ornery Farm, chopped small red scallion from Hawthorne Valley Farm, ground white pepper, and sea salt, arranged with some purple frizzy mustard greens from Lani’s Farm and salanova lettuce from Neversink Organic Farm, dressed with a very good Puglian olive oil, Alce Nero DOP ‘Terra di Bari Bitonto’ from Eataly, Maldon salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• slices of a whole wheat sourdough Miche, or Pain de campagne, from Bread Alone
• the wine was a German (Rheingau) white, Robert Weil Riesling Estate Trocken 2016, the gift of a friend when we were in Berlin recently

The main course was Scottish wild mountain hare (the FDA does not allow us to buy any form of game bagged inside the US, but apparently trusts the Scots) purchased from brother Frank at Ottomanelli’s on Bleecker Street in the West Village, and supplied by Simpson Game, in the Scottish highlands.

(the chutney didn’t make it to the plate in time for the picture)

• one three and a quarter pound Scottish mountain hare (“may contain shot”) from Ottomanelli’s Market, prepared, with some alterations, along the lines of an ancient recipe. ‘Lepre alla Cacciatora‘, that I had found in Anna Teresa Callen‘s ‘Food and Memories of Abruzzo, Italy’s Pastoral Land‘: the hare, once separated into pieces whose size would depend on the cook’s preference, placed inside a large bowl under running water for half an hour, drained and the hare returned to the bowl along with 1/4 cup of a good Italian white wine vinegar (Aceto Cesare Bianco) and enough cold cover to cover, left standing 20 minutes or so, the hare removed and half of the pieces placed inside a heavy enameled cast iron pan, half a cup more of the vinegar poured in, plus 4 sliced cloves of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, 2 sprigs of rosemary (each broken into 2 sections), several myrtle berries and leaves, one good-size piece of a crushed dark dry habanada pepper, 2 whole dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, followed by the remaining pieces of hare, fresh water added more than half way up the level of the meat, followed by a fourth of a cup of olive oil, the pot brought to a boil, the heat reduced to low and the hare allowed to cook at a simmer, without stirring, but shaken a few times, for about an hour, maybe more, but in any event only until it was tender, at which time a sauce ahould have been produced at the bottom of the pan [NOTE: I found that it had not been reduced enough, so I removed the hare pieces, boiled the liquid down until it was the proper consistency, and then, when it had slightly cooled, I added a few tablespoons of cold butter, stirring it in], finishing the now-sauced hare on the plates with some chopped parsley.
• quince chutney, made 2 days earlier, in order to fully develop its flavors, using this theKitchn.com recipe, using a red shallot from Norwich Meadows Farm, a Rocambole garlic clove from Keith’s Farm, quince from Troncillito Farms, dried sweet cherries (don’t know whether they were local) from Whole Foods, and fresh ginger from Lani’s Farm, apple cider vinegar from Race Farm
• two pounds of Japanese sweet potatoes from Lani’s Farm, sliced thinly, seasoned with salt and pepper, arranged in 4 layers, each separated in succession by a portion of 2 cups of heavy cream that had been mixed in a blender with one chipotle pepper and a small amount of adobo sauce, inside a 8″x12″ glazed ceramic casserole dish, baked inside a 350º oven for about one hour, or until the cream had been absorbed and the potatoes browned (this gratin recipe, one I’ve used many times, is from ‘Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food‘, it appears as ‘Sweet Potato Gratin with Smoked Chiles’)
• collard greens from Keith’s Farm, the stems torn off and the leaves sliced thickly, washed several times and drained, transferred to a smaller bowl very quickly, in order to retain as much of the water clinging to them as possible, wilted inside a heavy oval enameled cast iron pot in which 3 halved Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had first been allowed to sweat in a bit of olive oil, the greens finished with a little sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a California (Napa) red, Duckhorn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, the very generous gift, earlier in the year, of 2 New York friends

There was a cheese course, which included local cheeses, also from the Union Square Greenmarket, a choice of local apples, and more of the local bread, this time in the form of very thinly sliced toasts.

