So it was just chicken, but it seemed to me it would be a very good chicken. I also had the help of some wonderful foraged mushrooms.

It was very good chicken.

And there was excellent wine.

I had bought the wild mushrooms at the Union Square Greenmarket. I knew I wouldn’t be able to use them that night, but I hadn’t thought about what I would cook them with the next day until after I had left the square and was approaching 23rd Street. I realized I didn’t have anything suitable at home, but I was already some distance from the farmers’ market, so I checked out my local Flatiron district Eataly, where I found they had product, new to me, that it seemed a perfect candidate.

The peppers were also pretty special.

• two partially-boned Cascun Farm chicken thighs (a total of one pound) from Eataly, browned on both sides inside a heavy oval cast iron enameled pot (one with a secure cover) just large enough for the chicken in some olive oil, removed and set aside, a little butter added and melted, 3 whole Rocambole garlic cloves from Keith’s Farm; one small red onion from Norwich Meadows Farm, halved and broken up a bit; and some crushed dried dark habanada pepper added to the pot and heated over a moderate flame until the alliums had softened and colored, then nearly 4 ounces of foraged Wine-cap mushrooms [Stropharia rugosoannulata] from Windfall Farms, roughly chopped, tossed in, stirred, and allowed to soften, the chicken returned to the pot, about 1/4 cup of a proper white wine added (Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde 2016, which we have been enjoying as an aperitif) and brought to a boil, the heat lowered to a steady simmer, the pot covered and the chicken and the other ingredients cooked until all were tender, or about 40 minutes, served on a crusty slice of ’12 Grain & Seed Bread’ (organic wheat and whole wheat with 12 cracked grains and seeds) from Bread Alone, the chicken garnished with chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm [the recipe which inspired this, from ‘Chicken Parts, 12 Ways‘, one suggests spreading the softened garlic onto the bread before placing the chicken and the rest of the sauce on top, but I forgot]
• some ‘Mars’ (sweet, citrusy) French heirloom peppers from Campo Rosso Farm, cut once lengthwise, the seeds and membranes removed, sautéed over a high flame until slightly caramelized, one sliced Japanese scallion, a chopped section from a small Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper from Alewife Farm, and a pinch of crushed dark dried habanada pepper added near the end, the mix tossed with sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper and sprinkled with some chopped summer savory from Ryder Farm, served with a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a terrific French (Chinon) red, Bernard Baudry ‘Les Grézeaux’ Chinon 2011, the gift of some wonderful friends
• the music was Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s 1693 tragédie mise en musique, ‘Médée’, composed with a libretto by Corneille, in a performance by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants

Really, really good.

It was also very good for anyone’s budget, regardless of how small: The squid was $6.95 per pound, and I brought home enough for both of us for $6.

We couldn’t decide whether the seafood or the vegetable part of this meal was more delicious; they both were pretty awesome, so we called it a draw.

We enjoy squid regardless of how it’s prepared. This time I decided to work it on top of the stove, mostly because I didn’t want a hot oven to add to the discomfort of a warm, humid evening, even if it would be on for only a few minutes.

 

The accompaniment to the cephalopods became something of a salmagundi, because I didn’t have a sufficient amount of any one vegetable to serve alone.

It  started with a modest bulb of fennel (which cost about half what the squid had, and it came with stems for an easy crudité, and fronds for a garnish).

• cleaned Squid, bodies and tentacles, from Blue Moon Fish, marinaded for half an hour in a mixture of zest and juice from one organic Whole Foods Market lemon; sliced garlic from Keith’s Farm; olive oil; dried Sicilian oregano; part of a dried golden/orange habanada; part of a small Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper, chopped, from Alewife Farm; salt, and pepper, drained, then pan grilled, turning once, arranged on the plates, drizzled with more lemon, finished with chopped parsley from S. & S.O. Farm and chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm
• one fennel bulb, from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, cut as wedges on the radius of its core, sautéed inside a large, high-sided tin-lined copper pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil until beginning to color, then one thickly-sliced clove of Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, chopped pieces of that same small Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper from Alewife Farm, and some dried Sicilian fennel seeds from Buon Italia added and stirred until the garlic had softened and the mix had become pungent, followed by the addition of a handful of halved ripe orange cherry tomatoes from Berried Treasures, which were stirred in and briefly heated before the pan was removed from the burner, then some of the more tender fennel fronds, chopped, also stirred in, the vegetables served on the plates with a sprinkling of more fennel fronds
• there were slices of ’12 Grain & Seed bread’ (organic wheat and whole wheat with 12 cracked grains and seeds) from the Bread Alone stand in the Union Square Greenmarket, to ensure that none of the juices from the squid or the fennel dish would be wasted
• the wine was an Italian (Sicily), Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco 2016, from Garnet Wines & Liquors
• the music was Mozart’s Violin Concerto in A Major, K. 219, and Henri Vieuxtemps’Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 31, Hilary Hahn, Violin, with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, conducted by Paavo Järvi

The idea for the steak came first, but when I saw these baby artichokes at the Greenmarket stand of one of my favorite farmers, it was more like the meal had been conceived as a whole.

