Tomato sill, breakfast room.

 

Thanks to a generous weekend-gardener friend, we’ve been living with tomatoes all week, and this early meal was a part of the terrific experience. The picture at the top was taken 4 days ago; after our meal this morning only one of the small baskets of red cherry tomatoes and 3 of the long plum tomatoes remain on that sill.

We had a late breakfast today; sort of a lunch.

• the 6 eggs and the thick pieces of bacon both came from a Pennsylvania Amish farm, Millport Dairy, which sells in the Union Square Greenmarket (John is driven to New York by an ‘English’ friend); the 2 sliced ripe medium-size tomatoes were an heirloom Green Zebra and a red plum (a beautiful rounded triangle in cross-section), both from Lower Hayfields, a friend’s garden in Garrison, north of New York; the toast was from the heel of a 3-day-old sturdy ciabatta from Bobolink Dairy, the ‘untoast’ from a 1-day-old Eric Kayser ‘Pain de campagne’; the herbs were a mix of many kinds, all from Greenmarket farmers, although the tomatoes were sprinkled with some torn New York CIty basil from Gotham Greens, via Whole Foods; there was also an absolutely wonderful aromatic Middle-Eastern-style seasoning blend, ‘L’eKama‘
• we have a Sunday morning tradition of listening to classical music somehow related to religion (usually Christian), notwithstanding our seriously-expatriot status vis-à-vis the faiths in which we were raised; today the music was Olivier Messiaen: ‘Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant Jesus’, performed by pianist Joanna MacGregor

• fourteen medium scallops from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, washed, drained and very thoroughly dried on paper towels (twice), generously seasoned with salt and pepper, pan grilled for about 90 seconds on each side, finished with a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of purple micro radish from Two Gus from Woodbridge, then drizzled with some good olive oil
• more than a handful of red and orange cherry tomatoes, halved, from Lower Hayfields, a friend’s garden in the Hudson River town of Garrison, heated briefly in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, a bit of New York CIty basil from Gotham Greens, via Whole Foods, torn, mixed in, and served dusted with micro bronze fennel, also from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• curly kale, again from Lower Hayfields, wilted in a little olive oil in which several bruised organic garlic cloves from Willow Wisp Farm had first been heated or ‘sweated’ in the oil with a small amount of crushed dried Sicilian pepperoncino from Buon Italia, seasoned with salt and pepper, and, once on the plates, drizzled with olive oil
• the wine was a French (Savoie) white, Jean Perrier et Fils Cuvée Gastronomie Savoie Abymes 2015
• the music was Johann Friedrich Fasch, ‘Orchestral Works, Vol. 3’

Yeah, it was a something of a feast, although perhaps lighter than what would normally be associated with the word. We had invited two friends to dinner, to celebrate their return to New York, and we knew they really enjoyed food, and conversation.

I think we were all pretty lucky nothing was bungled, especially since the meal and the talk continued for almost 5 hours, counting a certain amount of lingering.

As the menu was coming together during the day I gradually realized that it would be almost entirely Italian, in fact southern Italian, and Sicilian, although with a few obvious, and some perhaps not so obvious, exceptions.

We began the evening with breadsticks, toasting ourselves with a excellent sparkling wine.

• the wine was a California (Sonoma) sparkling white, W. Donaldson Blanc de Blancs

The first course was a classic Italian appetizer.

• an insalata Caprese, with one large red plum tomato and one ‘green zebra’ heirloom tomato from Lower Hayfields, a friend’s garden in Garrison, sliced, arranged on 4 plates, slices of Italian mozzarella di Bufala Campania from Buon Italia tucked in between the slices, sprinkled with Maldon salt and coarsely-ground pepper, some torn leaves of basil from Lucky Dog Organic Farm sprinkled on top, and all drizzled with a Campania olive oil, Syrenum D.O.P. Peninsula Sorrentina
• the bread was a sturdy ciabatta, made with unbleached whole-grain wheat flour, from Bobolink Dairy
• the wine was a California (Lodi) rosé, Karen Birmingham Rosé Lodi 2015

The star of the main course was triggerfish, variously known in Italy as pesce balestra, pisci castaregia, pescepuorco, pescio porcu, pesce porco, pesce puorco, or mola, and in Sicily as pisci porcu, or pisci poccu, so it’s definitely Mediterranean as well as western Atlantic. 

[Note: From the front, the triggerfish looks curiously like a Boeing 747; go ahead, ‘Google it’.]