• the cheeses were all from Consider Bardwell Farm: ‘Manchester’ goat milk cheese, and 2 cow cheeses, ‘Pawlet Reconsided’, and ‘Bardem Blue’
• the apples were all from Samscott Orchards: ‘Newtown Pippin’, ‘Ashmead’s Kernel’,and ‘Stayman Winesap’
• the toasts were from the loaf of whole wheat sourdough we had enjoyed with the first course
• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, Falanghina “Sannio” Terra di Briganti 2015, from Astor Wines

Our guests had brought with them from Brooklyn a really fantastic pear cheesecake, from Choice Market, on Lafayette Avenue, which we enjoyed later in the evening.

 

• the music throughout the meal was a playlist of modern works by American composers that Barry had assembled early in the day, from Spotify

It was like the night before Christmas, or any number of other Catholic feast days, where there is fasting on the eve of the big event, and a big feast the next day: Tonight we enjoyed a little tuna, simply prepared, and a green which also could hardly have been more simple.

Tomorrow it will be Thanksgiving.

• one 12-ounce Yellowfin tuna steak from Blue Moon Seafood, cut into two sections, rubbed, tops and bottoms, with a mixture of a dry Sicilian fennel seed from Buon Italia that had been crushed in a mortar and pestle along with a little dried peperoncino Calabresi secchi from Buon Italia, then seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, pan-grilled above a medium-high flame (for only a 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 Food Market and some olive oil, served with micro chervilfrom Two Guys from Woodbridge
• red kale from Campo Rosso farm, washed, drained, wilted inside a large enameled cast iron pot in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in which 2 bruised and halved cloves of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had first been allowed to sweat and begin to color, the greens seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and arranged on the plates and a little more olive oil drizzled on top
• the wine was an Italian (Marche) white, Passerina, Tenuta Santori 2016, from Astor Wines
• the music was Carl Nielsen’s very moving 1914-1916 war symphony [my description), his No, 4, ‘Inextinguishable’, with Neeme Järvi conducing the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 

We were having a guest for dinner, but there was to be some serious conversation about a joint project before we sat down. I wanted to serve fish, and in fact the date for our gathering was settled partly on the basis of it being a Greenmarket day, where I might find at least one fish stall. Because of the focus of the evening the entrée choice couldn’t be too time-consuming or distracting, but it should be expected to please.

I picked skate wings, and I slightly abbreviated the recipe I use most of the time, but it all worked out fine, with the help of some great eggplant.

• six small skate wings from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, coated all over with a local coarse polenta (‘Stone-Ground Polenta’ from Wild Hive Farm Community Grain Project), seasoned with salt and pepper, sautéed in olive oil and a bit of butter for 3 minutes or so on each side inside 2 heavy enameled cast iron oven pans (to avoid crowding), removed to the plates and kept warm while about 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter and sliced red scallions from Hawthorne Valley were introduced into the pan and stirred over a now-lowered flame, just enough to allow the onion to sweat a bit before the heat was turned off altogether and another 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter added to the pan along with the juice from a little more than half of a local sweet lemon from Fantastic Gardens of Long Island, the pan stirred for a bit to blend everything and make a proper sauce, which was poured over the skate wings, which were garnished with a scattering of micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• green and purple leaf lettuce [from Lani’s Farm, I think], dressed with a good olive oil, salt, and pepper
• six small Japanese eggplants from Lani’s Farm, each cut in half  lengthwise and brushed with a mixture of olive oil, finely-chopped Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, chopped peppermint from Lani’s Farm, sea salt, and freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, the eggplant pan-grilled, turning once or more, then arranged on an oval platter, sprinkled with more chopped peppermint, and drizzled with a little olive oil
• there were many wines, but all except for the New Mexico (Sierra County) sparkling white, Gruet Brut NV, from Astor Wines & Spirits, which preceded the meal, were from Naked Wines; the first still wine was a California (Sonoma) white, Scott Peterson Rumpus California Sauvignon Blanc 2016
• the music was our conversation

What can I say? A very juicy pork chop and an equally succulent cabbage, two of my favorite things, and here presented very simply.

