Gamey.  The duck was definitely more gamey this time than we remember it ever being, but for us that’s a good thing.  The next day, I described it to one of the people I see regularly behind the Hudson Valley Duck Farm counter in the Greenmarket. He told me that the breed of duck they raise hasn’t changed [in many years] and then asked me how large the breast had been, suggesting that it might have been because of the age of the duck, but we both agreed that one pound was not out of the norm.

Apparently it was just a gamey duck, a very good gamey duck.

 

• a one-pound boneless duck breast from Hudson Valley Duck Farm, the fatty side scored in cross hatching with a very sharp knife, the entire breast then sprinkled with a mixture of sea salt, freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, and a little bit of turbinado sugar (which, in our kitchen, means infused over time with a vanilla bean), the duck left standing for 45 minutes or so before it was pan-fried, fatty side down first, in a tiny bit of oil over medium heat, draining the oil part of the way through (to be strained and used in cooking later, if desired), removed when medium rare and cut into the 2 portions at that time to be certain of its doneness, left to sit for several minutes before finishing it with a drizzle of organic lemon, a sprinkling of micro beet greens from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and a bit of Campania olive oil (the tenderloin, removed earlier from the breast and also marinated, is always fried very briefly near the end of the time the breast itself is cooking)

 

• about a quarter to a third of a pound of green snow peas from Norwich Meadows Farm, sautéed in olive oil with a little sea salt for a minute or so, then a couple of spring shallots from Lani’s Farm (including some of the green stem), sliced on the diagonal, added, along with a pinch of sugar, and tossed with the peas, which were sautéed for another 2 minutes or so, the heat turned off, and the zest of half of a small organic lemon from Trader Joe’s, some chopped spearmint from Lani’s Farm, a bit of freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, and a little lemon juice stirred in
• the wine was a California (Sonoma) red, Jacqueline Bahue Cabernet Franc Clarksburg 2014
• the music was Johann Adolf Hasse’s ‘Cleofide’, William Christie directing the Cappella Coloniensis 

And no toast!

I think I went a little overboard with the condiments this time. It was supposed to be just bacon and eggs, but I think I was inspired by a new (well, actually, antique) master salt I had just brought home and I went looking for a second kind of salt to serve with our favorite finishing salt, Maldon. Then I found more things, both dry and fresh, to put on the table in little dishes, and a meal that might otherwise have been pretty standard breakfast/lunch fare had become almost exotic.

The image below is of the eggs (which were smaller than usual) looked just before they had finished frying in my heavy iron pan. It had been a little too hot when I cracked the eggs into it, so the thinner layer of whites almost immediately bubbled up as they set, giving them a slightly weird appearance. I did however get every one of them onto the plates with yokes intact, something I’ve not always been able to manage.

 

• the ingredients were 6 eggs from Millport Dairy Farm, half of a pound of thick bacon, also from Millport, a Bien Cuit baguette from Foragers Market, some Maldon Salt and some ‘Sel Magique‘, Tellicherry pepper and ‘India Special Extra Bold’ Tellicherry peppercorns, a wonderful middle-eastern aromatic seasoning blend called L’eKama, and 6 differetn chopped herbs: parsley from Stokes Farm; garlic chives from Lani’s Farm; fennel fronds from Tamarack Hollow Farm, and tarragon, oregano buds, and flowering thyme from Stokes Farm
• the music was the album, ‘Alfonso X El Sabio: Cantigas De Santa Maria’, with Jordi Savall, Hespèrion XX, and La Capella Reial de Catalunya

Green.

These shishito were particularly gentle, none of them were really fiery (I think I was disappointed), but I had sliced some bread just in case it’d be needed.

The pasta was also without drama, but also delicious.

For reasons I don’t recall now, I cooked an entire package of croxetti the other night, even though I did not need more than half of it for the meal I was preparing. I put the remainder in the refrigerator, after tossing it with olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.

Maybe I was experimenting.

On Saturday night it reappeared, in a very different guise.