I didn’t know what I was going to do with these little thistle buds, but this time I was resolved to remove more of the indigestible parts than I’m known to do sometimes, anxious to avoid wasting any of the goodness.

I also decided on a pretty minimal treatment as the proper accompaniment for a luscious steak.

• one one-pound Angus boneless ribeye, “pasture-raised, grain-fed, grain-finished”, from Diamond Creek Ranch in Wilsey, Kansas, via Eataly, brought to room temperature, dried, well-seasoned with freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, placed on a very hot cast iron pan grill for just under 5 minutes on each side, turning 3 times, adding salt once a surface had been seared, removed and arranged on the plates, a little organic lemon juice from Whole Foods Market squeezed on top, sprinkled with some chopped rosemary from Phillips Farm and a bit of finely-chopped green sections of a scarlet, or Japanese scallion, finished with a drizzle of olive oil
• ten or eleven ounces of baby artichokes from Alewife Farm, their outer petals peeled off and discarded, and stems and tips trimmed, halved lengthwise, each tossed into a bowl of cold water and lemon juice while being processed, drained when all had been prepared, added to a layer of olive oil over a medium flame in a large non-reactive pan, in this case, a high-sided ton-lined copper pot, seasoned with salt and pepper, stirred 5 to 7 minutes until slightly browned, two cloves of chopped Rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm, bit of a small Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper from Alewife Farm, chopped, and a couple tablespoons of chopped parsley from S. & S.O. Farm added to the pan, the vegetables transferred to the plates, where they were sprinkled with a few drops of a good Rioja wine vinegar [they can be enjoyed hot, warm, or at room temperature]
• ten small golden cherry tomatoes from Berried Treasures Farm, washed, dried, pierced with sharp point to avoid explosions on the plate, heated inside a small tin-lined copper pan with a little olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and fresh pepper, sprinkled with chopped fresh oregano from Keith’s Farm
• the wine was a Portuguese (Alentejano) red, Herdade dos Grous Alentejano Tinto 2013, from Manley’s Wines in the West Village
• the music was Leif Ove Andnes playing Sibelius piano works

Brown butter.

The first appearance of brown butter, long ago, was probably the result of an accident, like so many wonderful things – of all kinds – that we enjoy and take for granted. Last night it was an accident again, a very local accident.

I’ve cooked flounder using the recipe I used yesterday more than once, but this time it came with a twist, a serendipity. The next time it appears it won’t be a fluke.

It started when I placed some butter inside an enameled pan above a low flame, intending only to melt it, but then I stepped away, and when I looked back it had started to color, somewhat alarmingly. Fortunately the pan itself was not black, but a light tan, so I could see what was happening and catch it just in time (the butter wasn’t black and had no burnt taste), so I decided I’d go with it.

The result was extraordinary, in both common meanings of the word.

• six small flounder fillets (just under one pound together) from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides, coated lightly with well-seasoned flour (I used North Country Farms Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour), then submerged in a shallow bowl containing a mixture of one pullet egg from Millport Dairy, a little whole milk, and a pinch of salt, allowed to stay submerged until the vegetable had been cooked and the remaining ingredients for the fish prepared, then removed from the bowl, placed inside a heavy enameled cast iron pan on top of 3 tablespoons of butter that had been melted and allowed to brown, several halved large fresh sage leaves from Phillips Farm, one section of a dried, crushed orange/golden dried habanada pepper from Norwich Meadows Farm, and one sliced ruddy scallion (the ‘Scarlet Scallion’, a Japanese heirloom) from Norwich Meadows Farm (including some of the green section), sautéed over a brisk flame until golden, about 2 1/2 minutes on the first side, 1 1/2 minutes on the second, sprinkled with some juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods Market, transferred onto warm plates, some chopped parsley from S. & S.O. Farm scattered on top
• a good sized serving of yellow Romano beans from Norwich Meadows Farm, parboiled in salted water for a few minutes, drained, dried inside the same pot over a medium flame while shaking them, reheated, as the fish was being sautéd, in melted butter inside a heavy tin-lined copper pan, tossed with chopped summer savory from Ryder Farm, seasoned with salt and pepper [the beans had cooked longer than I normally would, but they were still delicious, and I remember that in Italy, unaccountably, vegetables are generally cooked much longer than I ever do]
• the wine was a Spanish (Galicia, Rias Baixas) white, Campos de Celtas Albariño 2015, from Manley’s Wine & Spirits in the West Village

There was a dessert, a simple fruit serving.