• two fresh 9 or 10-ounce pork chops from Flying Pigs Farm, thoroughly dried, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, seared quickly on both sides inside a very hot, heavy enameled cast-iron pan, one small, fresh floral-scented heatless orange habanada pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm, chopped, scattered on the top surfaces before half of an organic Whole Foods Market lemon was squeezed over them, after which it was left on the surface of the pan between the chops, the chops placed inside a 425º oven for about 14 minutes (flipped halfway through, the lemon squeezed over the top once again and once again replaced inside the pan), the finished chops removed from the oven and arranged on 2 plates, some micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge arranged on top, some of the pan juices poured over the top of the chops, the remainder poured into a sauce boat and placed on the table
• one small Savoy cabbage from Norwich Meadows Farm, washed, quartered, cored, sliced into one-half-inch ribbons, sautéed in a scant tablespoon of olive oil inside a medium heavy, tin-lined copper pot until wilted but still crunchy, stirring occasionally, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and a little more than a teaspoon of toasted cumin seed mixed in, finished with half a teaspoon of Columela Rioja 30 Year Reserva sherry vinegar, the mix stirred and cooked another couple of minutes
• the wine was a California (Napa) white, La Tapatia Chardonnay Carneros 2016, from Naked Wines
• the music was the Mozart and Da Pone 1790 opera buffa, ‘Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti’, in a performance with René Jacobs directing Concerto Cologne and the Cologne Chamber Choir

I wasn’t originally going to post this breakfast, since there was nothing special about it, but then I realized how seldom chervil appears on these pages – or anywhere for that matter, outside of France. It’s a subtle herb, and even more subtle as ‘micro chervil’. It’s also delicate in appearance; that and the combination of anise and parsley flavors interest me, and it has a particular affinity for eggs.

• the ingredients which ended up on our plates were eggs from Tamarack Hollow Farm, bacon from Millport Dairy Farm, small red scallions from Hawthorne Valley Farm, fresh habanada pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and toast from slices of Orwashers sourdough with Moroccan olives
• the music was Wagner’s 1841/1852 opera, ‘Der Fliegende Holländer‘, James Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and theMetropolitan Opera Chorus, with Ben Heppner, Deborah Voigt, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Birgitta Svendén, Paul Groves, and James Morris, heard streaming on Yle Klassinen, beginning just before we sat down

Pasta has a wonderful affinity for any smoked food, whether meat, fish, or vegetable, and this recipe, in which I had incorporated smoked monkfish the first time I worked with it, is an excellent exemplar.

• one small pink onion (“I like to call them rosé onions”, Tyler, who grew them, told me) from Alewife Farm, thinly-sliced, and half a dozen sliced small red scallions from Hawthorne Valley Farm, sautéed together in 4 ounces of olive oil inside a large, high-sided tin-lined copper pan for 4 minutes, the juice of one and a half organic lemons from Whole Foods Market then added and the pan kept over a decent flame for another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring, the heat then reduced to low and a pinch of sea salt, some very good red pepper flakes (remaining from the delivery of an excellent Waldy’s Wood Fired Pizza a few days earlier), plus 4 or 5 chopped fresh medium-size habanada peppers from Norwich Meadows Farm stirred into the sauce until both the hot and sweet peppers had become pungent, 8 ounces of Afeltra Pasta di Gragnano linguine from Eataly which had been just cooked until barely al dente, added, along with – pouring very gradually while blending – almost a cup of reserved pasta water, continuing to stir until it had emulsified, one thinly-sliced 2 or 4-ounce piece of smoked swordfish from P.E & D.D. Seafood added and tossed with the sauced linguine, the dish transferred to low serving bowls, drizzled with a little olive oil around the edges, sprinkled with lemon zest and more red pepper flakes, and garnished with homemade toasted breadcrumbs

There was a small cheese course, but, for no reason in particular, I didn’t photograph it.