• four 6-ounce fillets of triggerfish fillets from Pura Vida Fisheries, rinsed, dried, seasoned with salt and freshly-ground black pepper, sautéed inside a large, heavy, enameled cast iron pan in olive oil over medium-high heat for only about 2 minutes on each side, removed to 4 plates, drizzled with a little fresh lemon juice, immediately sprinkled with chopped fresh dill from Keith’s Farm, with more dill tossed into the pan along with a few drops of olive oil, pushed around with a narrow wooden spatula, those juices then drizzled over the fish, which was then sprinkled with fennel flowers from Ryder Farm, and finished with micro bronze fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• two round Italian heirloom eggplants, one a Biellese ‘Prosperosa’ from Berried Treasures Farm, the other an heirloom Sicilian from Phillips Farm, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds, brushed with a mixture of olive oil, finely-chopped garlic, chopped mint leaves, salt, and pepper, the slices pan-grilled, turning once, arranged on an oval platter, sprinkled with some more chopped mint, drizzled with a little olive oil
• four small sweet orange peppers from Eckerton Hill Farm, 2 pale green banana peppers from Lower Hayfields, halved or quartered, seeds and membranes removed, sautéed inside a heavy copper skillet wiht a little olive oil over a high flame until slightly cararmelized, with one seeded and finely-chopped small red Calabrian pepper from Campo Rosso Farm added near the end, the peppers finished in the pan, with the addition of chopped oregano leaves from Stokes Farm and a dash of balsamic vinegar
• the wine was a French (Bordeaux) white, Château Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc 2015, with an grape blend of 60% Sémillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle, the large proportion of Sémillon, being unusual for the region

There was a cheese course, the portions very small.

• there were 3 local cheeses, each from Consider Bardwell Farm, ‘Slybro’ (goat), Rupert (cow), ‘Barden’ (blue cow), and one Swiss cow cheese, ‘Bergflichte’, from Canton Thurgau, via Eataly
• the bread was the Bobolink ciabatta again
• the wine was a California (Clarksburg) white, David Akiyoshi Chardonnay Clarksburg 2015, from Naked Wines

The fruit course was even more minimal than the cheese plate had been.

• striped yellow figs from California, via Eataly, and a few blackberries from Phillips Farm

The final, sweet, course was pretty Italian, at least until I added the maple sugar topping.

• Sicilian lemon sorbetto from Ciao Bella, via Whole Foods, topped with ‘Maple Candied Ginger’ which I’ve kept in the freezer for just such an opportunity, from a source I no longer can remember

The music throughout the evening was our conversation.

 

This one really had to be rushed, since we had come back from gallery openings later than we had expected, and it was a ‘school night’. I was afraid this fine fish might suffer, but because it requires so little fuss, because all the other ingredients were so fresh, and because I specifically picked formulas which were really quick to prepare, everything turned out super.

Putting the salsa together was the most complicated and time-consuming part of the process, and even that was a total cinch, required no concentration, and allowed me to set up everything else while it was sitting around blending flavors.

• two 5-ounce black sea bass fillets from Blue Moon Fish, seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper, sautéed over a fairly brisk flame with butter and a little olive oil inside a large, thick oval copper pan, skin side down, turned after about 2-3 minutes, the other side cooked for about the same length of time, removed to 2 plates when done, covered at least a little to keep warm, and 2 tablespoons of butter added to the pan, allowed to melt, a couple tablespoons of chopped lovage and chopped parsley, both from Keith’s Farm, and a tablespoon of lemon juice, or a little more, stirred in the butter some before it was spooned on top of the fish
• the bass was accompanied by a salsa, prepared about 30 minutes in advance, of halved cherry tomatoes from Lower Hayfields, a friend’s garden in Garrison, up the Hudson, pitted and chopped black oil-cured olives from Whole Foods, fresh dill from Willow Wisp Farm, chopped, basil from Gotham Greens at Whole Foods, torn, one small red Calabrian pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, salt, pepper and olive oil
• curly kale, again from Lower Hayfields, wilted in a little olive oil in which several bruised organic garlic cloves from Willow Wisp Farm had first been heated or ‘sweated’ in the oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and drizzled, once on the plates, with olive oil
• the wine was a California (Lodi) white, David Akiyoshi Reserve Chardonnay 2015
• the music was from the album, ‘Adams, Cox, Fink, Fox‘, music of John Luther Adams, Rick Cox, Michael Jon Fink, and Jim Fox

I did not know that the pea crab, like ourselves, loves mussels as much as it loves oysters. Tonight we found a number of them in our bowls of shellfish (t took us a few minutes to realize where the extra crunch was coming from).

