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

Turkey.

The meal just happened; there had been no plan to relate to the events of the day. Something seriously scary was occurring on the other side of the earth just as I was mentally assembling this meal of monkfish, incorporating 2 tails I had purchased in the Greenmarket just after noon. I was still ignorant of what was going on in Anatolia. But because I liked this scary-looking fish, and because Barry and I had both enjoyed its treatment in this Sicilian formula several times before, I had already decided on a recipe that quite literally stretched beyond the European continental littoral, although the music programming for the meal came later.

The news breaking throughout the day, and evening, inevitably formed a prominent backdrop to our simple plates of monkfish, couscous, and sweet peppers, the recipes and the music relating, although at a considerable remove, to the geographical, political, and cultural environment in which a governmental coup was unfolding.

So, yes, I’m talking about couscous, and in this case a rather classic Sicilian dish little known outside la Regione Siciliana (or Rome), which incorporates a wonderful ingredient usually associated only with the cultures of North Africa, and, to a lesser extent, the middle east.

Which gets us back to Turkey.

The music, celebrating complexity, diversity, and beauty of the culture of the Levant, was a conscious decision.

 

a farm stand’s colored awnings can cast an unworldly light on vegetables

 

The preparation of the early season peppers  which I picked up at the market the same day I found the fish may not have been particularly Mediterranean, but I’m very fond of both the taste and the process.

• two 8 1/2-ounce monkfish tails from Pura Vida Fisheries, prepared using a David Pasternak recipe which includes M’hamsa Couscous from Tunisia (purchased at Whole Foods), olive oil, sliced garlic from Whole Foods, one and a half 16-ounce cans of superb Mutti baby Roma tomatoes from Eataly (also available at Whole Foods), and cracked Sicilian green olives from Whole Foods, and almost all of one whole crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili (peperoncino di Sardegna intero from Buon Italia), the fish cooked, because of its size, much longer than specified in the recipe (I think I went with 15 minutes)
• a dozen or so small black and white (actually a deep purple and a creamy pale green) bell peppers, from Norwich Meadows Farm, stemmed, split, seeded, the pits removed, sliced lengthwise 2 or 3 times, fried for a few minutes in olive oil inside a steel pan while pressed under a weighted iron pan, skin side down, until blistered, then turned and fried, again under the pan, for another minute or so, a small handful of washed and dried leaves and tender stems of some whole Thai basil from Norwich Meadows Farm and a splash of (medium quality) balsamic vinegar added to the pan, stirred for a few seconds until the herb was wilted and the vinegar had sort of exploded in the heated oil, removed from the heat and served beside the fish [I did this in 2 batches, because, in my hurry, I had started with a pan too small to handle all of the peppers at once]
• the wine was a French (Provence) rosé, Famille Sumeire Château Coussin Le Rosé de S. Méditerranée 2015, from Chelsea Wine Vault
• the music was the Jordi Savall album, ‘Istanbul’, followed by his ‘Orient-Occident’, both with Hespèrion XXI

The frittata was improvised. I had a good supply of fresh eggs, more than enough garlic scapes, lots of tomatoes, but the trigger was a sighting of fresh blossoming chervil in one of the stalls in the Union Square Greenmarket that day. I’m always on the lookout for something new, and while this particular very ancient herb was known to me, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in a market, and I know I haven’t used it in the kitchen.

 

I was sure it would be a good companion for the mix in this frittata, and I used it in both the egg mixture and as a dusting on top of it after it left the broiler.

The other ingredients were few: about 6 or 8 ounces of garlic scapes (no other garlic form was used); 2 kinds of tomatoes, ‘The Best Tomatoes’ from Stokes Farm, within the egg mix itself, and half a dozen Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Whole Foods, sliced and placed on the top after the egg had partially cooked; there was also sea salt and freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, and a couple tablespoons of milk.

 

 

• a few ounces of garlic scapes from from Willow Wisp Farm, cut into 1 or 2-inch sections, sautéed in olive oil in a 10″ cast iron pot until softened, removed, allowed to cool, then added to a bowl in which 8 eggs from Millport Dairy had been whipped before half a pound or so of small halved cherry tomatoes from Stokes Farm were added, the mix seasoned with salt and pepper and the scapes introduced along with a generous amount o stemmed and chopped flowering chervil from Willow Wisp Farm, the egg mixture poured into the pan in which the scapes had been prepared, then cooked slowly over a low-to-moderate flame until the eggs were almost done, Maine cherry ‘cocktail’ tomatoes from Whole Foods, each sliced into four disks, arranged on the top of the mixture, which was placed in a pre-heated broiler and finished with more of the chervil, served on a edge of several leaves of radicchio from from Hawthorne Valley Farm, dressed with a good Campania olive oil, salt, pepper, and a mixture of chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm and parsley from Stokes Farm
• the wine was a French (Burgundy) sparkling, JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Brut N° 21 Crémant de Bourgogne NV
• the music was Rameau’s Zaïs, with Christophe Rousset’s Les Talens Lyriques

I’ve made the Mario Batali’s recipe for grilled eggplant (using all kinds of eggplant) something of a classic in our kitchen; and this alternative to using an oven in the preparing small squid, bodies and tentacles (a lot of tentacles in this instance) is approaching the same status.