• an Ardith Mae fresh chevre, served with freshly-ground black pepper, crushed pink peppercorns, micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge on the side, and lightly-toasted slices of a She Wolf Bakery sourdough baguette and an Orwashers sourdough with Moroccan olives

 

• the wine throughout was an Italian (Campania) white, Greco ‘Giano’ Ocone 2016, from Astor Wines
• the music was Carl Nielsen’s 1910-1911 Symphony No. 3, Op. 27, ‘Sinfonia espansiva’, Myung-Whun Chung conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, plus his Concerto for Clarinet, FS 129/Op. 57, with the same orchestra and conductor, and the soloist Olle Schill 

• one 16-ounce Atlantic dolphin (‘coryphaena/dolphinfish‘) fillet, with skin, from Pure Vida Seafood, washed, dried, halved crosswise, rubbed with olive oil on both sides, coated with a mix of one half tablespoon of zest from a Whole Foods Market organic lemon, an equal amount of lemon juice, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, then allowed to sit for about half an hour, removed and the marinade wiped off, pan grilled over a medium to high flame, skin side up, for almost 2 1/2 minutes, turned, and grilled with the flesh side up for almost 4 1/2 minutes longer, the fillets arranged on 2 plates, drizzled with a little more lemon juice, scattered with micro chervil from Two Guys from Woodbridge, a bit of olive oil poured over the top [NOTE: there were no grill marks, unlike the last time I had used this simple recipe, which could mean any of several things: I hadn’t removed enough of the marinade before grilling, they sections were too crowded, and/or the flame was’t high enough]
• 4 ‘mountain magic’ cherry tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, halved, warmed in a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with a little fresh oregano from Keith’s Farm
• one small-to-medium head of Treviso radicchio from Tamarack Hollow Farm, washed, the water drained and wiped off, cut lengthwise into four sections, arranged one cut side up on a medium Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic oven pan (after securing the leaves with toothpicks), covered with lots of thyme branches from S. & S.O. Farm, 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, then turned uncut side up and baked for about 2 minutes more, arranged on the plates, drizzled with a very small amount of balsamic vinegar
• the wine was an Italian (Molise) white, L’Indovino Bianco, Salvatore 2015, from Astor Wines
• the music was André Campra’s 1702  tragédie en musique, ‘Tancrède’, performed by Les Temps Présents, conducted by Olivier Schneebeli

Thursday’s meal started with some really luscious inguazato (basically a tomato couscous with capers, chilis, and green olives) left over from an earlier meal. We both thought that a grilled meat might give it a fresh take the second time around.  Then I thought of a Roman dish that had always sounded intriguing, but had so far eluded me: lamb chops scottadito. The problem had always been finding chops thin enough for the authentic experience (about one centimeter, or less than a quarter of an inch thick), since so many prosperous Americans have long been accustomed to thick chops, lamb or otherwise, and that’s all that can be found today, even among the meats offered by local farmers in the Greenmarket.

That day I was headed that day for Ottomanelli’s anyway, to order a wild hare for Thanksgiving dinner, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask our local – and very traditional – master Italian butchers to cut some chops exactly for ‘costolette d’agnello a scottadito, last night con inguazato.

My inspiration was Lorenza de’ Medici‘s simple outline inside her beautiful book, ‘Italy the Beautiful Cookbook‘.

The tradition would be to use rib chops, as they would be juicier than loin chops, less likely to dry out while cooking on a hot grill (or grill pan in my case), and because they would be easier for the diners to pick up, although risking the ‘burned fingers’ of the dish’s title, but Frank left a good amount of fat on each, and we were expecting to eat with knives and forks anyway.