The pea crab: sent to remind us that food isn’t made in factories, or at least that it shouldn’t be.

While they have occasionally been considered a delicacy here and elsewhere in the world, occasionally remaining so even today, I can’t imagine, even if you could get past the icky factor, how you’d be able to accumulate enough of the tiny creatures to make even a small splash on a plate.

FOOTNOTE: From the department of, ‘you learn something new every day‘: “A male pea crab will rub the edge of a shellfish containing a female pea crab for hours until the shellfish opens and allows the male pea crab to enter.” Sweet.

If I haven’t totally turned off the reader, the rest of this post is likely to be a bit more conventually toothsome.

• two pounds of mussels, purchased that same day in the Union Square Greenmarket from Blue Moon Fish, lightly-scrubbed and de-bearded where necessary, then combined in a large, heavy enameled cast iron pot with 2 cups of beautiful red cherry tomatoes from Lower Hayfields, a friend’s garden in Garrison, halved, plus half of a cup of good white wine (Sandy Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2014, from Chelsea Wine Vault), most of one large fresh shallot from Lucky Dog Organic Farm, about a quarter of a teaspoon of crushed dried Sicilian pepperoncino from Buon Italia, 3 tablespoons of rich ‘Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter‘, a generous amount of freshly-ground pepper, and 3 tablespoons of coarsely-chopped lovage from Keith’s Farm, everything steamed over high heat for a very few minutes, served in shallow bowls with a sprinkling of additional chopped lovage, and accompanied by slices of a Rustico Classico from Eataly (there were seconds).
• the wine was a French (Loire) white, Éric Chevalier Clos de la Butte Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu 2014
• the music was a program of new music from Q2 Music, streaming

I had just gone to Eatlay for bread yesterday, but as I was passing Luca Donofrio‘s fresh pasta counter I spotted this awesome-looking pasta. I had already decided I was going to put together a very simple meal tonight, and I immediately realized that this mafaldine would make it special even without tweaking of any kind.

I was also a little excited (also sad) about the surprisingly modern history of the name the Italians have given the pasta: the ill-fated Princess Mafalda of Savoy is the reference.

 

We were 3 at dinner. Our friend Michelle Vaughan had come by to drop off a huge organic bounty from the gardens outside her cottage, ‘Lower Hayfields’, in Garrison, New York, north of the city, and of course we wouldn’t let her go.

We began with a course of salumi.

• thinly-sliced Speck from the Südtirol/Alto Adige, via Eataly, drizzled with a fine olive oil, a Campania D.O.P. Penisola Sorrentina ‘Syrenum’, and served with curly kale leaves from Michelle Vaughan and Lower Hayfields, also drizzled with the olive oil, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few drops of white balsamic
• the bread was a Rustico Classico from Eataly
• the wine was a California (Lodi) rosé, Karen Birmingham Rosé Lodi 2015

The main course came together with the pasta I mentioned above, and some deep-red cherry tomatoes with the most awesome flavor. I believe they are actually an heirloom variety, ‘black cherry tomato’. It was the last of my supply of any tomatoes before it was replenished by Michelle with several kinds of cherry tomatoes; at least 4 kinds of heirloom tomatoes, including plum tomatoes; 2 kinds of sweet peppers; fingerling potatoes; and curly kale.

• one pound of fresh Mafaldine pasta from Eataly, with a sauce made by heating in a deep, enameled cast-iron pot 2 roughly-chopped cloves of garlic from Willow Wisp Farm with one very small red pearl onion from Paffenroth Farms, and most of one small red Calabrian pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, until all were pungent and softened, tossing in a good number of halved black cherry tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, stirring, some reserved pasta cooking water added to help emulsify the mix, seasoned with salt and pepper, a generous amount of torn New York CIty basil from Gotham Greens via Whole Foods mixed in, the pasta removed to 3 shallow bowls, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with more basil and some homemade breadcrumbs (browned a little earlier in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt)
• the wine was an Italian (Campania) white, I Vini della Sibilla Falanghina dei Campi Flegrei 2015, from Chelsea Wine Vault

We finished with a small plate of cheese and a few very ripe black figs.

• Consider Bardwell’s ‘Rupert’, a cow cheese; ‘Coupole’, a goat cheese from Vermont Creamery, via Foragers Market; and Bergflichte’ [‘mountain fir’], a soft washed-rind Jersey cow cheese from Canton Thurgau, in northern Switzerland, via Eataly
• black California figs from Whole Foods
• the wine was a California (Sonoma) white, Scott Peterson Rumpus California Sauvignon Blanc 2015, from Naked Wines

• the music throughout the very long evening was that of our voices, eventually fortissimo, as we got into discussing politics of all things

La Cucina Italiana.

The squid was certainly Italian, both the fact of squid and the preparation; the vegetables were also Italian, again, fact and execution (the wine however was Spanish, because, well, we didn’t have a suitable Italian on hand).

La Cucina Povera.

Nothing put onto the table last night was ‘costly’, and, except for the squid, for which I exchanged $6 with the fisherman’s family that day, it basically incorporated what was already in the kitchen or pantry.

• twelve ounces of cleaned squid, bodies and tentacles, from P.E. & D.D. Seafood, marinated for about half an hour (half of that time in the refrigerator) in a bowl containing a mixture of the zest and juice of most of one lemon, thinly-sliced garlic from Willow Wisp Farm, olive oil, pungent dried Italian oregano from Buon Italia, some finely-chopped pieces from a red Calabrian pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, salt, and pepper, then removed from the marinade, drained, pan-grilled briefly over high heat, arranged on plates, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice and some chopped parsley from Keith’s Farm, drizzled with olive oil [the basic recipe, with more specific instructions appears here]
• one luscious round Sicilian (heirloom?) eggplant, from Phillips Farm, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds, brushed with a mixture of olive oil, finely-chopped garlic from Willow Wisp Farm, chopped peppermint leaves from Stokes Farm, salt, and pepper, the slices pan-grilled, turning once, removed to a platter, replaced in the pan by one orange-red heirloom tomato (‘Striped German’), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds and its surfaces seasoned with salt and pepper, where it was grilled on both sides, arranged on the platter with the eggplant, sprinkled with more freshly-chopped mint leaves, drizzled with a little olive oil, some micro bronze fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge tossed on the top, the vegetables kept at room temperature, for a short while while the squid was grilled.
• the wine was a Spanish (Rueda) white, Naia D.O. Rueda 2014, Verdejo old vines, from Philippe Liquors
• the music was François Francoeur, ‘Symphonies pour le Festin Royal’, Hugo Reyne conducting La Simphonie du Marais [music composed for the 1773 wedding banquet of the Comte d’Artois, later to become the last Bourbon king of France, as Charles X]

I’ve always gotten easily carried away with herbs, especially the less familiar varieties (and the choices continually broaden); I’m now totally addicted to micro greens, even if they aren’t always green.

• one duck breast (13 ounces) from Hudson Valley Duck, 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 pepper, and a little turbinado sugar (in our kitchen, the bowl of sugar has been infused over time with a vanilla bean), the duck left standing for about 45 minutes before it was pan-fried, first the fatty side down, in a tiny bit of olive 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 (cut into 2 portions to check that the center is medium-rare), left to sit for several minutes before finishing it with a drizzle of organic lemon and drops of a very good Campania olive oil, and scattered with purple micro radish from Two Guys from Woodbridge [NOTE: the tenderloin, removed from the breast before cooking, and also marinated, was fried very briefly near the end of the time the breast itself was cooking]
• two small seasoned pan-grilled ‘black’ plum tomatoes (they darken as they ripen) from Berried Treasures Farm, finished with a dab of olive oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled with torn leaves of New York CIty basil from Gotham Greens via Whole Foods
• two Kirby cucumbers, from Paffenroth Gardens, unpeeled, cut into 1/4″ slices, sautéed over a medium-hot flame in a little olive oil along with two very small red pearl onions from Paffenroth Farms until lightly browned, a very small red Calabrian pepper from Campo Rosso Farm, finely chopped added most of the way through, the vegetables seasoned with salt and a little pepper, divided onto 2 plates, drizzled with a little olive oil, and sprinkled with bronze micro fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge
• the wine was a California (Lodi), Karen Birmingham Reserve Zinfandel 2014
• the music was Johann Friedrich Fasch, ‘Orchestral Works Vol. 2’, perforemd by Tempesta di Mare, and the Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra

There was an appetizer (insalata Caprese) , and there was excellent cheese after, both very good, but the, really extraordinary part of this meal was the main course – including a great Spanish wine.

• one swordfish steak (12 ounces) from P.E. & D. D. Seafood, in the Union Square Greenmarket, carefully cut into 2 equal portions, marinated for about half hour in a mixture of olive oil, 4 different chilis (a very small amount of dried Itria-Sirissi chili, peperoncino di Sardegna intero from Buon Italia, part of a small red Calabrian peppers from Campo Rosso Farm, some excellent powdered Nigerian cayenne pepper, and a powdered Spanish dulce paprika ), fresh oregano buds and leaves from Stokes Farm, chopped, and some finely-chopped small red pearl onions from Paffenroth Farms, after which it was drained well and covered with a coating of homemade dry bread crumbs mixed with a little salt, pan-grilled over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, removed, seasoned with salt, sprinkled with a little lemon juice, some purple micro radish from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and drizzled with olive oil before serving
• the flowerets of a 10-ounce yellow cauliflower from Norwich Meadows Farm, sautéed in a pan in which roughly-sliced garlic cloves from Willow Wisp Farm, some crushed dried Itria-Sirissi chili and more than a teaspoon of Italian fennel seeds had been heated, braised for a few minutes, until beginning to caramelize, eventually joined by 5 ounces of parti-colored ripe cherry tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm, the cooking continued until the tomatoes had begun to collapse, finished by stirring in some NYC basil from Gotham Greens, via Whole Foods, and peppermint from Stokes Farm, both torn, and sprinkled with micro bronze fennel when arranged on the plates
• the wine was a superb 16-year-old Spanish (Rioja) white, Viña Gravonia Rioja Blanco, Lopez de Heredia (ours was a 2005), from Astor Wines & Spirits
• the music was Giulio Caccini’s opera, ‘L’Euridice’, first performed at the Pitti Palace, Florence, in December, 1602 [more information here]

I didn’t start early enough to prepare the ‘tomato water’ which was a part of a recipe I had used for this wonderful fish last July. The other problem I had last night was that I didn’t want to turn on the oven, a step necessary for my second favorite treatment of tautog (blackfish), so I improvised.

I used the basics of Melissa Clark’s recipe, but left out the tomato water, instead I added some incredibly sweet and flavorful small, ripe cherry tomatoes (in several shades of both orange and red) I had picked up the same day.

The fish was really, really good. This new recipe will be my new first choice, at least until I need variety again.

The vegetable was serendipity and one of my favorites, for accompanying fish, meat, pasta – anything – also by itself, raw, as a terrific appetizer:  A beautiful bulb of fennel ended up on the counter last night, the gift of a friend.

• two 6-ounce fillets of tautog, or blackfish, from Pura Vida Fisheries [prepared following a recipe by Melissa Clark published in the Times four years ago, substituting a mix of excellent cayenne pepper and a dulce paprika for Aleppo pepper], seasoned with salt, black pepper, and a few pinches of a mix of sweet Spanish paprika and Nigerian cayenne pepper, placed in a large heavy oval copper pan over a medium-low flame, a mix of a few Moroccan and Gaeta olives from Buon Italia, pitted and chopped, scattered around the fish, the fillets cooked for about 4 minutes, flipped and cooked for another 4 minutes, near the end of which time a couple handfuls of some awesome cherry tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm were tossed into the pan, stirred and allowed to begin to break down, the fish and the olives transferred to 2 plates, the tomatoes spooned around the fillets, and everything sprinkled with NYC basil from Gotham Greens via Whole Foods and peppermint from Stokes Farm, both torn, topped with a drizzle of good olive oil and some flaky Maldon salt
• a small fennel bulb and its tender stems, from From Fishkill Farms, via the CSA allotment of a colleague of Barry’s, bulb cut into wedges, stems cut into segments, sautéed in a large iron pan over medium high heat with 2 whole crushed garlic cloves from Willow Wisp Farm, a small amount of crushed dried Sicilian peperoncino from Buon Italia, and some Italian fennel seeds until the fresh fennel began to color, then, with the heat lowered and the pan covered, cooked for ten more minutes, occasionally stirring, seasoned, and a generous amount of chopped fennel fronds added at the end

There was a very small cheese course

• the cheeses were ‘Coupole’, a goat cheese from Vermont Creamery, via Foragers Market, and 2 cheeses from Consider Bardwell Farm, ‘Slybro’ (also goat) and Rupert (cow); the grapes were ‘champagne’, from Caradonna Farms; the herbs were a bit of basil and mint leftover from the entrée

 

• the wine throughout was a French (Bordeaux) white, Château Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc 2015, with an grape blend of 60% Sémillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle, the large proportion of Sémillon, being unusual for the region
• the music was Antonio Vivaldi’s 1737 opera, ‘Catone in Utica’, Alan Curtis conducting Il Complesso Barocco