 

• Shishito peppers from Lani’s Farm, washed, drained, dried, then sautéed over medium high heat in a cast iron pan for a few minutes, stirring, served on plates and accompanied by a selection of four salts: classic Maldon; smoked alderwood, from The Filling Station, ‘Sel Magique‘, and my own homemade lemon-caper salt
• slices of ‘Compagne’ (a traditional sourdough) from Bien Cuit Bakery, via Foragers Market
• the wine was an Italian (Umbria) rosé, Falesco Vitiano Rosato Umbria 2015

 

• Genovese Alta Valle Scrivia Croxetti, from Eataly, previously-cooked (a ‘leftover’, stored in the refrigerator), tossed in a large enameled cast iron pot in which a handful of garlic scapes from from Willow Wisp Farm had been sautéed until tender, together with 3 sliced green tomatoes from Lani’s Farm which had been sautéed in a separate pan until beginning to carmelize on the edges, and some sea salt and dried Itria-Sirissi chili, some reserved pasta water then added, the pot heated and stirred until the liquid had emulsified, the mix finished with the addition of chopped spearmint from Lani’s Farm and torn basil from Sycamore Farms, both also used as a garnish once the pasta had been put into bowls
• the wine was a French (Rhône) rosé, Domaine de La Verrière Ventoux Rosé 2015 [the producer’s own site was down at the time I posted this]

 

• the music was the album, L’orchestre De Louis XIII (hasn’t one always wanted to know more about the father of The Sun King?), Le Concert des Nations directed by Jordi Savall

Basically there was nothing really new for us here, except for just about all of the additives in all 3 parts of this entrée. Otherwise I think the picture above pretty much covers the story.

 

• four skate wings from Pura Vida Fisheries, about 13 ounces altogether, coated all over with a coarse polenta which had been seasoned with salt and pepper, sautéed in olive oil (and a bit of butter) for 3 or so minutes on each side (the difficult part is turning them over without breaking them up), removed from the pan, the pan wiped with a paper towel, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, chopped shallots from John D. Madura Farm, and 2 small cloves of garlic from Alewife Farm, sliced introduced into it and stirred over a now-lowered flame, followed by the addition of a little more butter, the juice from half of an organic lemon, chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm, and a scattering of micro beet ‘greens’ from Two Guys from Woodbridge

• six tiny new potatoes (probably red Norland) from Central Valley Farm, scrubbed, boiled -unpeeled – until tender, drained, halved, and returned to the warm pan, tossed  with rich ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘, salt, pepper, scissored garlic chives from Lani’s Farm, and chopped fennel fronds from Tamarack Hollow Farm

• a mix of tiny tomatoes from Alewife Farm, halved, tossed with olive oil, Maldon salt, freshly-chopped Tellicherry pepper, torn basil leaves from Sycamore Farms, a little good Campania olive oil, D.O.P. Penisola Sorrentina “Syrenum”, and a few drops of white balsamic vinegar

 

• the sauces and drippings remaining were all too fine to leave on the plate, so we ended the course with two thin slices of ‘Compagne’, a traditional sourdough bread, from Bien Cuit Bakery via Foragers Market

 

• the wine was a French (Languedoc) rosé, Domaine L’Ostal Cazes Rosé 2015
• the music was Handel’s ‘Giulio Cesare in Egitto’, Marc Minkowski conducting Les Musiciens du Louvre, with Marijana Mijanovic, Magdalena Kozená, Sofie von Otter, Charlotte Hellekant, Bejun Mehta, Alan Ewing, Pascal Bertin, and Jean-Michel Ankaoua, among others

I didn’t know what I was going to put into this dish until it was almost finished. That made it a little stressful, but probably good practice, although I don’t know for what.

It ended up a sweet combination, thanks to the fresh vegetables and the herb. I’m keeping the recipe, so there will be less improvisation next time.

• garlic scapes from from Willow Wisp Farm, cut into roughly 1-inch lengths, sautéed until beginning to get soft in a large enameled pot, before a little dried Itria-Sirissi chili (peperoncino di Sardegna intero) and a small bulb of fennel from Tamarack Hollow Farm,pan-grilled, was added, followed by 8 ounces of Afeltra spaghetti chitarra, cooked al dente, and large cut pieces of several heirloom tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, the mix stirred over a low flame with some of the reserved cooking liquid until the latter had emulsified, then tossed with a handful of stemmed budding oregano from Stokes Farm, served in shallow bowls and sprinkled with more of the oregano
• the wine was an Italian (Sicily) red, Zanovello Grillo 2014 Zollasolare (the link goes ot the producer’s site, but describes an earlier vintage)
• the music was the album, ‘Granada 1013-1502’, with Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI

Neither of us has ever been to Sicily, but we often visit the ancient island at dinner, both the food and the wine.

I’m not sure whether it’s the very interesting choices of unfamiliar wines or the cosmopolitan Mediterranean food culture that is the operative factor in arranging these meals, but we try to include both together.

For this one I elaborated on a preparation for swordfish which I had used several times before. Even while doing so however I was thinking that maybe I was going too far. I needn’t have worried, as the dish turned out very fine.