• Asian melon from Norwich Meadows Farm, a couple of blackberries from Locust Grove Orchards, and a pinch of turbinado sugar, for the crunch, and to sweeten the berries

 

• the music through out the meal was Rameau’s 1741 ‘Six Concerts en Sextuor Les Talens Lyriques‘, performed by Les Talens Lyriques, directed by Christophe Rousset

To me, these meals in which I use fresh pasta, usually a filled form, always seem like they come pre-assembled, and yet they also offer huge opportunities for customization, working with both necessity and whim.

Last night the necessity was that I had very little time to put something together once I got back from Whole Foods Market where I’d picked up some staples, so I eliminated some of what I had expected to include in the dish. And yet there was also room for whim: Before I was done throwing the entrée together I ended up introducing several ingredients I fancied, although they hadn’t been a part of any plan.

The dish was earthy, fully redolent of the autumn which had not yet actually arrived.

• Rana mushroom-filled ravioli from Eataly, quickly boiled, drained and transferred to a heavy broad tin-lined copper pan in which a small amount of sliced Japanese scallions from Norwich Meadows Farm, a tiny chopped section of a small Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper from Alewife Farm, a bit of a dried dark habanada pepper, and one small sliced shallot from Paffenroth Farms had been briefly sautéed (warmed, basically) in olive oil, after which some sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, a dozen or so pitted Gaeta olives from Buon Italia, and some fennel buds were added, and, with a bit of pasta water, the liquids heated over a moderate flame and  emulsified, the contents of the pot placed in shallow bowls, finished with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, and a scattering of micro bronze fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• the wine was a California (Lodi) red, Jacqueline Bahue Cabernet Franc Lodi 2015, from Naked Wines
• the music was Tchaikovsky’s ‘Manfred Symphony’, in a performance which is a part of the Tchaikovsky Project Vol. 2, Semyon Bychkov conducting the Czech Philharmonic

The table inside my tiny Indian restaurant.

We enjoyed a little bit of India as a late afternoon snack today, thanks to the Bombay Emerald Chutney Company.

When I visited Nirmala Gupta‘s stand inside Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market on 23rd Street yesterday (she’s only at that location once a month), I came away with a couple fresh wrapped Rôti (which we had enjoyed once before) and a package of 4 frozen samosas. The rôti, which I’ve frozen, will show up for a Sunday breakfast, probably next week; the samosas made it only as far as today’s lunch table.

• four handmade vegan samosas from the Bombay Emerald Chutney Company  (ingredients: potato, white flour, peas, water, olive and canola oils, salt, red chili, and spices), defrosted, placed inside a small Pampered Chef unglazed ceramic pan, the tops brushed with olive oil, baked 15 minutes inside an oven preheated to 425ºF, turned once, and baked for another 15 minutes, allowed to cool a bit before served with 2 chutneys, Bombay Emerald Chutney Company’s Royal Coconut Chutney and Geeta’s Premium Mango Chutney (medium heat)

 

I’m developing an obsession with fenugreek.

After our experience with it on eggs this morning (afternoon), it will be difficult for me to keep it away from our late Sunday breakfasts.

It’s not as if there were no other seasonings involved, but the fenugreek I purchased from Nirmala Gupta’s ‘Bombay Emerald Chutney Company‘ at Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market on 23rd Street is what I remember this time.

• the elements of the meal were eggs and thick bacon from Millport Dairy Farm, toasts from 3 different breads, second-day, or older (that is, a Balthazar baguette, an Orwasher’s multigrain, and a multigrain and seeded Bread Alone loaf), a bit of the green section from a Japanese scallion from Norwich Meadows Farm, tiny pieces of a medium hot Calabrian cherry pepper from Alewife Farm, sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’, and bronze micro fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• the music was the 1656-1657 ‘Missa Azzolina’ of Orazio Benevolo (or Benevoli), performed by Le Concert Spirituel directed by Hervé Niquet [more on the piece here]

I wasn’t able to get to the Union Square Greenmarket today, but I was still able to get some fresh fish for the evening, because of Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market on 23rd Street.

