Month: December 2014

  • soup of leeks, chicken stock, golden beet greens

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    Rarely do I post about lunch, mostly because we don’t usually make much of a deal about midday meals at home, but when I assemble something out of leftovers and other things I might have on hand – especially if there may be some lesson in it, for me at least – I’m tempted to share it.…

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  • ham steak, sweet-and-sour red cabbage and fennel

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    Both Barry and I have a soft spot for good traditional German cooking.  My own obsession goes back to 1961, and my first trip to Germany, although much later I realized that I had actually grown up with it by way of my mother’s cookery, which was a combination of Franconian tradtions and an enlightened modern American kitchen. This…

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  • spaghetti with smoked eel, garlic, chilli, pangrattato

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    Continuing the special holiday wild theme (which has featured oysters, smoked bluefish, Scottish hare, and squid ink pasta for starters), on Saturday night we enjoyed smoked eel, seen here in a prominent role within a pasta dish which also included salted anchovies.  The recipe is an adaptation of the one found on this site, although I was unable to…

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  • smoked bluefish on toast; pappardelle with hare

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    Wild. smoked bluefish fillet from Pura Vida in Cold Spring (north of New York City), skinned, chopped, and mixed with a little chopped shallot from Keith’s Farm, plus a tablespoon of lemon juice, four ounces of cream cheese from Murray’s Bagels (on 8th Avenue), and a generous amount of scissored fresh chives from Eataly, served with thin toasted…

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  • squid ink pasta, parsnips, pancetta, parsley, cheese

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      We’ve been enjoying this recipe for so many years that I’m no longer certain of its origins, although I suspect it started with, Mario Batalli, even if the details may have been altered.  The original specified fresh pasta, but I’ve never hesitated to use dried, especially if it is of the highest quality. It may seem…

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  • a 10 minute meal: chickpeas, chorizo, garlic, sherry

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    This is warm meal preparation reduced to almost a bare minimum.  The recipe comes from Mark Bitman’s list, Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less”,   but the catalog is not just for summer. We’ve enjoyed this fragrant dish many times.  It’s delicious, the ingredients can always be kept on hand (and I do) for…

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  • mushroom ravioli, shallot, radicchio, pinoli, lovage

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    [only a little bit of] assembly is required This entrée, as with others involving the assembly of similar well-made filled pastas (as, Agnolotti, pansotti, tortelli or tortelloni, to name a few) purchased commercially, is so easy to put together that it’s downright embarrassing, especially since it, and others like it, can be incredibly delicious – and also incredibly…

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  • braised lamb shank; polenta; Brussels sprouts

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      This meal and the first evening of winter made a perfect pairing, although there wasn’t any snow, and the temperature never got anywhere near freezing (I think).  The recipe is from the first of the terrific Gray and Rogers cookbooks, “Rogers Gray Italian Country Cook Book“. I just now noticed that the recipe appears all over the internet,…

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  • sautéed flounder, tomato butter; cavalo nero

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    I love flounder anyway, but I have no idea why Barry and I both found this fillet even more delicious than usual.  I’d even say it was the best I have ever had.  It was serious, with an intense flavor which included a hint of shellfish.   Flounder is normally a delicate fish, easily filleted and easily prepared, but I now have…

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  • pizza, fast food that can welcome a good wine

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    if it’s art, is it a grid? Sometimes you don’t miss tomato, even when it’s about pizza.  In fact, until I thought of writing this post, I don’t think it occurred to me that one of our favorite pizzas is never kissed by the red fruit of the nightshade. Pizza is our usual go-to, emergency, fast food alternative whenever…

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