I had copied the very simple recipe from Kyle Phillips a number of years ago; I hope he wouldn’t have minded the liberties I took.

As for the cauliflower, I didn’t want to use the oven, so I turned to a recipe I had worked with before. I did make some adjustments, both from necessity and perversity. It too was a great success.

 

• one 12 or 13-ounce swordfish steak from Blue Moon Fish, in the Union Square Greenmarket, carefully cut into 2 portions, marinated for about half hour in a mixture of olive oil, a very small amount of dried Itria-Sirissi chili, peperoncino di Sardegna intero from Buon Italia, fresh oregano buds and leaves from Stokes Farm, and some finely-chopped red scallion from Paffenroth Gardens, after which it was drained well and covered with a coating of dried homemade bread crumbs, then pan-grilled over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, removed, seasoned with salt, sprinkled with a little organic lemon juice from Whole Foods, a pinch of wild fennel pollen from Buon Italia, a little more red scallion, very finely sliced, sprinkled with micro beet greens from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and drizzled with olive oil before serving
• flowerets of a ten-ounce white cauliflower from Sycamore Farms, sautéed in a pan in which fresh sliced organic garlic cloves from Whole Foods, some crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili from Buon Italia, and more than a teaspoon of fennel seeds had been heated, the mix braised for a few minutes, eventually joined by 5 ounces of Maine cherry ‘cocktail’ tomatoes from Whole Foods, halved and seeded, and finished by stirring in sprigs and leaves of fresh spearmint from Lani’s Farm [I forgot to add the tomatoes until almost the very end, but I think I prefer the result over the suggestion in the original recipe, which appears here]
• the wine was an awesome Italian (Sicily) white, Feudo Montoni del Principato di Villanova Catarratto del Masso 2015 [the link is to the 2104 vintage], from a sale of Sicilian wines at Astor Wines
• the music was Jean-Philippe Rameau’s ‘Hippolyte Et Aricie’, performed by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants

Looking for an unfamiliar pasta to accompany a few special ingredients, I remembered I had a package of croxetti in the larder. At least as I’ve prepared it in the past, it has, unaccountably, always suggested to me a certain lightness, which was also what I was looking for that night.

The sauce ingredients included some Colameco’s pancetta, very fresh red scallions, an organic lemon, good olive oil, a package of purple micro basil, and an excellent Parmesan cheese.

It was mostly about assembly.

 

• the process involved about 10 ounces of a package of Genovese Alta Valle Scrivia Croxetti from Eataly, followed the basic outline of this simple Epicurious recipe (although with some alternative ingredients, cooking everything for a much shorter time, and simply draining the pasta as I normally do); the other elements, and their sources, were a 4-ounce package of Colameco’s uncured diced Pancetta from Whole Foods, red spring scallions from Hawthorne Valley Farm, juice from an organic lemon form Whole Foods, micro basil from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and Parmesan cheese from Buon Italia
• the wine was an Italian (Tuscany) rosé, Il Rosé di Casanova La Spinetta 2015
• the music was Q2 streaming, very mellow, all evening

It’s strange that neither of us remembered that porgy was not unlike mackerel in its slight oiliness, but more like mackerel light, and I mean that as a compliment.

The entire entrée was as delicious as it was colorful.

 

• four 2 1/2-ounce Porgy fillets from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, dried, seasoned with salt and pepper, pan-seared along with two thinly-sliced red spring onion scallions from Hawthorne Valley Farm over medium heat inside an oval copper pan in a bit of butter and a little olive oil, the fish basted, using a small brush, with the the scallion butter and oil for about 2 minutes, more or less continually, then turned over, the heat reduced to low, a cover (aluminum foil) placed on the pan and the filets cooked for about another minute before the cover was removed and 2 or 3 tablespoons of mixed fresh herbs thrown in (I used parsley, lovage, garlic chives, thyme, and chervil this time), after which the basting continued for about another minute, or until the fish was cooked through (the recipe was slightly modified from one written by Melissa Clark)

 

• organic yellow flat pole beans, or Romano beans, from Norwich Meadows Farm, parboiled, drained, dried by tossing over heat inside the emptied pot in which they were cooked, later reheated in a cast iron pan in a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finished with micro basil from Two Guys from Woodbridge

 

• a rich and deeply-colored ensemble of wilted ‘reds’ (and a few greens), which began with one sliced young red onion from Bodhitree Farm softened in a large cast-iron enameled pot, then several handfuls of purple amaranth from Tamarack Hollow Farm added and heated until wilted, torn leaves of radicchio from Hawthorne Valley Farm stirred in, and finally a handful or more of arugula from Hawthorne Valley Farm, seasoned with some dried Itria-Sirissi chili, peperoncino di Sardegna intero from Buon Italia, and some Balsamic vinegar