They’re both delicious, and each of the formulas is open to variations.

 

• three quarters of a pound of small cleaned squid, bodies and tentacles from Blue Moon Fish, marinated for about half an hour (half of that time in the refrigerator) in a bowl with a mixture of zest and juice of an organic lemon from Whole Foods, thinly-sliced garlic from Whole Foods, olive oil, pungent dried Italian oregano from Buon Italia, salt, and pepper, then removed from the marinade and pan-grilled briefly over high heat, arranged on plates, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice and a mix of some chopped parsley from Stokes Farm and chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm [the basic recipe, with more specific instructions appears here]
• three small Japanese eggplants from Lani’s Farm, split lengthwise, scored, brushed with a mixture of oil, finely-chopped garlic from Whole Foods, and chopped Thai Basil from Norwich Meadows Farm (I had no fresh oregano, which is specified in the recipe, and, besides, I was already using dry in the squid), then seasoned with salt and pepper, pan-grilled, turning once, sprinkled with chopped milkweed buds from Down Home Acres [the basic recipe is here‘
• the wine was an Italian (Sardinia) white, La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna 2014
• the music was Handel’s ‘Riccardo Primo‘ [Richard I], with Les Talens Lyriques directed by Christophe Rousset

Both surprised and delighted to spot white asparagus in Union Square on Monday (I think it may even have been a first for the Greenmarket), I immediately picked out a small bundle to take home. The spears were small, each had a tinge of green toward the top, and it was no longer spring. These are all attributes not found with Spargel in the land whose people are obsessed with it to the point that when green asparagus appears on a menu in Germany, it has to be so described as grüner Spargel, to avoid both misunderstanding and disappointment.

They were delicious, and, although I think it’s still a work in progress, I will be looking out for more, maybe come spring next time.

I served the asparagus as a separate course, as much for aesthetic reasons as anything else, but I also wanted to pay a lot of attention to the preparation of a rare find, one I was doing for the first time.

• approximately 8 ounces of white asparagus from Lani’s Farm, trimmed and peeled, gently boiled until cooked through in a generous amount of water along with salt, a pinch of turbinado sugar, fresh organic lemon juice from Whole Foods, a bit of ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘, and a small piece of dried white bread, drained, dried on the top of a towel, removed to 2 plates and drizzled with lemon juice, a good Campania olive oil, D.O.P. Penisola Sorrentina “Syrenum”, and some chopped lovage from Campo Rosso Farm
• served with slices of Grandaisy ‘Sette Grani‘

 

• the main course was salmon, prepared in a way slightly modified from a very good Melissa Clark recipe, using one fresh, wild 12-ounce sockeye salmon fillet from Whole Foods, marinated in the refrigerator in a covered dish for about 2-3 hours while coated on both sides with a mix of light brown turbinado sugar, sea salt, freshly ground tellicherry pepper, freshly ground allspice, freshly ground nutmeg, and the zest of half of an organic lemon from Whole Foods, after which the fish was rinsed, patted dry, brought to room temperature, oiled generously, and cooked on an enameled grill pan, first flesh side down, then turned, cooked for another minute, removed, drizzled with a little juice from an organic lemon from Whole Foods and some olive oil, and served with wedges of the same lemon
• three different varieties of yellow summer squash (from Norwich Meadows Farm and Lani’s Farm, cut into 1/4″ diagonal slices, tossed in olive oil, sea salt, and freshly-ground Tellicherry pepper, pan-grilled, removed to a bowl where the squash was tossed with a few thinly-sliced Kalamata olives, olive oil, organic lemon juice, and a combination of chopped calamint and chopped wild mint, both from Berried Treasures
• the wine was an Austrian (Wagram) rosé, Fritsch Rosé Zweigelt vom Donaulöss 2015, from Chelsea Wine Vault

• the dessert course was simply 2 perfect peaches from Tree-Licious Orchards
• the wine before and during the fruit course was an Oregon (Willamette) white, Kings Ridge Pinot Gris 2014

• the music througout the dinner was the entirety of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s gorgeous, ‘Persée‘, in a great performance by Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by Christophe Rousset