I resisted the temptation to add something, an herb or a spice, to the lamb, because I wanted the dish to be authentic, and the taste of some very good lamb to be fully appreciated. It all worked, and the dish was delicious, but I might not be so restrained the next time.

• six lamb loin chops, cut one quarter of an inch thick, with a good amount of fat retained and including the flank sections, tucked in and secured with toothpicks, placed in one layer inside the well of a large plate, the juice of almost half of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market squeezed over the top, followed by a 3 tablespoons or so of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, allowed to marinate for almost an hour, turning several times, removed from the plate and dried on paper towels, pan grilled on each side, on a 2 burner-size cast iron ribbed pan for about a total of 6 minutes, turning several times, arranged on the plates, seasoned with a bit more salt and pepper, and a little more lemon juice drizzled on top
• a handful of fresh mizuma from Alewife Farm scattered on the plate and dressed with olive oil , sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper
• inguazato remaining from an earlier meal, reheated in a little olive oil, and also drizzled with a little water to loosen the couscous and its sauce (and the mix tasted at least as wonderful as it had 2 days earlier)
• the wine was an Australian (Barossa Valley) red, Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz/Grenache 2012, the gift of a visiting Australian artist friend
• the music was an extended broadcast of work by Elliott Carter, from Counterstream Radio, streaming

For some time I’ve been telling myself that I should devise a way to indicate, at least for my own information, those meals that worked out particularly well, meals, or plates in some cases, that were absolutely scrumptious. I’m going to try something out for the first time with this post: I’ll use a red asterisk above the first line of text for those special cases. This meal deserved it, perhaps even more for my having begun it with no special expectations. There wasn’t anything really new in the ingredients or the processes, and yet each of the 3 elements in the main course was absolutely delicious, and each was a perfect compliment to the other 2. The cheese and the fruit were equally excellent, although I had nothing to do with making either, and the wine was absolutely extraordinary!

• * one small (12-ounce) duck breast from Hudson Valley Duck Farm, the fatty side scored in tight cross hatching with a very sharp knife, the entire breast then sprinkled top and bottom with a mixture of sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a little turbinado sugar, left standing for almost an hour, then seared/pan-fried inside a small oval enameled cast iron pan over medium heat, the fatty side down first, for a total of 9 minutes or so, turning once, draining the oil after the first few minutes [to be strained and used in cooking later, if desired], removed when medium rare, cutting it into 2 portions to confirm that the center was of the right doneness (and, as usual it was still undercooked, so the 2 halves were briefly returned to the pan), then left to sit for a couple minutes before being finished with a drizzle of juice from an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, a little chopped rosemary from S. & S.O. Farm, and a drizzle of olive oil [NOTE: the tenderloin had been removed from the breast before it was marinated, but seasoned like the rest of it, then fried very briefly near the end of the time the larger section was cooking]

• * a handful of fresh mizuma from Alewife Farm scattered on the plate and dressed with olive oil , sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper

• * one medium head of Treviso radicchio from Tamarack Hollow Farm, washed, the liquid drained and wiped off, cut lengthwise into four sections, arranged one cut side up on a medium Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic oven pan (after securing the leaves with toothpicks), covered with lots of thyme branches from S. & S.O. Farm, 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, then turned uncut side up and baked for about 2 minutes more, arranged on the plates, drizzled with a very small amount of balsamic vinegar

There was a small cheese course..

• * ‘Bigelow’, a goat cheese from Ardith Mae, very thin toasts from a loaf of ‘8 Grain 3 Seed’ bread from Rock Hill Bakery, and a few chopped leaves of rosemary from S. & S.O. Farm

..and fruit.

• * Niagara grapes [vitis labrusca ‘Niagara’] from Troncillito Farms

 

• * the wine Throughout was a California (Napa Valley) red, Camille Benitah Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2015, from Naked Wines 
• the music was Carl Nielsen’s 1901-1902 Symphony No. 2, Myung-Whun Chung, conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra