Note to self:  There certainly must be exceptions, and skate seems to be one of them, but, when it comes to fish, smaller is not necessarily better.  

 

Having arrived there late on a Monday, when both custom and merchandise is smaller in size than on any other market day, I missed out on anything which might have meant putting anything less familiar on our table than flounder, which of course remains a most estimable fish.

• six small flounder fillets from P.E. & D. D. Fish Company (a total of about one pound), rinsed, dried, sprinkled with white vinegar and salt, lightly-floured and sautéed in oil, removed from the pan, at which time butter and lemon juice were introduced, scraped together and gently warmed, followed by some fresh chopped parsley from Rogowski Farm and an equal amount of sorrel from Lani’s Farm,also chopped, the finished sauce poured over the fillets
• white and red chard from Lani’s Farm, sautéed with olive oil and finished withs lemon, crushed dried hot pepper seeds, salt, pepper, and olive oil
• the wine was a California white, S + A Verdelho Calveras County 2014
• the music was eighteenth-century instrumental works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Carl Heinrich Graun

I was looking for tuna, but there were only three pieces left by the time I got to the Greenmarket, and I couldn’t see how, in any configuration, they might add up to two proper modest portions.  It helps to be flexible (strange to tell now, but there was a time in the distant past when I would head out to the market with a list), but it also helps to be fond of virtually any seafood; in this case, it meant going for the swordfish.

• one swordfish steak from Pura Vida Seafood, cut into two six-and-a-half ounce pieces, rubbed with a mixture of fresh herbs (here parsley, thyme, and rosemary) chopped together with sea salt, then mixed with some freshly-ground pepper, minced garlic and lemon zest, and a bit of olive oil, spread onto the surface of the fish and pan-grilled, basting throughout the cooking process with sone reserved rub mixture, and finished with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, served with quarters (eighths?) of lemon
• the bread which accompanied the entrée was Balthazar’s Multi-Grain boule
• baby collard greens from Rogowski Farm, sautéed lightly in a pan in which two garlic cloves had briefly sweated, seasoned, and drizzled with olive oil
• the wine was a Greek white, Semeli Moschofilero Sun Dry White wine of the Peloponnese 2013
• the music was an album of baroque instrumental music which included works by Johann Friedrich Fasch [his son was Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch] and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

This chop was every bit as juicy as it deserved to be, as juicy as it looks here.  I haven’t always been able to accomplish that feat, and never before without immersing chops in a pot of cooked cabbage of some sort along with its liquid.

Smoked pork chops and roasted asparagus [Grüner gebratener Spargel mit Kassler]:  I can’t speak highly enough of this combination, even in concept alone, and this time the execution (by the way, it’s very, very simple meal) was a total success.  Of course, as usual, everything came from the stalls of local fishers and farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket;  everything, that is, except for the olive oil, the salt, pepper, the wine, and the music.

Just as fortunate, it was served on a perfect cool spring evening.

Asparagus time in the US still means only green asparagus time, but I’m not complaining when the vegetable is as good as this one.  As for the smoked pork chops, my local source may be the best of them all.  Thanks John.

• in an oval, low-sided enameled cast iron pan, some butter heated and whole ramp bulbs from Berried Treasures swirled around in it, two smoked loin pork chops from Millport Dairy added, covered with tin foil and kept above a very low flame (just enough to warm them through, as they were already fully-cooked), turning the meat once, then, near the end of their time in the pan, the ramp leaves set aside earlier, now sliced along their length, added, the pork removed, plated, brushed with horseradish jelly from Berkshire Berries, then both the cooked and wilted ramp elements
• large spears of asparagus,  from Stokes Farm, dotted with butter, from Millport Dairy, salted, roasted at 450º for 15 to 20 mins, rolled twice, freshly-mortared black pepper added at the end
• the wine was a simple Austrian white,  GV Grüner Veltliner 2013
• the music was Locatelli

Quickie.

• Eataly spinach- and cheese-filled ravioli with a lightly-heated sauce of sliced baby leeks from Rogowski Farm, halved Maine cherry ‘cocktail’ tomatoes from Whole Foods, finished with pea sprouts and freshly-ground black pepper
• the wine was a white californian, J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Gris 2013
• the music was Tchaikovsky’s Sextet, ‘Souvenir de Florence‘ thanks to Yle Klassinen

Porgy is far too little appreciated.  I suspect a reputation for boniness (not entirely deserved) might have something to do with it, helping to make it more than ‘reasonably priced’, one of the least expensive finned seafood in the market.  Maybe it’s the unassuming or clumsy name, but then the name ‘scrod’ isn’t very elegant either, and it’s extremely popular in New England.

• four porgy fillets (a total of one pound) from Blue Moon Fish Company, patted dry, seasoned with salt and pepper, sautéed in 2 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter, along with spring garlic from Norwich Meadows Farm which was brushed over the fish, occasionally, for 2 or 3 minutes, the fillets carefully flipped, the heat reduced to low and the pan covered for two minutes, then uncovered and a mix of chopped herbs (here chives, mint, thyme) added to it, with the basting continuing for another minute or so
• cherry tomatoes from Toigo Orchards heated with olive oil in a separate pan for a few minutes minutes, seasoned, and finished with chopped savory
• Cavolo Nero from Migliorelli Farm, briefly wilted with olive oil and two garlic halves which had first been heated in the oil
• the wine was a California white, David Akiyoshi Chardonnay Clarksburg 2013
• the music was Messiaen’s ‘Éclairs sur l’au-delà’, his last completed work

I threw almost everything allium-ish I had at the time into this bowl.  It felt like an improvisation, but it was more of an expansion of the simple Mario Batali basic recipe, through the addition of several ingredients.  I knew that even without my further attentions the ingredients would make it a success.  It was also pretty quickly put together.

• I used spaghetti from Rustichella d’Abruzzo; the various allium forms I included were ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, baby leeks from Rogowski Farm, spring garlic from Norwich Meadows Farm, Shimonita Onion from Lani’s Farm; the breadcrumbs were made from various artisanal loaves I had watched dry out
• the wine was an Italian white (Sardinia), La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna 2013 
• the music was Italian (Roman), the ‘Motets for 5 voices’, by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Cod has been one of the great treasures of the Atlantic for 1200 years or so, and, if we husband the stocks intelligently, it may continue to be so.  It’s always been regarded as a treasure in our kitchen.

• a single one-pound cod fillet from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, halved, slowly sautéed for a few minutes (along with a minced clove of garlic which had been begun to color in the oil), then flipped, with chopped parsley from Rogowski Farm added to the pan along with slices of the bulb portions of ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, sautéed for a couple more minutes, the fish then removed and the leaves of the ramps, cut lengthwise, introduced to the pan and allowed to wilt in the juices before being spread on top of the fillets
• small, young Cavolo Nero (Black, or Tuscan kale) from Migliorelli Farm, briefly wilted with olive oil and two garlic halves which had first been heated in the oil
• the wine was a Spanish (Galicia) white, Abadía de San Campio Albariño Rías Baixas 
• the music was chamber works by Robert de Visée and his contemporaries

It’s spring, and that means it’s asparagustime (Spargelzeit).  The image above would suggest that it’s also tomato and watercress time, but that would not be entirely honest: These particular tomatoes are available all year round, and the cress is hydroponic (they came home with their clean wet roots intact), meaning that the farmer didn’t really have to wait for spring.

• two thick, bone-in loin pork chops (barely 7 ounces each) from Flying Pig Farms, thoroughly dried, seasoned with salt and pepper, seared in a heavy enameled cast-iron pan, half a lemon squeezed over them then left in the pan with them while they roasted in a 400º oven for about 14 minutes (flipped halfway through and the lemon squeezed over them once again), removed from the oven, sprinkled with cress from Stokes Farm, and the pan juices spooned over the to
• Maine Backyard Farms ‘cocktail tomatoes‘ from Eataly, added to the pan with the pork chops during the last moments they were in the oven, seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with savory from Bodhitree Farm
• large spears of asparagus from from Stokes Farm, trimmed, the thicker parts peeled, placed in an oven pan, dotted with butter and seasoned with salt and pepper, roasted for 15-20 minutes, turning once or twice, then served
• the wine was a German white, Stefan Meyer Silvaner Trocken 2013 from Chelsea wine vault from Rhodt
• the music was Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, played by Les Muciens de Louvre

I don’t cook with mushrooms nearly enough.  I’ve promised myself I’d do better this year.

• monkfish from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, prepared ‘Dijon Style’ using my spring allium variation of this vintage Pierre Franey recipe; my ingredients included Shiitake mushrooms from Bulich Mushroom Farm, one stem of spring garlic from Norwich Meadows Farm, ramps from Lucky Dog Organic, and parsley from Rogowski Farm
• the young rapini from Lani’s Farm, remaining from the previous day’s salmon dinner, wilted with two garlic halves from Whole Foods which had previously sweated a bit in olive oil, all then seasoned with salt and pepper
• the wine was a French rosé, Devois de Perret Languedoc 2014
• the music was Antonio Bertali, chamber works (gorgeous)

While this meal did a good job of combining a neat variety of colors and textures, it actually came together more by accident than design.  I had a good fresh vegetable in the crisper, and I wanted to serve fish.  I was unable to get to the Greenmarket that day, so in the evening I picked up a fillet of wild Coho salmon (Pacific Northwest, previously frozen) from the market down the block – and at a sale price!.  Potatoes felt right for this plate, so I added a handful.  (I’ve found small boiling potatoes handy to keep around, so I try to remember to use them before they sit too long, and then replace the supply.)

• wild Coho salmon fillet from Whole Foods Market, roasted in butter in a shallow enameled cast-iron pan (using two tablespoons of butter for about 12 ounces of salmon), seasoned, roasted for about eight minutes, turned once, after five minutes, removed to warm plates and sprinkled with salt, pepper, chopped savory from Bodhitree Farm
• small waxy potatoes, ’18K Gold Nugget’ from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm, boiled, dried, tossed with olive oil, sprinkled with a mix of several chopped fresh herbs and a bit of sliced Shimonita Onion (a combination of baby leek and spring onion) from Lani’s Farm
• young broccoli rabe (aka rapi, broccoli raab, cime di rapa, rapini; friarielli, broccoli di rapa, or broccoletti) from Lani’s Farm, wilted along with two garlic halves from Whole Foods which had previously sweated a bit in olive oil, the greens then seasoned with salt and pepper
• the wine was a German red, Becker Family Pinot Noir 2010
• there was lots of music