• four red sea perch fillets (totaling 15 ounces) from American Pride Seafood Company, their stall in Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market on 23rd Street, brushed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil mixed with more than a teaspoon of a combination of chopped rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm and thinly-sliced Japanese scallions from Norwich Meadows Farm, the fish seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, placed inside an enameled cast iron pan and broiled skin side up, 4 or 5 inches from the flames, for about 5 minutes, or when the skin had become crisp and the fish cooked through, sauced with a bit of olive oil in which 2 salted anchovies from Buon Italia, rinsed and filleted, had been heated over a very low flame for about 5 minutes until the anchovies had fallen apart, kept warm while the fillets were broiled, finished on the plates with chopped oregano from Stokes Farm, organic Whole Foods Market lemon wedges served on the side
• purple mustard greens from Paffenroth Farms, wilted for only about 10 to 15 seconds in a little live oil in which one clove of sliced rocambole garlic from Keith’s Farm had been allowed to sweat, a small amount of a Calabrian medium hot cherry pepper from Alewife Farm added after the greens had wilted, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, finished on the plates with a drizzle of olive oil
• the wine was a Portugese (Alenejo) white, Esporão Reserva White 2015, from Manley’s Wine & Spirits, 35 8th Avenue
• the music was William Duckworth’s ‘The Time Curve Preludes’

Dolphin.

I love this fish, for its beauty almost as much as its tastiness. This time I was able to see, and photograph, a little bit of the former while it stay lay in the fish monger’s bucket in the Union Square Greenmarket.

• one fairly thick Atlantic dolphin fillet (17 ounces) – 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 organic lemon zest from Whole Foods Market, an equal amount of lemon juice, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, then allowed to sit for about half an hour (at first inside the refrigerator, but removed early enough to come to room temperature) while the accompanying vegetable, a corn-husk cherry-tomato-salsa, was assembled, then 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 fennel blossom buds, a bit of olive oil poured over the top
• two ears of organic white sweet corn (‘Sugarbuns’) from Alewife Farm, husked, coated with olive oil, rubbed with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, pan-grilled, the kernels cut from the cobs and mixed inside a bowl with a couple handfuls of husked ground cherries from Tamarack Hollow Farm; one red heirloom tomato from Berried Treasures; 2 small Japanese scallions from Norwich Meadows Farm, sliced; part of a fresh medium hot Calabrian cherry pepper from Alewife Farm; 2 tablespoons of torn basil from a living Stokes Farm plant, tossed with a vinaigrette made with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of half of a small organic Whole Foods Market lemon, the zest from that half lemon, salt and pepper, and, finally, a bit of fenugreek powder from Nirmala Gupta’s ‘Bombay Emerald Chutney Company‘ at Chelsea’s Down to Earth Farmers Market on 23rd Street

Most of the vegetables and the one fresh herb are lined up below.

• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, Terredora Falanghina 2016, from Garnet Wines & Liquors
• the music was Beethoven, Piano Concertos Nos. 1and 2, Bruno Weil directing the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra from the fortepiano

..and also a bit of peperoncini.

I think I’ve come to prefer chevre over mozzarella as an accompaniment to the best tomatoes, especially when the cheese is as good as that produced by Ardith Mae.

For the purposes of this meal at least, which, even without buffalo mozzarella (we have buffalo pasta instead), is more Italian than French, I’m going to call this fresh cheese ‘caprino’.

• slices of 3 different colored heirloom tomatoes from Berried Treasures Farm, served with an Ardith Mae chevre (or, humor me here: ‘caprino‘), Maldon salt and freshly-ground black pepper, some torn basil leaves that had been pulled off of a live plant from Stokes Farm, both tomatoes and cheese drizzled with an excellent olive oil, Alce Nero DOP ‘Terra di Bari Bitonto’ from Eataly
• slices from a loaf of Orwasher’s Multigrain bread

I just noticed that the main course was as vegetarian as the first one. In fact, this pasta dish was almost vegan.

• Japanese cucumbers [It. cetriolo], about a pound, from Berried Treasures Farm, sliced about 1/2″ thick, dried, sautéed inside a very large cast iron pan in a little olive oil over a fairly high flame until they had begun to color, then joined by 2 whole small dried red Calabrian peppers from Alewife Farm and 2 chopped red scallions [It. Scalogno] from Rise & Root Farm, and cooked until softened, tossed with some fennel [It. finocchio] buds from Berried Treasures, seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black peppers, after which 8 ounces of Sfoglini’s Riverine Ranch water buffalo milk pasta, cooked al dente, and some of the reserved pasta water were added to the vegetables, stirred over a low-to-moderate flame for a couple of minutes to blend the flavors and the ingredients, transferred to shallow bowls, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and some homemade breadcrumbs scattered on top, micro bronze fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge sprinkled over all
• the wine was an Italian (Veneto) rosé, Bardolino Chiaretto Corte Gardoni 2016, from Eataly Vino
• the music was Johann Wilhelm Hässler’s ‘360 Preludes in All Major and Minor Keys’, performed by Vitlaus von Horn [much more information about the composer here]