 

 

• the wine was a French (Loire) white, from Vignoble Gibault, their Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2014, descibed here, although purchased in our neighborhood, from Landmark Wine & Spirits
• the music was Jean-Philippe Rameau’s ‘Dardanus’, in a performance by Les Musiciens du Louvre, and Le Choeur des Musiciens du Louvre, directed by Marc Minkowski

I now know that I can whip up a great tri-tip steak without turning the oven on.  I had chosen these beautiful cuts at Dickson Farm Stand Meats before remembering, once I was home, that I had always used a very hot oven to finish their cooking. This was an important issue on a warm muggy evening, even if we did have the air conditioner cranked up in the room where wee would be eating.

I tried just pan-grilling them, and they were wonderful. Tri-tips are now not just a winter thing.

• two 5 or 6-ounce Tri-tip steaks from Dickson Farmstand Meats, dried, seasoned with freshly-ground black pepper, pan-grilled for a few minutes, turning twice, sprinkling them with sea salt the first and second times, removed to the plates, a little organic lemon squeezed on top, sprinkled with chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm, and drizzled with olive oil

• rainbow chard from Alewife Farm, sautéed in olive oil in which some halved garlic cloves from Whole Foods had been heated, finished with a squeeze of juice from an organic lemon, some crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili, and a drizzle of olive oil

• a low bowl, on the side of the plates, with pieces of one large chopped Striped German heirloom tomato from Toigo Orchards which had been allowed to sit for 20 minutes or so with a mix of scissored garlic chives from Lani’s Farm, salt, pepper, chopped stemmed flowering chervil from Willow Wisp Farm, chopped thyme from Stokes Farm, Thai basil from Norwich Meadows Farm, and a bit of balsamic vinegar

• the wine was a wonderful California (Calaveras) red, F. Stephen Millier Black Label Red Angel Red Blend Calaveras County 2014, from Naked Wines
• the music was Lully’s ‘Bellerophon’, Christophe Rousset directing the ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques

The salsa I have often prepared as a ‘bed’ for these wonderful crab cakes from the Union Square Greenmarket has no formula. Usually dominated by tomatoes of some kind, it’s always a (varying) mélange of bits of herbs and spices, often including a bit of some kind of allium.

The crab and the salsa is always accompanied by a vegetable, which, depending upon what I have, can really brighten up a color palate which would already be doing some showing off.

In this case there was a lagniappe, one small heirloom tomato, originally intended to be part of the salsa (along with another of its own kind, a Striped German, and a few cherry tomatoes). Last night it was still a very light yellow, but it had been sitting at the window for days, just as long as its companion, from the same farm, so I just assumed it too would be ripe by now.  Not paying attention, I started slicing it before I noticed that it was very firm, and that it had almost no taste. I decided a little heat might be just what it needed, and it was: I ended up with a luscious side dish of ‘fried yellow tomato’, and wished there had been more of its sort.

 

• two terrific crab cakes from PE & DD Seafood (the ingredients are crab, egg, flour, red & green peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, milk, celery, and parsley), heated in a heavy copper pan, 3 to 4 minutes to each side, served with some dressed arugula from Hawthorne Valley Farm, which had been partially covered by a salsa composed of one Striped German heirloom tomato from Central Valley Farm and a few Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods, all chopped, salt, freshly-ground black pepper, a bit of homemade French Basque piment d’Espellate, some dried Itria-Sirissi chili, peperoncino di Sardegna intero from Buon Italia, scissored garlic chives from Lani’s Farm, and, once plated, drizzled on top with the very small amount of juices left at the bottom of the bowl of salsa, the whole assemblage then sprinkled with micro basil from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• Maxibel Haricots Verts, from Norwich Meadows Farm, blanched, drained and dried, reheated in oil, finished with salt, pepper, and stemmed and chopped flowering chervil from Willow Wisp Farm
• one small unripe heirloom tomato from Central Valley Farm, cut into small pieces, sautéed in olive oil in a small copper pan until the edges were beginning to brown, seasoned with sea salt, freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, and a pinch of Turbonado sugar, sprinkled with a small amount of several chopped fresh herbs that had been briefly hanging out in the refrigerator
• the wine was a California (Lodi) rosé, Karen Birmingham Rosé Lodi 2015
• the music was Antonio Vivaldi’s first (of 94) opera, the 1713 ‘Ottone In Villa’, performed by Giovanni Antonini, conducting Il Giardino Armonico